Heterospecific Vespid Wasps

  The poor black bear was covered in blood, panting and wounded all over its body. The four small sharp claws that extended out were half a foot long, with a dazzling white light flashing on them, as if they had evolved into wolf-like weapons. Yu Xue saw that the four little ones' movements were already skilled and felt a pang of sympathy, telling them to stop their attack. The black bear was quite intelligent, it panted for a moment before bowing to Yu Xue repeatedly, then turned around and walked away unsteadily. After walking not far, it beckoned her to follow. Feng Jin smiled and said:

  "I've been watching this black bear for a while and it seems like it's eaten something good. Let's follow it and see what we can gain."

  Everyone followed the black bear, no one stayed behind. He led them around several snow-capped peaks and over several rushing streams, finally arriving at a treacherous location. Two steep cliffs sandwiched a deep gorge, with countless massive boulders piled up at the entrance. The gorge was shrouded in mist and cloud, with dark pine forests blocking out the sun. Jade Snow and the four young ones followed the black bear into the gorge.

  The black bear seemed to be very familiar with the road, and soon he led the two of them over a pile of rocks and into a mountain valley. In front of them was a dense forest of black pines, which had grown for many years and were now thick and strangely shaped. Even on the steep cliffs on either side, there were many trees growing out of the cracks in the rocks. There was no sound of birds or beasts in the forest, only the hum of flying insects. As they walked deeper into the forest, the ground was covered with fallen pine needles, but there were no flowers or grass to be seen, probably because the sunlight couldn't penetrate through the dense trees. The humming noise grew louder as they walked further. After a while, Yuxue inadvertently looked up and was startled. She saw that on the branches of the black pines about 10 feet off the ground, there were countless beehives. She laughed dryly: "This bear who loves to steal honey is actually asking us to help him commit a crime!"

  The golden phoenix lazily shook its head: "You little guy is clever. Haven't you noticed that these bees are a bit different?"

  Yu Xue carefully looked at the bees on top of her head. She saw that these bees were much larger than ordinary honeybees, each one as big as a thumb, with a grayish-white color and fine white hair all over their bodies. Even the beehives were much larger than usual, with one hive occupying an entire black pine tree, with a diameter of four or five feet. As they walked further in, the beehives became even larger, and the bees also became bigger, until finally, there appeared ones as big as a baby's fist.

  The black bear showed a fearful expression, holding its head with both hands and preparing to run away at any moment, only because it felt that the bees seemed quite intimidating. The two of them, Huang Jin and Yu Xue, didn't dare get close, which made things slightly better. He stuck tightly to Yu Xue on one side while his eyes darted around wildly, drooling as he stared at the beehive three feet away.

  The bees are not afraid of Jade Snow, but they are afraid of Huang Jin. She is the king of all birds, the phoenix, born with a fiery spirit, and small flying insects are not in her eyes. If she gets angry, a big fire will burn here, and all the bees will be afraid of being completely wiped out, which is their greatest fear. After entering the ditch, she suddenly released a faint aura of the phoenix, making those bee children extremely fearful. Otherwise, even if you have great magical powers, you can't withstand the attack of so many strange bees, and you'll have to flee in disarray.

  The three continued on their way, the chirping sounds growing louder and more urgent, like a lament or a plea, yet they kept their distance and did not dare to attack.

  As they walked to the bottom of the valley, Yu Xue was startled again. All he saw was a steep cliff that converged here to form a blunt triangle. In this triangle, from the ground to mid-air, it was an enormous beehive. On top, countless holes and numerous fist-sized bees flew in and out. Yu Xue stopped in front of the beehive, staring blankly and muttering:

  "Never seen such a big bee! Such a big beehive!"

  Phoenix Golden Way

  "This little girl is inexperienced. This bee is actually not a honeybee, but a Xuanfeng, a rare species from the heavens and earth. Its entire body is a treasure. The tail needle is extremely toxic and steel-hard, making it an excellent material for refining equipment. After refinement, even gods can't withstand it. Just one shot will cause numbness throughout the body, losing half of one's strength. Its honey, Xuan Yu Lu, is a great medicine that can enhance strength and neutralize all poisons. Ordinary people only need a drop to feel light and healthy, with their meridians unblocked. If you just take some, you won't have to waste your energy helping your clansmen open up their meridians - it's easy as can be! The royal jelly is even more precious, full of spiritual energy, with effects comparable to Zhu Guo. These Xuanfeng bees were often seen in ancient times, but later people exterminated them for their treasures and they gradually became scarce. They require living on spiritual veins to absorb spiritual energy, making them hard to find, and slowly went extinct. Who would have thought that there are so many hidden here in Kunlun Mountain?! And looking at this beehive, it's probably been thousands of years - the longer, the better the effect! The Xuan Yu Lu and royal jelly must also be extraordinary. Let's not just stand around, let's get to work!"

  Rubbing his fists and wiping his palms, he was about to take action and make a big move.

  Suddenly, a loud humming noise came from the top of the beehive, and a large hole opened up. A giant black bee led countless black bees to swarm out and fly in front of the two people.

  This black bee is as big as a chicken, two feet long, with transparent wings that open and fly without making a sound. Its body shines with a silver light, emitting a strange fragrance that hits the nose, quite mysterious. The black bees behind it are slightly smaller, but each one is as big as a dove, clustering around their leader like sworn enemies, extremely angry.

  The Golden Phoenix appears in a clear voice, revealing its true form. Suddenly, flames erupt from the beehive, covering the ground three feet high, and hot waves assault people.

  Jade Snow hastily blocked her way, but didn't know how to communicate with the mysterious bee and was at a loss. Just then, the Bee King flew up to her face and she heard a buzzing sound that seemed like human speech:

  "Greetings to both esteemed seniors!" The voice was soft and delicate, like a thread, gentle and pleasant to listen to, seemingly a woman's voice.

  These mysterious bees originally inhabited the spiritual veins of Kunlun, and this mountain valley was full of spiritual energy and very secluded. After tens of thousands of years of reproduction, they formed such a scale. The ones near the entrance were just some younger generations, but here was the old nest of the queen bee. The queen had been practicing for many years and gradually became a spirit, unexpectedly able to speak human language.

  Jade Snow hastily said:

  "Sister, no need to be polite, I don't dare to be considered a celestial being. Instead, we are disturbing your quiet cultivation." After speaking, he placed his right hand on his chest and slightly bowed to perform a Mongolian courtesy.

  The queen bee was delighted to see her so polite:

  "Miss, don't be polite, just take the honey as ordered. I only hope that Phoenix Senior won't get angry and spare these ignorant juniors. Little Bee is eternally grateful!"

  "How dare you! We came to your doorstep and yet you still dare to harm us? Don't worry, sister!" Yu Xue said as she glanced at Huang Jin. Huang Jin transformed back into a girl and hummed softly, no longer speaking.

  The queen bee asked:

  "How much does the young lady want? Please bring out the container."

  Yu Xue was taken aback. Huang Jin asked, "Do you have the Wan Nian Xuan Bing bottle? Of course not. Let's go out first. You release the old dragon and I'll take care of it. Otherwise, if something happens to this little bee, you'll have to face my old man's wrath!"

  Jade Snow accompanied her out of the valley, and with a gesture, she released the Black Day. At this time, she had already reached the Golden Elixir stage and could indefinitely support two spiritual instruments outside. Suddenly, a black light burst forth, rapidly expanding, and in the blink of an eye, a black five-clawed dragon appeared. The dragon's entire body was covered with dark purple scales that emitted a faint golden glow. On its forehead were two curved horns, under its chin was a large clump of dragon whiskers, and its eyes gleamed like those of a tiger, with a wide mouth that seemed to hold an air of majesty and power.

  Yu Xue had spoken to Hei Ri many times, but had never seen him before. Ordinary people would have been frightened out of their wits by the appearance of a divine dragon; Si Xiao and the others were all cowering on the ground, trembling with fear. Only Yu Xue clapped her hands and laughed, saying:

  "Hei Ri Big Brother is indeed extraordinary! Even his entrance is so majestic!" Hei Ri heard this and became even more energetic, growing to over a hundred zhang in length and still not stopping.

  Phoenix Golden stared at Jade Snow with one eye and shouted:

  "You still won't stop becoming a monster! If you continue like this, you'll alarm the people of Kunlun and that will be troublesome!"

  A tall, majestic figure stood before Yu Xue. He was over eight feet tall with a robust body and a dark purple face, his whiskers bristling like those of Zhang Fei. He wore a black suit of armor with golden trim, his chest puffed out and his belly protruding, exuding an aura of majesty. However, his head swiveled back and forth like a spinning top, somewhat incongruous with his dignified appearance. As he looked around, he clicked his tongue in admiration:

  "Unexpectedly, after two thousand years, the scenery of Kunlun Mountains is so good! Even the snow on the top of the mountain is pretty! Tsk tsk!"

  Yu Xue lost her smile and thought: Kunlun Mountain has always been like this, when did it become different! I suppose Hei Ri was cooped up in the Beast-Sealing Bell for too long, that's why he's so shocked. I wonder what the world inside the Beast-Sealing Bell is like, next time I have a chance to ask. Turning her head, she thought of the pitiful dragon and phoenix. Such divine beasts could have been roaming freely or flying up to the immortal realm, but they were trapped in a bell, unable to move, making one sigh. Fortunately, she had already reached the Golden Elixir stage, so whenever they wanted to come out, it would be whenever they pleased.