Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 446 - 426 Another Raging Tree

After a month’s work, all the earth and stone supports were completed according to Dragon Cypress’s design.

The Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine grew for a month; the main vine surpassed ten meters, and under guidance from the spider silk ropes, it climbed the first support frame.

The initial framework took shape, with a daily fixed consumption of 300 Source Stones.

Dragon Cypress remained alone on Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, mainly to watch over the Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine, and would also visit the Red Cypress and Little Wild Chestnut Divine-Given Seeds every morning and evening for idle chats.

It was probably due to the One-Glimpse Fruit—Red Cypress, White Poplar, and Red Phellodendron, these three Divine-Given Seeds were all tranquil, gentle, and kind by nature.

The Little Wild Chestnut Divine-Given Seed, likely influenced by Black Cory, was lazy and disliked conversation, somewhat distant with Dragon Cypress.

Whenever he spoke to it, it would always respond carelessly with a hmm, ah, oh, wow, yeah.

One reason Dragon Cypress stayed at Southern Sour Jujube Mountain was also to become more familiar with Little Wild Chestnut.

Time flew by, and another month passed.

The main vine of the Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine exceeded fifteen meters, climbing up the slope, while side branches began to sprout, spider silk ropes guiding them to spread on both sides.

...

A hazy, faint dawn,

Dragon Cypress sprawled across the throne, half-awake, half-asleep, when a muddled thought drifted in.

Dragon Cypress instantly snapped awake.

Almost instinctively, his Soul-Setting ability reached out to sense.

In the trunk of the Round Leaf Keg Vine, a faint soul the size of an apricot pit was gently throbbing, sending forth a confused, bewildered, irritable, and angry mix of emotions.

—Yet another berserk plant like Southern Gorgon or Linnan.

Dragon Cypress considered briefly, swaying his antennae, rousing the Worker Ants resting around the Dominating Throne and giving orders.

Three medium-sized Worker Ants sprang into action, each carrying a Source Stone, climbing up the tubao, scraping and sprinkling powder; swirling Origin Force spread out, quickly absorbed by the surrounding foliage.

The Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine sensed the benefits of the Source Stone and, realizing it was Dragon Cypress commanding the ant colony, became far less wary and hostile, trailing after Dragon Cypress and continuously sending out curious spiritual queries.

Dragon Cypress: "This is a Source Stone."

Keg Vine: "Source Stone?"

Dragon Cypress jumped down from the throne, walked to the spider silk bag where Source Stones were stored, picked up one, and said, "Source Stone."

"Source Stone!"

Keg Vine’s spiritual intent grew urgent, urging him on.

"My name is Dragon Cypress. My name, my title, is Dragon Cypress."

"Dragon Cypress."

"Your name is Keg Vine."

"Keg Vine... Source Stone! Source Stone! Source Stone!"

Keg Vine suddenly lost all patience, growing agitated and insistent.

"..."

Dragon Cypress waved his antennae and issued an order.

Thirty medium-sized Worker Ants climbed the tubao carrying Source Stones.

Dragon Cypress: "Keg Vine, your soul consciousness has just awakened, you should rest quietly."

Keg Vine no longer responded.

Dragon Cypress ordered the ant colony to keep supplying Source Stones nonstop, then jumped onto the throne and went back to sleep.

...

A day later, using the Soul-Setting ability for another look—

Keg Vine’s soul had grown a bit more solid.

Correspondingly, its growth speed had clearly increased.

At dawn,

Dragon Cypress directed the Specialized Blue Soldiers to draw water for irrigation.

Keg Vine immediately sent questioning intentions.

"I am the Great-Headed Ant King. These are Ant Soldiers I bred. They are Blue Soldiers—the largest type, inheriting my Water System ability..."

"These are Worker Ants—this one is a medium-sized Worker Ant, and that one a large Worker Ant; different pheromone stimuli made them develop into different sizes..."

Patiently, Dragon Cypress explained everything.

Keg Vine listened half-understanding, half-perplexed.

Origin Force Life forms have good memory and comprehension.

But a nascent soul consciousness, knowing so little of the world, cannot fully grasp things yet.

No need to explain in detail.

Dragon Cypress simply kept talking, pouring in all sorts of basic knowledge.

He also directed the ant colony to gather various samples of plants and animals from the forest to introduce one by one.

The more it heard and saw, as its understanding accumulated, Keg Vine began to comprehend.

The autumn sun blazed. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Source Stones allocated daily to the Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine increased from 300 to 500 pieces.

The main vine grew rapidly, exceeding twenty meters.

Keg Vine’s soul also became increasingly solid, robust and lively, yet wholly unlike Southern Gorgon—for it was brimming with curiosity and longing about everything, and when Dragon Cypress imparted knowledge, its irritable temperament gave way to calm earnestness.

Time flowed on, gentle and unhurried.

Late autumn.

"Keg Vine."

"Oh!"

"I’m leaving for a while."

"Where to?"

"North. This year, the Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed’s fruits are ripe for harvest. I need to help it migrate to the Purple Tung Insect Nation."

"I want to go to Purple Tung Insect Nation too!"

"That’s not possible. You’re a tropical plant; you’d freeze to death. But in the future, when you reach Evolution King Level, maybe you can go."

"Freeze to death? What does that feel like?"

"That’s easy!"

Dragon Cypress gave the order.

The Specialized Blue Soldiers immediately acted, fetching water from the ravine, hauling over a massive water sphere one meter in diameter.

Dragon Cypress personally activated his Freezing Ability. Instantly, the water sphere became a bone-chilling ice ball, which hovered down beneath the Divine-Given Seed of Round Leaf Keg Vine.

"This is ice. Freezing feels like this. In the north, during winter, such ice covers the land—colder than even this, by ten times."

"Oh! Got it. Please take it away."

With a thought, Dragon Cypress thawed the ice ball, turning it into cool, fresh water to soak into the soil.

"I’ll send Black Cory over to take care of you for two months."

"Who is Black Cory?"

"A Command Ant. It can command the ant colony too, and can communicate with you. If you have any needs or questions, find it."

"Understood. Off you go then."

Dragon Cypress piloted the Dominating Throne into the air, heading to see Red Cypress and Little Wild Chestnut Divine-Given Seeds, said a few words to them, and departed north.

Molan Mountain.

The Black Peach saplings transplanted in spring had grown into little trees over a meter high.

The survival rate was about eighty percent, but some weak sprouts had already been weeded out by Black Cory.

Next spring, about two thousand more will need to be planted.

Mutated Ink Orchid conditions were similar; most survived, and suitable transplant locations were plentiful. Work would continue in late winter.

Rainy autumn meant little intervention was needed.

Dragon Cypress delivered Black Cory back to Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, rested two days at Xianglan Mountain, and then set off for White Lotus Lake.

...

"Dragon Cypress—"

Night Fragrance greeted from afar.

"Night Fragrance! Are the fruits almost ripe?"

Dragon Cypress asked, piloting the throne down to the tree and looking up.

"Of course! Wait a moment."

Night Fragrance focused her will, the green-yellow fruits quickly changing colors, brightening to vivid orange-red, then to deep orange-red; the surface Origin Force patterns congealed into dark reddish-brown.

Ready!

At 800,000 Source Stones per fruit, they weren’t cheap.

Dragon Cypress prepared the metal cans, commanding the Blue Ants forward to lay down a layer of Ant King Jelly.

Beating his wings, he picked one, placing it inside the can.

Then, twenty small Blue Ants took turns climbing to the can’s opening, bowing their heads and spitting out, pouring Bee King Jelly to seal it.

With utmost care, he stored three Divine-Grade Night Fragrance Fruits, sealing them each in three layers of spider silk bags and stashing them away safely.

"Dragon Cypress, you owe me 900,000 Source Stones."

"Mm. Mm. Mm. Got it, I’ll remember. Once we’re at the Purple Tung Insect Nation, I’ll gather up a million and pay you together."

"Ready to migrate?"

"That’s for you to answer. Is the energy and Origin Force in Glinting Gold full enough?"

"Very full! I can gather my Tree Heart and reincarnate at any time."

"...Is it okay to reincarnate in autumn?"

"No problem! A Tree King in its ninth age can’t freeze to death."

"Alright! Then I’ll go prepare over at Purple Tung Insect Nation."

"Alright! Then I’ll gather my Tree Heart now."

"What about Glinting Gold?"

"Glinting Gold can fuse with my Tree Heart as one."

The Night Fragrance Divine-Given Seed was eager and hurried.

Dragon Cypress was in no rush.

"There are two main situations for gathering the Tree Heart—one is rapidly gathering the Tree Heart in emergencies; the other is a slow gathering for migration, over several days, to reclaim all the energy from the tree body."

Night Fragrance explained. All at once, the spirit of the entire tree shifted; the branches and twigs of the soul shrank slowly inward.

Correspondingly, the energy from the lower trunk and leaves at the tips began to ebb away.

It was clear and intuitive—one could feel the whole tree’s vitality rapidly weakening.

Like rivers all flowing to the sea, all the tree’s essence was converging to where the main soul resided.

—So this is gathering the Tree Heart?

Dragon Cypress saw it for the first time, stood nearby looking up for a good while, more or less understood, and then piloted the Dominating Throne into the air.