The Star Region's landscape is similar to that of the Great World of Tianhuang, except that here, rocks shimmering with moonlight and starlight colors are everywhere. There's no sun or moon in the sky, no distinction between night and day. The light is always the same, and no matter your angle, it doesn't change much.
Since it's still unknown what kind of native creatures and enemies exist in the Star Region, Ming Qi didn't stray too far from the waterfall, searching only a few miles around.
There are also many plants and animals here, but both grow in strange and bizarre ways, completely overturning Ming Qi's previous understanding. For example, some unusual plants exhibit a 360-degree twist in their growth pattern. Although they remain rooted in the ground, their trunks and tops grow towards the ground, as if they've been bent into a circle.
As for animals, Ming Qi didn't venture far and didn't see any large creatures, but he did spot some birds and insects. The birds' flight paths in the sky were essentially circular, often circling for ages before they could even move a certain distance in a single direction. Ming Qi was also surprised to discover that several unidentified birds had fallen from the sky during their circles, crashing directly to the ground.
The birds that fell to the ground were often devoured by a swarm of strangely shaped ants, each the size of a grain of wheat, leaving not even a hair behind.
These ants also devoured the stones that emitted a unique glow, and even any plants or animals they touched. It seemed that these tiny, almost insignificant insects' diet encompassed everything in the star field.
Out of curiosity, Ming Qi once headed towards a small, strange ant colony, but before he even got close, dozens of winged ants flew towards him at a remarkably fast speed.
Ming Qi was undeterred. Facing dozens of ants, he had no intention of fleeing. He wielded his sword to slay them, a perfect opportunity to hone his sword skills in the star field.
After slaying dozens of flying ants, Ming Qi disregarded these seemingly weak creatures and continued his exploration in one direction.
Ming Qi's knowledge of the star field was as basic as a blank slate, so he treaded cautiously, not daring to use his flight skills. Moreover, under such strange pressure, even if he could fly, it would probably be little more than a flat-bottomed leap.
During his explorations, Ming Qi occasionally encountered creatures that specialized in feeding on ants. These peculiar creatures resembled a perfectly smooth ball. Once their carapaces were closed, they resembled a lead ball, with even the cracks barely discernible.
They would often wait at a considerable distance from the anthill, awaiting the passing of ants on their way out to forage. Then, with their limbs and heads spread out, they would quickly devour the ant and immediately move away, seeking their next hiding spot.
Ming Qi walked a short distance and was surprised to find a massive stone tablet ahead. Its age-old appearance was densely engraved with small characters.
The tablet was clearly man-made. Ming Qi approached it and began to study its contents.
After reading a few paragraphs, Ming Qi had a general understanding: this was a form of experience sharing. The tablet's material was extremely special and difficult to damage, and the inscriptions were left by countless powerful individuals who had traveled and experienced the vicissitudes of the star field. Most of the inscriptions described the various creatures and landforms of the star field, interspersed with insights into life and cultivation.
According to the tablet, all native creatures in the star field that could move back and forth were collectively called star monsters. Vegetation was simply called star trees and star grass. Areas where star trees and star grass formed a continuous mass were collectively called star forests.
It contained introductions to various star monsters, along with their unique talents and combat styles. Everyone here understood that only by sharing all available information could anyone have a chance of survival.
Ming Qi read through each one, each one incredibly useful. He figured he'd need to stay in the star field for a long time, learning more about star monsters would give him an extra bargaining chip in future battles.
But as he read, his face suddenly turned green when he came across a star monster profile.
This star monster profile described them as flying ants. Although small, they were incredibly fast and possessed unparalleled toxicity. However, these weren't their most lethal qualities. Their deadly talent was their endless pursuit of targets. Furthermore, their species possessed another terrifying talent: once a flying ant identified a target, it would sacrifice thousands of its own kind to give birth to a gigantic flying ant king, which then guided the king in pursuit.
Besides its enhanced toxins, the Flying Ant King was noticeably over a thousand times larger. Its body was four or five meters long, one meter tall, and it bore three-meter-long bone blades. These blades were formed from the legs of flying ants, and their toxins were both extremely deadly and incredibly sharp.
Furthermore, the Flying Ant King could devour ants and flying ants at any time to replenish its energy, providing a constant source of power to its prey.
After reading this, Ming Qi couldn't help but rub his forehead vigorously. From the description, it was clear that the dozens of winged ants he had previously slain were flying ants. He feared he had become their target.
The thought of potentially having to battle a four or five-meter-long ant wielding dual, poisonous blades soon filled Ming Qi with dread.
The fact that they were able to give rise to the Flying Ant King indicated that this humble group of ants had glimpsed the mysteries of the star field's source power. This was incredibly important news to Ming Qi.
He quickly reviewed the contents of the stone tablet and decided to return to the waterfall to focus on maximizing his combat effectiveness within the star field.
Practicing is a tedious endeavor, especially when developing something new.
On his way back, Ming Qi, as expected, saw ants scurrying back and forth, and flying ants scouting the sky.
As Ming Qi approached, the ants and flying feathers retreated, seemingly making him a prime target, awaiting the powerful Flying Ant King.
Ming Qi didn't dare linger. After a brief observation, he returned to the base of the waterfall and began to concentrate on studying the strange power patterns within the star field. Now that the flying ants had locked onto him, a battle with the so-called Flying Ant King seemed inevitable.