Ant Nest

"This... this... this isn't some underground lava cave at all... This is... an ant nest!!!" Lin Chuan's mind was still filled with the sight he had just witnessed. He was so shocked he could hardly speak.

Two kilometers underground, a gigantic red ant lay dormant beside a vast lake of magma. Its body stretched nearly a thousand meters, and all around it lay fiery-red eggs.

Some of the eggs had already hatched, and half-meter-long red ants had crawled out. They fed on magma, and as they devoured it, countless crimson markings appeared across their bodies.

Lin Chuan finally understood what the narrow passages he had seen behind the rock walls with his Byakugan were for. They were nothing less than tunnels for these red ants to crawl through.

"That thousand-meter-long ant must be the Ant Queen. Judging by the terrifying aura coming from her, her cultivation is at least at the Nascent Soul Stage! Damn it, does the Lin Clan not know these things exist?" Lin Chuan's face was grim.

If the Ant Queen hadn't seemed to be asleep, every one of them who had come inside would have died here. There would have been no chance of escape.

The Lin Clan had never treated them like people!

"No wonder we found those torn-up corpses earlier. These ants must have crawled up through those narrow tunnels to hunt." Just thinking about it sent a chill down Lin Chuan's spine. They were running around inside this behemoth's nest! If they accidentally woke the giant below, everyone would die.

"Lin Chuan, what's wrong? Let's go!" Zhang Leyang and the other two had already walked more than ten meters away. When they noticed Lin Chuan hadn't followed, they immediately waved him over.

"Mm!" Lin Chuan answered in a low voice. He didn't want to spend another moment in this Lava Ant Nest—not even to gather the Crimson Flame Lotus. He just wanted to get out of this godforsaken place as fast as possible.

"Let's hurry! It's dangerous here!" Lin Chuan picked up the pace and led Zhang Leyang and the other two swiftly toward the surface.

"Did something happen?" Zhang Leyang asked, noticing that Lin Chuan's expression was off.

The other two were also surprised. From the time they had spent with Lin Chuan, he seemed like a steady person, even possessing a composure far beyond his years. But now, his fear was written all over his face. Even the three of them, who weren't exactly sharp-eyed, could see it.

Lin Chuan shook his head and said with a dark expression, "Once you're up there, leave this cave immediately. Don't stay nearby, either. Head for the edge of the Hunting Grounds. Understand?"

"Why? This place is a little oppressive, but it doesn't seem dangerous. Besides, we still need to gather some Crimson Flame Lotus, or we might not pass this test!" Zhang Leyang asked, puzzled.

The three of them were fairly capable, but they hadn't hunted many Spirit Beasts. They didn't have Lin Chuan's Byakugan, which let him easily find suitable prey. They had also run into a formidable trio once and been thoroughly shaken down. That was why they had decided to take a chance in the Lava Cave.

Now Lin Chuan was asking them to return empty-handed. There was no way they would agree!

Lin Chuan frowned. He couldn't explain, and there was no way to explain. Was he supposed to tell them that he had seen a Nascent Soul Ant Queen a kilometer long underground? No one would believe him. And even if someone did, what good would it do? If word got out, it wouldn't benefit Lin Chuan at all. He might even be hauled off and studied like a lab rat.

"Let's get back to the surface first," Lin Chuan said vaguely. His Byakugan could show him where the Crimson Flame Lotus grew, so he could take the three of them to gather some later. He just had to be discreet about it.

After rushing upward for about a kilometer, Lin Chuan finally spotted a suitable place and led the three of them in that direction.

Through Lin Chuan's Byakugan, he could see five Crimson Flame Lotus plants growing in a hollow in the rock wall along the passage. The spot wasn't especially hidden, either. He could simply lead the three of them past it and pretend they had stumbled upon it by chance.

Lin Chuan could have moved much faster, but to keep pace with the three of them and avoid revealing his strength, he didn't go all out. He merely kept up with them.

When they were still a hundred meters from the place where the Crimson Flame Lotus grew, Lin Chuan deliberately slowed down and said, "We've been running for a while. Everyone must be tired. Let's take a break and walk for a bit!"

The three immediately agreed. They had been forcing themselves to keep going, not wanting to look too weak in front of Lin Chuan, so they hadn't asked for a break. Now that Lin Chuan had brought it up, they eagerly seized the opportunity.

From their earlier conversation, Lin Chuan had learned that the three of them had originally belonged to the same family. They were all surnamed Zhang. Aside from Zhang Leyang, the plumper one was Zhang Wei, and the thinner one was Zhang Mo.

They had once been members of a prominent family in a small town. If their clan hadn't been wiped out, they would probably be studying at school now. But what happened later had completely changed their fate. Their clan had been destroyed, and Lin Chuan himself had cast them aside here as orphans.

The one stroke of luck was that the three weren't lacking in talent. They had managed to survive until now and even had a chance of passing this test. If they passed, they would have a place in the Lin Clan, and their future would be secure. That was why they were willing to risk coming here.

Otherwise, with Zhang Leyang and the others' personalities, they absolutely wouldn't have come here to take a chance.

"Look!! It's the Crimson Flame Lotus!" Zhang Wei shouted, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"It's real, it's real! We actually found Crimson Flame Lotus here!" Zhang Leyang cried happily.

The corners of Lin Chuan's mouth lifted slightly. This could be his gift to the three of them. At least the scholarly air about them made him feel as if he had been transported to another life.

"I'll gather them," Lin Chuan said. Then he circulated Senjutsu Chakra into his palm and walked toward the Crimson Flame Lotus.

The three, who had been excited moments earlier, changed expressions at Lin Chuan's move. It wasn't that they didn't want to share with him; they were afraid he would take everything for himself. From beginning to end, they had never considered killing Lin Chuan to claim the Crimson Flame Lotus.

"I don't need even one. They're all yours! Our team already has enough Spirit Cores, and we've gathered some Crimson Flame Lotus, too. We have more than enough to pass the test!" Lin Chuan's next words dispelled all their misgivings.

Though Lin Chuan had his back to the three of them, with his Byakugan activated, he could see their expressions and movements. If Zhang Leyang wanted to kill him, this would be the perfect moment, but none of them showed any intention of attacking. It seems they really are kindhearted. They haven't turned completely ruthless in a place like this. They're worth befriending...

Then Lin Chuan shifted his gaze toward the outside of the cave. Three hundred meters away, two groups of people were approaching. Most of them were at or above the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage. They were among those who had already passed the test.