Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 703 - 591: Law Divine Tree: Ghost King Sophora

In the height of summer, the northwestern desert lay scorched beneath the blazing sun, the bone-dry air vibrating with waves of heat, carrying not a trace of moisture.

A team made up of twelve Flame Spider Roving Merchants advanced steadily, following the undulating line of the dunes.

At the rear of the procession, a Flame Spider Warrior continuously deployed Earth System Abilities, erasing the traces of footprints left along their path.

At the head of the team, the two Spider Kings, White Ivy and Star Leaf, walked side by side.

All along the way, White Ivy had already inquired from the Star Leaf Spider King about the detailed information regarding Red Crow Mountain.

A place akin to the Flame Spider Tribe's ancestral land, Shanglu.

An ancient power that had found ways to survive the Origin Force Silent Period, having experienced more than a hundred cycles of Origin Force Reincarnation.

...

The team climbed up a barren hill.

White Ivy, by force of habit, halted, her eyes bursting with Primordial Energy, activating her Scorching Ability in an instant to gather information from distant sources of light.

On the skyline, a streak of colored light.

"Heh—"

White Ivy let out a startled cry, exclaiming, "Divine Force Barrier! I saw the multicolored light of the Divine Force Barrier."

Star Leaf Spider King: "Indeed. Red Crow Mountain sits up against the Divine Force Barrier. We're almost there."

Star Leaf Spider King urged, "Desert conditions are hot and exhausting. White Ivy Spider King, let's pick up the pace and try to arrive before nightfall."

The team quickened their pace from a brisk walk to a jog.

By late afternoon, 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

they once again crested a barren hill.

White Ivy once more activated her Scorching Ability to survey the land.

Snow-capped peaks in the summertime.

Majestic mountains stretching between heaven and earth.

Red Crow Mountain!

...

The team pressed onward.

They crossed through rocky, jagged mountains.

Climbing the ridgeline where the air thinned, they stood atop snow-laden peaks to gaze down from above.

Behind them stretched endless, arid desert as far as the eye could see.

Before them, lush mountains and forests rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist, with great rivers roaring below.

Activating Scorching Ability to look ahead, the oasis extended onward, all the way to the Divine Force Barrier at the continent's western rim.

It was said that the local mountains shielded the area from northern cold fronts, making winters as warm as spring; abundant rainfall, a cool, moist summer—an exquisite climate where every season felt like spring, a land where life flourished.

Legend had it the ancestors of the Ghost King Grasshopper Tribe, using unknown abilities, had laid down a deadly miasma along the mountain range, thus sealing the mountain paths year-round; only during the twenty-something hottest days of every summer did the poisonous fog dissipate, making it safe to enter or leave.

But even then, entry was not without restriction.

Crimson Dragonfly Warriors scouting from the sky immediately spotted the caravan.

The Dragonfly Warrior flickered and vanished into the woods.

In the next instant,

A dense swarm of bees burst skyward, blotting out the sun like dark clouds, surging toward them.

Bright red.

Bodies pitch black, with crimson-black rings on their abdomens—Red Ring Wasps.

The United Kingdom of Red Crow Mountain was highly inclusive; apart from the four main tribes, it also welcomed other Insect Clan Warriors born in the wild, eager to form symbiotic ties with the Bee Clan and Ant Clan.

"White Ivy Spider King—"

Seeing the fierce swarm draw near, Column Spotted grew a bit nervous, carefully hiding behind White Ivy.

"What are you panicking for?"

White Ivy took down the Spider Silk Bag hanging from her carapace, opened it, and drew out a pod-shaped Pass Card from inside.

The aggressive swarm abruptly slowed to a halt.

The leading Assistant King stepped forward alone to question them.

"Star Leaf Spider King, what's going on here? Why are there two Spider Kings this year? Twelve Flame Spider Roving Merchants."

Star Leaf Spider King: "This is White Ivy Spider King, specially invited by the Great Leader of the Ghost King Grasshopper Tribe as the sixth caravan?"

"The sixth caravan?"

The lead Assistant King stared intently at the Pass Card.

Star Leaf Spider King also rummaged through the goods on his carapace to produce an identical Pass Card shaped like a sophora bean pod.

White Ivy: "I heard it was the Great Leader Dogtooth Violet of the Ghost King Grasshopper Tribe who extended the invitation."

"Ah! Understood! All is in order! Honored guests, please!"

The lead Assistant King voiced no further doubts.

The bee swarm led the way, guiding the team down a winding mountain path to a designated spot for a night's rest.

The next morning,

they crossed high mountains and passed through deep, shadowy valleys, finally arriving at a great lake nestled among the ranges.

Treasure Tree Lake.

Along the lakeside, a trading plaza had been established atop earth and stone, with insects bustling to and fro.

In ordinary times, the inner tribes of Red Crow Mountain traded among themselves here, exchanging their respective needs.

Every midsummer, when the Flame Spider Caravan arrived, a grand trading festival would also be held.

The arrival of the Star Leaf and White Ivy caravans immediately attracted throngs of adoring Insect Clan Warriors.

The Star Leaf Caravan came every year and was well acquainted; familiar insects greeted them enthusiastically.

"Ghost King Woonyoung!"

New to the scene and a bit lost, White Ivy's eyes suddenly brightened—she too spotted a familiar figure.

"White Ivy Spider King! Star Leaf Spider King!"

Ghost King Woonyoung was clearly there with purpose, waiting deliberately for them, and asked in greeting, "How was your journey, did all go well?"

Star Leaf: "Smoothly."

White Ivy: "Thank you for your concern, Ghost King Woonyoung."

Ghost King Woonyoung's gaze flicked over to White Ivy's carapace, then at Column Spotted, reminding her, "White Ivy Spider King, you all can also bring Divine-Given Origin Force Food and Bee King Honey here for trade. Bee King Honey is sure to be a big hit here."

Ghost King Woonyoung explained, "Our Red Crow Mountain is closed to the outside, but internally our management is especially loose and free. Origin Force Food produced on each tribe warrior's own territory is handled entirely at their discretion. The profits from wild Divine-Given Seed harvests that the tribe runs collectively are distributed among the members, and after they're handed out, no one interferes—everyone handles them as they wish; the tribe won't look into it."

Ghost King Woonyoung: "Within Red Crow Mountain, all manner of Origin Force Food circulates frequently. There's no such thing as a fixed trade quota for caravans here, but you can trade for many premium Divine-Given Origin Force Foods not found elsewhere."

White Ivy: "Understood!"

White Ivy: "It's our first time this year, and since we heard we'd have to cross the desert, we didn't prepare much by way of goods. Now that we understand the situation, next year we'll be ready."

Ghost King Woonyoung tapped his antennae and said no more.