In just three seconds, the massive body of the queen ant was pierced in nine fatal spots. Blood gushed like water, and her four legs twitched before slowly coming to a stop.
In the air, the Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants swarmed down towards the nine people like a tide upon seeing their queen attacked.
“Mr. Bloomer!?” Beau looked at Leo as the Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants approached them from all directions.
The others instinctively turned to Leo as well.
Leo’s eyes turned cold, and the Dragon Sword in his hand glowed brightly, slicing a huge gash across the queen ant’s head. Dark green brain matter mixed with blood spurted out.
Leo stared at the gash on the queen ant’s head, and a vortex of spiritual power formed in his palm, generating a suction force. A round, fiery red Inner Core Elixir flew out from the queen ant’s head and into Leo’s hand.
Facing the overwhelming swarm of Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants, Leo’s figure flashed, standing mid-air. He extended his right hand, holding the queen ant’s Inner Core Elixir.
Sensing the aura emanating from the Inner Core Elixir in Leo’s hand, the Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants suddenly halted, a trace of fear evident in their compound eyes. The queen ant was their ruler, and her aura naturally instilled fear in them.
Beau, the twin sisters, Violet, and the others retrieved their weapons from the queen ant’s body and appeared beside Leo in a flash.
“Haha, Mr. Bloomer, your methods are indeed formidable. I am impressed,” Beau laughed as he looked at the Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants that dared not advance.
“Indeed, we owe it all to Mr. Bloomer,” Holly smiled at Leo.
Brody’s face darkened slightly. As a genius disciple of the Cameron family, he felt overshadowed by this one-eyed man.
“Thanks to everyone’s help, let’s leave this place!” Leo looked towards a distant mountain peak and said.
The others nodded. Having survived the ordeal, they were in good spirits with their goal in sight.
Leo held the queen ant’s Inner Core Elixir in his right hand and flew ahead. Wherever he passed, the Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants retreated in fear. Violet, Beau, Brooks, and the others followed closely behind.
Two or three minutes later, they landed on the ground on the other side of the swamp. The Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants did not follow.
“We finally made it through. Those Bone-Devouring Giant Fire Ants were really troublesome,” Holly patted her chest and sighed in relief.
The others also breathed a sigh of relief, agreeing with her sentiment.
“This Inner Core Elixir…?” Leo looked at everyone.
“Thanks to Mr. Bloomer, we made it through the swamp. Naturally, the queen ant’s Inner Core Elixir belongs to Mr. Bloomer,” Beau said with a smile.
A Demon King-level beast’s Inner Core Elixir was very precious. It could be used to make special elixirs, refine tools, or even nurture spirit pets.
Brooks and the others nodded in agreement. Even Brody had nothing to say; he couldn’t argue against it.
“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony,” Leo said as he put the queen ant’s Inner Core Elixir into his Storage Sack, intending to give it to Thunder Wing Beast later.
He had contributed the most in the battle just now, so by distribution rules, it should belong to him.
Looking ahead, they saw a forest at the foot of a towering mountain peak. The main peak was at least a thousand feet high, with thick snow covering its midsection.
A blue insect had somehow climbed onto Brooks’ shoulder again and chirped towards the mountain peak ahead.
“Everyone, the Gold Horned Kirin Leopard is on that mountain peak. Let’s recover first before we head up,” Brooks suggested.
Everyone agreed. The recent battle had drained them significantly, and they were about to face an injured Gold Horned Kirin Leopard, which might be even more troublesome than those ants.
They all sat down cross-legged to restore their spiritual power. Since no one was seriously injured, they recovered to their peak state within half an hour.
“Amitabha, let’s set off,” Brooks stood up first.
Their figures flashed as they entered the forest ahead. They encountered several Demon General-level beasts but quickly dispatched them.
After leaving the forest, they found themselves at the foot of a majestic snow-covered mountain peak.
“Let’s climb the mountain!” Brooks said.
Without stopping, they moved swiftly up the mountain. About ten minutes later, they reached mid-mountain. Likely because this was Gold Horned Kirin Leopard’s territory, they didn’t encounter any beasts or even birds along the way.
After a brief observation, they continued upwards at a fast pace. The snow grew thicker underfoot, slowing them down somewhat.
The closer they got to the summit, the faster the insect on Brooks’ shoulder flapped its wings. About half an hour later, they reached the top.
“We need to conceal our presence,” Brooks warned as he retrieved the insect from his shoulder.
Everyone complied, concealing their aura and slowing their steps. The summit was vast, with rocks protruding like a giant stone formation covered in thick snow.
They moved among the rocks and soon reached the center of the summit where their view opened up. Ahead was a small azure lake surrounded by snow-covered fir trees, giving it a silver-clad appearance.
The presence of fir trees indicated that this summit wasn’t perpetually covered in snow.
To the right of the azure lake was a small hill with a large cave entrance visible despite being covered in snow. In front of the cave lay a large leopard-like beast.
The beast had snow-white fur and was larger than Thunder Wing Beast. It had wings covered in white feathers instead of flesh wings. Most notably, it had a spiral golden horn on its head.
It was indeed a Gold Horned Kirin Leopard!
All nine pairs of eyes were fixed on the leopard-like beast at the cave entrance. On closer inspection, they noticed a large black wound on its back. The wound was festering with blackened flesh tinged with an eerie gold color, and one of its white wings was also injured.
Brooks had been right; this Gold Horned Kirin Leopard was severely injured. Seeing its blackened wound, Beau’s eyes gleamed with intense joy. The others also looked eager.
Honestly, if this Gold Horned Kirin Leopard hadn’t been injured and hadn’t reached Spirit Saint level yet, they wouldn’t have dared to target it even if given courage. But now that it was gravely wounded, it was like a treasure trove.