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He left Xiao Qing in charge of supervising and directing the workers at home.

If the opportunity arose, he planned to buy two more servants.

With servants to take care of the trivial matters at home, both he and Xiao Qing would be able to focus entirely on cultivation.

In time, when he married Wang Wanyan and Tang Caixian, that would be even more the case.

Managing the daily needs of a household would be a problem in itself.

Both wives were not accustomed to menial labor; he couldn’t possibly have them suffer hardship after marriage, could he?

Xiao Qing was still a child, and Qin Niu never treated her as a servant.

Instead, he planned to train her into a powerful assistant.

Moreover, he now had the financial ability to keep a few servants, so he could certainly afford to have a few to make life more comfortable for the family.

Carrying a basket on his back, he went into the mountains where the termites were still increasing at a rate of a thousand per day.

The Ant Queen had consumed the corpse of a Taiyin Yaoyao.

So far, no anomalies had been observed.

Nor had there been any evolution or promotion.

Qin Niu was not discouraged; after all, there were eight more Taiyin Yaoyao corpses, along with many other high-grade insect corpses, including that of a Four-Winged Demon Centipede, which could all be used to feed the Ant Queen.

He intended to use the Four-Winged Demon Centipede’s corpse as a crucial cultivation resource in the end.

Centipedes were naturally wingless terrestrial creatures.

A centipede that grew four wings was considered an exceptional being in heaven and earth.

Having personally experienced the terrifying power of the Four-Winged Demon Centipede, Qin Niu knew how high-grade such an insect corpse was and that it should be reserved for the most crucial moments.

Quality steel should be used on the edge of the blade.

Whether it was the Ant Queen or the Green Demon Bee approaching a bottleneck above Grade Six, he would not hesitate to use it.

Termites had one great advantage: they were not picky eaters.

They could consume almost anything.

Unlike bees, with their singular diet, making them difficult to raise.

“Fourth, take the Demon Ants and feed this Taiyin Yaoyao corpse to the Ant Queen,” Qin Niu ordered.

These high-grade insect corpses were extremely precious, akin to superior elixirs for humans, and had to be utilized properly.

After feeding one Taiyin Yaoyao corpse, he fed the Ant Queen a large number of ordinary Grade Three and Four insect corpses.

Puppet Ants and Ghost Ants also were on his list to cultivate.

But due to limited resources, he could only feed them living Fire Ants.

After acquiring Elder Jiu Yin’s Hundred Treasures Insect Bag, which mostly contained Three and Four Grade Fire Ants, their Ant Queen had died, leaving the colony in disarray.

They either had to select a new Ant Queen or the entire colony would gradually head toward destruction.

With termites in his possession, Qin Niu had no intention of cultivating a colony of Fire Ants.

Biting off more than one could chew often led to trouble.

The growth potential of Fire Ants was weaker than that of termites.

Besides, the current termite Ant Queen had long since ceased to be the ordinary termite she once was and was likely awakening an ancient lineage as a Four-Winged Yin Ant.

Typical insects or beast pets couldn’t possibly live up to thirty thousand years.

The lifespan of an Ant Queen was originally only a few decades, but after promotion, it skyrocketed to an astonishing thirty thousand years. Qin Niu could only think of one possibility: the awakening of an ancient bloodline.

Just as the horned water buffalo, after awakening the Green Ox bloodline, had its lifespan reach 9,999 years.

Only one year short of ten thousand years.

Despite the high-ranking species of Green Ox having such a lifespan, it hadn’t broken past ten thousand, yet the Ant Queen easily exceeded that mark, reaching thirty thousand years. This further emphasized its extraordinary nature.

Qin Niu was unclear about the final stage the Ant Queen could reach.

One thing was certain: he would treat the Ant Queen as a core pet for cultivation.

If its performance continued to be outstanding, it might even be chosen by Qin Niu as his life-bound insect.

…

After cultivating all the termites, Qin Niu, accompanied by Fourth, entered the labyrinth within the Ancient Banyan Tree.

The corpses thrown in the previous night had disappeared.

Only some cloth and shattered armor remained, proving that Elder Jiu Yin’s body had indeed been tossed inside.

The Ancient Banyan Tree seemed more lush and verdant than before.

It appeared that the stronger the cultivation of the corpses thrown in, the greater the benefit to the tree.

Qin Niu swung his blade decisively towards the Ancient Banyan Tree and then set up an altar to collect the tree’s blood.

“Oh, Banyan Tree, you truly are a great treasure. Even though I draw your blood every day, and practice beneath your shade, absorbing your medicinal aura, I also give you something in return. We have formed a bond, and should the day come that I step through the Immortal Gate, I will not forget your kindness.”

He caressed the Ancient Banyan Tree with his hand, muttering to himself.

The Ancient Banyan Tree stood in silence between heaven and earth, offering no response.

Qin Niu didn’t bother with it any further but sat down cross-legged underneath the tree to cultivate.

Having visited many times, he had become very familiar with this ancient wood. His fear of it had also faded a great deal.

He continued to practice until the evening, when he finally stopped cultivating.

“Eh! Why hasn’t the wound on the tree’s trunk healed today?”

Qin Niu was surprised.

According to his experience, no matter how deep the cut, the Ancient Banyan Tree’s wounds would have healed by evening.

Now, five wounds were still dripping dark green blood.

All five altars were nearly full.

“Could it be that my cultivation has improved and I struck with more force than before?”

He reached out to touch the trunk and channeled a trace of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s power into it.

But for this towering tree, such a small input of energy was like a drop in the ocean.

“Next time I cut you, I’ll be gentler, sorry.”

After channeling a trace of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s power, Qin Niu quickly collected the five altars.

At that moment, something miraculous happened.

The wounds on the Ancient Banyan Tree quickly healed at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Could it be that the influx of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s power had an effect?

It seems the Everlasting Spring Technique’s energy is quite useful.

A smile appeared on Qin Niu’s face as he packed away five jars of Ancient Banyan Tree Blood and made his way out swiftly.

Because the branches were now heavily drooping, the distance to the ground was less than two meters.

Once again, a miraculous spectacle occurred. As Qin Niu moved forward, the branches automatically parted to each side.

It was as if the tree purposefully created a path for Qin Niu to leave.

“This… could it really possess spirit, regarding me as a friend?”

Qin Niu looked up in sheer amazement.

He could only see dense foliage, like a hand covering the sky, firmly in control of this space.

“Thank you!”

Even though he wasn’t sure whether the Ancient Banyan Tree could understand him, Qin Niu felt the goodwill it emitted.

Between man and tree, there existed a certain tacit understanding.

As he moved forward, the branches and leaves of the Ancient Banyan Tree automatically parted and did not harm him.

Moreover, exiting the Banyan Tree’s maze seemed to be much easier today than before.

Even Fourth appeared puzzled.

Waving its antennae, it lifted its head.

Was it wondering about the life of ants?

Emerging from the Ancient Banyan Tree’s maze, Qin Niu felt joy in his heart. He faintly realized that he might have received a hint of recognition from the tree.

Thinking back carefully, the Ancient Banyan Tree’s wounds had not healed even after he injected a trace of the Everlasting Spring Technique’s power into the tree’s blood before retrieving the jars. But once he collected the five jars, the wounds on the Ancient Banyan Tree healed quickly.

This couldn’t be a coincidence.

It’s very likely that the Ancient Banyan Tree intentionally controlled the healing of its wounds, purposely not allowing them to close.

Whether this is true or not, a trip up the mountain tomorrow would tell.

He hastened towards the outer reaches of the mountain.

Xiao Nui followed behind him, frolicking.

“Lazy Ox, staying under the tree for most of the day with me, have you gained anything too?”

“Moo~!”

Xiao Nui raised its neck and let out a bellow that resounded through the heavens and earth.

“Hey, you’re really not modest! I hope you become stronger so that you can be a big help when powerful enemies try to kill me.”

Qin Niu patted its back.

Killing Elder Jiu Yin wouldn’t have been possible without this little ox’s contribution.