Chapter 8: Red Bee Beast

In the Lianyun mountain range, where towering trees reach the sky and thick shade obscures the sun, the mountains stretch on for countless miles.

Within an ancient, dense forest, six young and agile figures are swiftly making their way through, each of them holding their breath and treading carefully, their movements so precise that even the grass beneath them hardly stirs.

Suddenly, one of the youths twitches his ears, but after glancing at the others ahead, he says nothing. A moment later, the leader of the group suddenly halts, as if sensing something. He waves his hand, and all six of them stop in unison. With a cautious look in his eyes, the leader says, "Wait. I think I feel a high-level ferocious beast approaching. No good, it's heading towards us. Everyone, get ready and hide!"

As soon as he finishes speaking, the leader leaps into the air, soaring several dozen meters high, landing on a large tree with thick branches and leaves, concealing himself. The other five, at the same moment, vanish and appear behind different trees, carefully hiding their figures, forming an encirclement.

The forest falls into a deathly silence. No breathing is heard, only the rustling of tree leaves in the wind.

After a moment, from the direction ahead, a faint rustling sound emerges from a dense patch of shrubs. Soon, a strange beast, resembling a giant bee with barbed spikes on its back and a bloated body, emerges from the thicket. Its yellow, round eyes cautiously scan the surroundings. After confirming no immediate threat, it steps forward and shakes its clumsy head, coming out from the grass.

"Huh, it's a second-tier low-level beast, the Red Bee Beast. Its value is no less than the Crimson Firebird. Everyone, get ready, we move!"

A barely audible "huh" passes into the ears of the other five, and then the leader leaps into the air without a sound, his sword already gleaming with cold light. It arcs like a crescent moon and slashes down at the head of the Red Bee Beast that had only just emerged. The sword's energy tears through the trees, pulverizing them into dust.

Seeing the leader's attack, the other five exchange glances and then unleash a barrage of attacks: fireballs, ice projectiles, silver arrows, sword energy, all striking in tandem, along with a seemingly simple sword shadow.

With a miserable scream, the giant red beast is caught off guard. Clearly, it hadn't expected an ambush. In an instant, the sword energy, the sword slashes, and the attacks hit it, leaving a deep wound on its back. Then, the fireballs and ice projectiles hit, further damaging its already injured body. Some areas freeze over, while others are scorched black, giving off the faint scent of roasted meat.

Enraged, the Red Bee Beast glares with its tiny round eyes and suddenly hunches its body, arching its back. Then, from its back, countless barbed stingers shoot out like a red rain. These stingers, though non-poisonous, have a paralyzing effect. Once they hit, they slow the target's movements. Hundreds of stingers fly out, and the immense impact can turn a person into a sieve.

The group of six is momentarily caught off guard, scrambling to defend. Fortunately, after a series of chaotic sounds, all the stingers are blocked by a shimmering silver screen created by their combined efforts.

The Red Bee Beast, realizing the situation is dire, attempts to flee, but it's too late...

"Sword energy slash!"

"Fireball meteor!"

"Ice projectile!"

"Flame saber!"

"Sunshot arrow!"

"Basic sword technique!"

Six voices, some furious, some low, resound, and a barrage of attacks follows. First, a long sword energy forms a massive white arc in mid-air, striking heavily down on the clumsy Red Bee Beast. Then, a barrage of fireballs and ice projectiles rains down, hammering the beast until it lies on the ground, barely alive. Finally, two blazing sabers strike its eyes, and a red arrow shoots out like a lightning bolt, precisely embedding itself in the beast's back.

With a loud "boom," the Red Bee Beast, as large as a small mountain, collapses with a crash, sending dust flying.

The six of them exchange smiles, having swiftly killed the second-tier low-level beast with only a brief engagement. They approach the beast's body.

This group of six is none other than Ye Po, Ye Bufan, and Ye Bai, who are heading towards the second-tier intermediate-level forbidden zone, Griffin Ridge, to hunt the Red Griffin. The Griffin Ridge is located in the central part of the Lianyun Mountain Range, and in order to reach it, they must pass through several dense forests and treacherous areas. So, they are being especially cautious. Led by Ye Po, Ye Bai follows behind, and Ye Bufan stays in the middle, supporting and protecting Ye Zhen, Ye Lan, and Ye Sang as they hurry towards Griffin Ridge. They want to arrive as early as possible, as the Lianyun Mountain Range is full of potential dangers at any moment. Already, second-tier low-level beasts like the Crimson Firebird have appeared at the outskirts, and encountering second-tier intermediate or even advanced-level beasts in the central region is not unusual. Therefore, the six of them must remain alert.

Unexpectedly, the first encounter they face is with a second-tier low-level beast, the Red Bee Beast. Known for its valuable body parts, they waste no time and quickly defeat it together.

With teamwork, defeating this second-tier low-level beast becomes as easy as drinking a cup of water. If Ye Bai had been alone, he would have avoided the Red Bee Beast, but with Ye Po and Ye Bufan, both at the eighth level of玄气 (mystic energy), plus the three others at the seventh level, handling a second-tier low-level beast like this is a walk in the park. Ye Bai didn't even need to exert much effort.

After collecting the spoils, Ye Po takes out a green-colored sword to carefully dissect the Red Bee Beast, collecting thirty-six of its teeth. These teeth have medicinal value, as they are the result of the beast eating a plant called "Zhu Ye." When ground into powder, they can be used to create "Crimson Flame Powder," a fire-attributed drug, though it's not particularly valuable.

Additionally, the most prized part of the Red Bee Beast is the stingers on its back. These can be used to make consumable items like low-tier needle-shaped mystic weapons. After collecting more than a hundred stingers, the six of them divide them evenly, each getting twenty, earning a total of twenty-six contribution points.

While they distribute the spoils, Ye Sang remains unsatisfied, feeling that Ye Bai contributed nothing but still gets an equal share. However, when Ye Po glares at him, he doesn't dare argue further, even though he mutters a bit under his breath.

After collecting everything, the six of them continue quickly towards the central region of the Lianyun Mountain Range. The Griffin Ridge, home to second-tier intermediate-level beasts like the Red Griffin, is still some distance away.

Thankfully, the journey proceeds without further incident, and after a while, they encounter another second-tier low-level beast, a Sand Wolf, which they easily defeat. However, this beast offers very little in terms of spoils, only contributing two wolf teeth and a wolf pelt, worth about thirty to forty contribution points. Ye Po trades these for bee needles, giving one to each person, though none of them pay much attention to it.

After a short while, they finally approach the Griffin Ridge. The landscape ahead reveals a massive mountain ridge shaped like a griffin, partially hidden by white clouds. The slope of the ridge is dotted with large boulders and sparse tall trees.

Ye Po's face turns serious, and he motions for everyone to stop, gathering them together. "This is the Griffin Ridge. The danger here is extreme, so be extra cautious. We must not act rashly. We should only attack when we can take down a lone beast, and then retreat immediately. If we attract a group, we're in serious trouble. This is the territory of second-tier intermediate-level beasts. It's far more dangerous than the outskirts."

His words make the others' expressions grow tense as they recognize the gravity of the situation. Ye Po, seeing their reaction, nods in satisfaction. "Is everyone ready?"

After a quick check of their weapons and supplies, the group responds in unison, "Ready."

Ye Po gives a slight nod, glancing at Ye Bai. "Alright, let's go. Stay silent and follow me closely."

With that, Ye Po leads the group cautiously up the strange, winding mountain ridge, while the others follow quietly behind, making sure not to make a sound. Soon, they find themselves at a cliff, hiding behind a massive rock, peering down into a valley below.

What they see is a group of massive, brown-feathered, hook-beaked Red Griffins soaring low over the valley, their piercing calls echoing through the sky. Nearby, several trees are home to four or five other Griffins. The most prominent feature is a stone wall across the valley, where numerous holes are visible, some with small twigs and feathers around them, indicating that this is the nesting site of the Griffins.

At the top of the stone wall, three large black holes stand out, appearing to be the residence of the Griffin leaders. However, no Griffins are currently visible in those high nests.