Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 660 - 577: Where’s the Source Stone?

Due to the explosive increase in Origin Force Honey trade, the annual spring trading period between Xianglan Mountain and the Flame Spider Caravan had extended to twenty days.

Dragon Cypress completed the transport of Source Stones to Huagi Mountain and, immediately after, took Ink Orchid with him to begin this spring's search for Divine-Given Seeds.

「Areca Rainforest.」

As soon as the Dominating Throne entered the Land of Origin Force, Ink Orchid kicked her legs. Her form flickered as she swooped down, plunging vertically toward the spot where the King Cypress's Divine-Given Seed had taken root.

Dragon Cypress also controlled the Dominating Throne to descend, accelerating. As they drew closer, his soul suddenly stirred.

The King Cypress has awakened its Soul Consciousness! And it's exceptionally strong; I can feel its presence through the Soul Bond even from a great distance.

"Dragon Cypress! Dragon Cypress!"

Ink Orchid, who had momentarily flown off, rapidly returned. She hovered beside the Dominating Throne, racing alongside it and excitedly shouting, "The King Cypress's Divine-Given Seed has awakened its Soul Consciousness! It's as smart as Senior Orchid Mantis! So smart! It greeted me!"

"I can be 100% sure it must be Divine Grade!" Ink Orchid declared. "The Soul Consciousness of a Divine God-Given Seed is innately exceptionally intelligent."

"Can it also be judged that way?" Dragon Cypress asked.

"Dragon Cypress, think about it," Ink Orchid said. "Isn't White Poplar like that? White Poplar also never repels other insects."

Dragon Cypress was silent. The case of White Poplar is somewhat special. Senior Orchid Mantis really does have a good temper and is indeed very intelligent.

Dragon Cypress shifted his gaze, which suddenly froze. He asked curiously, "What about the Source Stones?"

Reminded, Ink Orchid also suddenly came to her senses.

What happened to the 200,000 Source Stones previously placed around the Tubao? The Spider Silk Bags that had held them were scattered everywhere.

"Right! Where are the Source Stones?" Ink Orchid exclaimed. "Could it be that the King Cypress used them when it awakened its Soul Consciousness?"

"Are Worker Ants this smart now?" Dragon Cypress wondered. "Do they know how to adapt to the situation?"

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid immediately wondered if a Specialized Ant capable of evolving into an Assistant King had emerged in the sub-colony. They simultaneously activated their Soul-Setting Abilities, carefully scanning the entire Land of Origin Force.

However, they found nothing.

The Dominating Throne accelerated and arrived under the tree of the King Cypress's Divine-Given Seed.

The tree was just over five meters tall. Its main trunk was exceptionally thick, nearly 20 centimeters in diameter. It had the distinct features of a Silver Cypress Tree, with dense silver-white scales on the petioles of its new, tender shoots and leaves.

Looking around, clusters of bright silver stood out.

As they approached, the King Cypress's Divine-Given Seed sent out a friendly and inquisitive mental message; it wondered why it had a soul-level connection with Dragon Cypress.

Dragon Cypress's tentacles tapped repeatedly, and eight consecutive applications of his Flourish Ability descended upon it.

"Hello!" Dragon Cypress greeted it. After a moment's thought, he realized he couldn't clearly explain the relationship between Insect Clan Warriors and Life Seed Plants in such a short time, so he switched to introducing himself, "My name is Dragon Cypress. My name, Dragon Cypress."

"Dragon Cypress!" the King Cypress's Divine-Given Seed's thought echoed.

It understood Dragon Cypress's meaning in a flash. It made an intuitive leap, directing its mental intent toward Ink Orchid with an inquiry.

"Her name is Ink Orchid. Her name, Ink Orchid," Dragon Cypress introduced.

"Ink Orchid!"

"Your name is Spikemoss."

"Spikemoss."

As soon as Spikemoss awakened, it possessed Lord-Level soul intensity and clearly demonstrated a superb capacity for understanding and learning. Its consciousness shifted, focusing on a Specialized Green Soldier lazily basking in the sun at the foot of a mound, and it sent out a query.

Dragon Cypress explained, "Those are Specialized Green Soldiers."

"They are Combat Ants that have inherited my Wood Element Talent," Dragon Cypress continued. "They are responsible for protecting you."

"I am the Ant King," Dragon Cypress stated. "Through the Dominating Throne, I can produce Ant Eggs. Pheromones stimulate their differentiation, allowing me to cultivate various kinds of ants. All the ants nearby were bred by me."

Dragon Cypress leaped to the ground. Pointing with a tentacle, he introduced, "This is the Dominating Throne."

Seeing this, Ink Orchid followed suit and landed.

At Dragon Cypress's thought, the Dominating Throne rapidly shrank. It floated into the air and drifted closer to Spikemoss.

Receiving too much information at once, Spikemoss couldn't immediately grasp all of it and fell into deep thought.

After some consideration, Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles and gave the command. A group of Specialized Green Ants approached, and he introduced them, "Spikemoss, look. These are Specialized Green Ants that have also inherited my Wood Element Talent. They are not skilled in combat, but they are adept at using their Flourish Ability to assist plant growth."

As Dragon Cypress spoke, the Wood Primordial Energy Aura around him surged.

"I understand a little now..." Spikemoss conveyed.

Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles again and summoned a nearby troop of Worker Ants. He continued to introduce them, "Spikemoss, look. These are Worker Ants that have inherited my Strength System Talent. They aren't skilled in combat but specialize in territory management. They have great strength and handle heavy labor like digging and hauling."

"Correspondingly, there are also Soldier Ants that have inherited my Strength System Talent; they specialize in combat."

"I understand," Spikemoss replied.

"Their sizes are different..." Spikemoss observed. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Correct!" Dragon Cypress affirmed. "The largest are the Specialized Ants: Specialized Green Soldiers, Specialized Green Ants, Specialized Worker Ants, Specialized Soldier Ants, and over there, the Specialized Blue Soldiers that have inherited my Water System Talent."

"The Ant King uses Pheromones to stimulate Ant Egg hatching. The Larvae then develop into adult ants of different sizes."

"By size, they are classified as Large Ants, Medium Ants, Small Ants, and Micro Ants. Different sizes allow them to perform various combat and territorial duties."

After speaking, Dragon Cypress demonstrated his Strength System Primordial Energy and Water System Primordial Energy in turn.

"Each Elemental Talent corresponds to a lineage of ants," Dragon Cypress explained. "Each lineage is further divided into Combat Soldier Ants and Worker Ants, the latter specializing in territory management. These are then further diversified by size."

"I understand now!" Spikemoss exclaimed.

"Dragon Cypress, was I also cultivated by you?" Spikemoss asked.

"You are a plant," Dragon Cypress clarified. "Ordinary plants can undergo an Origin Force mutation, giving rise to Origin Force Seeds, also known as 'Divine-Given Seeds.' Our Insect Clan possesses Life Pouches, which can nurture Divine-Given Seeds into 'God-Given Life Seeds.' Through a Soul Bond, our fates become interconnected. The advantage for you is that you can grow rapidly by following my evolution."