Star Spirit Bee

Chen Qing had indeed seen the mail, but now was not the time. After all, he had already waited two years; a couple more days made no difference.

Before him stretched a sea of flowers, endless to the eye, with blossoms of every kind shimmering with flowing light—some brilliant as auroras, others twinkling like stars.

Not just the two women—even Chen Qing was stunned speechless, then truly frozen in place.

When they finally came to their senses—no, when they were jolted awake by a buzzing sound—they saw cow-sized flying insects blanketing the sky, overwhelming the ship.

"The ship is under unknown attack. Current intensity: Universe level. Defensive energy estimated to last ten minutes!"

The AI quickly reported the situation. Looking at the grotesque creatures outside, Chen Qing's domain stirred, and the surrounding bugs froze as if trapped in amber.

But before he could feel smug, a fluctuation of World Energy rippled from deep within the flower sea, and the insects' buzzing began to pulse with rhythm!

"Soul attack! Fall back first. Spirit Butterfly, focus on collecting all data!"

Ripples spread across the surface of Chen Qing's Origin Core, while Jiang Fang and Yao Rao both showed pained expressions.

The intensity of a single soul attack wasn't great, but with overlapping waves of attacks, Jiang Fang and Yao Rao couldn't handle it. One slip and they'd become mindless idiots—or even have their souls annihilated!

They retreated tens of millions of kilometers, nearly back to where they started. Chen Qing trapped a few bugs from his domain into the ship and handed them to the AI for analysis.

"How do you feel? Nothing wrong? Want to recover in the Origin Core?"

The two exchanged glances and shook their heads. Yao Rao licked her bright red lips.

"As expected of a secret realm. Even at the edge, it's this dangerous. I can't imagine what's deeper inside!"

Jiang Fang nodded, still shaken. "Our strength is still too weak. Exploring like this wastes too much time. Cultivating here is fine, but Chen Qing, your time..."

"It doesn't matter. Cultivating here, by the time I reach Sector Lord, the essence of the higher laws will only take a hundred years. But I'll need to wait a few more years to break through."

Star Spirit Bees—that was the name they gave them. Based on analysis of their body structure and residual matter, the likelihood of them being bee-like lifeforms was as high as 90%.

The Star Spirit Bees had high defensive shells, and when still—or rather, when gathering nectar—their aura merged with the plants, making them undetectable by scanners.

Their three pairs of wings gave them speed and agile attacks. Their main methods were poison and sound.

The poison had hallucinogenic and soul-eroding effects. At Universe level, it had to be dealt with immediately. Domain Lords would find it troublesome but could hold out for a while. Sector Lords faced little risk.

As for the sound, everyone had experienced it: chaotic noise that disturbed the mind, exactly countering the flowers. Once commanded, it could form soul attacks!

It all looked a bit like Zerg methods, and the power could accumulate through numbers. If surrounded by a swarm, even a Sector Lord might lose their life!

Chen Qing deliberately kept two Star Spirit Bees and had the two women spar against them. It had to be said, the insect's carapace was tough.

Though Universe level, it could likely block Domain Lord attacks. Under the interference of sound waves, Jiang Fang and the others struggled to accurately hit the joints.

But the bugs had poor intelligence. Fast, yes, but rigid—straightforward movements easy to dodge. If not in a swarm, they made perfect training for the two women.

Virtual Universe. Chen Qing stared blankly at the three-meter-tall "man" before him.

"Are you all this direct now?"

He had just settled the two women, thinking to deal with his mail, when he logged in and saw Chaos City Lord. The words slipped out involuntarily.

Chaos City Lord frowned. Though he didn't release any pressure, at their level, the superior aura of will and soul put immense strain on ordinary people.

So when Chen Qing spoke, he noticed the lack of that effect—as if Chen Qing wasn't unfamiliar with him, naturally lacking the fear one would have toward a powerhouse.

"It's understandable that you're not surprised. After all, you have some understanding and can prepare in advance.

The race doesn't intend to make things difficult for you either—you are, after all, a part of humanity. But why are you so confident in disregarding the strong?"

"No, absolutely not. I was stunned by you and spoke without thinking!"

Chaos City Lord gave him a deep look. Though they were tolerant of geniuses, no powerhouse was easy to deal with. Chen Qing, with his inheritance, was definitely not that simple.

"You can call me Chaos City Lord. You've seen the race's mail. Any questions or opinions?"

Chen Qing had read the mail. The terms were generous: he could choose any faction to join, pick any teacher—though that was out of the question.

His authority was now raised to Enforcer level, with a personal dimension opened in the Virtual Universe. Thunder Mountain was temporarily off the table for confidentiality reasons.

After becoming Undying, he could enter the highest council and become a decision-maker. The race's treasury would open, granting ten thousand Treasure Points as a reward.

This was explained—after all, the treasury held contributions from the strong, with limited items. More rewards were meaningless.

And for now, he couldn't use them. By the time he got out, he might not even care for them.

After Undying, the race would provide a set of Heavy Treasures. Upon reaching Universe Lord strength, two top-tier Ultimate Treasures would be gifted. Other miscellaneous items, though numerous, might not even match the value of one Heavy Treasure Point.

"Joining the Company is fine. As for taking a teacher, forget it. My path isn't here."

"It seems you understand the universe more than I imagined. Even without the mail's explanation, you have no doubts."

Chen Qing felt a wave of exhaustion. Thank the Original Mother for another day—otherwise, he'd really have to play the fool.

"Next is your safety. I hear you're in a secret realm now. Cooperate with us for a moment—let's see if we can pinpoint your location."

Chen Qing wasn't surprised such methods existed, nor did he refuse. Otherwise, it would be harder to explain. Letting them fill in the blanks was best.

He cooperated fully, letting the AI complete the operation on his helmet. Then—nothing.

Chaos City Lord sighed. What should have been simple had turned troublesome. If only he could come to the Initial Universe, or even the Company headquarters—now that was a luxury.

"Since you can't come out now, you'll have to rely on yourself. I've sent you the existing data and experience."

Additionally, they have arranged a dedicated plane. If needed, they will synchronize and analyze intelligence for you!"

Chen Qing did not refuse this point. He had to admit the greatness of the Original Ancestor as he attempted to upload the data and images of the Star Spirit Bee.

The other aspects were mostly the same, but analysis of the residual substances within the body revealed quite a bit.

"This type of bee produces honey, which generally offers great benefits to the body and soul. The royal jelly can even improve the body's genes."

Chaos City Lord flipped through the materials while sighing with emotion.

"It's a pity the secret realm hasn't emerged yet; otherwise, it could provide many things for the race! But you must also be careful—this kind of secret realm is never simple!"

Chen Qing nodded. Although he trusted the will of the Primal Universe, adding the two women into the equation made things uncertain.

Being cautious wasn't wrong. He still had much to learn in combat, and he believed that after this trip to the secret realm, he would achieve an all-around improvement!