Chapter Forty-Five: Venomous Swarm

Buzzing filled the air. Wang Hongjun suddenly jerked his head up and stared into the distance, only to see a dark cloud slowly drifting toward them. Focusing his gaze, his expression changed dramatically.

"Venomous Devourer Bees! Are you insane?" Wang Hongjun shouted furiously at Yu Daoyi.

Yu Daoyi, too, paled slightly at the sight of the approaching swarm. My goodness, that’s a massive cluster. Countless black bees beat their wings in unison, the deafening sound enough to drive anyone mad.

But then, as if struck by a sudden realization, Wang Hongjun whipped around, his face twisted with menace as he glared at the Duan siblings. "Why? Why are you helping him? Do you even know what you’re doing?"

It was obvious to everyone present that the only ones capable of controlling a swarm of Venomous Devourer Bees were Duan Yin and Duan Yuxuan, both skilled in the art of beast taming.

"We have no intention of involving ourselves in your affairs," Duan Yuxuan replied coldly. "Right and wrong mean nothing to us. If you keep shouting at us, know that the Duan family is no pushover."

At these words, Wang Hongjun seemed to regain some composure. He pondered for a moment; he had thought the Duan siblings had sided with the enemy and used their skills to manipulate the swarm against him. But even if they could control such a vast horde, why would they target him? His fierce expression shifted. Letting go of the sword embedded in the python’s tail, he stepped back, plunged a hand into his collar, and, after a moment’s fumbling, withdrew it. His palm was smeared with a sticky, black substance, shot through with flecks of glittering gold.

"Bee honey from the Venomous Devourer Bees!" Wang Hongjun said in a trembling voice.

"Still trying to deny it? You’re not as foolish as I thought, then," Yu Daoyi said, his eyes cold though his tone was mocking.

"You—beast! You planned this from the start!" Wang Hongjun roared, consumed by rage.

"Now, now, you gladly accepted that pill, didn’t you? I never forced you," Yu Daoyi replied with a shrug, then added with a wry smile, "Still, I must admit, I didn’t expect you to think I was trying to curry favor for the Crimson Blood Fruit and accept the Erling Pill without hesitation."

"And don’t get so worked up. You should be thinking about how to survive the oncoming swarm instead."

"The Venomous Devourer Bees are extremely sensitive to their own honey, you know. Funny thing is, this isn’t just any honey—it’s refined bee essence, several times more potent. Imagine how irresistible that is to them."

"And what’s more, if not for the fact that I happened to find a bee nest on the way here, none of this would have been possible. But as fate would have it, I did come across such a nest while tracking you."

"It took considerable effort to lure these soul-devouring bees here at the right time. Just coating the Erling Pill with bee honey cost me no small amount of work, not to mention timing it so the pill’s spiritual energy would slowly dissolve the coating. Getting it just right was no easy feat."

"Alas, to be someone as talented as I am requires thorough planning. It’s truly exhausting," Yu Daoyi continued, gesticulating flamboyantly, his attitude arrogant and utterly dismissive of Wang Hongjun and the others.

“Scoundrel! Coward! Despicable! Always resorting to tricks and shortcuts! If not for these coincidences—”

“If not for these coincidences?” Yu Daoyi cut him off, his face icy. He sneered, “Honestly, are you really that naïve? Do you think the world works by chance alone?”

Wang Hongjun recoiled in shock, disbelief etched across his face. “You… You knew from the start! Who told you?”

“I told you, you should spend more time reading, not plotting behind closed doors. All that forbearance in the Wang family is utterly pointless—such a small mind, wasting your talent.”

“You didn’t consider that I knew certain things even before we entered the mountains? That’s when I began preparing.”

“You thought I stumbled upon the nest by accident? I spent a long time questioning the local herbalists who frequent these hills to learn its location.”

“Though getting lost and the matter of the Crimson Blood Fruit led you to encounter us this way, it worked out. While fleeing, I led you near the bee nest, so on your return the bees would recognize your scent.”

Song Cheng, hearing this, shivered as he recalled indeed having run in that direction.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll be killed by the swarm too?” Wang Hongjun, desperate, began tearing off his clothes.

“Oh, you needn’t worry about me. Qiuling, pass our Purity Dispelling Powder to the Duan siblings and the little fairy, would you?” Yu Daoyi replied with that same infuriating smile. “Besides, once that bee essence dissolves, the scent will linger for ages.”

Song Qiuling, annoyed for reasons she couldn’t explain, shot a glare at Yu Daoyi but still tossed a small black bottle toward the Duan siblings.

“So, Brother Hongjun, goodbye for now. If you survive, we’ll catch up later,” Yu Daoyi called, clasping his hands mockingly toward the anxious Wang Hongjun.

Wang Hongjun’s inner struggle was visible on his face, which had darkened to an ominous shade. He bellowed, “Even so! I’ll drag your brother down with me!”

“Oh, come on, do you really think those two blockheads of yours can stop my brother?” Yu Daoyi responded in mock astonishment. “How foolish.”

Wang Hongjun turned in shock and saw his two guards thrown aside by Yu Yunfan, who rejoined Yu Daoyi in just a few steps.

“Yu! Daoyi!” Wang Hongjun’s furious roar echoed through the woods.

“Don’t be like that. Little brother, time to run!” With that, Yu Daoyi vanished into the undergrowth.

Even with Purity Dispelling Powder applied, approaching the swarm at such close range was tantamount to suicide.

The others, too, dove into the surrounding forest in an instant.

Wang Hongjun’s two guards exchanged a fearful glance as the swarm drew nearer and sprinted for the trees. With their level-seven Qi Refining cultivation, even without the powder, a little caution and speed would keep them from becoming the bees’ main targets.

Each bee was only on the first stage of Qi Refining, with a few reaching the second. Most didn’t even meet that threshold. Yet their vast numbers and venomous stingers made them a deadly force. Even the Blood-Crowned Python, now sprawled on the ground, struggled desperately—severing its own tail impaled by the sword as it slithered frantically into the woods.

Wang Hongjun charged after Yu Daoyi, rage compelling him to follow even if it meant his own death, determined to take down this third-level Qi Refiner. But mere moments later, screams filled the air.

The wails were bone-chilling, each cry more desperate than the last.

“Get away! Filthy insects! Get away! Spare me!”

“Lin Tao! I know you’re nearby! Without me, you’ll never complete your plan!”

“Lin Tao! Save me! Save me! If you do, I’ll serve you loyally! The Wang family will be yours!”

“Lin Tao! You bastard! You beast! You wretch!”

Amid the furious buzzing, the pleas and curses grew weaker, gradually drowned out by the swarm until they faded entirely.

Several miles away, hidden in another patch of forest—

“Tsk tsk, I told you, that one wasn’t long for this world—dumb as a post,” Yu Daoyi remarked to Song Cheng.

Song Cheng shuddered repeatedly at the distant, tragic scene, while Song Qiuling had long since averted her gaze.

Looking at those around him, Song Cheng found it hard to believe that the most gifted member of the Wang family, Wang Hongjun, had died such a miserable death—felled by someone at just the third stage of Qi Refining.