The next morning, just as dawn broke, the Qin Residence was already bustling with activity.
Qin Yu woke up early as well. After stretching his limbs, he began to put on his Armor with the help of the maids.
The Qin Family was famous for forging Weapons and Armor. To attack the Demon Nest, they were naturally fully equipped.
After donning a set of lightweight but highly defensive Chain Armor, Qin Yu connected his consciousness to the Insect Race base near the Qin Family Manor, tens of miles away.
[Name: Dominator of the Insect Swarm.]
[Insect Hive Tier: Tier One (x1, Incompletely Gestated).]
[Life Energy Reserve: 26/10,000 points.]
[Hatchable Units (Tier One): Worker Insect (Requires 10 Biological Energy points), Red-bellied Eagle (Requires 10 Biological Energy points), Rapid Insect (Requires 50 Biological Energy points).]
[Current Units: Worker Insects (10), Red-bellied Eagles (8), Rapid Insects (52).]
An entire night had passed without any Demon Fiend attacks, but the Rapid Insects’ Hunting in the mountain forests never ceased for a moment. They had almost wiped out all large beasts within a ten-kilometer radius.
The results were astonishing.
The number of Rapid Insects had skyrocketed to fifty-two.
While the ten Worker Insects helped transport the beast corpses, they were also already excavating the Profound Iron Ore. Once this battle ended, they could attempt to utilize it.
"Leave five Rapid Insects to defend the base, and keep the rest ready to support at any time!"
With a shift in his thoughts, the Insect Swarm quickly mobilized.
The Demon’s Nest was located deep within the old-growth forest. Aside from the six members of the Demon Suppression Bureau, no one else knew exactly how many Demon Fiends there were or what their true strength was.
This time, they would bring twenty Rapid Insects into battle. If any unforeseen circumstances arose, the remaining hidden Rapid Insects would serve as their trump card!
Pushing open his door, Qin Yu headed toward the Martial Arts Arena.
The Qin Family elites participating in this expedition had all gathered, and Qin Hu was impressively among them.
Qin Yu walked up and whispered to his father, "Father, your injuries haven’t fully healed. Once the battle begins, don’t charge too far to the front. Acting as the ’Conductor’ for the Rapid Insects will be enough.
"Once this battle concludes, our Qin Family’s Merit Points might be enough to exchange for an ’Essence Pill’ from the Demon Suppression Bureau. When that time comes, you’ll not only recover from your injuries but also have hope of advancing further."
Qin Hu couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t so old that he needed his own son to coddle him. "Relax, I’m not as fragile as you think! It’s been half a year, and my injuries are mostly healed. As long as I don’t exert myself for extended periods, it won’t affect me.
"Your father is at Bone Forging Perfection, after all! You, on the other hand, are heading to the battlefield to eradicate a Demon’s Nest right after breaking through to the Muscle Refining Realm. Just stay in the rear and utilize your Archery Skill advantage!
"Besides, those Rapid Insects still need you to control them."
Saying this, Qin Hu and Qin Yu exchanged a glance and laughed.
Soon, the five pre-prepared carriages were led over. The twenty Rapid Insects entered four of them.
The last carriage was loaded with a massive batch of Crossbow Arrows!
Every Qin Family elite carried a crossbow on their back. When Hunting Demon Fiends, if the problem could be solved with a Bow and Arrow, they would never engage in close combat!
The Qin Family built its foundation on forging Weapons; these items were the last thing they lacked.
If it weren’t for the rugged, difficult terrain deep in the mountains, Qin Hu would have loved to bring the Bed Crossbows along.
"Let’s move!"
With all preparations complete, the Qin Family group set off immediately.
"Don’t act recklessly when you encounter Demon Fiends. Listen to your father," Ouyang Xue reminded as she stood to the side, carefully double-checking Qin Yu’s gear. She tightened the straps on his helmet and Armor, ensuring nothing was loose.
"Don’t worry, Mother! If there’s any danger, I’ll send the Rapid Insects," Qin Yu replied with a chuckle.
Qin Hu also stepped forward to reassure her. "Rest easy, I will take good care of Yu. He’s grown up now and is a pillar of our Qin Family! You have no need to worry."
"Let’s go!"
With that said, the group mounted their horses, escorting the five carriages in the center as they headed toward the assembly point outside the county.
Outside the residence, Ouyang Xue watched the convoy travel far away until it disappeared at the end of the street before returning inside.
"From this moment on, the Qin Family’s doors are closed to all guests! Everyone must keep their crossbows and Blades on them at all times. They have gone out to hunt Demon Fiends, so we must protect our home well!"
"Understood!"
...
CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!
Amidst the sound of hooves, the convoy slowly marched outward. A few well-informed commoners watched from afar as the convoy left. In the past, they had harbored varying degrees of dissatisfaction toward these major families.
But at this moment, they all sincerely hoped that their expedition would be successful and that they would return safely.
"Five carriages? Captain, there are living creatures inside those carriages!"
Atop the city wall, the six Demon Suppression Bureau members led by Zhang Shun watched the approaching Qin Family convoy. One of them, a burly man about two meters tall with a Warhammer on his back, twitched his ears and spoke.
"Yeah, sensing their auras, they seem extremely ferocious. What kind of War Beasts has the Qin Family tamed?
"They fit into just five carriages, so it seems they aren’t very large.
"In the past, they probably relied on this trick to hide in plain sight. If we hadn’t known in advance, who would have guessed what was inside the carriages?
"I just wonder what the true combat prowess of the Qin Family’s War Beasts is like."
Saying this, Zhang Shun vaulted over the edge, leaping down from the city wall that was over two rods high. The five people behind him followed closely.
Not far away, troops from several families had already arrived.
For this mountain expedition to hunt the Demon Fiends, aside from the four major families, the County Yamen itself had also dispatched a batch of elites. Add to that three martial arts dojos and several minor families.
All in all, there were over one hundred and thirty people, and all of them were Martial Artists who had at least stepped into the Skin Refining Realm.
When fighting to the death with Demon Fiends, ordinary soldiers were useless.
Zhang Shun’s group wasn’t the only one keeping a close eye on the Qin Family.
The Wang Family, Zhao Family, Chen Family, and others had long been observing in secret. Some felt fortunate, some gritted their teeth, and others stared warily at the five slowly approaching carriages.
In the past, the Qin Family frequently used such carriages to transport Weapons. Clearly, everyone now believed that the Qin Family had been hiding in plain sight all along, secretly taming War Beasts.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the forces from all the families were fully assembled.
"Since everyone is here, Patriarch Qin, could you let the War Beasts out so the rest of us know what to expect?" Zhang Shun stared intently at one of the carriages.
"Alright!" Qin Hu nodded and patted Qin Yu’s shoulder.
Qin Yu immediately stepped forward, signaling a few Qin Family Guards to open all the carriages. The act had gone on long enough.
From now on, the Rapid Insects could appear in the open.
The moment the carriage doors opened...
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
A full twenty Rapid Insects—about 1.2 meters tall at the shoulder and over two meters long—dashed out. They let out low, guttural roars that caused the surrounding warhorses to neigh and whinny in panic.
Some warhorses were even so terrified they collapsed weakly, losing control of their bowels right on the spot.
These Rapid Insects resembled giant wolves. They had forelimbs resembling a Reaper’s Scythe with serrated edges, and their maws, filled with sharp fangs, looked incredibly hideous.
The thin, lightweight wings on their backs flapped as if they could take flight.
At their rears, long, spiked tails swayed ominously.
The fierce aura washing over them made the creatures look extraordinarily brutal. Even a man like Zhang Shun, who was accustomed to fighting Demon Fiends to the death, felt a shock in his heart!
Qin Yu looked at Zhang Shun and said, "Lord Zhang, besides these Rapid Insects, our Qin Family has prepared five Red-bellied Eagles for aerial reconnaissance. If there are any Demon Fiends lying in ambush, we can spot them in advance." Right as he spoke, five Red-bellied Eagles with wingspans of about 1.5 meters flew over rapidly from the sky, letting out piercing screeches.
After circling once, the Red-bellied Eagles quickly flew off into the distance.
"Rapid Insects? I haven’t even heard of such War Beasts before," Zhang Shun said, looking up at the sky, a look of delight appearing in his eyes. "The Qin Family truly has a profound foundation to actually possess such fine things! With these, the chances of our expedition succeeding have greatly increased!"
These Rapid Insects looked incredibly extraordinary, and with the Red-bellied Eagles conducting aerial reconnaissance, the safety of this trip was exponentially higher.
Behind him, the Martial Artists from the other three major families of Cyan Peak County and the County Yamen were already dumbfounded.
The Red-bellied Eagles were acceptable, but the appearance of the Rapid Insects sent shivers of fear through their hearts.
Wang Yong, the Patriarch of the Wang Family who had been competing with the Qin Family for years, turned deathly pale, his expression shifting unpredictably.
He realized the Qin Family had hidden their true depth far too well.
If the Qin Family had utilized these War Beasts in the past, annihilating his Wang Family would have likely been child’s play!
They could no longer afford to be enemies with the Qin Family!
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Wang Yong looked at the Rapid Insects.
However, remembering that these ferocious beasts were on his side for this expedition, he felt at ease, and a smile couldn’t help but creep back onto his face.
At the very least, the success rate of eradicating the Demon Fiends in this battle had vastly improved!
As for everything else?
He would worry about it if he survived.
"Once this battle concludes, I will definitely report the Qin Family’s Merit Points! The Demon Suppression Bureau will never mistreat those who contribute," Zhang Shun declared with a loud laugh.
"Let’s move! Into the mountains! We will eradicate the Demon’s Nest!"