Chapter 246: Power Surges! The War Begins

The Insect Swarm was continuously expanding.

Expanding in the wilderness was far easier than in the cities. All he had to do was have flying units like the Thunder Rocs and Four-winged Black Thorn Eagles carry Worker Insects to ever more distant locations.

Then, they would find a remote place with a relatively high number of Demon Fiends and simply drop them off.

An already mature Insect Swarm could quickly establish a foothold in the wilderness, spawn its first batch of combat units, and then continue to expand outward.

In the wilderness, Qi Sea Realm Demon Fiends were already considered incredibly powerful entities.

But with the Insect Swarm’s current strength, it could easily sweep away even a Primordial Mansion Realm Great Demon. Its rate of expansion in the wilderness was naturally astonishing.

One point of expansion would spread to another, and then the Insect Swarm’s scout units would sweep through the area like a grid.

Because of this, the Insect Swarm could rapidly discover the strongholds of Evil Demon Sects and find certain reclusive ‘Old Demons’ hiding in the wilderness.

For humans, expanding into the wilderness and forests was a different story.

The greatest challenge was the extremely harsh environment, followed by the Demon Fiends lurking within it. Most of these regions were simply uninhabitable for humans.

Snakes and bugs were everywhere, and Poisonous Insects ran rampant.

There were also deadly miasmas and other hazards. Even if cities were built in the wilderness, it would be difficult for humans to survive, as the harsh environment would claim countless lives.

That wasn’t to mention the numerous swamps, deserts, and other difficult terrains.

But for the Insect Swarm, none of this was a problem. The harsher the environment, the better the Swarm adapted.

In fact, the Insect Swarm even treated certain extremely harsh environments as crucibles for evolution and resource-gathering sites!

For example, in an area tens of thousands of miles from Yunlong County, the Insect Swarm discovered a continuous range of volcanoes. Thick lava frequently erupted, dense smoke billowed daily, and ash constantly fell from the sky.

Such an area was a forbidden zone for most forms of life!

But for the Insect Swarm, it was an excellent place for evolution. Large numbers of Fire Attribute Insect Race units, like Heaven-Burning Fire Crows and Fire Roaches, bred within it.

After absorbing the genes of some extremely fire-resistant plant life, the Fungal Mat Organization evolved units capable of surviving in fire and lava, allowing them to consume the Energy within the scorching magma.

This turned the volcanic range into an important resource-gathering site for the Insect Swarm, as well as an evolutionary crucible for its fire-series Insect Race units.

Under this frenzied expansion, in just half a month, the Insect Swarm’s presence had appeared in more than ten counties surrounding Yunlong County.

They discovered one hidden stronghold after another belonging to Evil Demon Sects like the Blood Demon Sect, the Soul Refining Sect, and the White Bone Temple.

For the sake of safety, these sects often chose to take root in such remote locations.

One by one, their strongholds were eliminated.

Under this intense pressure, even a sect like the Blood Demon Sect was forced to lay low, doing everything possible to avoid the Insect Swarm’s notice.

And yet, it was in this very climate that the Insect Swarm discovered a base that was ‘completely undisguised’.

It was located one county over from Yunlong County.

In a wilderness some seventy or eighty thousand miles away, they had plundered tens of thousands of people from dozens of surrounding villages before vanishing into the wilds.

‘It looks like a base for the White Bone Temple?’

A vicious glint flashed in Qin Yu’s eyes.

‘To dare to pop up at a time like this… I don’t believe for a second they don’t have some ulterior motive.’

‘Considering the Insect Swarm’s feat of forcibly killing Shen Tu Lu, if this is really a trap, there has to be at least one Myriad Phenomena Realm expert hidden within!’

‘This is getting interesting! Alright, let’s play. I’d like to see what gives them this confidence!’

Qin Yu sneered, but he didn’t recklessly mobilize the entire Insect Swarm to attack.

The Insect Swarm’s expansion might have seemed brutish, but in reality, every move was carefully calculated, with large numbers of scout units always sent out in advance.

They would first ascertain the situation, then crush the enemy with absolute strength.

This was the key to the Insect Swarm’s invincibility.

Otherwise, just a few defeats and the loss of a large number of units would be enough to stop the snowball from rolling, severely delaying the Insect Swarm’s expansion.

With a single thought, a vast number of units disguised as common snakes, insects, birds, and beasts—and even smaller creatures—began to rapidly infiltrate the area.

Only after doing all this did Qin Yu lower his head to look at the two Jade Scrolls in his hand.

The Immortal Tier Techniques from the Demon Suppression Bureau!

He took out the Jade Scroll for the Godslaying Soul-Slaying Saber and extended his Divine Sense into it. A Mental Realm, utterly different from the vast and all-encompassing nature of the Infinite Wonders Skill, appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

It was the gleam of a saber.

An incomparably tyrannical and sharp saber gleam!

The blade’s edge slashed forth.

In that instant, it was as if time and Space had lost all meaning, and boundless shock welled up within Qin Yu.

A cold voice reverberated in the core of Qin Yu’s Soul, carrying the sound of the Great Dao.

“All that has form is illusory?!”

“The physical body is not a raft, but a sheath, and also a blade! The Soul is not a shadow, but a fire, and also an edge!”

“The saber cuts the body, severing its form, shattering its furnace of Qi Blood, and destroying the foundation of its flesh! The will cuts the Soul, shattering its spiritual light, severing the thread of its reincarnation, and extinguishing the source of its consciousness!”

“With one slash, the Divine Soul is annihilated! This is—Godslaying Soul Cutting!”

“…”

The extremely tyrannical voice echoed in Qin Yu’s mind, leaving Qin Yu completely mesmerized.

This was an Immortal Tier Technique that pointed directly to the Dao of the Soul’s origin.

The Ten Thousand Swords Soul Seal was purely a method for applying and attacking with the Soul.

The Godslaying Soul-Slaying Saber, on the other hand, contained a method of Soul Cultivation: how to strengthen the Divine Soul, cultivate Soul Power, and forge the Divine Soul into the purest, most terrifying Soul Blade!

It was a process of using one’s supreme will to temper one’s own Soul through countless trials, ultimately forging an edge capable of annihilating all existence on a spiritual level!