The more the Ant Emperor spoke, the more convinced it became of its own theory. After all, in the past, the Dark Serpent had caused the ant colony plenty of trouble over this very patch of worthless forest!
“Ant Emperor, can you be reasonable? What eggs are you talking about? I haven’t even heard about any eggs!” the Dark Serpent retorted, though it hadn’t fully grasped the Ant Emperor’s meaning.
But hearing that the Ant Emperor’s eggs had been crushed, the Dark Serpent swished its tail in the mud. Now that was good news!
“Dark Serpent, are you determined to oppose me? Well, don’t worry! I guarantee this swamp will be completely dried up within a year!” the Ant Emperor sneered.
In the Ten Directions Realm, the Crimson-Yellow Ants weren’t the most powerful fierce beasts.
But their colonies were massive, and no beast wanted to provoke such a swarm.
Wherever the Crimson-Yellow Ants went, not a blade of grass grew. Any beast slightly weaker than the ants would be devoured, leaving not even a speck of bone dust behind.
If not for Qi’s authority keeping them in check,
the Crimson-Yellow Ants would have long used their formidable devouring power to dominate the Ten Directions Realm.
However, the Crimson-Yellow Ants had a critical weakness: there were no females in their colony, making it impossible for them to produce the next generation.
The egg Feng Qingran had crushed was a female egg, created through the combined efforts of their entire colony.
“Ant Emperor, you’ve trespassed into my territory for no reason and are now threatening to destroy me. Aren’t you afraid Qi will come for you?” the Dark Serpent fumed, knowing the ants truly had the power to ruin its only home.
It could only bring up Qi’s name, hoping to curb the Ant Emperor’s arrogance.
At the mention of Qi, a wave of fear surged within the Ant Emperor.
But soon, the thought of that female egg stirred up a mix of dread and rage.
Bolstering its courage, the Ant Emperor declared, “Qi doesn’t interfere in matters of cause and effect. You caused the death of our female, which means you’ve doomed our lineage. It’s only fair that I destroy your home.”
“Can’t you be logical? Fierce beasts aren’t supposed to be able to produce offspring anyway! What does that have to do with me?”
As the serpent and the ant argued, they forgot all about their original target.
Observing this scene, Feng Qingran slipped away, pleased.
Trouble had found its match.
Time for her to find her paradise!
As for how she crossed the swamp and made the Ant Emperor believe she was still there…
Well, that was all thanks to the Seven-colored Mystical Robe!
High above.
Taowu watched everything unfold, feeling a sudden sense of relief that it hadn’t eaten Feng Qingran.
Feng Qingran was certainly no pushover. With her around, the Ten Directions Realm was bound to be thrown into chaos.
It needed to find a way to use Feng Qingran to get rid of Qiongqi, Taotie, and Hundun…
But when Taowu saw where Feng Qingran was heading next, its eyes widened. How dare she go there? What was she planning?
Then Feng Qingran muttered something under her breath that nearly made Taowu fall right out of the sky.
This girl actually wanted to eat a fierce beast!
——————
It turned out Feng Qingran had stopped walking after gazing at the endless stretch of parched land.
She patted her stomach. She was a little hungry, but she couldn’t access the food in her spatial storage…
Was she supposed to eat dirt?
The dirt was too dry, unappetizing, and hard to digest!
She couldn’t exactly gnaw on dead wood either… Huh?
Feng Qingran looked back. The few withered trees in the distance had already vanished without a trace.
Her face fell. If she didn’t eat something soon, she’d faint from hunger.
And if she fainted, she’d undoubtedly become some fierce beast’s next meal.
Fierce beasts…
“That’s right! Besides dirt, I could eat a fierce beast,” Feng Qingran said with utter seriousness.
“I wonder if fierce beast meat tastes bad? If I asked one to lend me a piece of meat, they’d definitely refuse. How can I get them to voluntarily offer some?” she murmured to herself.
Completely unaware that her words were being clearly overheard by Taowu above.
Feng Qingran’s almond eyes sparkled cunningly. She stroked her sleeve—the mystical robe was the only thing that could help her now.
Suddenly, she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a storage pouch.
Opening it, she found several hundred pill bottles inside, along with a note.
[Little Junior Sister, I’ve prepared these Fasting Pills for you. They should last you a few hundred years. No need to worry about starving. But be very careful when you take them.]
“Seventh Senior Brother, I really must thank you! When I get back, we’re going to have a long talk.”
Feng Qingran clenched the note, a sinister smile curling her lips.
What a wonderful senior brother he was!
She took out one pill bottle and opened it. A fresh, lotus-like fragrance wafted out.
“Seventh Senior Brother does understand me,” Feng Qingran mused, smiling as she poured out one pill and popped it into her mouth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Clang! Clang! Clang!—
The ground beneath her feet trembled, and clouds of yellow sand billowed in the distance.
Feng Qingran faintly heard fierce beasts shouting: “Holy crap! After centuries, I finally smell food…”
“Brothers, charge! If we’re late, there won’t be any left…”
“I’m starving! Hahaha… Heaven has eyes!”
“Food! Food! Food! Don’t let her get away!”
…
Feng Qingran: !!!
Did the Fasting Pills attract them?
Instantly, she remembered the last line on the note.
Now she understood everything.
She had wondered why Seventh Senior Brother was so kind as to prepare Fasting Pills.
So this was his plan all along!
Feng Qingran stashed the storage pouch away just as a shadow fell over her.
She looked up and saw a creature with a human face, tiger paws, and massive boar tusks!
Her heart leaped. It was Taowu!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Feng Qingran dashed toward the barren hills—at least there was some cover there.
But she hadn’t run more than a few steps when a fierce beast with three tiger heads and a wolf’s body blocked her path.
Feng Qingran felt a pang of despair. She noticed that all these beasts were deliberately avoiding the dry, cracked land to her left.
