The first ants

Wan Xi, too focused on his argument, didn't notice the web-covered ground beneath his feet. As he took another step, the ground gave way beneath him, and he fell into the trap that the ant queen had set. He struggled to break free from the sticky webbing, but it was too strong. The queen emerged from the shadows, her razor-sharp mandibles gleaming in the dim light. Wan Qing tried to rush over to help his cousin, but before he could do anything, the queen pounced on Wan Xi, her mandibles piercing his body with a sickening crunch. In an instant, Wan Xi's body went limp, lifeless. Wan Qing was frozen in terror, unable to move as he watched the ant queen devour his cousin's body.

The ant queen was a cunning and experienced predator. She had laid many traps throughout the forest, each designed to capture and kill unsuspecting prey. As the two cultivators approached one of her traps, she sensed their presence and went for the kill.

Wan Qing gasped as he saw his cousin's lifeless body lying on the ground. Trembling with fear and grief, he asked the queen, "What are you? I have never heard of a monster that can lay traps like this."

The queen turned her head to look at him, her mandibles clicking. "A dead man does not need to know," she said, her voice cold and emotionless.

Terror filled Wan Qing's heart as he realized that he was alone and exposed in the middle of the forest with a deadly creature. He tried to run, but the queen was too fast. With lightning speed, she pounced on him and pinned him to the ground with her powerful legs.

"Please spare me," he begged, his voice trembling.

The queen tilted her head and regarded him with her cold, unfeeling eyes. "Why should I spare you?" she asked. "You are nothing but prey to me."

Wan Qing's heart sank as he realized that there was no escape. The queen raised her mandibles, ready to strike the final blow.

As he lay dying on the forest floor, he gasped for breath and spoke to the queen one final time. "Wait," he said, "I can give you information about the world. I know that an intelligent creature like you, that eats humans will be hunted and killed on sight by cultivators far stronger than I am. You won't be able to hide for long." The queen hesitated, her mandibles hovering inches away from his face. For a moment, she considered sparing him and learning what he had to offer. But ultimately, she decided that the risk was too great. If her abilities were discovered, it could mean the end of her colony. With a swift movement, she delivered the final blow, ending Wan Qing's life.

The queen retreated back to her underground lair, where she carefully tended to her eggs. As she sat atop them, she felt a strange sense of excitement and anticipation building within her. She knew that these eggs would soon hatch into her first soldiers, and with them, she would be able to expand her territory and assert her dominance over the forest. She felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that she had eliminated the two cultivators who had posed a threat to her, and she was eager to see what other challenges lay ahead.

The queen felt a pang of confusion as she remembered Wan Qing's words. "Cultivators?" she thought. She had never heard of them before. She was intrigued by the idea that there might be beings who could control the energy that she had sensed. She had suspected that there were creatures out there that were more powerful than the humans she had encountered, but she couldn't verify it until her first soldiers were born. As she contemplated Wan Qing's words, she felt a stirring in her egg chamber. One of her eggs was hatching. She turned her attention to the egg and watched as a head emerged from the shell. The queen felt a surge of pride as she looked at her offspring, but she knew that she had to be careful. If the cultivators really were as powerful as Wan Qing had suggested, then she couldn't risk exposing her abilities to them.

As the two eggs hatched, two beings emerged from within. They stood tall, with ant-like bodies and human-like faces. Their eyes blinked open, confused and disoriented as they tried to make sense of their surroundings. Memories of their previous lives flooded back into their minds, and they recognized themselves as the two humans who had fallen prey to the queen's traps. However, their thoughts were quickly consumed by a feeling of unwavering loyalty to the queen standing before them. They instinctively knew that their purpose was to serve and protect her, no matter the cost. As they stood there, the queen looked down at them with pride and anticipation, eager to see how her first ant soldiers would fare in the world outside of their lair.

The queen looked at the first ant emerging from the shell with a sense of pride. He had the same humanoid and ant features, just like she had hoped. The ant introduced himself as Wan Xi, the cultivator who was once so disdainful of the creature. He still had the same arrogance, but now he had the strength and potential to back it up. He knelt before the queen and pledged his loyalty to her, eager to follow her orders and serve her.

The queen then turned her attention to the second ant, who looked almost identical to the first but with a few minor differences. He stepped forward and introduced himself as Wan Qing, the cousin of Wan Xi. He too had memories of his previous life as a human and showed undying loyalty to the queen. However, unlike Wan Xi, he seemed to have a sense of regret in his eyes, perhaps realizing the price of his ignorance towards the creatures of the forest. The queen accepted his pledge of loyalty but noticed the difference in his demeanor compared to his cousin.