FVN Chapter 630 Half-Step to Void Refinement! The Great Plains Sect Grand Competition!
Chapter 630 Half-Step to Void Refinement! The Great Plains Sect Grand Competition!
The ant colony reacted even more enthusiastically to the armor-quenching liquid than to the blood-yin bait.
More than 10,000 ants swarmed forward and devoured the entire jar of armor-tempering liquid in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After ingesting it, the ant colony underwent visible changes!
Their carapaces changed from their original black to a dark silver color, and their thickness nearly doubled, with fine serrations growing along the edges, gleaming with a chilling light under the illumination.
Even more astonishingly, nearly 30% of the ants had a pair of transparent membranous wings on their backs. These flying ants took flight, hovering and dancing in the animal park, their wings beating with a chilling buzzing sound, like a silvery dark cloud.
The number of ant colonies is also growing at an alarming rate.
Chen Fan increased the concentration of spiritual energy in the Beast Taming Garden several times over, and also released a large amount of low-grade spiritual herbs and monster flesh and blood as bait.
With abundant spiritual energy and food, the queen ant's egg-laying rate increased more than tenfold. In just three days, the ant colony swelled from over ten thousand to over one hundred thousand, densely covering the entire insect cage, resembling a flowing silver carpet from afar.
One hundred thousand flying ants, and a single Golden Cicada at the Core Formation stage.
If faced head-on, this swarm of insects might not be strong enough to threaten a Nascent Soul cultivator, but if used for ambushes, harassment, or setting up formations, these inconspicuous little things can give any opponent a headache.
Moreover, these flying ants have established a solid spiritual connection with the cicada. With a flap of the cicada's wings, the 100,000 flying ants can form any formation as easily as if they were their own arms.
Chen Fan resealed the insect cage and reinforced it with three more layers of enchantment before stepping out of the bowl.
Just as they were feeling happy, a light footstep sound came from outside the courtyard, followed by a cautious knock on the door.
"Is Consort Chen at home? I am here on His Highness's orders to invite Consort Chen to come to my residence for a chat."
The voice was old and respectful; it was the voice of the old steward from the First Prince's residence.
Chen Fan straightened his robes and strode toward the courtyard gate.
The courtyard gate opened, and the old steward was bowing and waiting at the foot of the steps.
Upon seeing Chen Fan emerge, he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Elder Chen, His Highness requests your immediate presence at the residence, saying he has important matters to discuss. Elder Han and Elder Ouyang have been waiting there for quite some time."
Chen Fan nodded slightly, said nothing more, and followed the old steward toward the First Prince's residence.
The Crown Prince's residence was brightly lit.
The pavilion in the middle of the lake in the back garden was surrounded by a semi-transparent soundproof barrier, and there were faint shadowy figures moving inside the barrier.
When Chen Fan stepped into the restricted area, Zhao Yan was standing in the pavilion with his hands behind his back. A huge animal hide map was spread out on the stone table in front of him. Han Cen and Ouyang Ye stood on his left and right, respectively. None of the three looked relaxed.
"Lord Chen has arrived." Zhao Yan looked up and saw Chen Fan, a smile appearing on his face. "Please sit. I invited the three of you here today because the specific content of the King's assessment has been finalized."
Chen Fan sat down at the stone table, his gaze falling on the animal hide map.
The map depicts a vast grassland, with dozens of tribal markers of varying sizes in the center, and a massive city marked entirely in dark green at the far end.
Above the city wall are three characters written in ancient seal script: Wan Gu City.
Desert grassland.
"Father summoned me and the Fourth Prince to the Hall of Supreme Harmony." Zhao Yan sat down across the stone table, tapping his fingers lightly on the map. His tone became more serious. "The assessment was more challenging than I had anticipated. It wasn't a contest of cultivation within the capital, nor was it any discussion of governance. Instead, it required the retainers and advisors under our princes to travel to the vast desert grasslands."
After saying this, he looked up at Chen Fan: "Lord Chen, how much do you know about the desert grasslands?"
Chen Fan shook his head: "I don't know much, I only know that it is the territory of Gu cultivators. The Gu King is at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and he has several Gu cultivator elders at the Nascent Soul stage under his command."
"That was before." Zhao Yan's voice deepened. "Today, I learned from my father that the Gu King broke through to the half-step Void Refinement realm several months ago, and is only one step away from the true Void Refinement realm. Once he breaks through, he will become the second Void Refinement cultivator on Tiannan Star, on par with my Zhao Kingdom's ancestor."
Upon hearing this, both Han Cen and Ouyang Ye's expressions changed.
Half-step into the Void Refinement Realm.
This level of cultivation is second only to the patriarch of the Zhao Kingdom on Tiannan Star.
It should be noted that the Gu King was originally at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and had reigned supreme in the desert grasslands for thousands of years. Now that he has taken another step forward, the expansion of the desert grasslands' strength is unimaginable.
"No wonder the Gu cultivators have become increasingly disregardful of the imperial court these past few years." Han Cen stroked his beard, his brows furrowed. "In the East Sea, small groups of Gu cultivators have crossed the border to plunder several times. The border troops have reported this to the Ministry of War multiple times, but they have all given up. Now that the Gu King has broken through to the half-step Void Refinement stage, the Gu cultivators are likely to become even bolder."
Zhao Yan nodded and continued, "In recent years, the Great Desert Grassland has been restless, showing signs of becoming independent and rivaling the Zhao Kingdom. After the Gu King broke through to the half-step Void Refinement stage, he went even further, starting to imitate the Zhao Kingdom by holding a selection event called the Hundred Sects Conference. In reality, it was a recruitment drive for Gu cultivators from all the tribes on the grassland, with the aim of consolidating the grassland's power and confronting the Zhao Kingdom head-on."
He pointed heavily to the location of Ten Thousand Gu City on the map: "This year's Hundred Sects Conference is larger than any previous one. Not only will dozens of tribes from the Great Desert Grasslands send experts to participate, but the Gu King has also announced that he will invite cultivators from various countries to attend. Ostensibly, it's for attendance, but in reality, he wants to demonstrate the strength of the grasslands to the countries of Tiannan Star. Father Emperor attaches great importance to this, believing that if the Gu King successfully uses the Hundred Sects Conference to build momentum, the arrogance of the grassland Gu cultivators will become even more rampant. At that time, not only will the borders be unstable, but even the respect that other countries have for the Zhao Kingdom will be shaken."
Ouyang Ye said in a hoarse voice, "So the King's assessment task is for us to participate in the Hundred Sects Conference?"
"Not bad." Zhao Yan raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the three faces before finally settling on Chen Fan. "Father's meaning is simple: you will represent the Zhao Kingdom at the Hundred Sects Conference, and with absolute strength, seize first place, letting the Gu King know that even though he has stepped into the half-step Void Refinement realm, he is still no match for the Zhao Kingdom. This is not just a test, but also a warning from Father to the Gu King."
The rules of the assessment are that each prince will send his strongest retainer to form a team to the Great Desert Grasslands to participate in the Gu Battle Arena of the Hundred Sects Conference. The final ranking will directly affect the assessment score, carrying significant weight. The fourth prince has already confirmed that Duan Wuliang will lead the team, and he has also invited several powerful demonic cultivators from the Boundless Sea to assist him, including Song Tianren. The third prince, Zhao Jin, is stationed in the Southern Frontier, commanding a vast army of generals, and will also send an elite team! As for what they will be competing in, I don't know yet, since Gu cultivators are skilled in using Gu, while the others will each display their unique abilities!