The Goliath Ant King, I'll take it

Damn it!

This is absolutely infuriating!

That kid is definitely faking it.

I have to expose him!

Yan couldn't stand Sun Sheng's spoiled, smug attitude, especially the way he monopolized his goddess.

It made him so furious he nearly lost control and attacked outright.

"Little sister, we don't have much time left. We can't waste it here. Let's help Yan hunt a ten-thousand-year soul beast and get back to report."

Xie Yue seemed a bit fed up too. He patted Yan's shoulder in consolation, then walked over to Hu Liena and deliberately reminded her.

"Mm, brother, I understand."

Hu Liena knew they didn't have much time on this trip, so she nodded.

"Little brother, I don't have enough time right now to find more soul beasts for you."

"How about you stick with us for now? Once I finish my mission, I'll help you look, okay?"

Hu Liena looked at Sun Sheng, her face full of tenderness.

She didn't know why, but she just couldn't get angry at him.

"Mm, okay."

Sun Sheng nodded 'obediently.'

"Then you have to stay close behind me and not run off, alright?" Hu Liena reminded him.

"Big sister, I won't. See, I'm holding your hand."

Sun Sheng took her small hand and deliberately swung it back and forth in front of Yan, looking utterly smug.

The sight was insufferable.

Yan watched, burning with rage.

But with Hu Liena present, he could only hold back.

"Kid, once we get deeper into the inner circle and run into a powerful soul beast, let's see who can protect you then."

Yan sneered coldly to himself and took the lead.

First, he didn't want to see Sun Sheng's annoying face, afraid he'd lose control and strike.

Second, he wanted to find a powerful soul beast quickly—preferably a pack of them.

Only then could he distract Hu Liena and take the chance to kill that wretched brat.

"Yan, make it quick. If possible, get rid of that kid..."

Xie Yue flashed over to Yan's side and whispered in his ear.

He only said half the sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Clearly, Xie Yue had also grown intensely irritated with Sun Sheng.

Yan's eyes lit up at that.

With Xie Yue's help, things would be much easier.

Before long, the four of them successfully entered the inner circle of the Star Dou Great Forest and encountered quite a few thousand-year soul beasts.

But since those soul beasts were too low in age and limited in strength, Yan and Xie Yue couldn't use them to get rid of Sun Sheng.

Perhaps even the heavens were tired of Sun Sheng's act, because Yan finally spotted an opportunity.

He noticed they hadn't encountered any soul beasts for a long time.

They had likely entered the territory of a powerful soul beast—or a colony of them.

Within such a territory, no other types of soul beasts would appear.

That was common sense.

Normally, any sensible soul master would steer clear and leave quickly to avoid conflict with a powerful beast or colony.

But for Yan right now, this was a golden opportunity.

A perfect chance to deal with Sun Sheng.

Sure enough, Yan's guess was right.

While scouting ahead, he sensed a several-hundred-year Goliath Ant hidden in the dense vegetation nearby, confirming his theory.

The Goliath Ant is a powerful, colony-dwelling soul beast.

Without a doubt, this territory belonged to a Goliath Ant colony in the inner circle.

Although the ants here wouldn't include ten-thousand-year beasts and posed no real threat to them, their sheer numbers were enough to distract Hu Liena.

And with Sun Sheng's mere twentieth-level Soul Power, there was no way he'd survive a massive swarm of Goliath Ants.

"Hahaha, heaven helps me."

"Sun Sheng, your time is up."

Yan laughed as he threw a punch, heavily injuring this several-hundred-year-old Thousand Jun Ant. He then tormented it a bit, forcing it to send out a distress signal to summon its kin for rescue.

Afterward, he carried the Thousand Jun Ant back smoothly and tossed it in front of Sun Sheng.

"Sister Liena, while scouting ahead, I stumbled upon a century-old Soul Beast that had wandered into the inner circle—a Thousand Jun Ant. It's perfect for little brother Sun Sheng's Staff Spirit."

To make his act convincing, Yan put on a sincere expression, as if he truly had Sun Sheng's second soul ring in mind.

Sure enough, Hu Liena's face lit up with joy at the sight of the critically injured Thousand Jun Ant.

For staff- or rod-type spirits, the boost from a Thousand Jun Ant was indeed optimal.

It was a soul ring many tool spirit masters dreamed of obtaining.

"Little brother, take a look at this soul ring—it should work, right? For your Staff Spirit, it's a perfect match." Hu Liena said happily.

Sun Sheng stared at the Thousand Jun Ant before him, momentarily stunned.

True, the Thousand Jun Ant's attributes were indeed a great fit for staff-type spirits, even most tool spirits known for their strength. It was exactly the kind of optimal soul ring he was seeking.

But unfortunately, this Thousand Jun Ant's age was too low—only a few hundred years. If it were over a thousand years, or even higher, that would be perfect.

Wait!

Weren't Thousand Jun Ants pack Soul Beasts?

Maybe he could find one with a higher age.

No!

Why would Yan suddenly be so nice to him?

Helping him hunt a Soul Beast?

Wasn't he his rival in love?

There had to be a scheme here.

I get it.

Yan planned to use the Thousand Jun Ant swarm to take me out.

What a schemer.

A flash of insight struck Sun Sheng's mind, and everything clicked. He roughly guessed Yan's plot.

But if you want to play games with me, you've picked the wrong opponent.

"Sister, this Thousand Jun Ant really does suit me."

"But if I recall, Thousand Jun Ants are pack Soul Beasts, right? If a century-old one exists in the inner circle of the Star Dou Great Forest, that means we're probably in the territory of a Thousand Jun Ant colony."

Sun Sheng glanced at Yan and spoke slowly.

Sure enough, the moment he finished, Yan's face changed drastically.

Hu Liena also snapped to attention at that point, realizing they hadn't encountered any other Soul Beasts lately and grasping the severity of the situation.

"Not good!"

"We need to get out of here now."

Realizing the danger, Hu Liena gasped and grabbed Sun Sheng to leave.

But just then, a rustling sound came from all around.

One by one, Thousand Jun Ants emerged, surrounding the four of them—hundreds in total.

Among them, several dozen were larger, nearly a meter in length.

The biggest one, judging by the Soul Power fluctuations it released, was a full five thousand years old.

And this Thousand Jun Ant was different from the others. Its carapace was a dark gold, and the six eyes on its head glowed with an eerie green light. It looked like a miniature version of the Thousand Jun Ant Emperor.

Clearly, it was the leader of this swarm.

Was this the Thousand Jun Ant Emperor?

That couldn't be right?

Sun Sheng was stunned when he saw that unique Thousand Jun Ant.

In his memory, the Thousand Jun Ant Emperor should be in the core circle, where three ninety-thousand-year-old ones resided.

Could this be a Goliath Ant King with the bloodline of the Thousand Jun Ant Emperor?

If so, this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest would be a massive jackpot.

This Goliath Ant King—I'm taking it.