# 358
**Chapter 358: Lin Qiye’s Tribute**
Judging by the pressure it exuded, this was undoubtedly a Sea Realm mystery.
This was the Queen Ant.
Lin Qiye studied the sleeping termite from afar, his heart sinking.
Around the Queen Ant, dense ranks of black soldier ants stood in perfect formation—over forty of them, every one radiating peak River Realm pressure. They watched the surroundings like loyal guards.
With them there, any silent decapitation strike was almost impossible.
While pondering how to bypass the soldiers and kill the queen, Lin Qiye continued forward in the worker-ant column.
Only when he drew closer did he see the head of the procession: workers passing the queen’s clearing, dropping from their backs fruits, scraps of meat, bird carcasses, small game from the forest…
Tiny morsels all, perhaps not enough to fill a gap between the queen’s teeth, yet vast in number—already a small mountain had piled before her sleeping form.
Every worker ahead carried some offering; under the soldiers’ gaze they placed their burdens one by one…
A bad premonition flashed through Lin Qiye.
Clearly this queue existed solely to present food. When he reached the front empty-handed, suspicion would rise among the soldiers—and even the queen. If they tried to communicate, he was finished.
He only looked like a worker; he couldn’t speak their language. In transformation mode every Forbidden Ruin except magic was sealed. To use Starry Night Dancer’s communication he would have to cancel the disguise—then the endless tide of giant ants would tear him apart.
To avoid suspicion he had to offer tribute, yet he carried nothing. What could he present when his turn came?
After racking his brains, a bold idea surfaced.
If he did that… he might not only pass, but wound—or even kill—the queen outright.
The ant he had become crouched slightly. While no worker watched, a glimmer of magic flashed beneath him and a small mummy blinked into existence behind the ant.
Mumu stared at the worker beneath him, startled, then recognized Lin Qiye and affectionately pressed against the ant’s back.
Though Lin Qiye’s shape had changed, their soul-contract remained; with a thought he spoke to Mumu without words.
Carrying Mumu step by step, he advanced. A low buzz sounded—the sleeping queen stirred, her hill-sized body rising.
She lifted her head, glanced at the paltry food-mountain, and listlessly let it drop again, plainly dissatisfied.
Lazing there, she watched workers deliver their scraps, unmoved.
Suddenly a red worker stepped forward, flicked a tiny white bundle onto the pile, then unhurriedly joined the returning line.
Atop the food-hill the little mummy scrambled up, looked around, and waved at the prone queen.
Buzz——
Spotting a living creature atop her tribute, the queen grew interested. She rose and lumbered toward the mound.
Mumu sat on the summit; the queen’s shadow swallowed his small form. He shaped a heart with his hands toward her.
The queen froze, appetite awakened. She opened her colossal jaws and swallowed Mumu whole—mountain and all—then contentedly lay back down.
The next moment rays of light shone through her abdomen.
Queen and soldiers alike froze.
BOOM——!!!!
Blinding fire erupted from the queen’s belly; the deafening blast shook the entire rift. Flames swallowed her.
Soldier ants panicked, rushing toward their stricken mother.
Her shrill screech echoed between the walls.
From the inferno she lurched out—her lower body blown away, green blood pouring from the ruin—yet still alive.
A glistening green mummy slid from the cavity, rolled across the ground, shook off gore, and clapped excitedly for an encore…
Soldiers charged him. At the last instant magic flared and Mumu vanished back to his own dimension.
Ants milled over the empty spot, searching.
The gravely wounded queen, realizing she was under attack, dragged her mutilated bulk toward a cave behind her.
The orderly worker column dissolved into chaos. Lin Qiye, mixed in the rout, saw the queen still lived and fleeing—his chance slipping away.
She’s trying to escape!
He hesitated only a moment, then spun and sprinted after her.
He had finally found her and crippled her with Mumu; if he lost this chance, who knew when she would surface again?
Magic light shimmered over the red worker; Lin Qiye resumed human form, twin Straight Blades on his back, ghosting through the narrow rift in pursuit.
On the opposite wall the other four, still rappelling, heard the blast and paled.
“Not good!”
“Save Qiye!!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
They cut their ropes, no longer caring about exposure. A golden 【瑶光】flying sword caught them and streaked like a comet toward the explosion.
The sudden golden great-sword drew swarms of workers; they scaled both walls and surged at the intruders like a tide.