Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 574 - 549: A Kindred Spirit at First Sight

The war is about to begin.

No one knows how many Insect Clan warriors will die in this epic battle.

Snow Velvet Spider King, burdened with a heavy heart, traveled swiftly across the sea.

Suddenly, a jolt to the soul—he stopped abruptly.

He gazed intently into the distance.

Far above, high in the sky, there was a faint sensation of being watched.

He was certain he was under surveillance!

Then, that sense of being watched vanished.

Snow Velvet Spider King's thoughts moved. The seawater beneath surged and swelled, forming a water column four or five meters thick, lifting him vertically upward.

Standing four or five hundred meters high, he looked out to the horizon. The boundless sea, icy winds howling, a sky clear for thousands of miles—except for the ocean and blue sky, there was nothing to see.

—Is there an Insect Clan warrior, separated by dozens or over a hundred kilometers, watching me from high above?

—Such a powerful scouting ability!

—Could it be Dragonfly Warriors scouting Blue Island?

—But even dragonflies can't see that far.

Snow Velvet Spider King's mind spun rapidly.

A thunderous roar erupted.

The towering water column collapsed.

The Snow Velvet Spider King's figure vanished with it.

...

Ten thousand meters high in the sky.

Ink Orchid lay comfortably on the Throne, Dragon Cypress standing with legs together atop the backrest.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid took turns activating their Soul-Setting Ability, remaining vigilant and alert.

Black Birch, stopping and starting, would activate the Scorching Ability every so often to observe any movement across the surrounding sea.

Suddenly,

The Origin Force Barrier Black Birch had just erected shattered. "Great King! Second King! Something's wrong!"

"What is it?"

Ink Orchid leapt up.

Black Birch raised his claw and pointed into the distance. "I saw a big spider! Over there! It spotted me."

Ink Orchid: "A Flame Spider Roving Merchant?"

Black Birch: "A Flame Spider Roving Merchant able to walk on the sea, but there's no cargo on its carapace... A poor Flame Spider Roving Merchant?"

Ink Orchid: "No matter how poor, a Flame Spider Roving Merchant should have something on its back. Unless it's one like Areca, a Primordial Spider Warrior?"

Black Birch: "No! Red, blue, yellow, green, white—five colors. White spider legs and head, matches the Illusory Color Flame Spider Tribe's characteristics completely, can walk on water, has Water System Talent—just like an Illusory Color Flame Spider Warrior."

Ink Orchid: "..."

Dragon Cypress asked, "How far away is it?"

Black Birch: "Roughly 120 kilometers."

Ink Orchid asked in disbelief, "You're sure it saw you? That's a visual ability!"

Black Birch: "Confirmed, it saw me."

Ink Orchid stared at Dragon Cypress in shock.

Dragon Cypress asked, "It saw you, and then?"

Black Birch: "I immediately terminated my ability."

Dragon Cypress: "Look again!"

Black Birch: "Yes, Great King!"

Black Birch activated the Scorching Ability again.

After scanning for seven or eight seconds, nothing but endless sea—no trace of the Flame Spider Roving Merchant.

"Great King... Second King..."

Black Birch: "Can't find it anymore. It must have slipped into the sea and is hiding."

Dragon Cypress: "Most likely."

Black Birch: "Great King, should we run?"

Dragon Cypress considered briefly. "Stay calm. No need. This Flame Spider is probably here just to watch the excitement, we're all of like mind. We could try communicating and see if we can extract some useful information."

With that, he controlled the Dominating Throne to descend.

On the sea, massive waves heaved endlessly with the wind.

The Freezing Ability erupted.

Within a hundred-meter radius, the waves were frozen solid, rising up to form an 'iceberg' floating on the sea.

The Dominating Throne rapidly shrank. Dragon Cypress opened his mouth and stored it inside.

Ink Orchid asked, "A Flame Spider Roving Merchant here just to watch the excitement? Why come here to watch? Is it..."

Dragon Cypress: "I said long ago, when war starts, the Wanglan Continent Alliance will launch attacks from both north and south, pressing in from both directions. This spider clearly just finished a trade run in the northern tropical areas and rushed over to see the fighting in the northern seas."

Ink Orchid: "The war's about to start?"

Dragon Cypress: "Flame Spider Roving Merchants rarely have bad information."

Ink Orchid: "But its cargo..."

Dragon Cypress: "This isn't just any excitement—this is war! If you're here to see this sort of action, it's best to travel light and be ready to run. In chaotic battlefields, if you're discovered by either side, it's dangerous regardless of neutrality—any Flame Spider Roving Merchant could be killed and looted, and who would ever know."

Ink Orchid suddenly understood!

"Great King, you are truly brilliant!"

Black Birch exclaimed with genuine admiration.

—No big deal, just requires a bit of thought.

Dragon Cypress gently shook his antennae.

Ink Orchid asked again, "Then now, shall we..."

Dragon Cypress: "Let's nail down the story. I'll speak, you two listen. First, about origins—the other party came across the sea from the northeast, not directly from the east, which means its merchant route doesn't touch Wanglan Continent's northwest region..."

...

Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, and Black Birch quickly rehearsed their talking points, waiting and waiting, but the spider did not approach.

Worried that the other party had become lost in the vast sea, Dragon Cypress moved a thought and stripped a piece of thin ice, three meters in radius and about ten centimeters thick, from beneath Black Birch's feet. Calling to Ink Orchid, they both used Water System Ability, flapping their wings and lifting upward.

Black Birch activated his Freezing Ability to keep the ice solid.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid, working together, carried Black Birch aloft on the ice sheet, rising straight up to two or three thousand meters above the sea.

Black Birch activated Scorching Ability to take a look.

"Great King, Second King, still can't see a spider."

"Forget it."

"I'm almost out of Origin Force."

The ice dropped rapidly. Nearing the sea, it suddenly slowed, floating with the waves.

Freezing Ability exploded, freezing the waves below into floating icebergs.

Regaining Origin Force,

Continuing to wait,

"Dragon Cypress..."

Ink Orchid suddenly spread her wings, tapped Dragon Cypress, swayed her antennae and pointed the direction.

Seven or eight kilometers away, a five-colored Flame Spider, its carapace empty, was striding swiftly across the sea toward them.

—Huh?

Closer now, came a breath of surprise.

—They're all Lord-level!

—Which kingdom's ants and mantises are these? Daring to come watch the excitement with this kind of strength?