Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 531 - 510: Terrifying Ant Kingdom

The golden morning light from the eastern skyline bathed the island. Ants emerged from their nest, led by King-Level Large Ants, and dispersed through the woods, apparently busy with work. It was incredible that King-Level Worker Ants could lead and command both Lord-Level and Mountain Lord-Level ants together. Ants cultivated by different Ant Kings could seamlessly integrate into a single Ant Clan.

What kind of ants are they? Dragon Cypress wondered. Is it due to their species? Or mutations?

About 5,000 ants were out working, while roughly 30,000 more remained within the ant nest, evidently specialized for combat. The Ant Kingdom was on high alert.

Both Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid could subtly sense the terror of the Ant Kingdom on the island and hid in the deep sea, daring not to move. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

...

「Night fell.」

The ants returned to their nest.

The Dominating Throne stealthily approached, cruising slowly in the deep waters about five hundred meters from the coast of the Great Island, which was oriented north-south.

「By midnight,」 Dragon Cypress estimated that they had moved south for about 400 kilometers. Considering last night’s journey, this totaled more than 500 kilometers, yet the coastline had not turned in any significant direction.

How big is this island, after all?

Even more astonishing to Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid was that every fifty or sixty kilometers, there was a giant sub-nest, stationed with ants of various Evolution Levels, each with an ant population exceeding 30,000. In the largest of these sub-nests, two King-Level Assistant Kings resided, with the number of ants reaching a staggering 50,000.

No other types of Ant Clans or Bee Clans were discovered, nor were any other symbiotic Insect Clan Warriors found. It seemed that a single Ant Clan ruled this massive-scale island.

Dragon Cypress slightly accelerated the Dominating Throne’s pace, continuing south along the coast.

Finally, just before dawn, the coastline made a sharp turn. They had reached the southern tip of the island.

The island stretched for over 1,000 kilometers! It was irregularly shaped, with widths varying between 100 to 300 kilometers. Conservatively estimated, the total area was 250,000 square kilometers. The entire island was ruled by a single Ant Clan.

"Far from the Mainland, blessed with Water System Talent, plus their racial characteristics—three factors have created a monstrous Ant Kingdom," Dragon Cypress mused.

"A monster?" Ink Orchid responded.

"Based on the average rate of one King-Level Ant King per 5,000 square kilometers of land, this Ant Kingdom must have at least fifty King-Level Ant Kings. The scariest part is that these fifty King-Level Ant Kings can dwell in the same nest. The Worker Ants they cultivate have no barriers between them; they are uniform, cohesive, and function as a single entity."

"!!!"

"This violates the natural laws of the Natural Star Realm. If this were the Mainland, other Ant Clans and Bee Clans would definitely not allow such a vast, unified Ant Kingdom to emerge; they would rise up to besiege it. Conversely, if such a dominant Ant Kingdom appeared on the Mainland, then the other Ant and Bee Kingdoms would be in danger. It would keep annexing and expanding until it ruled the entire continent."

"Dragon Cypress, what kind of ant is it?"

"I don’t know."

"Should we try to take a look?"

"Hmm—" Dragon Cypress, also curious about which Ant Clan it was, suggested, "We could find a small, peripheral island with ants stationed on it. We sneak on during the day, take a quick look, and then run."

"Over there!" Ink Orchid raised a claw toward the southeast. "Based on the Origin Force Fluctuation, there’s a small island over there, more than 50 kilometers away from the Mainland; it should be safe."

"Great! Let’s have a look!"

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne to change direction and submerged into the deep sea.

As they slowly approached the island, Dragon Cypress unfolded his Soul-Setting Ability perception. Dragon Cypress instantly turned grave.

"Dragon Cypress?" Ink Orchid, keenly noticing the shift in his emotions, transmitted an inquiry using her spiritual power.

"This ’small’ island isn’t small at all; it’s over 30 kilometers wide. The island’s mountain range has been hollowed out and transformed into a massive-scale ant nest, garrisoned by over 20,000 Ant Soldiers and up to three King-Level Assistant Kings."

"Eh—"

"Ant Soldiers?"

"Predominantly Large Ants, with a minority of medium and small ones. Clearly, the nest isn’t maintained for operating an island orchard. Geographically, it appears to be a military fortress guarding the Mainland."

"..." Ink Orchid was taken aback, then asked, "Are we still going to take a look at the island?"

Dragon Cypress did not immediately answer. He activated his Soul-Setting Ability again, locking onto the three Assistant Kings on the island. His perception flashed past them in an instant.

Dragon Cypress spoke gravely, "One of the King-Level Assistant Kings also possesses talents of both the Wind and Water Systems. The other two Assistant Kings both have Water System Talents."

Puzzled, Dragon Cypress added, "The King-Level Assistant Kings and Lord-Level Ant Kings we previously sensed on the Mainland also included three with Wind System Talents."

Ink Orchid was silent for a moment. "..." Then she said, "250,000 square kilometers of territory! Is that larger than Huagi Mountain at its peak? This is definitely a kingdom with an established order, enriched with Divine Grade items and numerous Wild God-Given Seeds."

Dragon Cypress affirmed, "That’s inevitable. Such a vast kingdom couldn’t have formed overnight; it must be the result of accumulation over dozens of generations of ants across thousands of years."

Ink Orchid continued, "They possess Divine Grade Divine-Given Seeds that impart both Water System Talent and Wind System Talent. They have at least two Divine Grade items!"

Dragon Cypress nodded. "Definitely. The Water System is a clan talent, while the Wind System is acquired later through Divine-Grade Fruits. Even the Assistant Kings have tasted them, so the yield must be substantial."

Ink Orchid murmured, "...I want to eat some too."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Suddenly fearful, Ink Orchid urged, "Forget it, Dragon Cypress. Stop looking. Ants skilled in water, some even mastering wind power—they’re too strong. Let’s hurry and flee."

Dragon Cypress asked, "Switch to a different island?"

Ink Orchid pointed with a claw towards the north. "Over there. A small island."

Dragon Cypress took control of the Dominating Throne and set off.

The distance was still quite far. 「They only arrived around noon.」

He activated his Soul-Setting Ability perception. This small island wasn’t so small after all; they were unable to cover the entire island with their perception. They discovered a large Ant Nest, with about 10,000 Ant Soldiers stationed inside and a King-Level Assistant King, likely the commander of the garrison. Besides, there were scattered ant groups on the island, commanded by two Lord-Level Assistant Kings, moving in small formations, likely engaged in labor.

"This island is quite large!" Ink Orchid exclaimed.

"Dragon Cypress, shall we circle around for a survey first?"

"There’s no need, is there? It’s not like we can lead an army up here."

"True. Then let’s just take a look to see what kind of Ant Clan this is and then run."

"Hmm. I’ll pick a suitable landing spot."

Dragon Cypress controlled the Dominating Throne, stealthily moving along the coast, his spiritual power stretched to its limit to scan the area. After patrolling for a while, he finally chose a steep cliff. He used his Soul-Setting Ability perception to confirm no Ant Clan was in the vicinity. Then, the Dominating Throne quietly emerged from the water.

Ink Orchid, her figure concealed, climbed along the cliff face and landed on the island. Dragon Cypress kept the Dominating Throne partially submerged, continuously employing the Soul-Setting Ability to sense Ink Orchid’s location.

「After a while,」 Ink Orchid stealthily retreated, quickly returning.

The Dominating Throne submerged to a depth of 200 meters in the deep sea.

"Ink Orchid, did you see? What kind of Ant Clan?"

"I saw... but I couldn’t recognize them..."

"???"

"They are similar to the Blue Soldiers and Blue Ants you fostered; their heads and thoraxes are blue, while their antennae, eyes, and abdomens are black."

"Indeed, they have mutated. Even their color has changed; there are no blue ants in the Natural Star Realm."

"Yes. That’s why I couldn’t recognize them."

"It must be due to the Ant Queen’s Awakening of the Water System Talent," Dragon Cypress concluded.

Dragon Cypress pondered deeply, his thoughts racing, then a flash of insight struck. He said, "Usually, before the Awakening of an Elemental Talent, the Carapace doesn’t change color."

"Ink Orchid, when you’re in the forest, observe more. Look at the ordinary ants on the ground and in the trees. The most numerous ordinary ant species will, in all likelihood, be the species ruling these islands."

"—Clever ant!"

"—Couldn’t you have used your brain to think of a solution sooner? You made me run an extra trip."

Complaining, Ink Orchid set off again.

「Soon,」 she stealthily returned, excitedly waving her tentacles.

"Dragon Cypress! New discovery! A Divine-Given Seed!"

"Ah???"

"A Divine-Given Seed in gestation! I used the Soul-Setting Ability too, and there are no ant groups nearby, which means it hasn’t been discovered yet!"

"This..." Dragon Cypress’s breath faltered. He inquired, "How far from the coast?"

"Not too far, I think."

"Ink Orchid, can you sense the location of sub-nests on the island with your Soul-Setting Ability?"

"Of course."

"How far from the sub-nest?"

"Probably more than five kilometers in a straight line."

"We should check the situation tonight before exploring," Dragon Cypress decided. Then he asked, "Did you figure out what kind of ant it was?"

Ink Orchid replied, "I figured it out. I only found one type of ordinary ant on the island."

Dragon Cypress asked, "What ant?"

Ink Orchid replied, "Stone Hunt Red Ant."

Dragon Cypress paused to think, then nodded his tentacles. No mistake, it was this Ant Clan.

Dragon Cypress said, "Ink Orchid, don’t get too excited. Rest first. We’ll land on the island tonight and investigate what kind of plant this Divine-Given Seed belongs to."