High Martial Arts: Become a God by Spending Money, Start by Spending All Your Compensation Funds

The lights downstairs turned on instantly.

Zhou Chong rushed downstairs and woke the person up.

The hunters who had stayed overnight were awakened and rushed into the hall with their weapons, their faces filled with panic.

"What kind of beasts? How many are there?"

"It's a swarm of blood crystal ants."

Lin Yun came downstairs, his tone calm.

"The number is probably over a hundred."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

"Blood Crystal Ants? These are among the most difficult ant-like beasts to deal with!"

"Soldier ants are generally in the mid-to-late stage of Tier 1, elite ants are in the early stage of Tier 2, and there may even be a Tier 2 mid-stage ant queen!"

"Hundreds of them? Can this stronghold be defended?"

Many hunters turned pale and panicked.

Blood Crystal Ants live in swarms and are extremely sharp all over. Once surrounded, even a martial artist will suffer greatly.

Lin Yun knew he couldn't show any panic, so he remained calm and said, "Don't panic. The doors and windows of the stronghold have been reinforced. The ant swarm won't be able to break in so easily."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"If you want to survive tonight, listen to my instructions. Fighting alone will only hasten your demise."

Zhou Chong was the first to step forward: "I'll listen to Brother Yun."

Bao Bufan immediately chimed in, "I'll listen to Young Master Lin too!"

The four martial arts masters who stayed overnight exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

In times like these, it's better to have someone in charge than to be in complete chaos.

The remaining thirty-odd martial arts apprentices knew that fear was useless, so they gripped their weapons tightly and waited for instructions.

Soon, the ant swarm rushed to the entrance of the stronghold.

The densely packed blood crystal ants were dark red all over, with mouthparts like two sharp scimitars. They crawled on the wall, making a rustling sound that sent chills down one's spine.

They pounded wildly against the doors and windows, gnawing at the reinforced steel plates with a hissing sound.

"Let's do it!"

At Lin Yun's command, the martial artists at the window attacked simultaneously, their blades flashing as they slashed at the soldier ants that were crawling up.

First-tier soldier ants don't have strong defense; if they're hit, they'll roll off. But they're numerous enough to keep surging forward.

Inside the hall, several elite ants broke through the protective barrier of the side window and squeezed in.

These elite ants are larger and have harder exoskeletons, making them impossible for ordinary martial artists to penetrate.

Zhou Chong and Bao Bufan immediately rushed forward, their blades flashing, and engaged the elite ants in fierce combat.

The four martial arts masters who stayed overnight each guarded one side, barely managing to stabilize the defensive line.

Lin Yun stood in the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, filling in wherever there was a large gap.

With the Flowing Shadow Step activated, his figure weaved through the hall, each strike cleaving a Blood Crystal Ant in two.

Just as the fierce battle was raging, a sharp screech came from the doorway.

The Blood Crystal Ant King, which was half the height of a person, crashed through the main gate and rushed in.

Its entire body gleamed with a metallic sheen, and its pair of jaw teeth flashed with a cold light; it was a beast king at the mid-stage of the second tier.

"King Ant!"

Bao Bufan exclaimed in surprise, exchanged a glance with Zhou Chong, and the two rushed forward at the same time.

Two crisp ringing sounds.

The two men's knives struck the ant king's carapace, leaving only two shallow marks, which were far from causing serious damage.

The ant king flicked its head, its jaws sweeping across. The two hurriedly dodged, but were still thrown back a few steps by the shockwave, their blood churning.

A beast king at the mid-stage of the second tier is far beyond what a Martial Master at the early stage can contend with. Even a genius like Zhou Chong, who has achieved perfect Foundation Establishment, cannot do so with his current cultivation at the second level of the Martial Master realm.

"You go and support the others, I'll take care of this."

Lin Yun quickly walked over and stood in front of the two of them.

"Your hand isn't fully healed yet!" Zhou Chong said anxiously. "The ant king's carapace is too hard; it's too dangerous for you to be alone!"

"It's alright." Lin Yun smiled, slowly drawing the Bloodfang Knife from his waist. "Circulating the blood will actually speed up the healing process!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he activated the Shadow Step, his figure transforming into a blur as he rushed forward.

The ant king hissed and clamped its jaws down hard on Lin Yun's head.

Lin Yun sidestepped and dodged, his blade sweeping across the ground and striking the ant king's leg joint.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the ant king's leg was slightly deformed by the cut, but not severed.

Lin Yun was not impatient. Using the agility of the Flowing Shadow Step, he circled around the Ant King, looking for an opening.

He was wearing a Tier 2 advanced battle armor that he had won from Du Fei. Occasionally, when he was grazed by the Ant King's attacks, the armor could deflect more than 50% of the force, so it didn't bother him.

After more than thirty rounds, the Ant King became increasingly agitated, and its attacks gradually became chaotic.

Lin Yun seized an opening, his blood and qi surged suddenly, and the Blood Fang Blade in his hand trembled, emitting a faint hum.

The fourth move of the Nine Forms of Startling Strings: String Tremor!

The blade flashed with a subtle, trembling force, precisely striking the junction between the ant king's head and chest.

This was the weakest point on the carapace. The force of the tremor penetrated through the wound and instantly shredded the internal organs inside.

With a soft "pfft".

The Bloodfang Blade was deeply embedded in the Ant King's body, all the way down to the hilt.

The ant king struggled violently for a few moments before its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

Lin Yun drew his sword and retreated, taking a slight breath.

He glanced down at the Bloodfang Blade; several nicks had already appeared on the blade.

This top-tier first-order battle blade ultimately couldn't keep up with the combat intensity of a Martial Master.

But it's okay.

He looked at the ant king's corpse on the ground, and his eyes lit up.

The Blood Crystal Ant King's materials are just enough to be recycled and reforged into a second-tier intermediate battle sword.

With the death of the Ant King, the remaining Blood Crystal Ants were thrown into disarray. Without their commander, their attacks became much weaker.

Seeing this, the morale of the group soared, and taking advantage of the ant swarm's disarray, they launched a fierce attack.

As dawn approached, the last blood crystal ant was also eliminated.

The hall was a mess, with ant corpses and bloodstains all over the floor.

After counting the casualties, Bao Bufan strode over, his face beaming with disbelief and joy.

"Young Master Lin, the tally is complete. Two seriously injured, five slightly injured, no fatalities!"

Zhou Chong also breathed a sigh of relief, looking quite grateful: "Luckily, you noticed something was wrong in advance and let us be on guard. If we hadn't realized it until the ants were right at the door, we would have lost a lot of people today."

The surrounding hunters also gathered around, their eyes filled with gratitude and admiration as they looked at Lin Yun.

"Thanks for your guidance, Brother Yun! Otherwise, we'd probably all be doomed here today!"

"Brother Yun is amazing! He can even solo kill a mid-stage Tier 2 Ant King!"

"From now on, I'll only go to Yunqi Supply Station, I'm not going anywhere else!"

Lin Yun waved his hand, instructing Bao Bufan to arrange for people to treat the wounds and clean up the battlefield. He also selected several lightly injured hunters to take turns guarding the area to prevent any further attacks from the strange beasts.

He then squatted beside the ant king's corpse and used a knife to cut open the ant king's head.

I explored inside with my fingertips for a bit and touched a hard crystal.

He took it out and saw that it was a rhomboid crystal of pigeon blood red, which gleamed with a warm luster in the morning light.

Blood Crystal!

Lin Yun was overjoyed.

Blood crystals are treasures formed over time within the Blood Crystal Ant King's body. They are extremely rare and can be used in medicine or embedded in combat weapons to enhance their power.

The Ant King's materials were already enough to forge a mid-tier second-level battle sword. With the addition of this blood crystal, the finished product's sharpness and toughness would definitely rival that of a high-tier second-level battle sword.

"A very fruitful night."

Lin Yun muttered to himself as he carefully put away the blood crystal.

News of the ant swarm's nighttime raid spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding area after daybreak.

"Have you heard? That Yunqi supply station on Huai'an Road was besieged by a swarm of blood crystal ants last night!"

"Then they're doomed. There are hundreds of Blood Crystal Ants and the Ant Queen. Even with a mid-stage Martial Master guarding them, they might not be able to hold out."

"Who says otherwise? They held their ground! I heard they only suffered a few injuries, but no one died!"

"Really? Zero casualties? How is that possible!"

"Their boss gave a good command, noticing something was wrong early on. And while he may be young, he's incredibly powerful; he single-handedly killed a mid-stage Tier 2 Ant King!"

The news spread far and wide, and hunters in the surrounding area began to have designs on it.

The most precious thing in the occupied areas is safety.

With such a reliable base, who wouldn't want to go?

Many hunters who had originally settled in Blackwind Outpost were also intrigued and decided to head to Cloud Nest Supply Station.

At the Black Wind stronghold, 10 kilometers away, Snake Eyes slammed his hand on the table after listening to his subordinate's report, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"Zero casualties?" he gritted his teeth. "The Blood Crystal Ants launched a night attack, and they held their position with zero casualties?"

"Yes, yes, Brother Snake." The subordinate bowed his head. "Moreover, many of the hunters who stayed overnight at our base packed up and left this morning, saying they were going to the Cloud Nest Supply Station."

"A bunch of ingrates!" Snake Eyes cursed angrily, his chest heaving violently.

He thought that by luring the ant swarm over there, he could at least destroy the stronghold, but unexpectedly, he ended up giving the other side a boost in reputation instead.

"Damn, those brats from the capital have quite a few tricks up their sleeves." Snake Eyes narrowed his eyes, his gaze sinister. "I underestimated them."

Just then, the satellite phone on the table rang.

Snake Eyes took a deep breath, answered the phone, and his tone immediately became much more respectful.

"Hey, Brother Zhang."

"Snake Eyes, why is this month's share so much less?" The voice on the other end of the phone was filled with dissatisfaction. "Did you embezzle it?"

"No, no, Brother Zhang!"

Snake Eyes quickly put on a fawning smile.

"A new branch recently opened here and has taken away a lot of business. I'm trying to figure out how to deal with it. Could you give me a few more days? I'll definitely make up for the lost share."

"That's for the best." The other party snorted and hung up the phone.

Snake Eyes put down the phone, his smile vanished instantly, and his eyes turned fierce.

He got up, grabbed the sword hanging on the wall, and strode outside.

"Prepare the vehicle. I'm going to the Yunqi supply station myself. I want to see just how capable these kids who haven't even grown up yet really are."