Chapter 3: The Crimson Fire Bees

The Qishan Mountains stretch across the western part of Huaxia, extending for tens of thousands of miles, with the narrowest part still being over ten thousand miles wide. Humans have only explored a tiny fraction of this vast range, and most areas remain shrouded in mystery. Legends speak of powerful beasts and various treasures hidden within.

Over tens of thousands of years, countless cultivators and ordinary people have died in battles with these beasts. From time to time, a lucky individual would emerge from the depths of the mountains with a great fortune, becoming famous throughout the land. These stories inspired more people to venture into the mountains in search of elusive opportunities. Through this cycle of bloodshed, the human race gradually grew stronger and established a firm foothold in Huaxia.

On an ordinary morning, near the Qishan Mirror in the Qishan Mountains, a small boat-like vessel was slowly moving through the air at a height of over a hundred zhang. Inside the boat were ten cultivators—three women and seven men. The lead female cultivator wore a light yellow dress and had reached the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. Her face was cold and proud. The other nine cultivators were all at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, chatting in small groups in low voices.

"Captain, there's a situation. About twenty miles to the left, there's a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy. It seems like someone is fighting," a black-robed male cultivator, responsible for observation, reported loudly, his excitement evident.

"Let's go check it out, but be careful," the female cultivator replied, her voice as cold and condescending as her appearance.

Upon hearing this, the group reacted with varying degrees of excitement, tension, feigned calmness, or indifference. They all stood up and moved to the side of the boat. The cultivator responsible for vigilance made a hand seal and tapped a circular device in front of him twice. Two beams of green light struck the device, which then flashed with a white light. The small boat made a graceful turn and sped forward.

In a few dozen breaths, the boat arrived above a forest. A large swarm of bees was divided into three groups, with occasional flashes of white light indicating that a cultivator was being surrounded and attacked.

"Hmph, just a bunch of Crimson Fire Bees. What a letdown, wasting our time," a tall, white-robed male cultivator said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Free for all," the female captain said, her voice devoid of any disappointment. She was the first to fly toward the bee swarm.

Despite their lack of enthusiasm, the other cultivators followed, each summoning their flying swords and slowly flying toward the bee swarm.

"Let's go, there's nothing we can do," a blue-robed young man and a slightly overweight middle-aged man exchanged a glance, their faces showing a hint of a bitter smile as they shook their heads in resignation.

The Crimson Fire Bees were about the size of a fist, preferring to live in groups. They had the strength equivalent to a cultivator at the early stage of the Qi Condensation realm. Their stingers carried a fire toxin, and they relied solely on their stingers for attacks, lacking any long-range abilities. If a cultivator was surrounded, it could be quite troublesome. However, despite having six wings, the Crimson Fire Bees were not fast flyers and had poor defenses, especially their fragile wings. As long as the distance from the swarm was controlled, using spells to attack them would leave the bees defenseless.

The swarm below numbered about a thousand. Although the cultivators did not take them seriously, they did not hesitate to act. Coming from different sects and having spent only a short time together, they couldn't help but try to outdo each other. Falling too far behind would be a matter of pride.

For a moment, various colors of light danced in the air, with large swords and long swords flying together, fireballs and ice needles mingling, creating a cacophony of sounds. In less than half an hour, the thousand Crimson Fire Bees were all killed.

"I'll keep watch. Everyone, quickly recover your spiritual energy," the captain, being at the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, was the least fatigued. As the leader, it was natural for her to take on the role of vigilance, thereby gradually establishing her authority.

This minor encounter was not in doubt, but flying with a flying sword was a significant burden for Foundation Establishment cultivators. A Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage could only maintain full-speed flight for about three hours before their spiritual energy was depleted. Using spells further increased their energy consumption. Their mission was to patrol the nearby area, so they were not in a hurry.

"Immortal Lin, where are those three cultivators?" An hour later, as the female captain, Lin Feifeng, was about to call everyone back to the boat, the blue-robed cultivator noticed that the three rescued cultivators were missing. He frowned and asked.

"They were just three cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage. They left long ago. Fellow Daoist Feng, is there a problem?"

"They left? Wouldn't they need to recover their spiritual energy? I wanted to ask them a few questions," the blue-robed cultivator said.

"They were all injured. There's a temporary cave nearby. The Crimson Fire Bees carry a fire toxin. Fellow Daoist Feng, didn't you know that?"

Sensing the growing impatience and slight disdain in Lin Feifeng's tone, and seeing the strange smiles on the others' faces, the blue-robed cultivator forced a bitter smile.

"Temporary cave, hmm, what did you say, a temporary cave? Everyone, wait for me a moment. Just a moment," he said, touching his nose and turning around to start collecting the bodies of the Crimson Fire Bees without waiting for a response from the others.

"This Feng Rui, is it really necessary? Just a few Crimson Fire Bees, what a show-off," a round-faced female cultivator in a light green dress couldn't help but sneer.

After serving as the "city lord" of Licheng for a year, Feng Rui came to the Qishan Mountains and was stationed in the Bai Shui City. Along the outer perimeter of the Qishan Mountains, six large cities were built as outposts to monitor the beasts in the mountains. Of course, the cultivators from the Qifeng Realm were also a concern. Each city was guarded by two Golden Core cultivators, and there were 120 Foundation Establishment cultivators divided into 12 squads, each patrolling a specific area. Their main task was to check the operation of the warning arrays, patrolling for three months every two years, with the rest of the time spent nearby, free to do as they pleased.

The Qifeng Realm had a similar setup. Due to the overlapping warning arrays, encounters between the two sides were not uncommon. Killing or capturing cultivators from the other side came with rich rewards, making it a place of both risk and opportunity, especially given its proximity to the Qishan Mountains, a treasure trove. It was the best place for Foundation Establishment disciples of the major sects to gain experience and expand their networks.

Feng Rui's luck was neither good nor bad. On the bright side, his squad included a former independent cultivator friend, the middle-aged man Zhu Yubei. They were the only two independent cultivators in the squad, and their relationship had always been good, becoming even closer now.

On the downside, the squad leader was named Lin Feifeng. He had made a casual joke, saying "we were one family five hundred years ago," which only infuriated Lin Feifeng, who already had a cold and distant demeanor. While she didn't openly mistreat him, everyone in the squad knew that the captain had a particular dislike for Feng Rui. For this unwarranted disaster, Feng Rui could only sigh and recite the "Avoidance Spell" more often.

This was the second mission for the second squad, and the two months had been uneventful, just like the previous patrol. They hadn't encountered any significant battles, and the few beasts they did encounter were easily dealt with. They hadn't even met any cultivators from the Qifeng Realm.

Most of the cultivators in the squad were on their first patrol mission, each with high ambitions and a strong desire to earn merit. They all hoped to encounter cultivators from the Qifeng Realm, to kill enemies, gain treasures, and earn rewards from the elders. If they could become famous throughout the realm, their treatment back at their sects would be vastly different.

Feng Rui, on the other hand, was quite satisfied. The patrol boat provided for the squad was extremely fast, and they had detailed maps, allowing them to gather a good amount of spirit herbs. Although they were all less than a thousand years old and shared among everyone, it was clear that, except for him and Zhu Yubei, the others didn't value these not-so-rare herbs much. Almost all the herbs ended up in his possession, of course, in exchange for the corresponding spirit stones, which, despite being much cheaper than in the market, left him nearly penniless. He had to be very careful with his transactions, as independent cultivators had far less resources compared to the pampered disciples of major sects.

His Spring Rain Technique required a significant amount of spirit herbs. While the others didn't show it, they couldn't help but feel a bit superior.

Seeing Feng Rui enthusiastically collecting the Crimson Fire Bees, Lin Feifeng's face turned dark, but fortunately, Feng Rui didn't keep everyone waiting for long.

"Sorry, I'll just take a moment. Just a few words," Feng Rui said, looking at Zhu Yubei with a pleading look.

"Speak quickly," Zhu Yubei's eyes narrowed slightly, finding it a bit strange. Feng Rui wouldn't provoke Lin Feifeng without a reason.

"Old Zhu, I found 856 Crimson Fire Bees, 112 of which were Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees. What do you think? Do you remember the last time we encountered Crimson Fire Bees?" Feng Rui said loudly, clearly wanting everyone to hear.

"That's strange. It shouldn't be. I remember last time, one in twenty was a Golden Line Crimson Fire Bee. Don't rush, let me think. What's the catch here? You, can't you just relax?" Zhu Yubei always had a calm demeanor.

"What are you two up to? They're just Crimson Fire Bees, and Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees are still Crimson Fire Bees," the round-faced female cultivator Liu Yingying, who was straightforward and quick to speak, couldn't help but interrupt, seeing Zhu Yubei deep in thought.

She was Lin Feifeng's junior sister, at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, and both were disciples of the third-largest sect in the Qishan Realm, the Clear Water Sect. Due to her relationship with Lin Feifeng, she often looked down on independent cultivators like Feng Rui, seeing the small Feng family as no different from independent cultivators.

"Rumor has it that Young Master Dugu is also stationed on the other side. What do you think?" Feng Rui ignored Liu Yingying and continued talking to Zhu Yubei.

"Ah, Young Master Dugu. I've heard he's here. Crimson Fire Bees, Young Master Dugu, Thousand Illusion Flowers, 112 Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees. Interesting," Zhu Yubei habitually stroked his beard, which, despite frequent stroking, never seemed to diminish.

Liu Yingying, feeling left out, was about to throw a tantrum, but Lin Feifeng, seeing the increasingly serious expressions of the two, gently shook her head. Liu Yingying held back, finally letting out a heavy "hmm." The others also sensed something was amiss and watched silently, not wanting to get involved. Cultivators were used to long periods of seclusion, so going without speaking for a few months was no big deal.

After half an hour, Zhu Yubei opened his eyes and gave Feng Rui a knowing look.

" Worth a try. You go first. You must have thought this through. You've become quite clever in a few years. I can't help but admire you," Zhu Yubei said.

"Alright, as usual, I'll go first, and you can finish up," Feng Rui said, touching his nose and clearing his throat, ignoring the large eye roll from Liu Yingying.

"According to Old Zhu, in a normal Crimson Fire Bee swarm, about one in twenty is a Golden Line Crimson Fire Bee. In the 856 bodies we just collected, 112 were Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees. This suggests that this swarm did not form naturally in this area but migrated from elsewhere. This raises three questions: Where did they come from? How long have they been here? Why did they come?"

"According to the 'Qishan Geography,' the only place within 2,000 miles of this area with a large number of Crimson Fire Bees is the Crimson Fire Island. The island is named after the Crimson Fire Bees. We can assume that this swarm was forced to leave the Crimson Fire Island for some reason. What could that reason be? How long have they been here? These two questions have the same answer. What is it? Why am I interested in them?"

"Get to the point," Old Zhu said bluntly.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Feng Rui glanced at Liu Yingying, who showed a hint of curiosity, and his face turned slightly red.

"The Crimson Fire Island is covered in swamps. There are no high-level beasts, but plenty of low-level venomous insects, which are not attractive to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Qi Condensation cultivators find it too dangerous to go there, so few would provoke the Crimson Fire Bees. However, everyone knows that Crimson Fire Bees are very territorial and rarely leave their home. There have been no major changes to the environment on the Crimson Fire Island recently, so it's unlikely to be due to environmental changes. Could it be the arrival of a natural enemy? No. Everyone knows that in conflicts between low-level spirit insects, it's usually a fight to the death, with few survivors, just like what we saw earlier, no Crimson Fire Bees fled. Impressive, indeed," Feng Rui said, taking a sip from a small green wine flask, noticing that Liu Yingying was deep in thought and not paying attention to him. He touched his nose, not feeling the least bit embarrassed.

"That leaves only one reasonable explanation: cultivators did it. Clearly, these cultivators couldn't easily kill the large swarm of Crimson Fire Bees, but they went to great lengths to drive them away. Why? Who are they?"

"According to the 'Qishan Geography,' the Crimson Fire Island produces a Thousand Illusion Flower. As far as I know, except for Dugu Feng's Thousand Illusion Butterfly, the Thousand Illusion Flower has little use. I also know that Dugu Feng is stationed in the Wuwei City of the Qifeng Realm. Therefore, it's clear that Dugu Feng is on the Crimson Fire Island, or at least has been there," Feng Rui said.

"Indeed, that makes sense," the others, who had been listening to Feng Rui's low, serious voice, lost their strange smiles and nodded in agreement, with a few even voicing their excitement.

Liu Yingying, seeing her senior sister Lin Feifeng looking confused, whispered a few words to her. Lin Feifeng's face turned red, but she didn't say anything.

Dugu Feng was a well-known figure, a genius disciple of the second-largest sect in the Qifeng Realm, the Spirit Control Sect. He had exceptional cultivation talent, and his most unique feature was his companion spirit beast, a Thousand Illusion Butterfly, which was extremely rare. It was the first in a thousand years in the Spirit Control Sect. With the Thousand Illusion Butterfly's talent in illusions, Dugu Feng had earned a formidable reputation among Foundation Establishment cultivators. Five years ago, he led his squad to ambush a patrol squad from the Qishan Mirror, killing seven and severely injuring three, with no casualties on his side.

The Thousand Illusion Flower, named after the butterfly, was crucial for the Thousand Illusion Butterfly's cultivation and advancement. However, it was difficult to transplant and grow artificially. While it could survive outside the Crimson Fire Island, it would not bloom, likely due to the rarity of the Thousand Illusion Butterfly. The Spirit Control Sect had not invested much effort in the Thousand Illusion Flower.

"So, is Dugu Feng still on the Crimson Fire Island?" Feng Rui asked himself, holding up two fingers.

"He should be. There are two reasons. First, the swarm has a high proportion of Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees, indicating significant losses of ordinary Crimson Fire Bees during migration. The stronger Golden Line Crimson Fire Bees are more likely to survive, and they haven't been away from the Crimson Fire Island long enough to recover to normal levels. Second, the three cultivators we encountered. I wanted to ask them how they encountered the swarm, but since the captain said they have a temporary cave nearby and are familiar with the area, they must not be new. Therefore, the new arrivals must be the Crimson Fire Bees," Feng Rui said, taking another sip of wine, looking lazy and confident that everyone would understand the rest.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were not fools, and this information was not a secret. Once reminded, everyone became excited.

"Dugu Feng is on the Crimson Fire Island. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"I've been wanting to meet him for a while,"

"I wonder how he is in other areas besides illusions. Hehe,"

... After a flurry of excited chatter, everyone looked at Lin Feifeng, who had been silent. As a group action, they needed to respect the captain's opinion.

Lin Feifeng thought for a moment, looked at everyone, and said, "No objections? Get on the boat. Let's go to the Crimson Fire Island."

"Wait," Feng Rui touched his nose again.

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