Battle Imminent, Apprentice Ninth Stage!

The Ten Thousand Beast Plains were a vast grassland spanning fifty thousand kilometers. Countless varieties of wild beasts and monster beasts inhabited its expanse. If one was lucky enough, one might occasionally see small monster beast groups migrating or fighting over territory. Of course, this was still land under the jurisdiction of the Azure-Eyed Baboon clan.

On Navara Star, whether a clan possessed a Star Level powerhouse was the standard by which it was judged qualified to divide up territory.

The Jade Crystal Mountain Range, the North Ridge Marsh, the Ten Thousand Beast Plains, and the Mian Gu Black Forest, which they shared with the Vajra Ant Clan and the Frost Flood Dragon, together formed the territory of the Azure-Eyed Baboon clan.

At this moment, at the border between the Ten Thousand Beast Plains and the Mian Gu Black Forest, a hurried group of Azure-Eyed Baboons was traveling. It was the elite force of the Azure-Eyed Baboon clan led by Iron Fist and Gale. They slept rough and ate whatever they could find along the way, using every moment besides necessary rest to travel. A journey that should have taken seven days had been completed in just five.

"Rest on the spot."

A trace of fatigue flashed through Iron Fist's eyes as he raised his right hand and gave the order. Even with his Planet Level physique, five straight days of travel had left him somewhat exhausted, let alone the Apprentice Level elites under his command. But elites were elites. Upon receiving their leader's order, they did not scatter like a disorganized mob to rest. Instead, they divided their duties in an orderly manner and searched the area within three kilometers. Only after clearing out all threats did they truly sit down to rest.

Some leaned against trees, some supported one another back to back, and some took out dried meat to replenish their energy... Yet as every Azure-Eyed Baboon rested, it still gripped its Blade Wood weapon tightly. Every Blade Wood weapon was exceedingly precious.

Iron Fist and Gale left the front of the group and walked somewhere their subordinates could not see them. If they remained among the group, their fanatical subordinates would not be able to rest properly. Even if they had to force themselves to endure, they would maintain the bearing of elites in front of the two of them.

Three hundred meters from the camp, they found a patch of relatively dry ground. After sweeping aside the fallen leaves, Iron Fist and Gale sat on the ground and took dried meat and bamboo tubes from the canvas packs on their backs to replenish their energy and water.

"Gale, do you think this trip will go smoothly?" Iron Fist asked with a frown as he chewed large mouthfuls of dried meat from some unknown monster beast.

Gale set down his bamboo tube and casually wiped the water from the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry. According to the information we got from the Flying Bonito Birds, the Vajra Ants only sent two Fire Ant leaders. The Queen Ant can't possibly lead the charge herself."

Hearing Gale's reassurance, Iron Fist's brow did not relax. Instead, he spoke worriedly. "I'm not afraid of Fire Ants, of course. But they brought nearly a thousand King Kong Ant subordinates, while we only have fifty men."

"What's there to fear?!" Gale declared boldly, brimming with confidence. "Our Azure-Eyed clan has never been weaker than any other clan. One of our warriors can take on three King Kong Ants without a problem!"

"Besides, our clan has Blade Wood and is a superior monster race that has mastered smelting techniques. How can those inferior monster beasts, the Vajra Ants, who only act on instinct, compare to us?"

Iron Fist looked at Gale, who was speaking with such fervor, and could not help shaking his head in warning. "Gale, don't be arrogant! The Vajra Ants occupy such a vast territory in the west. How could they be as pathetic as you claim? We still don't know what madness has seized them, making them expand eastward... In short, we must proceed carefully. Our main goal is to stop them from continuing their eastward expansion and find out why they are expanding east."

Iron Fist, who was broad and burly and appeared more reckless, was actually far calmer than Gale. That was also why Iron Fist had been chosen as the leader of this force.

After hearing this, a glimmer flashed through Gale's eyes. He slowly calmed down, nodded, and agreed. "You're right. I was careless."

Iron Fist put away the food and water, then stood up.

"At this marching speed, we'll meet the Vajra Ant Clan head-on in less than a day. Rest well tonight."

"Conserve your strength, sharpen your blades, and make every preparation for tomorrow's decisive battle!"

Mian Gu Black Forest.

Deep within the ancient forest, the setting sun filtered through the dense canopy, casting mottled pale-red patches of light across the ground. This forest seemed like a masterpiece carefully carved by nature, filled with life and mystery.

Within this tranquil forest, a massive ant swarm was busily moving about.

Their bodies stood as tall as one point eight meters, like prehistoric beasts. At this moment, every one of them was incredibly busy. Along the broad fifty-kilometer front stretching from the forest's edge to their current location, enormous earthen mounds rose from the ground, covered in thick layers of dead leaves and soil.

Inside these mounds lay the underground ant tunnel network painstakingly excavated and connected by the King Kong Ants. The tunnels twisted and intertwined. Some reached depths of dozens of meters, while others lay less than fifty centimeters beneath the surface. Like a maze, every passage led in a different direction and connected every corner of this small section of forest.

This was the battlefield they had meticulously prepared!

Moreover, the King Kong Ants were working around the clock to dig new ant tunnels, rapidly refining every detail of the battlefield. They used their powerful forelimbs to dig furiously through the hard soil. Clods of dirt and dead leaves swirled around them, forming tiny whirlwinds.

Though individual King Kong Ants had very low intelligence, organized and large-scale ant clans were exceedingly terrifying!

They needed no words. With only simple chemical signals and physical contact, they could coordinate their actions and form a powerful force. Within this enormous ant swarm, every King Kong Ant understood its own task. They labored silently, making their final preparations for the coming war.

Two Planet Level Fire Ant leaders stood guard atop a banyan tree over thirty meters tall at the edge of the position. They were clad in scarlet armor that gleamed with dazzling light. Their Planet Level aura was fully on display, intimidating the other monster beasts of the Mian Gu Black Forest into not daring to set foot on this land lightly.

The Mian Gu Black Forest covered hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, so naturally, it did not lack Planet Level monster beasts. However, faced with two obviously formidable Planet Level Fire Ants, awakened Planet Level monster beasts would not come looking for trouble. If they happened to stir up the Vajra Ants' nest and provoke the Star Level Queen Ant, that would be quite a show.

War between the Azure-Eyed Baboons and the Vajra Ants was on the verge of breaking out.

Meanwhile, Xu Yang was hunting prey in the Lightning Strike Mountain Range.

After killing three more small beasts, I'll have enough resources to advance to the Apprentice Ninth Stage. Xu Yang was overflowing with fighting spirit. If the aura of an Apprentice Eighth Stage monster beast around him had not been so intimidating, he would have gathered enough resources to level up long ago.

It would be great if I could find a breath-concealing technique in the inheritance. This aura looks impressive but is useless—it has scared away so much of my prey!

Suddenly, Xu Yang, who had been complaining inwardly, saw his eyes light up. He exerted force with his hind legs.

Bang!

A deafening blast as the sound barrier shattered!

At the same time, the squirrel Xu Yang pounced on was reduced to a pool of blood beneath his paw.

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