Chapter 523 - 503: Preparations of the Snow Velvet Spider King

Jade Dragonfly Warrior: "Hello, might I ask if this is the Fire Wheel Island United Kingdom?"

Dragon Cypress: "Hello. It is not."

Jade Dragonfly Warrior: "Then, do you know where it is?"

Dragon Cypress: "I do."

Jade Dragonfly Warrior: "Then, could you please point me in the general direction?"

Dragon Cypress’s tentacles bent lightly to indicate the direction.

"Thank you. Goodbye."

The Jade Dragonfly Warrior flapped its wings, rapidly ascending into the sky.

So it had come to ask for directions.

A well-mannered dragonfly.

Rarely does one encounter an Insect Clan warrior from an Otherworldly Continent who can communicate normally and who, at first glance, doesn’t seem very bright.

"Wait!"

Dragon Cypress called out in haste.

The Jade Dragonfly Warrior’s figure paused in mid-air, then flashed down vertically, hovering at a low altitude.

"Ant King, do you need something?"

Dragon Cypress introduced enthusiastically, "I am the Stone Chestnut Ant King, this is the Orchid Mantis. And may I ask your name...?"

Dragon Cypress discreetly activated his Soul-Setting Ability to sense.

Jade Dragonfly Warrior: "Hello. My name is Green Heart."

The soul fluctuations were normal. ’Green Heart’ was its real name. A dragonfly that couldn’t lie.

Dragon Cypress gently lifted his foreleg, pointed east, and asked in surprise, "Green Heart, did you come from that direction?"

"No!"

Green Heart: "I don’t have the means to smuggle myself from the Zhibai Continent to the Wanglan Continent. I came from the south, from Mighty Spirit Mountain."

Smuggling? Zhibai Continent? Wanglan Continent? Is traveling from the Zhibai Continent to the Wanglan Continent considered smuggling? Finally, the official names of the two continents became clear. The continent they were standing on, previously known as the ’Molan Continent,’ was officially named the ’Wanglan Continent.’ The neighboring ’Dragon Cypress Continent’ was officially named the ’Zhibai Continent.’

Dragon Cypress was speechless...

Ink Orchid’s choice of the name ’Molan Continent’ was like fortune-telling...

Dragon Cypress probed, "So, your trip to the Fire Wheel Archipelago is...?"

Green Heart: "I’m going... I’m sorry... it’s not convenient to disclose..."

Dragon Cypress: "Then it must be a very important matter. If it’s inconvenient to disclose, then never mind."

Green Heart: "Thank you for your understanding. It is indeed very important, and I cannot speak about it openly."

Green Heart’s gaze fell upon the Dominating Throne. "Stone Chestnut Ant King, this item of yours is...?"

Dragon Cypress: "An Outworld Civilization Artifact. I found it. It can carry me across the ocean."

Green Heart exclaimed with envy, "A wonderful item!"

Green Heart asked curiously, "Which Ant Clan are you from? Why is your carapace green?"

Dragon Cypress: "We are Big-Head Harvester Ants, a peace-loving clan. As for the carapace, it’s quite simple—a Wood Element Ability."

Green Heart: "Oh—"

Green Heart: "So you’re using an Outworld Civilization Artifact to secretly come to this island and search for a Divine-Given Seed?"

Dragon Cypress: "Yes—"

An idea struck Dragon Cypress, and he asked, "Green Heart, by my calculations, the Snow Velvet Spider King should have reached Mighty Spirit Mountain by now, right?"

Green Heart: "Exactly. The Snow Velvet Spider King just left our Mighty Spirit Mountain."

"???"

Ink Orchid tilted her head slightly, looking at Dragon Cypress.

Ant, are you hiding something from me?

Dragon Cypress said gravely, "It seems the Snow Velvet Spider King has encountered trouble..."

Green Heart also became grave. "Yes. It’s said to be big trouble."

Ink Orchid: "???"

—Mantis, be a bit more perceptive!~

Dragon Cypress kicked at Ink Orchid, speechless. "..."

Green Heart’s eyes flashed with green light. It also probed, sighing, "It’s unimaginable. What insect would dare to scheme against an existence like the Snow Velvet Spider King?"

Dragon Cypress: "I can’t understand it either."

Green Heart took the initiative to ask, "Stone Chestnut Ant King, what do you know?"

Dragon Cypress: "I’m just a weak Ant King surviving under the protection of the Blood Root Bee King, so I know very little. It seems to be related to Soul Abilities..."

Dragon Cypress: "Green Heart, what do you know?"

Green Heart: "I’m just a small dragonfly relying on the Night Dew Ant King. I don’t know much either, but..."

"My trip to the Fire Wheel Island United Kingdom this time is related to this matter. Stone Chestnut Ant King, we can exchange information."

Green Heart asked, "Stone Chestnut Ant King, do you know the specifics of what’s happening?"

Dragon Cypress: "I only know a little..."

Dragon Cypress appeared troubled and conflicted, but finally said, "The Snow Velvet Spider King is inquiring about a Soul System Divine-Grade Fruit. It’s being spied upon from hundreds of kilometers away by some unknown insect using a bizarre soul-type surveillance ability. It’s trying to find the source of this ability and also a way to counter it."

Green Heart’s eyes lit up, the flames of gossip burning fiercely. Shocked and incredulous, it said, "Spied upon from hundreds of kilometers away? Such an ability exists? Isn’t that too exaggerated?"

Dragon Cypress: "It is indeed exaggerated, but that’s what I’ve heard."

Green Heart: "Why would anyone spy on the Snow Velvet Spider King?"

Dragon Cypress: "That’s unclear. It can’t be that they’re after the Snow Velvet Spider King’s wealth, can it?"

Green Heart: "I actually think that’s possible! If not for wealth, what else could it be?"

Dragon Cypress: "That’s true..."

Dragon Cypress: "Green Heart, I’ve told you everything I know. What information do you have?"

Green Heart: "I..."

Green Heart: "Stone Chestnut Ant King, Orchid Mantis, I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t spread this around."

"We won’t spread it around."

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid simultaneously nodded their tentacles.

Green Heart: "Mighty Spirit Mountain produces a Soul System Divine-Grade Fruit, the Dew Pocket Fruit, which grants an ability named ’Nightfall.’ Specifically, it forms a Primordial Energy Barrier on the body’s surface that can block spiritual power scans. It can also be expanded to create a larger barrier that isolates other insects’ spiritual power, allowing for conversations within the barrier without being secretly detected."

Green Heart: "Our Mighty Spirit Mountain bypassed the caravans and directly exchanged Fire Wheel Fruits with Fire Wheel Island. However, the Divine-Grade Dew Pocket Fruits produced this time, originally intended for exchange with Fire Wheel Island, were acquired by the Snow Velvet Spider King."

Green Heart: "The Snow Velvet Spider King offered terms too favorable for the Night Dew Ant King to refuse. So, I was sent to Fire Wheel Island to inform them in advance."

Dragon Cypress: "Understood!"

Dragon Cypress asked, puzzled, "This isn’t the first Divine-Grade Fruit exchange between Mighty Spirit Mountain and Fire Wheel Island, is it? Then, Green Heart, how come you..."

Green Heart: "I’ve only gone once before, with the Sandpaper Vine Insect King. This time, the Sandpaper Vine Insect King had other matters... The sea is just water everywhere, it all looks unfamiliar, and I got a bit disoriented. If it were on land, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten lost."

"Oh—"

Dragon Cypress: "Understandable. Understandable."

Dragon Cypress wanted to ask more, but Green Heart suddenly became anxious. "I was supposed to reach Fire Wheel Island before nightfall, but I was delayed on the way. I can’t afford any more delays."

"Stone Chestnut Ant King, Orchid Mantis, farewell."

With that, it ascended vertically, transforming into a pale green shadow that vanished into the night.

...

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid watched Green Heart depart.

Ink Orchid slowly retracted her gaze and turned her head to look at Dragon Cypress.

"???"

"What is it, Ink Orchid?"

"How did you know the Snow Velvet Spider King would go to Mighty Spirit Mountain?"

"I didn’t know the Snow Velvet Spider King would go to Mighty Spirit Mountain. We’re exchanging information, so naturally, we need to find a topic. Flame Spider Roving Merchants travel everywhere, are well-connected, and surely know many insects. I just asked casually."

"Er—"

Ink Orchid was speechless.

This ant is too cunning!

Ink Orchid, still worried, asked, "The Snow Velvet Spider King purchased the Divine-Grade Dew Pocket Fruit at a high price. It’s specifically to target you, right?"

Dragon Cypress said gravely, "Definitely."

Ink Orchid asked, puzzled, "But we haven’t touched its three Wild Divine-Given Seeds, have we?"

Dragon Cypress: "It’s curious about the Soul-Setting Ability. Or rather, it also really wants a Soul-Setting Fruit. I reckon it’s probably planning to ambush me on Fragrant Silk Island."

"Then..."

Ink Orchid’s simple mind mulled it over a few times, then her eyes lit up. "Dragon Cypress, then we could trade with the Snow Velvet Spider King!"

Dragon Cypress: "..."

Dragon Cypress shook his tentacles. "We can’t take the risk, and there’s no need to."

Dragon Cypress: "It’s uncertain whether the ability granted by the Divine-Grade Dew Pocket Fruit can block the perception of the Soul-Setting Ability. From now on, we mustn’t go to Fragrant Silk Island anymore."

"Alright then—"

Ink Orchid asked, "Can we continue searching the Thousand Reef Archipelago then?"

Dragon Cypress: "We can’t be careless there either. Let’s go. We’ll withdraw for now and come back next year."

Ink Orchid: "Alright then—"

Dragon Cypress and the Dominating Throne simultaneously deployed their Hydrology Shields, quickly dived into the deep sea, moved away from the island, changed direction, and proceeded north stealthily underwater.

Ink Orchid was quiet for a long time, then said softly, "Dragon Cypress, the Fire Wheel Archipelago has Divine-Grade Fruits too, you know!"

Dragon Cypress: "Don’t even think about it. We can’t beat them."