Woodglow Bees

The Grand Shaman and the Demon Lord. Two late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, figures standing at the absolute pinnacle of this world, had both appeared in the Hall of Seven Kills, casting a shadow over everyone's heart. The good news was that the direction the Demon Lord had vanished toward differed from their intended destination. Everyone wore varying expressions, still shaken by the lingering influence of the Lunar Heavenly Ghost Divine Light. Only Qin Sang had remained entirely unaffected. *The jade Buddha seems to happen to counter the Lunar Heavenly Ghost Divine Light, so it didn't affect me at all. Still, for something to be hailed as the Canglang Sea's premier divine light, it can't be simple. If I ever run into disciples of the Demon Lord in the future, it's best to tread cautiously.* Yet his mood remained heavy, for the direction in which the Lunar Heavenly Ghost Divine Light had vanished was precisely toward Heaven Tower. *According to Xiang Yi, the Demon Lord's appearance here was an accident, and he most likely came targeting the Witch Clan to keep the Grand Shaman in check. The Hall of Seven Kills holds so many secret realms—surely they wouldn't coincidentally converge at Heaven Tower, would they?* Qin Sang pondered, his expression solemn, yet there was nothing he could do. With so many top-tier experts entering Heaven Tower, even heading there now would change nothing. He would be better off waiting until the Demon Lord and Grand Shaman left before going in alone to investigate, saving himself from getting dragged into their strife. As for the ancient teleportation array, he was not overly worried. More than one Great Cultivator had entered here in the past, yet none had discovered it. Either its location was extraordinarily concealed, or, like the Sword Testing Hall in Ziwei Palace, it was protected from outside by special restrictions that required specific conditions to be met, rendering even the most profound cultivation useless otherwise. Qin Sang suspected the latter was far more likely. In the Canglang Sea, the only cultivators who had practiced the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* were himself and Qingzhu. With Qingzhu missing, only he would be able to activate the ancient teleportation array. ... Once the sword-bearing youth and Cui Ji had recovered seventy to eighty percent of their strength, they were urged to their feet. Xiang Yi pointed toward the ancient forest at the edge of the wasteland and ordered them to depart. The wasteland was remarkably calm and free of danger. After rushing across the terrain, the group soon reached its edge. It had not seemed so dramatic from afar, but only upon approaching the forest did they realize how excessively massive the ancient trees within were. Even the smallest was thick enough to require a dozen men linking arms to encircle it. Canopies blotted out the sky and sun, casting the forest in gloom. Strange noises rose and fell from the depths, accompanied by flashes of green light, leaving it uncertain whether demon beasts or other entities were producing them. Standing before them, the ancient trees seemed to come alive, turning into sprawling, claw-baring giants looking down upon the intruders and exerting immense pressure. "Once inside the forest, it's best not to fly." Xiang Yi landed on the ground and warned with a grave expression, "Not only are there sprawling flight-restriction arrays throughout the woods, but a portion of these ancient trees are living creatures in disguise. If you take to the air and get snared by vines, the others likely won't have time to lend a hand before you're dragged straight into the forest depths." "Living creatures? Is it some sort of demon beast adept at camouflage, or wood xiao? If it's wood xiao, this Pan possesses a treasure that happens to counter such wood spirits." The man wearing a half-mask spoke in a raspy voice. His surname was Pan. Throughout their journey, he had been even more taciturn and aloof than Qin Sang, rarely uttering a word to anyone else. For him to take the initiative and offer to deal with wood xiao caught everyone somewhat off guard. "I cannot say," Xiang Yi replied, shaking his head. "The living beings here are unlike those outside; they cannot be judged by ordinary demon beasts or wood spirits. Even the spirit insects here are entirely distinct from the outside world. Whatever influenced them into becoming like this remains unknown, but you will understand once you see them shortly. The merchant alliance has already prepared countermeasures for us. Fellow Daoist Pan's treasure can serve as a backup. As long as you stay close behind me, you need not worry." With that, Xiang Yi produced several sachet-like items and tossed them to the group. Qin Sang caught one and gave it a squeeze, finding what felt like medicinal powder inside. Holding it to his nose, however, he could not detect any scent. "Wear these sachets on your persons. Inside is powder refined from a spiritual flower that is odorless to us. To certain ferocious insects in the forest, however, it is like a vile stench that they avoid at all costs. Not only will it mask our scent and blind their senses, but it will also drive them far away." Hearing Xiang Yi explain the sachet's purpose, everyone fastened theirs to their waists without hesitation. ... A quarter of an hour later. Everyone hid beneath the massive root system of an ancient tree, barely daring to breathe. They could only peek outside through the gaps between the roots. Curiously, there were no other living creatures here aside from themselves and the ancient trees. By now, they had penetrated deep into the forest, where layered canopies high above blocked nearly all light. *Buzz, buzz, buzz...* A drone resembling the buzzing of bees suddenly drifted from afar. "Woodglow bees are coming! Keep quiet, and whatever you do, don't use spiritual sense!" Xiang Yi warned via voice transmission. Everyone held their breath in utter silence. Soon, through the gaps in the roots, they saw a massive cluster of emerald light flying out from the depths. Only when it drew closer did they realize the light was composed of countless glowing motes, resembling a vast swarm of green fireflies. Looking closely, however, these were no fireflies—they were an ominous swarm of venomous bees! These bees had slender bodies and were translucent emerald green from head to tail, even down to their wings. Resembling polished green jade, they looked enchanting from a distance, and their name sounded just as pleasant: woodglow bees. Up close, however, they were far from pleasant. The venomous bees possessed hideous, savage features, and their stingers were slender and needle-sharp. They looked like demonic creatures, sending a chill through anyone who beheld them. The woodglow bees' senses were extraordinarily sharp. They could detect a cultivator's location from afar through fluctuations of spiritual sense alone, flying into an instant frenzy. According to Xiang Yi, an expert at the peak of the Core Formation stage had once been surrounded by several swarms of woodglow bees and left without even bones remaining. This bee was one of the forest's most feared and dreaded insects. Earlier, Xiang Yi had used some unknown method to detect an approaching swarm, forcing the group to duck beneath the tree roots in haste. It was not that they truly feared this single swarm, but in a forest fraught with peril, avoiding trouble was always better than courting it. The woodglow bees drew nearer and nearer. Qin Sang got a clear look at their appearance. It was said that even Witch Clan cultivators could not say what spirit insect the woodglow bee had evolved from. Qin Sang's mastery in insect-rearing was on par with any Witch Clan cultivator, yet after furrowing his brow and pondering for a moment, he genuinely could not think of any spirit bee whose traits matched theirs. Cut off from the rest of the world, the living beings in the Hall of Seven Kills had undergone unknown mutations, and the woodglow bee was merely one of them. *Buzz, buzz...* The woodglow bees flew past an ancient tree beside them. Once they vanished, everyone's expressions eased. They quietly slipped out from beneath the roots and quickly left this trouble spot behind. Xiang Yi seemed rather familiar with the terrain. His heading was exceptionally purposeful, and except when forced to take cover from danger, he led them almost in a straight line forward. The forest was vast, its environment ever-shifting. Even being as cautious as they were, they nearly stumbled into a field of man-eating flowers. Along the way, they came upon two wooden huts, but any treasures in these outer reaches had evidently long since been cleaned out.