You Say, Who Is the Ant

"Nine Heavens Divine Thunder?"

"Zhao Wendao?"

"He actually... broke through to the eighth level!?"

The sect master was astonished, his eyes brimming with joy.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder was a secret technique of the Lingxiao Sect, with exceptionally harsh learning conditions.

Legend had it that the founding sect master, the Lingxiao Patriarch, wielded nine divine thunderbolts during the great war between the righteous and demonic paths, annihilating the souls of countless demonic powerhouses.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder was absurdly difficult to master.

Apart from the Lingxiao Patriarch, no one had ever cultivated it to the ninth level. Even reaching the eighth level was exceedingly rare in the world.

Now, Zhao Wendao had broken through to the eighth level—undoubtedly a momentous occasion!

At this moment, he could no longer be bothered with the dispute between Lu Ze and Ding Mingcang, immediately preparing to send a divine message to Zhao Wendao.

However, before he could do so, Zhao Wendao's figure appeared before the crowd.

"This old man greets the sect master."

Zhao Wendao bowed slightly with his divine sense, then narrowed his eyes at Lu Ze, offering an approving smile.

His gaze swept over the disciples, lingering especially on Zhong Yi and the others bound by the Soul-Locking Chains, before turning icy as it settled on Ding Mingcang.

Having received Zhong Yi's message earlier, he had already deduced the full story behind this incident.

"Elder Zhao, quickly tell us... how did you break through to the eighth level?"

The sect master's tone was eager.

He hoped to glean insights from Zhao Wendao's enlightenment, which might aid his own path to advancement.

"Reporting to the sect master—"

"This old man attained enlightenment within the illusion crafted by disciple Lu Ze... The laws governing this illusion may hold great opportunity!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone except Li Moran and Lu Ze widened their eyes in shock.

Li Moran had also glimpsed a sliver of opportunity, while Lu Ze had long known of this outcome from his system notifications:

[Host has impressed righteous cultivator Li Moran with his strength, earning the latter's admiration. Randomly acquiring one of the target's abilities.]

[Reward obtained: Ice Phoenix Sword Body]

...

[Host has impressed righteous cultivator Zhao Wendao with his strength, earning the latter's admiration. Randomly acquiring one of the target's abilities.]

[Reward obtained: Nine Heavens Divine Thunder]

...

Upon receiving these messages, Lu Ze knew—

This was in the bag.

Absolutely, undeniably in the bag.

You want proof?

The sect's grand elder and its strongest core disciple are personally vouching for me!

"So that's how it is? Marvelous... truly marvelous!"

After hearing Zhao Wendao's explanation, the sect master sighed in awe.

Zhao Wendao demonstrated the construction process of the thunder spell module within "My World" right before his eyes.

Tiny blocks meticulously forming spells, characters, and even the world itself...

In an instant, the sect master seemed to receive a profound revelation.

"The world... can truly be deconstructed and reassembled like this? Incredible... absolutely incredible!"

With that, he turned to Lu Ze again, his gaze now filled with deep respect.

"When did our Lingxiao Sect produce such a prodigy? To think this old man misjudged you... Shameful, truly shameful. Lu Ze, why is this illusion so profound? Could you enlighten me?"

Lu Ze's demeanor remained indifferent, his cold stare fixed on Ding Mingcang:

"It's simple."

"Just as I said from the beginning—"

"The current illusion is sustained by a wisp of the Heavenly Dao's essence. Cultivators' spiritual energy is nourished within it, naturally akin to cultivation."

"Disciples like Li Moran and Elder Zhao likely glimpsed the laws or will left behind by the Heavenly Dao's essence in the illusion, hence their epiphanies..."

...

After Lu Ze's explanation, the crowd finally understood.

Now everything made sense.

Though it was still almost too fantastical to believe—

Even the "Heavenly Dao," an existence once thought unreachable, had now made an appearance.

"If any of you still doubt, you may lift the divine sense barriers nearby... My master, Nangong Yuan, should have arrived at the Tianxuan Gate by now. He will provide the answer."

Lu Ze continued.

"Hmph, always resorting to tricks... Begone!"

Zhao Wendao waved his hand, shattering all the barriers and formations Ding Mingcang had erected.

Sure enough, Lu Ze's communication jade slip lit up.

"Foolish disciple, are you unharmed?"

The moment Nangong Yuan's projection appeared and saw the sect master and Zhao Wendao standing nearby, he relaxed and promptly reported:

"Reporting to the sect master and Elder Zhao, this old man has verified the cause—"

"The core of the divine sense array enveloping the cultivation world is a remnant wisp of the Heavenly Dao's essence, left behind by the ancient Tianxuan Gate!"

This revelation shattered the last trace of skepticism among the crowd.

It was true!

Ding Mingcang's face twisted in utter dismay.

"Master, has the Heavenly Dao remnant shown any unusual activity?"

Lu Ze suddenly asked, subtly signaling Nangong Yuan with his eyes.

"Well..."

Nangong Yuan instantly understood, sending Lu Ze a private message.

"Just now, the Heavenly Dao remnant unusually initiated contact with Elder Chi, urging them to immediately lift the seal, saying it had urgent matters to attend to..."

Hearing this, Lu Ze felt reassured.

So the reason that strike didn't finish off Ding Mingcang was indeed due to the seal.

A cold smirk curled at Lu Ze's lips.

Originally, he had planned to wait until his strength reached at least the Nascent Soul stage, giving him the power to contend with Ding Mingcang, before eradicating this scourge.

Yet the latter had repeatedly provoked him.

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he would seize it without hesitation!

"Now that the illusion's efficacy has been proven, does the sect master's earlier proposal still stand?"

Lu Ze cut straight to the chase.

"A gentleman's word is unbreakable."

The sect master nodded firmly, his gaze toward Ding Mingcang now devoid of warmth.

"Ding Mingcang..."

"You deceived your superiors and concealed the truth, all for personal gain—even daring to lie to me!"

"Because of you, the Lingxiao Sect nearly lost a once-in-an-era opportunity with the Heavenly Dao... You! Deserve death ten thousand times over!"

As soon as he finished, Lu Ze added: "One more thing—this old wretch slandered the Heavenly Dao... He must face divine retribution."

"I, too, am at fault for trusting Elder Ding's one-sided account."

The sect master sighed bitterly.

Having secluded himself for years, he never imagined the world could change so rapidly.

That an illusion could both captivate cultivators and enhance their cultivation was simply beyond belief.

"Ding Mingcang, in recognition of your century-long service as the Lingxiao Sect's guardian, I shall show mercy—I will not cripple your spiritual roots or dantian."

"But while death may be spared, punishment cannot be avoided... Your cultivation will be reduced to the Foundation Establishment stage, and all sect secrets expunged."

"From this day forth, you are exiled from the sect. The Lingxiao Sect severs all ties with you!"

Hearing the verdict, Ding Mingcang glared at Lu Ze with venomous hatred.

"LU ZE!!!"

Ding Mingcang roared.

To him, being reduced to Foundation Establishment was no different from death.

He had intended to drag Lu Ze down with him in a final, desperate strike, but the latter had already taken refuge behind Zhao Wendao.

"One day, I will see you DEAD!!!"

Howling in rage, Ding Mingcang channeled all his remaining spiritual energy and fled the Lingxiao Sect at full speed.

The sect master's true body was still in seclusion, and Zhao Wendao's strength was on par with his own.

Even if the eighth divine thunderbolt condensed, at worst it would only leave him severely injured—far better than having his cultivation crippled.

"Come back!"

Zhao Wendao instantly summoned eight divine thunderbolts and hurled them toward Ding Mingcang.

Yet, countless barriers suddenly unfolded in the air, shielding Ding Mingcang and absorbing six of the thunder strikes.

"Hahaha! The sect’s grand protective formation is under my control! Who dares stop me now?!"

Ding Mingcang let out a wild laugh and dashed outward at blinding speed.

But at that very moment—

Ding Mingcang suddenly felt as if all the spiritual energy in his body had vanished. His entire being froze mid-air.

Even the sect’s grand formation and Zhao Wendao’s divine thunder came to a standstill.

The clouds in the sky swirled together, forming a colossal human face that twisted into a sinister grin.

"Tell me…"

"Who is the ant now?"

Ding Mingcang’s face paled in horror.

A chilling sense of impending death crawled up his spine and seized his mind.

"No—"

He barely managed to open his mouth, trying to beg for mercy.

A massive hand, woven from mist and clouds, slammed into him—shattering every organ in his body.

Blood gushed from Ding Mingcang’s mouth.

In his terror-stricken eyes, another colossal hand swept toward him from the opposite side—

The next instant, his entire body exploded into a crimson mist.

Lu Ze watched the scene calmly, murmuring to himself:

"I did warn you not to provoke it… Why wouldn’t you listen?"