Chapter 45: Insect Mother

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Insect Mother

The three Red-winged Blood Bamboos underwent a drastic change in appearance.

Their once iron-hard mouthparts transformed into four fangs, two on the top and two on the bottom, while their carapaces softened, developing fish-scale-like wrinkles.

The markings branded on their surfaces grew thicker and deeper than before, and the Spiritual Qi contained within them slowly began to rise.

’Are they advancing?’

This transformation filled Li Changsheng with delighted surprise, making him even more expectant.

But surprises are always accompanied by accidents.

The markings on one of the Red-winged Blood Bamboos suddenly split open, and wisps of Spiritual Qi escaped from the fissure.

Its body, which had swelled to the size of a duck egg, deflated like a punctured balloon. It visibly shriveled until it returned to the size of a thumb, then it toppled to the ground, lifeless.

Its death seemed to trigger a chain reaction. One after another, the Red-winged Blood Bamboos’ markings ruptured, and they died as their Spiritual Qi dissipated.

In just a cup of tea’s time, seventeen of them had died.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng’s heart ached with pain, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of regret.

He had only brought a hundred and five Red-winged Blood Bamboos back from Beast Valley. He’d lost several while capturing the strange insect, and now this experiment had cost him another seventeen.

Now, he had fewer than ninety left.

’If only I hadn’t let them eat it...’

Li Changsheng wanted to slap himself hard across the face.

The Red-winged Blood Bamboos’ nest was in Beast Valley, so he had no way to replenish their numbers. Each death was a permanent loss. Spiritual insects that could eventually advance to a level comparable to Late-Stage Qi Cultivation were not easy to find.

There were certainly some in the Wanzhong Mountains Range, but it was far too dangerous; he definitely couldn’t go there.

"Sigh..." Li Changsheng sighed and crouched down in frustration, staring at the only three remaining Red-winged Blood Bamboos, hoping they could hold on.

「A Cup of Tea’s Time passed.」

The three Red-winged Blood Bamboos had already swelled to the size of a fist, but their subsequent development was beyond his expectations.

He had thought their mutations would all be the same, but slowly, the three Red-winged Blood Bamboos began to show different changes in their appearances.

Two of the Red-winged Blood Bamboos’ skin completely transformed into dark cyan scales. A spiritual light flickered across their markings, and their four fangs glinted with a bluish sheen, a clear sign of potent venom. Their wings also became longer and tougher.

But Li Changsheng wasn’t focused on them. His gaze was fixed on the changes in the other Blood-winged Red Bamboo. He even subconsciously quieted his breathing, afraid of disturbing it.

The mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos were already large enough, but this one was a full two times bigger than the other two.

The sharp fangs it had grown regressed back into fine, sharp teeth. As its body swelled, its wings degenerated, shrinking to the base of its legs. Two flexible antennae sprouted from its head, and its pale, bluish-white abdomen drooped to the ground, more than double the size of its body.

As it changed, the swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboos in the air grew restless. They seemed to want to fly down, yet they also appeared fearful and uneasy.

Time passed slowly.

The three drastically changed Red-winged Blood Bamboos finally completed their metamorphosis.

The swarm in the air grew even more agitated, circling restlessly.

Li Changsheng walked over and carefully scooped up the pot-bellied Red-winged Blood Bamboo, his eyes fixed on it.

[Target: Slave Insect]

[Race: Mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboo "Insect Mother"]

[Tier 1 Low-Grade: 1%]

[Talents: Blood Devour, Reproduction.]

[Status: Healthy.]

’It’s just as I thought! Not only did it mutate, but it also became an Insect Mother!’

An unstoppable smile spread across Li Changsheng’s face; he wanted to laugh out loud.

The Insect Breeding Record stated that a swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboos only has one Insect Mother. However, after the mother dies, a new one will mutate from within the swarm to take on the heavy responsibility of propagating the species.

The larger the swarm, the higher the chance of an Insect Mother appearing, and vice versa.

Even he hadn’t imagined that one of his Red-winged Blood Bamboos would actually mutate into an Insect Mother.

Li Changsheng watched joyfully for a while before gently setting down the Insect Mother and fixing his gaze on the other two mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos.

[Target: Slave Insect]

[Race: Mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboo]

[Tier 1 Low-Grade: 1%]

[Talents: Blood Devour, Mixed Toxin.]

[Status: Healthy.]

’A pity. They didn’t develop an innate Magic, just got Mixed Toxin.’

Li Changsheng thought greedily, and with a slight stir of his will...

The two mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos beat their wings and took flight, their speed more than double what it was before.

Under his command, the two mutated insects performed various maneuvers, their movements showing much greater flexibility than before.

He then tested their body strength and the potency of their venom.

Li Changsheng could only describe them as very strong—the kind where one could fight ten. If not swarmed, the two mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos could completely slaughter his remaining swarm of less than a hundred.

After the test, Li Changsheng walked toward the second floor, carrying the Insect Mother. The swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboos followed closely behind.

Once on the second floor, he looked at the empty room, thought for a moment, then walked to the large vat where the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree was planted and placed the Insect Mother inside.

He then took out the Blood Bamboo Vine, cut off a section, and tossed it in as well.

The Insect Mother didn’t even glance at the Blood Bamboo Vine. It crawled to a broken spot on the Snake Saliva Spirit Tree’s branch and began to suck greedily at the sap.

Li Changsheng was lost in thought. ’So after mutating, it doesn’t like to eat Blood Bamboo Vine anymore.’

’That’s fine. I don’t have much Blood Bamboo Vine left anyway. This saves me some.’

He took the Blood Bamboo Vine out of the vat, stored it in his pouch, glanced at the Insect Mother and the swarm, and turned to go downstairs.

As he left, the swarm beat their wings and swiftly flew into the large vat.

The two mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos did not join them, instead following Li Changsheng downstairs.

「Back in the main hall.」

Li Changsheng’s will stirred slightly.

A strange insect appeared on the floor, bound by Cowgrass. It was dark brown all over, eyeless, with a mouth full of fangs.

Droplets of dark green blood trickled from the strange insect’s mouth, and a foul stench immediately filled the air.

Li Changsheng was already used to it. He walked into the kitchen and took out a bowl.

He cut his finger, dripping blood into the bowl.

To ensure he could subdue the strange insect, Li Changsheng let almost half a bowl of blood flow out.

Once his preparations were complete.

Li Changsheng closed his eyes and recalled the various essentials of the insect seal, going over them until he knew them by heart. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes and formed a hand seal for the Technique.

With a flicker of his mind, Spiritual Power flowed like water into his meridians, forming a slightly incomplete network diagram.

"Go!"

The instant the diagram lit up, Li Changsheng’s hand seal changed, and he let out a soft cry.

As the word left his lips, a thumb-sized stream of faint gray light shot into the bowl, merging with the blood.

A spiritual light surged, and the blood in the bowl rapidly congealed into a gray, solid mass the size of a baby’s fist, emitting a strange odor.

As the smell spread, the two mutated Red-winged Blood Bamboos beat their wings a little more rapidly.

The half-dead strange insect on the floor caught the scent, its body twisting as more dark green blood gushed from between its opening and closing fangs.

Afraid it would die, Li Changsheng didn’t dare to delay. He picked up the gray solid from the bowl and tossed it next to the strange insect’s mouth.

The strange insect seemed to sense the food by its mouth. A surge of strength rose from within its body, and it took a bite of the gray solid, swallowing it down.

’Whether this works or not all comes down to this moment!’

Li Changsheng sensed the magical connection within the strange insect’s body. With a stir of his consciousness, he activated it.