As the two women ventured deeper, the flowers and grass grew taller and taller, until they could almost be called trees. The dazzling light and shadows made the surroundings clearly visible.
"Sister Fang, are we going the right way?"
"We should be. We've investigated this place many times before. Judging by the density of the Star Spirit Bees, this should be the right direction!"
The two slowed down again and again. This place was far too quiet; they couldn't even hear an insect. Without thinking, they edged closer to each other.
"If only these flowers and grass didn't interfere so much. We would've found the place ages ago."
Yao Rao grumbled as they pressed on. To avoid accidentally falling under an illusion, they kept their mental strength reined in as much as possible, staying alert to their own condition at all times.
Cloud-Touching Vine had also been given strict orders to protect them with everything it had. They knew what had happened to Panxi and didn't want to suffer the same fate, fooled by the flowers and grass.
With Green Lotus's help, Cloud-Touching Vine was far more intelligent than most of its kind. As for their direction, they relied mostly on their detectors and the spacecraft outside to guide them.
At first, they were fine, but after a while, they began to feel mentally exhausted. They could only ease their tension by talking from time to time.
"Stop!"
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Fang suddenly stopped Yao Rao.
"That buzzing?"
Yao Rao reacted as well, feeling as though she'd just woken from a dream. Her voice was strained, but filled with delight and a hint of relief.
"We found it!"
Jiang Fang let out a quiet breath of relief too. "Looks like it. Let's check the front left."
But they hadn't gone more than a few steps before both stopped again.
"Sister Fang, there's a swarm behind us too. The bees are returning to their nest! Hurry, we need to hide."
Fortunately, their observations over the years hadn't been for nothing. They'd learned the general patterns, including how to avoid the swarm.
Jiang Fang didn't waste time. She raised her long blade and carved a hole in the "tree" beside them. The two slipped inside swiftly and covered the entrance with "bark."
A moment later, they saw a dark cloud pass overhead through the crack. They swallowed nervously and exchanged a glance, their resolve quickly returning.
Once the swarm had passed, Jiang Fang carefully moved aside the "bark." She and Yao Rao waited outside for a moment before following the bees.
They'd gone only tens of thousands of kilometers and crossed a field of flowers when the space before them suddenly opened up. A "dirt city" hundreds of kilometers across came into view.
Countless chimney-like openings rose from the "city," with Star Spirit Bees swarming in and out of them.
Could Cloud-Touching Vine withstand that many Star Spirit Bees? Just as the two women were hesitating, several streams of World Power brushed over them.
Cloud-Touching Vine's childish voice sounded in their minds. "World Lords. Nine!"
"Run!"
The two said nothing. They turned around in perfect sync. Damn it, there were that many World Lords. The queen couldn't be one of them.
The queen had to be at least an ordinary Immortal, if not at her peak! Original Ancestor sat up straighter and sent an email to Chen Qing's AI.
He wasn't worried about the queen. If the worker bees were only at Universe Level, then no matter how powerful their queen was, she'd only be an ordinary Immortal.
According to the intelligence Chaos had gathered, Chen Qing had a hundredfold Gene Level and that strange domain of his. He should be able to protect himself.
Otherwise, the Primal Universe Will wouldn't have trapped him here. But what about later?
"Could this be a high-level secret realm? That doesn't make sense. The Primal Universe thinks so highly of him. It wouldn't send him to his death, would it?"
Original Ancestor couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. He kept his eyes on the screen. The two women were in a sorry state now, practically miserable!
The buzzing swelled into a wall of sound. Not only could they no longer move, but their heads felt as though they were about to explode.
Cloud-Touching Vine was in the same predicament. It instinctively covered its masters. Fortunately, they were some distance from the hive, so only a few Star Spirit Bees had come out, and there wasn't a single World Lord-level bee in sight.
The two women hung in the air like punching bags, clinging to the last shred of their awareness. Blood had begun to flow from their seven orifices, and their internal organs had been shattered.
After an unknown amount of time, they seemed to hear a clear, crisp sound. A cool sensation spread through their minds, and instinctively, they used the Nine Basic Forms to struggle free.
"Mountain Sitting Guest has some impressive tricks. They can break through their will so easily!"
Original Ancestor leaned back in his chair. No World Lords had come out, and now the women were breaking through as well. It seemed there was nothing to worry about. He just didn't know what had happened to the queen!
Chen Qing moved quickly, but by the time he arrived, the two women had already practiced the eighth form. Their mental strength and Origin Energy resonated with the universe. From the looks of it, their domain had reached more than one layer.
With Cloud-Touching Vine protecting them, a few Domain Lord-level and Universe-level bees weren't much of a threat. Only the vibrations and Soul Attacks were troublesome.
Chen Qing didn't go over to help. He used his domain to conceal himself and watched the hive, which seemed ready to stir. A bunch of native World Lords didn't worry him.
The queen, though, was acting strangely. Her Internal World kept trembling, as if she were about to break through.
"These two crazy women!"
Chen Qing looked at them with a pang of concern but didn't interrupt their sudden enlightenment. That didn't mean he was in a good mood, though.
BOOM!
With two thunderous crashes, the women broke through to Domain Lord Level one after the other and came back to their senses.
"I've finally—"
Before Yao Rao could finish, a figure appeared beside her. His arm looped around her slender waist, and Cloud-Touching Vine deftly withdrew.
"I'll teach you to call yourself 'granny'! I'll teach you to say you've—"
Two sharp smacks landed on her full, shapely bottom, and Yao Rao's smug look crumpled.
"Heh, youth really is wonderful!"
A cup of wine had somehow appeared in Original Ancestor's hand. He watched the three of them fool around for a while with narrowed eyes, then lowered his head and stared blankly at his cup.
After dealing with the two women, Chen Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't scold them; the road of cultivation was never smooth. He was just annoyed, that was all.
Jiang Fang covered her bottom and looked away, her eyes hazy and her cheeks flushed. She didn't dare meet anyone's gaze. Yao Rao, on the other hand, was full of energy. Standing behind Chen Qing, she kept baring her teeth at him.
Chen Qing pretended not to notice. He felt a little guilty now, so he decided to deal with the hive in front of them instead. Honey was valuable, and royal jelly could even raise one's Gene Level.
If he gave some to the two women, practicing the Basic Forms wouldn't be so painful for them. Then they could call the matter settled.
"Wait!"
Just as Chen Qing was about to act, Jiang Fang hurriedly called out. Seeing the puzzled look he gave her, she brushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
"Just take care of the queen and the honey. Leave the rest to us for training!"
"That's right, young man. We'll stay here and keep training."
Chen Qing understood at once. His heart warmed. The two older sisters might not say it, but they'd always been thinking of him.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, sis! But there's no rush. I'm not leaving anytime soon. I'll make sure to take good care of my dear older sisters while I'm here."
At the suggestive emphasis in his voice, both women blushed again. They glanced at each other, then quickly looked away.
"Quake Seal, Spirit Burning!" At Chen Qing's command, the surging Creation Domain instantly enveloped the hive.
Spirit Burning was another Innate Secret Technique. It could burn World Power and divine power to raise a secret technique by one level. Even though Chen Qing's Gene Level hadn't changed and he was still only a first-level World Lord, the suppression of his domain was absolutely comparable to the suppression of an Immortal's Law Origin.
The entire hive, apart from the queen, who could still move her head, was pinned down. Every Star Spirit Bee lay on the ground, unable to move.
After taking care of the queen and gathering the spoils, Chen Qing left with the two women without bothering with the hive's disorganized swarms of bees. The promised pampering was much more interesting than this!
Before you continue