Chapter 66: Fishing Enforcement:
Just as Flanders and Liu Erlong were about to raid the nest, they were stopped by Yu Xiaogang.
"Erlong, Flanders, start by disturbing the Thousand Jun Ants, but don't attack rashly," Yu Xiaogang said to them.
They looked puzzled, but nodded despite some confusion.
The powerful aura released by their spirits alerted the Thousand Jun Ants within the cave that their colony had been invaded. A large number of them suddenly emerged, attempting to surround the "intruders."
However, upon noticing the presence of the small ants, they instantly fell to the ground, like the soldier ants guarding the gate.
The scene was quite impressive, evoking the grandeur of a thousand courts. Even Liu Erlong and Flanders, though slow to react, understood the situation after observing the direction of the Thousand Jun Ants' worship.
Soon, a group of gigantic Thousand-Tier Ants slowly emerged from the cave. The leader, a dark gold like the smaller ants, shone with surprise. The leading ant queen had surpassed Shi Yi's absorption limit, reaching a 20,000-year age limit. Even more astonishing was the fact that among the soldier ants guarding the queen, there was a 15,000-year-old soldier ant. Such a colony was considered enormous among the Thousand-Tier Ants.
Seeing the arrival of these impressive Thousand-Tier Ants, Flender and Liu Erlong took precautions. Their power could sometimes break through bloodline suppression, and such numbers were formidable even for them. A typical Soul Emperor would likely be mortified by such a sight.
"Such a colony can only be found in the Star Dou Great Forest," Yu Xiaogang sighed softly.
Under the astonished gazes of the four, the Thousand Jun Ants, along with their queen, slowly crouched on the ground. For a moment, Flanders and Liu Erlong looked at Shi Yi and Yu Xiaogang with strange expressions on their faces and said, "Should we attack or not? They seem quite... friendly..."
Shi Yi felt a little embarrassed, not knowing how to explain. This was the first time he had encountered such a thing. Ever since the little ant ate the Qiluo tulip, Shi Yi had never led the little ant to devour its own kind again. In Shi Yi's opinion, once a martial spirit's rank had reached a certain level, it was difficult to increase further.
Even if the little ant could continue to devour its own bloodline, it would require a great deal of accumulation. Shi Yi still needed to cultivate himself and didn't have the time to lead the little ant to rob nests. Gradually, the matter was put on hold.
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, Shi Yi addressed the three, "Teacher, Master's Wife, Dean, please protect me, but don't attack them."
The three nodded slightly. Shi Yi then sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes, not taking the little ant back. Gradually, Shi Yi felt as if he had entered a strange world.
He sensed a multitude of emotions within this world, a sensation remarkably clear. The surrounding Thousand Jun Ants seemed to be calling out to him, and he could even discern the emotions of each one.
Fear, uneasiness, reverence, as if the little ant were their king.
Shi Yi didn't need to exert much mental energy. Under his perception, each Thousand Jun Ant emitted a faint mental wave. While not powerful individually, the vast number combined formed a vast mental field, actively cooperating with Shi Yi's perception.
Through them, Shi Yi's range of perception suddenly increased exponentially.
But in the end, the situation Shi Yi had imagined didn't occur. Then, Shi Yi slowly emerged from his concentrated perception and slowly opened his eyes.
"What's wrong, Xiao Yi? Any new findings?" Yu Xiaogang asked softly as Shi Yi slowly opened his eyes.
Shi Yi shook his head slightly.
"It seems the little ant's situation is no different from Tang San's return to the Blue Silver Forest in the original story. However, this Thousand Jun Ant Queen's cultivation is far inferior to the Blue Silver King. While I can sense them, it seems I can't do anything about them," Shi Yi muttered, feeling somewhat helpless.
As if sensing Shi Yi's emotions, the little ants emanated an invisible spiritual wave.
A golden glow suddenly and quietly emerged from each of the Thousand Strength Ants, and tiny dots of light continued to illuminate, gradually converging on the little ants.
This shocked Flanders and the other two. After all their years of traveling, this was the first time they had witnessed such a scene.
As the golden light converged on the little ants, Shi Yi could feel a heat rising from the deepest part of his body. At this moment, Shi Yi felt no impact or pressure from the immense energy, nor did he feel any internal expansion.
He could only sense that, with the emergence of this heat, a mysterious change was occurring within him, but he didn't understand the specific nature of this change.
At this moment, Shi Yi's spirit rings seemed to resonate with this, appearing uncontrollably around him.
Soon, Shi Yi heard Liu Erlong's exclamation, "Xiaogang, look at Xiaoyi's spirit rings!"
Shi Yi subconsciously glanced at the spirit rings swirling around him. The colors of the rings were visibly changing. Shi Yi's first spirit ring's yellow deepened, while the second, already nearing its millennium, had turned purple. The third's purple continued to deepen.
Shi Yi's face lit up with excitement. While the Thousand-Tier Ants were far less numerous than the Blue Silver Grass, their average cultivation was certainly higher. However, it seemed these Thousand-Tier Ants wouldn't allow him to condense his natal spirit rings like Tang San in the original novel. Instead, they were manifesting themselves in the form of increased age.
"Although Xiaoyi's mutation allows for physical manifestation, it also means that when summoned, Xiaoyi becomes a separate entity. I can't awaken my own natal spirit ring like Tang San did because they recognize Xiaoyi, not me. However, the strengthening of the spirit rings also demonstrates Xiaoyi's continuous transformation," Shi Yi thought to himself.
As golden dots of light continued to converge on the small ant, its size seemed to grow. Gradually, its exoskeleton began to explode from the inside out and gradually fell away. Everyone's faces lit up with astonishment. Not only did the small ant now possess a new exoskeleton, but it also had wings.
Soon, the golden dots of light faded, and Shi Yi's spirit rings turned purple. The third spirit ring was faintly showing signs of turning a darker shade.
"This is amazing, a rare sight!" Yu Xiaogang exclaimed in amazement.
"So, should we kill it now or not?" Liu Erlong was puzzled.
Shi Yi shook his head slightly, hesitantly saying, "I don't know."
Yu Xiaogang looked at the soldier ant guarding the Thousand-Year-Old Ant Queen and felt a pity. Shi Yi's own calculations had found this age to be just right. Finding a Thousand-Year-Old Thousand-Year-Old Ant was not easy, but killing this powerful soldier ant would deprive the colony of a crucial fighting force and clearly put them in danger.
Upon hearing this, the little ant understood Shi Yi's hesitation and unexpectedly approached the soldier ant Yu Xiaogang was watching, emitting a wave of spiritual energy.
The next second, the soldier ant Yu Xiaogang was staring at moved. Everyone saw it instantly raise its head, raise its mandibles and two huge saber-tooths, and attack the little ant, as if to instantly tear it apart and devour it.
This sudden change also made the other Thousand-Tier Ants tremble. Attacking the king was tantamount to rebellion. Shi Yi, seeing this sudden change, quickly withdrew the little ant. Feeling the king's aura suddenly disappear, the Thousand-Tier Ants slowly stood up.
Seeing the Thousand Jun Ants slowly surrounding them, Shi Yi immediately summoned the Little Ant again, which calmed the entire colony down again. However, the Thousand Jun Ant that had attacked earlier continued to charge towards the Little Ant.
"Fuck, what the hell did you say to it?" Shi Yi said to the Little Ant.
"Erlong, Flanders, take action. Don't harm the other Thousand-Tier Ants," Yu Xiaogang, who had no reason to attack, called out to them.
Shi Yi then saw the little ant writing the word "sacrifice" on the ground.
Seeing this, Shi Yi looked helpless and said, "You're being honest. Even if you're the king, you're asking for a sacrifice on your first encounter. You're a genius! I'm just using a sting operation."
Flanders and Liu Erlong attacked, and soon the strongest soldier ant was left half-dead, crawling to the ground, seemingly resigned to its fate.
"Xiaoyi, come on," Yu Xiaogang sighed softly. Everything he had encountered today was beyond his comprehension.
Shi Yi, somewhat embarrassed, approached the Thousand-Tier Ant. While the little ant possessed intelligence, it didn't understand human relationships. By chance, it had become a sting operation, which made Shi Yi a little embarrassed to take action.
After a moment's thought, Shi Yi finally pulled out a carving knife from his soul guide. Under Shi Yi's control, the carving knife transformed into a dagger, and without a single stroke, Shi Yi delivered a decisive blow.
Watching the slowly rising black soul ring, Yu Xiaogang reassured Shi Yi, "Are you sure?"
"Your theory might be wrong, but I'm not," Shi Yi chuckled and quipped.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said nothing more.
Shi Yi then sat cross-legged, using Xiao Yi's aura to guide the soul ring. Soon, the black aura reached Xiao Yi's head. Without giving it a chance to react, it suddenly contracted, transforming into an incredibly solid golden ring the size of a bracelet, which landed directly on Xiao Yi.
A powerful surge of soul power suddenly erupted, a surge of scorching energy surging into Shi Yi's body. Instantly, Shi Yi's internal organs burned, and he couldn't help but tremble violently.
Shi Yi then quickly activated his Zhengqi meridians, rapidly circulating his soul power to absorb the incoming soul power.
"Not bad. With the Zhengqijing's current digestion rate, I can handle it. But I didn't feel the ten-thousand-year-old soul vibrations. Maybe it's because of the little ant."
With this in mind, Shi Yi controlled his soul power to circulate rapidly around his dantian. Gradually, the fiery heat turned to a warm warmth, and a sense of blood connection emerged in Shi Yi's heart.
Perhaps because of the little ant, the soul ring absorption this time was so smooth and rapid, which made Shi Yi wonder if he should seek out the older Qianjun Ant.
Seeing the four soul rings swirling around Shi Yi, Yu Xiaogang was also deeply moved. Shi Yi's potential was probably not much weaker than Tang Sansan's. While Tang San would have an additional martial soul, in actual combat, Shi Yi might actually have the advantage with the help of the little ant.
Yu Xiaogang studied the little ant. Its strength was undoubtedly undeniable. The Qianjun Ant's strength was undeniable for its peers. The strength of its exoskeleton played a significant role in its survival in this brutal Soul Beast Forest, despite possessing no soul skills. Most soul beasts wouldn't choose the Qianjun Ant as food. Even their natural enemies wouldn't choose them unless absolutely necessary.
The reason was simple: the Qianjun Ant's exoskeleton was difficult to break. Furthermore, the little ant had now evolved wings, a powerful tool for attack, defense, and flight. If it weren't for its lack of soul skills, the little ant wouldn't have had any significant drawbacks.
"Has absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring? That's a significant level increase, isn't it?" Yu Xiaogang asked softly.
Shi Yi nodded slightly and said, "Perhaps the age of the other soul rings has also increased. It's already level 43."
"What? Three levels in one go?" Flender exclaimed in surprise.
"This is normal. After a spirit master reaches level 40, absorbing spirit rings that match the optimal spirit ring configuration generally only increases by one level. Xiao Yi's fourth ring has significantly surpassed this limit. The gains from the thousand-year and ten-thousand-year spirit rings are incomparable."
"Furthermore, the other spirit rings have all made significant breakthroughs. While three levels might seem unreasonable, it's actually quite reasonable. With Xiao Yi's cultivation speed, he's saved at least half a year of hard work." Yu Xiaogang smiled, his face brimming with indescribable pride.
"However, Xiao Yi, it's best to use your spirit ring less. It's too conspicuous," Liu Erlong said slowly.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, hearing this. "Your master's wife is right. I intend to use you as a substitute for this tournament, and I'll also limit your martial spirit and spirit ring usage. Now that you've mastered Xiao San's skills, your body has become a mature weapon."
Shi Yi nodded, feeling the immense power surging through his body. With his strength and speed, aside from some specialized control systems, he should be unmatched by anyone of his level. Even control systems wouldn't necessarily be able to catch him.
"Should we continue searching for the Thousand-Tier Ant colony?" Flender raised a brow.
"This Thousand-Tier Ant queen is over 20,000 years old. I think it would be a waste of time to find a colony larger than this one. Xiao Yi is still in his prime cultivation, so there's no rush. When Xiao Yi ventures out on his own, there'll be plenty of time. He can find it himself then." Yu Xiaogang understood Flender's meaning and whispered softly.
Shi Yi nodded. This was why he had reduced the amount of time Xiao Yi was around. Although he and Xiao Yi were like family, Shi Yi understood that ultimately, he was the one who traveled the continent. Only by rapidly improving his cultivation would he be able to withstand danger.
Xiao Yi's strength was already exceptional for her level. Shi Yi had never heard of anyone who could achieve the optimal spirit ring configuration solely through her own abilities.
It would be extremely difficult for a Soul Master of the same level to defeat Xiao Yi, who was a mere spirit beast.
As long as Shi Yi's cultivation level rises quickly enough, Xiao Yi will also see a corresponding improvement. Xiao Yi only needs to follow Shi Yi's steady progress. There will be plenty of time to explore Xiao Yi's potential. To prepare his own cultivation for more crises, Shi Yi has even put his research into spirit guides on hold.
Shi Yi devotes most of his time to cultivating his body, spirit power, and mental strength. These are the fundamentals of a spirit master's foundation. With these foundations, he will have more room to explore his potential in the future.
"Then let's retreat. Looking at all these crowded things is a bit scary," Flender said to the group.
Shi Yi and the others nodded in agreement. The moment Shi Yi retracted his spirit, Flender summoned it, instantly scooping up Shi Yi and Yu Xiaogang, and they flew away with Liu Erlong.
Elsewhere, in the central lake of the Star Dou Great Forest, a massive bull head slowly emerged from the water, creating a massive splash. Not far away sat a mountain-like figure.
"Er Ming, do you feel it?" the giant bull head spoke in human language.
The Titan Ape nodded gently and said, "Mass sacrifice, another large tribe has produced a king..."
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(End of this chapter)