Chapter Eighty-Eight: A Flawless Hunt in the Wild

On the narrow path between the valleys, a group of people advanced with utmost caution.

Within the Valley of Ten Thousand Burials, the scenery seemed beautiful at first glance, yet danger lurked at every turn. From time to time, the roars of demonic beasts would rise up, deafening and chilling to the bone.

Wang Ran walked at the very front with his hands clasped behind his back, steady and unhurried. Though everything in the valley struck him as novel, he felt no fear.

Along the way, he and Xu Ke took the lead. With this body-tempering expert, a true human bulwark forged in flesh, many demonic beasts were intimidated and dared not approach.

Still, there were exceptions. As they ventured deeper, flying beasts began to appear around them, faintly hurling hostile cries toward Wang Ran and the others.

A closer look revealed that these were all bee-type demonic beasts, each as large as a human head, with sharp mouthparts and cultivation at roughly the early Foundation Establishment stage. They appeared in groups of three or five at a time, making them quite troublesome.

“Senior Brother, these are all subordinates of the queen bee,” said a female disciple gravely after forming a spell seal and slamming it hard into a beast above their heads.

“Indeed. These are Amber Jade Bees. Though their cultivation is only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, they are excellent medicinal materials. They can be used to make Rejuvenation Pills, Healing Ointments, and more. They are highly valuable and exceedingly rare in the market. I never expected so many of them to gather here in the Valley of Ten Thousand Burials, and even become the queen bee’s subordinates.” Xu Ke struck down the bee beast the female disciple had wounded, then picked it up to examine it, identifying its species.

Wang Ran leaned in to take a look. Sure enough, it was an Amber Jade Bee. This kind of beast had some value; though it was not as valuable as the Six-Winged Water Lizard he had slain before, each one could still fetch a hundred spirit jades. If he could gather a batch here, it would be an unexpected windfall.

However, Amber Jade Bees always appeared in swarms—no fewer than three or five at a time, and sometimes seven or eight. Though all were only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, without careful planning they would still be quite troublesome.

After thinking it over, Wang Ran suddenly had an inspiration. He let his divine sense sink into his mind and summoned the system.

He vaguely remembered that when browsing the system shop before, he had seen something that might work wonders against such beasts.

“Where is it?”

Wang Ran scrolled quickly through the list of items in the shop, his eyes skimming line after line, until he finally stopped at one entry.

Where his finger rested was a packet of powder, lying quietly there, with a line of system text beside it.

“High-quality pollen, gathered from the Hundred Flowers Realm among the Three Thousand Worlds. It is highly beneficial to certain female cultivation techniques, and also possesses an extremely strong attraction to bee-type demonic beasts.”

After reading the description, Wang Ran was certain this was what he had been looking for. Though the name was simple—just high-quality pollen—its effect was far from ordinary. It possessed an immense attraction to bee-type demonic beasts, making it almost tailor-made for this place.

What was more, it was not expensive either. One packet cost only thirty Proof of the Dao points, which was still affordable for Wang Ran’s current means.

Without hesitation, he bought three packets at once. With a flip of his hand, he took one out and held it in his palm before saying to the others, “This item can attract Amber Jade Bees. In a moment, Xu Ke and the disciples with the Black Tortoise Medallions will take it and lead the way. Junior Sister and the others should keep their distance. Wait for my command, and once the time is right, unleash your flying swords and spells to butcher those beasts without mercy!”

“Understood!”

Everyone immediately nodded with excitement.

Xu Ke and the other Black Tortoise disciples, who specialized in defense, also took the pollen with great confidence and ran ahead to clear the way.

With their strength, the Amber Jade Bees—only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—could not truly injure them. The trouble lay in the sheer number of the beasts and their elusive movements, which made them difficult to kill.

But now, with this pollen as bait, once the Amber Jade Bees were gathered together, they would be like fish in a barrel. Even without Wang Ran making a move, Junior Sister and the others could clean them up.

Sure enough, Xu Ke and the others walked far ahead with the pollen scattered on them. The Amber Jade Bees caught the scent and instantly flew into a frenzy, swarming toward them like a storm.

This wave alone numbered more than twenty Amber Jade Bees. With wings beating, they stirred up a droning roar between the valley walls and swept low through the air.

The many Black Tortoise disciples could not help but grow solemn. Swallowing nervously, they watched the approaching bees, tense to the extreme.

“Stay calm. A few insects like these cannot break our defenses!” Xu Ke stood amid the group, steadying their nerves. “Don’t be fooled by their ferocity. Once they enter the encirclement, they’ll be trapped in our net. Stay steady now and wait for Senior Brother Wang’s command.”

Hearing this, the disciples also revealed a fierce light in their eyes, driving their defensive spells to the limit. Brilliant, multicolored barriers of spiritual power rose above their heads.

By now, the Amber Jade Bees were close enough. Not far away, Junior Sister and the others, lying in ambush, had already gathered the flying swords and spells in their hands before them, ready to strike at any moment, waiting only for the command.

Wang Ran narrowed his eyes slightly. He was calculating, waiting until every Amber Jade Bee had entered the attack range before striking, so as to maximize the gain.

“Just a little more.”

Licking his lips, Wang Ran held his breath and waited a little longer. Only when those Amber Jade Bees were about to attack Xu Ke and the others did his eyes suddenly sharpen, and his hand sign dropped.

“Release!”

In an instant, flying swords and spells swept across the sky like a deluge, bringing with them a fierce and overwhelming might as they pierced straight through those Amber Jade Bees, which had yet to react.

They did not even have time to let out a cry before trembling and falling to the ground. Xu Ke and the others also let out a breath of relief.

After Wang Ran led the others over, one Black Tortoise disciple said joyfully, holding a storage pouch in both hands, “Senior Brother Wang, in this wave alone we killed seventeen Amber Jade Bees!”

“Senior Brother Wang is amazing!”

“Following Senior Brother Wang was absolutely the right choice!”

Voices rose from all sides, everyone animated with excitement. After all, those were seventeen Amber Jade Bees. With such numbers and their ability to attack from the air, even disciples with top-tier Foundation Establishment cultivation could suffer a setback if they were careless. Yet they had wiped them all out without a single injury. To them, it was simply unbelievable. Their admiration for Wang Ran surged, and they all began offering heartfelt praise.

“Keep it low-key, keep it low-key.”

Wang Ran waved a hand, wearing an unconcerned expression.

It was only a flawless jungle clear—was there really any need to be this surprised? He truly did not know how the other disciples normally completed their missions, if they could not even manage this much skill.

Still, no matter what, the great Senior Brother Wang had led his little band of admirers to the first victory in the Valley of Ten Thousand Burials, greatly boosting everyone’s morale.

It also caused his prestige to rise even higher in everyone’s hearts.

Over the next stretch of time, under Wang Ran’s command, the group won several more rounds, slaying many valuable demonic beasts.

By dusk, the party had reached the deepest part of the valley. Ahead lay the queen bee’s lair, and the demonic aura there was astonishingly dense.

However, Wang Ran and the others also discovered something else. Standing on the ground at this moment, they all wore expressions of extreme caution.

Before them, on the ground ahead, there were actually many footprints, along with torn clothing, shattered spiritual artifacts, and other debris. It was obvious proof of a battle.

The crowd exchanged glances, all of them somewhat shocked.

Could it be that besides them, there were other groups in the Valley of Ten Thousand Burials?