Dragon Cypress's words might not convince every insect, but the Quandong Divine Tree definitely could.

No one would question an ancient wisdom tree that once ruled the greatest tribe on the Cloud Trace Continent.

Huagi Mountain.

On a midsummer night, the chorus of frogs and insects rang out, high and intense.

Ghost Fan led the way, with Spruce and Snakebark Maple close behind as the vanguard.

White Rice and Blue Catalpa held the center.

Black Rice and Mulberry brought up the rear, teamed with Mountain Persimmon to anchor the lineup.

Ink Orchid moved in stealth, hanging at the very back.

White Willow soared in circles overhead, gliding high in the sky.

Spruce, following the orders of the Quandong Divine Tree, directed Ghost Fan and led the team running along the hillside, charging up the ridge, and then marching along the ridge before pivoting down into the forested slopes.

Huagi Mountain wasn't big, but the terrain was complex enough—perfect for practicing night marches.

Termites worked during the day and rested at night, so the battle plan called for a midnight raid.

Everyone adjusted their routines, sleeping during the day and training at night.

Likewise, training on the Desolation Plains also shifted to nighttime to adapt to nocturnal operations.

...

"Hold up. The Dragon Cypress Ant King is coming."

Spruce lowered mental power to alert Ghost Fan.

"Got it!"

Ghost Fan, at the front, led the team in a quick turn, climbed a hill, antenna straight up. "Stop!"

The team stopped in perfect unison.

Ghost Fan: "Rest in place."

Ink Orchid's figure emerged from the shadows beneath the trees.

White Willow dropped lower, circled once, then soared up again, flying toward the direction of the Dominating Throne's Origin Force Fluctuation.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple flopped down where they were, found it uncomfortable, and changed to lying on their backs, all six legs pointed skyward.

Night after night of continuous physical and elemental ability training was starting to take its toll on the insects.

Black Rice and Mulberry saw this and rolled over too, lying side by side.

Ink Orchid found it amusing and also lay down.

When Dragon Cypress arrived, all he saw was a line of insects lying straight along the ridge.

Ghost Fan and Spruce were still standing.

"Ghost Fan, Spruce, what's this…?"

"Everyone's exhausted..."

Ghost Fan asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is it time to head to the Desolation Plains?"

Dragon Cypress: "No rush. Ink Orchid, you advance to fourth age period Mountain Lord first. Ghost Fan, you also evolve here at Huagi Mountain."

Everyone brought Origin Force Food with them for this intensive training, stored in the Huagi Mountain Treasury.

Dragon Cypress even borrowed from the caravan and purchased 500,000 source stones' worth of assorted high-grade Origin Force Food, provided for free to everyone.

No one would fall behind in their evolution.

Ghost Fan pondered, then said, "I think I'm ready. Lately I've been eating a lot more Origin Force Food. I can probably evolve again soon."

Dragon Cypress: "Good!"

Ghost Fan: "I hope I awaken an offensive ability."

Not likely, and was brushed aside.

Ink Orchid, hearing her name, slowly rolled over and walked over.

"Ink Orchid, let's go to the Knowledge Hall."

"Ghost Fan, keep training here with the others."

...

Yellow Stem's schedule was also now topsy-turvy, standing atop the mountain at midnight, enjoying the cool breeze.

He called out, stating his purpose.

Yellow Stem entered the treasury and retrieved the 'Divine-Grade Zhifeng Grass Fruit'.

The Dominating Throne was set in the Knowledge Hall. Ink Orchid filled her belly, ate the Divine-Grade Fruit, and began to prepare for evolution.

Yellow Stem kept watch at the mouth of the cave.

Dragon Cypress went to inspect everyone's training progress.

After the marching drills, Ghost Fan led everyone to gather beneath the Quandong Divine Tree for ability practice.

Ghost Fan and Mountain Persimmon, both with thick carapaces and defensive abilities, took turns acting as moving targets.

Spruce, Mulberry, Snakebark Maple, and White Rice stepped up one by one to attack the moving targets with their abilities.

If anyone was injured, Blue Catalpa, waiting nearby, was in charge of healing…

Mobile target training concluded.

White Rice used earth system abilities to simulate stationary target dummies in the shape of termites.

Everyone took turns, attacking with their abilities, honing their skills and strengthening their powers through repeated practice.

Toward the latter half of the night, under the Quandong Divine Tree's command, they practiced group combat teamwork drills.

The Quandong Divine Tree shouted: "Front!"

This meant the enemy was attacking from ahead.

Ghost Fan defended.

Spruce and Snakebark Maple unleashed their offensive abilities forward.

The Quandong Divine Tree shouted: "Left!"

This meant there were enemies attacking from the left flank.

Spruce and Mulberry, who were on the left of the formation, immediately turned and blasted their attacks to the left side.

White Rice stayed in the center, using earth system abilities to reinforce defense.

As they attacked, their formation shifted rapidly, Ghost Fan moving up to the front line…

...

These were only preliminary drills. Once they got to the Desolation Plains, Dragon Cypress would command the ant horde to simulate much more realistic scenes of battling termite armies.

Dragon Cypress watched for a while, then found his own patch of ground and threw himself into harsh training of the strength system 'Rend' ability.

In ant clan warfare, the Ant King usually never personally entered the fray—but there were some special circumstances…

...

A day later, Origin Force Fluctuation rose from the mountain—Ink Orchid had begun her evolution slumber.

Six days after, more Origin Force Fluctuation swept up the slopes: evolution, complete and successful.

The perfected Sea Blue Divine-Given Seed was kept in an extra-large metal case for now, to be planted on Southern Sour Jujube Mountain after the war ended in a couple of years.

White Willow, with her swift flight, hunted down two wild deer and brought them back from afar.

Everyone gathered lakeside at the foot of the mountain, cooking up a meal.

No one was actually interested in eating or drinking; all eyes were on Ink Orchid…

Dragon Cypress watched, estimating that Ink Orchid had mostly recovered, and was just about to speak when Ink Orchid suddenly gave a shake of her antenna and flicked a spot of white light across to Blue Catalpa.

"Haha, I've mastered healing powers too now!"

"Lightspeed Healing, granted by the Divine-Grade Lightwing Seed!"

Ink Orchid tapped her antenna, touching each insect's forehead with a flick. "It's a life system fast healing ability—everyone give it a try."

Blue Catalpa: "…Impressive!"

Snakebark Maple: "Makes this bug feel refreshed all over with life primordial energy."

Yellow Stem: "…Not bad."

White Rice: "Anything else?"

Dragon Cypress: "Ink Orchid, what about the ability granted by the Zhifeng Grass Fruit?"

Ink Orchid: "Let me think…"

Ink Orchid mumbled, "It doesn't really count as an ability…"

Not really an ability?

All the insects tensed up in an instant.

Everyone had heard about it—a Divine-Grade Fruit bought for the sky-high price of 3 million source stones!

Wasn't it supposed to give an incredibly powerful wind system ability?

Everyone had ridiculously high expectations for it.

In the assault on the Termite Kingdom, Ink Orchid was the real key to victory. Don't go flopping at the crucial moment~

"Did you fail?" Even Dragon Cypress couldn't help getting nervous.

"…No~"

"It's… not an ability you can directly use~"

Ink Orchid tilted her head back, antenna flicking rapidly left and right, thinking hard, before slowly declaring:

"It's an indirect, support-type ability… I feel like I can seize hold of the air currents all around me, and with the help of the currents, move as I please… Just like a fish swimming in water…"

As she spoke, Ink Orchid kicked her hind legs, vaulted high, fluttered her wings above the insects' heads, hovered in midair for an instant, then suddenly flapped her wings hard, transforming into a grey-black blur, arriving a hundred meters away in an instant.

She tumbled acrobatically in the air, her figure darting up and down, left and right.

The whole crew of insects stared, amazed.

This was the effect of the 'Zhifeng Grass Fruit'? Ink Orchid suddenly possessed an agile flying ability equal to that of White Willow or Red Moonseed!

With a flash, Ink Orchid dropped to the ground, melted into the darkness, and vanished.

"Wah!"

"Dragon Cypress!"

Suddenly, Ink Orchid's call sounded from behind Dragon Cypress.

Not just Dragon Cypress—every other insect jumped with surprise.

She'd just been dozens of meters away—how did she get behind them so fast?

Ink Orchid cheered triumphantly: "After evolving to fourth age period, I've comprehended a critical new power! I'm calling it…"

Ink Orchid spread her wings and beat them fiercely, announcing with pride: "Youlian Step!"

"It's a speed-boosting teleportation wind system ability, and it can be used while in stealth mode. Combine it with the 'Poaceae' ability… Triple synergy! I'm a genius!"

Ink Orchid folded her wings, faded into the darkness, and a moment later, her spiritual power called out:

"I'm over here!"

The insects turned to look, dumbfounded.

Soundless and instantaneous—Ink Orchid now appeared fifty meters away.

Yellow Stem got excited, antenna waving wildly. "That's amazing! With this ability, Ink Orchid can infiltrate the Termite King's Palace with ease!"

Yellow Stem shouted, "Come on! Let's go! Let's give the good news to the Quandong Divine Tree!"

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