"Let's go."
Lin Ke rose and followed the Fire God Mantis outside.
A moment later, waves of heat washed over him.
They stood at the foot of a volcano, surrounded by densely packed mantises whose bodies were predominantly deep red.
These mantises varied in size, the largest taller than Lin Ke and the smallest no bigger than a palm.
Bright yellow patterns marked their deep-red carapaces, resembling churning lava.
Whoosh-
The instant Lin Ke emerged, every mantis nearby turned its gaze toward him in unison.
Faced with all those cold, indifferent compound eyes, even Lin Ke, with his composure, could not stop the corner of his eye from twitching.
One of the keys to a mantis's hunting instincts was movement: it caught moving objects smaller than itself.
"Rustle..."
However, the Fire God Mantis beside Lin Ke immediately vibrated its wings, and the surrounding Fire God Mantises returned to their previous state, standing as motionless as wooden chickens.
"Your king's methods certainly are... one of a kind!" Lin Ke smiled at the sight.
"Our king possesses great wisdom," the Fire God Mantis answered stiffly. "He is our king."
Lin Ke did not respond. He pointed at the volcanic crater above. "Let's go. Take me up there."
Besides guarding the fire vein, the Fire God Mantises stationed here also served to reduce consumption.
The less they moved, the less energy they consumed, and the less prey they needed to eat.
Thus, for the sake of the island's ecosystem, the Fire God Mantis King had stationed a large group of Fire God Mantises with cultivation here.
Otherwise, as apex predators, the Fire God Mantis population's appetite had increased enormously after they acquired demonic aura. Even the entire island would not have been enough to feed them.
Sitting on the Purple-Patterned White Tiger's back