Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen activated the Phantom Shadow of the Mount Tai Ring, aiming it at the Ant Queen.
Having witnessed the Phantom Shadow's bizarre nature before, the Ant Queen's eyes flickered with a hint of panic.
It swiftly retreated, its abdomen churning violently.
Its tail twitched, and nine bucket-sized, translucent white insect eggs were squeezed out.
Inside each egg, curled Gold-Eating Ant larvae were clearly visible.
A thin flesh tube connected the Ant Queen's tail to the nine eggs.
Vast life force flowed through the tube, pouring from the Ant Queen's body into the eggs.
The Gold-Eating Ant larvae opened their eyes, greedily devouring the life force.
Their bodies rapidly grew at an astonishing rate.
In an instant, they burst through their shells and emerged.
All nine newly hatched Gold-Eating Ants possessed Second-Tier Mid-Stage strength.
The flesh tube connecting them to the Ant Queen remained intact.
The tube danced, carrying the nine Gold-Eating Ants through the air. Its movements were so swift and relentless that they left trails of afterimages around the Ant Queen, forming a protective barrier.
The afterimages intertwined, forming an illusionary clone shield around the Ant Queen.
Lan Chen's Mount Tai Ring Phantom Shadow surged forward, striking one of the newly hatched Gold-Eating Ants.
The Gold-Eating Ant was instantly immobilized, then crushed by the Mount Tai Ring Phantom Shadow.
Song Wen frowned slightly at this.
It was clear that taking down the Ant Queen would require more effort than he had anticipated.
At that moment, Lan Chen suddenly spoke, addressing the Ant Queen.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, I know you're being coerced by Gui Ni and forced to oppose us. Now that Gui Ni has abandoned you and fled, and the distance between you is too great for him to activate or influence the spell he placed on your Demon Soul, why are you still fighting for him?"
The Ant Queen's eyes flickered with hesitation.
Song Wen, hearing this, looked at Lan Chen with a peculiar expression.
Coincidentally, Lan Chen was also looking at him, her gaze carrying a subtle, knowing look.
Song Wen immediately understood and ceased his attack on the Ant Queen.
After a moment of contemplation, the Ant Queen's voice echoed in the minds of Song Wen and his companions, laced with obvious caution.
"If I stop fighting now, will you three truly let me and the Ant King leave peacefully?"
Lan Chen said, "There's no enmity between us. Why fight to the death? If you simply abide by the agreement between the human and demon races on the Tianyuan Continent and lead your ant children and grandchildren to the depths of the Tuocang Mountains to multiply, all your past transgressions against the Human Race will be forgiven."
The Ant Queen's eyes darted between Song Wen, Lan Chen, and Mo Yexue, as if she didn't quite trust them, struggling to make a decision.
Lan Chen continued to persuade her. "Fellow Daoist Fu, though you and the Ant King are powerful, you're no match for the three of us working together. We have no reason to deceive you."
"Moreover, we will definitely eliminate Gui Ni. When that happens, the spell he cast on your Demon Soul will also dissipate. From then on, the sky is the limit! You can be free and unfettered. Why wouldn't you want that?"
Hearing this, the Ant Queen finally wavered.
At her command, the Ant King abruptly stopped its attack on Mo Yexue.
The Ant King slowly retreated, returning to the Ant Queen's side.
The Poison Qi Flood Dragon, formed from concentrated poisonous gas, also retreated, circling the Ant Queen and Ant King.
Seeing Lan Chen persuade the Ant Queen to stop with just a few words, Song Wen suddenly interjected.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, we need your help to track down Gui Ni."
The Ant Queen looked at Song Wen with a hint of surprise. "What do you need me to do?"
Song Wen's lips curled into a cold smile. "We need your Demon Soul!"
Flames of fury ignited in the Ant Queen's eyes. "Humans, you are treacherous!"
Song Wen and Lan Chen exchanged glances, a hint of amusement in their eyes, as if mocking the Ant Queen's foolishness for trusting humans so easily.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, is your Sword Formation ready?" Song Wen asked casually, yet his voice carried a chilling killing intent. "It's time to strike!"
Mo Yexue had summoned eighteen High-Grade Magic Treasure flying swords at some point.
The eighteen flying swords hovered above her head, slowly rotating in a mysterious, unfathomable pattern. Sword Qi connected them, subtly forming a Sword Formation.
At Song Wen's words, Mo Yexue's eyes narrowed. Her hands moved like phantoms, her fingers tracing dazzling Sword Incantations in the air.
Instantly, the eighteen flying swords above her head accelerated their rotation, creating a whistling sound as a sharp aura that seemed to pierce the heavens instantly filled the air.
"Sword Formation: Ten Thousand Swords Unleashed!"
Mo Yexue roared, and eighteen flying swords materialized into countless Sword Qi clones, instantly forming tens of thousands of blades.
Each Sword Qi flying sword contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and severing rivers. Now, gathered into a sea, their might caused the heavens and earth to tremble.
Like a silver flood, these Sword Qi flying swords roared toward the Ant Queen and Ant King.
Setting up a Sword Formation takes time. Lan Chen's earlier verbal distraction of the Ant Queen was merely to buy Mo Yexue precious moments.
The Ant Queen immediately summoned the Poison Qi Flood Dragon, which let out a mournful hiss as it charged head-on into the torrent of Sword Qi.
At the same time, the Ant King positioned itself in front of the Ant Queen, using its body as a shield to absorb the incoming attacks.
Under the relentless assault of the Sword Qi, the Poison Qi Flood Dragon gradually weakened and finally shattered.
The Ant King's carapace was incredibly tough, and the Sword Qi flying swords couldn't pierce it. However, the Ant King's size was limited. Despite its frantic dodges and flailing limbs, it couldn't block every single flying sword.
Some of the blades slipped past the Ant King and continued toward the Ant Queen.
The Ant Queen's seemingly fleshy, mountain-like body proved surprisingly resilient.
Countless Sword Qi slashed against the Ant Queen's gray-white flesh, yet failed to pierce it. Instead, the Sword Qi and flying swords shattered one after another.
However, all nine fleshy tubes at the base of the Ant Queen's abdomen were severed by the Sword Qi. The eight Gold-Eating Ants connected to eight of these tubes were shredded into minced meat.
A slight smile played on Song Wen's lips. He raised a finger, and the Phantom Shadow of the Mount Tai Ring shot forth.
The Phantom Shadow circled around the Ant King, which had charged forward to meet it. In the Ant Queen's terrified and frantic gaze, the ring settled over her black head.
As the Phantom Shadow of the Mount Tai Ring slowly tightened, an irresistible force began to crush the Ant Queen's skull.
The Ant Queen's body trembled uncontrollably from the excruciating pain. Its mandibles parted slightly, emitting a meaningless hiss.
Like other Gold-Eating Ants, the Ant Queen's head was black and encased in a hard carapace—the most resilient part of her body.
Thus, the Ant Queen's skull did not shatter easily under the pressure of the Mount Tai Ring's Phantom Shadow.
Watching the Ant Queen's suffering, the Ant King's eyes filled with panic and concern.
Her torment was like a blade twisting in the Ant King's heart, filling him with both fury and desperation.
Ignoring the threat of death, the Ant King charged toward Song Wen with a near-tragic resolve, as if determined to sacrifice its own life to buy the Ant Queen a sliver of hope.
(End of the Chapter)
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