In the dark abyss, Yu Qing and the others held fluorescent stones, sneaking deep into the area sealed by layers of dark mist.
They had made observations when they came down one after another. Taking out fluorescent stones for lighting at the bottom of the valley was almost impossible to detect from the outside, simply because the mist below was too thick.
It was dark and damp. The moisture touched their faces like threads of rain, and thin streams flowed across the rugged and uneven ground.
Following them, Baili Xin did not know what these guys were doing, but she roughly knew their current location. It should be the abyss behind the Spirit Valley of Kunling Mountain. This made her feel even more shocked and suspicious that they could actually sneak to this location right under the nose of Kunling Mountain.
If there were no insiders within Kunling Mountain providing information and relevant details, she would not believe it.
What shocked and confused her the most was still that same question. What on earth did these guys want to do?
Not long after, under the illumination of the fluorescent stones, horizontal iron chains appeared in her line of sight, looking like stretching ghostly tentacles in the mist.
Rusted and decayed remnants of iron chains also began to appear on the ground. The further forward they went, the more there were, gradually giving a feeling of a field covered with corpses. The thick iron chains stretching ahead also became more and more numerous, clinging to the vines that remained emerald green in the darkness.
Water drops dripped from the leaves and the iron chains, continuously creating slight echoes in the abyss that were ethereal and crisp.
Finally, a gigantic behemoth wrapped in vines like a bird’s nest appeared before their eyes, looking gloomy and oppressive.
Yu Qing stretched out the fluorescent stone in his hand, bringing it close to the vines and leaves to explore.
Suddenly, a large amount of water drops shook off the branches and leaves, as if a heavy rain had just fallen.
The vines in front of them began to quickly withdraw one by one, soon forming a corridor constructed of vines, where dim lights also faintly appeared inside.
This scene once again made Baili Xin feel greatly shocked and suspicious.
Yu Qing took the lead and walked in, followed by Nan Zhu and Baili Xin. Mu Aotie stayed at the very back, keeping a close eye on every move Baili Xin made, which was what Yu Qing called good cooperation between the two of them. Since they had already brought Baili Xin along, they had to prevent her from leaving any marks or anything else on the way.
The old nest wrapped in vines was still the same as before. It was hollow, with many dripping iron chains crossing and intersecting it, giving people a creepy feeling.
Baili Xin’s gaze was already fixed on the source of the light inside. At the thick roots of the old vine stood a woman with green hair, green eyebrows, and green clothes. She looked kind and amiable with a smile on her face, holding a glowing fluorescent stone in her hand.
Who was this person? Baili Xin really wanted to ask Nan Zhu beside her, only to find that Nan Zhu also looked like he was seeing this for the very first time.
Rustle, rustle. A noise sounded from behind, and the two of them turned their heads back in unison, only to see the vines intertwining and piercing through each other, sealing the entrance they had just come through.
Looking at Yu Qing and Mu Aotie again and seeing that they were not panicked in the slightest, the two of them felt slightly relieved.
The group arrived and stopped in front of the green-clothed woman.
Seeing two new faces, the vine demon Du Niang sized up Nan Zhu and Baili Xin a bit more before smiling at Yu Qing and saying, “I have finally waited for you. I thought you were not coming.”
Yu Qing said, “You have already obtained the key. Whether we come or not should not make much difference to you.”
Du Niang’s voice was gentle. “It actually makes quite a big difference. Not just anyone who shows up can cooperate with me. It is not easy to wait for the right people to come to this valley. Are you going in today? And what about them?”
Yu Qing said, “Yes. Since we are in an unfamiliar place, we naturally need to bring some helpers.”
Baili Xin became even more shocked and suspicious. Where were they going?
Having confirmed that they were going in now, Du Niang did not beat around the bush and directly reminded them, “Be careful after you go in. I faintly remember that before the entrance was sealed back then, the inside was invaded by a large amount of evil energy. I do not know what it has turned into over these years.”
Evil energy again? The three martial brothers looked at each other.
They were not afraid of evil energy or anything like that. Yu Qing asked, “How do we deal with that ‘Bee King’ you mentioned?”
Du Niang said, “It has been so many years. Even if his strength was slowly built up over time, it is far superior to your so-called half-immortal realm. With your strength, there is no way you can deal with him.”
Hearing this, Baili Xin’s face was full of shock. Far superior to the half-immortal realm? What was that? What on earth were they talking about?
Nan Zhu was already terrified and said, “Then how are we supposed to play this? Are we just running in to court death?”
Yu Qing raised his hand to stop him, signalling him not to talk nonsense and to listen to her. This was because the last time they came, this vine spirit had said that she knew the weakness of the Bee King.
Staring at Nan Zhu, Du Niang smiled and said, “Since you are willing to help me, I naturally will not let you go to your deaths. If you cannot rely on strength, then do not rely on it. You can adopt some other methods. Do you know that there is a distinction between male and female in a bee colony?”
Nan Zhu asked suspiciously, “Most animals have a distinction between male and female, right?”
Seeing that they all looked like they did not quite understand, Du Niang explained carefully, “Most members in a bee colony are worker drones. Only those with reproductive abilities are distinguished by male and female, and the male drones basically die after mating.
The ‘Bee King’ guarding the inside is actually a male drone that has cultivated into a spirit. Both his body and mind have already transcended ordinary male drones.
However, some innate things are engraved in his bones, and they are also hard for him to transcend.
After entering, if you go straight ahead for about a hundred miles, you will see a towering giant tree. It is the Tree of Immortality, which was exactly the immortal palace of the fairy back then.”
Hearing this, Baili Xin’s heart really beat faster. She roughly knew what these guys were doing. They were actually looking for an immortal’s cave dwelling again, and from the looks of it, they seemed to have already found it.
Although she had heard the story of these guys finding the Small Cloud Realm, it was still hard to believe.
How could these three unreliable guys find places one after another that so many major forces had searched for so many years without finding a single trace?
“The ‘Bee King’ should be guarding the immortal palace, so do not rush to the immortal palace after you enter. After entering, first follow a mountain ridge you can see and walk for about a hundred miles. You will see a huge pit. In the pit, there is a plant called ‘Soul Melter’, which blooms with golden flowers, and there is pink pollen in the flowers.
What you need to do is try to collect some pollen from the Soul Melter flowers. When collecting it, you must remember to cover your mouth and nose well and do not inhale this pollen. Although this pollen is not considered toxic, it can provoke people’s lust. Once inhaled, it will confuse people’s minds, and you can imagine what they might do then.
After collecting a certain amount of pollen, take it near the immortal palace and sprinkle the pollen on other flowers. At that time, the bee colony will naturally get contaminated with it and bring it into the immortal palace.
Once the ‘Bee King’ accidentally eats it and goes into heat, his innate flaw will be revealed. With his cultivation, he will not lose his life like an ordinary male drone, but he will not be able to use his cultivation normally for three days. His cultivation will be greatly restricted. If he dares to force it, it will be no different from committing suicide, and that will be your great opportunity.
Remember, once you succeed, you must kill him immediately. Never take any chances. Otherwise, wait until he recovers, and you can imagine the consequences.”
While the few of them felt energised upon hearing this, they also had doubts. Yu Qing asked, “Even if the bee colony is contaminated with that Soul Melter pollen, it does not necessarily mean the ‘Bee King’ will accidentally eat it, right?”
Du Niang said, “Unless he has changed his nature, under normal circumstances, he enjoys the offerings of the bee colony every day, and fresh honey is even more indispensable daily.”
Nan Zhu’s eyes lit up. “Do you mean that as long as the bees contaminated with the Soul Melter pollen crawl over the food he eats, even if the amount is small, it will have an effect on him?”
Du Niang nodded. “You are a smart fatty. That is right. It is an innate flaw. Whether the amount is small or large, it is enough to cause a certain impact on him.”
Yu Qing said, “We do not dare to approach him, and we cannot see him either. How do we confirm whether his cultivation is restricted or not?”
Du Niang said, “If there is a change in him, the bee colony will inevitably fall into chaos. Seeing the chaos in the bee colony naturally means you have succeeded. Afterwards, you can sneak into the immortal palace, which is that big tree. Among the largest main branches, which is the main hall of the immortal palace, a gourd vine grows. If you look carefully, there should be a purplish-black gourd growing in the middle. My natal spiritual soul is trapped inside it. You can pick it and bring it to me.”
Yu Qing said, “Noted. What about the things we are looking for?”
Du Niang was stunned for a moment and asked in return, “Those three immortal springs?”
Immortal springs? Baili Xin’s eyes flickered as she sized up the three martial brothers, only to find that Mu Aotie seemed to have been staring at her all along.
Yu Qing said, “Yes.”
Du Niang said, “I have said that I am not very clear about this either. However, there is a spring under the immortal palace. I do not know if it is the one you are looking for. You will only know after you go over and confirm it yourselves.”
Yu Qing was silent for a moment and then asked, “Besides those bee colonies or whatever, are there any other dangerous existences inside?”
Du Niang thought for a moment and said slowly, “There should have been some back then. As for the survivors who stayed and did not leave, I am afraid they were all slaughtered by the ‘Bee King’ later.”
Nan Zhu asked curiously, “Why would the ‘Bee King’ slaughter the survivors?”
Du Niang shook her head. “I do not know why either. Anyway, he is just that brutal, perhaps because of the influence of the evil energy. In short, you must remember that once you succeed, you must behead the ‘Bee King’ immediately. You must not show the slightest mercy, otherwise you will probably regret it endlessly.
By the way, you also need to be careful of those bee colonies. They are called ‘Five-Coloured Bees’. They have five colours on their bodies, an extremely fast flying speed, and naturally a strong impact force. In particular, they carry poisonous stingers. Once injured by their poisonous stingers, no medicine can cure it. The whole body will fester, and within two days, the entire person will turn into a puddle of pus.”
Nan Zhu drew in a breath of cold air. “Is there no antidote?”
Du Niang said, “There is an antidote, which is the honey they brew. Taken internally and applied externally, it can neutralise the poison. When you go to find the Soul Melter flowers, remember to look on the way for a kind of grass that looks like black hair and emits a foul odour. It is called ‘Corpse Hair Grass’. The ‘Five-Coloured Bees’ do not like to get close to this thing. Weave it and drape it over your body to avoid their attacks. When you stay still and hide, it can also help you evade their searches.”
Nan Zhu nodded repeatedly. This was a life-saving method and could not be forgotten, and he asked again, “Please tell us if there is anything else you need to remind us about.”
Du Niang said, “Times have changed, and I am no longer clear about the situation inside. You had better go in and explore the situation first. If anything is wrong, come back and discuss countermeasures with me.”
Nan Zhu asked, “We are not going to run into those ‘Five-Coloured Bees’ as soon as we go in, are we?”
Du Niang said, “Do not worry about this. The sun and moon shine together inside and outside the immortal mansion. Late at night, the bee colonies have all returned to their nests. It is most appropriate to go in under the cover of night.”
Yu Qing said, “Since that is the case, let us go in and take a look first.”
Du Niang smiled, stretched out her hand, and pointed to the spiralling staircase constructed of vine branches, signalling them to go up.
Yu Qing was not here for the first time and knew what was going on. He immediately leaped up, dodging the iron chains as he climbed continuously.
The other three naturally followed.
The top of the vine spirit’s old nest had already opened. As soon as the three of them reached the top, a vine branch intertwined like a dragon immediately surged out from the old nest, winding and rising into the air all the way.
Yu Qing was the first to grab the vine branch and follow it into the air, while hiding the light of the fluorescent stone in his hand.
The other three followed and did the same.