Chapter 55: Thousand‑Jin Ant

Two voices sounded at the same time.

He blocked the arrow feather shot by Yu Can, but the nearest thousand‑jin ant seized the chance, leapt up suddenly, clamped its jaws onto his neck, its sharp mandibles closed, and a head rolled onto the ground.

This thousand‑jin ant differed from the others; it was sturdier and stronger, larger in size, and had a pronounced upper jaw.

Although not a thousand years old, it was already eight hundred years old.

A few other Second Soul Masters also met a tragic death beneath the ant's mandibles.

"Just a hundred‑year‑old thousand‑jin ant?" Yu Can felt deeply disappointed at the sight.

"We could go check the ant nest," Tie Li suggested.

The thousand‑jin ant may have a hundred‑year cultivation, but the thousand‑jin ant queen might not be limited to the hundred‑year tier.

This particular thousand‑jin ant could be a soldier ant protecting the queen, possessing greater combat power and cultivation.

The thousand‑jin ant queen is the leader of the colony, breeding and controlling the whole swarm; it can command thousand‑jin ants to hunt Soul Beasts, sending the slain beasts back to the nest for it to devour. The queen also uses this method to raise its own level; its combat power may not be the strongest, but its cultivation is certainly the highest.

"Perhaps there are thousand‑year‑old thousand‑jin ants; we could lure one out, kill it, and make it Da Li's Soul Ring," Mu Xin clearly misunderstood; Tie Li's real goal was the thousand‑jin ant queen.

These thousand‑jin ants sensed a dangerous aura from Yu Can, dared not act rashly, kept their eyes fixed on the three of Yu Can, and their bodies slowly retreated.

When they deemed the distance safe enough, they instantly turned and fled.

Yu Can lifted Tie Li and immediately followed, with Mu Xin close behind.

But they must keep a good distance; once a thousand‑jin ant discovers it's being followed, it won't bring danger back to the nest.

The nest's location is well concealed; jagged rocks and large trees surround it, easy to overlook without careful observation. Toward the mountain top there is a slope with several massive stones.

"All of them are at the hundred‑year tier," Yu Can frowned.

At a glance, the hundred‑year‑tier thousand‑jin ants were uneven—some a hundred years old, others four or five hundred.

Conversely, the eight‑hundred‑year‑old thousand‑jin ant we just saw entered the nest.

"Uncle Yu, based on your experience, could the thousand‑jin ant queen in this nest be at the thousand‑year level?" Tie Li asked.

"You mean killing the thousand‑jin ant queen to become your Third Soul Ring? But delving into the nest is extremely dangerous," Yu Can frowned.

"Uncle Yu, how does the surrounding terrain look? As long as we use it well, restraining the thousand‑jin ant swarm is easy; my master and I will attract the swarm outside, and you, Uncle Yu, can seize the chance to enter the nest," Tie Li said.

"Alright." Yu Can looked in the direction Tie Li indicated and indeed saw room for maneuver.

Tie Li and Mu Xin were tasked with drawing the thousand‑jin ants; as the number inside the nest decreased, a Five Ring Soul King entered, and as long as they were careful, there should be essentially no major problem.

After briefly discussing the plan, Mu Xin was the first to appear around the nest.

A Soul Ring Configuration of one white, two yellow, and one purple, a hefty earth‑colored hammer appeared in Mu Xin's hand.

The Earth Hammer is Mu Xin's martial soul!

The First Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring lit up, and the head of the Earth Hammer instantly swelled to an enormous size, bearing terrifying power as it hammered the ground, instantly raising a huge cloud of dust.

Sensing the nest under attack, a lone thousand‑jin ant crawled out of the nest, its numbers increasing at a visible rate.

With a single strike, Mu Xin immediately vanished toward the distance.

Yu Can timed it precisely and slipped into the nest.

Mu Xin specifically ran up the slope, where Tie Li waited to provide support.

In front of Tie Li lay seven or eight massive stones; as Mu Xin passed by, Tie Li's Second Soul Ring lit up, and the Forging Hammer in his hand struck the stones, using his own power and the Shock Repel Effect to hurl the stones down the slope, inflicting heavy casualties on the thousand‑jin ants below.

This was a plan Tie Li devised after analyzing the surrounding terrain.

So far, the effect is quite good.

"Boom"

The ground emitted a rumbling sound, and a burst of flame erupted from the nest entrance.

Yu Can, his whole body cloaked in flame, rushed out holding a big white meatball in his hand.

The three had already discussed the plan: once they captured the thousand‑jin ant queen, they would immediately distance themselves from the swarm.

Mu Xin and Tie Li, seeing Yu Can already vanishing toward the distance, left the area at once.

They exited the inner circle of the Gold‑Iron Forest and stopped at the edge of the outer circle.

Yu Can, who arrived here first, had already ended his Martial Soul Possession State; his martial soul is the Flame Lord, excelling in both speed and burst.

The thousand‑jin ant queen's injuries were severe; Yu Can, to escape the nest as quickly as possible, made every move lethal.

"Got it; as expected, a thousand‑year‑level thousand‑jin ant queen," Tie Li's face lit up with joy.

The thousand‑jin ant queen counts as a special type of Soul Beast; absorbing it as his Third Soul Ring might bring an unexpected surprise.

"Its life aura is faint; you act immediately, and the two of us will protect you," Yu Can said.

"Alright."

This will be his first thousand‑year Soul Ring; Tie Li's breathing grew a few breaths heavier.

The Forging Hammer appeared in his hand, smashing hard toward the vital spot of the thousand‑jin ant queen.

Along with it, a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring floated before Tie Li.

Suppressing his excitement, he sat cross‑legged on the ground and began absorbing the Soul Ring.

This time the Soul Ring absorption went very smoothly; Tie Li could feel wave after wave of dense life energy surging to every part of his body.

Even his body emitted a faint fragrance.

"Why does it smell so good?"

Before Mu Xin could finish speaking, a multitude of Soul Beasts appeared around them; their fierce eyes fixed only on Tie Li, filled with longing and greed.

"What's going on?" Mu Xin was startled.

"We don't know what happened, but what we must do now is protect Da Li."

Fortunately, only Ten‑year and Hundred‑year Soul Beasts have appeared; though numerous, they can still be dealt with.

The only worry is that, given enough time, they might attract the thousand‑year Soul Beasts deep in the forest.

Yu Can entered Martial Soul Possession State, transforming again into the Flame Lord; Mu Xin summoned the Earth Hammer and hammered heavily toward the nearest Hundred‑year black snake.

Fortunately the fragrance only lasted a while; once the scent's lure faded, the Soul Beasts regained their senses and slowly retreated.

Tie Li, who successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, woke up, and looking at the Soul Beast corpses on the ground, he knew what had just happened.

"First, let's leave the Soul Beast forest."

"Alright."

……

"Did I emit a fragrance when I absorbed the Soul Ring, attracting the nearby Soul Beasts?" Tie Li said, somewhat surprised.

"Some special Soul Beasts can cause anomalies; what makes me even more curious is, what kind of soul skill did you obtain?" Yu Can asked curiously.

A flash of delight crossed Tie Li's eyes; the effect of this Thousand-Year Soul Technique did not disappoint him.

The two‑yellow‑one‑purple Soul Ring Configuration, along with a Lightning Light Forging Hammer, appeared in Tie Li's hand; the hammer's scale patterns grew clearer, exuding a faint pressure.

The size of the martial soul remained unchanged, but its weight increased by more than double, making even Tie Li struggle slightly.

(End of chapter)