Translator: CinderTL
"What trapped me were the Gold-Eating Ants that surrounded you."
The voice of the Ant Queen echoed once more.
"The Ant Queen of the Gold-Eating Ants is a lineage passed down through a single line. Only when the old queen dies will a new one be born. The life and death of the Ant Queen essentially determine the survival of the entire Gold-Eating Ant colony."
"Thus, while the Gold-Eating Ant colony is utterly obedient to the Ant Queen, they do not allow her to leave her nest, lest she encounter danger."
"The Stone Sphere you just destroyed was not built by me or the previous queens, but by these ordinary Gold-Eating Ants, solely to protect the Ant Queen's safety. However, it became a cage that imprisoned me and all the previous queens."
"From the moment I was born, I have been trapped within the Stone Sphere, never taking a single step outside. Now that I am free, it is entirely thanks to the four of you."
"As a reward, I have decided to ensure that your souls scatter and you never reincarnate. Hahaha..."
Amid the Ant Queen's maniacal laughter, a powerful Spiritual Impact followed.
The Spiritual Impact was like transparent spikes, piercing directly into the heads of the four.
Lan Chen flipped her right hand, and a palm-sized Bone Bottle appeared in her grasp.
The Bone Bottle was crystal clear, resembling the finest mutton-fat jade.
As Lan Chen infused it with her Spiritual Power, a soft white light emanated from the Bone Bottle.
The four of them, who were not far apart, were all enveloped in this white light.
This Bone Bottle was, unmistakably, a High-Grade Soul Defense Magical Item.
The transparent spikes plunged into the white light, as if sinking into a swamp, their speed drastically reduced, and their power greatly diminished.
These spikes did not attack the others but all targeted Lan Chen.
The Ant Queen clearly understood that as long as Lan Chen was dealt with, the defense of the Bone Bottle would be lost, making it much easier to handle the other three.
However, the weakened spikes, after piercing into Lan Chen's Sea of Consciousness, did not cause her significant harm. She merely furrowed her brows, gritting her teeth to endure the waves of intense pain emanating from her Sea of Consciousness.
Seeing that the Spiritual Sense Attack was ineffective and that her Gold-Eating Ants seemed unable to subdue the four for the moment, the Ant Queen released several Energy Streams that swirled around her.
One by one, the Ant Eggs were pierced by the Energy Streams.
As milky white liquid flowed out, a suffocating stench instantly filled the air.
This stench was pervasive, as if it could penetrate directly into the soul.
Even though Song Wen and the others had all activated their Mana Shields and had long sealed their mouths and noses for fear of inhaling the Poison Mist, the stench still assaulted their senses, reaching deep into their hearts and lungs.
The unbearable stench was not just a sensory torment but also felt like a mental torture, driving them to the brink of collapse.
In the eyes of the four, unbearable pain was evident. Their faces were as pale as paper, and fine beads of sweat dotted their foreheads.
Mo Yexue's mind stirred, and the flying sword in her control once again ignited with the Primal Luminary True Fire.
As the True Fire swept forward, the stench began to rapidly diminish.
However, the Ant Queen would not simply watch as Mo Yexue burned away the stench. Several transparent spikes shot out, and after being weakened by the white light from the jade bottle, they pierced into Mo Yexue's forehead.
Mo Yexue's level of Spiritual Sense was clearly inferior to Lan Chen's.
She let out a piercing scream.
"Ah..."
Mo Yexue's hands instinctively clutched her head, the veins on her forehead bulging, clearly enduring immense pain.
The flying sword she controlled immediately lost its power.
With a clang, the flying sword fell to the ground.
The Mingzhen Fire on the flying sword also extinguished.
"The words of our ancestors are indeed true. You humans truly cannot stand the smell of ant eggs, especially those that have been stored for many years without hatching. I have many ant eggs here, all stored for over ten thousand years. How do you feel now?" the Ant Queen said with a smug tone.
Lan Chen glanced at Mo Yexue, who was in extreme pain, and her expression turned grim.
"Yin Shuo, Xue Mei, let's go!"
After saying this, she used her Spiritual Power to envelop Mo Yexue, intending to distance themselves from this place.
Although the underground cavern they were in was not large, it spanned dozens of miles in area. By moving further away, the stench should weaken, at least to a level that wouldn't be as unbearable as it was now.
"Leave? Where do you think you're going?" the Ant Queen's mocking voice rang out. "Take a look at this!"
The dense Poison Mist that the Ant Queen had released suddenly began to contract, revealing a corner that had previously been covered by the mist.
On the ground, covered in milky egg fluid and eggshells, a formation was inscribed.
It was unmistakably a small Teleportation Array!
A Teleportation Array that could take them away from here to other Small Secret Realms within the Divine Blood Hall.
Perhaps the Ant Queen harbored some fantasy about the Teleportation Array, as it was preserved in perfect condition, without any damage.
The four of them, including Song Wen, who were about to leave, suddenly halted.
The Teleportation Array they had been searching for was actually in the Ant Queen's nest.
Their hearts sank.
Their current situation was dire—they couldn't fight, and they couldn't escape. The only way out was the Teleportation Array, which was still under the Ant Queen's control.
"Xue Mei, are you sure the Ant Queen's physical body is fragile?" Song Wen sent a Spiritual Sense message to the other three.
"From what I know, the Ant Queen's body is indeed fragile and not adept at combat! What are you planning?" Xue Mei asked.
Song Wen turned his gaze to the yellow Poison Mist that enveloped the Ant Queen.
"I might be able to injure the Ant Queen. You all take the opportunity to activate the Teleportation Array."
"Are you sure about this?" Lan Chen asked via Spiritual Sense.
If they could indeed injure the Ant Queen, the Gold-Eating Ants would surely go berserk, rushing to her aid without hesitation. In that case, the three of them could easily activate the Teleportation Array.
But could 'Yin Shuo' really injure the Ant Queen?
And if he did, how would 'Yin Shuo' escape the frenzied Gold-Eating Ants?
"We have to try. Staying trapped here will only make things worse for us," Song Wen said.
"Alright! We'll do as you say. Do you need us to cover you?" Lan Chen asked.
"You just need to activate the Teleportation Array. I'll enter it before the teleportation begins," Song Wen replied.
Lan Chen and Xue Mei nodded.
Mo Yexue, still in extreme pain, gave Song Wen a complicated look.
'Yin Shuo' had actually volunteered to deal with the Ant Queen, which was a stark contrast to his cowardly demeanor throughout the journey.
Although Xue Mei repeatedly claimed that the Ant Queen's body was weak and not skilled in combat, no one knew for sure if that was true.
Moreover, the Ant Queen's Spiritual Sense Attacks were not easy to withstand.
Furthermore, injuring the Ant Queen would inevitably provoke the Gold-Eating Ants into a frenzied and unpredictable retaliation, with unimaginable consequences.
'Yin Shuo's' plan undoubtedly placed him in an extremely dangerous position.
(End of the Chapter)
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