Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 187, Subjugation

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silavin

The mist slowly spread, flowing into the distance like moonlight in the night. Little did anyone know that beneath this veil of mist, something horrifying and almost unbelievable was surging forth.

At this moment, within the mist…

*Boom!* The earth trembled every time Golden Ant landed on the ground, leaving deep craters in his wake as if he was a jackhammer. Naturally, the tremendous force propelled him at a terrifying speed.

But at this moment, as if sensing something, the corners of Golden Ant’s mouth curled upward into a smile. He immediately clenched his fist tightly.

*Crack!* He clenched his fist with such force that the very air exploded.

The next moment…

*Boom!* He punched toward the ground.

With a deafening roar, his petite figure unleashed such strength that it actually cracked the ground.

Within a hundred meters radius, the ground had cracked like a Spider’s web. Furthermore, a deep crater, 4-5 meters deep, appeared.

And this was the power of Golden Ant. Even without exerting his full strength, his strength had far surpassed an ordinary Human’s cognition.

Just then…

*Hiss…* Strange and incomprehensible shrills echoed from the earth.

Golden Ant, however, remained unfazed by these familiar screeches. Instead, his antennae on his forehead quivered slightly, as though in response.

Simultaneously, a chilling and ferocious aura began to permeate the area.

Despite his small, thumb-sized body, it seemed as though he had become the center of this part of the world.

The tremendous pressure radiating from him froze the very air itself.

The next moment…

*Hiss…* The inexplicable roar sounded again in the air, but this time it was weaker; it almost sounded like a lament, as if its owner was trembling in fear.

At the same time, the ground started shaking.

The next moment, in the calm gaze of Golden Ant, one fist-sized black Ant after another crawled out from the earth.

They were Mutant Ants, a species that had mutated from ordinary Ants. Apart from growing larger and developing a scaly carapace, they did not differ much from their ancestors.

However, Ants were originally weak individual fighters. Even when mutated, their individual combat abilities remained feeble.

Nonetheless, as social creatures, even if they were mutated, the true terror of the Ant species lay in their sheer numbers.

Now, looking around, one would see countless giant black Ants prostrating themselves before Golden Ant like an army.

“You guys are too weak.” Golden Ant sighed, looking at the waves of Ants that had only reached Tier-0 Level 3 or Level 4.

[Indeed, as the Divine Tree had mentioned, the individual combat abilities of my species are indeed lacking. Nevertheless, the sheer numbers make up for it.]

There were already hundreds of Mutant Ants within sights, not to mention the ones continuously emerging from the depths of the earth. Moreover, species like Ants that were originally weak individually but dominant in numbers, had a high likelihood of producing extraordinary geniuses just like Humans when they awakened.

Just like Golden Ant, when his Innate Talent got awakened, he was definitely not inferior to any of the powerful species. Similarly, in the ancient era, when Humans were held in high regard in the animal kingdom, there were many powerful practitioners who could dominate the world.

This was what was referred to as the numerical advantage.

For large species like theirs, the probability of giving birth to geniuses was much higher compared to others.

“Forget it. With the Divine Tree here, I do not have to worry too much about you guys.” After some contemplation, Golden Ant did not attach too much importance to it. From his perspective, he naturally understood that what the Divine Tree was pursuing now was quantity.

As for qualitative individual combat power, their nine Great Beasts and three Generals were already sufficient. What was needed now was scale. Specifically, cannon fodder to form the foundation of a force.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Golden Ant quickened his pace and continued on his way.

[These hundreds, or even nearly a thousand Black Ants, are just the beginning. They would help the Divine Tree subdue more Mutant Beasts, forming an army that can fight for him.]

…

Meanwhile, on another side, not far from Misty Mountains, in a mountain range.

*Ooh-ooh, aah-aah…* Making sharp geckers, numerous Monkeys with shiny fur happened to be hanging from or perching on the branches of various large trees, appearing to be quite excited.

They belonged to the Macaque Monkey Family, a type of moderately evolved primates. In terms of evolutionary rank, slightly evolved primates include Lemurs, Slow Lorises, and Bushmonkeys, among others. Highly evolved primates include Gibbons, Orangutans, Gorillas, and Humans.

The primary distinction between these evolutionary ranks was their size. For instance, Macaques were relatively small compared to their ape counterparts, with a maximum height of 51-63 centimeters.

Even after mutations, they barely reached a meter.

It was important to note that in this Era of Transcendence, body size largely determined one’s combat strength.

Golden Ant was an exception. He was an extremely atypical case.

As for other Mutant Beasts, without a large body size, they had to have special Innate Talents to stand at the top.

Macaques, with a mere height of one meter, had severely limited combat abilities, which were far from satisfactory. However, at this moment, what nobody knew was that the Macaque Family that had quietly lived in this mountain range for nearly half a year was about to receive an unexpected guest tonight.

*Tap, tap tap…*

Heavy footsteps echoed in the woods, making numerous Macaques look cautiously toward the darkness.

After a moment, a Monkey with golden bright fur entered their eyes.

However, what was hard for these Macaques to accept was that this Monkey was a towering one meter and five centimeters tall. More importantly, it held a wooden staff in its hand.

It was a segment of a root. 

It was given to him by Yu Zi Yu. Its meaning was self-evident.

Golden Monkey did not disappoint him after being blessed by it. Or rather, Monkeys that had gained sentience were really good at using staff. In just a few days, he had already mastered the staff.

At this moment, Golden Monkey raised his hand and flicked it, sending it flying into the air.

Immediately after, he leaped into the air, and with his right foot, grabbed the staff and flung it again.

The next moment, much to the Mutant Macaques’ terror, the wooden staff gave rise to a storm as it shot straight into the depths of the forest.

With a deafening roar, rocks several meters high shattered, causing countless Macaques to shiver in fear.    

When they looked towards the depths of the forest, they could clearly see a wooden staff buried about half a foot deep into a rock, trembling uncontrollably.

“Submit, or be destroyed… I won’t ask again.”

A cold voice rang in the ears of the Mutant Macaques. At the same time, Spiritual Energy surged as Golden Monkey’s fur started fluttering in the air. Faintly, one could see a mysterious luster shimmering on its shiny fur.

Innate talent: Extreme Absorption—Can continuously strengthen user’s body by consuming food.

It was an excellent talent.

Using this talent, Golden Monkey had honed his body to a level where it was nearly invulnerable. While not completely indestructible, it was difficult for peers of the same rank to break through his defenses.

However, according to Yu Zi Yu’s speculation, this talent should truly shine after he had become Transcendent.

In other words, Golden Monkey would definitely become an overlord among the Transcendents. This was also why Yu Zi Yu had given him a segment of his root.

He hoped that Golden Monkey would become a legendary figure, shocking the world with his unparalleled strength.