More and more mercenaries were being trampled into bloody pulp by the stampeding beasts, their screams of terror swallowed up by the chaos. Above them, flocks of flying beasts blotted out what little light remained, darkening the already-dim sky until it looked like night had fallen.
"Something's wrong! Run! Run for your lives! The magical beasts have gone berserk... It's a beast tide! A beast tide is forming!" someone shouted in panic.
At the front of the beast tide, over a thousand mercenaries were fleeing for their lives, faces pale and bloodless. The magical beasts behind them charged with reckless fury—anyone in their way was crushed without mercy.
"Oh no, Soul-Eating Ants! It's the Soul-Eating Ants! They're cleansing the Magic Beast Mountain Range with blood—everyone, run!"
A fiery crow flying overhead screamed as it saw the black, surging wave of ants rolling in behind the stampede.
Each of those ants was the size of a millstone. Individually, they weren't very powerful—about Rank 1 or 2—but they were jet-black, their bodies glowing faintly with an eerie, cold gleam. Ahead of them were some slower magical beasts; as the ants swarmed over them, it took only moments before nothing remained but piles of bones.
Wherever the Soul-Eating Ants passed, nothing was left but skeletal remains—not even trees survived, as they were corroded away in an instant. The ants might be individually weak, but their numbers were in the billions! Even a Rank 7 (Dou Saint) powerhouse would be chilled to the core when facing them, forced to retreat temporarily. Because these ants had one terrifying trait—devour everything—and they were highly resistant to all forms of battle energy.
Just imagine: you unleash a powerful battle technique, only for tens of thousands of these ants to swarm in and consume it entirely. That kind of sight would shake even the most battle-hardened warrior. One ant's bite might not be terrifying—but what about a billion of them? The thought alone was enough to make one's blood run cold.
"Rooooar!"
A Rank 6 magical beast roared furiously, grabbing its cub and flinging it forward with all its might. The cub was saved—but the mother was immediately overwhelmed by the ant tide and reduced to a skeleton within seconds.
"This... This is too horrifying!" The girls froze in terror at the scene unfolding before them—even Yue Mei and Zi Yan wore expressions of fear. On this continent, Soul-Eating Ants were synonymous with catastrophe. Even Moonlight, who had reached the peak of Rank 8 (Dou Venerate), looked grim.
"Soul-Eating Ants haven't been seen on this continent for nearly a thousand years! We thought they were extinct. Who would've guessed there were still this many hiding in the Magic Beast Mountain Range!"
Moonlight's eyes were filled with shock as he stared at the swarming tide of ants moving like a plague of locusts.
"These Soul-Eating Ants can't have always lived in the mountain range—otherwise, it would've been wiped out long ago! They must have escaped from some ancient ruin hidden deep inside," Yue Mei said, shaking her head, her face solemn. She turned to look at Goku. "Master, did you encounter any of these ants in the ruins of the Dou god you visited earlier?"
"No." Goku shook his head calmly.
"Hey! Are you seriously still chatting at a time like this? Run! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!" Xue Lan cried out, her face pale as the beast tide approached rapidly. Qing Lin, Ya Fei, and the other women looked equally stricken—this scene was simply too overwhelming.
"She's right, Goku. You'd better put us into the World Ring. This whole thing is way too suffocating. I feel like I'm going to faint!" Bulma added. Even though they trusted Goku to protect them, seeing the beast tide and the swarm of Soul-Eating Ants firsthand was enough to chill anyone to the bone.
Goku nodded slightly and waved his hand. In an instant, all the women around him vanished into the World Ring. Then, he rose into the air, hovering a hundred meters above ground, gazing down at the hellish scene below.
"Alright, time for us to watch the live broadcast!" Inside the World Ring, Bulma couldn't wait to dash into the main hall. She turned on the television, and the screen immediately showed the terrifying image of the beast tide outside.
"Bulma! What... what is that?!" Yue Mei and the others, who were entering the World Ring for the first time, were still processing this strange space when they saw the external feed being displayed on the television. They stared in shock and curiosity. But upon realizing the power Goku possessed, creating a private realm didn't seem that surprising anymore.
Qing Lin, Xue Lan, and the others were even more fascinated by the unfamiliar items in the hall—like the refrigerator and the computer. It was their first time seeing anything like them.
"Let's talk while we watch," Bulma said, pouring drinks for everyone.
Meanwhile, outside...
Splat!
Blood splashed as a five-meter-tall Rank 5 magical beast stumbled over a corpse and fell mid-run. The beasts behind it were relentless and instantly trampled it into a gory mess of shattered bones.
Nearby, a group of mercenaries screamed in agony. Though they had narrowly avoided the beast tide, they couldn't escape the army of ants hot on its heels. As they shrieked, their flesh was torn away bit by bit. In mere moments, all that remained was skeletons.
It was a scene of horror—rampaging beasts, swarming ants—this place had become a killing ground.
Some beasts and mercenaries, realizing they had no way out, went mad with desperation. Battle energy exploded from their bodies, annihilating swathes of ants—but against the billions-strong swarm, it was like throwing a cup of water on a burning house.
Suddenly, Goku sensed a powerful and familiar aura deep in the heart of the mountain range. With a flash, he appeared before a red-clad man.
"Yo. You're called Bloodrobe, right? Mind telling me what's going on here?" Goku asked casually.
"G-Goku-sama? I didn't expect to see you here!"
Bloodrobe stiffened, then quickly bowed with a bitter smile. "The Soul-Eating Ants... they escaped from the The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise's lair…"
"The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise?" Goku raised an eyebrow. So this mess had something to do with him after all? His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Bloodrobe. "So, you're headed to its lair now?"
"...Yes..." Bloodrobe's face contorted like he'd just bitten into a bitter gourd. Looked like he was going to walk away empty-handed again.
---
"So where is this lair of The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise? Take me there," Goku said calmly, but there was an undeniable authority in his tone that brooked no refusal.
That tortoise had lived for thousands of years—it was an ancient magical beast, after all. Its hoard was bound to be considerable. Now that he had this information, there was no way Goku would let the opportunity pass.
"...This way, please…" Bloodrobe sighed inwardly. He had zero desire to bring Goku along, but he didn't dare say no. He was certain that if he refused, this man could and would obliterate him on the spot. Treasures were valuable—but life was priceless.
The two of them soared toward the western depths of the mountain range. Along the way, Bloodrobe explained, "The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise's lair is located in the Nether Lake, just outside the mountain range. For centuries, that area has been strictly forbidden to all magical beasts. But after you killed the tortoise recently, it lost its guardian status. Countless beasts flocked there, hoping to find the entrance to the lair. After all, it belonged to an ancient beast—no one could resist that temptation, especially us magical beasts."
He paused before continuing, "But before anyone could find the entrance, a massive whirlpool suddenly opened at the center of the lake—and the Soul-Eating Ants came pouring out! Within minutes, they had slaughtered every magical beast nearby. Those strong enough fled. Turns out, while we were searching for the entrance, the ants were searching for an exit. With their natural enemy—the tortoise—dead, they escaped the lair and began a rampage."
"These ants are definitely a huge problem. If we don't stop them, the entire continent will suffer,"
Goku muttered, frowning at the ruined forest below. The ants weren't strong individually, but their sheer destructive power was beyond terrifying.
"Well, that's a human problem, not ours. I'm sure the humans will send their top experts to deal with it…" Bloodrobe smirked—but then caught himself and shut up. After all, the strongest being on the continent beside him was also a human. Bad-mouthing humans in front of Goku was practically suicide.
"The ants will still take time to reach human territory. Let's use that window to check out The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise's lair. I'm sure plenty of magical beasts have already gone ahead," Goku said.
"Easier said than done," Bloodrobe replied grimly. "The entrance is still guarded by tens of thousands of Soul-Eating Ants. The beasts outside don't dare enter. Clearly, there's something valuable inside that the ants don't want anyone else getting their hands on. That's the only reason I decided to go take a look—but now that I'm with you, I feel a lot better. I mean, even a hundred Rank 8s and dozens of Rank 7s couldn't beat you. These ants? They've got nothing on you."
---
Surrounding the Nether Lake were endless swarms of Soul-Eating Ants. The sound of their legs scraping the ground and their shrill screeches made one's scalp tingle. Piles of magical beast remains—and even some ant corpses—littered the area. Aside from the ants, nothing else lived here.
Two sonic booms echoed through the sky as Goku and Bloodrobe appeared above the death-soaked lake.
Looking down, Goku saw that the lake was filled with ants. At the center, a massive whirlpool churned, and from within it emanated a powerful aura that made even Goku blink in surprise. "A Rank 7? Can Soul-Eating Ants evolve to Rank 9?" he asked, glancing sideways at Bloodrobe.
"A Rank 7?! No wonder they're so terrifying... There's actually a Soul-Eating Ant Queen in there?" Bloodrobe's face turned pale. He shuddered to think what would've happened if he had come alone.
Screeeee!
The ants below sensed the two intruders. With ear-piercing shrieks, the lake erupted as wave after wave of ants launched themselves into the air like living cannonballs. Their bodies glowed with icy light as they soared toward the sky.
Bloodrobe's face grew grim as he gathered his battle energy, preparing to fight.
But what Goku did next stunned him.
With just a wave of his hand, black flames engulfed the entire sky. In an instant, the ants bursting from the lake were incinerated into ash. Their scorched remains drifted back down like black snow, dyeing the lake darker than ink.
"Nihility devouring Flame…" Bloodrobe muttered in awe.
'To think... he even possesses the second-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame List... No wonder. This flame truly is the bane of the Soul-Eating Ants.'
With their destination in sight, Goku gave Bloodrobe a calm glance. "I'm heading in first. If you've got the guts, follow me."
With that, his body erupted with intense black flame that wrapped around him like armor. Then, in a flash, he dove straight into the whirlpool.
The ants tried to stop him—but even knowing they'd die, they hurled themselves at him without fear. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. Just touching the black flames turned them to ash. These creatures were born of darkness, and nihility devouring Flame was their natural nemesis.
Everywhere he flew, only blackened corpses remained.
With Goku descending into the vortex, the ants above the lake went into a frenzy. Their eyes glowed red, but even as they threw themselves at him, they met only death. The black flame surrounding him instantly burned them to cinders.
These low-ranked ants were no match for him. His flame had reached such a terrifying temperature that it reduced anything it touched to dust.
Splash!
With a thunderous sound, Goku plunged into the whirlpool, descending rapidly. Before long, a faint light appeared ahead.
Whoosh! A figure burst out of the sea from a massive vortex in the ocean below. Black flames cloaked his entire body, instantly incinerating any ants that tried to attack. Even the surrounding seawater was instantly vaporized, and thick mist rose around him, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Goku looked around at the vast ocean stretching endlessly around him, eyes filled with awe. "So this is the lair created by The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise? Fascinating. This spatial creation ability is impressive... I should study it sometime."
Floating atop the ocean were countless ant corpses—shattered, limbless, torn apart. Apparently, they had been pulverized by the vortex when the lair opened. Even the ants had paid a terrible price to breach this sanctuary.
Ahead stood a massive cliff rising out of the sea, riddled with countless caves. It looked like a natural fortress that had stood here for millennia—hidden from the world until now. But with its master dead, the lair had finally reemerged.
Even now, it was crawling with ant soldiers, and from within, several overwhelming auras could be faintly felt.
"That must be where The Profound Nether Mystic Tortoise lived... and that Ant Queen should be in there too," Goku murmured. A faint smile played on his lips as he prepared to explore. But before he could move—
ROAAAAR!!!
A thunderous roar echoed across the sea. Goku turned his head, eyes flashing with surprise.
"A dragon?"
___
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