Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 722 - 597: Sudden Change

Silver Cypress, year 62.

After 10 years, the 30 million Source Stones that the Snow Velvet Spider King helped exchange and transfer have all arrived.

The spot inventory of Source Stones at Xianglan Mountain now exceeds 50 million pieces.

Currently, Dragon Cypress has 19 Life Seed Divine-Given Seeds.

To break through and advance to King-Level, it shouldn't cost much for the White Poplar Divine Seed that has taken root in the Purple Tung Insect Nation. Referencing the Purple Tung Divine-Given Seed, 500,000 should be enough. To be safe, prepare 1 million.

The King Cypress is a Law Divine Tree, and the expense will definitely be huge. Prepare 6 million.

The other 17 Life Seed Divine-Given Seeds, allocate 2 million for each one.

For Dragon Cypress to break through to Evolution King Level, the Life Seed Divine-Given Seeds require 41 million Source Stones to be ready.

Dragon Cypress itself also needs 1 million.

The 8 million-plus remainder is for various miscellaneous expenses before and after evolution.

The largest single expense should be King Cypress's tenth fruit expansion, during the Wangbai Fruit's maturity harvest...

...

Silver Cypress, year 63.

Areca Rainforest.

The King Cypress Divine-Given Seed tree body has grown taller than 250 meters; the ninth fruit expansion lasted two days and nights, and the Source Stone cost remained within 300,000.

The development of the Wangbai Fruit is somewhat different from ordinary Divine-Grade Fruits. After the third fruit expansion, its diameter already exceeds about 10 centimeters, and with each expansion after that, the fruit's size increases only microscopically, while the woody-scaled shell on the outside becomes harder each time.

The color of the fruit's shell is also changing. From the initial blue-green, time and again, it gradually shifts: brown-green, brown-yellow, brown-red, brown-black...

Each time the fruit expands, the silver-white scale powder falls off, then rapidly regrows, so at a glance, the fruit is silver-white and shiny.

...

The King Cypress itself commands the Worker Ants to use Source Stones and easily completes the ninth fruit expansion.

Dragon Cypress's group was in no hurry to leave.

Tie Bush has lingered at Mountain Lord Level during age period 9 for twelve years already and can begin preparing to break through to Lord.

For Origin Force Lives lacking Natural True God bloodline, the road of evolution and growth is especially arduous.

Dragon Cypress made a special trip to Kiwifruit Mountain to bring Blue Catalpa to Areca Rainforest, ready for emergency treatment at any time.

After all preparations,

Tie Bush ate and drank his fill, adjusted his mindset, entered a separate nest, and entered deep sleep for evolution...

Tie Bush had nearly died the last time he broke through to Mountain Lord Level, so Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, Blue Catalpa, Cypress, and Black Birch didn't dare be careless and all stood guard outside the cave.

Five days later, there was no movement.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid activated Soul-Setting Ability to sense, confirming the soul was in deep sleep and the status was stable.

Ten days later, still no movement.

Soul-Setting Ability sensed the soul state was beginning to weaken slightly.

Everyone grew nervous.

Half a month later, still no sign of awakening.

Breaking through to Lord, if the deep sleep lasts more than half a month, the risk of failure grows with each passing day.

For Dragon Cypress and his group, each day felt like a year.

Fortunately, on the seventeenth day, late at night, the Origin Force Fluctuations in the cave gradually intensified, and the Dominating Throne began to intensely absorb Origin Force.

This continued for most of the night, then the Origin Force Fluctuations gradually subsided.

Soul-Setting Ability sensed Tie Bush's soul consciousness waking up.

Spiritual power swept through, seeing he was struggling to molt his old shell.

The molting was completed successfully, and the new carapace quickly hardened...

Thank goodness!

The risk factor for breaking through to Lord is much lower than for Mountain Lord, plus Tie Bush had consumed various Divine-Given Origin Force Foods to strengthen his body and carapace during the Mountain Lord Level phase, so apart from this evolution taking extra time, everything else was fine.

Dragon Cypress activated Earth System Abilities, and the earth and stones blocking the nest entrance automatically shattered and fell away.

"Tie Bush?" Blue Catalpa poked his head in for a look, then hurried forward to inspect at close range. Confirming there were no injuries, he waved his claw, firing three bursts of green light.

Black Birch squeezed into the cave, helped open a jar of Ant Honey, and urged Tie Bush to hurry and eat to restore physical strength.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid looked him over in silence.

During his 9th age period as Mountain Lord, Tie Bush had consumed a lot of Divine-Given Silver Cypress Seeds. Dragon Cypress's intent was to use willpower to guide his form optimization and make his two pincers return to the past design where one was big and one small.

But it didn't work,

This evolution, Tie Bush's pincers are still the same size.

The body shape has changed greatly: the eight legs, of which six front legs became slender and agile, with sharp joints and a layer of blue-black metallic luster; the rear pair of legs became especially thick and strong, their surfaces covered with dense sharp spikes, blue-black and metallic in sheen.

At least the body has, as everyone wished, been optimized towards greater agility.

The back shell is smooth, with a metallic texture.

The serrated front edge now has many more fine spines.

The combat training from the Linnan Divine Tree has paid off: overall, Tie Bush's figure is bulkier and stronger, vicious and spined, with the air of a battle crab.

Cypress hurried off to the water reservoir at the edge of the Land of Origin Force to catch a lot of fish and brought them back.

With fresh meat in his stomach, Tie Bush quickly recovered his energy.

"Tie Bush, have you comprehended any new abilities?"

Ink Orchid asked.

"...Yes."

Tie Bush thought with a blank look, then, after a long while, said in delight, "Two abilities!"

After thinking for two more seconds, a layer of blue-green Primordial Energy rose from the carapace, forming a shield.

The most common type: Metal System Defensive Ability.

Blue Catalpa hurriedly asked, "Tie Bush, and else?"

Tie Bush thought again, then raised his left pincer limb; Metal System Primordial Energy gathered, transforming into a seemingly tangible blue-black giant pincer.

This giant pincer was three meters long – a super-sized pincer slowly opened, and with a bang, it slammed shut, producing a thunderous explosion.

The force of the pincer strike was strong.

However, with such a clumsy attack, who could you actually pinch?

Combat isn't like lumberjack work—no one will stand still...

"..."

The insects all fell silent.

Such weak abilities.

Tie Bush is just like the Assistant Kings of the Ant Clan: extremely hard to gain new abilities, and even if they get them, it's always the most basic, unimpressive kind.

Tie Bush is even worse than the Assistant Kings.