Shui Miao killed the queen ant and obtained her memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two ant queens appeared in the same nest, the ants would split into factions and engage in fierce battles until one queen was killed, restoring peace. Moreover, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of the two young queens, so whether they would obey orders was uncertain.
Furthermore, Shui Miao had infused his thoughts into the two queens. Judging from the current situation, they got along well. In theory, there shouldn’t be any factional divisions or battles.
In short, things are unpredictable. Shui Miao would just wait and see.
Countless young ant beasts crawled over. The queens stopped eating, touched antennae, and emitted a series of messages only the ants could understand. Recalling the queen’s memories, Shui Miao understood the meaning of these messages and could now comprehend what the two young queens were saying.
Surprisingly, they were teaching the young ants about survival, harmony, and the importance of unity.
Shui Miao was deeply shocked, never expecting the young queens to be so clever—so much like himself.
Given this situation, there was no way they would turn on each other now.
Shui Miao exhaled in relief and couldn’t resist stepping forward to touch them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s kindness, the young queens felt delighted and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they instilled thoughts into the young ants, telling them that all the monsters in the mountains were family.
At that moment, flying ants approached, forming a protective guard around the queens and serving their masters.
Feeling all this, Shui Miao was deeply satisfied.
He summoned Bai Feng and the others to witness this incredible sight.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately called for Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Suapan. Everyone was delighted—this was like gaining an incredibly powerful new force.
The young ant beasts needed to absorb more yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, waiting outside.
Not long after, the blood-red sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy seeped into the cave.
Suddenly recalling the blood sun phenomenon, Shui Miao quickly led everyone to gather stones, sealing the cave entrance to protect against the cold and sinister energy. He then shared the information he had acquired, helping everyone familiarize themselves with the environment. He reorganized the interior of the mountain, giving more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were spent in cultivation, with everyone focusing intently on their training.
Days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by.
One day, shortly after the blood sun sank into the abyss, the rocks at the mountain entrance shifted aside. One by one, ant beasts as large as dogs crawled out, beginning to explore the surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown up, though they had not yet laid eggs.
Shui Miao and the others also emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was eager to get out and stretch their legs. It was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts, preventing them from falling into the traps of the giant white ape monsters. Many of these white ape monsters still lurked in the desert, emerging every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, while the sea monsters were numerous, the giant white apes were far more powerful.
Shui Miao had no immediate plans to confront the white apes or the sea monsters. After all, they wouldn’t come near the mountain, and having them around actually provided an extra layer of security.
In recent days, the ant beasts had been infused with many thoughts. They did not head west but instead crawled eastward from the mountain.
Not far to the east of the mountain, sparse but towering black trees stood. Their leaves were also black, long and narrow, resembling spears.
From a distance, Shui Miao saw rabbit-like monsters the size of cars hopping about among the trees, seemingly unbothered by the presence of people, and certainly not threatened by the small ant beasts.
Suddenly, two black birds the size of ducks landed on the leaves, letting out a series of “ai” sounds toward Shui Miao’s group. The sound was grating, as if someone were sighing bitterly at them—utterly disheartening.
“What kind of annoying bird is this? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, extending her hand toward the black birds. She manipulated the yin energy around them with her mind, waiting for about ten seconds before suddenly clenching her fist. From over a hundred meters away, the black birds flapped wildly before falling to the ground.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single nest, the ants in the colony would choose sides and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, Shui Miao had instilled his own thoughts into the two young queens. Given the current situation, they seemed to get along well, and in theory, there should be no division into factions leading to war.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning of these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas into the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They guarded the young queens and began attending to their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt deeply gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding an incredibly powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Before long, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy permeated the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to find stones to seal the cave, shielding them from the chilling Yin energy it brought. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused wholeheartedly on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones at the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white ape creatures, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Over the past few days, the ant beasts had been instilled with many ideas. Instead of heading west, they crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even a small ant beast or two was beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of mournful cries toward Shui Miao. The cries were incredibly irritating, as if someone were sighing in despair directly at them, bringing an air of misfortune.
“What kind of annoying birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her intent to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to control spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had directly condensed a small amount of energy to crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit monster, manipulated the blood energy within its body, and suddenly compressed it. The rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon lay dead.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng understood Shui Miao’s thoughts. Seeing that he had grasped the technique, she nodded with satisfaction. “Yes, just like that. If you keep practicing this way, over time, you’ll be able to control spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation level, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their own bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with physical experts, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and prepare for everything in advance. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and everyone continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing noteworthy.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was no easy task.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly. Their priority was to develop and strengthen the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert. But now, he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the Rakshasa sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier prey for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that such a plan was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation method, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command from the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birdsong and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the small ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized, with everything operating in an orderly manner. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of prey.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and comprehended their underlying principles. Even without the aid of a formation, he could now harness his spiritual power to craft illusions.
One day, after finishing his Qi cultivation, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his intent to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can work on me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a wave of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt his neck tighten as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s suppression.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
Simultaneously, Shui Miao split his focus, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
Let me try too…
Shui Miao focused his mind, looking at the hopping rabbits. He controlled the blood energy within their bodies and suddenly compressed it. The rabbit collapsed, twitching on the ground before dying.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two ant queens appear in a single nest, the ants in the colony would choose sides and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, restoring peace. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to get along well, and in theory, there should be no division into factions leading to war.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward to pet them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little dogs.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over, positioning themselves around the young queens to serve their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt deeply gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding a powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Not long after, the blood sun rose, filling the cave with waves of cold, bloody energy.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to block the cave entrance with stones, shielding themselves from the chilling Yin energy. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused intently on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones blocking the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. They took the opportunity to guide the ant beasts, ensuring they wouldn’t fall into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still infested with many of these giant white apes, which emerged every night to battle sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of confronting the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Having been instilled with various ideas over the days, the ant beasts did not head west but instead crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of mournful cries toward Shui Miao. The cries were irritating, as if someone were sighing in despair, casting a pall of gloom.
“What annoying birds, so noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist, and the birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had concentrated a small amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only more effective but also required less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng, aware of Shui Miao’s thoughts, nodded in satisfaction when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. Keep practicing like this, and over time, you’ll be able to control spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepared. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and everyone continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking dry all their blood and Yin energy, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing else.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small town here, but it was now deserted and in disarray, with broken black skeletons scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
The group cautiously searched the small town but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a large monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was no easy feat.
Concerned about the mountain’s defenses being left vulnerable, Shui Miao urged everyone to return and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now he reconsidered. The only way to grow the ant beast colony was to target the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters. Since they fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the apes and allow the sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier prey for the ant beasts compared to the apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation within the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. They planned to select five locations around the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves, with Shui Miao and the strategist commanding the central camp to activate the Five Elements Formation and protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling town filled with birdsong and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ones. The two ant queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became established, everything falling into an orderly rhythm. However, the giant apes were eventually wiped out, but fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of prey.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. He had reached a point where, even without the aid of a formation, he could now craft illusions using his mental power alone.
One day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can handle me?”
The little boy was disdainful and immediately summoned a wave of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt his neck tighten as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression, but the entire area was under Shui Miao’s mental control, making escape futile. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s magical suppression.
“What is that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain in his heart that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his nonsense.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
At the same time, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also mobilizing a wave of spirit-devouring power to sweep toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two ant queens appear in a single nest, the ants in the colony will choose sides and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace is restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to be getting along harmoniously, so theoretically, there shouldn’t be any division into factions leading to war.
Nevertheless, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so much like himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn against each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke them, even though they appeared rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s kindness, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were all their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They gathered around the young queens, attending to their masters.
Witnessing all of this, Shui Miao felt deeply gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant they had gained a powerful new force.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Before long, the blood sun rose, filling the cave with waves of cold, bloody energy.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone and used stones to seal the cave, shielding them from the chilling Yin energy. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused intently on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones blocking the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. They took the opportunity to guide the ant beasts, ensuring they wouldn’t fall into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still infested with many of these massive white apes, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of confronting the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of security.
Having been instilled with various ideas over the past days, the ant beasts did not head west but instead crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of mournful cries toward Shui Miao. The cries were irritating, as if someone were sighing in despair, casting a pall of gloom.
“What annoying birds, so noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping dead to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had concentrated a tiny amount of energy to crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, her method was not only effective but also far more efficient.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed and soon lay dead.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Understanding Shui Miao’s thoughts, Bai Feng nodded approvingly when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, you’ll eventually master spiritual energy effortlessly. The stronger your cultivation, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies, not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepared. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and they continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts swarmed around the rabbit monster and the black birds, draining them of their blood and Yin energy until only three black skeletons remained.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing noteworthy.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but it now lay in ruins. Debris was scattered everywhere, and broken black bones littered the ground, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, everything except humans was enormous.
Surviving in such a place was no easy feat.
Concerned about the mountain’s defenses being vulnerable, Shui Miao urged everyone to return and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now it seemed that targeting them and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to strengthen the ant beast colony. Since the apes and sea monsters fought daily, eliminating the apes would allow the sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier prey for the ant beasts compared to the apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. They planned to select five locations around the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves, following the Five Elements Formation. Shui Miao and the strategist would command the central camp, activating the formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling town filled with birdsong and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to the illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ones. The two ant queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized, with everything operating smoothly. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of prey.
During this time, Shui Miao gradually mastered the art of illusion formations and understood their principles. Even without relying on a formation, he could now use his mental power to create illusions.
On this day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao once again entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Hah, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a burst of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao focused his intent, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to teleport away to escape Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy slammed his axes together, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao smirked, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was constricted again!
Simultaneously, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a surge of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
“I understand.”
Shui Miao nodded and walked eastward with the group.
Meanwhile, the young ant beasts had already surrounded the rabbit monsters and black birds, draining all their blood and yin energy, leaving behind only three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from the occasional monster, there was nothing else.
From the queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew the area was scarce in food, only becoming abundant in summer.
After walking east for over an hour, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Nation. According to memory, there should have been a small town here, but now it was deserted, in ruins, with scattered black skeletal remains everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
The group carefully searched the town, finding only the remains of a large monster that looked like a giant wolf’s skeleton. Other than that, nothing else was found.
Here, aside from humans, all the monsters were gigantic.
Surviving here was no easy feat.
Considering the weak defenses back at the mountain, Shui Miao quickly led everyone back, wanting to strengthen the ant beast population first.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the desert’s giant apes. But now, he realized that only by targeting the apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters could the ant beasts grow stronger. Since the apes and sea monsters fought daily anyway, eliminating the apes would allow the sea monsters to come ashore. Compared to the apes, the sea monsters were much easier prey for the ant beasts.
Returning, Shui Miao asked his strategist to consider setting up a defensive and offensive formation within the mountain.
After studying the idea, Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Suapan confirmed it was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station their troops. Shui Miao and his strategist would command from the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was completed.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to be getting along harmoniously, and in theory, there should be no division into factions or any large-scale conflict.
Still, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, the importance of harmony, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn against each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke them, even though they appeared rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
Simultaneously, they continued to instill ideas in the small ant beasts, teaching them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were all their kin.
At that moment, a group of flying ants crawled over, surrounding the young queens and attending to their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt deeply gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding a powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Before long, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy permeated the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to block the cave entrance with stones, shielding them from the chilling energy it brought. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused wholeheartedly on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones at the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun to lay eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still infested with many of these massive white apes, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were greater in number but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of confronting the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they did not approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Having been instilled with various ideas over the past days, the ant beasts did not head west but instead crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even a small ant beast or two were beneath its notice.
At that moment, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was exasperating, as if someone were sighing mournfully in their direction, bringing a sense of misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her intent to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist abruptly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had concentrated a tiny amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only more effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
Shui Miao focused his intent on the hopping rabbit, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Understanding Shui Miao’s thoughts, Bai Feng nodded in satisfaction when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, over time, you’ll be able to control spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation level, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their own bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with physical experts, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepared. If you wait until the enemy strikes before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and everyone continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing else.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small town here, but now it was deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small town but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was no easy feat.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly. Their priority was to develop and strengthen the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now he reconsidered. The only way to expand the ant beast colony was to target the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. They planned to select five locations around the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves, following the Five Elements Formation method. Shui Miao and the strategist would command the central camp, activating the formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and projected the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birds and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to the illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ones. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized and orderly. However, the giant apes were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and comprehended their underlying principles. Even without the aid of a formation, he could now independently create illusions using his spiritual power.
One day, after finishing his Qi training, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his intent to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy was disdainful and immediately summoned a wave of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao focused his intent, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Startled, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a flick of his intent, the little boy’s neck was once again constricted!
Simultaneously, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to be getting along harmoniously, and in theory, there should be no division into factions or any large-scale conflict.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, the importance of harmony, unity, and strength.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke them, even though they appeared rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were all their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They gathered around the young queens, attending to their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt immensely gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant they had gained a powerful new force.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Not long after, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy seeped into the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone and used stones to block the cave entrance, shielding them from the chilling energy brought by the blood sun. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused wholeheartedly on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones at the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave and began exploring their surroundings and searching for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet started laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white ape creatures, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of confronting the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they did not approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of security.
Over the past few days, the ant beasts had been instilled with various ideas. Instead of heading west, they crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was exasperating, as if someone were sighing mournfully at them, bringing a sense of misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before falling to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to control spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had directly condensed a small amount of energy to crush the black birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit monster, manipulated the blood energy within its body, and suddenly compressed it. The rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng understood Shui Miao’s thoughts and nodded in satisfaction when she saw him learn the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, over time, you’ll be able to control spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation level, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with physical experts, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepare in advance. If you wait until the enemy attacks before mobilizing spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded and led everyone eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from them, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, there was little else to discover.
Having acquired the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious except for the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, everything except humans was enormous.
Surviving in such a place was undoubtedly challenging.
Concerned about the mountain’s weak defenses, Shui Miao urged everyone to return and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the Rakshasa sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation within the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that such a plan was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation method, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birds and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to the illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the small ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized, with everything operating in an orderly manner. However, the giant apes were eventually wiped out, but fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Now, even without relying on a formation, he could utilize his mental power to craft illusions.
One day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a wave of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression, but the entire area was under Shui Miao’s mental control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s magical suppression.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain in his heart that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
Simultaneously, Shui Miao divided his focus, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also mobilizing a wave of spirit-devouring power to sweep toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
More than half a year passed like this. The young ant beasts grew into mighty beasts, and the two queens began laying eggs. The ant empire gradually matured, everything proceeding in perfect order. However, the giant apes were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible source of prey.
During this time, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations, understanding their principles. Without relying on formations, he could now use his spiritual power to create illusions on his own.
One day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao once again entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants within would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to be getting along harmoniously, and in theory, there should be no division into factions or warfare.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn against each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently pat them, despite their repulsive appearance.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over, surrounding the young queens and attending to their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt immensely gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding a powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Not long after, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy permeated the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to block the cave entrance with stones, shielding them from the chilling energy it brought. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused wholeheartedly on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones blocking the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain as well. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to move around. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white apes, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they did not approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Over the past few days, the ant beasts had been instilled with various ideas. Instead of heading west, they crawled eastward.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was irritating, as if someone were sighing despairingly at them, bringing nothing but misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin spiritual energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had condensed a small amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit monster, manipulating the blood energy within its body. Suddenly, he compressed it, and the rabbit convulsed on the ground before dying shortly after.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to control it effectively.
Bai Feng understood Shui Miao’s thoughts and nodded in satisfaction when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, over time, you’ll be able to control spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation level, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepare in advance. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded and led everyone eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing noteworthy.
Having acquired the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant during the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black bones were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, everything except humans was enormous.
Surviving in such a place was no easy task.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the Rakshasa sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked the strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that such a plan was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation method, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command from the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birds and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to the illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized, with everything operating in an orderly manner. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Now, even without relying on a formation, he could use his spiritual power to conjure illusions.
One day, after finishing his Qi cultivation, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin spiritual energy to envelop him.
“Hah, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a wave of Yang spiritual energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s mental control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s magical suppression.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain in his heart that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his nonsense.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You… you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
At the same time, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin spiritual energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to get along well, and in theory, there should be no division into factions or any large-scale conflict.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn against each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke them, even though they appeared rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were all their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They gathered around the young queens, ready to serve their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt immensely gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding an incredibly powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Not long after, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy seeped into the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to find stones to seal the cave entrance, shielding them from the chilling energy brought by the blood sun. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused wholeheartedly on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones at the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave and began exploring their surroundings in search of food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet started laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still infested with many giant white ape monsters that came out every night to battle the sea creatures. Overall, the sea creatures were numerous but not as powerful as the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant white apes or the sea creatures. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Over the past few days, the ant beasts had been instilled with many ideas. Instead of heading west, they crawled toward the east side of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even a small ant beast or two was beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” cries in Shui Miao’s direction. The sound was irritating, as if someone were sighing despairingly at them, bringing about an air of misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her intent to control the Yin spiritual energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist abruptly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before falling to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had condensed a small amount of energy to directly crush the black birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
Shui Miao focused his intent on the hopping rabbit, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng understood Shui Miao’s thoughts. Seeing that he had learned the technique, she nodded with satisfaction. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, over time, you’ll be able to wield spiritual energy with ease. The higher your cultivation level, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with physical experts, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepare in advance. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded and led everyone eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing else.
Having acquired the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but now it was deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a giant monster that resembled a huge wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was undoubtedly challenging.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly. Their priority was to develop and strengthen the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert. But now, he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea creatures was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the apes and sea creatures fought every night, it would be better to eliminate the apes and allow the sea creatures to come ashore. The sea creatures were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
After returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. They decided to follow the method of the Five Elements Formation, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command from the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and projected the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Gathering spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the entire mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birdsong and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-established, everything falling into perfect order. However, the giant ape monsters were gradually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea creatures were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Even without the aid of a formation, he could now utilize his spiritual power to conjure illusions.
On this day, after finishing his Qi cultivation, Shui Miao once again entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
As soon as he entered, he used his intent to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin spiritual energy to envelop him.
“Hah, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy was disdainful and immediately summoned a wave of Yang spiritual energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao focused his intent, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if someone were choking him.
Startled, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck out with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s magical suppression.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain in his heart that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You… you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a flick of his intent, the little boy’s neck was once again constricted!
At the same time, Shui Miao divided his focus, not only summoning a large amount of Yin spiritual energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
“Hmph! You think this trick can work on me?”
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two ant queens appear in a single nest, the ants in the colony would choose sides and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been indoctrinated with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given their current harmonious relationship, it seemed unlikely that they would divide into factions and wage war.
Still, the unpredictability of life remained. Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Drawing from the memories of the ant queen, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, the importance of harmony, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the situation, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and gently pat them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They gathered around the young queens, ready to serve their masters.
Witnessing all of this, Shui Miao felt deeply gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding a powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Before long, the blood sun rose, filling the cave with waves of cold, bloody energy.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to block the cave entrance with stones, shielding themselves from the chilling Yin energy. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused intently on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones blocking the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white ape creatures, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of confronting the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they did not approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Having been indoctrinated over the past few days, the ant beasts did not head west but instead crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was irritating, as if someone were sighing despairingly at them, bringing an air of misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping dead to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng’s move, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents. In contrast, Bai Feng had concentrated a small amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. Her method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit monster, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng, understanding Shui Miao’s thoughts, nodded in satisfaction when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, you’ll eventually master spiritual energy effortlessly. The higher your cultivation, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies, not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepared. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and everyone continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing else.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small town here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small town but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was no easy feat.
Concerned about the mountain’s defenses being vulnerable, Shui Miao urged everyone to return and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert. But now, he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the Rakshasa sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier prey for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that such a plan was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation method, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command from the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and projected the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birds and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two ant queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized, with everything operating in an orderly manner. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of prey.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Even without the aid of a formation, he could now utilize his spiritual power to craft illusions.
One day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror once again.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can work on me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a wave of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to teleport away to escape Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure. However, Shui Miao’s mental control covered the entire area, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy slammed his axes together, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
Simultaneously, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao shifted his focus. The boy instinctively felt his neck tighten, as if someone were choking him.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants within would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, Shui Miao had instilled his own ideologies into the two young queens. Given their current harmonious relationship, it seemed unlikely that they would split into factions and wage war.
However, the unpredictability of life led Shui Miao to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting a series of signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the situation, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward and pat them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little puppies.
At the same time, they began instilling ideologies into the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over, surrounding the young queens and attending to their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt immensely gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding a powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, keeping watch outside.
Before long, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy permeated the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to block the cave entrance with stones, shielding themselves from the chilling energy it brought. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused intently on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones blocking the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain as well. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to move around. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white ape creatures, which emerged every night to battle the sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Having been indoctrinated over the past few days, the ant beasts did not head west but instead crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was exasperating, as if someone were sighing despairingly at them, bringing nothing but misfortune.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her mind to control the Yin spiritual energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist tightly. The black birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping dead to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents, while Bai Feng had concentrated a tiny amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, Bai Feng’s method was not only effective but also required far less effort.
Let me give it a try…
With a thought, Shui Miao focused on the hopping rabbit monster, manipulated the blood energy within its body, and suddenly compressed it. The rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng, aware of Shui Miao’s thoughts, nodded in satisfaction when she saw him grasp the technique. “Yes, that’s it. If you keep practicing like this, you’ll eventually master spiritual energy effortlessly. The higher your cultivation, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies but not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, those who cultivate magic must remain highly vigilant and always prepared. If you wait until the enemy attacks before gathering spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and they continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking all the blood and Yin energy from their bodies, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing noteworthy.
Having inherited the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small town here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small town but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a massive monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was undoubtedly challenging.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert, but now he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the two factions fought daily, it made sense to eliminate the giant apes and allow the Rakshasa sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the giant apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked his strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation within the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. They decided to use the Five Elements Formation method, selecting five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Using gathered spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling human town filled with birds and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ant beasts. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became well-organized and orderly. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Now, even without relying on a formation, he could utilize his spiritual power to craft illusions.
On this day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao once again entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
As soon as he entered, he used his mind to control the spiritual energy in a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin spiritual energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can deal with me?”
The little boy was disdainful and immediately summoned a wave of Yang spiritual energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao had a thought, and the little boy felt his neck tighten as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to flash away to escape Shui Miao’s magical suppression. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s mental control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud noise and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s magical suppression.
“What is that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal like me—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his nonsense.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You… you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a thought, the little boy’s neck was choked again!
At the same time, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin spiritual energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a wave of spirit-devouring power toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the axes, instantly concluding that they must be special treasures.
“You don’t know about Divine Light?”
The boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “Didn’t expect you to get this strong in such a short time.”
“You used Divine Light to fight a mere mortal—aren’t you the one who lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the boy’s face turned red. “Xiao Caodie didn’t say I couldn’t use Divine Light! You—you’re the one who lost! I wasn’t ready earlier, and you ambushed me. Let’s fight again now!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, suddenly shifting his mind again. The boy’s neck was gripped once more.
At the same time, Shui Miao split his focus, sending a massive wave of soul-devouring energy sweeping through the mountain inside the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Shui Miao killed the ant queen and acquired its memories. He learned that under normal circumstances, if two queens appear in a single colony, the ants within would divide into factions and engage in a fierce battle until one queen is killed, after which peace would be restored. Additionally, these ant beasts were not hatched from the eggs of these two young queens, so it was uncertain whether they would obey orders.
Moreover, the two young queens had been instilled with Shui Miao’s ideology. Given the current situation, they seemed to get along well, and in theory, there should be no division into factions leading to war.
However, the unpredictability of life remained, and Shui Miao decided to wait and see.
Countless small ant beasts crawled over. The ant queens stopped eating and touched antennae, emitting signals only understandable to ant beasts. Recalling the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao deciphered the meaning behind these signals and could suddenly understand what the two young queens were discussing.
They were actually teaching the small ant beasts about survival, harmonious coexistence, and the power of unity.
Shui Miao was astonished. He hadn’t expected the young queens to be so intelligent and so similar to himself.
Given the circumstances, it seemed highly unlikely that they would turn on each other.
Relieved, Shui Miao couldn’t help but step forward to pet them, even though they looked rather repulsive.
Sensing Shui Miao’s goodwill, the young queens felt a wave of joy and snuggled up to him like little dogs.
At the same time, they began instilling ideas in the small ant beasts, telling them that the demons and monsters in the mountains were their kin.
Just then, a group of flying ants crawled over. They gathered around the young queens, ready to serve their masters.
Witnessing all this, Shui Miao felt immensely gratified.
He called over Bai Feng and the others, allowing them to see this incredible scene.
Bai Feng was thrilled and immediately summoned Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus. Everyone was overjoyed, as this undoubtedly meant adding an incredibly powerful new force to their ranks.
The small ant beasts needed to absorb more Yin energy, then sleep and grow.
Shui Miao and the others left, standing guard outside.
Not long after, the blood sun rose, and waves of cold, bloody energy permeated the cave.
Suddenly remembering the blood sun, Shui Miao quickly gathered everyone to find stones to seal the cave, shielding them from the chilling energy it brought. He then shared the information he had acquired, urging everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment as quickly as possible. Next, he reorganized the living arrangements within the mountain, allocating more space to the young queens so they could adapt and develop their own forces.
The following days were dedicated to cultivation. Everyone settled down and focused intently on their training.
Day after day passed quickly, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
Shortly after the blood sun set into the abyss on this particular day, the stones at the mountain entrance were pushed aside. Ant beasts, each about the size of a dog, crawled out of the cave to explore their surroundings and search for food.
The two young queens had also grown, though they had not yet begun laying eggs.
Shui Miao and the others emerged from the mountain. After more than half a month of cultivation, everyone was restless and eager to stretch their legs. This was also a good opportunity to guide the ant beasts and prevent them from falling into the traps set by the giant white ape monsters. The desert was still teeming with these massive white apes, which emerged every night to battle sea monsters. Overall, the sea monsters were more numerous but less powerful than the giant white apes.
For the time being, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant white apes or the sea monsters. Since they didn’t approach the mountain, their presence actually provided an additional layer of protection.
Over the past few days, the ant beasts had been instilled with various ideas. Instead of heading west, they crawled toward the eastern part of the mountain.
Not far east of the mountain, they encountered sparse but enormous black trees with long, slender black leaves that resembled spears.
In the distance, Shui Miao spotted a rabbit monster, about the size of a car, hopping among the trees. It seemed to disregard humans entirely, and even the small ant beasts were beneath its notice.
Just then, two black birds, each about the size of a chicken or duck, landed on a leaf and let out a series of annoying “ai” calls toward Shui Miao. The sound was irritating, as if someone were sighing in despair, and it felt incredibly unlucky.
“What kind of wretched birds are these? So noisy!”
Bai Feng frowned, stretched out her hand toward the black birds, and used her intent to control the Yin energy around them. After about ten seconds, she clenched her fist, and the birds, over a hundred meters away, fluttered briefly before dropping to the ground.
So that’s how it’s done…
Watching Bai Feng take action, Shui Miao felt a sudden inspiration. He realized he had been too simplistic in his approach—he had only considered how to manipulate spiritual energy to crush his opponents. Bai Feng, however, had concentrated a small amount of energy to directly crush the birds’ hearts. In comparison, her method was not only effective but also far more efficient.
Let me give it a try…
Shui Miao focused his intent on the hopping rabbit, manipulating the blood energy within its body. With a sudden compression, the rabbit convulsed on the ground and soon died.
This proved that Shui Miao’s spiritual power was sufficient; what he lacked was the skill to wield it effectively.
Bai Feng understood Shui Miao’s thoughts. Seeing that he had learned the technique, she nodded with satisfaction. “Yes, just like that. If you keep practicing, you’ll eventually master spiritual energy effortlessly. The higher your cultivation, the more powerful you’ll become. Physical cultivators can only control their bodies, not external spiritual energy. So, as long as you avoid close combat with them, we are their natural counters. Additionally, spell cultivators must remain highly vigilant and always prepare in advance. If you wait until the enemy attacks to gather spiritual energy, it will be too late.”
“Understood.”
Shui Miao nodded, and everyone continued eastward.
As they spoke, the small ant beasts gathered around the rabbit monster and the black birds, sucking dry all their blood and Yin energy, leaving behind three black skeletons.
Further ahead, aside from occasionally spotting one or two monsters, they found nothing else.
Thanks to the ant queen’s memories, Shui Miao knew that food was scarce in this area and would only become abundant in the summer.
After traveling east for over two hours, they entered the territory of the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. According to his memories, there was a small city here, but it was now deserted and in disarray. Broken black skeletons were scattered everywhere, as if the place had been ravaged by some terrifying monster.
They cautiously searched the small city but found nothing suspicious aside from the skeleton of a large monster that resembled a giant wolf.
Here, aside from humans, everything else was monstrously large.
Surviving in such a place was no easy task.
Concerned about the weak defenses in the mountain, Shui Miao urged everyone to return quickly and focus on expanding the ant beast colony.
Initially, Shui Miao had no intention of dealing with the giant apes in the desert. But now, he realized that targeting the giant apes and the Rakshasa sea monsters was the only way to help the ant beast colony grow. Since the apes and sea monsters fought daily, eliminating the apes would allow the sea monsters to come ashore. The sea monsters were not particularly strong, making them easier targets for the ant beasts compared to the apes.
Upon returning, Shui Miao tasked the strategist with exploring the possibility of setting up an offensive and defensive formation around the mountain.
After research by Sima Zongheng and Zhuge Abacus, they confirmed that it was feasible. Following the method of the Five Elements Formation, they selected five locations outside the mountain to build platforms for the five ghost generals to station themselves. Shui Miao and the strategist would command the central camp, activating the Five Elements Formation to protect the entire mountain.
Three days later, the formation was complete.
Shui Miao took control and transferred the illusion-creating formation from his mental realm. Gathering spiritual energy, he activated the formation, causing the mountain to vanish and replacing it with a sunny, bustling town filled with birdsong and flowers. When the monsters emerged to fight again, they were drawn to this illusion and gathered around. This was the perfect time for the small ant beasts to strike.
The monsters, trapped in the illusion, remained unaware as the small ant beasts drained their spiritual energy.
In this way, Shui Miao used illusions to help the ant beasts hunt monsters.
Over half a year passed, and the small ant beasts grew into large ones. The two queens began laying eggs, and the ant beast empire gradually became organized, with everything falling into place. However, the giant ape monsters were eventually wiped out. Fortunately, the Rakshasa sea monsters were endless, providing an inexhaustible supply of targets.
During this period, Shui Miao gradually mastered the techniques of illusion formations and grasped their underlying principles. Even without the aid of a formation, he could now harness his spiritual power to craft illusions.
On this day, after finishing his cultivation, Shui Miao once again entered the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
As soon as he entered, he used his intent to control the spiritual energy across a large area.
The little boy emerged with an axe, but before he could speak, Shui Miao directly summoned Yin energy to envelop him.
“Tch, you think this move can work on me?”
The little boy sneered, immediately summoning a burst of Yang energy to counter Shui Miao’s Yin energy.
Suddenly, Shui Miao focused his intent, and the little boy felt a tightness around his neck, as if being choked.
Panicked, the little boy tried to teleport away to escape Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure. However, the entire area was under Shui Miao’s control, making escape impossible. In desperation, the little boy struck with his twin axes, creating a loud bang and emitting a golden light, which finally dispelled Shui Miao’s spiritual pressure.
“What was that golden light?”
Shui Miao stared intently at the twin axes, certain that they were extraordinary treasures.
“You don’t know about divine light?”
The little boy rubbed his neck, looking at Shui Miao with newfound respect. “I didn’t expect you to become so powerful in just a few days.”
“Using divine light against a mere mortal—doesn’t that mean you’ve already lost?”
Shui Miao coldly stared at the little boy, ignoring his chatter.
Hearing this, the little boy flushed red. “Sister Cai Die never said I couldn’t use divine light! You’re the one who lost! I wasn’t prepared earlier and you sneak-attacked me. Let’s fight again properly!”
“Fine!”
Shui Miao sneered, and with a flick of his intent, the little boy’s neck was once again constricted!
At the same time, Shui Miao multitasked, not only summoning a large amount of Yin energy to envelop the little boy but also directing a surge of spirit-devouring energy toward the mountain within the Immortal Spirit Mirror.
Today, Shui Miao was determined to obtain the Immortal Yuan energy.
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