If it was a normal Third Grade Demonic Beast, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but the Golden Bees were extinct Ancient Exotic Beasts, notoriously vicious, making them ten times more dangerous than the average Third Grade Demonic Beast. Ling Chen squinted, observing the so-called Golden Bees. Each bee was the size of his palm, its body glowing as if cast from gold. The buzzing sound they emitted came from their wings. These wings vibrated at such an extremely high frequency that even with Ling Chen’s sharp eyesight, he could barely distinguish them. Read full story at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 The number of Golden Bees was overwhelming; at a rough glance, there were hundreds, if not thousands. They assembled into a golden cloud of light, hurtling directly towards them. Ling Chen had no other choice. His only option was to run for his life, as fast as he possibly could. If he slackened, he could very well lose his life here, becoming fertilizer for these herbs. Swiftly, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan had already covered a hundred meters, but the buzzing from behind showed no signs of receding. The screams intensified. Many were abruptly silenced mid-cry, only to be replaced by new ones, echoing without pause. Although individual Golden Bees were small and their individual strength wasn’t particularly great, they became a nightmare for their enemies when they moved collectively. Their stingers carried a potent poison and had armor-piercing properties that could effortlessly penetrate Protective True Qi. Their bodies were as tough as Vajra; even opponents stronger than them could not easily cut through their carapaces. Their constantly vibrating wings, if they brushed against one’s body, would unquestionably create a bone-deep wound. This was the terrifying aspect of the Golden Bees. However, the Golden Bees’ survival conditions were extremely harsh: they could only thrive in places abundant with high-grade herbs. This place, filled with Grade 3 Herbs, was undoubtedly an ideal habitat for them. If Ling Chen were alone, he was confident he could escape, but Xu Ruoyan was not fully healed yet. With two people, escaping was much harder. The golden cloud seemed to split into three. One swarm broke off and shot straight towards them, too fast for any reaction. Ling Chen swung his sword, a flash of Sword Light erupting like a lightning bolt. Ling Chen gasped. Apart from one Golden Bee directly hit and sliced in half by the Sword Light, the others were merely knocked away by its force. They wobbled as they flew back from a distance, their bodies faintly bearing sword marks. These things really are tough to deal with! Ling Chen understood that to kill the Golden Bees, he had to use close-range attacks. Neither sword qi nor Sword Light alone could eliminate them. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! One after another, golden stingers shot towards them. Ling Chen felt his scalp tingle. With a flick of his wrist, he executed the fourth form of his Landscape Swordsmanship, Thousands of Mountains and Rivers. The sword shadows from Ling Chen’s hand moved at their peak speed, Sword Light bursting forth. While the attacking power of Thousands of Mountains and Rivers wasn’t very high, its strength lay in its rapid speed and nearly impenetrable Sword Momentum, making blocking those golden stingers not too strenuous. Xu Ruoyan also drew her sword, constantly unleashing streaks of sword qi to repel wave after wave of incoming Golden Bees. "I can’t hold on much longer!" Xu Ruoyan, her back to Ling Chen, had beautiful eyes filled with anxiety. The courtyard, teeming with people just moments ago, was now instantly empty. Those who could escape had fled; the rest were dead. "Stand back! Let me try this move!" Ling Chen turned his head and shouted sharply at Xu Ruoyan. Hearing this, Xu Ruoyan immediately moved like a gust of wind, retreating dozens of steps to distance herself from Ling Chen. If this doesn’t work, we’re done for. Ling Chen’s expression turned extremely grave. These Golden Bees were incredibly resilient and seemed to have no weaknesses. To break through them, they could only rely on one type of power. This was influence on the spiritual level. "Slaughter Sword Intent!" Ling Chen roared. Instantly, an invisible ripple spread out from him, transforming into a raging wind. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! Wherever the gusts reached, the effect was astonishing: the Golden Bees were stunned by the killing intent and fell from the sky like raindrops. Seeing this, Ling Chen was overjoyed. His hypothesis was correct. While the Golden Bees had strong defenses, the Willpower of these Exotic Beasts was relatively weak, unable to withstand the impact of the Slaughter Sword Intent. "We made it!" Xu Ruoyan’s beautiful eyes lit up; the swarm of Golden Bees had actually been repelled. Having stunned a wave of Golden Bees, Ling Chen immediately retreated, pulling Xu Ruoyan deeper into the courtyard. The Golden Bees were numerous; one wave followed another. Those that were stunned only remained so for a brief moment before taking flight again. The Golden Bees pursued relentlessly, seemingly unwilling to give up until they caught the two. Whenever they were about to be overtaken, Ling Chen would release his Slaughter Sword Intent, attacking the Golden Bees. The pair crossed several mountain forests and, before they knew it, arrived at the edge of a vast lake. An idea struck Ling Chen, and he jumped into the water with Xu Ruoyan. As expected, the pursuing Golden Bees stopped. A few that couldn’t halt in time followed Ling Chen underwater but quickly resurfaced. After circling the lake a few times, the Golden Bees gave up their pursuit of Ling Chen and returned the way they came. "We’ve finally escaped!" Underwater, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan heaved a sigh of relief. After staying underwater for a while and detecting no movement, Ling Chen finally surfaced. The two of them went ashore and changed into fresh clothes. "This Human Emperor’s Underground Palace is indeed dangerous," Xu Ruoyan said as she dried her damp long hair and slowly exhaled. If it weren’t for Ling Chen, she probably would have died several times by now. Great rewards require great risks. The Human Emperor’s treasures are not so easily obtained. Compared to Xu Ruoyan, Ling Chen was already accustomed to such life-and-death situations. He had faced them so many times that he had grown used to it. When faced with treasure, one either retreated or died. Only the bravest could obtain such treasures. Of course, the bravest also bore the greatest risks, as they could also be the quickest to die. Xu Ruoyan couldn’t help but look deeply at Ling Chen. He had already grown numb to this sense of life and death hanging by a thread, making her wonder what kinds of trials he had endured to reach his current state. Now that the danger had completely passed, Ling Chen didn’t want to delay, as they had little time left. The two continued deeper into the courtyard and soon arrived before a magnificent golden hall. Above the hall’s entrance hung a black plaque. On it, the words "Human Emperor’s Palace" were inscribed, emitting an ancient and powerful aura. "Human Emperor’s Palace!" Xu Ruoyan gasped slightly. "Could it be..." This must be it. Ling Chen was pleasantly surprised. The Human Emperor’s Palace before them was, in all likelihood, their final destination for this trip.