Chapter 119: Ant’s Nest

　　The Jade Class disciples had endured arduous training, and had been hunting in the Beast Valley for one or two years, so they were just as proficient in hunting as Qi Ying was. However, compared to Qi Ying, they were still lacking something.

　　They were lacking a killer’s instinct!

　　Following the events that took place at the hunting grounds, during which Qi Ying had slain several dozens of warriors, he could take human lives without even the slightest hint of his hesitation. He attacked solely to kill, as if he were some sort of cold-blooded killing machine.

　　He had become exactly like Xue Yuesha; he didn’t have a diverse range of techniques, but he struck venomously with extreme speed! The four black-robed guards and the Lu brothers were all considered to be quite powerful among those of the same rank, so their combined efforts should have allowed them to hold off a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. However, they were almost completely wiped out by Xue Yuesha, and the reason for that was their lack of killer instinct, which their opponent possessed.

　　That instinct was very abstract, and was more so related to one’s psychology rather than their actual combat prowess. If a normal person were to take a life, there would inevitably be a hint of hesitation as they prepared to land the killing blow.

　　In a battle between powerful warriors, a fraction of a second could make the difference between life and death!

　　In the blink of an eye, Qi Ying had already harvested the lives of two Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors, before rushing away like a madman.

　　The remaining three Spirit Martial Stage and four Energy Martial Stage warriors didn’t have time to bury their companions, and continued to give chase.

　　Two members of their group had already been killed, so they were even more determined to hunt Qi Ying down!

　　“Kill him!”

　　The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior roared with bloodshot eyes.

　　…

　　‘There’s only a tiny bit of that Blood Moon Plasma left.’

　　Qi Ying internally inspected his dantian, and his brows furrowed slightly.

　　He had killed two of his assailants, but he was forced to make some sacrifices in the process. Not only had he further whittled down his pitiful remaining supply of Blood Moon Plasma, he had also swallowed all of his remaining Energy Breakthrough Pills to replenish his True Energy.

　　As such, he only had some Energy Blast Pills, a few Energy Blast Pills, and some other pills left.

　　He was getting closer and closer to the exit, but his pursuers were also slowly gaining on him. Qi Ying knew that if he were to continue on his current trajectory, he would most likely get cut off by the other group of six warriors before reaching the third exit.

　　‘What can I do?’

　　Countless thoughts flashed through Qi Ying’s mind in an instant.

　　Engaging in a direct confrontation or continuing to flee were both unfeasible options.

　　‘I’ll keep running laps in the forest! Maybe I’ll be able to take down a few more of them!’

　　With that in mind, Qi Ying suddenly changed directions.

　　His pursuers immediately followed suit.

　　“Is he trying to outlast us?”

　　“Hmph! He thinks he can outlast all of us when he’s just a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior? What a stupid kid!”

　　“Send a signal to Li San and the others; tell them to stay outside the forest, and cut Qi Ying if he emerges!”

　　“Yes!”

　　…

　　Qi Ying was not just rushing aimlessly through the forest. Instead, he was devising a plan for a counterattack.

　　With that Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior among his assailants, he wouldn’t be able to escape no matter what he did.

　　He had to take care of him first!

　　Qi Ying quickly consulted his mental image of the Beast Valley map again, and scrambled for an idea that would get him out of his perilous situation.

　　‘Next to this forest is a mountain, and there seems to be an Ice Fire Ant nest in one of the caves there… I’ll go there!’

　　Ice Fire Ants were massive ants that were even larger than rats. The soldier ants among them were even bigger than husky dogs, and were Yellow Tier beasts, the most powerful of which were at the Seventh or Eighth Rank. Apparently, the ant queen was as large as a cow, and was a Dark Tier beast.

　　An Ice Fire Ant nest was very dangerous, even for Third or Fourth Spirit Martial Stage warriors.

　　The ants could release a dual ice-and-fire type of toxin, and if one were to be surrounded by a large group of them, the toxins they emitted would result in paralysis, leaving the target vulnerable to attacks from the soldier ants.

　　Only on very rare occasions were there people that were willing to take the risk to secure the pincers of the soldier ants, which could be redeemed as materials for missions. Otherwise, no one would want to go to an Ice Fire Ant nest.

　　However, to Qi Ying, the most dangerous place was the safest one!

　　Qi Ying drew upon another shred of the Blood Moon Plasma, thereby drastically accelerating his speed as he rushed in the direction of the Ice Fire Ant’s nest.

　　…

　　All of his pursuers quickly noticed that he seemed to be progressing toward a certain location.

　　“Where is he going?” One of them asked.

　　The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior’s expression changed slightly. “It has to be the Ice Fire Ants’ nest!”

　　Everyone else’s expressions had also stiffened upon hearing that, and someone exclaimed, “Does he want to die? Entering an Ice Fire Ant nest is pretty much a death sentence for Energy Martial Stage warriors! They may be weak individually, but they form an extremely powerful whole, and even many of the Dark Tier beasts in the Beast Valley wouldn’t dare to mess with them! A Sixth Energy Martial Stage brat like him is going to get poisoned to death there!”

　　“Keep up with him!” The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior’s expression darkened, “Even if he dies in the nest, we have to bring something back with us to report to the young master with!”

　　“Alright.”

　　“Yes!”

　　Whoosh!

　　The chase continued.

　　All of them knew what terrifying consequences would await them if they were unable to complete their mission.

　　Furthermore, the young master was not the only one who had assigned the mission to them on that occasion.

　　…

　　‘This is it!’

　　Qi Ying finally caught sight of the cave he was looking for, and there were a bunch of red and blue creatures scurrying in and out of the cave, as if they were transporting something.

　　He approached the cave and immediately figured out what those red and blue creatures were; they were a bunch of massive ants transporting pieces of red and black meat into the cave.

　　Qi Ying immediately rushed into the cave without any hesitation.

　　Whoosh whoosh!

　　Whoosh!

　　His pursuers stopped outside the cave.

　　The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior at the forefront wore a thunderous expression.

　　“He really went in!”

　　“What a suicidal b*stard!”

　　Everyone spat through gritted teeth.

　　The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior contemplated momentarily, before deciding, “Let’s wait here for him! The Ice Fire Ant nest is very dark and congested, and there’s only one opening. If he doesn’t come out in fifteen minutes, then he must be dead. We have Panacea Powder that can repress the ants’ poison, so we’ll be able to go in and search for his body later.”

　　One of the warriors was a bit more hesitant. “If he dies in the cave, then the ants will probably eat him until there’s nothing left!”

　　The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior harrumphed coldly, “If we can’t find his body, then his silver glove will suffice as proof that we completed the mission. Even if we can’t find that, we’ll know if he’s dead or alive depending on whether he appears at the academy again in the next few days…”

　　“Alright!”

　　Thus, everyone began to wait outside the cave. After fifteen minutes, the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior broke the silence. “Let’s go in!”