Chapter 64 - 63: Surging Insect Swarm! Crushing

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Surging Insect Swarm! Crushing

SPLASH!

Highly toxic acid spewed from the cockroach’s mouth like a rushing river, reaching Inspector Li and Zhou Tu in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it!" Inspector Zhou’s pupils shrank. Judging from the tragic state of their surroundings, he knew exactly how lethal this toxic acid was. How could he dare take it head-on? "Break!" he shouted fiercely, drawing a longsword from his waist. Sword Qi erupted from the blade as he aimed to cleave the surging acid apart.

However, a wave of dread washed over him. When his ten-foot-wide Sword Qi collided with the toxic acid, the Sword Qi, which was sharp enough to sever Profound Iron, merely sliced through a single glob of acid before dissolving with a loud SIZZLE. The river of acid continued to pour toward him unabated.

Inspector Liu dodged with the extreme speed of a phantom, but the simultaneous detonation of ten Poison Burst Insects had already coated the ground in a layer of purplish-black venom, leaving him with no safe place to land. He had no choice but to brace himself and step on it. Under the corrosion of the toxic acid, his boots SIZZLED, and the Qi and Blood covering his body rapidly eroded at an alarming rate.

Nearby, Zhou Tu let out a low, guttural roar, equally unwilling to face the cockroach’s attack head-on. He violently tore off his black robe and wielding a large, jagged saber with a ferocious expression, unleashed a flurry of blood-red saber streaks. In the next moment, however, he reached out and grabbed another black-robed man beside him.

CRACK!

His massive, fan-like hand clamped around the black-robed man’s neck and shoved him toward his own bulging abdomen. Bizarrely, a gaping, bloody maw filled with sharp teeth and a long, extending tongue had grown out of his stomach.

"Spare me, boss!" the black-robed man’s face turned pale with horror as he begged for mercy. Zhou Tu ignored him, pressing the man into his abdominal mouth, which immediately began to chew in massive bites. The black-robed man let out a single agonized shriek before falling lifeless.

Then, Zhou Tu delivered a vicious kick, sending the acid-corroded remains of a carriage flying toward the cockroach like a cannonball. Taking advantage of the moment the cockroach dodged...

CHOMP! CRUNCH!

The sharp teeth gnashed furiously, devouring the black-robed man—who was only slightly smaller than Zhou Tu himself—in a matter of seconds. Fist-sized wounds on Zhou Tu’s body, caused by the Poison Burst Insects’ corrosive acid, rapidly sprouted fleshy granulations as his injuries healed at an astonishing pace.

"The Human Pill Evil Technique again!" Observing secretly from a distance, Qin Yu frowned. When the Human Pill Evil Technique was cultivated to a profound stage, it caused various physical mutations. Some practitioners suffered from rotting flesh, while others developed grotesque, anomalous organs.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

While the cockroaches attacked, the surrounding Insect Swarm lunged in for the kill. The Profound Flood Dragon roared, its massive body slithering swiftly toward Inspector Liu as a thick, blood-red mist spewed from its mouth. The moment the blood-red mist enveloped the surrounding dozens of meters, all vegetation completely withered away. Inspector Liu’s face contorted fiercely as he tried to dodge, but it was impossible to escape such a massive area of effect. The Profound Flood Dragon’s toxic mist might not have been as concentrated as the cockroach’s acid, but its range was far wider.

"You’re courting death, you beast!" Though filled with terror, Inspector Liu bellowed in rage. This was actually a Flood Dragon! It had the long body of a snake and horns on its head! If this wasn’t a Flood Dragon, what was? But this Flood Dragon was incredibly bizarre. A row of sharp spikes jutted from its spine, making it look exceptionally ferocious, and the areas that should have been covered in scales were instead protected by a thick carapace.

CLANG!

He continuously slashed out streams of Sword Qi with his longsword, parting the dense blood-red mist. However, when the strikes landed on the Profound Flood Dragon’s body, they couldn’t even pierce through its protective Qi and Blood.

ROAR!

The Profound Flood Dragon roared, lunging forward with its bloody maw wide open to bite him. The Blood Shadow Pythons trailing beside the Profound Flood Dragon spat fist-sized globs of purple venom, while the Rapid Insects snarled, closing in from all directions and leaving him absolutely no room to dodge. Even in the sky, over a dozen Black Thorn Eagles circled, waiting for the perfect opportunity to dive. Under the coordination of the Insect Nest, every unit within the Insect Swarm found its optimal position, ensuring not a single one was wasted.

"Who are you? Do you know the consequences of opposing the Blood Demon Sect?!" Inspector Liu roared hoarsely. As he scrambled to evade, his longsword flashed like frost, continuously slicing down several Rapid Insects and Blood Shadow Pythons, though his protective Qi and Blood continued to deplete at an alarming rate.

While dodging, he caught a glimpse of the battlefield from the corner of his eye. The grand entourage of over fifty people that had set out with them was now completely wiped out. Only he and Zhou Tu were left struggling to survive; the rest had been nearly completely annihilated in the very first wave of explosions. The five black-robed men, including Zhou Tu, were all in the Qi and Blood Realm. While the other four were not as strong as Zhou Tu, they were at least skilled experts who had reached the level of Qi and Blood Like a Tiger. They were his main assets for entering the mountains. As for the fifty-plus ordinary people, aside from doing odd jobs, they were meant to be used as consumable rations during critical moments—yet they had all vanished in a single wave. Zhou Tu could devour people to restore himself, and Inspector Liu possessed similar methods. How could he not be furious?

His anger was met with two deafening explosions. Poison Burst Insects hidden within the swarm violently detonated. Guided by the insects’ deliberate control, the vast majority of their venom showered directly over Inspector Liu’s area.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!

Large swathes of corrosive acid splashed onto his protective Qi and Blood, and a portion of the highly toxic fluid pierced straight through the barrier, splattering onto his physical body.

"ARGH!" Amidst his agonized screams, his movements slowed for a split second. The Profound Flood Dragon’s tail whipped forward, slamming solidly into his body with a sonic boom. He was sent flying dozens of meters through the air before crashing heavily into the ground, violently vomiting mouthfuls of blood.

Almost simultaneously, Zhou Tu roared in anger and slashed at the enormous body of the Profound Armor Barbarian Bear with his jagged long saber. Even its exoskeleton armor, composed of Profound Iron, could not withstand a strike fueled by Qi and Blood like a Dragon.

However, Zhou Tu’s expression shifted drastically. The cockroaches sprinting rapidly toward him from a distance didn’t stop spewing their toxic acid just because the Profound Armor Barbarian Bear was in the way. The surrounding Rapid Insects and Blood Shadow Pythons also bit at him with absolute reckless abandon. Even when they themselves were corroded by the toxic acid, they didn’t retreat an inch. Instead, they bit with even greater frenzy, filling Zhou Tu’s heart with unparalleled dread.

BOOM! BOOM!

Mixed among the swarm, Poison Burst Insects detonated one after another, leaving Zhou Tu completely at a loss for how to defend himself. Under such a frenzied onslaught, even though he had devoured a comrade to restore his Qi and Blood, it continued to drain at a staggering pace. The small amounts of toxic acid that managed to breach his protective Qi and Blood severely corroded large patches of his flesh.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Zhou Tu roared repeatedly, his face flushed with extreme frustration as he stared at the Poison Burst Insects mingling in the swarm. If it were just the Poison Burst Insects, he could have unleashed saber streaks from afar to cleave them to pieces. But hidden within the swarm and protected by the other insects, it was utterly impossible. When a Poison Burst Insect drew near, he didn’t even dare to attack it.

But very quickly, he found himself with nowhere left to hide. The two cockroaches from behind rushed forward. The folded, Reaper’s Scythe-like blades on their backs sprang up, all while their mouths continued to spew acid incessantly. The massive blades, over two meters long, slashed downward.

CLANG!

Zhou Tu only felt a terrifying force crash into him. Trying to compete in sheer physical strength as a human against giant beetles that were over four meters tall and nine meters long was simply overestimating his own capabilities. Even with the enhancement of his Qi and Blood Force, his grip on the jagged long saber wavered, and blood flowed from the webbing between his thumb and index finger.

His expression fluctuated wildly. He didn’t even know who his opponent was. How was he supposed to fight this? The Qin family? How could a mere Qin family possess such terrifying power?! But this place was barely over ten miles from the Qin Family Manor, and the Qin family specialized in Beast Taming. If not them, who else could it be? A Flood Dragon! Giant beetle Demon Fiends! And those bizarre Poisonous Insects that could self-destruct instantly, capable of one-shotting a Qi and Blood Martial Artist. Was this really a level of power a remote family could possess? Were they a hidden branch of the Celestial Wind Qin Family?

However, the Insect Swarm did not cease its attacks just because of his confusion. Amidst the surging Insect Tide, the wounds on Zhou Tu’s body multiplied one by one. Furious, Zhou Tu retreated again and again. He sliced a Blood Shadow Python off his thigh and swatted a Rapid Insect away with a heavy slash. Facing the encroaching cockroaches, his massive abdomen suddenly swelled.

SPLASH!

The bloody maw on Zhou Tu’s stomach unhinged, spewing out a massive volume of green slime mixed with human tissue. The slime landed on the cockroaches’ bodies, causing their purple light to flicker as it emitted a sharp, hissing SIZZLE. To think that this monstrosity could also launch an acid attack!

But despite Zhou Tu’s tall, robust stature and bulging abdomen, how much acid could he really store in such a limited space? It was merely meant to serve as a trump card. Almost at the exact moment he spat out the slime, the two encircling cockroaches unleashed a river of highly toxic fluid from their mouths, completely enveloping Zhou Tu and melting him alive.

Watching this scene from afar, Qin Yu felt not a shred of pity, nor did he have any intention of intervening personally. Since his Purple Vine Bow was broken, he hadn’t managed to find a suitable Bow and Arrow replacement just yet. The Blood Demon Sect’s methods were bizarre and unpredictable. Although he wasn’t afraid of them, there was absolutely no need to risk engaging them in close combat. With the assistance of the Insect Nest, both his Body Technique and Sword Skill had reached the Micro Realm, but he lacked experience fighting against Qi and Blood Martial Artists. It would be better to wait until he had mastered the Body Refining Secret Technique deduced by the Insect Nest, and practiced on Demon Fiends in the Wilderness Mountain Range before considering such direct confrontations. Besides, the Insect Swarm didn’t need him charging at the frontlines anyway.

Shifting his gaze to Inspector Liu, he saw that the man, severely injured by the Profound Flood Dragon’s strike, suffered from shattered bones and torn muscles. With a dark expression, Inspector Liu swallowed an Elixir, causing the aura around his body to suddenly skyrocket. As his Sword Qi ran rampant, he continuously slaughtered over a dozen Rapid Insects and Blood Shadow Pythons. Even the Profound Flood Dragon sustained several ten-foot-long lacerations across its body.

"Blood Escape!" After unleashing a sudden burst of power to force the swarm back, Inspector Liu transformed into a bloody phantom and shot off into the distance. He was actually trying to seize the opportunity to flee!

However, Qin Yu just smiled coldly. Flee? Where to?! In the sky, the Black Thorn Eagles flapped their wings and entered a high-speed dive.

He wondered why the Snake Demon Li Tianyi hadn’t fled back then, instead choosing to fight Li Wanqing to the death. Did people really think he was just stupid? On the contrary, with the Black Thorn Eagles in the sky, escaping was simply impossible. How could anyone running on the ground ever outpace a Black Thorn Eagle?

Inspector Liu’s face was so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water. He slashed his longsword repeatedly, the sword gleams tearing through the bodies of a few Black Thorn Eagles, but the clash delayed him for a crucial split second. The Profound Flood Dragon’s colossal frame crashed down on him with the momentum of an avalanche. The surrounding swarm quickly closed in, and the two cockroaches pivoted, opening their maws to spew toxic acid. Having fled merely a few hundred meters, he was completely submerged by the Insect Swarm.

"Capture him alive!" Seeing that the time was right, Qin Yu finally spoke.

CHOP!

A cockroach stepped forward, the folded Reaper’s Scythe-like arms on its back springing out to sever Inspector Liu’s hands. Qin Yu only wanted him captured alive; that didn’t mean he couldn’t be harmed.

Once the swarm had the situation under control, Qin Yu emerged from the shadows, walking unhurriedly toward the now critically injured, dying Inspector Liu.

The mangled and bloody Inspector Liu hurled curses at him when he saw Qin Yu step out. Knowing he was dead for sure, he no longer had any reservations. "Qin Yu? What a bold Qin family! To actually dare attack my Blood Demon Sect... Even your Commandery City’s Zong Family wouldn’t dare do such a thing! Just wait for your clan’s extermination! The Blood Demon Sect will never let you off!"

"You came to my Qin Family Manor intending to strike at the Qin family. Did you never consider the consequences?" Qin Yu’s voice was leisurely. A strange light flashed through his eyes, his pupils seemingly transforming into those of a snake. Secret Technique—’Illusory Snake Eye’!

His Divine Sense spread out silently, invading Inspector Liu’s brain. A hint of struggle flickered in the eyes of the already dying Inspector Liu, but it quickly melted into dazed confusion.

"Tell me, what was your purpose in coming to the Qin Family Manor?"