[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-210":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292173,4481,"Chapter 210: Flesh-Eating Flying Ants","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-210",210,"\u003Cp>Song Ce said nothing more, but whispered a few words to a fourth-rank barbarian warrior beside him, clad in a black cloak; the cloaked warrior nodded repeatedly, shot a venomous glance at Lu Fang, then went to lead all the barbarians forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their destination was the smaller barrier farther away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the absence of people or toxic mist, the Poison Mist Zone was invisible, colorless, and odorless, so the barbarians suffered heavy losses upon first entering it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the cloaked barbarian warrior led the tribe forward with extreme caution, fearing any unknown danger might emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the smaller barrier was clearly not far, they moved very slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, they encountered no danger at all—until the moment a scout barbarian reached out to touch the mist surrounding the smaller barrier, when sudden changes erupted: the surrounding space twisted, and the smaller barrier and mist instantly shifted far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dense, buzzing sound arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the barbarian could react, he screamed and turned into a skeleton; at the same time, a vast swarm of tiny black dots appeared in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Flesh-Eating Flying Ants! Fall back immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked barbarian warrior shouted a warning and swiftly retreated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost the instant he fled, the three barbarians standing there were overwhelmed by the swarm of “Flesh-Eating Flying Ants”; within a few breaths, only three skeletons remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stood nearby, watching as he witnessed a fourth-rank barbarian warrior being devoured into a skeleton by those Flesh-Eating Flying Ants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the barbarians retreated fast enough; otherwise, dozens of them would have been annihilated there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though each individual Flesh-Eating Flying Ant was tiny, no bigger than a real ant, it was a notorious sixth-rank beast; as a colonial species, it could easily devour a fourth-rank or higher barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang had read books on beasts, and one had recorded the habits of “Flesh-Eating Flying Ants”—normally, they would never gather in such large numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hundred or so was already considered massive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the swarm numbered at least thousands, even tens of thousands—who wouldn’t be terrified by such a sight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved with incredible speed, impervious to water or fire; though small, their bodies bore transparent wings, which they instantly shielded over themselves the moment danger was sensed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t underestimate those transparent wings—they were incredibly hard, especially with their natural patterns, capable of resisting a wide variety of powerful attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most terrifying was the presence of an Ant King within the swarm; it looked nearly identical to ordinary flying ants, yet possessed high intelligence, far surpassing them in power and able to command the entire colony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one wished to provoke a swarm with an Ant King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing barbarians fleeing from the swarm, several slower ones were devoured into skeletons; Song Ce’s eyes narrowed, and he instinctively stepped back a few paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the Flesh-Eating Flying Ants did not pursue relentlessly; once the barbarians escaped a certain range, they flew back and burrowed into the ground everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These Flesh-Eating Flying Ants have territorial awareness—clearly, this peculiar place has granted them unusual traits,” Lu Fang thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, after losing nearly ten barbarians, the tribe finally retreated into a safe zone, each one wearing expressions of lingering terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce stared at Lu Fang with a blank face and sneered: “See? This isn’t the correct entrance to the barrier—it’s just a trap. How long has it been, and already we’ve encountered such a massive swarm of Flesh-Eating Flying Ants?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe the dangers ahead will only increase.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you still want to find the entrance to the Lesser Upper Realm, abandon this path. I won’t send any more barbarians to die up front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloaked barbarian warrior angrily chimed in: “Exactly! Our barbarian warriors won’t throw their lives away like this anymore. If you disagree, let your own men go ahead and scout!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words immediately won the barbarians’ approval; had their glares been lethal, Lu Fang would have been killed countless times over by the furious barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang coldly said: “I believe this smaller barrier is the entrance to the Lesser Upper Realm—otherwise, why so many traps? Both the Poison Mist Zone and the swarm of Flesh-Eating Flying Ants ahead prove it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His purpose in saying this was mainly to keep the barbarians sacrificing themselves—but as he spoke, a sudden thought struck him: perhaps he wasn’t wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were merely a trap route, it wouldn’t have been so elaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps, after overcoming each obstacle, the smaller barrier truly is the path into the Lesser Upper Realm—it’s very possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce fell silent for a moment; he wasn’t a fool. Disliking the Bai Yuying demon was one thing, but finding the Lesser Upper Realm was another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Lu Fang’s words, he pondered briefly and realized they weren’t entirely without merit; his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already declared his stance—how could he now retract it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled faintly and said: “Let’s set aside our personal grudge for now. Let’s join forces to explore this path—you provide some of your men, I’ll provide some of mine. What do you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a face-saving offer to Song Ce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, even if this were truly the path to the Lesser Upper Realm, facing such perils, the barbarians would inevitably die in large numbers as they advanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely what Lu Fang wanted—the more enemies died, the less threat they posed, until he found the right moment to exterminate them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he couldn’t wipe them all out, he must ensure the barbarians suffered heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang wasn’t worried the barbarians would find the Lesser Upper Realm; clearly, they understood it better and valued it deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce’s presence here proved this place was extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang had only entered here thanks to Jiang Yuan’s influence; even if he killed every barbarian here now, more would keep pouring in endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More barbarians would keep probing this path, and eventually, the entrance to the Lesser Upper Realm would still be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he couldn’t possibly stop it from happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he could truly enter the Lesser Upper Realm and learn what the barbarians intended to do there, he could sabotage it—this was the only sure way to eradicate the threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce glanced at Lu Fang with surprise; he had many thoughts and never suspected the Bai Yuying demon was fake—he assumed Lu Fang’s words were merely driven by the desire to find the Lesser Upper Realm’s entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce accepted Lu Fang’s proposal; he had no reason to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the barbarian commander here, Lu Fang and Song Ce didn’t need to scout ahead—they could remain behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your plan for getting past the swarm of Flesh-Eating Flying Ants ahead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Ce asked.\u003C\u002Fp>",1126,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","055c5f031831f31876964a51a7a84a837220961ad445ab256d7c580ac1436f2d","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-211","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-209",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]