Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 600 - 557: Divine Tree Shanglu_3

——What!

——Flame Spider?

——How is that possible?

The three-headed Old Spider King, who had been calmly listening all along, was shocked, fur bristling, and jumped in agitation.

"Silence——"

The Shanglu Divine Tree was annoyed, "Don't make a fuss!"

The Shanglu Divine Tree spoke concisely, "During previous cycles of Origin Force Reincarnation, there were occasions when a Starship would connect to other continents. I have sent out Flame Spiders many times, to develop on other continents, partly to collect resources, partly to follow Nature, to flourish commerce, bring advanced planting techniques, and promote development among the various Tribes."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Some teams returned smoothly, others disappeared without warning due to inter-realm Origin Force passages, lost outside."

"!!!"

The spiders beneath the tree were once again stunned.

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Shanglu Divine Tree, this is such an important matter—why have you never told us~"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "There are countless important matters throughout endless years. If I told you everything one by one, I would have to start from your birth and keep talking till you died of old age, and still not finish."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "..."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Oh——"

The myriad spiders under the tree choked up together.

The old spider kings of other neighboring Tribes who had settled nearby sensed the strange atmosphere and came one after another; among them a Flame Spider asked as it walked.

——Snow Velvet

——Shanglu Divine Tree

——Blood Root Elder Spider, what major event has happened?

Blood Root Spider King briefed everyone on the situation.

An enthusiastic Wild God-Given Seed also chimed in.

Other spiders kept exclaiming in awe, questioning nonstop.

For a time, spiritual powers crisscrossed the forbidden zone, chaotic and noisy.

After a long while, the jumble of spiritual power died down, and all the spiders gazed towards Shanglu Divine Tree in unison.

The Shanglu Divine Tree asked, "Snow Velvet, you've seen that Starship Passage connecting Cloud Trace and Ten Thousand Nations Continents—are you sure it can't be forced open?"

Snow Velvet Spider King: "So far, we haven't found any Ability capable of damaging Starship Metal. Even the 'Metal Rot' Ability doesn't work."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Then contact the managing spiders on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent; have them arrange to send collected Wild God-Given Seeds back to the Ancestral Land. Also, inquire about the number of Source Stones; if they're over 10 billion, let them choose a clever spider to send them back. If the quantity is insufficient, never mind."

"???"

"Ah?"

"This..."

Snow Velvet Spider King looked blank, troubled.

And not just Snow Velvet Spider King; the dozen-odd Old Spider Kings present all exchanged bewildered glances, choking up and speechless.

A branch that was separated and lost for who knows how many tens of thousands of years had established its own Flame Spider Kingdom, and now, meeting again, they were being asked to hand over their Tribe's resources?

Isn't this request a bit much?

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Shanglu Divine Tree, surely the Flame Spiders on the Ten-thousand Tribes Continent won't agree, will they?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "If they refuse, so be it."

The spiders all choked up again, breathless.

The Shanglu Divine Tree's mental will grew stern, "Find out exactly who refuses, from which Tribe, what's their name? Report back to me. Snow Velvet, you see to this—watch your tone, be polite, and don't cause internal conflict."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "...Alright."

Snow Velvet Spider King's head ached, "...Understood."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Shanglu Divine Tree, let me first report on the current situation on Cloud Trace Continent."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "The story starts a hundred years ago. A Dulai Flame Spider named Melde, while on a Roving Merchant's journey, picked up a male Ant King..."

Snow Velvet Spider King recounted Dragon Cypress's experiences in a simple narrative, relating it from the start...

"Dragon Cypress Ant King and Molan Mantis learned from a Flash Butterfly Warrior on Fire Wheel Island about the war between Wave Tree Bay Alliance and Blue Island. Relying on their 'Scorching' Ability, they rushed to join the excitement, and that's where I ran into them..."

After finishing,

Snow Velvet Spider King asked, "Shanglu Divine Tree, in your wisdom, what do you think caused the formation of the Land of Origin Force?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "What else? The Natural Law malfunctioned."

The spiders straightened their legs, waiting for more.

Snow Velvet Spider King asked, "The Natural Law can malfunction?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "By 'Law,' I mean the rules by which Divine Power governs the world's operation. After enough time, of course there'll be problems."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Then the Natural True God... Since there's a problem, shouldn't it be fixed?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Don't know. Can't fathom. Impossible to speculate."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "..."

The spiders fell silent.

Snow Velvet Spider King paused, then continued, "Shanglu Divine Tree, about the underwater passage to Cloud Trace Continent, should we reseal it? Or should we reach out to the Flame Spider Roving Merchants on the Ten Thousand Nations Continent and maintain communication?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree replied tersely, "Let it follow its course."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Shanglu Divine Tree, if news of the underwater passage spreads throughout the continent, it will certainly disappear, won't it?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "It will."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Then that Starship Passage linking Cloud Trace Continent and the Ten Thousand Nations Continent—will it vanish as a result of Shanglu engaging in communication and contact with it?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "It will."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "That passage will inevitably disappear—perhaps tomorrow, perhaps next year, perhaps a hundred years hence, or a thousand years, or even longer; but what can be said for certain is that before the next Origin Force Reincarnation cycle, it will vanish. The Natural Law does not permit Insect Clan to cross back and forth among different continents."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "We know what to do now."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "Shanglu Divine Tree, I have one more important matter to report."

Snow Velvet Spider King organized his wording, kept it as concise as possible, and said, "The Divine-Grade Molan Seed's Scorching Ability allows for infinite sight. Dragon Cypress Ant King and the others tried looking at the moon, only to find an unfathomably evolved Round Purple Flame Spider Warrior living up there—it even sent down Wood Primordial Energy in the form of a Luoli Grass Leaf, sealing the eyes of the Assistant King who was testing Ability."

Upon hearing this, the Old Spider Kings beneath the tree all exclaimed again—shocked, spiritual force colliding, discussions breaking out.

The Shanglu Divine Tree asked: "Luoli Grass?"

Snow Velvet Spider King: "I saw it with my own eyes; the imprint really was in the shape of Luoli Grass, and it clearly carried the Origin Energy traits of the Round Purple Flame Spider Tribe."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Unfamiliar. It's not a plant from the Southern Hemisphere. Never seen such grass."

Snow Velvet Spider King: "..."

The thinking of the Shanglu Divine Tree was always hard for spiders to comprehend...

Snow Velvet Spider King, choked up for a while, asked, "Then, Shanglu Divine Tree, could you sense the presence of the senior Flame Spider on the moon...?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree impatiently said, "I told you I don't know it. Ignore it."

"Alright——"

Snow Velvet Spider King held back for a few seconds, worried, then added, "Shanglu Divine Tree, while recently observing a battle on Blue Island, I unexpectedly encountered a Stone Hunt Blue Ant King..."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Don't get entangled in the continent's disputes. If there's nothing else, disperse."

The Old Spider Kings all turned away slowly and left.

Snow Velvet Spider King stayed behind. Once everyone had gone, he lowered his spiritual will and quietly asked:

"Shanglu Divine Tree, I have one more question for you. I've noticed that on Cloud Trace Continent, the Natural Law that summons departures differs from the Southern Hemisphere's. So, I was thinking: If, in the future, I go to Cloud Trace Continent to evolve into a 9-Age Period Spider King, then hide back in the Southern Hemisphere, would I be able to evade the Law and secretly stay in the Origin Force Star Realm?"

Snow Velvet Spider King spoke rapidly, adding, "Or, say, if I evolve in Shanglu, and then hide in Cloud Trace Continent—can I evade it?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree said indifferently, "Little Snow Velvet, you're still so naive, never improving. Get lost."

Snow Velvet Spider King remained motionless and pressed on, "Then, what if it's an Insect from Cloud Trace Continent? If a Lord-Level evolves to King Level and hides out in the Southern Hemisphere, can they evade it?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "They can."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "At King Level, with each Age Period Evolution, one must condense a Divine Mark. This is both a benediction from the Natural True God and a process to select qualified Insect Clan warriors. For Origin Force-dormant continents, the requirement to depart drops to 1-Age Period King Level—a temporary remedial measure meant to prevent potential insects from dying of old age with regret in the Origin Force Star Realm due to drastic environmental shifts."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "The Origin Force Star Realm is a closed small world. A 9-Age Period Insect King must leave; the essence is to reduce Origin Force consumption."

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "Once you understand these basic principles, many questions resolve themselves."

Snow Velvet Spider King's eyes lit up, pursuing further: "A closed small world?"

The Shanglu Divine Tree: "That's just a perception I gathered over long years. I don't know details. You can get lost now. Ask again and I'll break your spider legs."