The Monster Hidden in the Territory

Chapter 41 The Monster Hidden in the Territory

Thanks to my past life experience, I can easily stand upside down without relying on anything and without needing to use my hands for support.

True Qi gathered in the Dantian, and the second level of the Innate Formless Divine Skill was activated.

The warm current of internal energy gradually turned into icy cold, rising from the dantian to the lungs, through the heart meridian, and straight to the crown of the head.

After passing through the Niwan Palace, the mind becomes clear.

After several rounds of this, the burning anger in my heart was finally relieved, and a cool sensation filled my heart, bringing me great comfort.

The second level focuses on cultivating the six Yin meridians, namely the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, and the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian.

It starts with Shaoyin, then moves to Jueyin, and finally to Taiyin.

With the six Yin meridians connected, the second level was completed.

But there's no rush to open the meridians yet. The divine skill is just beginning to be perfected, and we still need to nurture our true energy.

Suddenly, I sensed something amiss. Another aura was seeping in from the outside, but this time it was no longer a scorching aura. Instead, it was cool and refreshing, with specks of aura flowing into my meridians and merging with the circulating true qi.

What exactly is this?

Alphonse was puzzled.

It did not increase the true qi, but it was integrated into the true qi.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

A deep, resonant voice sounded from outside the door, "My lord, are you there?"

"Come in," Alphonse replied.

There is no need to perform meridian opening; simply allow internal energy to circulate between the dantian and the crown of the head, and there is no need to fear being disturbed.

Carrying a large backpack and covered in dirt, Taixi pushed open the door and entered.

I was momentarily stunned when I saw Alphonse standing upside down.

I've seen people do handstands before, but it's rare to see someone like Alphonse who rests his head on the ground and doesn't move at all.

He must be performing some kind of bizarre ritual, right?

"What do you want?" Alphonse slowly finished his exercise, pushed himself up with both hands, and jumped up, landing steadily on the ground.

"I spent the whole night on the mountain last night, and I finally found traces of that monster," Tessie said solemnly.

"Oh? What kind of monster is it?" Alphonse asked curiously.

“Gold-eating ants,” Tessie replied, “but not just one, but a colony, with their nests deep underground in the mountains.”

"Ants?" Alphonse paused, taken aback.

Taisi took off his backpack and took out a long strip of something wrapped in linen.

He opened the linen cloth, revealing what was inside. "Look."

It resembled a piece of grayish-white rock, with mixed colors, cracks on the surface, and scattered grayish-white powder around it.

It's so thick that it's difficult to hold with one hand.

It looks somewhat familiar.

Alphonse couldn't resist reaching out and pinching it.

It crumbles at the slightest touch, as if it's weathered away.

However, it is not completely pulverized; there are both particulate and powdery substances.

Alphonse was surprised; wasn't this just like unfired cement raw material?

I couldn't help but pick up another pinch and rub it between my fingertips.

You read that right, this is the raw material for cement. Even if there are differences, they should not be significant.

"Where did this come from?"

If we could produce more, we wouldn't even need to find coal and limestone to mix. As long as we could build a kiln with a high enough temperature, we could produce cement.

This is good stuff!

"This is the excrement of gold-eating ants," Tessie replied, somewhat taken aback.

Alphonse: "."

Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner?!

"If its droppings are that big, how big are those gold-devouring ants?"

"It's probably a little bigger than a person." Tessie raised her hand to show its size and outline. "I thought you knew, since you were pinching and kneading it."

How would I have known it would have such a big slit!

Alphonse grumbled inwardly, feeling utterly frustrated.

However, it doesn't seem to smell bad.

No wonder nobody studies this stuff anymore; who would have thought it could be used as a building material?

It's disgusting to even think about, like smearing excrement on a wall?

Such large ants are indeed a problem; it's unbelievable that there are such monsters at the foot of the mountains in Cold Wind Territory.

Are gold-eating ants difficult to deal with?

"Worker ants are alright, just a bit stronger than ordinary people. Soldier ants are much more troublesome; they're at least first-tier demons, and male ants are even higher. I haven't seen the queen yet, so I don't know what she's like," Tessie answered truthfully. "Do you know what it means that the Gold-Eating Ants are nesting here?"

What does it represent? Gold-eating ants?

This "gold" likely refers to metal.

Alphonse wasn't a fool; he immediately understood. "You mean, there are metallic minerals in their nests?"

"That's right!" Tessie gave Alphonse a thumbs up. "Although the Gold-Eating Ants are omnivorous monsters that eat flesh and plants, metal minerals are an essential part of their diet. Last night, I sneaked into their nest, looked around, collected this excrement, and even saw iron ore deep underground."

Is there an iron ore vein in Coldwind Territory?

Alphonse was utterly astonished. "That's not right. My father previously hired experts from the Miners' Association to explore the area, so why didn't they find any mineral veins?"

"Deep underground, prospecting techniques can't detect places that deep," Tessie explained.

Alphonse then understood what was going on.

Having a mine means having money, so these gold-devouring ants are definitely not to be missed.

"Should I gather the guards and wipe them out?"

Thompson was outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, making it difficult to mobilize his own soldiers, but Captain Simon's subordinates were still fine.

"No!" Tessie shook her head, dust falling in a flurry. "The cave passage is too small. It'll be inconvenient to move around with too many people. I think it's enough to let Lady Mia handle it. I'll lead the way for her."

"Would it work if we smoked them out with fire?" Alphonse asked.

Taisi shook his head again. "It's impossible. The lair is too big, and it's interconnected with more than one exit."

If the only option is to fight deep into the enemy's lair, then the soldiers will indeed be unable to spread out their formations and will find it difficult to exert their combat power.

"Then I'll go too." Alphonse had just mastered his divine skills and had greatly enhanced his own abilities, so how could he miss out on something like this?

Tessi never expected Alphonse to take such a risk. He hesitated for a moment, but then thought that with Mia, a high-level swordsman, accompanying him, there shouldn't be any problems, so he readily agreed.

"Go wake Mia up. I'll have the cook prepare the food. We'll go up the mountain after we eat." Alphonse knew very well that Mia hadn't slept all night and might be grumpy if she was woken up. He decided it was best not to provoke her.

Better to die than to die myself; let Taixi do this job.

"Okay." Little did Tess know that Alphonse had ulterior motives, and she agreed without hesitation.

While the cook was busy, Alphonse went to the courtyard outside the castle, looked around, and looked for a place to test his skills.

But none of the trees looked particularly offensive.

If we cause all this trouble, there won't be any place to cool off in the summer.

After thinking it over, it seems that only the tree that Mia cut down when she demonstrated the power of first-level battle qi still has half a stump remaining.

With a surge of energy, Alphonse's palm swept out, leaving a trail of faint dark light.

(End of this chapter)