Chapter 18: A Bloodbath Triggered by a Footprint

The kings of the myriad races arrived with their own agendas, led personally by the Human King. After overcoming several heavily guarded checkpoints, the kings finally laid eyes on the legendary sacred artifact left behind by the Creator God.

Surprisingly, it was just a fossil of a four-leaf bug, the only notable feature being the footprint on it.

The leaders of the myriad races circled around for hours but failed to uncover any profound mysteries.

“This is the sacred artifact left by the Creator God over a million years ago?” the Sky Tiger King wondered aloud, staring at the fossil. “I thought it was just a footprint!”

He couldn’t help but doubt if the Human King was just pulling his leg. What about the rumored divine artifacts? The cultivation methods that held the truths of the world? The invincible magical beasts? “You fool!” The Winged Dragon King furiously rebuked him. As the ruler of the Sky Winged Dragon clan, he was respected even by the Human King, who dared not treat his kind lightly.

“This is left by the Creator God, it must contain secrets beyond our comprehension,” the Winged Dragon King said, gazing at the fossil with admiration.

“Historical records indicate that the Creator God only appeared in the world once, at the beginning of this epoch. When the Creator God descended, all the beasts worshiped him, and the world rejoiced with colorful rays filling the sky.”

The Winged Dragon King glanced at the Human King. “You humans’ first-generation king, Meng De, was only suspected to be the Creator God, yet even then, you became the strongest race in the world.”

He spread his arms as if trying to lift the sacred artifact. “This fossil carries the breath of a million years; it’s certain that, countless ages ago, during the Epoch Cataclysm, all was silent as the Creator God descended and surveyed the land.”

Meanwhile, Jiang Ping was feeling a bit frustrated.

“I accidentally stepped on a four-leaf bug just a couple of days ago, and now you’re all making such a fuss about it. It’s just a rock!”

Regardless of Jiang Ping’s complaints, to the myriad races, this footprint fossil was undoubtedly a divine treasure. Even if it held no energy, the mere fact that it bore the Creator God’s footprint made it one of the rare sacred items in existence!

The kings of the myriad races bowed respectfully towards the fossil, resembling the most devout of followers. As their leaders departed, the human race’s acquisition of the Creator God’s sacred artifact was now well established.

The earth trembled, and countless intelligent beings yearned to pay their respects. However, the human experts managed to dissuade them just in time.

All races envied the human race’s long-standing fortune. Not only had they obtained three divine treasures, but they had also acquired a sacred artifact once again, truly igniting jealousy in others.

Before long, this news reached the Ant Queen’s ears. Deep underground, in an expansive and intricate lair that was over a kilometer wide, the Ant Queen, with her swollen belly, issued commands.

“Children, the sacred artifact of the Creator God is not something the weak human race can hold. If they gain divine power, our tribe will fall into endless doom!”

Below, the variously shaped ant heroes were all fired up. They had a vague understanding of the Ant Queen’s intentions. Being naturally bloodthirsty, they couldn’t hold back any longer! “Our race has been nurturing its strength for decades; our power has reached new heights! I order the entire army to attack! Each of you, lead a contingent out from the four corners of the earth!”

The Ant Queen, Belsha, continued with a fierce tone, “This time, if we fail, we shall defy our fates; it’s either they die or I perish. The world needs only one overlord!”

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

The ant heroes roared, and within the city, billions of soldier ants seemed infected, echoing the thunderous roars. In an instant, even the blue moss in the underground began to wither rapidly, as the killing intent soared to the heavens!

The whole tribe was now aware of the Ant Queen’s determination; this sacred artifact was merely a trigger, shattering the fragile peace between the two races.

Hundreds of billions of soldier ants surged up from the Death Desert, led by ant heroes commanding elite soldiers, emerging from behind the myriad races’ alliance.

The myriad races were caught completely off guard! Even though someone had been watching the Death Desert for years, nobody expected the Devouring Ants to appear in the world again after decades since the last battle!

“Today, we have no enemies or rivals here. We all share a common goal: drive the Devouring Ants away and restore peace to the world!” The ninth generation Human King Qiyi declared before the alliance of myriad races.

Below him stood subspecies of dragons, such as bipedal dragons, sea dragons, and winged dragons, as well as formidable beasts coming in to assist, including the usually reclusive Chimera.

In the distant sky, thousands of immortal elves soared about, while Pegasus knights and griffin knights patrolled the area.

“The Devouring Ants are ruthless in their extermination; wherever they go, life is extinguished. They are the enemies of all! The world will surely reject them! This is a just war!” The Human King shouted, raising the Spear of Destiny toward the heavens!

The awe-inspiring battle finally erupted. Though the myriad races’ alliance had taken a significant blow due to the ambush, the Devouring Ants’ tyranny compelled the other races to assist the humans.

Boom! The strongest dragon cannons developed by the human race shook the world. With a single shot, they shattered the metal ants, and several ant heroes were surrounded by countless shells, eventually perishing in the fiery inferno.

The flame throwers fueled by black oil were particularly deadly against the ant horde. Once touched, even jumping into the sea wouldn’t help. The humans hadn’t wasted years in vain!

They had advanced incredibly over these decades, with countless alchemical weapons invented by the humans. Tens of thousands of dragon cannons were rolled out from the warehouses, continually roaring toward the ant army.

Meanwhile, in the rear alchemical workshop, production continued without pause. The women and children of the human race worked day and night. During this extinction crisis, none were spared; those who couldn’t fight on the battlefield must support from the back!

Within the human race, there were also a hundred thousand armed troops constantly shooting at the metal ants, their firearm resembling the flintlock guns of the present day, and they shone brilliantly, effectively suppressing the relentless ant swarm.

The ancient races were left in awe; the humans truly deserved their title as the world’s strongest race. Their foundation was terrifying enough that when the dragon cannons fired, even extraordinary magical beasts were petrified at the thought of being targeted—under the intense barrage, escape seemed impossible! However, even with a hundred thousand cannons’ support, they could barely hold back the ant assaults due to the overwhelming sea tactics employed by the ants!

Hundreds of billions of soldier ants charged in, capable of obliterating everything. The cannon barrels were nearly melting, and the ant waves continued their relentless advance!

Among them lurked a few metal ants and even elite ant heroes. If these elite troops managed to get close, the defensive line would surely break.

The sky determined the war’s outcome. Over the years, the Ant Queen had vigorously developed sky ants, with numerous enhanced sky ant variants emerging, and even several hero-level sky ants had evolved.

The Ant Queen originally planned to leverage this unique force to secure victory. However, the humans were also hiding their strength; the Human King had organized an air squad. They either rode on Pegasus or griffins or winged dragons.

Using the massive bodies of magical beasts, heavy cannons were also mounted on them, constantly raining explosives down on the sky ants. The blasts were deafening, while dozens of sky ants fell like raindrops, blackening the earth below.

A bombing squad equipped with alchemical bombs threw them down continuously, resulting in the ant horde wailing, and even the ant heroes could only flee for their lives.

In just a few days since the war commenced, the total deaths exceeded ten million! The ants accounted for a large portion of this. The world darkened due to the massacre—the ground stained red, millions of corpses scattered, blood flooding the earth, and the sky drenched in red. Even the sun appeared exceptionally harsh! A murderous rage filled the sky, and the direction of the stars shifted! The earth trembled with rage, as if dragons and serpents emerged from beneath! Humanity too was teeming with murderous intent, a cataclysm unfolding in the heavens!

This epoch formally entered its final year, and the epoch cataclysm had arrived!

Jiang Ping felt the continuous surge of biological energy, letting out a long sigh: “Ah!” He couldn’t help but burp.

“Never would I have thought that this massacre originated from a mere footprint I left just days ago. The world is ever-changing; a bloodbath triggered by a footprint!”

Jiang Ping couldn’t help but reflect, even he hadn’t anticipated such a development, akin to how the Great War on Earth was ignited by the assassination of a noble couple.