Godslayer: My Forbidden Ruins Master

In the depths of darkness, the mental fluctuations belonging to the queen ant surged endlessly like molten lava, pressing down on everyone's nerves.

Lu Xuan stood before the massive tunnel entrance exposed by the ground collapse, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. His spiritual power, like an invisible net, stretched endlessly into the depths of the tunnel, outlining a panoramic view of an underground world so complex it sent chills down one's spine.

"The queen ant is in that direction."

Lu Xuan pointed straight at the main tunnel, wide enough for two trucks to drive side-by-side. "It's about three kilometers away. The scent is strongest in that direction, and the density of worker ants is highest there."

His voice was calm and resolute, as if he were not describing a deadly trap that could devour everything, but rather narrating an ordinary marching route.

However, Li Deyang, who was standing next to him, was as white as a sheet of paper.

The old watchman, who had been rooted in Anta County for decades, was still trembling uncontrollably after the terrifying collapse and siege. Not from the cold, but from fear—an extreme fear from the depths of his soul of an unknown, powerful being.

"Three kilometers..."

Li Deyang muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, "Captain Lu, I have a question... Those ordinary worker ants have already reached the realm, and the soldier ants are even at the peak of the River Realm or close to the Sea Realm. That means... the strength of their leader, the queen ant..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was already quite clear.

According to the general pattern of mysterious creature groups, the leader's strength usually far surpasses that of the strongest individual under their command. Those blood-armored ants are already close to the sea realm, and the queen ant…

"At least at the peak of the Sea Realm."

Lu Xuan spoke for him, his tone calm and composed.

"What?!"

Baili Pangpang's voice nearly cracked, "Peak of the Sea Realm?! Old Lu, are you sure you're not joking? That's the peak of the Sea Realm! Just the few of us... even if you're a monster, you can't possibly take on a peak Sea Realm expert all by yourself, right?!"

As he spoke, he had already begun to involuntarily take a step back.

"What's more... there are thousands of worker ants from the Sichuan region and countless elite Blood Armor warriors there! This isn't fighting a boss, it's venturing into hell!"

Baili Pangpang's voice grew louder and louder, until it almost turned into a howl, "Old Lu, I know you're strong, but can't we be a little more rational? Let's retreat first and call reinforcements from headquarters! Didn't Commander Ye Fan leave you his contact information? Why don't we have him bring a few top-tier fighters and turn this place upside down?!"

Although Li Deyang didn't speak, his slightly trembling lips and clenched fists clearly indicated that he also favored the fat man's plan.

However, what shocked Li Deyang even more was that Cao Yuan, who was standing beside Lu Xuan, and the silver-haired hero spirit who was still quietly holding a bow—Galo—seemed to have no doubts about Lu Xuan's decision to continue going deeper.

Cao Yuan silently inspected his straight sword, wiping away the remaining ant blood with his sleeve, then gripped the sword again, his cold eyes fixed on Lu Xuan, awaiting the next instruction.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

This absolute trust stirred a strange pang of sorrow in Li Deyang's heart.

He had been the night watchman in this forest for decades, witnessing countless battles, deaths, and despair. But he had never seen a team like this—one person made a decision, and the others followed without reservation, even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire.

This is not blind obedience, but an unbreakable tacit understanding and trust forged after countless life-and-death trials.

"It's too late to call for reinforcements."

Lu Xuan turned around and looked at everyone. Although his tone was calm, there was a hint of seriousness hidden deep in his eyes.

"The queen ant just triggered the collapse. Her intention is clear—to trap us here and slowly wear us down. If we retreat now, we'll not only face the pursuit of those mind-controlled, crazed worker ants, but also risk the entire nest collapsing again at any moment."

"and……"

Lu Xuan's gaze turned cold, and his voice carried an undisguised killing intent.

"What did we see on the way here? Human corpses! Human corpses crushed into meatballs! The queen ant is feeding herself with human flesh and blood to accelerate egg production! Every hour that's wasted will result in more ant eggs hatching! At that point, not only Anta County, but the entire northern border of Great Xia will fall!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Baili Pangpang and Li Deyang's heads.

Yes, what is their purpose in coming here? Isn't it to nip this threat in the bud and eliminate it completely?

If we retreat this time, the next time we come back, we might face not just a few thousand worker ants, but tens of thousands or even more! At that point, even if Ye Fan came in person, he probably wouldn't be able to solve the problem easily!

This is your only chance!

"Alright, enough chit-chat."

Lu Xuan looked around at everyone and made his final decision.

"We'll continue deeper. Target—the queen ant."

"But this time, we won't charge in headfirst."

A meaningful smile appeared on Lu Xuan's lips.

"Since we're going to take down their stronghold, we need to use a bit of finesse."

As he spoke, he slowly extended his right hand, palm facing up.

An eerie pink light quietly bloomed in the dark underground world.

"Buzz—"

Su Daji's figure appeared beside Lu Xuan like smoke and mist.

Nine fluffy, snow-white fox tails swayed gently, and her stunningly beautiful face carried a hint of languor and allure, as if she had just woken from a beautiful dream.

"Master~ misses me again?" Su Daji's charming voice rang out in the dark and damp underground, which inexplicably had a strange sense of incongruity, like a bewitching red lotus suddenly blooming in hell.

Baili Pangpang unconsciously started drooling again.

But this time he learned his lesson and quickly turned his face away, pinching his thigh hard—last time he was so bewitched by Su Daji that he almost forgot his own name, and he dared not make the same mistake again.

"Daji, listen."

Lu Xuan's smile faded, his expression turning serious. "There are several soldier ants patrolling ahead. I need you to use charm to control them—all of them."

"Soldier ants? Ugh, those ugly, big bugs again~" Su Daji pouted, looking disgusted. "Why does Master always make me deal with these disgusting things? My charm is meant to bewitch countless beings, not to be a bug breeder~"

"Enough with the nonsense." Lu Xuan tapped her forehead helplessly (though it was just a symbolic gesture, as the heroic spirit's materialization wasn't complete yet), "Once you've dealt with them, I'll treat you to candied hawthorns later."

"Really?!" Su Daji's eyes lit up, her coquettish demeanor a comical contrast to her divine spirit status. "Then I'll remember that! Master, you can't go back on your word!"

After saying that, Su Daji's expression changed instantly.

Her previously charming and languid demeanor vanished abruptly, replaced by an absolute authority and sense of control befitting a superior. A dazzling pink light shone from her captivating fox-like eyes.

"Found it. Tunnel fork in 500 meters ahead."

Su Daji's voice turned cold and precise, as if she had instantly switched from a spoiled little girl to a battlefield commander. "Six soldier ants, all at the peak of the River Realm. Their mental barriers are very fragile, far weaker than humans'. Give me three seconds."

"Go."

Su Daji's figure transformed into a wisp of pink smoke, drifting silently forward.

Her movements weren't like walking; they were more like flowing through the void. That eerie posture sent chills down Li Deyang's spine, but he had to admit—this ability was practically made for assassination and infiltration!

Three seconds later.

Su Daji's voice echoed in Lu Xuan's mind:

"All done, Master! The six big bugs are all behaving obediently now. They're my pets now!"

Lu Xuan nodded in satisfaction, then led everyone forward quickly along the tunnel.

When they arrived at the fork in the road, they indeed saw six large, dark red soldier ants.

These soldier ants lined up in a row, like six stationary tanks, lying quietly on both sides of the tunnel. Their originally fierce, eerie green compound eyes had now turned into a hazy pink, containing no aggression, only unconditional docility and obedience.

"Mount."

Lu Xuan pointed to the six soldier ants and said to the group, "Each of you ride one. It's still nearly three kilometers from here to the queen's nest. Walking is too slow and will easily give us away. Riding them will not only be faster, but more importantly—"

A sly smile appeared on Lu Xuan's lips.

"Ant colonies rely on pheromones to distinguish friend from foe. As long as we ride on these soldier ants, the surrounding worker ants will consider us as one of their own."

"This way, we won't alert the enemy."

"Brilliant!"

Baili Pangpang's eyes lit up, and his previous fear seemed to dissipate considerably in that instant. "Isn't this a wolf in sheep's clothing? No, a wolf riding on ant skin...?"

"Stop joking, let's go up."

Baili Pangpang was the first to climb onto the back of a soldier ant. The soldier ant obediently lowered its head and even adjusted its body angle to make it easier for him to climb.

"Wow! It's pretty stable!" Baili Pangpang, perched atop the hard carapace, patted the soldier ant's head. "Goodness, this is much more comfortable than riding a horse! And we don't even need to feed it grass!"

Cao Yuan also flipped over and leaped onto the back of another soldier ant. His movements were swift and decisive, as if he were riding a horse with ease.

Li Deyang hesitated. Looking at the enormous soldier ant lying before him, he felt a sense of unreality. Was he really going to ride this terrifying monster that had struck him with fear just days before, a monster he'd wanted to avoid at all costs?

"Captain Li, what are you standing there for? Go up there," Lu Xuan urged.

Li Deyang gritted his teeth, finally steeled himself, and climbed up using both hands and feet. When he was actually sitting on the broad and hard back of the soldier ant, he felt a strange sense of security—the hard carapace was like a natural armor, much more stable than the broken chair in his forest ranger station.

The group of people each straddled a soldier ant, looking exactly like a strange cavalry squad.

But Lu Xuan was not in a hurry to set off.

He closed his eyes, slowly raised his hands, and an extremely pure spiritual energy rippled outwards like invisible waves.

That mental energy was not offensive in nature, but rather an extremely subtle form of "covering" and "disguise".

He was enveloping everyone's human aura—body temperature, heartbeat, and the frequency of blood circulation—with a thin, cicada-wing-like mental barrier, as if putting an invisible protective suit on each person.

Then, on the outer layer of that membrane, he cleverly attached a layer of pheromone scent extracted from these tamed soldier ants.

It's something like an "identity code".

In the world of ant colonies, pheromones are like passports. Anyone carrying the pheromones of their own kind is considered one of them.

"alright."

Lu Xuan opened his eyes, a fleeting glint of light flashing in them.