144 Chapter 139 Demon Ant 1

Translator: 549690339 |

Upon entering the range of the great banyan tree, Xiao Niu continued to dash around uncontrollably.

But it couldn’t get out anymore.

It could only run amok inside, like hitting a ghost wall, always returning to the same spot.

Qin Niu sat under the banyan tree watching, and didn’t intervene.

At this moment, Xiao Niu needed to vent frantically. Once it exhausted the energy within its body, it would be able to return to normal.

After termite, bees, and little turtles consumed the Banyan Tree Blood, they all lay motionless, yet Xiao Niu could still run wildly, which showed its exceptional nature.

After watching for a while and seeing that it wasn’t in any danger, Qin Niu closed his eyes to cultivate.

His cultivation was shallow, and to pursue immortality, he had to seize every opportunity to enhance his cultivation level.

Compared to those with gifted fortunes and talents, he could only narrow the gap between them with diligence and wisdom.

Time slowly passed, and Xiao Niu kept roaring, tireless in its running beneath the banyan tree.

It seemed frightening, but in fact, it was safe.

The violent energy could be vented, and with something to consume, it could avoid the fate of exploding and dying.

It wasn’t until near dusk that Qin Niu opened his eyes from cultivation.

His Medicine King Sutra cultivation had risen by one level, reaching the Sixfold level of a mortal.

Meanwhile, his Everlasting Spring Technique had broken through to the Ninefold level of a mortal.

Even without any background connections, he could join the Black Armored Army on merit alone, becoming a candidate soldier.

Of course, he didn’t have any immediate intention of joining the Black Armored Army.

Accustomed to idleness, he really didn’t want to be restrained by others.

For someone as proud to the core as him, he wasn’t born to be a slave or servant. To bend the knee and fawn over others was simply beyond him.

There were many benefits to joining the Black Armored Army, but they could be summarized into three main points.

First, having a soldier’s identity was akin to holding an official rank, entering into the privileged class. Upon retirement, one could enjoy certain benefits, such as exemption from a certain amount of taxes, minor transgressions being pardoned, and exemption from kneeling before officials, and so on.

Second, one could exchange military achievements for cultivation techniques and martial skills, and there was also a chance to obtain elixirs as rewards.

Third, there were opportunities for advancement within the army. One could even reach the upper echelons of the Black Tiger Gang.

For example, the deputy gang leader Bai, who joined the army with the lowest grade Barbarian Bull Technique, was a typical representative of this.

Qin Niu already had the status of a noble.

An Insect Master’s position was not low.

Moreover, as long as he could improve his strength, he could also advance higher up.

As for cultivation techniques and martial skills, he could earn money to buy them himself.

Therefore, joining the Black Armored Army held no attraction for him.

In case of war, there was even a chance of becoming cannon fodder.

No joke. Someone like Wang Yue, a reserve soldier for the Black Armored Army, might appear imposing in the village, but in the army, his status was quite low. In the event of conflict, he was likely to be sent to charge into battle.

With his low cultivation level, clashing with the enemy’s experts, the chances of survival were slim.

Now that Qin Niu’s Medicine King Sutra cultivation had reached the Sixfold level of a mortal, he had a clearer sense of the medicinal energy, the energy contained within plants, and the nature of that energy.

He could even sense the circulation of energy within the plants.

This was greatly beneficial for his understanding of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s cultivation methods.

Because the primary cultivation methods of the Everlasting Spring Technique involved imitating plant cultivation.

Currently, he had only grasped two kinds: one was imitating plants absorbing the Moonlight Power. The other was imitating plants absorbing the moisture in the rainwater.

In the future, he was sure to comprehend even more cultivation methods.

He stood up, looking around for Xiao Niu.

After some effort, he finally found it.

The creature’s strength was depleted, and it lay powerless on the ground. The plants around it were in disarray, a large swathe had collapsed.

It must have been rolling on the ground.

The ground was a mess.

“Can you get up and walk?” Qin Niu asked, patting it.

Xiao Niu opened its eyes feebly, its body lax like it had come apart, unmoving.

From the looks of it, clearly, it couldn’t walk.

Fortunately, Qin Niu now possessed the Ninefold strength of a mortal, over nine hundred jin. He grabbed Xiao Niu by its two front legs, hoisted it onto his back, and then carried it out.

It was completely out of strength, allowing Qin Niu to carry it. Its hind legs dangled helplessly, dragging along the ground as they moved.

As they passed the Ant Nest, he put down Xiao Niu and returned Fourth to the nest.

“While it’s still not dark, I’ve got to cultivate the one hundred new termite that emerged today.”

Previously, he was too busy chasing Xiao Niu to care about this.

He summoned today’s newly emerged termites and those that required secondary cultivation.

He took out two small jars hidden under the tree.

One contained Banyan Tree Blood, and the other had ‘Thousand Eyes Tree’ Blood.

“Eh, this winged fellow looks like a Breeder Ant, doesn’t it?” Qin Niu observed closely and found among the ant colony a relatively small, pale green termite with wings.

It looked unremarkable.

But upon closer inspection, he realized this termite was the breeder ant he had cultivated a few days ago.

It had finally completed its evolution.

It seemed that the evolution time of the breeder ant far exceeded that of a regular termite.

Female Mutated Milky Termite (Breeder Ant)

Level: Grade Two Isoptera, leveling experience 4/1000

Lifespan: 70 years

Energy: 171

Skill: Breeding First Order 0/10

Talent: Can breed Grade Two strong termites and Grade Two poisonous ants, with a very low probability of breeding Grade Two demon ants.

Looking at this newly evolved breeder ant, Qin Niu felt joy, but more than that, he was deep in thought.

Without a doubt, this breeder ant had inherited some of the Ant Queen’s special abilities.

It could produce special strong termites and poisonous ants that were Grade Two right from birth.

This was related to its own level.

If nothing unexpected happened, after it mated and laid eggs, it would automatically advance to a Grade Three termite.

What excited Qin Niu most was its very low probability to breed Grade Two demon ants.

He felt this was definitely a very special and badass ant species.

The Fourth, born from the Ant Queen, was now a Grade Three War Demon Ant.

He wondered if the demon ants bred by this breeder ant would be of the same species as the Fourth.

If they were the same species, then it meant that the Ant Queen also had the ability to breed demon ants.

He had not yet made up his mind to use the Banyan Tree Blood to cultivate the Ant Queen.

But now, he was eager to help the Ant Queen level up.

Because if the Ant Queen could advance to Grade Three, the weakest termites it produced would be Grade Two.

There were still many aspects worth exploring.

This breeder ant could be commanded by Qin Niu, but could its offspring also be under his control?

The Green Demon Bee Rearing Technique mentioned that kinship doesn’t extend beyond three generations.

Although it wasn’t explained in detail, one could infer that this contract power might be somewhat similar to blood relations.

Within three generations, one is within direct lineage, and by the time it reaches grandchildren, the connection is typically not as close.

As for great-grandchildren or even further removed relations, the bond becomes even more tenuous.

Many things can only be known after one has personally experienced them. After Qin Niu finished cultivating all the termites, he summoned the Ant Queen. Its body had become even more bloated, resembling a wriggling white grub, especially around the abdomen, which had grown long and wide.

“Master, are you ready to make me as strong as them? I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

The Ant Queen actually took the initiative to speak to Qin Niu.

Its intelligence seemed to have improved!

And its determination was very strong.

The Fourth, seeing other termites become incredibly strong one after another, eventually couldn’t resist pleading with Qin Niu to make it stronger.

But the Ant Queen had been quietly waiting.

It wanted to become strong, yet it also had a deep understanding of its master.

It knew the master would definitely not forget it.

“Although you’re just an insect, you understand me well. Now that you’re prepared, let’s start!”

Qin Niu didn’t waste words.

He even felt too lazy to mention the risks.

The Ant Queen was linked to his soul; if it died, Qin Niu would suffer great harm.

“Fourth, you will feed the Ant Queen.”

Qin Niu summoned his most capable subordinate.

After many appraisals and assessments of the Ant Queen, he finally concocted the appropriate dosage of Banyan Tree Blood for the Fourth to feed to the Ant Queen.

The Fourth had eaten Banyan Tree Blood once before, but now, eating it again, it showed no reaction at all.

This stuff seemed to be effective only the first time it was consumed.

Soon, the feeding of the Ant Queen was completed.

Qin Niu patiently waited. A force of powerful soldier ants stood guard around the Ant Queen.

At this moment, if that nest of black smelly ants dared to come half a step closer, they would be instantly eradicated without a trace left.

Currently, with over thirty Grade Three termites and thousands of Grade Two termites, the ant colony already possessed non-negligible strength in the outskirts of the forest.

Let alone ants, even insects known as killers like the Golden Ringed Wasp and the praying mantis, or even snakes and rodents that were powerful enemies, the ant colony could easily slaughter them.

There were two new breeder ants today, and Qin Niu had already cultivated them.

Both successfully endured the life-or-death challenge.

This also indicated that his proficiency in using Banyan Tree Blood to cultivate termites had become extremely high.

The current survival rate had reached over 99%.

Mass cultivating regular worker and soldier ants was about quantity; a slightly higher mortality rate was normal for such non-detailed cultivation.