Chapter 56 - 55: The Aberrant Gene and the Birth of the Aquatic Insect Race

Chapter 56: Chapter 55: The Aberrant Gene and the Birth of the Aquatic Insect Race

Ling State was a land abundant with mountains, rivers, great marshes, and lakes. Consequently, the region teemed with snakes and insects. Many areas were shrouded in dense miasma and occupied by numerous Demon Fiends, making them completely unsuitable for human survival. The Cang Mang Mountain Range was no exception.

After the lake surrounding Snake Valley was surveyed, it was found to measure approximately 52 kilometers across at its longest point from east to west, and 36 kilometers at its widest point from north to south. Overall, it had an elliptical shape. Its total area exceeded 1,500 square kilometers, and its depth was at least a hundred meters.

Furthermore, the lake connected to over a dozen large rivers flowing out from deep within the Cang Mang Mountain Range, the largest of which was over 800 meters wide. Through the detection of Worker Insects, it was discovered that a massive network of underground rivers and Water Veins existed beneath it.

It was almost a certainty that Demon Fiends occupied such a massive lake. The giant pythons of Snake Valley relied on this lake to hunt and survive.

"The Insect Swarm must have underwater combat units!" Qin Yu made this decision immediately.

The Demon Fiends lurking within the rivers and lakes of Ling State likely outnumbered those on land. Even within the Great Wei Court’s territory, the Demon Fiends residing in certain lakes and great rivers had to be "worshipped" by the people! There were quite a few of these so-called River Gods and Water Gods.

He hadn’t traveled to many places; the furthest he had ever been was when he followed his father to escort a convoy to Bishui City. During the journey, they had to pass through Zoushan County and then proceed by boat to save time. Unlike remote places such as Cyan Peak County, cities like Zoushan County and Bishui City were situated next to major rivers and boasted highly developed water transportation systems.

Bishui City was famous precisely because of its proximity to the Bishui River. The Bishui River stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers. It was said that at its widest point, it spanned hundreds of miles, connecting numerous great marshes and housing occupying Flood Dragons.

Even the Demon Suppression Bureau often found themselves helpless against them. After all, a human Martial Artist’s strength would diminish to less than a tenth of its original capacity once underwater. Unless they could be lured ashore, slaying aquatic Demon Fiends was incredibly difficult. This forced some coastal villages and towns to resort to horrifying acts to pray for peace, such as holding weddings for River Gods and sacrificing young boys and girls.

None of the Current Units of the Insect Swarm were suitable for underwater combat. Hatching new units was now an urgent priority.

"Demon Python analysis complete. Its life gene structure has been integrated into the Insect Nest!"

"Anomalous mutation genes discovered. These can cause life gene mutations and produce mutants. The mutation process is uncontrollable. Should the mutation genes be removed?"

This series of system notifications caused Qin Yu to frown slightly. Mutation genes? This was likely the ability Li Tianyi used to make those giant Demon Pythons Fall into the Demon Realm.

Whether it was the Ink Green Snake King, which was over fifteen zhang long, or the other giant pythons, they all had blood-red eyes and exhibited varying degrees of physical decay. Even within the mountain’s collapsed interior, there were three rotting monsters with human torsos and snake tails.

"Remove them!" Qin Yu commanded through the Insect Swarm’s Mind Network after pondering for a moment. "Record and study these mutation genes to attempt to crack their abilities."

This ability was probably the Blood Demon Sect’s method of controlling others and enhancing their combat power. He would inevitably have to deal with the Blood Demon Sect in the future. If he could crack it, he could convert this power for the Insect Swarm’s use. That would naturally be ideal.

An Evolution Chamber near the Insect Nest began to pulsate violently. Inside, the genetic blueprint belonging to the Demon Python was being meticulously dissected, much like a master butcher carving an ox. A blood-colored genetic strand was peeled away from it, and almost simultaneously, a notification sounded that the Insect Nest genes could be fused with the Demon Python’s.

"Snake Demon genes can be fused with Insect Nest genes. Two different fusion paths discovered: The first is a miniaturized, highly venomous path; the second is a gigantic path, utilizing physical body strength for constriction.

"A fusion path can be selected, or both can evolve simultaneously!"

There was a massive number of snakes in the Shegu Mountain Range. After the Decomposition Chamber broke down their flesh and blood, the Insect Nest recorded the memories of various snake-type Demon Fiends. When the fusion with the Insect Nest genes began, these two options appeared. Qin Yu glanced at the Insect Nest’s data and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

[Name: Dominator of the Insect Swarm]

[Insect Hive Tier: Tier One (x4)]

[Life Energy Reserve: 25,924/10,000 points]

[Hatchable Units (Tier One): Worker Insects (requires 10 Energy points), Red-bellied Eagles (requires 10 Energy points), Rapid Insects (requires 100 Energy points), Black Thorn Eagles (requires 200 Energy points), Profound Armor Barbarian Bears (requires 1,000 Energy points, 5 tons of Profound Iron Ore), Escape Armor Scorpions (requires 200 Energy points, 1 ton of Purple Poison Ore)]

[Current Units: Worker Insects (214), Red-bellied Eagles (208), Rapid Insects (423), Black Thorn Eagles (45), Profound Armor Barbarian Bears (10), Escape Armor Scorpions (30), Purple Poison Scorpions (30)]

An unprecedented reserve of over twenty thousand Energy points! When several Decomposition Chambers were hatched, a vast amount of flesh and blood in Snake Valley was digested and absorbed. This allowed the Insect Swarm to frantically hatch various units, yet the Energy reserves actually increased instead of decreasing.

"Evolve both simultaneously!" He wasn’t short on this bit of Energy; he could afford to be this extravagant!

The Insect Nest contained a truly massive amount of various Insect Race genes, but most were incomplete. Once the Insect Swarm analyzed the genes of powerful Demon Fiends, they could attempt to fuse them with Insect Race genes. Weaker life genes, on the other hand, rarely had the capability to fuse with the Swarm’s genes. Qin Yu had already tested this many times.

After consuming approximately 1,800 Energy points, information poured out from the Evolution Chamber.

"Fusion complete! New Insect Race strains successfully cultivated!

"The first is a miniaturized snake-type Insect Race unit. It excels in lurking and launching sneak attacks, utilizing highly toxic venom as its primary means of attack. Hatching requires 30 Energy points and 10 kilograms of Purple Poison Ore.

"The second possesses a massive physique akin to a giant python. Hatching requires 1,000 Energy points and 1 ton of Profound Iron Ore."

Qin Yu nodded slightly; this outcome did not exceed his expectations. The fusion of the Insect Swarm’s genetic units would utilize existing resources as much as possible. Purple Poison Ore and Profound Iron Ore were the two most important resources the Swarm had discovered so far that could increase their combat power. Even without these minerals, the Insect Race combat units could still be hatched, but their combat prowess would significantly decrease. Having two types of units was good; they could form a high-low tier combination. Entering the lakes and great rivers to fight Demon Fiends would also allow the Insect Swarm to better display its advantages.

"I need to figure out a way to find more veins of ore," Qin Yu calculated inwardly. "Relying solely on the small Profound Iron Ore vein near Qin Family Manor won’t last long. The Purple Poison Ore beneath Scorpion Demon Mountain should be a medium-sized vein. It can last a bit longer."

As the basic unit of the Insect Swarm, Worker Insects were also one of the most crucial. Apart from simple digging, mining, and cutting, they were inherently skilled at locating mineral veins. Given the sheer scale of the Cang Mang Mountain Range, there were bound to be plenty of veins deep within; they merely required the Insect Swarm to uncover them. As these thoughts crossed his mind, the first miniaturized unit had successfully hatched from Insect Nest Number Three at Scorpion Demon Mountain.

RRRIP.

A blood-colored venomous snake, roughly a single zhang in length with a triangular head and a body clad in an exoskeleton, slithered out of the insect egg. In terms of sheer size, this snake-type unit was even smaller than a Rapid Insect. However, the pair of sharp fangs in its mouth, along with the highly toxic venom glands within its body, proved that this new Insect Race unit was far from simple.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

When these blood-colored venomous snakes emerged from their eggs, they slithered toward the cave entrance like bloody phantoms, their speed absolutely staggering.

SPLAT!

Lifting their triangular heads, they violently spat out mouthfuls of purplish-red venom. It landed on a rock thirty meters away with a loud HISS, corroding more than half of it in an instant.

"Such incredible speed! What potent venom!" Qin Yu’s eyes lit up. "This new unit shall be named the Blood Shadow Python! Deploy them to the battlefield for actual combat immediately. Seize control of the lakes and rivers surrounding the Snake Valley Insect Nest!"