Over twenty cultivators moved together within the forest on a dark night. They were all dressed in armor and helmets, covering every inch with cloth. The only exposed part was the eye region.
Quickly, a tall and robust figure infiltrated among them. Some had already seen a large man in charge of another mission, so no one found it strange, as the mission was meticulously planned. They would attack stealthily, and the armor could contain a cultivator's Qi without leaking much. Among the whole group, no one could sense each other's cultivation due to this.
After half an hour of walking, the leader at the front stopped and removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face with golden hair. He closed his eyes and focused on sensing something in the distance; in the midst of the men, a penetrating gaze was focused on him without anyone noticing.
"It's just to the north," Innoa said as he put the helmet back on, making sure it was completely impenetrable.
No one but him knew exactly what their mission was; they only had a sense that it would be dangerous due to the armor provided to everyone. "Okay, everyone, listen carefully. This time, we're dealing with a colony of insect beasts. Our target is something essential that their queen creates," announced Innoa.
The expressions of everyone became strange. Did they really need to make such big moves to steal something from insect beasts? They weren't even considered divine or demonic, given their apparent weakness.
"Don't be foolish. We can be easily wiped out. They're not just insect beasts. They're Lumerian Ants."
Upon hearing that they were after Lumerian Ants, the expressions of some people changed behind their helmets. Many had already heard of this name, as they were rare and challenging creatures to deal with.
Lumerian Ants are a unique species found in hidden and dark caves. They stand out for their vibrant colors and bright patterns, with jaws that emit a soft light in the dark, allowing them to navigate easily in the depths of caves and during the night.
Despite not being large, ranging from half to one meter, they were considered top-tier divine beasts. However, they weren't true divine beasts as they lacked a Qi core. According to a stricter classification, they were simply considered insect beasts.
The most frightening part about them was their venom. This led people to include them as Divine Beasts. Although their venom wasn't fatal, it was incredibly painful. A sting would be so agonizing that it would make a person wish to die.
Moreover, Lumerian Ants lived in groups. A colony of them could contain thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands. If stung by ten of them, it would be enough to drive someone into madness from pain and death without leaving a corpse.
Although everyone was wearing protection, these armors had openings at the shoulders, elbows, knees, etc. This was done to not restrict movement too much, which meant their defense wouldn't be able to completely prevent a simultaneous attack.
The hearts of everyone trembled with fear. Although their faces were covered, the fear in their eyes was revealed.
"You don't need to be afraid. The mission was planned by the advisor down to the smallest detail. He personally gave me a group escape formation. By using the laws from the grass along with the formation, we can strike like lightning, entering and leaving quickly."
"As long as we're fast enough, there shouldn't be any problems. This is our first collective move. I hope everyone can bring forth their strength," Innoa said, looking slightly at everyone.
His meaning was extremely obvious. Everyone was newly arrived disciples in the sect or had stagnant cultivations, all struggling to move out of Qi Gathering and enter the Foundation Establishment Realm. Their levels ranged from six to nine.
Hearing that, their hearts trembled. The rewards and prestige they would gain could completely change their future.
"Okay, everyone, let's go." Innoa didn't waste time as he moved, and everyone followed suit with high spirits. Alm and Bruno also went with the flow, filled with joy.
Without anyone noticing, Bruno and Alm, who were following at the very back of the group, left a swift trace of bodily odors. They even checked to make sure the wind wouldn't blow the result against the rest of the group.
After checking the memories of the muscular man, Bruno could only get a general idea of the mission without many details. However, with information about the armor, the gathering of the second group, and the other elders searching for something deeper, he could get a sense of how they intended to use the thunder power from the grass. Clearly, they were preparing for a silent assault with a swift escape.
The muscular man was as tall and broad as Denil; the only difference was that he was pure muscle, while Alm and Bruno were pure fat. His armor fit perfectly... or almost...
'I feel like we are going to fart again...' Bruno couldn't help but complain. Almost didn't mean perfectly. Their huge belly was truly being pressed against the armor, and it didn't help that they always ate like an elephant.
Alm immediately warned. 'Be careful! Make sure it is as silent as possible!'
Without anyone noticing, they left a swift, invisible stream of bodily odor behind. No wonder they insisted on following the group from the very back. 'The fart of the ninja, silent and deadly!'
Alm almost vomited blood right there and then. 'Shut up!'
When the name of the ants was mentioned, Bruno already knew what they were dealing with. The Lumerian Ants are highly organized, living in deep colonies inside caves. Their colonies can house thousands of individuals, divided into soldiers and a queen.
During the day, Lumerian Ants send their soldiers on expeditions outside the colony in search of ores and natural plants containing high levels of Qi. These resources are brought back to the cave and used to create a unique and lush underground garden where the ant queen cultivates rare and unique plants. These plants serve as a source of food and cultivation for her.
The soldier ants couldn't reach a cultivation level above the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm. From birth to death, they were all insects. However, the queen ant was an exception. Her body was huge, and over years of cultivation, she would develop a core and become a true divine beast.
The plants created by the queen were treasures for alchemists. Developed with the purpose of absorbing any type of Qi, they could acquire various properties, making them able to be refined into an infinite variety of different pills. The elders who went deeper into the forest must be harvesting other items to combine with the plants.
Alm and Bruno were getting more and more excited, and now, with all the information, their minds were buzzing with multiple schemes to rob this young master.
After walking a few hundred meters, they began to hear a buzzing sound. Occasionally, pieces of ore and Qi-rich plants were scattered on the ground.
Alm could sense a one-meter shadow rushing to a nearby location even though its movements were extremely fast. However, Bruno noticed something even more intriguing and pointed out to Alm several trees with marks in a radius of several meters. Alm nodded sinisterly. 'Hehe, this time it's going to be fun.'
"Be careful! Don't attack the ants. Otherwise, it will attract even more of them," warned Innoa after also sensing their proximity.
After covering another stretch, everyone slowed down. A mountain ahead was completely dark and imperceptible to the eyes, but the natural Qi coming from it left no doubt.
Countless ants were coming and going exceptionally busy. Everyone's hearts rose to their throats.
Inno immediately ordered, though. "Some of you will investigate the situation."
Three people immediately advanced without hesitation, starting to sneak towards the colony, which was hundreds of meters away.
Innoa nodded approvingly. The others exchanged glances and sighed sadly. These three had obviously made a good impression on the leader, who was well-regarded by the alchemist advisor.
But Alm laughed internally. 'You guys are really a bunch of pathetic idiots. Everyone is wearing helmets and armor. Who can recognize them? If you want to show loyalty, at least make sure they know it's you, right?'
The three moved with intelligence, crawling slowly. Seeing them approaching, everyone became nervous. Even Innoa was extremely tense.
In fact, all he needed was for them to confirm the situation in the colony and return so he could plot an appropriate entry and exit route. The armor did its job perfectly, allowing them to blend in silently. The three were sneaking very well, not disturbing the busy ants.
But the moment they were fifty meters away, the busy ants stopped immediately as the world fell silent.
"Quick, run!" Innoa's expression changed slightly, and he shouted.
But the moment he spoke, hundreds of ant soldiers shot straight for the three. The three were horrified, knowing they were unable to fully defend against the attack. Quickly, they turned back and ran.
However, there was still one person who was too late and got bitten in a small gap on the shoulder.
"AARGH!"
This person let out a miserable scream. Although their face was covered, everyone knew it was twisted in pain.
The toxicity was incredibly potent, specializing in agonizing nerve pain. It had nothing to do with the cultivation base. In fact, someone with a higher cultivation base would have even more sensitive nerves and feel even more pain.
After being bitten, an instinctive reflex made the affected person punch their shoulder, seeking desperate relief from the excruciating pain.
"NO!" Innoa roared furiously.
However, he was too late. The victim had already hacked the ant into pieces, releasing reactive and desperate rage. The moment the ant was killed, the entire colony seemed to tremble in response.