Purple-Striped Fire Centipede

"Put the Snow Cloud Fox away first! Don't let it run off; this creature is very cunning. I've heard of people catching one, only for it to escape halfway."

Qin Qing suggested.

Ye Yuqing took out a silver talisman and slapped it onto the Snow Cloud Fox's head. The fox immediately stopped moving, as if frozen in place.

"Fairy Ye, what kind of talisman is this? It seems very convenient for capturing first-tier monsters."

Shen Long asked curiously.

"This is an Immobilization Talisman. It only freezes it temporarily, making it easier to put into a Spirit Beast Bag."

Ye Yuqing explained.

She pinched a spell gesture, and the cyan net loosened its grip on the Snow Cloud Fox.

Ye Yuqing summoned a cyan Spirit Beast Bag, which spewed out a stream of cyan light, enveloping the Snow Cloud Fox and drawing it inside.

They disposed of the monster insect's carcass, and Ye Yuqing pinched a spell gesture. The blue water curtain shattered, and the dozen White Jade Bees flew off toward the southeast. Shen Long and the others hurriedly followed.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, they arrived at a dense black forest. The vegetation here was thick, sunlight was scarce, and the fallen leaves on the ground were a foot deep. They could smell a scent of decay.

The dozen White Jade Bees flew up to a towering tree and headed toward the ground. Only then did the group notice a massive pit in the earth.

White Jade Bees were flying in and out from time to time; clearly, the hive was located there.

Qin Qing picked up a stone and tossed it into the pit. It took quite a while before an echo returned.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, go and scout it out."

Sun Yang said.

"I don't have a flight magical artifact, so how am I supposed to scout? This pit extends deep underground; you have to fly to investigate it."

Qin Qing frowned and said.

"I'll give you a Flight Talisman and a Golden Armor Talisman. Go and take a look. Even if you run into a second-tier White Jade Bee, as long as you don't actively attack them, they shouldn't attack you."

Ye Yuqing took out a Flight Talisman and a Golden Armor Talisman and handed them to Qin Qing.

Qin Qing hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Qin Qing took the two talismans and slapped the Flight Talisman onto his body.

With a flash of cyan light, a pair of shimmering wings appeared on his back. With a gentle flap, Qin Qing flew toward the giant pit.

Shen Long and the others waited outside, their faces full of anticipation.

A short while later, Qin Qing flew out and said excitedly, "The queen is only at the late first-tier; it isn't very strong, and the hive is huge."

"That's great! Let's go in and harvest the hive."

Xu Lei summoned the Azure Cloud Boat and stepped onto it. Shen Long and the others quickly followed.

He pinched a spell gesture, and the Azure Cloud Boat flew into the giant pit. The cave extended vertically into the ground, and after descending several hundred feet, they reached the bottom, appearing in a stone cavern about an acre in size.

In the bottom right corner of the cavern sat a massive white hive, and a large number of White Jade Bees could be seen.

"Be careful, don't destroy the hive."

Xu Lei instructed. He took out a cyan feather fan and gave it a light wave, sending a sharp, sweeping gust of cyan wind blades flying out, slaughtering a large number of White Jade Bees.

Shen Long and the others summoned their own magical artifacts to attack the White Jade Bees.

The White Jade Bees didn't have strong offensive power and were no match for them at all.

They killed the early first-tier White Jade Bees and captured the mid and late first-tier ones, which could be sold for spirit stones.

Before long, the battle was over.

Xu Lei collected the hive; the spirit stones from selling it would be divided later.

"Fairy Ye is truly knowledgeable. Otherwise, we never would have found the White Jade Bee hive."

Qin Qing said with a smile.

If it hadn't been for the Monster Luring Incense attracting the bees, they wouldn't have been able to follow the trail to the hive.

"It was just luck. I didn't know there were White Jade Bees here either. It's all thanks to the intelligence Fellow Daoist Xu gathered."

Ye Yuqing said modestly.

"Since we've already made the trip into the mountains, and Fairy Ye needs arrays, let's keep looking around. We might find more first-tier monsters."

Qin Qing suggested.

The harvest this time was substantial; not only could they pay off the spirit stones owed to Shen Long, but they could also make a tidy profit.

"Let's quit while we're ahead! We are only at the Qi Refining stage, after all."

Shen Long said. Their harvest was already quite significant.

Xu Lei looked toward Ye Yutang and said politely, "Fairy Ye, what do you think?"

"Fellow Daoist Qin and Fellow Daoist Shen both make valid points. It's rare for us to be out here, so let's keep looking. As long as we are careful, we shouldn't run into any second-tier monsters."

Ye Yutang said. She was stuck at a bottleneck, which was why she had teamed up with Xu Lei and the others.

"Then we shall follow Fairy Ye's suggestion and continue to look around."

Xu Lei spoke.

The other cultivators had no objections; Ye Yutang had proven herself with her strength.

Xu Lei pinched a magic seal, and the Azure Cloud Boat carried everyone into the air, flew out of the cave, and landed on the ground, where Shen Long and the others stepped off.

Xu Lei put away the Azure Cloud Boat and walked forward, with Shen Long and the others hurriedly following behind.

A day later, they appeared in a long, narrow valley where the vegetation was sparse, making it look rather desolate.

They were full of vigilance, and their speed was not fast.

Not long after, they walked out of the valley, and a vast, boundless green bamboo forest appeared before them.

A loud, explosive sound came from ahead, and a massive ball of red fire lit up in the distance, causing everyone's hearts to skip a beat.

"It seems someone is hunting a demonic beast, or perhaps a demonic beast is foraging. Qin Qing, go and investigate."

Xu Lei said.

Qin Qing responded, his feet lit up with a green light, and he dashed toward the bamboo forest.

Just then, a disheveled figure flew toward them; it was none other than Liu Jiao.

Liu Jiao's right arm was missing, her aura was withered, her face was pale, and her eyes were filled with terror, as if she had encountered something terrifying.

"Madam Liu!"

Qin Qing exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Liu Jiao.

A sharp, piercing screech rang out, and two massive red centipedes chased after her.

The surface of the centipedes had some naturally formed purple patterns, and they had wings on their backs.

"Oh no, it's the Purple-Striped Fire Centipede! They are spirit insects on the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking with formidable supernatural powers. We are no match for them, run!"

Ye Yutang cried out in alarm.

These two Purple-Striped Fire Centipedes were only at the late stage of the first rank. The Purple-Striped Fire Centipede was ranked 955th on the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking; while its ranking was relatively low, any spirit insect that could make the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking had extraordinary qualities.

Qin Qing reacted the fastest, his feet glowing with intense green light as he bolted back the way he came.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, save me."

Liu Jiao begged for help.

Xu Lei acted as if he hadn't heard; better a dead fellow daoist than a dead self.

He hurriedly summoned the Azure Cloud Boat and stepped onto it, with Shen Long and the other six quickly following.

Xu Lei pinched a magic seal, the Azure Cloud Boat lit up with a green glow and soared into the air.

The two Purple-Striped Fire Centipedes each spat out a thick stream of red flame, heading straight for Liu Jiao.

Liu Jiao hurriedly summoned a dim green shield, which had many fine cracks and scorch marks on it, indicating it had already suffered significant damage.

The two streams of red flame struck the green shield, and rolling flames engulfed it.

The two Purple-Striped Fire Centipedes flew over, their sickle-like claws striking the shield, which shattered into pieces as if it were made of paper.

The claws of the two Purple-Striped Fire Centipedes broke through Liu Jiao's defense, hacking her into bloody chunks before devouring her.

Shen Long witnessed the process of Liu Jiao's demise and was secretly shocked; the exotic insects on the Heaven and Earth Exotic Insect Ranking were indeed formidable.