Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 679 - 583: Heart of the Ant King

Shandong Reservoir. Two thousand Soldier Ants covered the Ridge.

Late at night, driven out of the Ant Nest to assemble, the ant colony was bewildered. Not understanding the situation, they looked around and inquired of each other, "What's happening? What's going on? Aren't we sleeping?"

Dragon Cypress pushed his spiritual power to its limits, expanding it. Primordial Energy surged as the "Heart of Bee King" ability activated, and its unique Origin Force Field spread along the range covered by his spiritual power.

The noisy ant colony instantly fell silent.

Soldier Ants, Blue Soldiers, and Green Soldiers alike felt it. Under the augmentation of the strange Primordial Energy Force Field, it was as if something inside them had been activated; their bodily strength soared, and their abilities were greatly enhanced.

Dragon Cypress also immediately noticed the changes in the ant colony and understood another Soul System ability accompanying the "Heart of Bee King."

Spiked Cypress stood on the slope, lively and his eyes shining, excitedly looking down. Is this the power of the Divine-Grade Fruit? Group empowerment! So strong!

Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora were startled awake by the sudden commotion. They ran up, and upon seeing the formation, immediately understood that the Great King was testing his newly comprehended ability. They quickly ran towards Spiked Cypress to ask about the situation.

"What's happening?"

"Is the Great King testing the 'Heart of Bee King' ability?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Is the test over?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"How come I can't see any change?"

"Idiot! The Primordial Energy Force Field is invisible, of course. You have to use spiritual power to feel it."

Just as they were talking, the Ant Army on the Ridge suddenly began to move in unison. Two thousand pairs of eyes aimed at the four—Spiked Cypress, Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora—on the slope, their tentacles standing erect.

An intangible power permeated the air.

Spiked Cypress, Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora felt their hearts skip a beat. Fear, timidity, despondency, sorrow, and other negative emotions involuntarily rose from the depths of their souls. Their vision blurred, and their mental consciousness became confused.

"AH!"

"HA!"

Spiked Cypress suddenly leaped up, his spiritual power erupting. He roared continuously as the Strength System Primordial Energy within him burst forth, dispelling the strange force invading his mind.

"Great King?" Spiked Cypress called out.

With a thought, Dragon Cypress withdrew the ability.

The two thousand members of the Ant Army retracted their erect tentacles.

Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora all came to their senses. They stood there stunned, confused for a good while, then turned in unison to look at Spiked Cypress.

Spiked Cypress said, "This is the Great King's newly comprehended Soul System ability! It seems to be executed together with the 'Heart of Bee King.' Its effect is to evoke negative emotions like fear, timidity, despondency, sorrow, and anger from deep within the soul. Used on the battlefield, it would collapse the enemy's morale."

Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora only half-understood, then turned their heads again toward Dragon Cypress.

Startled, Dragon Cypress asked, "Spiked Cypress, what's with you? This is a King-Level Soul Ability. How come it didn't affect you?"

"The Great King is amazing!" Spiked Cypress said proudly, flicking his tentacle. "I am fearless at heart! I do not harbor fear or timidity deep in my soul, nor do I ever feel despondent or sad, so naturally, I am unaffected."

"..."

The ants fell silent.

Is that even possible?

Dragon Cypress was also speechless. "..." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Dragon Cypress explained, "The 'Heart of Bee King' ability has undergone a mutation. Fortunately, it's a beneficial one, bringing with it a rather useful Soul System ability. 'Heart of Bee King' can no longer be called 'Heart of Bee King.' It needs to be renamed. It will be officially named 'Heart of the Ant King'."

"'Heart of the Ant King' is the correct name!"

"The Great King has a gift for naming!"

"Since the ability has fallen to our Ant Clan, it should be called 'Heart of the Ant King'!"

"The Great King is wise!"

Spiked Cypress, Silver Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, and Black Sophora all voiced their agreement.

"Alright—" Dragon Cypress raised a claw to signal and ordered, "Spiked Cypress, Silver Cypress, take the Ant Army back to the Ant Nest. Fragrant Cypress, Black Sophora, you two go and rest."

Dragon Cypress then said, "The Second King must be getting impatient. I'll set off tonight and deliver the Divine-Grade Fruit to him."

「Areca Rainforest.」

Before the Dominating Throne even entered the Land of Origin Force, Ink Orchid flew up to meet it. Silent, she circled and landed on the Throne, then immediately buried her head and started searching eagerly.

Soon, she found the Spider Silk Bag containing the Divine-Grade Fruit and opened it to inspect.

Divine-Grade Leilian Seed... I've seen those before, nothing special.

Then she opened another Spider Silk Bag to check...

"WOW! OH!" Ink Orchid cheered, surprised, then asked, "Is this a Six Paths Seed?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "Yes. From Six Peaks Mountain, a Six Paths Seed."

Ink Orchid tilted her head in thought, then understanding dawned. She asked again, "Dragon Cypress, you're so late. Did you undergo Molting Evolution once? Have you reached the 8th Age Period?"

"Of course," Dragon Cypress confirmed.

"Then your Soul System Talent...?" Ink Orchid trailed off.

"Successfully awakened."

"And your Soul System Abilities? Do you have any? How many?"

"I've comprehended one... well, let's say one and a half. The 'Heart of Bee King' I comprehended mutated and strengthened..."

Dragon Cypress briefly explained the situation, which again drew a burst of cheers from Ink Orchid, filling her with hope.

After the excitement subsided, Ink Orchid asked, "Dragon Cypress, how's Senior Orchid Mantis? Did it blossom and bear fruit successfully?"

"Of course. Very smoothly," Dragon Cypress replied.

He then countered, "What about King Cypress? Did it successfully swell its fruit? How many Source Stones did it use?"

Ink Orchid said, "...It didn't swell its fruit."

"It didn't swell its fruit?" Dragon Cypress was surprised.

"Go and see for yourself," Ink Orchid replied.

The Dominating Throne accelerated.

The King Cypress Divine-Given Seed tree had already grown to over 130 meters tall, and its spiritual power covered a range exceeding 1,500 meters.

"Dragon Cypress!" King Cypress's spiritual power reached out to greet him, asking enthusiastically, "Have you awakened your Soul System Talent?"

"Of course—" Dragon Cypress directly asked, "King Cypress, no fruit swelling this year?"

"No," King Cypress replied.

King Cypress explained, "The essence of fruit swelling should be a Quality Change in Growth. The fruit needs to absorb enough Origin Force, convert it into Primordial Energy, and accumulate it to a certain level before it can undergo a qualitative change. One cycle of fruit swelling is a Growth Stage and also a Primordial Energy Quality Change. After multiple cycles, reaching the desired effect manifests as fruit maturation."

King Cypress continued, "Each Growth Stage requires a fixed period of time. This time is essential for the conversion of Primordial Energy and the internal development of the fruit. This visually manifests as the familiar Blossom-Fruit Cycle. This is a law of life that all plants must follow."