"Oh?"
Fei Ren’s words, however, took Han Ning by surprise.
’Is this the same loyal, dutiful, and unyielding man that Fei Lie described?’
Even Fei Lie looked astonished when he heard what Fei Ren said.
Seeing Han Ning’s disbelief, Fei Ren lowered his proud head and said in a muffled voice,
"Fei Ming and I are the same age. When we were competing for the position of Clan Leader, he used a scheme to assassinate my woman."
"Is that true?" Han Ning looked at Fei Lie.
"Ahem... This old servant is not aware of the details of this dispute. It must have been something Fei Ming did in extreme secrecy," Fei Lie coughed lightly.
Han Ning thought for a moment. He had no interest in digging up old grudges. But regardless of Fei Ren’s motives, since he had taken the initiative to submit, having a public-facing proxy would save him the trouble of managing the Red Centipede Tribe’s affairs.
However, superficial submission wasn’t enough.
He extended three fingers, pressed them against Fei Ren’s chest, and said coldly, "You may submit, but you must lower your guard and allow me to plant a ’Demon Insect’ inside you."
"What is a Demon Insect?" Fei Ren’s expression didn’t change.
"A type of insect that will cause you to die instantly the moment you have a single thought of betrayal."
SQUELCH~
Blood splattered from the robust pectoral muscle. Han Ning wriggled his three fingers, digging around in Fei Ren’s flesh... Then... under the horrified gazes of the other Insect-men, he took a blood-red worm between his fingertips and buried it inside.
Of course, this was all a show Han Ning put on to create an effect and intimidate the others.
In reality, he had the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm plant a Blood and Flesh Demon Seed in Fei Ren’s body.
Unlike a Subordinate Insect, the Blood and Flesh Demon Seed couldn’t completely strip the host of their will or change their thoughts. It was more like the legendary Leopard Embryo Changing Pill, planting a ticking time bomb inside a living creature.
However, the Demon Seed contained a trace of the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm’s spiritual will. If the host developed any malicious intent toward Han Ning or tried to dig out the Demon Seed, the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm would detonate it directly. It was another method of control.
A trace of confusion lingered on Fei Ren’s face after the Demon Seed was embedded in him.
At that moment, not only did he not feel any physical restrictions, but he even felt his vital energy and blood become more vigorous, as if a boundless well of strength was surging within him.
"The Demon Seed can help you heal your flesh and strengthen your vital energy. Consider it a reward for my subordinates."
Han Ning explained with a faint, intentionally profound smile. He gazed at Fei Ren’s face and said,
"It’s not out of the question to give you the position of Clan Leader of the Red Centipede Race, but I need a pledge of loyalty."
"What is a pledge of loyalty?" Fei Ren asked, confused.
"Kill all of Fei Ming’s Descendants and his entire Direct Lineage. From now on, you and Fei Lie will rule the Red Centipede Tribe together. You will be the Clan Leader, and he will continue to be the High Priest."
As he spoke, Han Ning’s face began to slowly change.
It gradually shifted from Fei Ming’s appearance into the unique form of a Netherworld Purple Bee Master.
When Fei Ren saw Han Ning’s venomous gaze and terrifying appearance, a look of terror appeared on his face for the first time.
"The Neth... Netherworld Holy Clan... You truly are a great personage."
He buried his head deep against the ground, his tone filled with reverence. "I will definitely complete the task you have given me."
"From this day forward, the Red Centipede Tribe no longer needs other Insect Masters. The two of you must kill all the rest as quickly as possible. Remember, do not reveal any information about me," Han Ning continued his instructions. "You two can take thirty percent of the treasures on them, and give the remaining seventy percent to me. As for you, Fei Ren... considering you submitted willingly, you will hand over fifty percent of your own collection."
Fei Ren was the second-strongest expert in the Red Centipede Tribe, and his Soul Beast was completely unharmed. This task wouldn’t be too difficult for them.
Although his intimidating presence was less than Fei Ming’s, it was enough to prevent neighboring factions from invading immediately, making him the best choice.
"Yes," the two replied in unison.
"Good. Now take me to where Fei Ming might have hidden his treasure."
...
A little over ten minutes later, Han Ning, Fei Lie, and Fei Ren emerged from Fei Ming’s home, which had been reduced to charcoal.
In his palm was a new addition: a light brown cloth bundle.
Fei Ming’s treasures were hidden in an inconspicuous corner. If not for Egg Pancake’s sensitivity to the Earth Attribute, they would have been very difficult to find.
And when Han Ning saw the contents of the bundle, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
There were no fewer than fifty War General Level Fire Attribute Crystal Stones alone. Among them, five fiery-red Crystal Stones emanated an even more terrifying fluctuation.
They were definitely Lord Level!
Besides Fire Attribute, there was also a stock of War General Level Crystal Stones of the Earth, Wood, Wind, and the rarer Dark Types.
In addition to that, various precious ores and herbs of different Attributes were piled up into a small mountain.
’This is what the majority of the wealth of a tribe of tens of thousands should look like. What on earth was in that great treasury...’
One thing was for sure: the treasures in Fei Ming’s bag alone would cover at least 80% of the resources Egg Pancake needed to break through from War General to Lord.
Not to mention the resources for Egg Pancake, he had also found quite a few Wood Type materials for Yin Yi’s breakthrough and evolution, completing about 30% of his search.
’Does this mean... Egg Pancake will reach the Lord Level faster than Yin Yi?’
Han Ning didn’t know what to say. He could only chalk it up to Egg Pancake’s good luck, as the Red Centipede happened to be a tribe that specialized in cultivating Fire Attribute insects.
Combined with the resources collected from all the Insect Masters in the tribe, he estimated that these materials were enough to raise the entire academy’s average strength by several levels.
With an entire tribe supporting a few hundred people, he believed that many true Beast Masters would emerge soon!
Besides these "dead" resources, the most valuable assets of the Red Centipede Tribe were the rare Insect Nests scattered throughout the hills.
Among them was the Flame Fire Vermilion Centipede, a rare C Talent Fire Attribute insect-type Soul Beast. It took several years for a single larva to be born.
According to Fei Lie and Fei Ren, there were currently only five Flame Fire Vermilion Centipede larvae in the entire Red Centipede Tribe.
The Flaming Sun Flying Armor were slightly more numerous. They were also C Talent Immortal Insects. Compared to the Flame Fire Vermilion Centipede, they were less offensive and more functional, which was why the Red Centipede Tribe ranked them second. There were about 30 larvae.
The remaining insects were all D Talent or lower, and much more numerous.
Then there was the Blast Flame Centipede beneath Fei Ren, a Longevity Species he had obtained from elsewhere, which was not bred within the tribe.
These precious Soul Beast resources alone could arm the academy’s one-hundred-plus-person combat team to the teeth. Each member could contract at least one Soul Beast of D Talent or higher, and each member of the elite squad could contract a C Talent Soul Beast.
With Fei Ming’s death and Han Ning’s massive haul of materials, the matter of the Red Centipede Tribe was more or less concluded. He could leave the remaining internal strife to his two Puppets to handle; he had no interest in getting involved.
...
Upon returning to the academy, Han Ning immediately told Dean Wu and the other teachers and students what had happened.
"Once the situation with the Red Centipede stabilizes a bit, Fei Lie will bring some precious Longevity Species and cannon fodder, along with a team of Insect-men, to the academy to help us rebuild our home."
"Could this be some kind of scheme?" Teacher Zhou listened to Han Ning’s story, which sounded like something out of a fantasy tale, and an expression of doubt inevitably appeared on his face.
"Absolutely not. Dean Wu has seen the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm’s ability firsthand. The Puppets cannot betray us unless they die... But, just in case, I’ll be staying at the academy for the time being," Han Ning replied.
Right now, he had two things to do.
First, help Egg Pancake break through.
Second, help Yin Yi break through and evolve.
Egg Pancake’s Talent was C+. It was already at War General II, but the panel still hadn’t shown any news about evolution. It was very likely it would have to wait until after reaching the Lord Level to evolve.
As for the second matter, with Fei Ren’s help, he no longer needed to run around everywhere himself.
Fei Ren was the new Clan Leader of the Red Centipede Tribe. The Red Centipede Tribe was a medium-to-large-sized tribe. Even on the Insect Continent, his status among Insect Masters was quite prestigious.
Having him come forward to trade with Insect Masters from other tribes for the materials Yin Yi needed was the best possible arrangement.
With a faction working for them, all they had to do was sit back and reap the rewards.