Twilight descended upon Cyan Peak County.
Street vendors busily packed up their things, but atop the city walls and around the gates, a crowd of people gazed into the distance, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Even the County Magistrate of Cyan Peak County had appeared.
Some were full of confidence, others wore worried expressions. Young servants and Household Servants scurried between residences, delivering messages.
An expert from the Demon Suppression Bureau was leading the elites of the four great families and masters from the Government Office on a hunt for Demon Fiends in the deep mountains. Nearly every expert in Cyan Peak County had been mobilized. This was an event that concerned the fate of the entire county!
But as the Sun slowly set, everyone’s hearts sank with it.
The deep mountains teemed with Demon Fiends.
At night, the danger was ten times greater than during the day. The later the party returned, the greater the peril. The entire expedition could even be lost.
When the last ray of the Sun’s light vanished, the area around the city gate fell quiet, sinking into a deathly silence.
Atop the city wall, Magistrate Li, whose face was usually wreathed in smiles, now wore a grim expression.
The true power in Cyan Peak County belonged to the four great families. His posting here was merely to polish his resume; in a couple of years, his family connections would arrange a transfer for him.
But if the Demon Suppression Bureau expert and the masters from the four great families were all lost in the mountains, he would not be able to escape responsibility!
But that was a problem for later.
If the demon-slaying party suffered heavy losses, it would mean the Demon’s Nest in the mountains had grown astonishingly powerful. A horrifying city-wide massacre could even occur.
Some of the better-informed wealthy merchants had already begun packing their valuables, ready to flee Cyan Peak County at dawn.
The moonlight deepened.
Magistrate Li could finally no longer sit still. He paced back and forth atop the wall, his gaze frequently darting toward the horizon, his mind a tangled mess.
Suddenly, a flicker of firelight appeared around a distant bend in the road.
Everyone’s spirits soared. Some soldiers straightened up, straining their eyes to get a better look.
But the night was too dark; they couldn’t see clearly.
The next moment, five ferocious-looking Rapid Insects, dripping with fresh blood, emerged from the darkness. A nearly tangible killing aura emanated from them.
"Demon Fiends! The Demon Fiends are attacking the city!"
One of the lingering vendors cried out in terror. He stumbled back a few steps, lost his footing, and knocked over a table, spilling the fruits that had been prepared to reward the returning party all over the ground.
All the soldiers tensed up instantly, hastily gripping their weapons.
Hearing the commotion, Magistrate Li leaned over the wall to look. He saw a massive Tiger Demon carcass, its cavernous mouth agape, its fierce eyes still radiating a terrifying aura.
The horrifying sight made Magistrate Li’s heart clench, but then his gaze fell on the human figures on either side of it.
"Fools! It’s the esteemed sirs from the Demon Suppression Bureau and our Cyan Peak County’s Martial Artists! They’ve breached the Demon’s Nest and returned with their spoils!"
"Quick, open the gates! Welcome our heroes home!"
As the procession drew closer, the clan leaders of the four great families, all covered in blood, came into view.
Surrounding them in the center was a handsome young man on a tall horse. His eyes were calm, but the overpowering Evil Qi emanating from him made everyone shudder.
"Qin Yu? Is that the Qin Family’s ’Cub Tiger’?"
The soldiers, holding their long spears, blinked in disbelief.
He was actually being escorted in the very center by the clan leaders of the four great families!
’What did he do?’
In the Martial Arts World, strength commanded respect.
The other three great families wouldn’t care about his status as the future master of the Qin Family.
Yet no one in the hunting party seemed to find it strange. In fact, when the Martial Artists from the other families looked at Qin Yu, their eyes held clear reverence.
"The Demon Fiend hunting party is back? My heavens, so many Demon Fiend corpses! What are those running Demon Fiends up front? They’re acting like hounds!"
The vendor who had fallen in fear got to his feet, dusted off his clothes, and stared at the young man, his heart pounding with shock.
"What do you mean, Demon Fiends? Hounds? Those are my Qin Family’s War Beasts!"
A Qin Family Guard shouted indignantly.
The dead silence of the city was instantly broken by a clamor of noise. A large number of soldiers, guards left behind by the various families, and others all surged forward, opened the gates, and welcomed the long procession into the city.
The mountain of Demon Fiend corpses piled on the carts was a staggering sight. Cyan Peak County had never seen such a bountiful haul!
The Martial Artists, each seemingly soaked in blood, exuded such a thick stench of gore that it made one wonder just how many Demon Fiends they had slaughtered to stain their clothes so completely.
"Quick, go lend a hand!"
"Go help the people! Treat the wounded!"
Magistrate Li hurried to the front. He shuddered under the gaze of a Rapid Insect but forced down his fear and whispered to the County Captain, Qin De, who was walking ahead.
"The esteemed sir from the Demon Suppression Bureau...?"
"After breaching the Demon’s Nest, they discovered a blood sacrifice statue of the Blood Demon Sect in the Demon Valley. The statue has been given to Master Zhang Shun, who is taking it back to Bishui City to request reinforcements..."
Qin De’s whispered words made Magistrate Li’s smile freeze on his face.
’The Blood Demon Sect... and the Snake Demon, Li Tianyi!’
He too came from a prominent clan and had heard of them before.
He didn’t know much about the Snake Demon, Li Tianyi.
But the Blood Demon Sect... according to his family’s records, it was a behemoth that had once brought chaos to the entire Great Wei Court. It had been locked in a struggle with the Demon Suppression Bureau for thousands of years, yet it could never be completely eradicated.
Legend had it that the Blood Demon Sect truly had Immortals!
Or perhaps, Demons!
Terror gripped Magistrate Li’s heart, but he forcibly suppressed it.
"Haha, our Cyan Peak County Martial Artists have crushed the Demon Fiends! The crisis has been averted!
This calls for a grand celebration..."
Magistrate Li’s face was once again full of smiles as he addressed the crowd behind him, acting as if he had never heard of the Blood Demon Sect or the Snake Demon, Li Tianyi.
...
「Qin Residence.」
Five Rapid Insects cleared the way at the front.
Qin Hu and Qin Yu rode their fine steeds down the street. The surrounding commoners watched from a distance, looking at the Rapid Insects and the corpse of the dead Blazing Flame Tiger Demon, letting out excited shouts.
’From now on, the Rapid Insects can appear in the open. I can use this opportunity to cultivate the Insect Swarm on a large scale without worrying about the human side of things.’
Qin Yu was calm.
This world had a great many Demon Fiends, but human Martial Artists were stronger!
Otherwise, it would not have been humans who established kingdoms, but the Demon Fiends who were driven into the deep mountains and old forests.
Thanks to this crisis, the reputation of the Qin Family’s War Beasts had begun to spread.
"Mother!"
Qin Yu leaped off his horse. The main gates of the Qin Residence were already open, and Ouyang Xue was waiting there for him.
"It’s good that you’re back!"
Seeing Qin Yu return safe and sound, Ouyang Xue’s expression visibly brightened, and the heart that had been caught in her throat finally settled.
"Don’t worry, Mother, I’m fine. This blood on me is just from moving the Demon Fiend corpses.
We hunted the Blazing Flame Tiger Demon this time and took its heart for medicine. Father’s injuries might finally be able to heal completely..."
Qin Yu said with a chuckle, supporting his mother.
"Hahaha, our son killed that Qi and Blood Realm Great Demon with three arrows in this battle! His Archery Skill is masterful, so you have nothing to worry about..."
Qin Hu laughed heartily as he walked over and pulled his wife into his arms.
"Someone! Go and butcher that Tiger Demon corpse! This is the body of a Qi and Blood Realm Demon Fiend! And take care of the other Demon Fiend Materials as well. Tomorrow, the Qin Mansion will feast on Demon Fiend meat!"
Instantly, the entire Qin Mansion burst into motion, everyone beaming with joy.
...
After the commotion died down and he had washed up, Qin Yu returned to his room and collapsed heavily onto his bed.
The exhaustion in his body washed over him.
He had to admit, this battle had taken more out of him than any other.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
A Blood Replenishing Pill could quickly restore his Qi Blood, but the toll on his Heart Power from processing data for the entire battlefield and firing over twenty arrows was immense.
Even with the Insect Nest assisting in the analysis, the high-speed processing still left his mind exhausted.
As he closed his eyes to rest, Qin Yu’s consciousness swiftly connected to the Insect Nest through the Mind Network, and then to each of his Rapid Insects.
Sensing the activity of the Insect Swarm in the deep mountains, Qin Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.
The Demon’s Nest was at least two hundred kilometers from Cyan Peak County.
This was why it was nearly midnight by the time they returned. Fortunately, they had left some carriages on the main road before setting out, so their return wasn’t too difficult.
’I’ll have to find a way to breed a batch of Conductors in the future. Otherwise, commanding the battles will become a problem once the Insect Swarm gets larger.’
The thought flashed through his mind, and Qin Yu focused his attention on the Insect Nest.
[Name: Dominator of the Insect Swarm.]
[Insect Hive Tier: Tier One (x2, incomplete incubation).]
[Life Energy Reserve: 3,672/10,000 points.]
[Hatchable Units (Tier One): Worker Insect (requires 10 Biological Energy), Red-bellied Eagle (requires 10 Biological Energy), Rapid Insect (requires 50 Biological Energy).]
[Current Units: Worker Insect (34), Red-bellied Eagle (20), Rapid Insect (82)]
While the party was heading back, the Insect Swarm was busy on the demonic battlefield, transporting corpses trip after trip to the newly incubated second Insect Nest to cultivate the swarm with all its might.
The scattered Demon Fiends were no match for the Rapid Insects.
With abundant resources, the number of units in the Insect Swarm was also increasing at an astonishing rate.
Even so, the Insect Nest’s Life Energy reserve continued to rise rapidly. Qin Yu had never felt so rich.
The Insect Nest hadn’t even finished digesting half of the hundreds of beast carcasses and Demon Fiend flesh from the battlefield. Once it was all processed, the Insect Swarm’s Life Energy reserve would at least double again!
’Upgrade the Insect Nest in Mine Cave #1 to its complete form.’
’Begin analyzing the Bear Demon’s bloodline and genes. Incorporate the Demon Power System into the Insect Swarm!’
’With the Demon Power System, the Insect Swarm’s strength will soon undergo a qualitative leap!’
’As long as the Insect Swarm is large enough, what does it matter if someone has Qi and Blood like a Dragon?’