Throughout the journey, Lin Chen and his companions had no opportunity to act. They could only advance steadily, pressing deeper into the heart of the forest. The farther they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The roars of Soul Beasts grew more frequent, and the auras of higher-ranked Soul Beasts gradually multiplied.
They had been traveling for an unknown length of time when, as everyone focused on the path ahead, a dense, discordant buzzing drifted faintly from the depths of the woods before them.
The sound was a continuous jumble of buzzing that made their eardrums tingle, clearly produced by an enormous number of creatures living in a swarm.
"Stop!"
Zhao Tian raised a hand to halt the group. With his wealth of experience, he instantly sensed something amiss.
Everyone immediately suppressed their auras, lightened their footsteps, and swiftly slipped behind thick ancient trees. They crouched out of sight and peered intently toward the source of the sound.
Parting the layers of tangled branches and leaves, they caught sight of the scene ahead.
Several enormous hives hung from the trunks of towering ancient trees. Countless bee-type Soul Beasts darted up and down around them, their endlessly buzzing wings filling the entire stretch of woodland.
These bees were dark yellow all over, with slender venomous stingers at their tails. Agile and extraordinarily fast, they were Sunset Bees—swarming Soul Beasts found only in the depths of Sunset Forest.
Zhao Tian's gaze turned grave. He gestured for everyone to circle around quietly without making a sound.
Everyone nodded, held their breath, and crouched low as they followed one another on a quiet detour, moving step by step away from the hives and beyond the Sunset Bees' danger zone.
Only after confirming they were safe did Zhao Tian explain in a low voice: