Ruling Martial World by Infinite Insect Swarms

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: A Chaotic World of Demon Fiends, the Insect Race’s Inheritance

September, the Third Year of Yong’an, Great Wei Dynasty.

Ling State, Cyan Peak County, the Qin Family Mansion.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky as the autumn wind howled fiercely. Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, illuminating an antique-styled room where a young man lay quietly on a bed.

Standing at eight feet tall when upright, the young man had a handsome face. However, a half-foot-long gash marred his chest, and his ribs were caved in as blood continued to seep out. He remained completely unconscious.

Beside the bed, an old Daoist in green robes rapidly applied acupuncture needles, slowly stanching the bleeding. Behind Daoist Zhang stood an elegantly dressed middle-aged woman. Her eyes were red, stained with tears, and her brow was furrowed with deep worry.

After a long while, the old Daoist stood up and withdrew his needles.

The elegant woman immediately asked, ”Daoist Zhang, how is my son?”

The old Daoist’s face was grim as he wrote down a prescription.

”I barely managed to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, your son has reached Refining Flesh Perfection and possesses a strong physique. That’s the only reason he survived a strike from the Wolf Demon. However, this attack damaged his internal organs and shattered his ribs.

”He will need at least half a year of rest to fully recover.

”His future Martial Arts cultivation might also be affected.

”Brew this medicine according to the prescription and give it to him when he wakes up. If anything seems wrong, come find me.”

”Thank you for your trouble, Daoist Zhang. The manor has prepared some modest wine...”

The middle-aged woman took the prescription and handed it to the maid behind her, yet the worry in her expression only deepened. Her child had always been competitive and trained diligently in Martial Arts. This wasn’t the first time he had been injured while slaying Demon Fiends, but this injury was far too severe. He had nearly lost his life, and his future was now compromised.

”There are also casualties over at the Chen family. In this Demon Fiend invasion, there are countless injured.” The old Daoist shook his head, packed up his medicine box, and hurried outside.

Watching his figure disappear, the middle-aged woman’s face grew increasingly anxious. This Demon Fiend invasion was unlike any before; it reminded her of the disaster from eight years ago.

Suddenly, a noise came from inside the room.

Overjoyed, the middle-aged woman turned and rushed back in.

”Yu, you’re awake!”

”HISS—”

Qin Yu felt as if every bone in his body had been shattered. A tearing agony radiated from his abdomen and chest, the intense pain causing him to involuntarily cry out.

”Mother, how is Father?” Qin Yu asked with some difficulty.

In the last moment of his memory, he had just shot and killed a Wolf Demon, only to be caught off guard and ambushed by another. Even though he tried his hardest to dodge, a claw still struck his chest, knocking him unconscious on the spot. The force of the Wolf Demon’s strike was equal to, if not greater than, a heavy-duty truck.

Had he not been wearing armor and achieved Refining Flesh Perfection in his Martial Arts, he would have died instantly.

”He is fine. The Demon Fiends have all retreated. He is just standing guard in the manor just in case.

”I have already asked your Second Uncle to take men over as backup, and I’ve also sent people to request aid from the experts at the Demon Suppression Bureau.” The joy on the middle-aged woman’s face faded slightly.

”Retreated?”

Qin Yu wasn’t surprised by the news, though a hint of worry flashed across his face. That Wolf King was incredibly powerful, a Great Demon rivaling Bone Forging Perfection. Under normal circumstances, his father wouldn’t fear it. However, half a year ago, his father had failed to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm, sustaining severe injuries that had yet to fully heal.

It was fine as long as he didn’t fight. If fighting aggravated his injuries, it would be extremely troublesome. They likely only managed to drive the Wolf King away by relying on their superior numbers. The Demon Fiends had only retreated; they could launch another attack at any moment.

Second Uncle? Although stronger than himself, he was only in the Muscle Refining Realm.

The four barriers of Martial Arts Body Forging were Skin, Flesh, Muscle, and Bone. Breaking through the Skin Barrier granted a thousand pounds of strength. One’s skin became as tough as cowhide, resilient and unbreakable, greatly increasing defense. Breaking through the Flesh Barrier massively increased strength, making shattering steles and splitting rocks an effortless task. After that, every subsequent barrier represented a massive leap in power.

As for seeking help from the County Yamen? Calls for aid had been sent out long ago!

The Qin Family Manor was where the Qin family mined and forged weapons. Although situated in a remote area, it was the foundation of the Qin family. What worried him the most was that this attack involved an alliance of different Demon Fiends. Not only were there Wolf Demons, but there were also Bear Demons, Fox Demons, Snake Demons, and more.

Different species of Demon Fiends teaming up to attack humans. The implications behind this were far too terrifying.

It was normal for Demon Fiends to attack humans, but the infighting among Demon Fiends in the mountains was even bloodier and more cruel. Killing each other on sight was the norm.

Teaming up? The only possibility for Demon Fiends to collaborate was if a powerful Demon Fiend emerged in the mountains, forcibly suppressing their wild nature to establish a Demon Nest.

”Don’t think too much for now. I’ll have the servants bring your medicinal soup over. You need to rest well and recuperate for a while...” His mother forced down the worry in her heart and comforted him.

”Mhm.”

Looking at the familiar surroundings of his room, Qin Yu let out a long sigh. Although he had been unconscious, he had actually heard everything his mother and Daoist Zhang said. He just couldn’t open his eyes or make a sound at the time.

As a Martial Artist, how could he not be clear about his own physical condition? Being able to recover after half a year of rest was already the most optimistic estimate.

However, time waited for no one!

It was a chaotic world ravaged by Demon Fiends, teeming with evil spirits. This was the world he inhabited in this lifetime. The primordial wilderness had not yet receded. The earth’s leylines were in chaos, making it incredibly easy to breed Evil Qi and foul miasma. The Ling State, where he lived, was covered in continuous mountain ranges crawling with Demon Fiends, ghosts, and monsters.

Qin Yu was a Transmigrator, but he hadn’t seized someone else’s body. He had been reincarnated.

In this life, he was quite fortunate. He was the only son of Qin Hu, the Qin Family Patriarch—one of the four major noble families of Cyan Peak County. He had grown up with a life of luxury and privilege. His mother, Ouyang Xue, was a lady from a noble family, gentle and refined.

He had regained his memories of his past life when he was still a babbling toddler. As a result, he matured much earlier than his peers and was far more passionate about Martial Arts.

In a world overrun by Demon Fiends, humanity could still establish nations and dominate regions because they had something to rely on. That reliance was Martial Arts!

Martial Arts wasn’t cultivating to become an immortal. It required diligent study and rigorous training. Training relentlessly through the freezing depths of winter and the scorching heat of summer.

But what truly made him obsess over Martial Arts and dedicate his entire being to it happened when he was ten. During a Demon Fiend invasion, he had watched with his own eyes as his grandfather fought to protect them, slaying over a dozen Demon Fiends in succession. His grandfather sustained dozens of wounds and ultimately died in battle from blood loss and exhaustion.

From then on, he became completely obsessed. Even as the Eldest Young Master of the Qin family, if he encountered a Demon Fiend and the blade in his hand wasn’t sharp enough, he would still die!

Today, he was eighteen years old. In Cyan Peak County, he had earned the title of the ”Cub Tiger of the Qin Family.”

”Cub Tiger?”

Qin Yu looked self-mockingly at his chest, at the wound that had nearly disemboweled him. He knew very well that his talent in Martial Arts was merely average. To possess strength surpassing his peers, he relied firstly on his diligent training, and secondly on the backing of the Qin family. It was through a continuous supply of medicinal soups and the consumption of many precious resources that he had reached this realm.

”A storm is brewing!”

Qin Yu couldn’t hide the worry on his face. How similar was the current situation to eight years ago? A Great Demon had appeared in the mountains to gather a Demon Nest, not only harassing surrounding villages but even directly attacking the towns.

Back then, they barely survived by relying on his grandfather, holding out until the rescue from the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived.

Who could they rely on this time?

His father?

At this thought, he tightly clenched his fists. A sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart. Even after training day and night, his strength was still not enough! Resting for half a year! The Demon Fiend attack was imminent. Where was the time for him to rest?

The plea for help to the County Yamen had been sent long ago, yet there was still no sign of the experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau coming to their aid. Cyan Peak County was in a remote location surrounded by mountains on all sides. Nestled deep among endless peaks and ravines, there was only one official road leading to the Prefecture City.

In the event of a crisis, it would take a significant amount of time for the experts of the Demon Suppression Bureau to arrive. Perhaps they could slay the Demon Fiends, but Cyan Peak County would inevitably suffer devastating losses. Whether the Qin family could survive this was still unknown.

Qin Yu tightened his fists as his consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness. There, he ”saw” an egg the size of a fist. It was pitch black all over, adorned with countless dark gold patterns.

This was his ”cheat.”

Ever since he transmigrated, this bizarre dark gold ”egg” had resided in his Sea of Consciousness. Qin Yu suspected that his transmigration had everything to do with this very egg.

Eighteen years had passed.

The egg merely continued to float quietly in his Sea of Consciousness. Apart from devouring his bodily Qi and Blood every day, it served absolutely no purpose. With his Qi and Blood being consumed, his cultivation progress naturally slowed down tremendously. If not for his family’s substantial wealth in this life, it would have been difficult for him to even become a Flesh Refining Martial Artist. Otherwise, he might have suffered a decline in Qi and Blood, forcing him to live out the classic trope of a broken engagement, only to swear that the tides of fortune change, so never look down on a poor youth.

He thought, ”Ever since I began cultivating, you’ve devoured my Qi and Blood daily. If I can’t survive this crisis, I’m afraid you’ll never have the chance to hatch.”

Qin Yu felt endlessly frustrated.

”Huh?”

Qin Yu’s spirit suddenly jolted. Did he just see the ’egg’ move? Was he hallucinating because his injuries were too severe?

He rubbed his temples and clearly saw the egg tremble once more. The frequency of its trembling increased rapidly, causing Qin Yu’s own heart to pound wildly.

Finally, was it going to hatch? Eighteen years! Do you know how I’ve lived these past eighteen years?!

As Qin Yu stared with bated breath, a sudden, sharp pain pierced his Sea of Consciousness, and the pitch-black ”egg” shattered open.

Nothing physical hatched out of it. Instead, a bizarre Energy surged from his Sea of Consciousness, rapidly spreading throughout his body and initiating some kind of transformation.

An unbearably intense itch emanated from the wound on his chest. He heard a CRACKLING sound as his shattered bones rapidly healed. Granulation tissue began to grow over the wound torn open by the Wolf Demon.

Accompanying this physical change was a massive, yet severely fragmented, flood of memories. Countless colossal, terrifying monsters flashed through his mind. Some were as tiny as specks of dust, invisible to the naked eye. Others were as massive as planets, capable of swallowing stars in a single gulp. Every single one of these beasts was covered in Scale Armor and possessed a ferocious, nightmarish visage.

”The Insect Race?”

After roughly sorting through the memories, Qin Yu’s eyes gradually lit up.

This ”egg” wasn’t some Divine Beast Egg. It was an insect egg! The legacy egg of the Insect Swarm!

The very same Insect Race that was hailed as one of the Four Great Scourges in his past life. As long as an Insect Nest was nurtured, it could consume resources to breed an endless army of Insect Race warriors. This was a race born for war. Furthermore, they could evolve during combat or in harsh environments, growing exponentially stronger.

Infinite evolution! Growing stronger with every battle!

The only difference from his memories was that, perhaps due to the previous Sovereign being decapitated and perishing, the advancement of the Insect Nest was now deeply tied to him personally. He needed to be sufficiently powerful for the Insect Nest to rank up.

He was the core of the Insect Swarm, its brain, and its Sovereign!

”HISS—”

Qin Yu forced himself to sit up through the pain. The wound on his chest was mostly healed, and his internal injuries were fully recovered, though the scar still looked hideous.

”Ah, Yu, why are you sitting up?

”Lie back down quickly. Daoist Zhang said you need to rest for a while.”

Carrying a bowl of medicinal soup, Ouyang Xue cried out in surprise as she entered and hurriedly rushed to his side.

”Don’t worry, Mother. I’m a Martial Artist, I know my own physical condition,” Qin Yu said. He took the bowl of medicinal soup from his mother’s hands and downed it in one gulp. His eyes sparkled with excitement—where was the previous gloom?

As the medicinal soup entered his stomach, his internal organs rapidly churned to absorb its medicinal properties. Qin Yu could clearly feel that, after being transformed by the legacy egg, his absorption capacity had greatly surpassed what it once was.

But right now, he couldn’t care less about that.

”Mother, I have a Secret Technique that can rapidly heal my injuries, but I need your help. Please have someone deliver some poultry and livestock to the backyard. I have a great use for them.

”They need to be large and numerous!”

Breeding the Insect Race required massive amounts of flesh and blood!

”Ah? Poultry and livestock? Alright, I’ll have someone bring them over right away.”

Seeing Qin Yu suddenly so energetic and full of life, Ouyang Xue was shocked but quickly agreed. Since childhood, Qin Yu had always been highly intelligent, composed, and decisive. He was the designated next Clan Leader of the Qin family. Moreover, he usually enjoyed researching various Martial Arts Secret Techniques.

Therefore, although Ouyang Xue harbored doubts, she still went to do it immediately.

”The Insect Race?” Qin Yu murmured to himself. ”Let me see which is stronger... the Insect Race or the Demon Fiends!”