Chapter 747: Chapter 747

The grand witch priest and the Devil Lord.

Two late-stage Spiritual Infant cultivators, unmatched figures standing at the pinnacle of the world, had appeared together in Seven-Kill Hall, casting a heavy shadow over everyone's hearts. The only bit of good news was that the Devil Lord had vanished in a direction different from the one they intended to travel.

Everyone wore varied expressions, still shaken by the effects of the Divine Lunar Ghostlight.

Only Qin Sang remained unaffected. The Jade Buddha seems to suppress the Divine Lunar Ghostlight; it didn’t affect me at all. But since it is known as the number one divine light of Canglang Sea, it certainly cannot be so simple. If I ever encounter disciples of the Devil Lord, I must remain cautious.

Even so, a sense of unease lingered within him, as the direction in which the Divine Lunar Ghostlight had disappeared was exactly where the Sky Tower stood.

According to Xiang Yi, the Devil Lord's appearance here was an accident. It is likely that he came for the witch race, to keep the grand witch priest occupied. There are so many hidden realms in the Seven-Kill Hall. Surely it cannot be such a coincidence that they all end up gathering at the Sky Tower?

Qin Sang silently braced himself, his expression grave, but there was nothing he could do.

With so many top experts entering the Sky Tower, even if he rushed there now, he would not be able to change anything. It would be better to wait until the Devil Lord and the grand witch priest had left, then enter alone to investigate, so as not to get entangled in unnecessary conflict.

As for the ancient teleportation array, he was not too worried.

Several high-level cultivators had entered before, yet none had discovered the teleportation array.

Either the location was extremely well hidden, or, more likely, it was protected by a special barrier like the Sword Trial Hall[1] in Ziwei Palace. Without meeting a specific condition, even the most profound cultivation would be useless.

Qin Sang believed the latter to be more probable.

In the entire Canglang Sea, only he and Qingzhu had cultivated the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment.

With Qingzhu now missing, only he could activate the ancient teleportation array.

The young man with the sword and Cui Ji had recovered about seventy to eighty percent of their strength when they were urged to rise again.

Xiang Yi raised his hand and pointed toward the ancient forest at the edge of the wilderness, ordering the group to set out.

The wilderness remained calm and undisturbed, posing no real danger.

After a short and swift journey, they reached the edge of the forest.

From a distance it had not looked unusual, but now, standing close, they realized just how enormous the ancient trees were. Even the smallest among them required over ten people to encircle their trunks with arms linked.

Their canopies blocked out the sky and sun, casting the forest in dim light. Strange sounds echoed intermittently from within, accompanied by flickers of green light. It was impossible to tell whether the source was demonic beasts or something else entirely.

Standing there, the ancient trees seemed to come alive, like towering giants with twisted limbs, looming overhead and exerting an immense, oppressive force.

"Once we enter the forest, it’s best not to fly."

Xiang Yi landed on the ground and spoke in a stern tone. "There are large areas of flight-restricting barriers within the forest, and some of these ancient trees are actually living creatures in disguise. If you take to the air and get entangled by the vines, others might not have time to save you before you are pulled deep into the forest."

"Living creatures? Are they some kind of camouflaged demonic beast, or are they Wood Xiao? If they’re Wood Xiao[2], I have a treasure that can suppress this type of wood spirit," the man wearing a half-mask spoke in a hoarse voice.

His surname was Pan. Throughout the journey, he had been even more silent than Qin Sang, doing everything his own way and rarely interacting with the others.

The fact that he spoke up now and took on the task of dealing with the Wood Xiao came as a surprise to the group.

"I don’t know. The living things here are unlike those outside. You can’t measure them in terms of demonic beasts or wood spirits. Even the spiritual insects here are nothing like the ones out there. No one knows what has influenced them to become this way. You’ll understand when you see them. The alliance has already prepared special items for us to use. Daoist Pan’s treasure can serve as backup. As long as you stay close to me, there’s no need to worry," Xiang Yi replied, shaking his head.

With that, Xiang Yi took out several sachet-like items and tossed them to the group.

Qin Sang caught one and gave it a squeeze. Inside seemed to be a type of powdered spiritual medicine. He brought it to his nose, but could not detect any scent.

"Wear the sachets on your person. The powder inside is refined from a type of spiritual flower. Though we cannot smell it, to some of the fierce insects in the forest it is as revolting as a foul stench would be to us. It keeps them at bay. It not only conceals our own scent, making it harder for them to detect us, but it also drives them far away."

After hearing Xiang Yi explain the function of the sachets, the group promptly fastened them to their waists without hesitation.

Fifteen minutes later.

Everyone was hiding beneath the sprawling roots of an ancient tree, hardly daring to breathe. They only dared to sneak glances through the gaps in the roots.

Strangely enough, apart from themselves and the ancient trees, there were no other living creatures nearby.

By now, they had already ventured deep into the forest. Overhead, layers upon layers of branches and leaves had completely blocked out the light.

Buzz... buzz... buzz...

A humming sound suddenly echoed from the distance, much like the buzzing of bees.

"The Woodshine Bees are coming! Stay silent! Do not, under any circumstances, release your spiritual consciousness!"

Xiang Yi’s warning came swiftly through a voice transmission.

Everyone held their breath and remained absolutely still. Through the gaps in the roots, they soon saw a large mass of green light flying toward them from deeper within the forest. As it drew closer, they realized that the glow was made up of countless specks of light, resembling a massive swarm of green fireflies.

But a closer look proved otherwise. These were no fireflies. They were vicious, deadly venomous bees.

These bees had slender bodies, entirely emerald green and translucent—even their wings were see-through—like pieces of carved jade. From a distance, they looked almost beautiful, and their name, Woodshine Bees, sounded equally pleasant.

But upon closer inspection, the reality was far more terrifying. Each bee bore a grotesque appearance, with a long, sharp stinger at its tail. They looked like corrupted creatures, their presence enough to chill one to the bone.

Woodshine Bees possessed an unusually sharp sense of perception. They could even detect fluctuations in spiritual consciousness from afar, instantly becoming frenzied if provoked. Thıs text ıs hosted at noⅴelfire.net

According to Xiang Yi, there had once been a peak Core Formation cultivator who was unfortunate enough to be surrounded by several swarms of Woodshine Bees. In the end, not even his bones remained. These bees were among the most feared insects in the forest.

Just moments ago, Xiang Yi had sensed the approach of a swarm, but no one knew how he did it. With no time to spare, everyone was forced to hide beneath the tree roots.

It wasn’t that they truly feared the bees. But in a forest filled with hidden dangers, it was better to avoid unnecessary conflict.

The swarm of Woodshine Bees flew closer and closer.

Qin Sang finally got a clear look at their appearance.

It was said that not even witch cultivators of the witch race could explain what kind of spiritual insect the Woodshine Bees had evolved from.

Qin Sang’s own mastery of insect control was no less than that of the witch race. He frowned in thought for a while but still couldn’t think of any spiritual bee that matched the Woodshine Bees’ characteristics.

Seven-Kill Hall had been isolated from the outside world for too long. The creatures within had undergone strange and unknown mutations, and the Woodshine Bees were merely one example.

The bees flew past an ancient tree right next to them.

Once the swarm finally disappeared, everyone’s tense expressions eased. Silently, they emerged from beneath the roots and quickly moved away from the area, not daring to linger.

Xiang Yi seemed quite familiar with the terrain. His direction was clear and purposeful. Aside from being forced to evade danger now and then, he led the group steadily forward.

The forest was vast, its environment constantly shifting. Even with their caution, they had nearly stumbled into a man-eating flower field.

Along the way, they came across two wooden huts, but the treasures within had clearly already been looted.

1. This refers to the hall in which Qin Sang went to the trial of swords, and walked the path of swords. ☜

2. According to Chinese legends, Xiao is a type of spirit/monster that typically lives in the mountains. ☜