Everything turned black!

Lu Peng didn't even have the time to process what happened. One moment he was looking at that man, and then he witnessed his attempt to escape before everything turned dark. Glancing up, he could see a pitch-black membrane covering a very wide area with them as the center. With the absence of the sunlight, everyone squinted their eyes as they focused more on their spiritual senses.

Following the man's fleeing figure, Lu Peng saw him attempting to escape as he slashed at the membrane with a sword that appeared out of nowhere, but try as he might, all of his efforts proved to be fruitless.

"Why the hurry?" The sadistic voice echoed from behind him. "Today marks a joyous occasion, and I can't with good conscience let you go without paying my due diligence. I can't have that."

Needless to say, everyone present was even more afraid after they heard such ominous words.

On the ants' side, all of them seemed to be going through something as their antennas twitched violently and legs moved chaotically from one side to the next. Their previous calm and disciplined demeanor was nowhere to be found as they randomly dashed from one direction to the next like houseflies.

Blood Spear smashed his right foreleg into the ground in fury, and the ants' frenzy was only making it worse. Whenever the ants encountered someone unreasonably strong they would become like this, desperate, wild, and agitated.

He knew that the viper queen had begun stepping into the Core Formation, but more importantly, her bloodline went through a qualitative change. 'I need to move,' He thought in fear. Ignoring the other ants, he dashed in Lu Peng's direction.

The viper queen was still not bothering them, and she slowly slithered all around the black sphere she created, seemingly enjoying the fear she was evoking within everyone.

"Old Peng!" Blood Spear shouted from afar, and with that, he captured everyone's attention.

Looking at this ant that addressed him like an old friend, Lu Peng was startled, and he reflexively answered, "Yes...?"

When he was but an arm's length away from him, Bood spear said, "I am Elder Yuan Huo's Insect Companion."

Registering the shocking news, Lu Peng was stupefied because he knew exactly who the ant was talking about.

It was one of the oldest Elders in their sects, and though he was also one of the weakest being only at the Low Core Formation and his potential already drying out, he was still a Core Formation Expert.

At the same time, he knew that the elder indeed had an ant as an insect companion, though it was always known that it was very weak. Of course, weakness here is relative to the elder himself.

"You are him?" Lu Peng questioned, shock still evident in both his face and tone.

"Yes," Blood Spear said impatiently, "We need to...."

Before he could even finish his words, something happened.

It was something so shocking, so outside of his wildest imaginations that Blood Spear just stood there, body frozen as he stared beyond their dark cage.

Just as he was about to say his plan to the man, he felt a call. It was the summoning of a treasure that was beyond this world, a treasure that if he were to consume it, he knew he would be above all. A treasure that was of myths and fairy tales.

Without even thinking or glancing back at the man who was sending a barrage of questions that couldn't even be registered by his mind, his body moved.

At first, it was a slow walk, but gradually his speed began to increase more and more until he began dashing with his maximum speed toward the membrane's walls.

Similar to him, all of the ants from the mid-stage Foundation Establishment and above were doing exactly the same thing. Even more strangely was the fact that the ants that were previously frantically running around the dark space, became suddenly calm and collected. In perfect synchronization, they all moved in the direction of one corner and huddled up together quietly, as if waiting for something to happen.

Naturally, Lei Yan was behind all of that. He was very much enjoying the show when all of a sudden, that black sphere instantly appeared out of nowhere, scaring him out of his wits. However, he was quick to jump on the opportunity it provided.

One of his biggest worries at that moment was precisely how he would be able to take all of those ants under his command, and at the same time be able to run away from the crazed ones that would come after him. The black sphere solved both of his issues immediately, but it also raised another one, his new ant subordinates were also inside the cage, and getting them out of there was beyond his control.

Thus, he could only order them to gather at one side and await further orders, hoping the viper queen wouldn't mind a few hundred well-disciplined ants at the corner of her arena of murder.

Thunderous sounds echoed through the dark sphere from the bigger ants' mad collisions.

Blood Spear's eyes were bloodshot, and he just kept on ramming his head into the wall, time after time, after time. He would crazily mumbled, "Nooo!!" His voice was drenched in both misery and unwillingness, knowing that his whole life's search and the most valuable thing in life stood before him, and he didn't even have the ability to take it.

"What happened to the usually calm and brave ant commander?" The viper queen mocked from the other end of the sphere, "Scared?"

Hearing her voice, Blood Spear's state of mind became under even more turmoil. However, just as suddenly, his eyes shone with vengeance, and though his greed was intensifying by the second that he could hardly contain himself, he retreated and began ordering the others.

Those who didn't listen to him were snapped in half by his vicious mandibles to awaken those next to them from their frenzied but pointless attack.

He ran back in Lu Peng's direction and ordered, "Go speak with those three, we need to band together to have a chance. Ask them if they have an array."

The viper queen watched everything from afar, and the more scared they became, the more overjoyed she was. With her newfound strength, she wasn't scared of them even if they attacked her at the same time, and so she was planning to push them to the very edge before killing them for good.

However, her eyes quickly met with the petrified horse whose legs were shaking so much that standing proved to be a difficult challenge. Witnessing that sight, her eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, "We meet again White Wind." She said with a chilling tone.

Hearing the words, the horse began to retreat. After the ants went crazed, he was left standing all alone in one corner under the sphere, and so he retreated in the human's direction, trying to find some semblance of safety.

With the whooshing sound of something cutting through the air echoed, several thick black tentacles that sprouted from the sphere's edge surrounded him. Their movement was quick and precise, and they swiftly twisted around him.

His neck, legs, abdomen, and before long, he fell to the ground due to how heavy they were, and because of how they were limiting his movements.

The viper queen slithered in his direction, both of their gazes connecting all the while. One party vengeful, and the other in despair.

Taking advantage of this situation, Lu Peng, Blood Spear, and all of the humans gathered in a circle intently discussing something, but at the same time stealing glances at what was happening out of sheer horror and intrigue.

"So," The viper queen spoke coolly, her eyes so big that they were the size of White Wind's head as she looked at him from a few paces away. "It seems like your bet has failed."

Witnessing the close and towering figure, White Wind became even more mortified, and though he wanted to do just something, anything, he felt his tongue getting stuck. A mixture of both fear and confusion rendered him absolutely incoherent.

The viper queen's gaze was cold and unforgiving as she looked at him, and after she etched that face into her mind, she began slowly approaching whilst dangerously hissing all the while without breaking eye contact.

White Wind's stomach frantically rose up and down as he breathed laboriously laying there on his side, and before long the viper's mouth was stretched open until he was no longer able to see anything beyond it.

The black tentacles had already disappeared, and yet White Wind stood there frozen still.

And in one gulp, the viper queen swallowed the big horse without the slightest issue. His thick sizeable figure could be seen traversing through her body before he began kicking, or rather, it should be one single kick that poked out before he turned deathly still, and his body began dissolving at an alarming rate.

When the group on the other side witnessed such an alarming and eerie sight, their conversation stopped as they all looked at her at the same time.

The leader of the three Grey Heavenly Cloud Sect cultivators, who was named Fu Zheng, was an Elder's disciple. Something that Blood Spear had learned in that short but crucial conversation, and out of everyone present, he held the key to their survival.

"Begin, Now!" Shouted Blood Spear, already assuming a leadership position even amongst the humans.

Fu Zheng's previous startled and shocked demeanor was replaced by one of determination and focus. From his spatial ring, he brought out three discs. They were pitch black, smooth, and circular metallic objects with fine engravings.

Their plan was already discussed, and so he gave one to Blood Spear, who used his Qi to hold it before he dashed in one direction. And gave the other to Lu Peng, who in turn gave it to Galan, and they both moved in the opposite direction.

Fu Zheng stayed at the same spot, and behind him stood the dozens of mid-stage and up Foundation Establishment human cultivators.

Soon, a golden energy emerged out from both sides aiming at the disc that was now in the ground before him. All of the humans present seemed to get a signal as they all began throwing all of their spirit stones and treasures around the disc.

Those humans behind Lu Peng also did the same thing, and so did Blood Spear with some humans that followed after him.

Immediately, a rectangular barrier surrounded the group before strands of energy began to emerge out of the discs aiming for all of those within it. After connecting with every person, the barrier would solidify more and more.

In the end, after a strand was connected with the last, it was no longer a barrier. But a giant golden toad with an intelligent gleam in its eyes shrouded everyone underneath it in a protective embrace.

The viper queen who was at first indifferent and just let them do whatever they wanted, became wary. At first, she was slightly intrigued, but after sensing a slight feeling of danger from the giant toad, she gritted her teeth in hatred. Thus, without waiting even a second more, she dashed through the air, aiming for the elusive monster.

A thunderous explosion was soon heard reaching even a considerable distance outside of the black sphere.