An hour passed as Xiao Ming, Xue Mao, and the Blood Ant General moved deeper into the dense terrain of the secret realm.
The forest was eerily quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves underfoot and the occasional chitter of the Blood Ants trailing behind. Even the oppressive qi that had hung over them earlier seemed to have grown still, as though the realm itself was holding its breath.
The three transformed cultivators followed closely, their movements stiff and devoid of life. They neither spoke nor showed any sign of independent thought, their minds thoroughly subdued by the Blood Ant hive.
Xiao Ming's sharp gaze swept over the path ahead. His instincts told him that the danger wasn't over. If anything, it was only beginning.
"Master," the Blood Ant General suddenly spoke, its deep voice reverberating through the silence, "I sense an anomaly ahead. The ground beneath us… it feels hollow."
