Chapter 372: Ghost Hornet

"How many people?" Cloud Wanderer asked.

Qin Sang replied, "Only one so far."

Cloud Wanderer pondered, "We were careful in the market and didn't provoke any enemies, so this shouldn't be directed at us. I wonder which one of them attracted this pursuer."

"Could Kong Xin have inadvertently leaked the news about the Cold Gold Ore Mother?" Qin Sang glanced up at Kong Xin's back. He was diligently leading the way, currently behaving very honestly. As for the woman in red and the others, their behavior was unremarkable. Neither Qin Sang nor Cloud Wanderer found anyone leaving marks or transmitting messages to the outside.

"Hard to say!" Cloud Wanderer mused, "I'll keep an eye on our rear. Brother Qin, you watch Kong Xin and the others. If this has nothing to do with us, peace is best. But if things change, we either capture the leader first, or escape using the spirit bamboo flying boat. It would be best if we could take Kong Xin with us. The Boundless Valley is complex and unpredictable; it can't be explained in a few words, and we still need Kong Xin to lead the way..."

Qin Sang nodded, "Senior, please buy me some time when the moment comes. As long as I can activate my talisman treasure, I won't fear any demons or monsters."

"Alright!"

The secret passage was winding. After walking for some distance, it gradually began to ascend. Qin Sang left several warning restrictions along the way, none of which were triggered.

After walking for a full hour, the cave entrance finally appeared ahead. Confirming it was safe outside the cave, everyone filed out, finally emerging from the oppressive secret passage.

The cave's exit was halfway up the mountain, and the Ghost Nest was directly overhead. No one dared to breathe loudly as they followed Kong Xin on foot through the mountains.

Before they reached the foot of the mountain, Kong Xin suddenly stopped, turned to the elderly master and his young apprentice, and pointed to the left. He quietly said, "The spirit herb you need grows on that cliff. I'll take you there now. The rest of you stay here and rest for a bit. I'll be right back."

Looking in the direction Kong Xin pointed, they could only see a chaotic expanse of blood-red mist. It was directly below the Ghost Nest, with blood mist swirling and ghost wails echoing through the sky. Clearly, it was not a benign place.

The woman in red and the others had no intention of risking themselves for others and were about to agree when Qin Sang suddenly spoke. "This place is on the edge of the Ghost Nest. If Fellow Daoist Kong Xin returns alone later and encounters danger, I fear we might not be able to rescue him in time. It would be better if we went together to look out for each other. What do you two think?"

Qin Sang's suggestion was not to risk himself for the master and apprentice, but to use it as an excuse to verify something. If Kong Xin was lying, and the required spirit herb wasn't there, it would be clear that Kong Xin was problematic.

Cloud Wanderer immediately guessed Qin Sang's intention. The woman in red and the cultivator surnamed Bao exchanged glances. After a moment of thought, they also voiced their agreement.

The cultivator surnamed Bao fanned himself and, seemingly jokingly, said to the master and apprentice, "Aren't you afraid we'll snatch your spirit herb?"

The master and apprentice exchanged glances. The master chuckled and said, "The spirit herb I need is the Blood Poison Flower. Its quality isn't high, but its medicinal properties are unique. Apart from curing my apprentice's illness, it has no other use, so I doubt it will appeal to any of you. If you fellow daoists are willing to escort us, I would be most grateful."

Having reached a consensus, they changed direction and traversed the entire mountain without major incident. Soon after, they found their path blocked by a bottomless abyss.

Within the abyss, besides the fierce roars of ghosts, there was also a strange buzzing sound.

Kong Xin raised his hand and pointed to the cliff on the opposite side of the abyss. "Fellow Daoists, look, the Blood Poison Flower is right there."

Everyone gazed intently and saw a crevice on the cliff across the abyss. Indeed, a strange blood-red flower, the size of a silver platter, grew within it – precisely the Blood Poison Flower the master and apprentice needed.

Strangely, on the rock wall below the Blood Poison Flower, there were more than a dozen enormous black spheres. Upon clearly seeing what these black spheres were, everyone involuntarily gasped. They were beehives!

The beehives were pitch black. Even more terrifying, black poisonous bees, each the size of an adult's fist, occasionally flew out from them. The buzzing sound they had heard earlier was produced by these venomous bees flying.

The poisonous bees had a ferocious appearance, with three pairs of blood-red wings and barbed stingers on their tails that gleamed with a faint green light. It was clear without a doubt that they were highly venomous. One bee might be manageable, but with so many beehives, there were at least tens of thousands of them. Furthermore, judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations from their wingbeats, these were no ordinary bees. They had likely mutated after growing in the blood mist for countless years. Even for cultivators at their Foundation Establishment stage, being surrounded by these venomous bees would likely lead to a grim end.

"Are you really going to face these poisonous bees to pick the Blood Poison Flower?" The cultivator surnamed Bao looked at the haphazardly flying bees, his scalp tingling. A look of horror appeared in his eyes, and he instinctively stepped back a few paces, afraid of being discovered by the bees.

The master and apprentice also hadn't expected to be surrounded by so many strange poisonous bees, and their expressions grew grim.

The old man said with a determined expression, "I've searched for years in various places to find this single Blood Poison Flower. I must try, no matter what."

Kong Xin said in a deep voice, "According to our agreement, bringing you here completes my task. Picking the Blood Poison Flower is up to you, fellow daoists. As for the other half of my payment..."

The old man tossed Kong Xin a mustard seed pouch and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, fellow daoist."

Kong Xin checked the pouch, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He said, "These poisonous bees are not easy to deal with. Fellow daoists, please proceed with extreme caution. We still need to venture deeper into Boundless Valley, so we won't accompany you further."

Just then, Qin Sang, who had been silent on the side, suddenly flashed, darting to the edge of the abyss. After pondering for a moment, he took out his Spirit-Binding Rope.

He swept his hand over the Spirit-Binding Rope, concealing its light, then flicked his finger, sending the rope silently drifting towards the beehives.

Seeing Qin Sang's actions, the others feared being caught in the crossfire and hastily retreated. Only Cloud Wanderer stood behind Qin Sang, having summoned his magical artifact, ready to provide assistance at any moment.

Everyone was curious about the poisonous bees, but no one wanted to test them or provoke these strange creatures. Seeing that Qin Sang was willing to be the first to act, no one, including the old man, stopped him.

Qin Sang paid no mind to others' thoughts; his goal was simply to capture a few of these poisonous bees. If he wasn't mistaken, these poisonous bees were a rare insect known as Ghost Head Bees.

Among the late Old Man Dique's relics, the jade slip left by the Golden Core expert from the Spirit Control Sect contained a record of Ghost Head Bees, noting them as one of the rarely seen wondrous insects.

However, these poisonous bees differed significantly from the Ghost Head Bees described in the jade slip. The most obvious difference was their three pairs of blood-red wings; true Ghost Head Bees have transparent wings. Also, these poisonous bees were a full size larger than Ghost Head Bees.

This was the first time Qin Sang had encountered such strange insects since acquiring the jade slip. He didn't have the energy to search the entire cultivation world for various rare insects like Old Man Dique did, but since he had encountered them by chance this time, he certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity.