Ruling Martial World by Infinite Insect Swarms

Chapter 107: Chapter 105: Daoist Soldier Array, Joint Annihilation

Lake Bottom Dragon Palace.

While the fierce battle between the Insect Swarm and the Demon Fiends of the Three Immortals Mountain was still raging on, the swarm’s encirclement and suppression of the Underwater Dragon Palace’s Demon Fiends had already reached its end. Facing an enemy that outnumbered them several times over, and with the Flood Dragon King Ao Hua absent, the defenders’ morale had completely collapsed from the very beginning. What should have been an arduous battle ended with remarkable ease.

Even Captain Heiyu didn’t last long. Though its strength far exceeded that of ordinary Demon Fiends at the level of Qi and Blood like a Dragon, and its innate Water Control Ability was masterful, it still unwillingly perished under the siege of several Profound Flood Dragons.

As the sounds of battle gradually subsided, no one noticed six Blood Shadow Pythons silently burrowing into the mud at the murky bottom of the lake. Having continuously devoured massive amounts of flesh and blood, they had already evolved to the Peak of the Qi and Blood Realm.

Blood Shadow Pythons were units inherently skilled at stealth attacks. Their bodies weren’t large; even after breaking through to the Qi and Blood Realm, they were still only a little over three meters long. In the dark, turbid depths of the lake, unless they were extremely close, they were completely undetectable.

Even the Qi Sea Realm expert of the Blood Demon Sect’s Xuan Nine Squad failed to notice the six figures lurking toward them in the darkness. He remained inside the undercurrent ”bubble,” observing the battlefield. That was, until—

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The six Blood Shadow Pythons shot out of the water almost simultaneously. Only when they breached the five-meter-diameter bubble did the leading Qi Sea Realm expert and the other five Martial Artists, all at the level of Qi and Blood like a Dragon, finally realize what was happening.

But it was too late. The Blood Shadow Pythons bared their fangs and snapped at their targets.

Prior to this, Qin Yu had tested the bubble by controlling reconnaissance units disguised as ordinary fish. This layer of the bubble was peculiar—it could isolate the surrounding lake water, but its actual defense was mediocre. It could be easily penetrated.

BOOM!

Startled and enraged, the Qi Sea Realm expert erupted with aura, blasting away the Blood Shadow Python that approached him. However, the other five experts were half a beat too slow. Even in his haste, the leader still managed to mobilize his internal Qi and Blood to form a Protective Gang Qi.

SQUELCH!

The fastest Python bit straight toward its target’s chest, but its venomous fangs struck a layer of incredibly tough Armor and shattered. The other Pythons instantly changed direction, aiming for their limbs. Out of the five Martial Artists with Qi and Blood like a Dragon, three were bitten.

The sound of fangs piercing flesh echoed as the incompletely formed Protective Gang Qi was torn apart. The Blood Shadow Pythons frantically injected their venom through their fangs, turning the bitten areas pitch black.

”Damn it!” Leader Xuan Jiu roared in absolute fury. Surging Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi manipulated the water currents, crushing the six ambushing Blood Shadow Pythons until they burst into mists of blood with a loud SQUELCH.

”Quick! Take the Antitoxic Pills!” Without time to say more, he immediately reached out and tapped the three poisoned men. Large amounts of purplish-black venom flowed out, but the areas where the fangs had bitten remained pitch black. Under the intensely corrosive poison, the flesh had already rotted.

The three men wore agonized expressions, their veins bulging all over their bodies. Yet, they immediately grabbed their Elixirs and shoved them into their mouths.

”Not good, this poison is too strong.” One of the Blood Demon Sect members, whose arm had turned purplish-black, paled. He immediately drew a dagger and sliced off a chunk of flesh from the highly corroded area.

In mere moments, that piece of flesh had completely rotted away. After continuously carving off their decaying flesh and swallowing several more Elixirs, the three men looked ghastly. But before they could say anything, everyone in the Xuan Nine Squad looked toward the distance.

WHOOSH—

No fewer than ten thousand aquatic Insect Race units of various shapes rushed over with cold, unfeeling eyes, completely surrounding them from all directions.

”They spotted us a long time ago. Break out! We cannot fight them underwater, or it’s certain death!” Leader Xuan Jiu’s expression changed drastically. Even as a Qi Sea Realm expert, clashing in the water with ten thousand Demon Fiends—including over a thousand at the Qi and Blood Realm—was simply suicidal!

”Form the Array! Hurry!” he bellowed, no longer caring about remaining hidden.

The seemingly ordinary dark Armor concealed beneath the robes of all six men instantly lit up with complex Runes. Their auras connected through the Armor, merging into a single entity! A semi-transparent, blood-red energy barrier flowing with water ripples enveloped them. Runes flickered across its surface, emitting powerful Energy fluctuations.

BOOM!

Almost the exact moment the barrier took shape, the Insect Swarm’s attack arrived! The leading Profound Flood Dragons roared, sweeping up undercurrents as they viciously slammed into the blood-red barrier!

BANG!

The barrier shook violently, ripples cascading across its surface. The Insect Swarm, like a black tide, frantically rammed and tore at the shield. Yet, amidst the endless, tempestuous barrage, the blood-red sphere surprisingly did not break. Even when the Profound Armor Cyan Aos clamped down with their massive pincers, it only caused a slight deformation.

”Break! Water Dragon Tornado!” Leader Xuan Jiu roared. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi circulated rapidly, forming spinning tornados of water blades that actively shredded any approaching Insect Race units. For a moment, they managed to forcefully carve out a safe zone amidst the sea of insects.

”They can’t break the Array! Hold steady and charge out!” Leader Xuan Jiu calmly directed his men while maintaining the Array.

He had comprehended the True Intent of Water, making him like a fish in water in this lake-bottom environment. Furthermore, with the Sect’s Daoist Armor, combining his power with the rest of his squad could massively boost their overall might.

But competing against an Insect Swarm of ten thousand? ℴℴ𝘮

Impossible!

Not to mention that three men in the squad were poisoned. Their livid, bruised faces made it clear that the toxin had already invaded their hearts. Even with the Sect’s specially crafted Antitoxic Pills, they could only barely suppress it. Now that they were exerting their full strength, the highly lethal poison rapidly spread along with their circulating Qi and Blood.

The six Blood Shadow Pythons that ambushed them had been meticulously selected by Qin Yu from the Insect Swarm. Through continuous evolution, their strength had reached the level of Qi and Blood like a Dragon. Otherwise, how could they have approached so easily? Since all the venom had been fully injected, the fact that the men hadn’t died on the spot was solely due to their incredibly fast reflexes and the lingering efficacy of the Antitoxic Pills.

”An Array? Daoist Armor?” Qin Yu frowned, immediately recognizing the glow enveloping their bodies.

The manual ”Hundred Array Formulas” introduced a variety of different Arrays, one of which was the Daoist Soldier Array. The Armor worn by each Dao Soldier was inscribed with bizarre Runes. By using these Runes to form an Array, the users could merge their strength into a single entity, allowing them to unify both their offense and defense. Among certain Major Sects and powerful factions, Daoist Soldier Arrays were a staple.

The Daoist Soldier Array before him was likely one of the Low Tier, yet the power it unleashed through its formation was still astonishing. It was said that among the elites of the Great Wei Border Army, when coordinated with Military Banners, Armors, Tokens, and other heavy military artifacts, tens of thousands of elite soldiers could unite their attacks and defenses. Such terrifying might would shred apart even Primordial Mansion Realm experts or Myriad Phenomena Masters; they wouldn’t dare face it head-on.

”Hmph! A mere six people think they can contend with the Insect Swarm?” Qin Yu scoffed coldly. Tens of thousands of Insect Swarm units swam rapidly, forming an incomparably massive encirclement around the Blood Demon Sect’s six-man Array. Under the control of the Insect Nest, it looked just like a gigantic sphere.

This was the difference between fighting in water and on land. The underwater battlefield was three-dimensional; attacks could be launched simultaneously from all directions.

One by one, the Sharp-toothed Catfish rammed the barrier madly. Even when they were shredded into pieces, they didn’t retreat in the slightest. Furthermore, over a hundred Blood-whiskered Electric Eels swarmed over, simultaneously discharging a super-strong electrical current. They unhesitatingly maintained maximum output, ignoring the friendly fire inflicted on the surrounding Insect Swarm.

The Array’s sphere of light, having ascended less than a hundred meters, instantly froze in place. Under the Insect Nest’s precise control, the materialized lightning seemed to turn into liquid. Beneath them, over a dozen units skilled in manipulating water currents worked in tandem with the rapidly spinning Insect Swarm to form an unfathomably colossal underwater vortex. Trapped by this overwhelming devouring force, the men were completely immobilized.

In the past, they could have crossed this distance of a mere few hundred meters and burst out to the water’s surface in just a few breaths. Yet right now, it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

”PFFT!”

A moment later, the most deeply poisoned squad member was the first to give out. He spewed a mouthful of black blood, and the Runes on his Armor abruptly dimmed. The already turbulent light of the Array instantly cracked, looking as though it could shatter at any moment.

”Hold on! Die for me!!” Leader Xuan Jiu’s eyes nearly split from their sockets in rage. His aura surged as he forcibly sustained the Array, causing the highly rotating Water Dragon Tornado to violently expand to a hundred meters in size.

A sea of blood churned as hundreds of aquatic units were shredded to pieces. The closest Blood-whiskered Electric Eels died instantly. Powered by that terrifying force, the entire sphere of light ascended rapidly, on the verge of breaking through the surface of the water.

However, amidst the spinning vortex of the Insect Swarm, over a dozen heavily armored Profound Armor Cyan Aos charged straight into the Water Dragon Tornado. Their shells, heavily integrated with Profound Iron, cracked and splintered. Yet, they showed absolutely no intention of backing down. Instead, they raised their massive pincers and smashed forward like underwater battering rams, colliding head-on!

BOOM!

Under the violent collision, the three poisoned squad members could no longer bear the strain. They simultaneously coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood.

CRACK—!

A sound like shattering glass echoed out!

The Array shattered on the spot.

The Insect Swarm, which had been lying in wait for this exact moment, instantly engulfed them. The three squad members who had lost their ability to resist died instantly, unable to even let out a scream. The other two black-robed Martial Artists with Qi and Blood like a Dragon fared no better; their strength was already reduced to less than a tenth of its peak in the water. Amidst the assault controlled by the Insect Nest, they couldn’t even survive for a single breath.

”Bastards!” Leader Xuan Jiu’s eyes were entirely bloodshot, his heart bleeding.

If they hadn’t been poisoned from the very start, it would have been extremely difficult to shatter their defenses, given the immense power of the Array. But once the Array broke, all was lost! With a wild roar, he detonated the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in his body. He slashed out frantically with his Long Saber, shredding the surging Profound Flood Dragons into pieces as he sprinted toward the surface of the lake!

As long as he reached the sky, he had a chance to escape using the flight capabilities of the Qi Sea Realm!

SPLASH—!

Water cascaded in all directions as Leader Xuan Jiu shot out of the crimson lake like a cannonball, finally seeing the light of day once more. A trace of relief at surviving a disaster had just begun to blossom in his heart.

But the very next moment.

His gaze fell upon a shadow looming in the sky. The Thunder Rocs and Four-winged Black Thorn Eagles, which had been circling and waiting above the lake’s surface for a long time, instantly unleashed their attacks.

Blade Insects howled and Thunderbolts roared!

”I’m finished!”