Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 496 - 476: The Lonely Island at Sea

A calm and tranquil deep night.

The Dominating Throne, tightly adhering to the Divine Force Barrier, sneaked westward 200 meters below the sea’s surface.

Only when it estimated a safe distance of about forty to fifty kilometers from the island did it quietly surface.

PHEW.

Dragon Cypress and White Rice both let out a long breath, their spiracles open, breathing rapidly.

The vast world, the boundless ocean—everywhere was filled with Origin Force.

On this continent, Origin Force Life could move freely.

White Rice unfolded his membranous wings, flapped them awkwardly, circled high in the sky in a large loop, then returned to the Throne.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, where to next? Search for islands?"

"Of course! The night is not suitable for farsighted searches. Let’s find a safe place to rest and act when it’s light."

"Where to after dawn?"

"Wander around, have a look."

"To the west?"

"First west, then east. We’ll patrol east and west, inspecting and searching."

The Dominating Throne, sticking to the Divine Force Barrier, flew west at low altitude for over three hundred kilometers, then abruptly turned south.

After flying south for about another three hundred kilometers, it hovered above the sea and rested for half the night.

「Dawn.」

The sun rose from the eastern skyline. The deep blue sea, the blue sky, and the golden-red clouds painted a vast and magnificent world.

"Let’s set off!"

Dragon Cypress called out, and the Dominating Throne ascended vertically until it was above the white clouds.

"White Rice, you look to the north, I’ll watch the south."

"Okay!"

White Rice and Dragon Cypress lay side by side at the edge of the Dominating Throne, poking their heads out to look downward. Their eye power operating at its maximum, one watched to the south and the other to the north, observing the waters below.

The Dominating Throne sped west.

「Mid-morning.」

Dragon Cypress made a discovery, spotting a small black dot in the distant blue expanse.

Upon closer inspection, it was a reef protruding from the sea, with numerous seabirds circling nearby.

The Dominating Throne dived deep into the sea to investigate, revealing a vast underwater mountain range; the reef was the summit of one of its peaks emerging from the sea. Nearby, other underwater mountain ranges undulated, hosting various colored algae and swarms of fish and shrimp.

Following the largest mountain range, they searched toward the southwest, discovering dozens of islands and reefs, large and small.

They found a desolate small island of only two to three square kilometers.

It was a discovery without any value, and half a day had been wasted.

They continued west, flying high in the sky and scanning the area below.

The vast expanse below was nothing but seawater. By sunset, as darkness fell, they still hadn’t made any discoveries.

The Dominating Throne docked on the sea surface to rest for the night.

The following morning they departed, continuing west. By mid-afternoon, they reached the Divine Force Barrier at the western end of the Molan Continent.

They turned south, flying for what they calculated to be about 400 kilometers. Then, turning around, they began to inspect eastward from the western end of the continent.

Daylight offered the best visibility, so they traveled during the day and rested at night.

「Three days later.」

They reached the Divine Force Barrier at the eastern end of the Molan Continent. After moving southward for another 400 kilometers, they resumed their inspection from east to west.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"An island?"

The dispirited White Rice suddenly leaped up, pointing his claw toward the southwest.

In the far distance, under the slanting sunlight, the deep blue sea reflected an unusual light.

"I see it! An island of considerable size with vegetation growing on it!"

Dragon Cypress was instantly energized.

The Dominating Throne adjusted its direction, accelerated for a distance, then suddenly decelerated and descended.

After flying swiftly over the ocean surface for more than a hundred kilometers, a mountain peak suddenly emerged on the horizon.

The golden sunset was plunging below the mountain.

The Dominating Throne came to an abrupt stop.

Dragon Cypress briefly explained, "I’ve confirmed it’s a large island, but it’s uncertain whether there are Insect Clan members or other Wise Races on it. Let’s rest for now. We’ll approach in the dead of night, when I’ll use my Soul-Setting Ability to sense things and check the situation."

"Okay!" White Rice agreed.

Dragon Cypress had a thought, and two Water Spheres, entrapping two sea fish, shot out of the water. In midair, they froze into ice spheres and rolled onto the Throne.

White Rice caught one of the ice spheres and tapped it with the tips of his claws, shattering it; the fish inside was frozen stiff.

Dragon Cypress then took the Ice-Fire Water-Making Pot from the Throne, added an appropriate amount of Ant Honey, and made fresh water, which he froze into sweet ice cubes.

One piece for White Rice, one for himself.

They took a bite of fish, then licked the ice a couple of times.

In this hot tropical sea, the fresh, frozen fish paired with ice cubes tasted exceptionally refreshing. They felt completely invigorated, and the fatigue from days of travel dissipated with every warm breath they exhaled.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, if I’m not mistaken, the Molan Continent’s Mainland should be in the southwest, over 2,000 kilometers away." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Dragon Cypress silently calculated in his mind and responded, "If the distance scale on the map left by the Flame Spider Tribe is accurate, the island ahead is about 2,100 kilometers in a straight line from the Mainland."

White Rice said, "Even if there are errors in the map, they shouldn’t be too far off."

White Rice continued, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, it’s unlikely that an Insect Clan Warrior could survive on an island more than 2,000 kilometers from the Mainland, out in the ocean, right? It’s hardly imaginable that a Flame Spider Roving Merchant would cross such a vast sea to trade on a remote island."

Dragon Cypress said, "The likelihood is almost zero."

White Rice added, "Even if there were Insect Clan Warriors, without trade from Roving Merchants, it’s almost impossible for them to grow."

Dragon Cypress agreed, "Yes."

Dragon Cypress also noted, "But it’s always right to be cautious."

White Rice replied, "...You’re right."

White Rice observed, "It seems the island isn’t very large."

Dragon Cypress explained, "Viewing it from more than three hundred kilometers away without any points of reference, it’s difficult to judge the size of the island. It looks small because it’s far away, but that may not be the case."

White Rice suggested, "Perhaps we’ve found an island suitable for settling down..."

They discussed and analyzed as they ate.

They patiently waited until it was dark, deep into the night.

The Dominating Throne flew low over the ocean surface.

As they drew closer, the Dominating Throne erected an Azure Hydrology Shield and submerged to about 50 meters underwater, continuing towards the island.

Upon reaching the shallow coastal waters, Dragon Cypress deployed his Soul-Setting Ability to sense the surroundings. Initially, he discovered nothing.

Dragon Cypress multitasked:

He controlled the Dominating Throne to move stealthily underwater, circumnavigating the island.

He estimated the travel distance and gauged the size of the island.

Periodically, as they circumnavigated, he would activate his Soul-Setting Ability to scan the surroundings.

During one such scan, he detected a dormant, tree-form soul at the Lord-Level. Under the tree, a particularly unusual, weak soul also lingered.

Not Insect Clan? Beast Clan?!

Dragon Cypress had now roughly figured out the conditions on the island.

"White Rice, the island poses no danger," Dragon Cypress communicated, then controlled the Dominating Throne to rise and emerge from the sea.

White Rice asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, any discoveries?"

Dragon Cypress calmly responded, "A Wild Divine-Given Seed. It sustains a Beast Clan Warrior born on the island. We can conclude that there are no Insect Clan Warriors here; if there were, there would be no place for a Beast Clan Warrior."

"Beast Clan Warrior?!" White Rice adopted a serious posture and asked gravely, "What should we do?"

Dragon Cypress suggested, "Let’s try to communicate first. We’ll act according to the situation. It’s best not to resort to killing."

White Rice agreed, "That makes sense!"

There was no rush to check the situation.

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne, continuing to fly around the island along the coast.

From the coast, the island appeared verdant, a typical tropical rainforest.

The island was about 20 kilometers long and, at its widest, about 10 kilometers across. It was irregular in shape and covered an estimated area of about 150 square kilometers.

A moderately sized isolated island in the ocean.

However, compared to the Cloud Trace Continent, where Origin Force Isolated Islands were twenty to thirty square kilometers each, this island was ten times better!

An ideal place for setting down roots!