Chapter Thirty-Four: The Ant Emperor Appears

The insect hive...

“Sister, what are these strange bugs? They’re all so huge! Let me—watch my Haotian Hand!”

Guoguo and Luan Yudie were being besieged by several monstrous insects that resembled scorpions, with four pairs of mottled wings sprouting from their backs. The two girls hovered lightly above the ground, their skirts swaying as they twisted and darted to evade the attacks.

Guoguo’s skills were indeed impressive. With every graceful press of her jade hand into the air, a giant palm of pure energy would manifest above a bug, descending with overwhelming force.

Like a nimble swallow, the little girl’s body moved swiftly through the confined space, her hands constantly summoning energy palms that crashed down one after another. With each booming impact, the monstrous insects were crushed into pieces, their shattered limbs and foul-smelling fluids staining the thick mist, turning its color into something more sinister.

In one breath, Guoguo dispatched all the monstrous bugs, then leapt back to Luan Yudie’s side. “What a formidable little girl—certainly living up to your master’s reputation.”

It was the first time Luan Yudie had seen Guoguo in action, and she was astonished by her ferocity. Truly, like master, like disciple!

“I’m exhausted. Sister, you hold them off for now—I need a few candy beans to recover my energy!” Guoguo’s small chest rose and fell as she panted slightly. Producing a small pouch from thin air, she fished out a handful of pale blue, sparkling pills and tossed them into her mouth, chewing with evident enjoyment before swallowing.

Luan Yudie stared in a daze until Guoguo finished her pills. Only then did she snatch the bag, take out one pill, and curiously pop it in her mouth. Instantly, her expression shifted to utter bliss as surging energy flowed through her body, filling her with vigor and replenishing her inner power.

“Hehe, Sister, isn’t it wonderful? These are candy beans specially made for me by Master, to restore my energy!”

Luan Yudie returned the pouch with envy, gently brushing the little girl’s bangs from her brow. With a serious expression, she cautioned, “Guoguo, remember—no one else can know about these pills except me. The hearts of men are treacherous; we must guard against prying eyes.”

Guoguo nodded her small head obediently. Luan Yudie took her hand, and together they soared onward, continuing their journey.

“Sister, where do you think Brother Lengtian and the others have gone? Why were we suddenly separated? It’s been so long, and we still haven’t found them.”

Luan Yudie was puzzled as well. This insect hive was indeed strange; for them to be silently separated without any of them noticing, despite their cultivation, was truly uncanny.

Pei Jiang and his companions stood before a headless corpse lying on the ground, their expressions grim. “Judging by the clothing, this person is from the Demon God Realm, and also an Initiate. How did he die here? Was he killed by someone, or by the monstrous insects?”

Lin Dong examined the body and offered his conclusion.

Xiao Qiang inspected the wound and frowned. “This was caused by a weapon, not by any insect. If it were, we certainly wouldn’t be standing here so calmly.”

“This death is unusual. We’d best hurry on, lest we delay our true purpose,” Pei Jiang reminded them with a calm face.

Heeding Pei Jiang’s words, Lin Dong and Xiao Qiang regained their senses and broke through the mist one after another, leaving the area.

Deep within the hive, Lengtian was speeding through the fog, the air behind him filled with incessant, high-pitched buzzing. The monstrous insect with purple horns, whose wings Lengtian had broken, was wailing ceaselessly. Before long, hundreds more monstrous insects came swarming after Lengtian.

Sensing the relentless pursuit, Lengtian found it unbelievable. In this impenetrable darkness, how did these insects track him? Even his own spiritual perception could only extend a dozen meters.

Suddenly, Lengtian’s instincts flared. With a twist of his body, he shifted several meters to the side. The dense fog whirled madly as countless pitch-black insects, each the size of a small boulder, swept past in a tide.

Lengtian’s eyes glimmered with three colors as he scrutinized the swarm. Their dark bodies were clad in diamond-shaped scales with a metallic sheen, each head ending in a single, gleaming spike. Twin emerald eyes were set at the base of the spike, and beneath, a circular mouth bristled with tiny sharp teeth.

These black insects didn’t pay him any heed, whistling past in a dense mass. Moments later, the air filled with the terrified wails of the purple-horned monster, as if it had encountered something truly fearsome. From its cries, Lengtian could sense their terror.

Leng Tian’s expression changed; in a flash, he vanished into the fog, relying on his spiritual sense to dart like lightning. Before he realized it, he had entered a dense forest.

Within the forest, his speed slowed considerably. Using his senses, Lengtian realized he had stumbled into a mountain grove. He studied the withered trees around him and understood their lifelessness—the soil beneath his feet was laced with deadly poison. Even with his soles protected by golden aura, faint black smoke rose up, the toxic fumes dissolving as they met his defensive energy.

Cautiously, Lengtian pressed on, ever-watchful. Suddenly—bang!—a meter ahead, the ground split open and two fiery red tentacles wriggled out, probing the air.

Leng Tian’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of monstrous insect is this now?”

Next emerged a pair of snow-white pincers, and soon a massive, fire-red ant burst from the earth, its legs churning as it charged at Lengtian.

A flash of the blade—

The fiery red ant was severed in two. The bisected body quickly shriveled, dissolving into a disgusting pool of liquid that seeped into the ground and vanished.

Leng Tian was momentarily stunned, but had no time to think before moving on.

But then, bang! Bang!—an explosive series of cracks erupted all around him. Lengtian narrowed his eyes as his senses picked up countless burrowing ants—dozens, then hundreds—some sporting transparent wings on their backs.

The tide of red ants surged toward Lengtian like a crimson wave. “It seems peace is not an option in this hive.”

His aura flared as he gripped his blood-stained blade, eyes fixed on the oncoming swarm. With a light step, he shot forward, his blade flashing as the lead ants lost their heads one after another.

His white-clad figure moved deftly within a confined space, his blade tracing arcs through the bodies of the blood ants, spewing streams of magma-like liquid.

All this time, Lengtian relied on his spiritual sense to maintain a straight path through the hive. Carving a bloody road, he pressed onward, leaving ant corpses behind him—corpses that quickly shriveled and melted into the poisoned earth.

But the ants multiplied, soon blanketing the forest. The sky darkened as winged ants blotted out the sun; Lengtian was surrounded on all sides.

With heavy, relentless strokes of his blade, he slaughtered every ant that dared approach, his footwork growing swifter and more precise. No encirclement could slow his advance.

It became a massacre—a tide of red ants falling before him as he fought deeper into the mountain forest, though he had yet to break free.

No matter how many he slew, the ant horde remained an endless crimson sea. Above, the winged ants swooped down, threatening to engulf him completely.

Lengtian’s blade danced, weaving an impenetrable net, as though he had become a raging beast, shredding the swarm that threatened to drown him.

Outside the insect hive...

Li Tianzheng and Wang Mang stood side by side in mid-air, the fire of battle burning in their eyes. The reason was clear: Du Qingfeng and Yan Nanfei stood not far away.

“So you two must be the leaders of the Celestial Profound Sect and the Martial Academy of Heaven and Earth. I am Yan Nanfei—your reputations have long preceded you. Meeting you today is indeed a fortune in my life!” Yan Nanfei’s bewitchingly handsome face broke into a cordial smile, and seeing the fighting spirit in Li Tianzheng and Wang Mang’s eyes, his smile grew even brighter.

Du Qingfeng’s expression remained cold, his gaze fixed intently on Li Tianzheng, who looked back with equal indifference.

“Heh, I am Wang Mang of the Martial Academy of Heaven and Earth, and this is Li Tianzheng, head of the Celestial Profound Sect.” Wang Mang smiled slightly, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“A pleasure indeed. I am Yan Nanfei, and this is my close friend, the White-Clad Sword Saint, Du Qingfeng!” Yan Nanfei emphasized Du Qingfeng’s title as he introduced him.

“Oh? So you are the White-Clad Sword Saint everyone’s been talking about lately. Someday, I hope to exchange pointers with you,” Li Tianzheng said, his voice sharp.

“Anytime,” Du Qingfeng replied curtly.

“Heh, the four of us are all leaders among the younger generation. A friendly bout would be appropriate, but given the time and place, shouldn’t we focus on the matter at hand? What do you all think?” Sensing the tension, Wang Mang steered the conversation away from confrontation.

“Brother Wang is right. Still, this insect hive is no simple thing. As powerful as we are, one careless step and we might all fall here,” Yan Nanfei said meaningfully, gazing at the wall of mist that pierced the heavens.

The others grew solemn, silently watching the rolling fog of the insect hive.

Back in the forest, the ground was littered with the overlapping, half-dissolved corpses of blood ants, the air thick with their stench. Deep within, Lengtian’s figure weaved through the dense trees, the ant tide left behind, but winged red ants still swooped down from above.

As Lengtian moved swiftly, his blood-stained blade traced a strange arc, cutting down two ants attacking from behind.

Rumble—

A massive shockwave tore through the forest, toppling trees in its path. Even the flying ants were caught in the blast, their wails rolling back like a retreating tide.

Rumble—

The ground beneath Lengtian’s feet began to quake. Withered trees collapsed with loud creaks, sending up clouds of dust.

Leng Tian’s heart leapt in shock as his tri-colored eyes pierced the thinning fog toward the source of the commotion. His face turned pale.

The fiery red body was many times the size of a giant dragon, with six pillar-like legs, each step pounding the earth with a thunderous roar. On its back, a pair of enormous wings churned up a savage wind, which swept toward Lengtian.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Am I really so lucky to be graced by the Ant Emperor itself?” Lengtian stared at the mountain-sized, flaming red form, his face grim as he turned to flee.

Martial Dao at the Pinnacle, Chapter 34: The Ant Emperor Reveals Itself—end of update.