Chapter 266: Swarm of Demon Ants, the Profound Life Bone Bead!
Darkness spread across the land, stretching to the edge of sight. Even the sky seemed to darken oppressively.
This was a bleak and shadowy wasteland. In the distance, eerie howls echoed from time to time.
Those howls carried no trace of life—only a pure, extreme thirst for slaughter.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the long-still sky above the wasteland cracked open with countless rifts, and beams of light shot down like rain, instantly shattering the silence of the realm.
Amidst the streaks of light, a massive arc of rainbow energy descended slowly to the ground.
As the glow faded, hundreds of figures were revealed—led by Xiao Xiao and Lin Fan. They were the Dao Sect disciples.
"Most people entering the Domain of Annihilation will be randomly transported to the outer regions. If we're lucky, we shouldn't run into Yuan Gate too soon," Xiao Xiao said, scanning the surroundings.
"Be careful. There's something underground," Lin Fan warned after a quick sweep of the area with his spiritual sense.
With that, he stomped hard, releasing a powerful force that cracked the ground apart.
Within the fissure, a dozen grotesque black monsters covered in sharp spikes revealed their blood-red eyes.
Shhk! Shhk!
Just as the creatures were exposed, the surrounding earth suddenly collapsed.
Dozens of massive black spikes shot out from below, aiming to impale the Dao Sect disciples.
Having just landed, many disciples were caught off guard.
But several quick-witted elites reacted in time, unleashing their Yuan Power to block the incoming spikes.
Even Ying Huanhuan, for all her strength, was briefly flustered by the sudden assault.
But unlike the others, far more of the monsters seemed to be targeting her specifically.
After pushing back a dozen of them, her expression shifted as more of the ground split apart beneath her.
Icy claws, exuding a chilling aura, slashed toward her.
She gasped, caught off guard.
Boom!
A figure suddenly flashed in front of her, one arm wrapping around her waist and lifting her into the air. The other hand slammed down toward the ground.
A massive crimson palm manifested from the air and crashed onto the earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The strike shattered the ground completely.
The Dao Sect disciples turned pale as they watched a tide of black monsters pour out of the earth like a flood.
Each one had crimson eyes and bodies coated in black armor-like carapace.
"Demon Ants… What terrible luck," Xiao Xiao muttered, her expression grim.
Apparently, they weren't the only ones under attack.
Shouts and screams of pain echoed from the distance—others had clearly encountered these creatures too.
The black wasteland plunged into chaos.
"Huanhuan, use your soundwave technique—put them to sleep," Lin Fan said after gaining some distance.
"But my Sonic Enchantment doesn't work on creatures with strong spiritual power," she replied uncertainly.
"These things don't have spiritual power. To others they're monsters, but to you? They're defenseless."
As he spoke, Lin Fan unleashed another palm strike, obliterating a dozen ants in one blow.
But there were too many to kill them all by force.
Ying Huanhuan hesitated, then nodded. She raised her hand, summoning a jade-green guqin.
With a gentle pluck of the strings, a soft melody spread outward.
Pling… Pling…
As the music flowed, the once-ferocious demon ants slowed…
And then dropped to the ground like cut wheat, completely unconscious.
"Well done!" Lin Fan gave her a thumbs-up with a smile.
Ying Huanhuan maintained a calm expression, though she was clearly pleased with the praise.
"Let's move!" Xiao Xiao called out, preparing the group to retreat from the danger zone.
"Wait… there's something underground," Ying Huanhuan said suddenly.
"Hm?"
Xiao Xiao, Wang Yan, and the others stopped and looked at her curiously.
Frowning slightly, Ying Huanhuan plucked the strings once more. A pulse of sound shot forward.
The swarm of ants parted like a tide, revealing the dark earth beneath.
As the ants retreated, a slab of brownish rock was revealed deep underground.
Atop that rock… several motionless corpses sat cross-legged.
"Those are… Profound Life Bone Beads? Damn, these people must have been late-stage or even peak Profound Life Realm experts in life!" Wang Yan muttered, shocked.
"No wonder such a large swarm of demon ants gathered here. The Bone Beads must have lured them," Xiao Xiao realized.
"Should we go for them?" Wang Yan looked to Lin Fan and Xiao Xiao.
Shing!
Just then, a sharp sword cry rang out from the distance.
Everyone turned in alarm and saw a radiant beam of light tear through the sky.
The light solidified into a giant glowing sword, which sliced through the ant swarm and descended into the air above them.
"Sword Sect?" Xiao Xiao's expression darkened.
The light faded, revealing a large group of figures.
At the front stood a smiling man in gray robes, eyes fixed on Lin Fan's group—and the bone beads below.
"Interesting. I was wondering why a swarm of this scale would show up near the outskirts of the Domain. So that's why…"
He smiled as his gaze burned toward the rocky platform.
The Dao Sect disciples immediately grew tense and alert.
"I'm Xue Ling of the Sword Sect. Friends from Dao Sect—how about we split the Profound Life Bone Beads evenly?" the man said with a seemingly kind smile, his eyes glinting.
"Xue Ling…" Xiao Xiao frowned slightly.
Clearly, neither side expected to end up teleported to the same region.
And from the look of it, Sword Sect had their own way of handling the ant swarm and had sensed the disturbance from afar.
"Let them take the Bone Beads first," Ying Huanhuan suddenly whispered to Lin Fan, just loud enough for him to hear.
Lin Fan turned his head slightly. The girl's bright eyes sparkled mischievously, like a sly little fox.
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on February 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1