While Patriarch Xue Pao’s psyche was allowed to lead the way, it was constantly subdued by Lin Jin’s needles. On the surface, they were engaging in a pleasant conversation, but they each harbored their intentions. In any case, Patriarch Xue Pao undoubtedly had an ulterior motive. Despite being paralyzed and tortured by the needles, he still managed to fake smiles. One couldn’t possibly imagine the grievances he felt.
‘Just you wait. Once I’m free, the first thing I’ll do is kill you!’ Patriarch Xue Pao was seething with rage on the inside.
Despite his rage, he was surprised by Curator’s abilities. It was his first time meeting an expert who could shatter his psyche with ease. The fact that his needles could penetrate his psyche impressed Patriarch Xue Pao.
Traveling by cloud was faster than traveling on the back of an eagle, so it took them mere hours to reach Grassy Continent. During the journey, the exchange between Curator and Patriarch Xue Pao never stopped. Not once did they experience a period of awkward silence.
They arrived at Grassy Continent half a day later. Although Grassy Continent was also somewhat desolate, it was much better than Arid Continent. Shortly after, they reached a mountainous region with barely any signs of human activity. This was Patriarch Xue Pao’s hiding place.
Lin Jin lamented inwardly after looking around. This place looked exactly like how Daojun had painted it. The painting was the one that described how Daojun planned to kill Patriarch Xue Pao, only to be attacked by the immortal devouring beast.
Because Shu Xiaolou turned the painting into a realm, Lin Jin managed to enter it Now that he was here, he felt a sense of sorrow.
“Curator, my hiding place is just down here,” said Patriarch Xue Pao who pointed downward.
“Alright.” Lin Jin gradually descended to the ground.
Had it been some other day, it would have been near impossible to track down Patriarch Xue Pao’s nest amidst the cluster of mountains. However, this was made possible since the man himself was leading the way.
After receiving a series of directions, Lin Jin arrived at the entrance of a cave in a valley that had the sun on its back. This looked like any other cave, and it was only the width of a man. However, upon entering the cave, it was a whole other world.
As Lin Jin studied the underground cave that looked very much like an ant’s nest, his brows furrowed.
At this point, he spotted more than ten entrances. If he decided to enter one of these entrances, he would likely run into splitting pathways. In other words, this was a maze.
No, this was even more complex than a maze.
Lin Jin wasn’t kidding when he compared this place to an ant’s nest. This was an actual ant’s nest. Up ahead, they could see several large ant beasts crawling about in the dark. These ants were larger than a bull, so they must be a type of rare beast.
Lin Jin found an opportunity to flick out his needle to appraise these ant beasts.
“Subterranean ant. Rank 3. Earth attribute.”
“Large in size, adept in digging holes, relatively low intelligence, prefers living in a colony.”
“The three evolution methods are…”
After reading the museum’s evaluation, Lin Jin said to Patriarch Xue Pao’s psyche, “You’re quite skilled to be able to control this colony of subterranean ants.”
Patriarch Xue Pao replied, “Oh, it’s just an insignificant trick. I was the first to arrive here. If we were to talk about the specifics, they’re intruders. However, after spending a long time here, getting to know the queen and all, we’ve become neighbors.”
Patriarch Xue Pao spoke with a nonchalant tone.
Lin Jin knew full well that almost most of the subterranean ants here were Rank 3 insects, making them incredibly strong. Your average Rank 4 and even Rank 5 beasts would think twice before provoking them.
The reason was simple. These ants made up a colony, so if even a single ant was provoked, they would overwhelm the enemy with their sheer numbers.
Anyone would feel their scalps prickle at the thought of being buried under thousands of subterranean ants. Even Rank 4 beasts might be killed in the attack if it wasn’t careful enough.
These ant beasts must be controlled by a queen, and judging by Patriarch Xue Pao’s explanation, their queen might just be a monster.
What a dangerous cave.
Even if experts were informed that Patriarch Xue Pao hiding here, the process of killing him would pose a huge challenge. They might even have to lay down their lives here.
When faced with a swarm of ants, even experts might not be able to hold their ground.
“Curator, this way please.” Patriarch Xue Pao’s psyche led the way forward. He didn’t bring up the ants anymore, but just because he didn’t mention them, didn’t mean they weren’t around.
Lin Jin had been observing his surroundings as they ventured deeper into the cave system. The number of ants was overwhelming. At this point, he had personally counted several hundred of them. Of course, there must be even more hiding in the cave.
Under his mask, Lin Jin smirked.
Patriarch Xue Pao had played his cards well. Despite staying silent and maintaining a nonchalant atmosphere, he was demonstrating his influence in an attempt to intimidate Curator.
Truth be told, the old Lin Jin would have been frustrated. After all, being underground and surrounded by subterranean ants was not an ideal situation to be in.
Now, things were different. His two Rank 5 pet beasts aside, just two of his latest obtained treasures could handle this situation.
One was Clear Wind Sword who had assimilated the Divine Blade Scroll. At this point, he had now achieved the level of a holy sword. The other was the magic treasure that could create a sea out of nowhere, the Four Ocean Gourd.
In moments of desperation, he just had to fill this nest with water, and no matter how strong the ants were, they would all drown.
This was why Lin Jin had complete confidence in his abilities.
Even then, Lin Jin stayed alert.
One could not deny the fact that Patriarch Xue Pao was a thousand-year-old monster. Would he just use this colony of subterranean ants to frighten him? This might just be a guise, a distraction. He must have something stronger tucked away.
After so much twisting and turning inside this ant’s nest, even those with an eidetic memory would fail to remember which path they came from. After all, one could hardly tell one entrance apart from another. These subterranean ants had a standardized method in constructing these tunnels. Even the sand and mucus they used seemed to have come from the same mold.
This gave Lin Jin quite a headache as he did not expect there to be such a massive ant’s nest.
He couldn’t memorize the trail anymore. He would just have to play by ear later, and when push came to shove, he would resort to other means.
For instance, he could rely on the Cosmic Ink.
He had a lot of options to pick from.
Moments later, Lin Jin arrived at a huge cave. They must be right below the subterranean ants’ nest. It was a natural cast, and it was massive. Up ahead, he saw the silhouette of a large man sitting upright, leaning against a stone wall.
After straining his eyes to get a good look at the thing, he was shocked by what he saw.
While the giant man was in a sitting position, his size was still remarkable. His palm alone was longer than a human being. If he stood up, he would be a hundred feet tall, not to mention how girthy of a man he was.