Chapter 57: Making a Move, Black Blood Moth Mother

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Making a Move, Black Blood Moth Mother

He Qing’s heart raced with panic. He wanted to open the door to stop the insects, but he was terrified more would swarm in.

If the thing inside were to be exposed, forget Steward Ma—even that Lord Jin would never forgive him.

Li Changsheng and his three companions were about to reach the front of the small courtyard.

He Qing forced down his panic and put on a cold expression as he faced the four of them.

At this point, all he could do was pray. ’I hope the talismanic device that lord gave me can fool the few insects that got into the cabin.’

Li Changsheng noticed every flicker of emotion on his face.

Li Changsheng wasn’t great at reading people, but the man’s expression was just as cold as when Li Changsheng had come to buy Jade Grass from him before.

’Something isn’t right!’

The four of them had just been here not long ago to clear the Black Blood Moths from his Spirit Field. Back then, Li Changsheng had distinctly seen a sense of fear and apprehension in the man.

’Combine that with how quickly he just shut the door...’

The insects that had entered the cabin hadn’t signaled anything unusual, but he was certain of it. ’This man is definitely hiding something.’

Li Changsheng’s expression remained unchanged as he reached a hand behind his back and gave a subtle signal.

Elder Wang and the other two saw the signal. Their pupils constricted slightly as they exchanged a look and gave a faint nod.

Wu Yong’s pant leg stirred, and several dark Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes crawled out silently, falling in behind him.

The bulge on Elder Wang’s back vanished, and a giant, Tiger-striped Leech dropped silently to the ground.

Liu Yong simply folded his sleeves, showing no obvious change.

Hidden by Xiaohua’s exceptionally large body, their preparations went unnoticed by He Qing.

The closer they got, the more nervous He Qing became, his expression growing stiff.

Li Changsheng guided Xiaohua right up to the courtyard gate. He suddenly looked up at the roof of the cabin and called out in feigned confusion, "Steward Ma, what are you doing up there!"

He Qing’s face paled the moment he heard the name. He immediately snapped his head up to look at the roof.

When he saw the empty, deserted roof, his heart sank.

’Damn it, they found me out.’

Just then, a sharp command cut through the air.

"Now!"

The moment the word was spoken, Li Changsheng’s will flared.

The insect swarm immediately charged toward He Qing.

The sight of the Red-winged Blood Bamboos’ sharp mouthparts made his pupils contract in fear.

With a flick of his wrist, He Qing produced a dark yellow jade tablet. As he channeled his Spiritual Power into it, the tablet began to glow with a bright yellow light.

But just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.

CROAK...

Suddenly, a croak like the tolling of a great bronze bell resounded.

He Qing’s mind went blank for a moment, and the glow from the jade tablet in his hand faded.

In that instant, the swarm descended upon his face and body.

Caught completely off guard, the vicious mouthparts of the Red-winged Blood Bamboos instantly pierced his flesh, injecting their blood poison deep inside him.

The poison surged through his body. Without any Spiritual Power to protect him, it began to rapidly dissolve his flesh.

"AH!..."

The excruciating pain, as if his flesh were being carved away and his bones dissolved, made He Qing shriek in agony. He clawed at the insects on his face.

But he only had two hands. How many could he possibly grab?

Besides, without his Spiritual Power circulating, he couldn’t even crush the Red-winged Blood Bamboos he managed to catch.

By the time he remembered to circulate his Spiritual Power, it was already too late.

The blood poison from the now lower first-rank Red-winged Blood Bamboos was several times more potent. In the few moments he spent screaming, most of the flesh on his face had already dissolved, leaving only two bloody, empty sockets where his eyes had been.

A slurry of melted flesh and blood gushed from his eye sockets like a fountain, only to be devoured by the swarm.

「A few breaths later.」

He Qing, completely enveloped by the swarm, crashed to the ground. The slight twitching of his feet showed he wasn’t quite dead yet.

"How utterly vicious..."

Watching He Qing’s gruesome death, Elder Wang, Wu Yong, and Liu Yong—the one who’d just tossed out the Golden Thread Toad—exchanged glances. They all swallowed nervously, a sliver of fear rising in their hearts.

The instant He Qing died, Li Changsheng suddenly felt a sense of unease and agitation from the Red-winged Blood Bamboos inside the cabin.

Li Changsheng quickly turned to the three men behind him, pointed at the cabin, and said grimly, "The Insect Mother is inside."

The three men’s eyes lit up, their expressions tinged with excitement.

Li Changsheng patted Xiaohua’s back and pointed to the wooden door. "Xiaohua, open it!"

OINK OINK...

Xiaohua grunted twice, lowered its head, and rammed the door, which was instantly flung open.

Wu Yong couldn’t wait and rushed into the courtyard with his Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes.

Elder Wang and Liu Yong, not wanting to be left behind, followed closely behind him.

Li Changsheng, however, didn’t enter. Instead, he had Xiaohua back away from the gate as he watched the cabin.

’Who the hell knows if the Insect Mother inside has finished advancing...’

’Better to let those three be the vanguard. If it has advanced, at least there’ll be someone to bring up the rear.’

’As for the glory of killing the Insect Mother... they can have it.’

’Finding the Insect Mother and killing the troublemaker is enough for my report to Steward Ma.’

While he was lost in thought, the three men had already entered the cabin and spotted the Black Blood Insect Mother in the pit.

The Insect Mother, previously only as thick as a man’s arm, had now swelled to the size of a calf. It looked like a great, scaleless, black-and-red serpent.

Liu Yong stared at the dull, depleted Spirit Stones in the pit and exclaimed, "So many Spirit Stones!"

Elder Wang, meanwhile, spotted the talismanic device beside the Insect Mother, and his eyes lit up.

Wu Yong shot the other two a look and sneered, "What are you waiting for? For it to finish advancing and wake up?!"

With that, the nine Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes at his feet crawled toward the Insect Mother in the pit.

Elder Wang and Liu Yong snapped out of it, their faces flushing. They quickly commanded the Golden Thread Toad and the Tiger-striped Leech to advance on the pit as well.

They had realized it too.

The Insect Mother was dormant while advancing in rank; this was the perfect time to kill it.

The nine Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes fanned out around one section of its body. With their Spiritual Qi surging, they opened their fangs and bit down.

The Tiger-striped Leech and the Golden Thread Toad each found a spot of their own and sank their teeth in.

PFFT...

The exotic beasts pierced the Insect Mother’s hide.

The Insect Mother’s body shuddered, and blood rich with Spiritual Qi sprayed from the wounds.

The exotic beasts let out joyous hisses and began to greedily gulp it down.

Seeing this, Elder Wang, Liu Yong, and Wu Yong looked overjoyed.

An Insect Mother in the middle of advancing was a great tonic for their beasts. Devouring it might even allow their creatures to break through to the next rank.

As blood and Spiritual Qi gushed out, the Insect Mother’s body began to shrink rapidly, while its thrashing grew more and more violent.

The three men paid it no mind, assuming it was just the creature’s death throes.

「A few breaths later.」

The Insect Mother’s body suddenly stopped thrashing. It lay as still as a corpse.

This only excited the exotic beasts further. They burrowed their heads into its body, greedily devouring its flesh.

But just then, a spiritual light flashed from within the Insect Mother. A dark, black glow instantly enveloped its body.

SIZZLE...

The black light swept over the heads of the exotic beasts. Instantly, a violent sizzling sound erupted, followed by a putrid stench.

SCREECH...

The dozen or so beasts shrieked in pain as they pulled back from the Insect Mother’s body.

Then, the Insect Mother moved. Its body, now like a long serpent, rapidly coiled around the beasts.

CROAK! The Golden Thread Toad let out a loud cry, and with a powerful kick of its legs, it leaped out of the Insect Mother’s coils.

The Tiger-striped Leech and several of the Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes weren’t so lucky. The Insect Mother bound them tightly in its coils, like a snake constricting its prey.

"You dare!"

"Stop!"