Chapter 373: Hive

Outside the beehive, venomous bees flew wildly.

The Soul-Binding Rope was well-concealed, unnoticed by the venomous bees, and quietly approached the swarm from beneath the hive.

Ghost Head Bees, though named 'bee,' resemble bees, appear in swarms, and have nests similar to beehives, are not true bees but rather a type of strange insect.

Their characteristics are completely different from those of bee colonies; they have no queen bee and appear in pairs.

If these venomous bees still retained the characteristics of Ghost Head Bees, then Qin Sang would only need to capture a few pairs.

The Soul-Binding Rope lay hidden in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

A venomous bee flew around the hive, its range gradually expanding until it finally separated from the swarm.

The Soul-Binding Rope shot up like a nimble snake.

The venomous bee was unusually nimble; it detected the Soul-Binding Rope just as it was about to ensnare it, thrusting its stinger fiercely at the rope. Its three pairs of bloody wings vibrated violently, producing an incredibly sharp sound.

If such a sound were to spread and alarm the other venomous bees, they would have no choice but to flee.

Fortunately, Qin Sang was prepared. The instant the venomous bee stirred, the Soul-Binding Rope suddenly accelerated, pouncing to firmly entangle the bee before silently retracting.

The Soul-Binding Rope, with the venomous bee, landed in Qin Sang's palm.

The venomous bee was still restless, struggling violently. However, the Soul-Binding Rope could even trap Foundation Establishment cultivators, let alone a mere venomous insect.

Qin Sang carefully held the venomous bee, avoiding its stinger, and examined it. Comparing several features, it indeed bore a strong resemblance to the Ghost Head Bee.

For now, he called it the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee.

The others approached curiously. The elder softly asked, "Daoist Priest Qingfeng, might I examine this venomous bee?"

Qin Sang knew the elder wanted to examine the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee's characteristics to find a way to harvest the Blood Poison Flower.

His capture of the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee this time seemed easy because this particular hive was on the outermost periphery, the smallest in size, and had a sparse swarm.

Around the Blood Poison Flower, several enormous hives were clustered together, with venomous bees swarming like clouds, a sight that made one's scalp tingle. It would be impossible to capture them one by one like this.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang handed the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee to the elder, there was a sudden 'pop' sound.

A spurt of foul blood flew out.

Everyone was startled and quickly dodged. Looking at the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee again, they saw it had self-destructed and died.

The jade slip had indeed mentioned that Ghost Head Bees were fierce and extremely difficult to tame. It was unexpected that these mutated Bloodwing Ghost Head Bees would be even more extreme, self-destructing when captured and seeing no hope of escape.

Qin Sang's expression darkened slightly. He tried the same method again, capturing a few more, but all met the same fate.

Finally, Qin Sang captured all the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bees around the small hive. He carefully removed the hive and swept his spiritual sense through it, finding it indeed filled with Bloodwing Ghost Head Bee eggs.

He wondered if these larvae could be tamed.

Qin Sang thought for a moment, then placed the hive into his mustard seed bag and decided against further attempts for now.

Firstly, the others wouldn't wait indefinitely for him. Secondly, the other hives were clustered together, making it impossible to retrieve them without alarming the Bloodwing Ghost Head Bees.

The answer would become clear once the larvae hatched.

Qin Sang nodded to the others, signaling that they could depart.

Seeing Qin Sang about to leave, the elder's expression became urgent. "Daoist Priest, wait!"

"What can I do for you, fellow Daoist?"

Qin Sang feigned ignorance.

"Daoist Priest, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"

The elder pulled Qin Sang aside, bowed deeply, and said, "I observe that you, Daoist Priest, are very knowledgeable about these venomous bees. I humbly request your generous guidance and instruction."

Qin Sang showed a pensive expression, neither agreeing nor directly refusing.

Realizing the situation, the elder took out the lump of Cold Gold Ore Mother he had received from his mustard seed bag. "I possess no other valuable items; only this Cold Gold Ore Mother is presentable. I hope Daoist Priest will kindly accept it."

This person was certainly willing to give; it seemed the Blood Poison Flower was very important to him and his disciple.

Qin Sang spoke frankly, "To be honest, fellow Daoist, I do know a little about a type of venomous bee called the Ghost Head Bee. I suspect these Bloodwing Ghost Head Bees are mutated versions of them. However, whether they still retain the characteristics of Ghost Head Bees after mutating under the influence of the blood miasma is something I cannot confirm."

Upon hearing this, the elder's face showed disappointment, but he did not retract the Cold Gold Ore Mother.

He had indeed sought help from others earlier, but no one was willing to risk provoking the venomous bees for a piece of Cold Gold Ore Mother.

Left with no choice, the elder had to settle for a secondary option.

Qin Sang nodded, took the Cold Gold Ore Mother, and selected the information about the Ghost Head Bee's characteristics from his jade slip, copied it into another jade slip, and handed it to the elder.

The elder and his young disciple stayed behind, leaving only five people in the group.

All five were experts, and they traveled at full speed, moving faster than before.

Before long, they had reached the foot of the mountain and continued onward, their figures gradually disappearing into the depths of the blood miasma.

Not long after Qin Sang and the others departed, a figure followed from behind.

The person stopped in place, looked at the mountain, then at the direction Qin Sang and the others had left. As they hesitated, their gaze suddenly sharpened, as if they had discovered something. Then, without hesitation, they activated their movement technique and surged forward.

No further incidents occurred on their journey.

Kong Xin dutifully led the way, successfully guiding them out of the blood miasma's range.

Inside Boundless Valley, apart from some special areas, there was no blood miasma, so they no longer needed to use the Azure Sun Demonic Flame for protection.

Qin Sang put away his jade pendant and observed his surroundings.

Though still within Boundless Valley, the areas inside and outside the blood miasma were clearly two different worlds.

To the naked eye, this place had mountains, water, flowers, and grass, seemingly no different from outside Boundless Valley.

However, the endless blood-red ominous clouds hovering motionlessly in the sky, and the eerie roars occasionally echoing from the distance, constantly reminded everyone that this was Boundless Valley!

These ominous clouds were likely formed by a mixture of ancient prohibitions and malevolent blood fiend qi. Perhaps even spatial rifts were hidden within them, so it was best not to fly at high altitudes.

Kong Xin said little, briefly explained the precautions, and then took the lead.

The first half of Boundless Valley posed little danger; Qi Refinement cultivators could even enter here to seek treasures if they found the right path. It was only as they delved deeper that the dangers began to intensify.

As they traveled, detours were common; sometimes they might have to circle several times to find a safe route, avoiding monster hordes or unknown restrictions.

This was also the result of Qin Sang and the others' strong insistence.

After the incident in the underground cavern, it was difficult for Kong Xin to earn their complete trust. After every section of the journey, they would ask Kong Xin to explain the route in detail, and then they would collectively analyze and decide.

This annoyed Kong Xin, but he could do nothing about it.

They journeyed safely, encountering no major dangers, and successfully reached their destination.

After crossing an earthen ridge, a small stream, like a jade ribbon, flowed out from the mountain gorge.

Kong Xin's spirits lifted, and he exclaimed, "We've arrived!"

Qin Sang quickly followed, and while surveying his surroundings, he subtly glanced behind him, feeling a secret surprise.

Along the way, he and Yun Youzi had been extremely vigilant and had even deliberately exposed weaknesses a few times.

Unexpectedly, the tracker had not reappeared, seemingly having vanished.