In those years when I was a mortal and a demon

But what no one knew was that while the Devouring Beast was frantically devouring the Demon-Sucking Ants in the ant sea, among the numerous ant seas stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, one after another, strange giant insects with bloated bodies and lengths of hundreds of feet became excited.

These giant insects were extremely obese, with two rows of thin, slender legs beneath their bodies, which stretched over a hundred feet long, making one wonder if they could even support their enormous size. But the most bizarre feature was the tiny, almost negligible head that grew at the front of their bodies.

A pair of sickle-shaped curved jaws extended from the sides of the skull's chin, and two eyes the size of mung beans flickered with an eerie red light.

Surrounding each giant insect were countless emerald green demonic ants.

Unlike ordinary demonic ants, these green demonic ants are each over ten feet long, with a pair of crystal-clear wings on their backs and exposed fangs, making them look exceptionally ferocious.

Seemingly sensing the commotion caused by the Devouring Beast, the hundred-foot-tall giant insects surrounded by it suddenly emitted a strange hissing sound.

Immediately afterwards, the green demonic ants gathered below the giant insect and flapped their wings together, actually dragging the giant insect into the air and flying towards the Devouring Beast.

As the giant worm moved forward, the sea of ​​ants centered around it slowly began to surge.

Half a day later, the many demons crowded on the city wall of Tianhuo City began to look on with suspicion.

The ant clouds that had surrounded Tianhuo City had changed, and began to converge in the same direction, which was precisely where Lu Yuan and the many incarnations of the Holy Ancestors had disappeared.

......

Half a month later, the purple ant clouds had disappeared from several directions around Tianhuo City. Only tens of thousands of miles to the southeast, the demon-absorbing ants that had gathered there could no longer be described as ant clouds or ant seas. They crowded together from top to bottom, forming a deep purple ant mountain that was tens of thousands of feet high.

Somewhere inside the ant mountain, a cloud of demonic energy, about a mile in size, was shooting away in a certain direction. Within the cloud, there were towering flames, billowing cold winds, and various ancient magical artifacts releasing terrifying power. All the demonic ants that approached were instantly annihilated.

This cloud of demonic energy was naturally the incarnations of those Holy Ancestors. With their combined strength, their momentum was truly astonishing. They swept through the ant sea for hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye.

However, this situation is not a good thing for those knowledgeable incarnations of the Holy Ancestor.

Although, given their cultivation level, they should be able to withstand the relentless attacks of the demonic ants for several months or even a year.

But now, what's besieging them isn't just ordinary demonic ants; from time to time, streaks of green shadows flash through the purple clouds.

“They’re mutated demonic ants. We’re probably being targeted by the queen ant!” said a Saint Ancestor avatar with a grim expression.

“There’s no mistake. Those mutated demonic ants have been wandering around in the ant colony, probably waiting for us to run out of mana to launch a fatal attack. This must be the queen ant manipulating things from the shadows.” Another Saint Ancestor avatar frowned.

“We absolutely cannot stay together any longer. Let’s split up and escape. The ant swarm can’t possibly surround each of us with all its might. It’s not impossible to escape and ascend to heaven by dispersing,” suggested an incarnation of the Holy Ancestor.

"No, those queen ants are incredibly cunning. I think it would be better to join forces and break out to rendezvous with those behind us, organize them to hold out for us for a while, and then proceed—"

Some patriarchs thought it was inappropriate to separate, but before they could finish speaking, a figure with wisps of white mist emanating from his body rushed out of the demonic cloud.

"Go if you want, I won't keep you company."

Having said that, the demonic shadow instantly sped off to one side.

Upon seeing this, the other avatars of the Holy Ancestor reacted in various ways; some hesitated, while others decisively led their subordinates in different directions.

But soon after, as fewer and fewer remained, the last few in the Demon Cloud gritted their teeth and sped away in their own ways.

On the other hand, more than 100,000 miles away, Lu Yuan's situation was even more dire than that of the incarnations of the Holy Ancestors.

By this time, his surroundings were already filled with densely packed, green mutated demonic ants. Above and below, in all directions, there were those ferocious demonic ants, each about ten feet long.

Even before these demonic ants appeared, Lu Yuan, relying on the devouring power of his Devouring Beast incarnation, could move freely in and out of the ant sea formed by ordinary demonic ants.

But now, those giant ants kept opening their mouths, continuously spitting out clumps of purple liquid balls into the swamp that the Devouring Beast had transformed into. Wherever the liquid hit, wisps of yellow smoke rose up.

Under such attacks, within a few days of the giant ants appearing, nearly one-tenth of the swamp that originally stretched for miles had disappeared.

However, it was during this time that Lu Yuan also discovered something extremely strange.

These giant green ants that surrounded themselves did not seem to be a group; in addition to constantly spitting purple liquid balls at themselves, they were also fiercely fighting each other.

Some giant ants will suddenly turn around and attack their own kind next to them, their sharp mandibles instantly tearing a large gash in the opponent's body.

“They were not born from the same queen ant, so it’s not surprising that they are fighting each other.” A voice suddenly rang in Lu Yuan’s mind, making his already puzzled feelings even more confused.

"What do you mean?" Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked subconsciously.

"To be precise, the ant that gave birth to these giant ants is not a true queen ant, but rather a 'quasi-queen ant'."

In his sea of ​​consciousness, a pitch-black soul shadow appeared beside Lu Yuan's nascent soul; it was the remnant soul of the second nascent soul that had already developed self-awareness.

"What necessary connection does this have with my current situation?" The main nascent soul glanced at the remnant soul.

Back then, Lu Yuan absorbed most of the soul power of the second nascent soul. At this moment, this remnant soul poses no threat to the main nascent soul at all. In fact, the main nascent soul can completely obliterate it with just a thought.

"Of course there's a connection. Do you know why the Sea of ​​Demon-Absorbing Ants was formed?" the remnant soul of the second nascent soul asked in return.

"Naturally, it's to devour energy. With the Holy Ancestor presiding over this Heavenly Fire City, the number of demons and magical beasts within its radius of tens of thousands of miles is in the hundreds of billions, so it's not surprising that it has become their target," the Nascent Soul explained calmly.

At this point, Lu Yuan was not in a hurry to break free of the encirclement, because given the Devouring Beast's current state, it could hold out for at least several more months. Furthermore, Lu Yuan did not have a reliable way to escape, and he could not afford to risk a rash breakout.

"What you've mentioned is only one aspect." The second Nascent Soul remnant shook its head, then slowly said:

"The ultimate purpose of forming an ant colony is actually to give birth to a real queen ant!"

"The real queen ant!" The main nascent soul's expression hardened, and his gaze toward the remnant soul of the second nascent soul became more solemn.