Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 466 - 446: Sowing Senior Orchid Mantis

Late winter,

Dragon Cypress needed to head to Scarletlight Mountain to harvest ant honey, and on the way, dropped Ink Orchid back at Xianglan Mountain for a few days’ rest.

After Dragon Cypress finished the work and returned to Xianglan Mountain again, Ink Orchid was rested and ready to begin evolving.

Seven days later,

In the deep of night.

In the North Mountain Restaurant, Dragon Cypress was awakened by Origin Force fluctuations. After thinking for a moment, he waited a bit, calculated the time, then commanded the Specialized Blue Soldiers to fetch water for soup, went down to the Northern Gorgon Water Reservoir to catch some fish, and ordered the Worker Ants to slice and prepare it all.

At dawn,

Ink Orchid awakened from deep slumber, quickly completed molting, jumped straight off the throne, and darted out of the cave.

"Dragon Cypress! I did it!"

"Mhm, eat something first and recover."

Dragon Cypress waved his tentacle to signal.

In the restaurant, fresh delicacies were already prepared.

"Wow—"

Ink Orchid cried out in delight, and without any restraint, started eating heartily.

Dragon Cypress saw that the evolution had not consumed much this time, patiently waited for Ink Orchid to eat a bit, then asked:

"Ink Orchid, wood element talent?"

Ink Orchid: "I’m an Orchid Mantis, of course I awakened it."

Dragon Cypress: "Any abilities? Did you comprehend any wood element ability?"

Ink Orchid ate two more bites, tilted her head and thought, thought and thought, gradually becoming confused and a little frustrated.

"Dragon Cypress, seems like... I have no ability..."

"..."

Eh—

Even I, a Giant-Headed Ant with no talent potential for wood element, managed to comprehend an ability.

But you, with wood element talent potential as an Orchid Mantis, couldn’t comprehend an ability?

Dragon Cypress secretly felt pleased, and comforted: "Ink Orchid, it’s fine. Going from the fifth to sixth age period is a minor evolution, almost impossible to comprehend an ability. When you evolve from the sixth to seventh age period, the chance to comprehend an ability is much greater. Eat more wood-element Divine-Given Origin Force Food during the sixth age period."

"Mmm—"

Ink Orchid was down for a few seconds, then quickly relaxed and smiled.

The talent had already awakened, the ability would come sooner or later. Even if her comprehension and luck were poor and she couldn’t realize it on her own, she could still get one through Divine-Grade Fruit.

With the talent acquired, ability was no longer a problem.

"Dragon Cypress, Senior Orchid Mantis can be sown now!"

"Hurry and eat, once you’re full, we set off."

"I’m full! Let’s go now."

"Finish eating! Finish eating and we set off."

"Oh—"

Ink Orchid didn’t even wait for the Worker Ants to blanch the fish slices. Whether raw or cooked, she ate nonstop, quickly devouring all the food Dragon Cypress had prepared.

The Dominating Throne sped off,

from Xianglan Mountain to Molan Mountain, a very short distance, arrived in a little while.

A gently sloping site had long ago been chosen, and a large, flat clearing 150 meters long and wide had already been prepared. After leveling off half a meter of the topsoil, it was backfilled with a mix of Divine-Given Remains powder, marsh slag, and humus-rich black earth.

Ink Orchid sped over, circled down to the center, dug a shallow pit, and spat out the seed.

Dragon Cypress arrived right after, personally activated his Water Control ability, and guided a super-sized water sphere over three meters in diameter from the river at the mountain’s foot, transforming it in midair into a fine mist that rained down gently.

The orchid grass seed sprouted quickly; in just half a day, roots appeared, and after another half day, leaf buds broke through the surface.

The next morning, under the first sunlight, the first and second true leaves quickly grew, reaching two or three centimeters high.

The weather was lucky—just in time for bright sunny days.

In just two days, the first and second true leaves reached five or six centimeters, and the third and fourth true leaves budded.

Dragon Cypress saw this was about right and instructed two Specialized Green Ants to each unleash a weaker ’Flourish’ ability.

Continued observing.

Three days later, the first and second orchid leaves quickly grew to thirty centimeters, slender, leathery, and thick dark green. The third and fourth orchid leaves grew over ten centimeters; the fifth and sixth leaves were growing, the seventh and eighth just showing buds.

Dragon Cypress personally activated Flourish Ability, giving it one more round.

After observing two more days, growth stayed rapid and stable. He was finally reassured.

Ink Orchid stayed behind to look after it.

Dragon Cypress set off northward alone.

...

In the Purple Tung Insect Nation, the weather was warming, the ice and snow melting.

Spruce and Giant Cypress stood guard under the White Poplar Divine Seed tree.

They greeted each other.

Dragon Cypress first gave four rounds of Flourish to the White Poplar Divine Seed.

Spruce asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, did Ink Orchid smoothly evolve to the sixth age period?"

Dragon Cypress: "Of course. She awakened the wood element talent just fine."

Spruce: "What about abilities? How many wood element abilities did she comprehend?"

How many?

Dragon Cypress: "...Luck wasn’t great, not a single one."

Dragon Cypress: "Spruce, it’s been warmer these past few days, is it time to evolve?"

Spruce: "Yes! I’m ready."

Dragon Cypress: "Alright. Let’s go!"

Together, they went to the royal palace. After the Dominating Throne set up the King Nest, Spruce began to prepare for evolution.

Giant Cypress stood guard outside the cave with his troops.

Dragon Cypress stayed with Black Leaf and Black Birch under the White Poplar Divine Seed tree, idly sharing some knowledge recorded in the inherited memory.

Eight days later,

Spruce awoke from sleep and completed molting smoothly.

Just like Ink Orchid, he too evolved to a sixth age period Mountain Lord. Luck was good—he awakened wood element talent; but not good enough—didn’t comprehend a wood element ability.

Yellow Stem would be feeling the pinch again. He’d have to spend a large sum of Source Stones to buy wood element Divine-Given Origin Force Food for Spruce in the sixth age period.

...

Actually, spring was very busy this year, with fifty thousand orchid grass seedlings and twenty thousand black peach saplings to transplant.

First, the variant-blood Ink Orchid was transplanted.

...

Molan Mountain.

The Dominating Throne carried Black Cory speeding over.

"Thunder Oak!"

Dragon Cypress called out as he leapt off the throne, first giving two rounds of Flourish to the Thunder Oak Divine Seed.

"Dragon Cypress. Black Cory."

Thunder Oak replied, then asked, "Dragon Cypress, did the Long Shield Grasshopper Warrior Spruce successfully awaken the wood element talent?"

Dragon Cypress: "Yes. The luck has been pretty good for everyone."

Thunder Oak: "Did he also comprehend any wood element abilities?"

Dragon Cypress: "Not every insect is as exceptional as I am."

Thunder Oak: "..."

Thunder Oak: "So that’s a no?"

Dragon Cypress: "Nope."

Thunder Oak: "What a pity."

Thunder Oak, being somewhat of a busybody, pressed further, "Black Cory, you’re here at Molan Mountain to plant orchid grass, right?"

Black Cory: "Yes. As usual, Great King handles the transport, and I lead the ants in planting."

Thunder Oak: "Thanks for your hard work, Black Cory."

Black Cory: "...It’s nothing."

"Thunder Oak, you rest, Black Cory and I will go check on Senior Orchid Mantis."

Dragon Cypress piloted the Dominating Throne into the air, heading to the hilly slope where the Great King Molan Divine Seed was planted.

"Ink Orchid!"

"Mmm~hmm~"

Ink Orchid looked awfully bored, hanging upside down from the trunk of a Southern Sour Jujube Tree by the terrace, motionless, basking in the sun, and replying lazily.

Dragon Cypress had been gone for eleven days this time; at the center of the plot, the Great King Molan Divine Seed had already grown into a super-sized orchid grass about 1.5 meters tall.

"Black Cory."

Dragon Cypress waved a claw and led Black Cory over, checking carefully at close range, scanning with spiritual power, and tapped his tentacle to give two more rounds of Flourish.

"Great King, when will you divide the clumps?"

Black Cory asked offhandedly.

"Based on past experience, when it grows past two meters."

Dragon Cypress replied.

Black Cory: "Seems like orchid grass always has triple-division."

Dragon Cypress: "Barring surprises, this one should be triple-division as well."

Black Cory: "What if there’s a surprise?"

Dragon Cypress: "If unlucky, it might only be double division."

Ink Orchid, hearing the conversation, suddenly twisted her head, glaring at the ant with murderous intent.

Dragon Cypress added, "If lucky, and you get fivefold division like the Southern and Northern Gorgon, the yield could just about be called decent."

"With even more luck, a sevenfold division would rival most great tall trees. Of course, the odds of that are minuscule, nearly nonexistent."

Black Cory dared not speak, only kept tapping his tentacle.

Dragon Cypress waved his claw, saying, "Alright. Black Cory, time is ticking. Go organize the ant nest team—we’re starting to plant orchid grass for the Second King."

Black Cory: "Understood. Great King."

Black Cory ran off quickly.

Dragon Cypress stood in front of the Great King Molan Divine Seed and, after carefully checking again, walked over under the Southern Sour Jujube Tree.

"Ink Orchid, aren’t you going to ask about Spruce’s situation?"

"No need."

Ink Orchid answered coolly, "If Spruce hadn’t awakened the wood element talent, you’d definitely have come to me first to break the bad news. If Spruce awakened the wood talent and also comprehended an ability, you’d have rushed to tell me first, just to watch me feel disappointed."

Ink Orchid: "Since you went to Thunder Oak first when you got back, that means Spruce is just like me—awakened wood element talent but didn’t comprehend an ability; nothing much to say."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress: "Ink Orchid, you’re keen as ice and snow!"

—I better not give Ink Orchid any black lotus seeds.

Dragon Cypress grudgingly hopped onto the throne, lifted straight up, and set out to Xianglan Mountain to fetch orchid grass seedlings.