[East Continent, The Burning Nines, Sacred Volcano]

(3 Years later, Year 153)

* BOOP * BOOP * BOOP *

Quite some time had passed and the Sacred Volcano was much larger than it was before, reaching a grand height of 4500 metres. This was no doubt a combined result of the World’s evolution and the Syphon Essence innate skill that all Anomalies seemed to have. But more interesting than that was the powerful Laws of Earth and Lava that the Volcano was consistently releasing like it was nothing.

Clearly, the area around the Volcano had long become a Sacred Land, but the density of which the ambient Magical Energy had reached, was truly impressive. On top of that, instead of it mellowing out the further it spread, it was actually systematically raised the closer you got to the Sacred Volcano and never reached out of the 1st Circle, causing the special properties of the Volcano’s ambient Magical Energy to be concentrated within the 9 Circles. For example, if someone were to cross through the invisible dividing barrier of the 1st Circle and enter the 2nd Circle, they would feel an abrupt increase in the quality of the ambient Magical Energy, talk less of if they were to enter the 1st Circle from the outside.

However, just as the ambient Magical Energy increased the closer you got to the 9th Circle, so did the heat. So this prevented many beings from delving deep even if they had the courage to do so. But on the flip side, if you were able to spend a lot of time within the hottest Circle you could reach, not only would you steadily gain a resistance to heat, but the harsh conditions would also pressure you into advancing in Anatomy Refinement. And thus, allowing you to proceed to the next Circle.

This created a powerful environment for those who were able to fend off the attacks of the ferocious Lava Ants and make a living within the 9 Circles (which had also expanded in size), producing many battle-hardened elites.

A territory like this was to die for, and unfortunately, many often did.

...

Within the Sacred Volcano (which was located in the middle of the 9th Circle), there was a massive cave that was not affected by the constantly flowing lava and was utterly safe in contrast to the environment in other areas of the Volcano. But this place was only safe to one particular race, and that was because it was home to the most terrifying being that reigned supreme within the boundaries of the 9 Circles.

The Blazing Ant Empress.

This cave was her nest and sanctuary that provided her with the security that she needed to produce the eggs for her colony. Although… Most would argue that she didn’t need such protection because of the fact that despite being a mere 28 years old, she had already reached the Seeking Beast Realm (Realm 3) and was also in the 4th Stage of Anatomy Refinement, making her peerless within the 9 Circles. Not to mention the terrifying Lava Ants that had increased in number over the years who wouldn’t hesitate to die for her.

This was all due to the fact that around 70% of the resources and natural treasures that the colony was able to obtain was fed straight to her so that she could produce more powerful offspring.

At this point, she could have decided to lay her eggs out on the edges of the 1st Circle and nobody would have dared to touch her. However, the Blazing Ant Empress didn’t care about such things and preferred the safety of a secure nest as her instincts dictated. And what better location than the cave provided by her lord benefactor, the Sacred Volcano itself?

So here she was, looking at the beautiful white eggs covered in streaks of lava around her with a strong adoration that, although was hard to see on her face, could be seen from the way she would occasionally caress an egg.

It was quite hard to look loving when your face was made from chitin.

But although the numerous eggs were a marvellous sight to behold, they could not compare to the fantastical beauty of the Blazing Ant Empress herself.

A domineering height of 30 metres tall that left many of her peers in the dust, a dark red crystal-like chitin that resembled magic rubies and was covered in soul-stirring intricate patterns that streaked across her body like lava, curved and sharp serrated mandibles that snapped every once in a while, amber-like compact eyes that glowed and showed obvious signs of intelligence, spear-like legs that stood securely and surely, a disproportionately large abdomen that could produce many eggs, and 2 long antenna that had glowing tips.

Although beautiful in the way lava was beautiful, most would similarly run away from the first sight of her, and they were right to do so. Unlike the way she treated the Colony and the Sacred Volcano itself, she was a cruel, unfeeling creature who considered other life-forms as the nutrients she needed for her and her colony.

This was because of the fact that the stronger she became, the more talented, powerful, versatile and intelligent her offspring were when they were born, and this was especially so when she evolved. But because of this, the amount of eggs that she was able to produce per day was rapidly dwindling.

It took too much energy to produce new offspring and she was needing more and more nutrients. It had reached the point where the amount of eggs that she was able to produce per day had dropped to 50 and she wasn't happy at all. 800 eggs a day reduced to 50. Utterly atrocious!

The growth of her colony brought her great happiness and she hated for it to slow. So as a result of this, the brave adventurers that dared to try their luck in The Burning Nines, often didn’t come back.