Chapter 124 - 120: Humanoid Insect Race, Tyrant Form

Chapter 124: Chapter 120: Humanoid Insect Race, Tyrant Form

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Amidst the rhythmic sound of synchronized footsteps, twenty experimental subjects took a step forward, their eyes brimming with fanaticism. Having practiced different Cultivation Techniques and undergone various experiments, most of them now looked vastly different from Qin Yu.

For instance, the subject whose Core Technique was the *Thick Earth Unmoving Technique* and focused primarily on defense had its skeleton abnormally reinforced through the Insect Nest’s tuning. Its physique had expanded to a towering 2.2 meters, making it look like an iron tower.

The Insect Nest’s experiments weren’t simply about modifying and merging Cultivation Techniques. They also involved the human body!

During the sweeping campaign against the River Pirates, the Insect Swarm had captured not only the bandits looking for an easy score in Cyan Peak County, but also the secret operatives of various family factions. Even within Cyan Peak County, many people had their bloodline genetics collected by the Insect Swarm. Ouyang Xue, Qin Hu, and his Second Uncle, Qin De, were among them.

Otherwise, how could he have created suitable Cultivation Techniques?

"It’s a pity that the human genetics collected by the Insect Swarm belong to ordinary bloodlines," Qin Yu thought to himself as he looked at the experimental subjects before him. "If I could obtain a special physique like Li Wanqing’s, my strength could reach even greater heights."

Within the human race, there were exceptionally gifted individuals with special physiques. The most common traits included Innate Divine Strength and hyper-reflexes, as well as unique traits like Li Wanqing’s Innate Spiritual Pupils. Others were born with Double Pupils, or possessed what was lauded as a Sacred Body or Divine Body. However, the Insect Swarm had yet to discover any of these. If they had, they could analyze them and "copy" those traits onto his own body. Naturally, his strength would skyrocket once more.

"Perhaps I can cultivate a batch of units specifically tasked as Genetic Thieves," Qin Yu mused. "They wouldn’t need overwhelming combat prowess; as long as they excel at stealth and can steal bloodline genetics, that would be enough.

"They could even implant their own genetic material into the bodies of other lifeforms to achieve surrogate reproduction, fully unleashing the Insect Swarm’s infectious capabilities. Combined with Illusion Techniques and Secret Techniques, they could enact mental and Soul control. They could also disguise themselves as humans or take on other forms to gather intelligence for the Insect Swarm."

A contemplative look appeared in Qin Yu’s eyes. As his strength grew, so did his audacity, allowing him to realize some of his inner ambitions.

As a Transmigrator, his knowledge of the Insect Swarm from his past life was far from superficial. He could draw plenty of inspiration from it, and Genetic Thieves were just one such example.

Frontline combat units like cockroaches and Rapid Insects played a massive role in the Wilderness Mountain Range. However, when entering human cities like Bishui City and the County City, unless the Insect Swarm possessed overwhelmingly crushing strength, covert infiltration units would sometimes prove far more useful. While their combat prowess might not match that of cockroaches or Mountain Giant Apes in the same Realm, they could enter and exit human cities freely without being branded as Demon Fiends!

"The primary purpose of these units, hatched using my genetics as a prototype, is to protect me. In that case, let’s call them Hive Guards!" Qin Yu declared, looking at the twenty Hive Guards before him. "To the outside world, they will be known as Qin Clan Members. They will take the surname Qin and be named Qin Yi, Qin Er, and so on!"

"Thank you, Sovereign, for bestowing these names upon us!" the Hive Guards responded in perfect unison.

Because of their varying Cultivation Techniques and enhancement paths, these Hive Guards might actually surpass him in his normal state in certain aspects. Take the burliest of them all, Qin Yi, for example. His defense was maxed out. If he were equipped with a Heavy Shield, even Qin Yu would find him troublesome to deal with. Others had completely maxed out their speed attributes. When erupting with full force, they were as fast as a Thunder Shock and moved like lightning, surpassing even him.

Of course, their comprehensive combat capabilities were still far inferior to his.

After observing them closely, Qin Yu nodded in satisfaction. Given the Tier Two Insect Nest’s processing power, these Hive Guards looked exactly like humans, but they would still appear somewhat wooden if they had to converse with actual people. They were a bit lacking for intelligence gathering, but as bodyguards, they were absolutely perfect.

"Go on. Arm yourselves first!" Qin Yu ordered.

"Yes, Sovereign!"

All the Hive Guards swiftly walked outside. A short distance away, a clearing was already piled high with various Weapons and Armors. These hadn’t all been purchased from the Treasure Pavilion. When the Insect Swarm annihilated the Three Immortals Mountain and cleaned up the battlefield at the Undersea Dragon Palace, they had reaped a vast haul of weapons and equipment.

The Three Immortals Mountain had ruled the Wilderness Mountain Range for centuries; how could they not have amassed a fortune? Countless individuals had perished there while Hunting in the mountains or foraging for Celestial and Earthly Treasures. Naturally, the treasures they carried had been confiscated. The same was true for the Flood Dragon King. The Armor and Weapons left behind after slaying Inspector Liu of the Blood Demon Sect and the five Dao Soldiers were also in this pile.

Although some pieces were slightly damaged, after a bit of cleaning and maintenance, they were more than enough to arm twenty people.

The burliest of them, Qin Yi, immediately found a set of heavy Armor. He then chose a Gamma-level Shield Tower as his primary Weapon, pairing it with a One-Handed Warhammer. The others also searched for their own gear, selecting Long Sabers, Bows and Arrows, and other weapons based on their specific physical enhancements.

This was the advantage of the Humanoid Insect Race. Unarmored, their combat strength was naturally no match for units like cockroaches or Mountain Giant Apes. But once equipped with Weapons and Armor, it became a completely different story.

While they were selecting their weapons, Qin Yu turned his gaze to the remaining experimental subjects. These twenty Hive Guards were relatively stable, which was why he had decided to bring only them along. The rest, however, were a different story.

Some had suffered bodily damage due to conflicting Cultivation Techniques. Others no longer even resembled humans because of their various extreme enhancements.

The most eye-catching among them was an experimental subject that fused Mountain Demon genetics, Flesh Golem tissue, and Insect Race traits. Standing nine meters tall, it was covered in heavy, sharp Scale Armor. Its arms had mutated into massive Bone Blades, and it dragged a hideous, scorpion-like pincer tail behind it. Its bone density, physical resilience, raw strength, and burst power vastly exceeded Qin Yu’s human form.

However, it was highly unstable, constantly hovering on the brink of genetic collapse. It had been created by modifying and fusing his very own genetics. This meant that if he wanted to, he could transform into this very form at any time, instantly acquiring terrifying combat prowess.

Using his human body to command the Power of Dominator—even with the support of a Body Refining Technique like the *Wind and Thunder Poison Dragon Technique*—the absolute limit he could withstand was approximately a ten-fold increase in strength. This state was his standard Power of Dominator, allowing him to sustain combat for a relatively long period. If he pushed it further—say, to a twenty-fold increase—his body would rapidly tear itself apart.

But if his body were to undergo modifications and transform into the colossal monstrosity before him, he could easily withstand a twenty- or thirty-fold increase in strength, causing his combat power to skyrocket once again.

Of course, this current experimental subject was still imperfect. Let alone fight, the moment it left the Nurturing Pool, it would instantly melt into a puddle of mush.

"Let’s hope I’m never pushed to that point," Qin Yu murmured, staring at the imperfect creature. In the Insect Nest, this subject was designated as the "Tyrant Form," prepared specifically as his trump card in desperate situations.

He wanted to maintain his human image. But if he truly encountered a life-or-death crisis, he wouldn’t mind undergoing a "Second Rank" transformation! He hadn’t walked away empty-handed after slaughtering several waves of Blood Demon Sect Elites. The final boss of the Xuan Jiu Squad had transformed right before dying, leaving a deep impression on him. It was just that transforming into a mindless creature was far too foolish. They gained power at the cost of their sanity.

Glancing at the other experimental subjects, Qin Yu issued his orders.

"Expand the scope of the experiments.

"Increase the total number of experimental subjects to one thousand. Funnel resources toward the development of the Tyrant Form. The primary goal is to achieve morphological stability and allow for free transformation.

"In addition, incubate another one hundred Hive Guards and have them infiltrate Cyan Peak County in batches under different identities. My father also needs an absolutely reliable protective force by his side.

"Since the outside world is convinced that we are a Hidden Lineage of the County City Celestial Wind Qin Family, we might as well play along and solidify this identity. Perhaps... Father’s idea of swallowing up the County City’s Zong Family isn’t entirely impossible to execute."

His gaze swept across all the subjects in the Nurturing Pool, finally resting on the massive frame of the Tyrant Form before he turned and left.

He needed power, but it absolutely had to be controllable! If he could freely switch between forms, that would be ideal. However, given the Insect Swarm’s current capabilities, achieving this would likely take quite some time.

Behind him, the twenty fully armed Hive Guards followed closely. By now, their appearances had drastically changed. Over their Armor, they uniformly wore dark martial outfits embroidered with the Qin Family insignia. They immediately looked like a highly disciplined unit, naturally exuding a fierce and imposing aura.

After some minor facial adjustments, they no longer bore any resemblance to Qin Yu. Anyone who saw them would simply assume they were a hidden force belonging to the Qin Family.

In the sky above, Thunder Rocs descended one by one. Qin Yu leaped onto the back of the first Roc, while the Hive Guards each mounted their own. The group soared into the sky, speeding in the direction of Bishui City.

The Thunder Roc Wings flapped powerfully. The howling gales helped calm Qin Yu’s slightly restless heart. Although he had not yet arrived, the Insect Swarm’s reconnaissance network blanketing Bishui City allowed him to see that numerous surrounding factions—either having caught wind of the news or already planning to attend the auction—were rushing in. ℯ

Bishui City was currently far more bustling than usual, and a certain level of chaos had already broken out. The Demon Suppression Bureau and the Evil Suppression Bureau Army had been forced to dispatch personnel to patrol the streets and maintain order, yet despite their efforts, disturbances were still frequent. As more factions poured in, this chaos was bound to escalate!

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away in the County City, a magnificent Flying Ship wreathed in lightning pierced through the clouds, hurtling toward Bishui City at breakneck speed.

Deep within a distant mountain forest, a beam of golden light shot into the sky. Over ten Martial Artists with formidable auras and Swords hung at their waists gazed fiercely toward Bishui City.

Even more factions rode upon various large Flying Demon Beasts, all converging on the exact same location from different directions. The news that a secret key would appear at the Bishui City Treasure Pavilion’s auction had spread far and wide. Every faction harboring ambitions for the Five Poison Sect’s legacy mobilized upon hearing the wind.

"Let’s see who will ultimately claim the prize!" Qin Yu thought, his gaze sharp. "It’s time for Cyan Peak County’s Qin Family to make their mark."