Chapter 770: Again Tricked Him

"Divine blood is an unbearable burden for ordinary creatures. While these small cicadas typically couldn't withstand it, they managed to transfer the volatile energy from the divine blood to their offspring by laying eggs!"

He Lingchuan understood: "Is that why the seventy-year cicadas' growth cycle suddenly shortened?"

"Exactly! Consider this: their normal growth period extends to seventy years, requiring immense nutritional intake. The divine blood instantly saturated them, accelerating their development. The seventy-year cicadas were thus rapidly brought forth, maturing from egg to adult in as little as a dozen breaths."

"Even so, they still couldn't withstand the full power of the divine blood, necessitating another transfer."

He Lingchuan murmured, "Oh, so they reproduce again?"

"Precisely. By transferring it down through generations like this, the power of the divine blood gradually weakens," Dong Rui chuckled. "You see, the mutated cicadas' growth period has now extended to three to five hours. I estimate that in about half a month, their development cycle will stabilize and stop lengthening."

"The most fascinating aspect is that these seventy-year cicadas, not even considered true monsters, didn't undergo excessive mutation despite being stimulated by divine blood. This is truly incredible!"

He Lingchuan remembered the appearance of the two mutated cicadas. "Good heavens, you don't consider that a mutation?"

"Without extra heads, four or five more legs, or three or four additional pairs of wings, how can it be classified as a mutation?"

He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. What was the point of arguing with a mad scientist? Their standards for "mutation" were fundamentally different. Considering what Dong Rui's successfully modified creations—like the ghost apes, werewolves, and spider puppets—looked like, one could only imagine the monstrous lineage created by his failures.

"An increase in size, blood-sucking, and cannibalism are all natural manifestations aligned with the divine blood's influence; these are relatively mild changes," Dong Rui continued. "The larger the body, the more energy it can contain. Being omnivorous provides a broader food source. When these mutated cicadas swarm, they blot out the sun, and for every morsel of food, they must compete with their own kind."

"Right, you're absolutely right," He Lingchuan agreed, humoring him.

Dong Rui was thoroughly enthusiastic. "I initially believed that only powerful monsters could withstand divine blood. It never occurred to me that seventy-year cicadas would open up an entirely new research direction!"

Even mighty monsters couldn't endure the divine blood's power, so he had never considered that something as small and unassuming as the seventy-year cicada could, through this miraculous generational transfer, actually harness it!

Truly, life finds a way.

This gave him fresh ideas for his monster puppet research.

Seeing his master's renewed cheer, the ghost ape quietly lowered its paws from its head and retrieved a small handful of nuts from the table.

Of course, He Lingchuan's focus wasn't on Dong Rui's research. "So, let me ask you: Is there any way to eradicate this cicada plague?"

"Eradicate?" Dong Rui, still caught up in his enthusiasm, struggled to shift his focus. "Why would you want to rid Mount Rong of these insects?"

He Lingchuan cleared his throat. "I came to Mount Rong to recruit someone, and I'm very interested in Qiu Hu. However, he won't leave with us unless Mount Rong's cicada problem is resolved."

"And what else?" Dong Rui, knowing He Lingchuan, didn't believe he'd act for such a flimsy reason. "Don't tell me you're simply obsessed with finding talent."

"Of course I'm obsessed with finding talent," He Lingchuan replied with a smile. Besides, he needed to put the Rongshan Sect in his debt, as he'd have a use for their gratitude very soon.

"Just look at Mount Rong's territory; you can see it's a major, well-established local sect, far surpassing lesser Taoist schools." Mount Rong's territory is extensive, larger than two Xia prefectures combined, situated in the northwestern corner of Beijia and bordering a small part of Baling Kingdom. While numerous Taoist sects exist in this world, few possess their own resource-rich territories with fertile lands and mines.

Simply put, the Rongshan Sect possesses significant power.

He Lingchuan patted Dong Rui's shoulder. "Wouldn't it be beneficial to have them owe you a favor?"

For reclusive individuals like them, opportunities to put a major power like Mount Rong in their debt were rare.

This reasoning easily swayed Dong Rui. He pondered for a moment. "The mutated cicadas' transformations might cease in about half a month. While their form will stabilize, their cannibalistic habits will remain. I estimate their underground dormancy period will extend to at least two months or more, making them incredibly difficult to detect. Eradicating them then would be far harder."

"It's already a difficult task now," He Lingchuan acknowledged. "Elder Dao mentioned that almost all Mount Rong disciples have been mobilized, patrolling constantly, destroying every nest they find. They've been at it for two months, yet the cicada plague persists. Pest control is notoriously difficult in any world, especially when the adversaries are so numerous they blot out the sky and cause widespread disaster."

"The two cicadas caught by Madam Zhu are already dead—not by my hand," Dong Rui mused, "but because they had no opportunity to reproduce, and so were literally bloated to death by the divine blood's power. This means they must mate and lay eggs immediately after reaching adulthood."

He Lingchuan then asked, "By the way, why did the creatures and monsters in Wange Marsh also go mad?"

"Needless to say, it must be because they consumed cicada corpses," Dong Rui said, stroking his chin. "I want to go back and check on my home."

He Lingchuan cleared his throat. "I wouldn't advise that."

"Hmm?" Dong Rui looked at him, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him. "Why not?"

"Reports of the anomalies in Wange Marsh reached Lingxu City some time ago, and the Heavenly Palace has already dispatched investigators," He Lingchuan explained. "If you go back now, you'll be walking straight into trouble."

Dong Rui was currently avoiding the Heavenly Palace at all costs; how could he possibly dare to go there? Yet, he was also suspicious. "Why would the Heavenly Palace be interested in Wange Marsh?"

"That, I wouldn't know," He Lingchuan lied with an innocent expression. How could he possibly tell Dong Rui that he had ordered someone to take the Dragon Torture Pillar to Wange Marsh and activate it haphazardly, thereby attracting the gods' attention?

Ahem, it seemed he always managed to mess up Dong Rui's plans.

But then again, he hadn't known Dong Rui was nesting there.

"Perhaps it's because of the divine blood?" He Lingchuan shrugged. "Given that the State Preceptor Qingyang was imprisoned by the Heavenly Palace just for being unable to explain the source of the divine blood in his possession, you can imagine how seriously the gods take this substance."

Dong Rui murmured in understanding, but then a thought struck him. "Wait a minute, how did the Heavenly Palace know these anomalies in Wange Marsh were connected to divine blood before they even sent anyone there?"

"I was just making an educated guess," He Lingchuan replied, still feigning innocence and sounding perfectly reasonable. "Can anyone truly fathom the ways of the Heavenly Palace?"

"True," Dong Rui conceded, not dwelling on it further. He sighed, "It seems my home won't escape their grasp!"

With the Heavenly Palace dispatching investigators to Wange Marsh, and the initial events occurring near his home, they would undoubtedly raid his residence as a matter of course.

"Look on the bright side," He Lingchuan murmured conspiratorially, "we've raided their place before too."

They had caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace on Mount Xu, blowing up the deities' earthly abode.

How much junk could Dong Rui possibly have at his place? If one were to truly tally the losses, they seemed to have come out ahead.

"See, Madam Zhu has already paid you by teaching you the method for extending the life of monster puppets; you didn't lose out on this trip," He Lingchuan said, vaguely changing the subject. "Alright, let's get back to the matter at hand."