Two days later, in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The morning mist, like a veil, enveloped the entire forest in a hazy green hue.
Tang Feng held his breath and focused, stepping on the thickest part of the decaying leaves with each step. Behind Tang Feng, Tang Jian and his three Quasi-Soul Ancestor brothers spread out in a fan shape, forming a hidden network of perception among the five of them.
"This is already the heart of that swarm of Qian Jun Ant ' territory," Seventh Elder Tang Lie's voice rang out. "Everyone, be alert! At the edge of this area, Soul Beast over ten thousand years old could leap out at any moment."
Before the words were even finished, a hundred feet ahead, at the base of an ancient tree that would take five people to encircle, the soil suddenly churned. At first, only small particles trembled, but in an instant, the ground was rolling like boiling water!
"They're here!" Tang Feng shouted, and the group instantly lowered their bodies, concentrating their Soul Power to the extreme.
That was a patrol team of Qian Jun Ant.
The leading soldier ant was thirteen inches long, with a dark gold body. Its six segments were like steel spears, and its mouthparts made a metallic scraping sound when they opened and closed. The antennae on its head swayed slightly, each one shimmering with a faint light that detected Soul Power.
Behind it followed sixteen soldier ants, some a thousand years old and others a hundred, their carapaces gleaming coldly in the morning light. The entire column was perfectly aligned, and their movement exuded a chilling, military aura.
"Sixteen... no queen ant." Tang Lie frowned, his mental energy rippling outwards. "They should just be outer sentinels. Follow them, and we'll surely find the nest."
The group quietly followed, trailing the ant colony fifty feet behind like shadows. These Qian Jun Ant have an extremely wide range of senses, and they will be alerted by the slightest disturbance. Once they are detected, they will be attacked by the entire colony in the blink of an eye.
The patrol wound its way forward, and finally, after passing through a dense vine forest, the sight before them made everyone gasp in shock.
It was a "mountain" made of mud and rubble.
The mountain is over thirty feet high, and its surface is covered with countless holes, each as thick as a water vat, from which dark golden Qian Jun Ant constantly go in and out.
A strange, acidic smell filled the air; it was the pheromones secreted by the Qian Jun Ant, so concentrated they were almost tangible.
The entire "ant mountain" exuded a chilling pressure, like a sleeping behemoth.
"This is it." Tang Lie's voice carried a hint of excitement. "I can sense several auras that are over ten thousand years old inside the mountain... one of them is extremely powerful, at least thirty thousand years old!"
Tang Lie looked at Tang Feng and the others. "You guys wait outside. Tang Hui, Tang Zhi, and I will go and drag them out!"
After saying that, Tang Lie, Tang Hui, and Tang Zhi exchanged glances and took a step forward at the same time.
boom--!
Three terrifying auras erupted simultaneously, like three invisible mountains, crashing down with a deafening roar. The entire ant mountain froze instantly, and instinctive fear was revealed in the eyes of the Qian Jun Ant.
Tang Lie took the lead, unleashing his Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, and his figure slashed into the hole in the mountain like Gui Mei. Tang Hui and Tang Zhi followed closely behind.
A dull thud echoed from inside the cave. Each hammer blow struck precisely at the joints of the soldier ants, the hardest part of their carapace, yet also the most densely packed with nerves.
The powerful Soul Power transformed into shockwaves, penetrating layers of armor and striking the central nervous system.
In a short while, the ant king, as if drunk, became weak in all six limbs, his mouthparts became crooked, and he collapsed to the ground.
Tang Hui and Tang Zhi were not idle either. They each locked onto the soldier ants of suitable age. Their movements were exactly the same, and their palm strikes contained the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.
Amidst the surge of Soul Power, the enormous soldier ants didn't even have time to utter a mournful cry before their eyes rolled back and they fainted.
A moment later, Tang Lie emerged from the ground carrying a Qian Jun Ant King, over three feet long and covered in dark gold patterns.
Even in a coma, the ant king still exuded a chilling aura of power emanating from its carapace.
Tang Hui and Tang Zhi followed closely behind, each carrying two slightly smaller soldier ants in their hands. Their two-foot-long bodies were heavy, and the aura of the Thousand-Year Soul Beast still flowed unconsciously within them.
"Let's go!" Tang Lie said casually, "Let's find a secluded place to absorb the Soul Ring!"
The group quickly evacuated. A quarter of an hour later, in a secluded valley hidden by vegetation, they properly settled the five unconscious Qian Jun Ant.
Tang Jian took a deep breath, walked to the four-thousand-year-old soldier ant, summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, and struck the soldier ant's head with it, ending its life. A deep purple Soul Ring slowly rose up.
Tang Jian sat down cross-legged, and as his Soul Power guided him, the Soul Ring landed on his body. Tang Jian's face instantly turned red, and his veins bulged, clearly indicating that he was enduring the pain of the Soul Power impact.
The others didn't delay any longer and stepped forward to absorb the Soul Ring.
Two hours later, Tang Jian was the first to complete the absorption.
"Boom!"
A surge of Soul Power exploded from Tang Jian's body, and his three Soul Ring— yellow, yellow, and purple—pulsated slowly.
Tang Jian opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with sharp light!
"Level 38! I actually reached level 38 directly!" Tang Jian's heart trembled with excitement.
The Third Soul Skill, " Qian Jun Raging Hammer," grants a 100% increase in strength and a 20% increase in armor penetration.
Another hour passed, and three waves of Soul Power erupted in succession.
The three cousins opened their eyes at the same time, their four Soul Ring, yellow and purple, shining brightly on their bodies.
They also reached level 42 and obtained a decent single-target attack Soul Skill, " Qian Jun Hammer Slash ".
At this moment, only Tang Long remained, still absorbing the Soul Ring of the 30,000-year-old ant king.
The waiting time was particularly agonizing.
An hour later, a low, muffled thud finally came from where Tang Long was.
A deep, ink-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring completely formed around Tang Long's body.
Tang Long slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and his Soul Power surged outwards.
"I've reached Level 62!" Tang Long's voice was unusually excited.
The Sixth Soul Skill, " Qian Jun Barrier," is a defensive and amplification type Soul Skill. The Soul Power barrier can absorb 80% of physical damage. If the barrier is canceled or broken, the user's strength is immediately amplified by 100%.
Tang Long looked at Tang Feng and grinned, " Little Feng, next time we spar, you might not be able to break through my defense!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng chuckled and joked, "That's not necessarily true. I'm about to get a new Soul Ring too!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere vanished. The only regret was that none of the five Soul Beast produced Soul Bone.
Tang Lie stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of satisfaction. He said, "Everyone has obtained some good Soul Skill. Let's rest here for the night, and tomorrow we'll set off again to seize the Soul Ring of that Heaven-Burning Demonic Ape!"
Tang Lie had barely finished speaking when he seemed to remember something and turned to Tang Hui beside him, saying, "That volcano is still three or four days' journey from here, and we have to cross the heartland inhabited by Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Taking Xiao Jian and the other five along would make us too conspicuous and hinder our movement. If we alert the powerful Soul Beast in the core area, I'm afraid we won't be able to protect them in time."
Tang Hui frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "What does Seventh Uncle mean?"
Tang Lie waved his hand and ordered, "Split into two groups. You and Tang Zhi will lead the other five to the rendezvous point. I'll go with Little Feng alone. The two of you will move stealthily and finish this quickly."
Tang Hui thought about it and felt that this was the best solution, so he agreed, "Yes, that's good too. Too many people would actually make things more difficult."
That night, the campfire crackled in the valley. Everyone sat down to meditate and regulate their breathing, stabilizing the Soul Ring they had just absorbed.
At dawn the next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of white.
Tang Hui and Tang Zhi then led Tang Jian five men, fully prepared to depart, and the two groups parted ways in the valley.
Tang Hui and his group of seven, like stalking cheetahs, silently disappeared into the eastern side of the forest, their figures quickly swallowed by the morning mist.
Accompanied by Tang Lie, Tang Feng turned and strode deeper into the forest, hurrying towards the volcano.
Three days later, the volcanic area on the map was already in sight.
The closer you get, the hotter the air becomes, and cracks and charred lines begin to appear on the ground.
The trees were no longer verdant, but had turned an eerie dark red, with lava-like patterns flowing across their bark. Occasionally, a Soul Beast would dart by, but they were all fire-attribute, and would flee in panic as soon as they sensed the presence of the three.
On the horizon, a dormant volcano lies sprawled like a giant beast, billowing black smoke from its crater, the air thick with the pungent smell of sulfur. For miles around, nothing grows, and the ground is so hot you could fry an egg on it.
"This is it." Tang Lie stopped, his expression grave. "Ahead lies the territory of the Heaven-Burning Demonic Ape. This place is dangerous; you must be careful."
Tang Feng did not answer, but slowly released his Martial Soul.