bookbashuk Chapter 29: Changing Careers is Impossible
Chapter 29: Changing Careers is Impossible
"So, it really is like that?"
"It doesn't seem entirely the same." Wu Yuan, being quite knowledgeable, slowly said, looking at the "seed" that had detached from the withered main vine as the capsule split open, "It looks somewhat like... the heartwood?"
The tree heart is a special tissue that forms within a plant after it reaches the King level. It is also the place where primal energy and "soul" reside. However, judging from Wu Yuan's tone, the tree heart seems to have other functions as well.
"After a Force Plant advances to the King level, it can autonomously condense all its nutrients and Force into its core, and with the assistance of the planted insect warriors, it can easily relocate."
Seemingly noticing Ye Zhi's confusion, Wu Yuan slowly transmitted his mental energy: "Little guy, the seed you condensed from the pitcher plant's divine gift seems to be somewhere between the seed condensed from the flame spider's life seed and the tree heart. Try planting it again and see how much it consumes."
Feeling the immense life force emanating from that "seed" and the faint, almost imperceptible, soul-binding bond, Ye Zhi extended her antennae, dug into the soil, and replanted it.
As the soil was filled back in, Wu Yuan also directed the worker ants to assist in crushing the original dead branches of the "Chimera" and burying them back in the soil. Then, Ye Zhi communicated with the tree spirit through her mind and sent a thought of "growth" to the sleeping "Chimera" tree spirit.
A tender green bud broke through the soil, followed by two cotyledons unfolding. The main vine quickly extended and sprouted... It grew and climbed rapidly at an astonishing speed, soon reaching a height of one meter, and its growth momentum showed no signs of slowing down.
"The Cinnabar Ant King, what's going on? Is this Little Leaf Orchid's life seed?"
Just then, the citron was directing its worker ants to return carrying the carcass of a wild boar-like animal. Upon seeing the scene before them, they were nearly startled and couldn't help but twitch their antennae to ask a question.
"The little guy's life sac has mutated, and its life seed has become somewhat similar to that of the Flame Spider Merchant, capable of switching between seed and plant forms repeatedly." Wu Yuan's voice transmission also carried a hint of unease. "Qing Yuan, go back and get a few raw stones. Put the corpse down, and I'll cut it up."
"Yes, King Cypress Ant." The cypress ant responded by nodding its antennae, then beckoned the two worker ants beside it to follow, and began to walk towards the nest with its six limbs.
Wu Yuan personally directed the worker ants to disembowel the corpse, tearing off pieces of flesh and blood, and handing them to Ye Zhi, saying, "Little guy, go feed this to your seed to replenish its energy."
Ye Zhi lightly tapped her antennae, took the piece of meat, and flew towards the "Chimera" that was still transmitting novel mental signals. She skillfully released her six limbs and threw the piece of meat into an insect trap.
The Chimera seems to have slightly adjusted its strategy during this regrowth. The main stem is shorter, but the leaves are denser, and the number of traps has also increased, indicating that it has tasted the sweetness of being eaten.
After stuffing four or five pieces of meat, each about half the size of a palm, into each insect trap, Ye Zhi temporarily stopped feeding them. As for the remaining parts of the wild boar, they were divided and eaten by the cypress and nearby worker ants present.
Looking at the "Chimera" pitcher plant's divinely bestowed seed in front of her, Ye Zhi fell into deep thought for a moment - she was about to be arranged clearly, and would become an "ant merchant" like the Flame Spider in the future?
But he was even more troubled by what Wu Yuan had told him before: on the neighboring Cloud Continent, where all races coexist, the Flame Spiders had their own independent kingdoms, with native Flame Spider warriors managing their territories and taking care of the younger Flame Spider warriors who were unable to travel and trade, which had become a kind of tradition.
The Flame Spider has a broad carapace and has been traveling between these two continents for countless years, accumulating a considerable reputation among the insect warriors. It can travel anywhere without attracting any attacks.
But I am, after all, an ant, and now it's confirmed that I can lay eggs. If I were to travel and trade in the future, leading a large group of weaver ants and worker ants, wouldn't I be treated as intruders and driven away immediately?
With a change of heart, it seemed that he did not necessarily have to limit himself to commerce. With the Destiny Seed available for him to take with him wherever he went, it seemed that there was another path ahead of him.
According to the inherited memories, all life on this planet can awaken the Force, not just insects, but also those naturally powerful large vertebrates can awaken as "beast warriors".
Seemingly as a kind of balance or compensation by the "True God of Nature," after reaching the Mountain Lord level in evolution, among insect warriors and beast warriors of the same realm, the insect warriors have greater combat power than the beast warriors.
However, before the Mountain Lord level, the "Beast Warriors," which are large vertebrates that have risen to the top, have a combat power that surpasses that of insects due to their size advantage. Furthermore, due to their naturally stronger physical bodies, their evolution before the Mountain Lord level is extremely smooth.
However, the beast warriors do not have life sacs. What they are best at is roaming through the mountains and forests, calculating when the insect warriors' life plants will mature, invading the insect warriors' territory to steal their Force food, and then quickly retreating.
Of course, faced with a single king forming a kingdom, and numerous and powerful ants, bees, and termites, their existence is no match for the daily clearing of the forests by the army, and they cannot cause any trouble at all.
On the contrary, in the neighboring "Cloud Continent" where all races coexist, it is said that many insect tribes have perished, and the weak tribes with no successors are constantly threatened by beast warriors.
Ye Zhi was thinking that once he became strong enough, he might as well find an opportunity to sneak into the neighboring continent through that mysterious interdimensional passage, and do some robbery and plundering to steal food made of Origin Force.
But her thoughts were quickly interrupted—a series of hurried footsteps approached. It was Qingyuan. Behind her were not only the two worker ants that had walked away, but also a fighting worker ant that exuded the stench of blood and lymph, as if it were covered in blood!
"King Wuyuan Ant, there's trouble at Hongyuan Ant's place. King Jialian Ant, at some unknown cost, has managed to get the Brown Luan Ant King of the Luanmu Peak Mountain Giant Toothed Fierce Ant tribe in the Mountain Ant Kingdom to send troops to support us!"
"What?" Upon hearing Qingyuan's words, Wuyuan immediately became anxious. "Qingyuan, go and gather the combat worker ants. I'll lead the team myself. We're going to support Hongyuan now. You take good care of the little guy for me!"
Ye Zhi was secretly alarmed - he had heard the Black Ant King mention this "Mountain Ant Kingdom", which was a powerful ant kingdom led by a king-level Sorrowful Archback Ant King, with mountain-dwelling races such as Mountain Giant Toothed Fierce Ant and Thin-legged Hairy Ant as "vassals".
Among them, Luanmu Peak, the Brown Luan Ant King, seems to be a lord-level mountain giant toothed ant king. Its territory is located at the southernmost end of the mountain range occupied by the mountain ant kingdom, right next to the northern border between the fierce ant kingdom and the tree ant kingdom!
He couldn't help but worry about Zuo Wang Hongyuan, his cheap boss—the other party had indeed treated him well, and if something were to happen to him in the battle...
But then, the telepathic signal from Qingyuan instantly put his mind at ease: "King Wuyuan, the battle is over! Hongyuan has led his troops to repel the Giant Tooth Ants!"