Ant Lord in the Star Realm

Chapter 775 615: The Ghost King Grasshopper Pulling the Cart

The Yellow Cicada Orchid Divine-Given Seed was sown in Cold Orchid Mountain.

To prepare for a future breakthrough to Insect King, the Ink Orchid Lord, while at the Lord-Level Stage, sowed its remaining three Divine-Given Seeds here.

Black Persimmon remained to take care of them.

Ink Orchid also stayed behind to guard them.

Dragon Cypress hurried back to Xianglan Mountain.

...

This year, the Flame Spider Caravan delivered one hundred million Source Stones.

...

「Rednan Mountain.」

As arranged, Dragon Cypress arrived at the Trade Cave a day early, leading Fragrant Cypress and Black Sophora.

They waited less than a day.

Around dawn, a muffled rumbling echoed from the depths of the passage—the sound of heavy wheelcarts speeding and vibrating.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Fragrant Cypress! Black Sophora!"

Red Peach ran over, pulling a Stone Slab Wheelcart seven or eight meters long and four or five meters wide, fully loaded with Source Stones.

Following closely behind, another wheelcart arrived.

The Insect Clan Warrior pulling the cart looked somewhat rough...

A Grasshopper!

Pulling the cart was a Grasshopper. Its entire body was golden, its carapace bristled with fierce spikes, and its head and wings were black. Three golden horns adorned its forehead—two curved and one straight—giving it an exceptionally fierce and battle-ready appearance.

Ghost King Grasshopper!

Dragon Cypress's thoughts raced, and understanding dawned on him. Shanglu and Red Crow Mountain were the only two major forces known to possess Law Divine Trees and to have weathered numerous Origin Force Silent Periods. During a certain Origin Force Era, Starship Passages had even connected them, allowing the two powers to have direct contact and mutual understanding. For such a monumental task as transporting ten billion Source Stones, enlisting the help of the Ghost Grasshopper Insect Warriors from Red Crow Mountain was perfectly logical. They already knew many secrets, so there was no risk of information leaking. Of course, the Ghost Grasshopper Insect King from Red Crow Mountain offering help surely had other motives—they wanted to establish direct contact with Shanglu and exchange for Shanglu Fruits. Red Crow Mountain was planning to train a large contingent of Super Warriors to escort a significant number of Wild God-Given Seeds away. How would they transport them? The crude method? Cut open a warrior's abdomen and hide the Tree Heart inside? Too brutal. Besides, how many could each warrior carry? Not many. But if they possessed the Spatial Ability granted by Shanglu Fruit, allowing them to create a space five, six, seven, or even eight meters square, the task would become vastly simpler.

"Greetings, Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

The Ghost Grasshopper Insect King greeted him first, quite enthusiastically.

Evidently, it had heard of Dragon Cypress's legendary exploits.

"Hello," Dragon Cypress responded, his gaze shifting gently towards Red Peach.

Red Peach made the introductions, "This is Ghost King Woonyoung of the Ghost King Grasshopper clan, a direct junior relative of Great Leader Dogtooth Violet from Red Crow Mountain."

Dragon Cypress replied, "Greetings, Ghost King Woonyoung!"

"No need for such formality, not at all." Ghost King Woonyoung's mental voice was full of mirth and a hint of pride as it asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is the Ancestral Divine Power proving useful?"

Dragon Cypress: "It's powerful! Unrivaled! The Ancestral Divine Power has brought a transformative, leap-like improvement to my Ant Kingdom."

Ghost King Woonyoung: "Invincible might be an overstatement. However, in terms of boosting combat power, we truly haven't found any Law Divine Patterns more potent than the Ancestral Divine Power."

Dragon Cypress: "Thank you, Red Crow Mountain, for your support of Xianglan Mountain!"

Curious, Dragon Cypress asked, "Are there other Law Divine Trees?"

Ghost King Woonyoung: "Of course! Legend says more than one once existed. Unfortunately, they all departed the Origin Force Star Realm on expeditions to the Outworld Great World."

Ghost King Woonyoung asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, what's the situation in the Southern Hemisphere?"

Red Peach also asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, has the migration to Rainbow Island begun?"

Dragon Cypress: "We're currently renovating the island and building fortifications. The plan is to start migrating next year, in batches..."

"Dragon Cypress Ant King!"

"Fragrant Cypress! Black Sophora!"

Heliotrope arrived, running frantically.

A brief silence fell.

Red Peach continued, "What about the Snow Velvet Spider King? Have you been in contact?"

Dragon Cypress: "No. I doubt we'll be able to contact them anytime soon.

"Shanglu is a large island in a tropical sea region. It has accumulated immense wealth, making it an easy target for the Eddy Scorpionfish Ant King. As one of the tribe's most powerful combatants, the Snow Velvet Spider King must return to defend the Shanglu Ancestral Land and cannot venture out casually."

Ghost King Woonyoung: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, if you manage to contact the Snow Velvet Spider King, please do me the favor of conveying a message: the Ghost King Sophora Divine Tree sends its regards to the Shanglu Divine Tree."

Dragon Cypress: "...Alright."

It seemed like a casual pleasantry. But this sentence alone was enough for Dragon Cypress to be absolutely certain that this Ghost King Woonyoung was here to trade for Shanglu Fruits. What would it offer in exchange? It had to be Ghost King Sophora Seeds. A pang of discomfort struck Dragon Cypress. The yield of those Ghost King Sophora Seeds was already low, and the use of every single seed had to be carefully considered. Every seed Red Crow Mountain traded away for other purposes directly meant one less available for Xianglan Mountain in the future. The same principle applied to Shanglu Fruits. If Shanglu Fruits were traded directly for Ghost King Sophora Seeds, his original plan to acquire Shanglu Fruits for the Assistant Kings in charge of logistics and operations would become significantly more challenging. However, this presented a good opportunity. He could bypass the Flame Spider Caravan and negotiate directly with this Ghost King Woonyoung to exchange Wangbai Seeds for Ghost King Sophora Seeds. Dragon Cypress mulled it over but ultimately suppressed the urge to reveal the existence of the 'Great King Cypress Divine Tree.' He would first observe, try to understand Ghost King Woonyoung's temperament and disposition, and learn more about Red Crow Mountain's situation before making any decisions.

Dragon Cypress asked directly, "Ghost King Woonyoung, I've heard something about Red Crow Mountain's situation. Do you intend to trade for Shanglu Fruits?"

Ghost King Woonyoung: "That is indeed the plan. But I'm afraid it will be very difficult. For the Flame Spider Tribe, Shanglu Fruits aren't merely about bestowing a Spatial Ability or a Law Divine Pattern. More importantly, they represent recognition from a top-level Ancestor Divine Tree for its outstanding descendants, signifying a position of leadership within the tribe."