CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 322 ASSASSINATION! THE WORLD’S FIRST MATCHLOCK GUN_2

It meant becoming an exploiter and consumer on the spiritual level, rather than a mere decomposer that fed on decay. Even if its own physical body completely perished, it could use a mature fungal species to seize everything from a host and be reborn in the host’s body.

Note: Hosts on the same transcendent path, or those cultivating identical or cognate forbidden knowledge, yield the best results.

At this point, the Swarm, though not yet comparable to a Chǐ God—which was equivalent to an entire ecosystem—was already exceptionally difficult to kill.

Byron finally understood why the Swarm was so confident in vying for the position of contemporary Grand Priest of the Bloodthirsty Cult.

Just as the Night Demon could easily suppress its servant, the Ghoul, the Fungus Person could also easily control and digest those Insect-men. Even if a fortunate individual transformed into a new Fungus Person by relying on the Swarm—this original Fungus Person—they would merely be "grass" sprouting from the worm’s tail. They would have already become like the Swarm, inside and out.

A lone individual, yet a multitude! A lone individual, yet a multitude!

If this Grand Wizard could be resolute enough, it was entirely possible that the whole "Book of Giant Insects Sect" could become his fungal cultivation medium. Moreover, Byron’s forbidden knowledge was also of the same origin, so he too had to be extremely vigilant, lest he be secretly ambushed by this old fox, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Yes, in the 24 hours before creating the Cordyceps vaccine with the Blood of Immunity, I must be exceptionally careful!

Besides, this thing is far too dangerous. I’d better find a chance to... snatch it. Only in my hands will it be truly safe.

The Swarm, walking ahead, hadn’t realized that his greatest trump card since becoming a Fungus Person had been quietly exposed to Byron. The reason he had only parasitized those First and Second Order disciples and hadn’t immediately targeted Byron wasn’t due to a lack of desire, but purely because he lacked confidence in succeeding. Even though the Swarm had acquired a new form, its core spiritual level still hadn’t surpassed the Third Order. Apart from possessing survival capabilities and bizarre methods far exceeding Byron’s, in a direct confrontation, he was still likely no match for Byron, the Storm Admiral.

Planting a covert attack on Byron without him noticing would be too risky. The Promotion Ceremony—the Blood Feast Holy Grail—had not yet occurred, and he still needed to maintain his persona as a good teacher. It was best not to act rashly and risk it backfiring. After all, his target was a "fool" with principles and unwavering loyalty; moral shackles might prove more effective than physical ones. There was no need to rush.

"The holy site is located in the Bahama Archipelago, at the edge of the Sea of Monsters. I will take you there this one time. After you complete your Promotion Ceremony and, as a Third-Order Grand Wizard, gain passage rights, you will be able to come and go freely."

Byron nodded. He knew the Bloodthirsty Cult had a tradition of holding a small sacrifice monthly and a grand one quarterly, which all members were expected to attend.

"Teacher, please. The Golden Deer and the Barnacle Crabs are ready for the Deep Sea Leap. The Bahama Archipelago, 3,000 kilometers away, will be reached in an instant."

Hearing this highly agreeable arrangement, the Swarm became even more pleased with Byron.

"Not bad. I’ve already heard about your feat of snatching the Barnacle Crabs from the Barbary Pirates. Those pirates also have their base in the Bahamas. In the past, relying on the backing of an Ocean Throne, they caused considerable trouble for the cult’s peripheral forces. You managed to make them suffer a loss; your title as The Sea Hunter is truly deserved."

Appearing perfectly amicable, the master and disciple walked out of the fungal forest, chatting and laughing. The dozen or so remaining Insect-man disciples turned their heads in unison, their gazes fixed on the direction the pair had departed. Each of them wore a "gentle" smile, identical to the Swarm’s, looking exceptionally chilling in the dim cave.

And this... perhaps this was the true meaning of "Swarm"!

Soon, the two flew out of the Chǐ God Mine one after the other, landing on the pier at the Rapid Stream Port docks.

Violet—draped in a graceful white dress, wearing tortoiseshell glasses, and holding a Conch of Contract—along with three large-species Sea Monster Barnacle Crabs, had been waiting here for some time. Byron’s promotion date was unfixed, so these three "Crab Bosses," who shouldered half the burden for Westwind Express, naturally couldn’t accompany him. Wasting transport capacity was a minor issue; delaying profit-making was a major one.

Seeing Byron land before her, Violet knew he was about to surpass her on the transcendent path. Yet, she didn’t mind at all, feeling only genuine happiness for him from the bottom of her heart. She raised a hand to tuck a strand of silver hair behind her ear and smiled playfully at him.

"We have a deal. When you complete your inhuman transformation and all the blood in your body becomes Blood of Transformation, you must also let me use it to inscribe a Curse Seal."

Once Byron completed the second ceremony, achieving bloodline sublimation and a qualitative transformation of his Life Essence, his blood would completely transform into Blood of Transformation. It would then continually produce new blood without needing to kill. Not only would it possess various incredible abilities, but even aging, sickness, and death would also begin to recede from him.

Transmutation means metamorphosis and renewal; it is also the wondrous material within this world’s Transcendent System that represents "Transformation." It was of a higher tier and more versatile than Sea Monster blood, perfectly capable of satisfying the requirements for tracing origins to the deep sea. Especially since the Octopus Warship’s blood had connected to the Slumbering God’s Dream Realm, finding another entity of equivalent status to neutralize it became crucial.

"Of course, no problem. Leave it to me."