Chapter Twenty-Five: Assault on the Ant Nest

This squad of Red Fire Ants numbered thirty-one in total. In just ten minutes, Lu Sheng had slaughtered them all. He lost thirteen of his own Red Fire Ants in the process; thirty-one minus thirteen, he still came out ahead. With this, he directly obtained thirty-one red sacs.

The Red Fire Ants he summoned upon death did not provide him with red liquid; their bodies contained red sacs, but those sacs were empty. Only after consuming enough food would the sacs accumulate red liquid. In his memory, monsters capable of carrying cultivation resources were exceedingly rare—encountering Red Fire Ants was a stroke of extraordinary luck.

Red Fire Ants were merely a first-tier species; for others, they weren’t considered precious. But one must not forget, Lu Sheng possessed the ability to elevate the tier of monster cards. If he were to raise the Red Fire Ant Queen to the second tier, would the second-tier red liquid produced then aid second-tier cultivation? The thought alone was exhilarating.

The more excited he became, the more Lu Sheng yearned to capture the Ant Queen quickly. Only when it was in his hands could he rest easy. After gathering the red sacs and leaving the corpses behind, he hurried toward the direction of the ant nest.

According to his current estimation, the nest should still contain about three hundred Red Fire Ants. Shi Jiu had mentioned that the Red Fire Ants would pursue them until they exited the dungeon space. Once they left, the ants, deprived of targets, would return to the nest. With each person drawing thirty ants, that’s two hundred forty Red Fire Ants, plus some stationed defenders—three hundred at most, no more.

As for whether he could handle three hundred Red Fire Ants alone… If asked before, he might have doubted it, but after the recent battle, he believed he could. Firstly, he now held seventy-five Red Fire Ant cards, some at early first tier, some at mid-tier—it didn’t matter, they were there as shields, sufficient to withstand the attacks. Secondly, by killing Red Fire Ants, he gained more cards, so as long as he kept slaying them, he’d have a steady stream of reinforcements. Judging from the previous battle, replenishment was faster than attrition. Lastly, Red Fire Ants could not conjure reinforcements out of thin air upon death, but he could.

Considering all this, the Ant Queen was already within his grasp. He needed to fight quickly, lest Shi Jiu and the others return to the dungeon looking for him. Just moments ago, everyone had agreed to leave together. Now, with his sudden change of heart, who knew what Shi Jiu and the others might feel? But he couldn’t worry about that now—the Ant Queen was the priority!

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Outside

Shi Jiu was the first to emerge, and seeing his teammates following one after another, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“One… two… three… six… seven…”

Seven, plus himself made eight. How many were in his team again? Nine, wasn’t it?

“Where’s Lu Sheng?!”

“No idea… We all split up when running. Maybe he’ll be out in a bit.”

“Captain, don’t worry, the Red Fire Ants aren’t that fast. Lu Sheng will be fine, look, none of us were harmed.”

Shi Jiu hesitated. “Alright, we’ll wait here for him.”

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Red Fire Ant Nest

By now, the nest had been utterly ravaged by the repeated luring and destruction of the group. Even the weakest water arrows shot by the Water Arrow Frogs could damage a meter’s area, and those that struck the center had wreaked havoc. Red Fire Ants continuously pushed away the dirt blocking the passages, spitting saliva to rebind it.

These nest-building Red Fire Ants were different from their fighting kin. They lacked hard exoskeletons and were not entirely red—their upper bodies were red, but their abdomens were pale white. They had no formidable pincers; instead, their mouths were layered, lined with countless tendril-like teeth suited for work.

A figure raced toward the nest from afar, as if charging for the cafeteria at mealtime. He skidded to a halt before the nest, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lu Sheng exhaled sharply. “I’ve arrived!”

“Come out!”

“Goblin!”

“Stone-Throwing Goblin!”

“Red Fire Ants x20!”

Dozens of cards surged from within him, scattering as white light in the sky before materializing in front of him. Red Fire Ants, Goblins, Stone-Throwing Goblins—all appeared! Twenty Red Fire Ants were enough to block the front lines; any more would crowd the space, and he’d simply replace any fallen ones.

He directed the Stone-Throwing Goblins to bombard the nest. One of them hurled a river stone like a shell. In midair, the stone seemed wrapped in a faint white aura. Barely noticeable, yet real.

So this was the change at late first tier? He hadn’t noticed during previous battles—if he hadn’t focused on the stone this time, he might never have realized. The main reason was that this “energy” was so weak, just a thin layer coating the stone.

The river stone arced through the sky and crashed into the nest, worsening its already battered state and causing a massive collapse.

This time, Lu Sheng didn’t have to wait long. The furious Red Fire Ants, seething with murderous intent, surged out in force.

Too much! Once, twice, thrice—again and again! Are you treating us Red Fire Ants as if we have no temper? From the collapsing nest, a horde of Red Fire Ants burst forth, pushing aside the blocking earth, radiating a determined momentum.

It was the resolve to tear apart the enemy who ceaselessly attacked their home! Alas, in this world, strength prevailed, and resolve alone was not enough.

The battlefield was neither spacious nor cramped; about fifteen Red Fire Ants could attack abreast. He commanded twenty of his ants to completely block the assault path, with Goblins behind to finish off any stragglers.

He didn’t let the Stone-Throwing Goblins act hastily; they would strike when the Ant Lieutenant appeared. The Ant Lieutenant was twice as large as ordinary soldiers, their strength at late first tier, armored even tougher. He wasn’t sure if the Goblins could breach their defenses—maybe even the Stone-Throwing Goblins wouldn’t suffice.

That would have to be tested when the Ant Lieutenant attacked. If the Stone-Throwing Goblins couldn’t break through, he’d have to step in personally.

When the Temporal Ant evolved to mid-tier first stage, the feedback energy had already reinforced his physique. Even without the Temporal Ant’s twenty-fivefold strength, he was much stronger than when he first arrived. With that multiplied power, how could any first-tier enemy stand against him now?

Perhaps elsewhere in the world there were other prodigies, he wouldn’t deny it. But in this remote corner, he refused to believe anyone at his tier could rival him.

He remained behind the lines, orchestrating the battlefield, not fighting at the front. Only in dire circumstances would he step forward. From the rear, he needed to observe the entire field, replenish Red Fire Ants where needed—these tasks required his control. If he fought up front, how could he monitor the battlefield?