Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 689 - 586: The Two Great Kings Are Invincible - Part 2

The first matter: the Wangbai Seed was about to undergo its second swelling. The second matter: the Silver Cypress #1006 mother tree, standing over four meters tall, had budded in early spring and was expected to flower and bear fruit this year. There was a high probability of triggering a Natural Godsend and obtaining a top-level Divine-Given Seed.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid took separate actions. Ink Orchid, along with Silver Cypress, Giant Cypress, Fragrant Cypress, Black Cory, Black Peach, Black Leaf, and Black Sophora, remained at Xianglan Mountain. Dragon Cypress prepared the full quota of 1,200,000 Source Stones and, accompanied by Cypress, Black Birch, and Tie Bush, stayed in the Areca Rainforest.

The Divine-Given Seed of King Cypress reached approximately 170 meters in height, and its growth hardly consumed any additional Source Stones. The main cost was for the Divine-Grade Fruit on the tree, requiring around 500 Source Stones each day to replenish Origin Force. The Origin Force density in the Land of Origin Force was insufficient to support the fruit's development. This expenditure of Source Stones was essential, and there was no way to reduce the daily consumption. The fixed monthly expense was 15,000 Source Stones, amounting to 180,000 annually.

If, as predicted, there were ten swelling cycles in total, the Divine-Grade Wangbai Seed would still need 48 years to mature. This would bring the daily cost of replenishing Origin Force to a staggering 8,640,000 Source Stones. Factoring in the investment during each swelling cycle and the eventual ripening period, the total expenses would definitely exceed 20,000,000 Source Stones.

Dragon Cypress had grown numb to this, only wanting to know just how powerful the 'Adaptive Evolution' ability granted by the final fruit would be.

The Areca Rainforest also had a Divine-Given Seed of the Rift Leaf Orchid King planted within its borders. Like the Divine-Given Seed of the Elephant Foot King Orchid, it grew slowly and developed via a division-based growth model, also featuring a threefold division rate. The Rift Leaf Orchid King, an improved variety cultivated by the Insect Clan, was somewhat more robust. The mother plant stood over 50 meters tall, its trunk thicker and considerably taller than that of the Divine-Given Seed of the Elephant Foot King Orchid. Its temperament was even worse; it not only repelled Origin Force Life forms other than ants but also resisted learning. Thus, teaching efforts could not proceed. However, as an intelligent life form, it definitely needed to learn, at least to gain a fundamental understanding of the world around it. Dragon Cypress lacked the patience to teach it himself and initially assigned Cypress and Black Birch to handle the task. They took turns, enduring the Rift Leaf Orchid King's furious, threatening, and cursing mental projections, to forcibly instill various types of basic knowledge into it.

Dragon Cypress guided the Divine-Given King Cypress, continuing to impart various knowledge and skills regarding territory management. He also constantly monitored the changes in the fruit on the tree.

They waited patiently.

「A month later.」

In the early morning, there was suddenly a stir. The rate at which the Divine-Given King Cypress absorbed Origin Force suddenly intensified.

"Dragon Cypress, the Divine-Grade Wangbai Seed is about to swell!"

"Cypress, Black Birch, wake up!"

King Cypress's spiritual power conveyed a message to the Ant Nest, awakening the drowsy and sleeping Dragon Cypress, Cypress, and Black Birch. The entire resting ant colony was jolted awake. The Worker Ants sprang into action, transporting Source Stones and delivering them to the base of the Divine-Given King Cypress.

Tie Bush, which slept every night in a river channel just three hundred meters from the Divine-Given King Cypress, reacted the fastest. It straightened its two eyes, staring intently at the tree's midsection.

"Good morning, Great King!"

"Cypress! Black Birch!"

Tie Bush raised its pincer limbs, cheering, "Wonderful! The Divine-Grade Wangbai Seed is swelling!"

"..."

The other ants were speechless. That Tie Bush, its way of thinking was always on a different wavelength from everyone else.

Everyone else silently gazed at the Cypress Fruit on the tree.

The rate at which the Divine-Given King Cypress absorbed Natural Primordial Force accelerated, gradually forming an Origin Force vacuum in the surrounding area. The Worker Ants, already prepared and carrying Source Stones, waited three hundred meters away from the main trunk. When the Origin Force vacuum expanded and neared the ant colony, they all moved in unison.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! A dense chorus of shattering sounds erupted.

Globules of Origin Force erupted, only to be instantly absorbed. The Divine-Given King Cypress precisely controlled the process, maintaining the Origin Force vacuum within a 300-meter radius.

Dragon Cypress, leading Cypress, Black Birch, and Tie Bush, watched quietly.

The intense Origin Force Fluctuation finally subsided after two full days and one night. The Land of Origin Force gradually returned to tranquility.

Black Birch counted the Source Stones and reported, "Great King, this swelling cycle consumed a total of 420,000 Source Stones."

It wasn't as alarming as I'd feared.

Compared to the first swelling, the Source Stone consumption had decreased. The amount for the next swelling should drop to 400,000 or less.

"Alright..."

Dragon Cypress lightly tapped his tentacle, maneuvering the Dominating Throne off the ground. He floated closer to the fruit on the tree for a better look.

The diameter had expanded from 5 centimeters to 7 centimeters. During the swelling process, the old, silvery-white scale powder had flaked off, and new powder was forming. The scaly, lignified outer shell had hardened further, and not a trace of Origin Force Fluctuation could be detected from it.

"King Cypress, the second swelling is complete. Can you feel any change?"

"The Origin Force Energy has increased, but there's no qualitative change."

"What about the ability it grants? Is it any clearer now?"

"It's still 'Adaptive Evolution,' and it's still unclear..."

"Alright..."

Dragon Cypress then asked, "King Cypress, can you now predict more accurately how many more swellings the Divine-Grade Wangbai Seed needs to fully mature?"

King Cypress replied, "That I can. It still needs eight more swellings. Dragon Cypress, it's just as you speculated—ten swellings in total." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Alright. I understand now."

Dragon Cypress maneuvered the Dominating Throne to circle the trunk twice before landing.

Cypress raised a claw, asking, "Great King, how is it?"

Dragon Cypress replied dejectedly, "King Cypress is still unclear about the specifics of the 'Adaptive Evolution' ability granted by the fruit. However, the Blossom-Fruit Cycle is now confirmed, and it's consistent with my earlier speculations."

Cypress: "Fifty-five years?"

Dragon Cypress lightly tapped his tentacle.

Cypress exclaimed, "Great King, then your advancement to King-Level will be delayed!"