Chapter 197: The Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor

After a round of exploration in the Star Dou Great Forest, Yang Xiong and his party quickly, following Xiao Wu's instructions, found the location of the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors.

Everyone who saw the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors was unusually astonished; they hadn't expected the Thousand‑Weight Ants could grow to this extent.

These three Thousand‑Weight Ants are about three meters long; in size they are among the very smallest of all Soul Beasts. For reference, the Titan Giant Ape stands over ten meters tall, its volume dozens of times that of a Thousand‑Weight Ant, and the Azure Bull Python reaches dozens of meters in length—combined, the three Thousand‑Weight Ants are still smaller than a single head of the Azure Bull Python.

Yet such a massive Thousand‑Weight Ant draws a side glance.

It should be known that the Thousand‑Weight Ant is a very common Soul Beast in the forest; essentially every Soul Beast Forest has them, and they have even become a plague of the forest, like the Soft‑Bone Rabbit.

Whether it's the Thousand‑Weight Ant or the Soft‑Bone Rabbit, their reproduction and survival vigor is extremely strong, but generally they are only Hundred‑Year Soul Beasts; those that reach a Thousand‑Year Soul Beast are very few.

The reason the Thousand‑Weight Ant can survive is that its Life Force is exceptionally tenacious, its bodily defense outstanding, and its strength unbelievably huge—possessing force far exceeding its body weight.

Yang Wudi, standing nearby, was also astonished: "How could there be such a huge Thousand‑Weight Ant? The Titan's eighth Soul Ring was only thirty‑thousand years, yet its power boost was terrifying. Had we known there were Ants of this level, Old Rhino, you should have chosen this Thousand‑Weight Ant for your ninth Soul Ring."

Niu Gao was clearly very familiar with the Thousand‑Weight Ant; its defense is indeed formidable, making it highly suitable for the Yu Yi Zu's defense.

The three Thousand‑Weight Ants before them, each about three meters long, are each covered with a layer of dark‑golden carapace and possess six thick, powerful broken legs. Moreover, they can actually stand upright; atop each head are six eyes—two large and four small—emitting a faint green glow.

Generally, a Thousand‑Weight Ant with ten years of cultivation is about three inches long, with only a pair of saber‑like teeth at its mouth capable of biting through hard objects. A Hundred‑Year cultivated Thousand‑Weight Ant does not exceed six inches in length; only at a Thousand‑Year level can it possibly reach a foot. At thirty‑thousand years it may exceed a meter. In the history of the Soul Master World, the largest known Thousand‑Weight Ant is only about one meter long, which was the Titan's eighth Soul Ring.

The three Thousand‑Weight Ants before them each exceed three meters in length; in terms of age they are likely beyond the ninety‑thousand‑year tier. Given the Thousand‑Weight Ant's power attributes, it is unknown how terrifyingly strong their force might be.

Everyone stared at the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors with great seriousness; purely in terms of combat power, these three Ant Emperors are probably not weaker than Soul Beasts of the Ten‑Thousand‑Year level, especially their strength, which is likely not weaker than the Titan Giant Ape.

Lin Gong opened with a hint of doubt: "Xiao Xiong, are you planning to take the seventh Soul Ring from this Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor? With our strength we could trap the other two and heavily damage one, which should be no problem."

Yang Xiong shook his head: "Not one, but three. I plan to heavily damage all three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors at once."

Lin Gong's face showed surprise: "How is that possible? You only need one Soul Ring now. If we hunt all three at once, aren't we being a bit wasteful?"

Yang Xiong said: "Let's act first. I want to conduct a small experiment; if it fails we can just waste two top‑tier Soul Rings, but if it succeeds I'll obtain the Soul Ring I want."

Hearing this, the others said nothing further and instead coordinated their tactics to confront the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors.

The group sprinted swiftly toward the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors, and in an instant summoned their martial souls and Soul Rings, launching a rapid assault on them.

Whether it was the Sword Douluo's Seven Killing Sword or Yang Wudi's Soul‑Breaking Spear, both exuded an extremely sharp and imposing aura; Lin Gong's Purple Emperor Bamboo spread like a blanket, swiftly enveloping the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors.

Faced with the sudden attack, the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors reacted extremely quickly; despite assaults from multiple Title Douluo, they showed no retreat, instead radiating an exceedingly terrifying aura.

Whether it was the Soul‑Breaking Spear or the Seven Killing Sword, after striking the Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors they could not pierce the three Soul Beasts' defenses. Even the Sword Douluo and Yang Wudi were unusually astonished, for their attack power is considered the pinnacle of their realm.

Yet the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors, disregarding the attacks, merged and charged straight at Lin Gong's Purple Emperor Bamboo.

Originally, Purple Emperor Bamboo is extremely resilient; even an ordinary Title Douluo cannot easily damage it.

But under the brazen collision of the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors, the Purple Emperor Bamboo shattered instantly, leaving Lin Gong himself somewhat dumbfounded.

Niu Gao immediately stood before the others, trying to block the retreat path of this Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor.

However, facing Niu Gao's plated giant rhino, the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors were undaunted, colliding head‑on and flinging Niu Gao, along with his martial soul, into the air; even his martial soul seemed somewhat suppressed.

The group was instantly shocked; the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors were many times stronger than they had imagined, especially in sheer power, which was extremely terrifying. The three Ant Emperors coordinated with each other, vaguely resembling a Soul Master's martial soul fusion technique.

Even before Yang Xiong had any contact with the three Thousand‑Weight Ant souls, he already felt a terrifying force emanating from the ground, a force seemingly not inferior to the Demon Bear Douluo, and the three Ant Emperors together were even stronger.

At the critical moment, the Sword Douluo shouted: "Don't underestimate these three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors; each possesses the strength of a Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Beast, and they are highly intelligent with very strong combat aptitude. Stop holding back, attack them with everything you've got, and don't fear killing them."

"Lin Gong, you need to separate the three; otherwise we can't kill them at all."

The Sword Douluo grasped the Seven Killing Sword, instantly transforming into a massive blue figure, wielding an extremely terrifying Seven Killing Sword—his Seventh Soul Skill: Seven Killing True Body.

The massive Seven Killing Sword descended from the heavens; endless sword qi surged straight at the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors. No matter how strong their defenses, the terrifying sword qi knocked them all into the air, leaving each with a gruesome sword scar.

Yet even so, the Seven Killing Sword did not deal a heavy blow; only strange droplets of blood seeped from their bodies.

Lin Gong immediately activated his Eighth Soul Skill: Purple Nether Ten Thousand Bamboo Grove, and within a hundred‑meter radius countless Purple Emperor Bamboos sprouted, forming a massive bamboo forest that instantly isolated the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors.

Moreover, this Purple Nether Ten Thousand Bamboo Grove seems to have a breath‑blocking effect; any soul practitioner or Soul Beast entering it has its spiritual power and senses seemingly shielded, and even the potency of soul skills is somewhat weakened.

It is a Control System Eighth Soul Skill, even possessing spiritual control effects, and is extremely powerful.

Seeing this, the others quickly dispersed; Yang Wudi, the Sword Douluo, and Dragon Lord Snake Madam rapidly concentrated fire on one Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor, while Niu Gao and Yang Xiong used their robust physiques and defenses to prevent the other two Ant Emperors from breaking through Lin Gong's control.

Ning Fengyuan and Ning Rongrong swiftly provided auxiliary amplification to Yang Xiong and the others.

As for Oscar and Qin Shuang and the others, beasts of this level are beyond what they can handle.

Bai He observed the whole scene from the periphery, preventing any other accidents and ready to assist at any moment, to stop the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors from breaking out.

The three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors seemed unwilling to be taken down individually; they emitted a strange cry, as if sensing each other, and in that instant all rose into the air, charging in the same direction, shattering countless Purple Emperor Bamboos of the Purple Nether Ten Thousand Bamboo Grove.

Lin Gong let out a cold snort; the Purple Nether Ten Thousand Bamboo Grove instantly changed, with all Purple Emperor Bamboos rapidly growing and swiftly blocking the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors ahead.

Niu Gao and Yang Xiong exchanged a distant glance, quickly ate Flying Mushroom Sausage, rose into the air, and blocked the two Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors ahead.

Niu Gao directly activated Martial Soul True Body, keeping his massive plated giant rhino firmly in front of one Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor.

Yang Xiong simultaneously employed his Third Soul Skill Tyrannosaur Fury and Fourth Soul Skill Dragon Elephant Steel, becoming immensely tall, with greatly enhanced strength and defense, and he sturdily withstood a Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor's charge.

The Sword Douluo and his companions' attacks grew even more rapid; countless sword qi rained from the sky, and Yang Wudi's Soul‑Breaking Spear together with Dragon Lord Snake Madam's Martial Soul Fusion Technique Dragon Snake Combined Strike surged swiftly toward another Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor.

Even if the Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor's strength is formidable and its defense solid, facing a siege by three Title Douluo‑level masters can be overwhelming.

Especially since the Sword Douluo has reached Ninety‑Seven, his Seven Killing Sword is exceedingly sharp, and his attacks are as fast as lightning.

In an instant, this Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor was enveloped by a giant dragon and a Strange Snake; simultaneously its wings were severed by the Seven Killing Sword and pierced by the Soul‑Breaking Spear, and it fell heavily to the ground from the sky.

The Sword Douluo and his allies, gaining momentum, attacked even more fiercely; shortly thereafter, that Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperor suffered successive heavy blows, its thick outer shell shattered by the three, several legs all cut off, and it lay dying on the ground.

The Sword Douluo and his companions pressed on without pause toward the other two Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors, replicating the same method.

The battle lasted over twenty minutes, and all three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Seeing the three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors, they looked terribly tragic; their shells were completely shattered, their wings all cut off, and blood spattered the ground.

Given this level of injury, an ordinary Title Douluo would likely have already perished, underscoring the Ant Emperors' formidable defense and tenacious Life Force.

Only then did Lin Gong withdraw the Purple Nether Ten Thousand Bamboo Grove; however, controlling the three Ant Emperors consumed a great amount of his energy, as it was his Eighth Soul Skill and he used it almost from start to finish.

The Sword Douluo, with a solemn expression, said: "Xiao Xiong, why are you trying to deal with all three Thousand‑Weight Ant Emperors at once? You should know you can only absorb one Soul Ring."

Yang Xiong thought for a moment before speaking: "Actually I want to test whether my seventh Soul Ring can absorb three Soul Rings simultaneously."

The Sword Douluo shouted angrily: "Xiao Xiong, what are you thinking? This violates the rules of the Soul Master World; regardless of who, each Soul Ring slot can only absorb one Soul Ring, and no one has ever been able to absorb three Soul Rings in the same slot."

Yang Xiong's eyes showed a hint of resolve: "Master, others may not manage it, but I feel my martial soul has undergone an inexplicable change since its evolution, making it possible to absorb three Soul Rings at once."

"Even more so, these three thousand‑jin Ant Emperors have cultivated to the nine Yi Wan Nian level, which shows how special their bloodlines are—indeed their bloodlines have already evolved. Moreover, the three thousand‑jin Ant Emperors' bloodlines are linked, with a certain connection between them; if I use Divided Mind Control to absorb them simultaneously, perhaps there will be unexpected gains."

(End of chapter)