The most formidable beings in the animal kingdom have never been fierce beasts like lions or tigers, but rather the most inconspicuous insects.
If insects were scaled up to the same size, they would become the new rulers of this world.
Seen from high above, Insect Island’s shape resembles a beetle, with over ninety percent of its area blanketed by forest.
At this very moment, a dark undercurrent was surging through the dim world beneath the forest canopy.
Wherever the undercurrent passed, it left behind piles of white bones and barren ground, devoid of even a blade of grass. Some massive trees, their roots and trunks gnawed through, had toppled with thunderous crashes.
At first glance, it looked like a flood. A closer look revealed this “flood” was actually composed of ants, each as long as a handspan, their mouths equipped with a pair of enormous, powerful pincers that seemed capable of shearing through almost anything when they swung them.
Occasionally encountering swamps or puddles, a group of ants would sacrifice themselves, forming living ant-bridges to allow the main force to advance.
If the ants at the front fell, the next “volunteer” would step forward without hesitation to fulfill its mission.
The undercurrent moved with terrifying speed. Each ant could cover a distance dozens of times its own body length in a single second. Combined with the pushing force within the ant column, the surge reached a staggering pace. A wild rabbit ultimately failed to escape their clutches, reduced to a skeleton the instant they caught up.
On the branch of an exceptionally thick, towering tree, Su Mo and the others looked down at the black tide rapidly approaching from the distance, a chill running down their spines.
Even Wu Heng, who had some prior knowledge of this, paled at the sight of the army ants. “Army ants this size… if we fall in, three seconds at most.”
Zhu Gezhi swallowed hard. “I think I could probably last an extra second.”
Xia Qingqing poked him lightly. “Want to test that?”
“Ah? Ah! Ah!” Zhu Gezhi yelped. “No, no! I still owe you guys money!”
In the few moments it took for this exchange, the army ants had already surrounded their tree. Without hesitation, Wu Heng ignited a ring of fire around the trunk.
Ye Qingyi looked concerned. “This is a forest. What if the fire spreads?”
Wu Heng glanced up at the sky. “It won’t. Given the climate here, it will definitely rain today.”
They had firsthand experience with this. Over the ten-plus days of the assessment, half the time had been spent in the rain. And the rain here was absurdly heavy, plunging the world into darkness each time it fell, like a calamity from the heavens.
“Didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable about this,” Xia Qingqing said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Wu Heng’s expression remained calm, but a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Just a hobby.”
Zhu Gezhi screamed internally: Damn, this guy can put on such an act? How come I never noticed before?
There was actually another option available to them—fleeing to the seaside.
If distance hadn’t been an issue, it would have been a good choice.
The flames indeed cut off the army ants’ advance, granting the group a temporary reprieve.
However, the good times didn’t last. An even more terrifying scene unfolded.
“Look! They’re standing up!” Xia Qingqing exclaimed in horror, grabbing Huo Jingshu’s arm, her eyes wide with fear.
And it wasn’t just her. Even Su Mo nearly blurted out a curse upon seeing it.
Around them, the army ant swarm erected five massive “pillars,” attempting to block their escape routes.
“What a cunning swarm!” Su Mo frowned, considering whether to expose his identity and use Yin Fire.
In the current situation, even a D-level super with area-of-effect abilities could handle things more easily than they could.
“Wu Heng, do you have any other ideas?” A faint, dark blue flicker danced in the depths of Su Mo’s eyes.
Wu Heng pointed in a direction. “We can break through towards those trees over there. But we’ll need someone to scatter that ‘pillar’ first.”
Just as Huo Jingshu was about to stand up, Ye Qingyi pressed her back down. “I’ll do it. In a moment, seize the opportunity and follow me closely. Don’t fall behind.”
With that, she leaped, charging towards the direction Wu Heng had indicated.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred at that moment.
Including the tree where Ye Qingyi was about to land, all the large trees within several dozen meters began to shake. The army ant swarm intended to cut off their retreat.
Ye Qingyi was already in mid-air, suddenly without a landing point, seemingly destined to be buried in the ant swarm.
“Captain!”
Ye Qingyi remained unflappable. Her long blade danced, creating an impenetrable defense. The army ants couldn’t immediately break through her guard.
But these creatures possessed terrifying strength and a merciless, overwhelming numbers. A thick layer of ants enveloped Ye Qingyi, forming a large mound on the ground. In less than half a minute, she showed signs of being overpowered.
Their survival tree also began to shake violently at this moment, on the verge of toppling.
“There’s no escape. Let’s help the captain.” Su Mo left these words behind as he charged out first. His speed was so astonishing it gave Wu Heng a jolt.
Su Mo, ah, Su Mo… Two such outstanding girls both like you so much…
There was no jealousy in Wu Heng’s eyes, only a dense, burning fighting spirit.
In his view, a man’s worth was proven by his strength. If someone else was strong, they deserved it!
The moment the group leaped down, the massive tree beneath their feet crashed to the ground. The erected “pillars” also leaned inward, attempting to ensnare them all with sheer numbers.
Instantly, six large mounds swelled up from the ground, growing larger and larger.
Truthfully, while these army ants were powerful individually, they were only about F-level in strength. Their advantage lay entirely in their numbers—so vast that they could overwhelm any advantage gained from a higher cultivation realm.
Just as the six seemed about to be submerged and reduced to skeletons within the ant swarm, one of the mounds suddenly exploded with a BOOM. The surging dark current instantly froze solid.
It was as if someone had removed the battery from a clock. Time stood still in that moment.
Within the ice sculptures, dark blue flames clung like maggots to bone, quietly burning, turning tens of thousands of army ants to ash.
The trapped six revealed themselves, each wearing an expression of utter shock, with Zhu Gezhi and Wu Heng looking the most stunned.
But now was not the time for shock. The ant swarm outside the frozen area was already surging forward again.
Su Mo held a magic staff, his eyes now completely black. “Let me give you an enhanced version.”
Black Yin Fire exploded outward from him, and the ant swarm simply melted away within the ice.
Su Mo paid no heed to Xia Qingqing and Huo Jingshu’s excitement, nor to Zhu Gezhi and Wu Heng’s astonishment. He pointed in the direction the ant swarm seemed to be heading. “Follow me and fight our way over there. We might gain something unexpected.”
Without another word, everyone followed behind him.
This all seemed perfectly logical, as if it was only natural for them to follow his lead.
The previously rampant and aggressive ant swarm suddenly became the ones fleeing. Encased in Yin Fire, Su Mo and the others advanced as if walking through ant-free territory.
At that very moment, several hundred meters away from them, a sphere woven from vines was speeding towards their location. However, it suddenly came to a halt as it passed by the area of ice sculptures.
The vines were repeatedly gnawed away to nothing, only to be replenished again and again. The ant swarm gnawed away happily.
Inside, Yang Jie adjusted his glasses frame and muttered to himself, “It’s good that it’s exposed. Yes, it’s good that it’s exposed…”