Chapter 68 - 67: Slaying Demon Fiends; The Insect Swarm Advances

Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Slaying Demon Fiends; The Insect Swarm Advances

"ROAR!"

Sensing the threat from the sky, the Tiger Demon on the ground let out a deafening roar. A foul Wind surged as trees as thick as bowls were snapped in half by its sweeping tail! A hundred meters in the air, Qin Yu’s clothes fluttered wildly, but his eyes were as cold as iron.

The Mountain-Splitting Tiger was recorded in the Great Wei Demons and Monsters Record. Its body was like a mountain of flesh, with a shoulder height of over ten feet. Its fur did not have ordinary tiger stripes; instead, it had the texture of grayish-black rock, with faint dark gold patterns hidden within. The Tiger Claws were as thick as stone pillars, possessing the power to split mountains and crack rocks, and it was innately capable of controlling earth and stone.

The moment the Black Thorn Eagle swooped to its lowest point, Qin Yu moved. Without a shred of hesitation, his figure plummeted straight down like a falling meteor.

BOOM!

His feet smashed heavily into the ground, causing the earth to crack inch by inch with him at the center as dust billowed into the sky. The tremendous impact was perfectly absorbed and dissipated by the bones and sinews of his legs. His body merely sank slightly before he was firmly nailed to the earth like an iron spike.

Two specks of scarlet light flared up within the dust cloud. Infuriated by the provocation descending from the sky, the Mountain-Splitting Tiger lunged forward with a vicious gust of Wind. Its speed was completely disproportionate to its massive size. The Tiger Claw slammed down toward Qin Yu’s head with the momentum to crush everything in its path! Even before the Wind of the claw struck, the sharp air pressure alone made it difficult to breathe.

Had it been before, Qin Yu would have definitely dodged and weaved to avoid taking the brunt of the attack. But at this moment, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"Good timing!"

Instead of retreating, he advanced. The Five Poison Dragon Transformation Technique circulated rapidly within his body. The muscles in his arms instantly bulged, and as his Qi Blood surged, his skin took on a jade-like luster. The Evil-breaking Saber, pitch-black as ink, slashed straight down.

BANG!

The saber and claw clashed, producing a deep, resounding boom like a massive temple bell. A visible ring of air pressure exploded outward, snapping all the surrounding grass and trees.

The scene of this tiny human being battered and broken, as the Mountain-Splitting Tiger had expected, did not occur. Qin Yu’s stance was as steady as Mount Tai. The immense force transmitted from the Evil-breaking Saber was passed through his bones and sinews via an Array of subtle ripples like a slithering python, passing through layer by layer before being discharged into the ground beneath his feet! A trace of human-like bewilderment flashed through the Fierce Mountain Tiger’s enormous pupils. It could not understand how this insignificant creature could take its attack head-on.

In that moment of bewilderment, Qin Yu moved!

The ground beneath his feet exploded into a small crater as his figure blurred into a dark line, instantly slicing toward the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s neck. Pushed to the absolute limit, his speed left behind an afterimage where he stood!

SHING!

The pitch-black Long Saber slashed down. Before the blade even arrived, the emitted saber aura had already caused the hair on the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s neck to stand on end.

"ROAR!"

At this life-or-death juncture, the Fierce Mountain Tiger displayed astonishing combat instincts. It violently twisted its body, attempting to use the thick hide of its shoulder blade to forcefully withstand the blow, while simultaneously snapping its bloody maw toward Qin Yu’s head!

RIIIP—

The Evil-breaking Saber tore a gash across its body. That patch of skin instantly turned pitch-black as the corruption eroded its surroundings. Highly toxic! Whether it was the Spirit Snake Shadow Poison Scripture that Qin Yu practiced, or the Five Poison Dragon Transformation Technique that the Insect Swarm had just deduced, both were highly toxic Cultivation Techniques. Every stance and every move carried a deadly poison. The Evil-breaking Saber, which should have been snow-white and gleaming, had turned pitch-black as ink due to the venom.

As the bloody maw closed in, Qin Yu did not take the hit head-on; instead, he pulled back and retreated.

ROAR—

The Fierce Mountain Tiger bellowed. Feeling the burning, agonizing pain spreading from within its body, its eyes instantly turned extremely dangerous. It raised a front paw and violently slammed it into the ground!

BOOM!

The earth trembled violently, and several sharp stone spikes instantly erupted from beneath Qin Yu’s feet!

"Petty tricks!" Qin Yu snorted coldly. His figure turned into a phantom-like blur as he dodged the attack, but he no longer clashed head-on with it. He already knew the limits of his strength. Grappling with a Demon Fiend using a human body would ultimately put him at a disadvantage. Not to mention, the Fierce Mountain Tiger was one Realm higher than him and was renowned for its brute strength.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

The Mountain-Splitting Tiger roared continuously as stone spikes repeatedly spewed from the earth. Its massive body lunged toward Qin Yu at top speed, clearly intending to end the battle quickly.

"That’s exactly what I was waiting for!" Qin Yu’s lips curled into a smirk as countless streams of data flashed through his eyes. His body dodged like a ghost, and the thrusting Long Saber quivered, changing from a stab to an entangling wrap! The blade clung to the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s forelimb joint with the utmost flexibility, like a giant python.

CRACK!

A teeth-grating sound of shattering bone rang out clearly! Instantly losing its balance, the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s massive body let out a painful howl, and its biting motion was abruptly distorted.

A brilliant light exploded in Qin Yu’s eyes. Driving the Five Poison Dragon Transformation Technique with all his might, the power throughout his body connected in segments—from his feet to his waist, and from his waist to his arms!

SQUELCH!

Like a hot knife cutting through butter, the Evil-breaking Saber, imbued with indestructible Gang Qi, forcefully broke through the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s tough fur and muscles, stabbing into its heart with pinpoint accuracy!

"Whimper..."

The Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s enormous body suddenly stiffened. The fierce glint in its eyes quickly dimmed before it finally crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"As expected, this kind of visceral, bloody combat is much more thrilling!" Qin Yu slowly pulled out the Evil-breaking Saber, wiped it clean on the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s fur, and then sheathed the Long Saber, his expression still brimming with excitement.

It was entirely different from the absolute calmness of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow from a distance, or the feeling of controlling the entire battlefield by shooting a guaranteed fatal arrow in an instant. Close-quarters combat was far more perilous. The sensation of dancing on the tip of a blade made the blood in his entire body boil.

When the battle concluded, the surrounding Insect Swarm closed in with low growls and dragged the Mountain-Splitting Tiger’s corpse toward the Insect Nest. The Black Thorn Eagle, which had not strayed far, spiraled down, picking Qin Yu up and rushing toward another battlefield.

Through this preliminary actual combat, Qin Yu had gained a general understanding of his own strength. Although he was still at the Qi and Blood Tiger level, he relied on the comprehensive Enhancement of his body from the Five Poison Dragon Transformation Technique and the sharpness of the Evil-breaking Saber. The Evil-breaking Saber was a Gamma-level Upper Grade Weapon. Because of it, even a Demon Fiend that was one Realm higher than him, comparable to Qi and Blood Like a Bear, was far from being his match. Within just a few exchanges, he could forcefully slay them.

From the sky, Qin Yu looked toward the other battlefield. There, led by a cockroach, the Insect Swarm was besieging a dozen Demon Fiends. Letting out a long howl into the sky, Qin Yu rode the Black Thorn Eagle as it dove down at breakneck speed to join the fray.

The earth rumbled.

The usual tranquility deep within the Wilderness Mountain Range was completely shattered. Guided from the sky by the Black Thorn Eagles, the Insect Swarms struck out in all directions, bringing a radius of a thousand miles entirely under their control.

Whenever a powerful Demon Fiend was discovered, an Insect Swarm would inevitably be dispatched. They would either execute it individually or swarm it en masse. Wherever they passed, while not exactly rendering everything extinct, the vast majority of Demon Fiends and even massive wild beasts were dragged into the Insect Nests, converted into the purest Energy.

"Once this area is cleared out, we can open up a path to the forest occupied by the Plant Demon Fiends."

Having continuously slain over a dozen Demon Fiends, Qin Yu returned to the Shegu Mountain Range and gazed into the distance. In that region, the Insect Swarm had long ago discovered a batch of Plant Demon Fiends. Or rather, Vine Demons—Bloodsucking Vines!

Looking down from the sky, that area seemed no different from anywhere else, save for the dense fog shrouding it. However, whenever small animals or birds occasionally passed by, thorny vines would instantly burst from the ground. Surging and spreading like living creatures, they would kill the passing birds and beasts before dragging them back into the depths of the fog.

The Bloodsucking Vine was recorded in the Great Wei Demons and Monsters Record. It stated, "There is a creature within the fog known as the Bloodsucking Vine. Its form is eerie and deceitful; it often lies dormant on the ground, sharing the same color as rotting soil. Its vines bear sharp thorns and slither like living snakes, adept at disguising themselves as dead branches and withered leaves."

This type of Bloodsucking Vine could emit a highly deceptive mist to lure surrounding birds and beasts closer, launching a sudden ambush to absorb their flesh and blood. To conduct close-range reconnaissance, the Insect Swarm had already lost three Red-bellied Eagles and one Black Thorn Eagle. Yet, they had only grasped a superficial understanding of the situation. It was still unknown just how many Bloodsucking Vines lurked within the dense fog. However, they were ultimately plants with a limited range of movement. Furthermore, they feared fire! To the Insect Swarm, they did not pose much of a threat.

In another direction, however, was a massive group of Mountain Demons. The Insect Swarm’s hunting across the forests had caused large numbers of wild beasts and Demon Fiends to flee in panic. This had already alerted the Mountain Demons, and some of them had begun actively exploring outward. The Insect Swarm was observing them. And they, in turn, were observing the Insect Swarm!

Demon Fiends were not mindless beasts. It was just that amidst the mutual slaughter of the mountains and without anyone to guide them, their intelligence was not very apparent. Even those born clever would be no different from wild animals if thrown into the forest. But this group of Mountain Demons was different. They possessed a high degree of organization. Upon discovering the reconnaissance of the Red-bellied Eagles and Black Thorn Eagles, they threw boulders to actively drive them away and even set up traps to ambush them.

A light lit up in Qin Yu’s eyes. Through the Insect Swarm’s Mind Network, he witnessed a slaughter deep within the jungle. In a forest clearing, six Mountain Demons were irritably pounding their chests and letting out threatening low growls.

The Mountain Demon was documented in the Great Wei Demons and Monsters Record. "Its form resembles a giant ape, standing over ten feet tall when upright. It possesses a green face and red nose, with a crimson mane upon its shoulders and back resembling blood. Its arms are long and immensely powerful, and its claws can crack rocks and tear apart tigers and leopards with bare hands."

In the past, they were the Overlords of this territory. Yet at this moment, their brown eyes reflected an unprecedented tension. An Array of rustling sounds echoed from the surrounding jungle as five Rapid Insects emerged from the shrubs. Their 1.5-meter-tall bodies lay low, their four limbs gripping the ground tightly. The pair of Reaper’s Scythe forearms behind their heads rubbed their serrated edges against each other, producing a teeth-grating clicking sound.

The standoff lasted only an instant.

"ROAR!"

The most muscular Mountain Demon launched the first attack, lunging at the Rapid Insect closest to it. Almost simultaneously, the five Rapid Insects shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring, their speed leaving behind blurred afterimages.

CRACK!

The Reaper’s Scythe forearms slashed across in an intersecting strike. The Mountain Demon’s chest was instantly ripped open, its blood splattering across the emerald-green ferns. Another Rapid Insect leaped into the air, dodging a Mountain Demon’s swinging blow. Its spiked tail lashed out like a steel whip, piercing precisely into another Mountain Demon’s eye socket.

However, the Mountain Demons were ferocious. One Mountain Demon tightly grabbed a Rapid Insect’s forearm, its fangs biting viciously into the Rapid Insect’s exoskeleton, producing a teeth-grating crunch.

From the shadows, three blood-colored phantoms silently slipped into the battlefield. The Blood Shadow Pythons made their move. They were only ten feet long, darting like lightning through the root systems of the towering ancient trees. Their triangular heads reared back—

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Purplish-red venom shot through the air, accurately striking the Mountain Demons’ bodies. One Mountain Demon even had venom splash into its eye socket, instantly corroding a sizzling crater as it let out a miserable shriek.

CRACK!

Seizing the opportunity, a Rapid Insect quickly pounced, its Reaper’s Scythe forearms tearing out the Mountain Demon’s throat. This skirmish ended within ten breaths.

"Are they trying to locate the Insect Swarm’s lair?"

Seeing the Mountain Demons dispatching over a dozen reconnaissance squads in all directions, a smile traced the corners of Qin Yu’s mouth. These Mountain Demons were indeed much smarter than ordinary Demon Fiends. The Insect Swarm had risen extremely fast. Yet, these Mountain Demons had reacted just as swiftly. However, if they wanted to fight the Insect Swarm to the death, they were still far too lacking!

"A direct, decisive battle carries too much risk. We’ll slowly strangle them bit by bit!"