After Song Jie finished replicating the Wind Riding Sky Eagle, he was the first to climb onto one.
"Everyone, hop on!" he called to Ding Yumian and Jiang Shaoxu.
However, before the two girls could move, Mu Lei quickly ran over, leaped into the air, and landed squarely on the Wind Riding Sky Eagle behind Song Jie.
Seeing this, Song Jie nearly lost his composure. He wanted nothing more than to kick Mu Lei off.
How could that guy just leave the three girls alone? Who was supposed to protect them now?!
But the girls didn't give him the chance to protest. Ding Yumian, Jiang Shaoxu, and Huo Yumeng had already boarded the second Wind Riding Sky Eagle.
"Song Jie, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Mu Lei shouted impatiently, noticing that Song Jie hadn't moved.
Song Jie shot him a sideways glance filled with irritation, then ordered his Wind Riding Sky Eagle to take off.
Ding Yumian's eagle led the way through the sky, with Song Jie following close behind...
In a dense forest far below, Zhuge Ru clung to a giant tree root, his heavy body making the thick trunk sway dangerously.
Beneath him swarmed countless Bloodthirsty Ants. If he fell, he'd be eaten alive.
As he looked up in despair, he suddenly spotted two dark silhouettes soaring across the sky.
"Song Jie?!" he gasped. "That's Song Jie and the others!"
Overcome with excitement, Zhuge Ru shouted at the top of his lungs, waving frantically.
"Song Jie! Song Jie!"
But no one in the sky responded.
"Song Jie!! Song Jie!!!"
The next instant, the root beneath him snapped with a sharp crack.
"AHHH!!"
Zhuge Ru's scream echoed through the forest as he plummeted to the ground. The Bloodthirsty Ants surged forward instantly, engulfing him completely.
Up above, Mu Lei frowned. "Song Jie, did you hear something just now?"
"No," Song Jie replied flatly, glancing at him. "Did you not sleep well last night? Maybe you're hearing things."
Mu Lei rubbed his temples and nodded. "Yeah… maybe."
He had stood guard all night while Song Jie cultivated, and now exhaustion was setting in hard.
But Song Jie was also reaching his limits. His summoning energy was nearly depleted, and maintaining two Wind Riding Sky Eagles was a heavy burden.
Not only that—his Dimensional Replication doubled the mana consumption.
When the eagles finally dispersed, they had no choice but to continue on foot.
Along the way, they ran into two more waves of Bloodthirsty Ants, but Song Jie wiped them out with ease.
Two days later, they finally returned to the outskirts of the forest—the same place where their mission had begun.
"Finally back!" Mu Lei exhaled deeply, relief washing over his face.
"Where should we go now?" Huo Yumeng asked.
"We should report this immediately," Jiang Shaoxu said, her expression serious.
"We'll find the military or our instructors. With that many Bloodthirsty Ants, they need to mobilize forces right away. If they're not wiped out soon, it'll be a disaster."
She had seen their numbers firsthand—and worse, she understood how fast they reproduced. If they spread unchecked, the nearby cities could become their feeding grounds.
"Let's move," Song Jie agreed. He too realized how serious this was. He commanded the Wind Riding Sky Eagle to head straight for the military camp they'd come from.
A few minutes later, they arrived above the camp.
The stationed military mages spotted them immediately and became alert, forming defensive positions.
The Wind Riding Sky Eagle descended steadily, and the group dismounted.
"Aren't you the students on the training mission? You're back already?" The leading military mage recognized them at once.
"We discovered Bloodthirsty Ants in the forest," Jiang Shaoxu said, stepping forward. "We need to report this to your superior immediately."
"Bloodthirsty Ants?" The mage frowned, his eyes widening slightly in disbelief.
"See for yourself." Jiang Shaoxu tossed the corpse of a Bloodthirsty Ant onto the ground before him.
The military mage's face drained of color. "Follow me!"
The group trailed after him into a large command tent.
Inside sat a middle-aged man smoking a cigarette, his brow furrowed, clearly troubled.
"Sir, we have an urgent matter," the military mage reported.
"What is it?" the man asked, looking up. His gaze swept over Song Jie and the others.
When the Bloodthirsty Ant corpse was presented, his expression changed instantly. He stood up sharply.
"Who discovered this?"
"They did," the mage replied, pointing to Song Jie's group.
The man's voice grew heavy. "Tell me everything."
Song Jie motioned for Jiang Shaoxu to explain, and she summarized what had happened in the forest.
"What?!" The officer slammed his hand on the table, his face darkening. "So many already?!"
He turned to the military mage. "Inform Chen Ming to report this immediately to headquarters. Also, summon the deans of all eight academies. I want them here right away!"
If this information was accurate, the threat was enormous—and their current forces might not be enough.
"You've all done well," the officer said to the group. "Rest for now. We may need your cooperation later."
"We understand," Jiang Shaoxu nodded.
The report reached the Imperial Capital within hours, throwing the upper echelons into chaos.
The heads of the eight academies soon arrived—among them, Dean Song He himself.
When all the high-ranking officers and academy leaders gathered, the meeting began immediately.
"Has the situation been confirmed?" asked a half-bald elder with sharp eyes.
"I've already sent scouts to investigate," the middle-aged officer replied. "We'll have detailed information soon."
"If this truly is a Bloodthirsty Ant nest," the elder declared gravely, "then no matter the cost, we must locate the Ant Queen and kill her!"
"Yes, sir!!" the military mages echoed in unison.
Meanwhile, Mu Lei whispered curiously, "Professor Deng, who's that old guy?"
Old Man Deng leaned closer. "That's Ling Tiancheng, the Grand Military Commander of the Imperial Capital."
Mu Lei's eyes widened. "Is he strong?"
Old Man Deng smiled faintly. "Several years ago, he'd already reached the peak of the Super Order. Who knows how much stronger he's become since then?"
Mu Lei inhaled sharply. "Damn…"
Old Man Deng sighed. "You few are incredibly lucky to have survived. As for the others… they can only pray."
The older generation of mages knew well the terror of Bloodthirsty Ants. Once caught in their swarm, survival was nearly impossible.
Suddenly, a group of people entered the tent. Leading them was a burly man with a thick beard, grinning as he spoke.
"So, old friend, you finally called me in. Must be something serious if you're asking for help."
Old Man Deng whispered to the students, "That's the Hunter King of the Hunter Union—a long-time ally of Commander Ling Tiancheng."
Ling Tiancheng's grim expression finally softened at the sight of his old comrade.
"Sit. We've got much to discuss."
At that moment, the scouts who had gone to investigate returned, their faces pale with fear…
...
Author's Note:
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