Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 487 - 467 Ghost Fan Lord

Year after year.

Mutant Blue Ice Cypress seeds were sown; the first batch had 77 seeds, but only 4 successfully grew into half-meter tall saplings. The second batch had 164 seeds, and yielded just 11 seedlings.

The situation was different from both Black Peach and Purple Poppet.

The flaw of Mutant Blue Ice Cypress was an extremely low seed germination and survival rate. Dragon Cypress speculated that the cause was the seeds being too small.

Therefore, the main focus for optimizing and cultivating Mutant Blue Ice Cypress would be to select plants with larger fruit and bigger seeds.

After two years, Azure used bud cultivation techniques to propagate the first batch of 1,000 Mutant Blue Ice Cypress saplings, which were developing well. According to plan, Dragon Cypress transplanted them to White Lotus Lake.

Next came the second and third batches, each also 1,000 saplings.

Once these "mother plants" matured and bore fruit at White Lotus Lake, a large number of seeds would be gathered and sent to the Purple Tung Insect Nation for mass cultivation via seed germination techniques.

...

Xianglan Mountain.

On the grafted old Black Peach Tree, Black Peach No.1 finally bloomed and bore fruit.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid both remained at Xianglan Mountain, keeping watch all along.

At the end of summer, the peach fruits ripened.

The result left Ling Chong somewhat despairing: Black Peach No.1’s fruits were only half the size of regular Black Peach, and many were deformed.

—Is Black Peach No.1 worth cultivating?

—Did we go in the wrong direction?

—Should we once again pay more attention to the seed propagation of original Black Peach?

Everyone felt a bit uncertain.

After discussing together, they decided on four directions for development:

First, select properly shaped, large fruits and pick seeds that are plump and full, dry and store them, and try sowing in the following spring.

Second, pick relatively strong Black Peach No.1 branches with only mild leaf deformities, and graft them onto Molan Mountain’s Black Peach trees.

Third, Fragrant Cypress would stay at Xianglan Mountain to try hybridizing Black Peach No.1 with other peach trees.

Fourth, don’t stop the seed selection and propagation work for the original Black Peach; continue collecting seeds from Black Lotus Lake, Cold Orchid Mountain, and Southern Sour Jujube Mountain, and sow them at regular intervals every spring.

...

After the peach fruits were harvested.

The Dominating Throne, carrying Ink Orchid and fully loaded with Source Stone, set out, rocking and swaying as it flew into Ghost Fan Mountain’s territory, plummeting from the sky, landing at an angle by the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed, and coming to rest under the tree.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed was just about to get angry.

Dragon Cypress waved his antennae quickly, activating his Flourish Ability four times in succession.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed returned a friendly, greeting pulse of spiritual power and will.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed had already stopped flowering and fruiting three years earlier, and by now the tree was over a hundred meters tall.

Just last year, Dragon Cypress had even arranged for 100 Specialized Green Ants for it, in groups of ten, to take turns releasing the Flourish Ability to boost its growth.

After a year, the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed had built up its growth potential to the peak.

Compared to a high-level breakthrough to Evolution Mountain Lord Level, the step from Mountain Lord Level to Evolution Lord was relatively easy.

Dragon Cypress examined thoroughly to confirm the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed was in perfect condition.

Ghost Fan and Woodberry, who had been watching from a hillside, came rushing over in excitement.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Ink Orchid!"

Ghost Fan and Woodberry greeted them.

Ink Orchid hopped up, asking, "Ghost Fan, how are your preparations?"

Ghost Fan was bursting with confidence: "Absolutely ready, we can start at any time."

They certainly were prepared.

Even during her Mountain Lord Level phase, Ghost Fan had eaten Divine-Given Origin Force Food worth seven or eight million Source Stones.

Most of it came from the collaboration between Dragon Cypress and Huagi Mountain, with a small portion bought by Ghost Fan herself.

Dragon Cypress: "Good. Ink Orchid, Woodberry, go into the forest and hunt for some fresh meat, and Ghost Fan, fill up your belly first."

"Okay."

"Let’s go."

Ink Orchid led Woodberry into the forest.

Dragon Cypress said, "Ink Orchid was too heavy. I only managed to bring over forty thousand Source Stones this trip. I’ll make another run to bring sixty thousand more, making a total of one hundred thousand Source Stones—enough for the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed’s evolution."

"Dragon Cypress, thank you for your trouble," said Ghost Fan in gratitude.

"Don’t mention it. We’re old friends—no need to be formal."

Dragon Cypress piloted the Dominating Throne, racing back to Xianglan Mountain.

When he returned,

Ghost Fan had already eaten her fill and was waiting.

No more delays,

The Dominating Throne was placed in a cave. Ghost Fan lay on the throne, clutching a huge jar of Ant King Honey, eating voraciously and mentally preparing for evolution.

Ink Orchid and Woodberry stood guard at the entrance.

Dragon Cypress led one hundred mid- and small-sized worker ants to a position two hundred meters from the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed.

At night,

from the direction of the cave, waves of Origin Force Fluctuation emanated.

Ghost Fan was the first to enter the sleep evolution state.

In the middle of the night,

the Origin Force Fluctuations from the cave subsided.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed accelerated its Origin Force absorption, growing ever faster, creating a vacuum zone of Origin Force in the vicinity.

Dragon Cypress was unhurried. When the Origin Force vacuum reached a 150-meter radius, he issued a command.

The waiting worker ants began to break up the Source Stones with their mandible teeth, destroying the crystalline structure. Bursts of pure Origin Force exploded among the forest, then were instantly swept up by the Origin Force Vortex conjured by the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed.

This went on for most of the night. Four to five thousand Source Stones were consumed. The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed’s soul became dormant, entering a stable metamorphosis state.

Two days of calm passed.

At dusk,

from the direction of Ghost Fan’s sleeping cave, new waves of Origin Force Fluctuation rolled out, lasting half the night.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed immediately followed, its Origin Force absorption rate erupting, rapidly forming a new Origin Force vacuum zone and expanding outward.

Dragon Cypress gave the command.

Crack~ crack~ crack~ crack...

A series of crisp sounds rang out densely in the forest.

The worker ants quickly bit apart one Source Stone after another, releasing Origin Force.

The Origin Force vacuum was held strictly within a 150-meter radius until dawn, when the Origin Force Fluctuations finally faded away.

Dragon Cypress had started to get a feel for the evolution rules at Lord-Level, slipped into the forest to hunt for fresh food, and called the ant colony to eat and rest.

Sure enough, this time there was a full three days of silence.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed erupted once again, lasting a whole night and burning through over fifteen thousand Source Stones.

Then came another three days of stillness.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed exploded again, going on for an entire day and consuming nearly thirty thousand Source Stones.

After another night of sleep, with the first light of dawn, its soul consciousness awoke, and with no noticeable effort, completed evolution first.

Jubilant, affectionate, greeting, and urging pulses of spiritual will reached Dragon Cypress.

He jogged to the tree, tapped repeatedly with his antennae, and launched six Flourish Abilities.

Standing in place, he patiently waited and watched closely.

The Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed rapidly digested the power gained from the Flourish Abilities, shaking off the weakness from its evolutionary breakthrough.

Dragon Cypress waved his antennae vigorously, sending signals to the distant hillside.

The hundred Specialized Green Ants who’d been sunbathing on the hillside strolled over and, under Dragon Cypress’s command, each came forward in turn to release the Flourish Ability.

The state of the Ghost Fan Divine-Given Seed quickly stabilized.

Three days later,

Ghost Fan’s cave erupted with violent Origin Force Fluctuations, which lasted half a day before quieting down.

After another half day’s wait, Ghost Fan’s soul consciousness reawakened. She shed her old shell and donned a brand-new Lord-Level Carapace.

Breakthrough accomplished!

First age-period Lord-Level Longhorn Beetle Warrior.

"Lord Ghost Fan, are you hungry?"

Ink Orchid parted the brambles blocking the cave entrance and poked her head in to ask.

Ghost Fan: "..."

Ghost Fan: "...A little."

Without another word, Woodberry turned and dashed to the cave where wood was stored, brought back a piece of well-fermented lumber, and delivered it inside.

"Lord Ghost Fan, hurry and eat!"

Ghost Fan brushed Woodberry’s head with her antennae, knocking it lightly, grousing, "You’re teasing me just like Ink Orchid now."

—No, I’m not~

Woodberry lay flat on the ground, unmoving.

—Still in the mood to joke around, so her condition must be pretty good.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid went deeper into the woods to hunt for fresh food to bring back.

Dragon Cypress set up the Ice Pot and began boiling a soup,

while the resident mid-to-small worker ants of Ghost Fan Mountain busily cut and skewered the meat.

Everyone had worked hard for more than ten days, and now they sat together for a meal.

When everyone was nearly finished, Dragon Cypress asked, "Ghost Fan, how many Abilities did you comprehend?"

Ghost Fan: "It should be two."

Dragon Cypress: "That’s really good!"

Mountain Lords evolving to Lords always comprehend at least one Ability.

One is the minimum, two with luck, and the truly strong may even comprehend three Abilities.

So Ghost Fan was rather lucky this time.

Ink Orchid: "What Abilities? Are they strong?"

Ghost Fan pondered, then lifted her head in confusion: "These two Abilities seem... kind of connected..."