Chapter 399

Chapter 399: Success

The once massive body now became a hindrance to Ji Yang.

Just as Ji Yang was about to reach out and touch the Mine Spirit, the queen ant suddenly radiated a striking black light.

Her armor shimmered, revealing her innate spell as a spiritual beast.

This was a unique talent of every spiritual beast.

The queen ant was no exception, and her Life Spell, executed at the level of a Void Refinement stage, demanded serious attention even from cultivators of the same level; its power should not be underestimated.

Seeing the queen ant unleash her true abilities, Zheng Cai, who had been watching from a safe distance, swiftly moved aside without even looking back.

In his eyes, Ji Yang was already a corpse.

The unfolding events were exactly what he wanted to see; his earlier attempt to stop the queen ant was to encourage Ji Yang to delve deeper, making escape difficult while also forcing the queen ant to use her killing move.

As for Ji Yang, he might possess some techniques, but his relatively low level and lack of insight compared to Zheng Cai made him vulnerable.

Under the threat of the queen ant’s Life Spell, Ji Yang had no chance of survival.

Even if he managed to escape by some stroke of luck, he would no longer be a threat.

After casting her Life Spell, the queen ant would likely enter a temporary state of weakness, allowing Zheng Cai to easily subdue her.

At that point, both the Mine Spirit and the queen ant’s corpse would belong to him.

This plan was killing two birds with one stone, and he had only needed to employ a few minor tactics.

With this thought, a satisfied smile crept onto Zheng Cai’s face.

As the aura within the nest erupted explosively, a massive storm of spiritual energy swept through.

Even though Zheng Cai had withdrawn some distance, he summoned his Life Puppet back into action.

The once gigantic puppet had now shrunk to a size comparable to a regular person, eliminating the issues he mentioned about movement.

With the sturdy puppet shielding him, Zheng Cai maintained a calm demeanor, completely unconcerned about being affected.

As the spiritual energy dissipated deeper within the nest, Zheng Cai quickly unleashed his primordial spirit energy and soon located the still-living queen ant.

However, the queen ant’s aura had weakened, confirming Zheng Cai’s earlier predictions about her diminished strength.

Under the coverage of his primordial spirit energy, Zheng Cai did not detect Ji Yang’s presence, indicating that Ji Yang had indeed fallen to the queen ant.

"Ha ha ha."

Zheng Cai couldn’t help but let out a delighted laugh as his plan came to fruition.

Just as he was basking in his triumph, a puzzled voice emerged from the dust:

“Fellow Daoist, what is so funny?”

Hearing Ji Yang’s voice, Zheng Cai’s smile slowly faded.

As he looked at Ji Yang emerging from the smoke with the Mine Spirit in hand, Zheng Cai’s expression grew increasingly grim.

In just a moment, the darkness in Zheng Cai’s face dissipated, replaced by a hint of a smile:

“Good, very good, I didn’t expect you to make it out alive.”

“Kid, hand over what you have, and I will spare your life.”

Zheng Cai no longer concealed his intentions, his face now displaying a fierce look as he reached out toward Ji Yang, demanding the Mine Spirit.

However, after Zheng Cai finished speaking, Ji Yang directly placed the Mine Spirit into his storage bag and smiled, saying, “No!”

Zheng Cai’s breathing became slightly hurried, but he did not say much more; instead, the puppet nearby glimmered, already gathering power to strike.

Just as Zheng Cai prepared to attack, he saw the queen ant, having finished casting her Life Spell, suddenly launch an attack from behind Ji Yang.

Having lost the Mine Spirit, she was unwilling to accept defeat and aimed to reclaim it from Ji Yang.

But facing the queen ant was a sharp and unmatched sword energy!

When this seemingly ordinary sword energy struck the queen ant’s front limb, the originally hard limb that supported her body was severed.

The queen ant’s body tilted as it lost balance and stumbled to the side.

This was just a typical Thousands of Sword Energies attack; Ji Yang hadn’t even used the sword intent cultivated in his Sword Cultivation technique.

The reason for such an effect stemmed from marks Ji Yang had left on her body earlier.

Terrified after having her front limb severed, the queen ant’s anger over losing her treasure began to fade.

Although she still had five legs left, Ji Yang’s displayed attack power instilled fear in her heart, preventing her from advancing.

She could regrow a lost leg, but once her treasure was gone, it was lost forever.

Her heightened spirit intelligence allowed her to retreat promptly.

As the queen ant, as long as she survived, the Red Fire Ant swarm would not perish.

Realizing this, the queen ant turned and fled, her strong jaws instantly breaking through the wall behind her, revealing another tunnel leading to another area.

The sudden appearance of the tunnel surprised Ji Yang; he hadn’t expected that the queen ant still had an escape route, something he hadn’t paid much attention to before.

Both Ji Yang and Zheng Cai paid no heed to the queen ant’s escape.

Ji Yang was not interested in the armor on the queen ant, while Zheng Cai’s attention remained on the Mine Spirit in Ji Yang’s hands.

Seeing Ji Yang casually sever the queen ant’s front limb, Zheng Cai’s face also showed a serious expression.

Although he couldn’t comprehend the true power of Ji Yang’s sword energy, what he witnessed left no room for doubt.

However, at this point, he had no way to retreat.

The Mine Spirit was something Zheng Cai was determined to have.

Even if Ji Yang was impressive, Zheng Cai himself was no weakling.

After all, he was one of the most outstanding disciples of the Qianji Gate in this generation; how could he possibly be outmatched by a Golden Core stage cultivator, even if that cultivator was a disciple of He Dao Sect?

As his mind raced, Zheng Cai used his body and the puppet to block the only two exits, his intentions clear.

Ji Yang noticed Zheng Cai’s minor maneuvers, but he didn’t care.

Zheng Cai was aware of what he wanted from Ji Yang; naturally, he wouldn’t let him leave easily. A confrontation was inevitable.

With nothing more to say, both remained silent.

Zheng Cai initiated the attack first, holding a crossbow that had numerous formations carved into its body.

He quickly drew an arrow that had a sharp tip and several high-level Talismans attached to it. With one look, Ji Yang could tell these Talismans were of high quality.

However, Zheng Cai’s choice of attack left Ji Yang speechless.

After all, he was a Void Refinement stage cultivator; why resort to sneaky attacks? Moreover, the level they both exhibited seemed vastly different, yet Zheng Cai didn’t confront him directly.

After summoning the arrow, Zheng Cai waved his hand, calling forth numerous puppets to protect himself.

While these puppets couldn’t compare to the Three Heads and Six Arms puppet, they were all at the Early Stage of Spirit Transformation.

Unlike cultivators, puppets typically required a diminished level of strength in comparison to cultivators, but executing corresponding attacks was not a big issue.

After doing all this, Zheng Cai drew his bow, gathering his magic energy into the crossbow.

With the formations on the crossbow activating, the whole weapon transformed into a dazzling spectacle. The Talismans on the crossbow rapidly ignited, and the arrow absorbed their power, visibly changing into a light golden projectile.