The Quandong Divine Tree had considered it too—the possibility of an extra Lord-Level Assistant King. Just like Dragon Cypress, it reached the same deduction and didn't have any better solution.

The debt owed to Huagi Mountain: nine million Source Stones, with only the final 600,000 left to pay.

Dragon Cypress made the most of the winter's free time, hustling to make the deliveries.

...

The temperature began to rise in the late winter season.

Dragon Cypress finished harvesting the Golden Light Fruits from Scarletlight Mountain, and completed the collection of nectar from the Divine-Given Scarletlight Seeds.

The Dominating Throne, carrying Ink Orchid and thirty worker ants of various sizes, headed straight for Green-Red Kiwifruit Mountain.

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple had already started bustling in the kiwifruit orchard they'd cultivated.

Ink Orchid left the Throne, a few flashes to speed up, then landed among the trees.

"Blue Catalpa! Snakebark Maple!"

"Ink Orchid!"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple called out, tilting their heads to look up at the distant sky.

"Dragon Cypress is almost here."

Ink Orchid asked, "Are you two ready?"

Snakebark Maple: "Ready!"

Blue Catalpa: "I'll go first!"

Snakebark Maple: "Ink Orchid, you don't have to worry about us."

Blue Catalpa: "If Black Rice could do it, we'll totally make it happen!"

Ink Orchid: "I trust you guys, but..."

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple had been evolving at a tight pace of one age period per year, which couldn't help but worry the insects.

However, the amount of Divine-Given Origin Force Food they ate to help break through to Mountain Lord Level surpassed even what Dragon Cypress had back then, and way more than Black Rice.

No pessimistic talk allowed.

Ink Orchid: "Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple, good luck! You can definitely do it!"

Ink Orchid lifted its claw and pointed at the orchard, saying, "Now that the war's over and we've got some free time, let's ask Dragon Cypress to send some ant squads over to help you reclaim and cultivate the entire Land of Origin Force. Also, send some clever specialized worker ants and specialized Blue Soldiers to help manage the orchard, so you two won't have to work so hard."

"Awesome!"

"Thank you, Ink Orchid!"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple cheered.

Reclaiming and opening new land was just too hard and exhausting, so they'd wanted to ask Dragon Cypress for ant squads to help for ages. But knowing full well how many Origin Force lands Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid were handling themselves, and how busy they were, they never dared speak up.

Now, with Ink Orchid volunteering, and agreeing, it was as good as Dragon Cypress Ant King's promise.

Ink Orchid continued, "Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, when you evolve to Mountain Lord Level, the kiwifruit Life Seeds will shed their leaves once. That'll be the best chance to swap out the wooden frames for earth-stone ones. You can ask White Rice Mountain Lord to come over and use Earth System Abilities to set up new trellises for the kiwifruit vines—it's 1,000 Source Stones per month."

That overpriced?!

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple hopped in outrage, shaking their tentacles in unison: Wooden frames work just as well!

Ink Orchid: "Earth-Stone ability frames are way more durable, won't break for a whole century. Use them for your Life Seed plants, raise the vines higher, let air circulate, great for growth, and makes flowering and fruiting easier."

Ink Orchid: "White Rice Mountain Lord is already at the second age period, works fast, can finish in a month."

Blue Catalpa: "1,000 Source Stones?"

Snakebark Maple: "I want to swap the kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed to earth-stone frames."

Blue Catalpa: "Can we haggle?"

Snakebark Maple: "500 Source Stones sounds more reasonable."

Ink Orchid: "..."

You two are even stingier than Dragon Cypress?

Ink Orchid flicked its claw, exasperated: "Come on, let's go take a look up the mountain!"

...

The Dominating Throne entered the Land of Origin Force, descending directly at the summit.

Ink Orchid led Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, hustling up the slope.

After a round of greetings—

Ink Orchid suggested again, "Dragon Cypress, Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple have agreed to install earth-stone frames. Please go to White Rice Mountain and ask White Rice Mountain Lord over."

"???"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple were speechless.

We haven't agreed yet.

"No rush!"

Dragon Cypress leaped down from the Throne, performing the usual checkup: "Blue Catalpa, Snakebark Maple, how's your prep?"

"All set!"

"Ready whenever!"

Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple brimmed with confidence, eager to begin.

Dragon Cypress: "Blue Catalpa's turn first."

Dragon Cypress waved its claw, saying, "Don't rush. Come on! Let's check out your Life Seed plants first."

The male Green-Red Kiwifruit Divine-Given Seed only flowers, never fruits, doesn't even produce nectar in its blossoms, so it has no burden and its growth speed has always been fast.

At present, the main vine was over a hundred meters long, running along the ridge; the side vines sprawled down both sides of the slopes, each reaching over ten or twenty, even thirty, meters. Origin Force plants don't shed leaves in winter, so it was a lush, green expanse.

The common Green-Red Kiwifruit Life Seeds planted on both sides of the range were also thriving—the first two planted had main vines already forty or fifty meters long.

For Blue Catalpa and Snakebark Maple, all their other Life Seeds besides kiwifruit were Great Tall Trees or Great Vine Woods, and had been sown even earlier, meaning longer growth and a year's break from flowering and fruiting—their condition was perfect.

After a thorough inspection, there were no issues of any kind.

Dragon Cypress hunted a wild boar in the woods and cooked it near the mountaintop reservoir.

Once full and sated.

The Dominating Throne was pushed into the living cave. Blue Catalpa sprawled atop the Throne, resting up, feasting on Origin Force Ant Honey, preparing to evolve.

Two days later, late at night, Origin Force fluctuations emerged from within the cave.

Soul-Setting Ability sensed—already fallen deep asleep. Evolution had begun.

Blue Catalpa had no Divine-Given Seed, so the evolution process was relatively simple. Dragon Cypress, Ink Orchid, and Snakebark Maple all waited together outside the cave.

Eight days later, a fierce surge of Origin Force roared from within the cave, lasting half a day before settling down.

Ink Orchid used Soul-Setting Ability to scan, then lowered its mental power: "Awake!"

Ink Orchid: "I'll go find something to eat!"

With that, it darted into the forest and vanished.

"...Sky Oxes don't eat meat..."

Snakebark Maple muttered helplessly, dashing into the food storehouse it had built with Blue Catalpa, hauling out two logs of nicely fermented cypress wood.

After waiting a little longer—

Dragon Cypress swept the cave with spiritual power. Blue Catalpa had completed its molting without a hitch—now much bigger, its new shell hardened, body length fixed at around 3.8 meters, matching Ink Orchid in size.

The Furry-Horned Beetle's most distinctive feature was the velvet on its tentacle joints. But after evolving to Mountain Lord Level, this velvet grew shorter and turned into sharp bristles.

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