Lin Jin wasn’t going about this aimlessly. There was a reason behind his question.
Amidst the chaos earlier, Lin Jin managed to appraise the ant queen only to find a blood talisman inside her body.
That was when Lin Jin started suspecting that Patriarch Xue Pao must have used underhanded tricks to gain control over the subterranean ants. He must have forced them into this battle.
That was why he decided to ask the ant queen that question.
If they could dissuade the enemy, why must they fight?
If Lin Jin were to succeed, not only would they be able to settle a strong foe with relative ease, but they could also pull her over to their side to assist them.
Lin Jin would never let such an opportunity go. If things were really as Lin Jin suspected, it would deal a huge blow to Patriarch Xue Pao too.
Sure enough, a look of surprise appeared on the ant queen’s charming face.
Sometimes, a facial expression was worth a thousand words. Lin Jin had seen something from her reaction.
He said, “Coercion by use of a blood talisman isn’t something a leader who respects you would use. Ant Queen, I will dispel this concern of yours now so you may choose where you want to go from here.”
Lin Jin knew it would be challenging to break the blood talisman, even more so if Patriarch Xue Pao found out in advance.
Hence, he had to do it unsuspectingly. He had said what was needed to be said and pointed out what needed to be known. The ball was now in Ant Queen court.
There would be little to no difference if she insisted on working for Patriarch Xue Pao, or if Lin Jin’s suspicion was wrong. Given his cultivation level and capabilities, killing her would be a breeze. The only question left was if she would allow the needle to enter her body.
Lin Jin lifted his hand to reveal more than a dozen silver needles as he got closer to the ant queen.
The latter was about to move when Lin Jin said, “Once these needles enter your body, they can remove the blood talisman. Think wisely.”
His words made her pause.
The next instant, every single needle Lin Jin held entered the ant queen’s body. Now, he was in control. After all, unlike Patriarch Xue Pao, the ant queen wasn’t that powerful. While the former managed to extract Lin Jin’s Psyche-Refining Needles, the ant queen was only a Rank 5 monster so it was near impossible for her to pull off the same stunt.
In other words, once the Psyche-Refining Needle entered her body, she was destined to lose.
The ant queen seemed to have felt the pressure and found herself immobilized. She looked at Lin Jin, then secretly glanced at Lord Xue’s clone.
Lord Xue’s clone was busy engaging Jin Chi in a fight that he didn’t have time for anyone else.
Seeing this made Lin Jin more confident. He quickly manipulated the Psyche-Refining Needle to remove the blood talisman which Patriarch Xue Pao planted inside the ant queen’s body.
This blood talisman was only enforced by mana and not his psyche so it was removed effortlessly.
The moment the blood talisman left the ant queen’s body, Patriarch Xue Pao sensed the change and let out a roar of fury. Still, Lin Jin couldn’t be bothered.
The angrier Patriarch Xue Pao was, the better things were going for Lin Jin.
The ant queen simply crouched down before Lin Jin.
“Thank you, Curator, for saving my life!”
Being a monster with over a hundred years’ worth of cultivation, her intelligence was surely above an average human’s.
On the other side, Tiger Taoist clashed with Corpse Taoist. The grudge they shared was both old and new, hence why whenever they attacked, it would all be accompanied with lethal intent.
Jin Chi and Patriarch Xue Pao were also engaged in a fierce battle. Only on Lin Jin’s side was the battlefield so quiet.
The ant queen may be respectful but Lin Jin still kept his guard up.
After all, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she was merely putting up an act. Taking extra care did not hurt, but Lin Jin would soon find out that he had been worried for nothing.
Instead of trying to ambush him, the ant queen was surprisingly obedient. It was clear that she had previously been forced to serve Patriarch Xue Pao.
“Curator, we subterranean ants prefer to live in harmony with the world. As proof of that, we even decided to build our nests far from human settlements. However, after accidentally finding our way here, we were placed under Patriarch Xue Pao’s control and have been living in pain since that day. Now that we have finally been liberated, we’re willing to serve your cause.”
The ant queen’s decision surprised Lin Jin.
Though, on second thought, her choice was reasonable because at this point, whoever could think should know that taking Curator’s side was the best option.
Her resentment for Patriarch Xue Pao was all the more reason for her to defect. The fact that he had been ruling them for more than a century meant that their colony must have been worn down considerably. Now that their shackles were undone, they had to retaliate.
Moreover, the ant queen was already aware of Curator’s reputation. His other achievements aside, just his status of being a renowned beast appraiser was a presented massive incentive.
For the sake of her future, siding with Curator was a wise decision. What’s more, if she wanted to seek revenge on Patriarch Xue Pao, just her and her insignificant army of less than a hundred ants would never be enough.
Taking Curator’s side was the only way forward.
Lin Jin nodded.
Subterranean ants were rare even among rare beasts. If educated properly, they would be a potent fighting force on the battlefield. However, Lin Jin didn’t have time to verify the ant queen’s real intentions at the moment. He just didn’t want her to interfere with their fight.
He was confident that she would stand down because the Psyche-Refining Needles were still in her body. If she were to make any sudden moves, Lin Jin would kill her immediately.
Now that the ant queen was no longer a threat, Lin Jin turned to face the remaining enemies.
Being a Rank 6 monster, Jin Chi was incredibly strong; his power surpassed even Lin Jin. It was clear that in the battle with Patriarch Xue Pao, he was overwhelming the opponent.
Similarly, Tiger Taoist and Corpse Taoist were also engaged in a fierce battle, but Corpse Taoist enjoyed the upper hand.
After all, he had a zombie dragon with him so they possessed numerical superiority.
There were several occasions when Tiger Taoist experienced close calls, but Lin Jin stepped in on time to help him out.
Clear Wind was still out of commission so Lin Jin raised his arm to let Xiao Huo out.
As if Xiao Huo could read Lin Jin’s mind, the Rank 5 fire wolf took on his big wolf form before pouncing at the zombie dragon.
With this, Tiger Taoist could finally face Corpse Taoist without being distracted. The time had come for them to settle their overdue score.
Corpse Taoist grew increasingly anxious.
Adept in dark wind spells, a chilling gust surrounded Tiger Taoist like an intimidating shell. It just so happened that his dark wind opposed Corpse Taoist’s death aura. As lethal as the death aura was, it was rendered useless when the dark wind blew it away every time.
Corpse Taoist could still hold his ground when he had the help of the zombie dragon, but now that Xiao Huo was keeping it busy, the situation was getting increasingly undesirable for Corpse Taoist.
