Transformation Complete

Happy Teachers' Day to all teachers.

"Haha, tell me, what kind of expression will that kid have when he comes in?" A burly man burst into loud laughter. Even Huo Hai, who had already reached the edge of the warehouse, could hear him clearly.

This sudden voice gave Huo Hai quite a fright. He hurriedly hid in the shadows nearby. He had never planned to go straight in; he had merely drawn closer to the warehouse so he could gather more detailed intelligence.

Little Gold's ability to express itself was limited, but its scouting ability was extremely strong. If Little Gold investigated while Huo Hai observed from nearby, they could clarify much more information. That included the violent force from earlier. Huo Hai still wanted to know exactly what it was, whether it could truly explode, and how it would explode.

From afar, Huo Hai saw Huo Yuner and a maid beside her. Both had their eyes shut and were clearly unconscious. Their entire bodies were tied up with ropes, but their clothes were still intact.

Seeing this, Huo Hai let out a breath of relief. At least nothing irreparable had happened.

"Hmph, I don't know what expression he'll have, but if he doesn't hand over the Hidden Weapon Technique this time, that won't do. Boss, what do we do after getting the Hidden Weapon Technique? Do we hand it over directly? Such a good thing—it really would be a shame to give it up."

The middle-aged man sitting motionlessly in the center opened his eyes and gave him a cold look. "Hmph. You dare scheme against even the Huo Family's young masters. If you take it and don't hand it over, how do you think they'll deal with you? The Hidden Weapon Technique is good, but your life is more important. Besides, even if you learned this technique, do you think you could stand against those Spirit Practitioner Realm experts?"

The others fell silent. Indeed, such a fine thing could not be kept in their own hands. What a pity.

Just then, the middle-aged man spoke again. "You don't need to worry either. Everyone here is one of us. After we get it, we can take a look first, then hand it over."

Hearing that, their expressions improved. They did not care whether the item would be handed over; learning it themselves was what mattered most. "Boss, does that mean we can learn this Hidden Weapon Technique too? Haha, who else will be our match in the future?"

The middle-aged man snorted coldly. "Hmph. I said I'd let you take a look, not that I'd let you learn it. Remember this: no matter when, you must never use this technique. You should understand how highly those above value it. If they discover that you've learned it, they will hunt you down until you die." His voice was like cold water poured over them.

After a long while, a burly man stood and roared, "Even that won't do? This is infuriating. Boss, those two little beauties have such delicate skin and tender flesh. Why don't we enjoy them first? They're going to die anyway."

Before he could make a move, the middle-aged man's icy gaze fell upon him. The burly man instantly felt as though he had been targeted by a wild beast. His entire body turned cold, and he could not even move his feet.

"Remember this well. Some people are not for you to touch. They may be about to die, but if you touch them, you'll die immediately." Who knew what kind of trouble those great Lineages would stir up once they went mad?

Besides, if something truly went wrong and they made any mistake, they would be the ones left carrying the black pot. Why could these people not understand something so simple? They had followed him for so long and were still such idiots. Then again, if they were all clever, how could he remain the boss? The middle-aged man sighed, utterly helpless.

The burly man finally stopped and turned back to his place. Huo Hai's gaze was ice-cold. He had heard every word they had just said. Never mind that someone above them was directing them—even those words alone had placed the man on the list of the dead.

As for who stood behind them, Huo Hai did not need to think too hard to roughly guess. The Western Frontier was only so large, and there were only a few top Lineages. Apart from them, there could be no one else. Huo Hai had never intended to leave any survivors.

He did not know how to interrogate people, so it would be better to kill them directly. With the help of the Gu Insects, finding out which Lineage had done this should not be too difficult. Huo Hai narrowed his eyes slightly and silently told himself to remain calm. Now was not the time to reveal himself. Without the Star Gu's help, he alone, relying on Little Gold, simply could not deal with so many people.

Even if he hid in the dark, what if they used Yun'er to threaten him? Huo Hai began observing the locations of the hidden violent forces around them. However, those things were concealed well and could not be seen from outside.

"Boss, there's still an outsider here. What should we do? If he leaks anything, won't we..." At that moment, a gloomy-faced man in his twenties spoke quietly, his eyes constantly glancing to the side.

Only then did Huo Hai notice a man dressed entirely in black standing nearby, his face expressionless. No, expressionless was not enough—it was simply deathly still. If Huo Hai had not been certain that he was alive, he would have thought this person had been dead for a long time. They called him an outsider. What was going on? Could it be that they were not on the same side?

The middle-aged man said indifferently, "No need to worry. He's already a dead man. In this operation, he'll serve as the trigger to detonate the Explosive Spirit Stones at the very end. He'll certainly be buried alongside those young masters and young ladies."

Detonate? Explosive Spirit Stones? Could those be the violent forces Little Gold had sensed? Looking carefully, Huo Hai saw that the corpse-like fellow really did have several Spirit Stones in his hand. After Little Gold sensed them, the power inside was indeed wildly violent.

At that thought, Huo Hai's gaze grew even colder. These bastards had never intended to let him leave alive. Don't let me find out who you are behind this, or I'll wipe out your whole family. The violent aura in Huo Hai's heart began to rise, and he nearly could not hold himself back from attacking outright. His anger grew fiercer, and his eyes became redder.

He did not know how powerful the explosions would be, but the violent force Little Gold had sensed was not located in just one place—there were many such places. If so many Explosive Spirit Stones detonated together, the power could be imagined.

Thinking of all the explosions he had seen on television in his previous life, none of them were something he could withstand. If they detonated them in a place like this, perhaps even Spirit Practitioner Realm experts would not be able to endure it. These people were simply too vicious. Huo Hai felt a chill in his heart.

"No, I need to get rid of that guy first. The others probably don't intend to perish together. But what about Yun'er? How can I save her when she's still in their hands?" Huo Hai still retained a trace of reason. This was Yun'er, after all. No matter how violently killing intent raged within him, Huo Hai never wanted to hurt his sister.

Suddenly, Huo Hai's eyes cleared, and the red gradually faded. "Too dangerous. I almost lost control of myself. It seems that when my blood boils, I must beware not only of killing intent, but anger as well." Huo Hai felt lingering fear over his recent state.

In his heart, he silently thanked the Star Gu that had just completed their transformation. That was right. Just after Little Star had been the first to crawl out of its cocoon, the other first-generation Star Gu had gradually completed their transformations. Feeling the insects' concern, Huo Hai finally regained clarity.

The transformation of Gu Insects was different from raising Gu Insects. Their transformation speed far exceeded their growth. Today, at this very moment, they had just finished transforming and crawled out of their cocoons. Transformation held no danger; unlike birth, it would not cause so many to die. More than five hundred Star Gu appeared intact within Huo Hai's senses.

After transforming, the Star Gu had grown stronger, and their connection with Huo Hai had strengthened considerably. Huo Hai could even sense that their minds seemed much clearer now. They possessed intelligence like that of children.

Just now, they had even bypassed Little Star and directly sent him emotions of concern. Without the concern of these insects, Huo Hai might truly have lost himself. Insects were still better—simple-minded, never influenced by killing intent.

Shaking his head, Huo Hai returned his gaze to the warehouse. But at that moment, the corner of his mouth curved upward. "Hehe, you really picked a fine time. I'll use you to test the strength of the transformed Star Gu. Doesn't your Lineage want the Hidden Weapon Technique? Then I'll let you have a good look."

What Hidden Weapon Technique? It was merely a method for using insects. Huo Hai had calmed down, but the fury in his heart had not faded in the slightest. He needed an outlet. He needed to vent that anger, or he would not be able to bear it.

Little Gold alone could not have much of an effect on them, and Yun'er could easily be put in danger. But with five hundred Star Gu, things were different. Even the Star Gu before their transformation had not been something these people could handle.

The corners of Huo Hai's mouth curled up again at the thought of the transformed Star Gu. With a thought, large numbers of Star Gu flew out from Huo Hai's courtyard in batch after batch. A few insects flying out in broad daylight would not attract anyone's attention.

The Star Gu silently passed through the city streets where humans lived and gathered around Huo Hai. Huo Hai examined them carefully. After transforming, the Star Gu did not look much different from before; they even seemed smaller. But Huo Hai knew that their appetites would definitely be greater. It was as though there was a space inside their bodies, allowing them to swallow many things.

Only Huo Hai, through their connection, could sense the pure spirit energy within the Star Gu—spirit energy that had reached the level of Spirit Blood Realm spirit beasts. The amount of spirit energy was insufficient, but its purity was even greater. Their teeth also seemed exceptionally sharper.

Their teeth trembling, the Star Gu stood ready at any moment to help Huo Hai tear all enemies to pieces. Looking at the specks of Star Gu clustered around him, Huo Hai felt a wave of reassurance. This was the guarantee of his safety.