Chapter 397

Chapter 397: Uninvited Guest

However, Ji Yang didn’t think too much about it; it was better that they did not obstruct him.

Just as Ji Yang prepared to accelerate towards the tunnel, he noticed many Red Fire Ants below raising their tails high.

This posture?

Seeing this, Ji Yang immediately reacted and conjured a thick layer of Stone Armor around his body.

Just as Ji Yang cast his spell, the Red Fire Ants below were ready to attack.

In the next moment, countless streams of venom shot towards Ji Yang like rain!

The abdomen of a Red Fire Ant can’t store much venom, and this type of venom is quite precious to them; they wouldn’t use it lightly, usually reserving it for formidable enemies.

Though a single Red Fire Ant had little venom, the number attacking Ji Yang was well over a hundred.

With such a terrifying amount of venom, Ji Yang could only strengthen his defense; he didn’t want his body tainted by this corrosive venom, which, even if it didn’t injure him, would certainly be unpleasant.

“Zizzle!”

The venom struck the stone armor surrounding Ji Yang, producing a sizzling sound upon contact.

Although it was just a basic Stone Armor spell, the added strength from Ji Yang’s cultivation made it quite formidable; he chose this spell because earth-based spells were particularly effective against venom.

However, the sheer volume of venom still eroded the Stone Armor at a visible rate.

What was more concerning was the highly organized strategy of the Red Fire Ants; after one batch fired venom, another batch quickly followed, creating an unending stream.

Seeing this, Ji Yang’s expression darkened; it seemed they were addicted to spraying venom.

Without hesitation, Ji Yang activated the fully powered Art of Ascension.

As his body transformed, the streams of venom passed right through his ethereal form.

Without the hindrance of venom, Ji Yang charged into the tunnel ahead, easily shaking off the soldier ants guarding the sides, and dove straight towards the queen ant’s location.

When the other Red Fire Ants saw Ji Yang rushing towards the queen, they attempted to block him.

However, with the shriek echoing from deep within the nest, these Red Fire Ants hesitated and dared not go further.

That was the queen ant issuing an order.

Deep within the nest, Ji Yang soared in the air, finally catching a glimpse of the queen ant.

At that moment, however, Ji Yang’s gaze was more focused on the Mine Spirit located beneath the queen ant.

The Mine Spirit looked the same as Ji Yang had seen before, with a small green grass swaying in the wind atop the ore.

Noticing Ji Yang’s intense gaze on her precious possession, the queen ant became furious, her massive body slowly rising as an invisible pressure bore down on Ji Yang.

The queen ant’s movement made Ji Yang divert his gaze, and he smiled lightly.

It felt like a guest visiting his home.

The queen ant, with her considerable spirit intelligence, perceived Ji Yang’s smile as a blatant provocation.

In the next instant, the queen ant leaped into the air, opening her sharp and giant mandibles to bite at Ji Yang.

Though she was a queen, she was different from a typical ant; besides laying eggs, her combat power was much stronger, unlike the defenseless queens of the mortal world.

Facing the queen ant’s attack, Ji Yang quickly dodged.

He definitely did not want to be caught by those mandibles.

Ji Yang’s evasiveness only angered the queen ant more, but before she could launch a second attack, Ji Yang’s sword energy surged toward her.

“Zing!”

The sword energy struck the queen ant’s hard armor, creating sparks that flew off her body, leaving several bright white marks behind.

Indeed, this queen ant had strong defenses, rivaling that of a magical treasure.

The exoskeleton covering her body was top-quality material for crafting tools.

Ji Yang’s attack did not inflict any actual damage to the queen ant, but it certainly provoked her as the ruler.

Even in her fury, the queen ant remained in her position, fiercely guarding the Mine Spirit beneath her.

However, the space was narrow; even without leaving her spot, the queen ant could still use her massive size to attack Ji Yang.

Under the queen ant’s continuous assaults, Ji Yang avoided her strikes while using Thousands of Sword Energies for disruptive attacks.

After a brief exchange, Ji Yang noticed the queen ant’s weakness.

Her enormous size was an advantage, but in this not-so-large nest, it limited her agility, preventing her from effectively hitting Ji Yang.

What was once an advantage had become a drawback.

Additionally, this queen ant was not particularly skilled in combat; she spent most of her time in the nest, leaving other tasks to the ordinary Red Fire Ants.

This resulted in her having considerable power but lacking substantial combat experience.

Moreover, since they were in a secret realm, even cultivators rarely ventured here, making her rely solely on instinct for the fight.

Lastly, the queen ant was wholly focused on protecting the Mine Spirit beneath her, unable to attack with full strength, which reduced her power further.

Considering these factors, the queen ant was no match for Ji Yang, and even against other Void Refinement stage cultivators, her chances of winning were slim.

However, it was likely other cultivators would not be able to enter this place either.

Yet, despite this, the queen ant still possessed decent combat power.

In Ji Yang’s eyes, however, it felt somewhat lacking.

At that moment, Ji Yang used his keen evasion skills and the Art of Ascension to frequently dodge her attacks, while also managing to leave several wounds on her vulnerable areas with his sword energy.

Although these wounds weren’t severe, striking the same weak point repeatedly would eventually break even the toughest armor.

The queen ant remained unaware of this, fixated solely on tearing Ji Yang’s body in half.

After identifying the queen ant’s weaknesses, Ji Yang decided not to delay any longer; he intended to finish the fight swiftly and seize the Mine Spirit.

Just as Ji Yang prepared to strike decisively, he suddenly glanced toward the outside of the nest, his expression shifting to one of alertness.

“Get away from me!”

With an angry shout, a figure surged out from the swarm of Red Fire Ants outside, arriving at the location where Ji Yang and the queen ant clashed.

The newcomer was none other than Zheng Cai, the Void Refinement stage cultivator from Qianji Gate.

This man truly lived up to his Void Refinement stage title, managing to break into this area, but he likely followed the tunnel that Ji Yang had dug.

Zheng Cai’s appearance caused Ji Yang to frown slightly. He was just on the cusp of success, but now, things were clearly changing.

As Zheng Cai entered deeper into the nest and saw the enormous queen ant before him, he was momentarily stunned, then his face brightened with delight:

“Wonderful, wonderful! I didn’t expect to find a spiritual beast at the Void Refinement stage here.”

Upon seeing the sword marks on the queen ant’s body and Ji Yang standing beside her, Zheng Cai quickly pieced together what had just happened.