Chapter 153 - 137: How Can a Sparrow Know the Ambition of a Swan? Preparing for a Breakthrough!

Chapter 153: Chapter 137: How Can a Sparrow Know the Ambition of a Swan? Preparing for a Breakthrough!

"SCREECH!"

Just as the group was chatting, a sharp, piercing cry suddenly echoed from the distant sky. The sound was so shrill it made their eardrums ache, resembling the desperate howl of something being hunted down.

Everyone looked up.

On the distant horizon, a figure enveloped in the phantom of a Red Flame Lava Flood Dragon was streaking toward them at an astonishing speed. The figure was as fast as a meteor, leaving the air visibly distorted and scorched in its wake. Ahead of that figure, a massive black eagle was fleeing in a blind panic.

The black eagle had a wingspan of over ten meters and was as black as ink. Its unfurled wings looked like a dark storm cloud. Yet right now, this seemingly fierce creature was being chased so relentlessly that it flew desperately toward the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest.

"It’s Lu Xinghe!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

Ji Zhixing also recognized the figure. Lu Xinghe was the prodigy from Yun City University who had fused with the Tier Five Radiant Moon-level Red Flame Lava Flood Dragon gene.

Over the past few days, the geniuses from the three universities who had fused with Tier Five genes had mostly clashed with one another. Rumor had it that Lu Xinghe was the strongest among them.

"So strong," Ji Zhixing thought, his heart slightly shaken as he watched the figure enveloped by the lava Flood Dragon phantom in the sky. He could clearly sense that the aura emanating from Lu Xinghe was a cut above Cao Zhenxing, Yu Mengdie, and Gongye Zhou.

"SCREECH!"

Sensing approaching death, the black eagle let out an even more miserable cry. It flapped its wings violently, its speed surging as it made one final, desperate struggle.

But Lu Xinghe was faster. His figure flickered in midair like a crimson lightning bolt, instantly closing the distance. The next moment, he swung his right hand and thrust out a crimson spear. In that instant, the Red Flame Lava Flood Dragon phantom behind him roared at the sky, turning into a ray of crimson light that merged into the spear.

BOOM!

With a deafening blast, the spear pierced through the sky and drove straight through the massive black eagle’s body. The giant bird did not even have time to scream before a massive hole was blown through it. Crimson flames spread from the wound, charring its body pitch-black in the blink of an eye.

The eagle’s corpse plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. Lu Xinghe descended from the sky, landing lightly atop the dead bird.

"Is this the power of a six-star gene ability?" Ji Zhixing thought, his heart stirring as he watched the distant figure.

According to rumors, although Cao Zhenxing, Yu Mengdie, and Gongye Zhou had also fused with Tier Five Radiant Moon-level genes, their strongest gene abilities were only of five-star quality. Lu Xinghe, however, possessed a six-star gene ability called Soaring Dragon. Though there was only a one-star difference between five and six stars, the gap in power was a world of difference. This was precisely why Lu Xinghe was a cut above the other three.

"Such strength is truly enviable," Ji Zhixing thought silently. "I wonder how long it will take for me to possess such power?"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his racing thoughts. Currently, he was still lacking far too much. He hadn’t even mastered the ability to fly yet.

"You guys keep chatting; I’m going to cultivate," Ji Zhixing said, shaking his head. After informing the group, he stood up and retreated into his tent.

"Did that guy get triggered or something?" Seeing this, Xu Cheng paused in slight surprise before shaking his head. "What’s there to be triggered about?

"Lu Xinghe fused with a Tier Five Radiant Moon-level gene. Even Cao Zhenxing, Gongye Zhou, and Yu Mengdie might not necessarily be a match for him.

"How can a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan?"

Hearing his words, Jiang Qingqian glanced at Ji Zhixing’s retreating back and rolled her eyes at Xu Cheng. Then she spoke up, "Werent you just asking what Ji Zhixing and Ming Yue did today? The two of them snatched a treasure right under the noses of Cao Zhenxing, Gongye Zhou, and Yu Mengdie—the very treasure those three were fighting over."

"How is that possible?" Hearing this, Xu Cheng was dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.

"Go ask around if you don’t believe me." Jiang Qingqian pointed into the distance. "More than one person witnessed that scene today."

Half-doubting, Xu Cheng actually stood up, walked over to a few people in the distance, and asked around. A moment later, he returned, his expression completely changed.

"It’s actually true..." he muttered, his eyes full of disbelief.

Before, when Ji Zhixing surpassed Cao Zhenxing on the leaderboard during the Yu City University freshman trial, one could still chalk it up to good luck. But this time, for Ji Zhixing to snatch the contested treasure from the hands of three Tier Five Gene Cultivators, it was absolutely more than just luck.

"How exactly... did that guy do it?" Xu Cheng looked toward Ji Zhixing’s tent, his heart full of questions.

Two days later.

"Let’s go. Today we’ll see if that Ant King Divine Power Liquid is still there," Ji Zhixing called out to Xu Cheng.

"Alright!" Xu Cheng agreed immediately.

He couldn’t wait any longer. For the past few days, he had been obsessing over that ant nest. He had only held back from going on Xiao Mingyue’s advice. Calculating the time, the Ant King Divine Power Liquid should be just about fully gestated and transformed.

"Then let’s head out right now," Xu Cheng said excitedly. He raised his head and spoke respectfully to the empty air in front of him. "Lord Azure Sky Divine Wood, please teleport us to the ant nest I visited previously."

Since he had teleported back from there at the time, he could have the Azure Sky Divine Wood teleport him back. It was the same rule for everyone; wherever they had teleported back from before, they could return to—and they could bring people along.

As his voice fell, a spatial fluctuation enveloped the three of them. The next moment, their figures vanished from the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest.

When they reappeared, the trio was standing in an underground cavern. The cavern was massive, a good five or six meters high and dozens of meters wide. The surrounding rock walls were grayish-brown and densely covered in holes, as if drilled out by something. The air hung heavy with the smell of damp earth mixed with a faint odor of formic acid.

"Is that the Ant Queen?"

Ji Zhixing’s gaze swept the area, immediately spotting a massive bug at the end of the cavern. The bug was five or six meters long and entirely milky-white. Its bloated body looked like a white grub magnified countless times. Its head was tiny, and its mandibles constantly opened and closed, emitting faint hissing sounds.

Around this colossal bug, individual black ants were scurrying back and forth. Each of those ants was half a meter long and pitch-black. They had a pair of giant mandibles on their heads resembling curved scimitars, which constantly snapped open and shut with loud clicking noises.

"There are so many..." Xiao Mingyue whispered.

At a rough glance, there were at least a hundred black ants in the cavern, and new ones kept crawling out from the holes in the walls.

HISS!

The moment the trio appeared, the black ants noticed them. Their mandibles rapidly clamped together, producing harsh, grinding noises. The next instant, the ants surged forward like a tidal wave, swarming in a dense, overwhelming mass.

"The Ant King Divine Power Liquid!"

Ji Zhixing didn’t immediately attack. Instead, he took a moment to glance at a spot not far beneath the colossal bug. Sure enough, there was quite a bit of milky-white liquid pooling there. Unlike the batch Xu Cheng had initially obtained, this liquid lacked any pungent odor and instead emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"The transformation is complete!" Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up.

CRACKLE!

Right then, Xu Cheng made his move. Raising his right hand, a purple bolt of lightning shot from his palm. With a piercing crack that tore through the air, it struck the black ants charging at the very front.

ZAP!

The lightning exploded, engulfing seven or eight black ants in electricity. Their bodies violently stiffened as plumes of black smoke rose from their carapaces, and they collapsed to the ground, dead. But the very next moment, even more ants surged forward, trampling over their comrades’ corpses to frantically rush the trio.

"Tidal Surge!"

Seeing this, Ji Zhixing immediately drew his Nine-Tiered Tide Rod. With a shift in thought, his body suddenly expanded, transforming into a towering two-point-seven-meter giant. Gripping the weapon with both hands, he swept the long rod outward, carrying with it the deep, rolling sound of crashing tides.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The rod swept past, directly blasting away over a dozen black ants. Under the heavy blows of the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod, their carapaces shattered into pieces. Dark green bodily fluids splattered everywhere as their corpses flew far into the distance, crashing into the swarm behind and throwing it into chaos.

"Nice!" Xu Cheng’s eyes lit up at the sight of Ji Zhixing’s imposing might.

At the same time, Xiao Mingyue also struck. With a wave of her hands, Flame Spirit Birds flew from her palms, flapping their wings as they dove into the ant swarm. Flames spread rapidly, burning the ants until they squealed in agony.

With Ji Zhixing holding the frontline and sweeping his rod, Xiao Mingyue and Xu Cheng could stand safely behind him and unleash their firepower without worry. Working together, the three of them quickly slaughtered over a hundred black ants.

"Charge through!"

Seeing more black ants rushing out from the holes, Ji Zhixing gave a low shout. He gripped his long rod and took massive strides forward, charging straight toward the enormous white Ant Queen. Xiao Mingyue and Xu Cheng followed closely behind. The trio crushed everything in their path, leaving a trail littered with ant corpses.

Soon, they broke through to the colossal white bug.

HISS!

Seeing the trio approach, the Ant Queen opened its mouth and let out a low, guttural roar. The sound wasn’t loud, yet it carried a bizarre, eerie power. In an instant, an invisible mental shockwave rippled outward from the Ant Queen, washing over the surroundings and blasting straight into their minds.

"Oh no!"

Struck by the mental attack, Xu Cheng felt as if his head had been smashed by a heavy hammer. His thoughts instantly ground to a sluggish crawl. "A mental attack!" he thought in horror.

But the next moment, he saw that Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue were entirely unaffected, their footsteps not faltering in the slightest. Ji Zhixing didn’t pause for even a fraction of a second. He hoisted his Nine-Tiered Tide Rod and brought it crashing down onto the Ant Queen.

"Sea Burial!"

The long rod was raised high before smashing down with an unstoppable, unyielding momentum.

BOOM!

With a muffled blast, the Ant Queen’s body was completely blown apart, sending milky-white fluids and chunks of gore flying everywhere. The massive white bug was reduced to a pile of mush before it could even utter a scream.

With the Ant Queen dead, the surrounding black ants immediately descended into chaos. They stopped their frenzied attacks and began scurrying around in panic. Some burrowed back into the holes, while others fled into the distance. The entire scene was utter pandemonium.

"Quick, gather the Ant King Divine Power Liquid!" Ji Zhixing called out. He put away the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod and rapidly began collecting the liquid from the ground.

Xiao Mingyue crouched down and helped him collect it.

Xu Cheng rubbed his aching, dizzy head, finally snapping back to his senses. He glanced at the Ant Queen that Ji Zhixing had blown apart, then at the frantic ants scattering everywhere, before hastily crouching down to join them in collecting the Ant King Divine Power Liquid.

Moving swiftly, the trio scooped up all the Ant King Divine Power Liquid from the floor in just a few dozen seconds.

"What now? Are we going to check out other places?" Xu Cheng asked, looking at Ji Zhixing.

Ji Zhixing shook his head. "No."

Truthfully, exploring other areas wouldn’t be a bad idea, but he had no intention of doing so. He planned to head back right now and begin cultivating.

After last night’s cultivation session, his cultivation base had already reached the peak of Tier Two. With the aid of the Nine-Colored Illusory Sea Flowing Fragrance Honey, he figured he wouldn’t face much of a bottleneck. In all likelihood, he would break through to Tier Three within the next day or two. He might even break through today.