After spending a tender moment with his Soul Beasts, Han Ning returned to his desk, where he recalled the contents of the Four Symbols Meditation Technique and recorded the information on his computer.
’The Four Symbols Meditation Technique is extremely powerful. If everyone in the academy practices this Meditation Technique, I’m sure it won’t be long before a good number of Tier One Beastmasters emerge.’
「Three days later.」
On the morning of the third day, a faint sliver of white had just appeared in the gloomy sky.
A group of fiery red shadows appeared on the horizon, flying toward the academy’s north gate.
Led by a relatively slender Insect Master from the Red Centipede Tribe, more than thirty Insect-men of varying heights followed, riding on the backs of enormous, fiery red beetles and giant mosquitoes. They arrived in the sky above the dormitory area.
"Lord Han Ning."
The Insect Master directed the swarm to descend. Upon seeing Han Ning standing at the entrance to the dormitory area, the dozens of Insect-men all jumped off the backs of their insects and performed a deep kowtow before him.
Han Ning, still in his Netherworld Purple Bee form, grunted a soft "Mm," then raised his right hand. Dozens of sharp, purplish-red tentacles shot out like an exploding firework, piercing the bodies of the Insect-men before him.
One by one, Blood and Flesh Demon Seeds infused with Blood Qi and Dark Energy were planted inside their bodies.
Fei Lie’s invasion had left a lasting negative impression on everyone at the academy. Taking this into account, Han Ning ultimately decided to have Fei Lie and Fei Ren dispatch an Insect Master from their Direct Lineage to assist the humans with insect cultivation.
All Insect-men who came to the academy had to be implanted with the Blood and Flesh Demon Seed and would be under the strict surveillance of Han Ning and the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm.
Over the past three days, Dean Wu and the others had informed the academy members about the Red Centipede Tribe. Because of this... the arrival of the tribe’s Insect-men didn’t cause any alarm.
However... the memory of the attack by Fei Lie and the other Insect-men was still fresh in everyone’s minds. Some people still wore complex expressions of hatred and hostility as they looked at the newcomers.
Han Ning completely understood their feelings. It was precisely why he hadn’t ordered Fei Lie to come himself.
He could have killed Fei Lie outright and made the entire Red Centipede Tribe pay with their lives for the fallen members of the academy, but that would be meaningless, aside from venting his anger.
Han Ning felt that sometimes, death was not the cruelest punishment for these Insect-men. Becoming slaves to humanity, being squeezed dry of all their value, and then being annihilated—that was the best option.
Even the new Clan Leader of the Red Centipede Tribe was, in Han Ning’s eyes, nothing more than a pawn he could kill at any time. Their importance could not compare to a single hair on the head of anyone from the academy.
"You’re Feiyun, right? I’m putting you in charge of helping everyone rebuild the Insect Nests. This is Fang Ming; he’ll be your liaison. Contact him directly if you need anything from now on."
Han Ning patted Teacher Fang on the shoulder and spoke coldly to Feiyun, who remained prostrated on the ground.
According to Fei Lie, this Insect Master named Feiyun was currently the second-youngest Insect Master in the Red Centipede Tribe. He was also one of Fei Lie’s direct subordinates, an abandoned infant Fei Lie had found years ago.
As for the youngest... that would naturally be the precious son of the Dead Ghost Fei Ming.
Feiyun carried out Fei Lie’s orders unconditionally. An ordinary Insect Master would never have accepted Han Ning’s implanting of the Blood and Flesh Demon Seed without putting up a fight.
The Insect-men who came to the academy had been hand-picked by Fei Lie and Fei Ren. They weren’t necessarily proficient in combat, but they were definitely skilled at growing crops, constructing buildings, cultivating cannon-fodder insects, and raising Longevity Species. They were well-versed in all sorts of miscellaneous tasks and were exactly the kind of people the humans currently needed most.
"Lord Fang Ming."
Feiyun lifted his head slightly to get a clear look at Teacher Fang, his expression respectful.
"Mm, follow me. I’ll show you the lay of the land..."
Teacher Fang nodded. Without any unnecessary words, he pointed to the charred area beside the dormitories and began speaking in fluent Insect Language.
There was no need to arrange living quarters for these Insect-men; they would find suitable places themselves and build temporary shelters.
Currently, aside from a few apartment buildings in the northeast corner of the dormitory area, all other structures had been destroyed or burned down in the battle.
None of the Insect Nests that everyone had painstakingly built were fortunate enough to be saved. They had all been reduced to ash by the great fire started by the Red Centipede Tribe’s insects.
The ground was a stretch of scorched black. Even after several days, black smoke still drifted about, and the air was still thick with a heavy, acrid smell.
Led by Teacher Fang, the Insect-men circled the entire academy grounds once. Feiyun now had a basic understanding of the academy’s internal layout.
Immediately after, he began to urgently organize the Insect-men under his command, dividing up the labor to construct various facilities.
The former Insect Nests of the Blue Jade Spider Bees and the Silver Thorn Damselflies were converted into breeding grounds for the Red Centipede Tribe’s Fire-Spraying Centipedes and Burning Beetles.
The Insect-men had clearly come prepared. Taking out red Bone Flutes, they directed flying beetles to land on the ground, forming a circular, reddish-brown earthen wall.
Several Insect-men walked inside the earthen wall and, from pouches at their waists, took out about fifty or sixty palm-sized, pale-red centipedes.
Upon smelling the acrid odor in the air, the centipedes acted like sharks that had caught the scent of blood. They all scurried over to the charred wreckage, opened their mandibles, and began to CRUNCH and GNAW on the useless burnt debris.
After eating the burnt waste, their bodies grew slightly larger.