PDLP Chapter 258 - 202: Hive Mind
Chapter 258 - 202: Hive Mind
A tide of venomous bees poured from the long banner in Fang Qingyuan’s hand. As the swarm spread around the encampment, the bees perceived a flood of information, which, mixed with what Fang Qingyuan’s own Divine Sense was picking up, was all transmitted back to him.
Fang Qingyuan grunted, a look of confusion on his face. However, he had no time to dwell on the immediate changes. He quickly filtered the chaotic information in his mind, then directed the swarm to change positions. Some lay dormant, some buzzed their wings, and others flew outside the Array to engage the demon beasts.
A crimson fledgling, hidden on Fang Qingyuan’s shoulder, trembled uncontrollably. It, too, could sense the urgency of the situation.
The attack was sudden, but the Array previously set up by the Beast Taming Sect proved immensely effective. From behind it, several hundred Qi Refining Disciples continuously cast the Taking Skill Technique, their attacks passing through the barrier to strike ceaselessly at the demon beasts outside. The results were clear, but there were simply too many demon beasts.
"First Seat!"
"The First Seat is here!"
When Fang Qingyuan arrived at the front lines of the battlefield, the surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators all came forward to greet him.
Fang Qingyuan’s gaze swept over them. Seeing that all the familiar faces were present, he relaxed slightly and asked:
"Have you done a headcount? Is anyone missing? The Array is weak in the southeast corner; we need to send more people there."
After these few words from him, the expressions of the vassal family Cultivators, led by Ma Kun, eased considerably. Fang Qingyuan was being rather polite, lacking the arrogant air of Zhao Liangde. If Zhao Liangde had been here, he would have surely started by reprimanding them for their incompetence.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the sect answered Fang Qingyuan’s questions one by one. Afterward, Shangguan You said,
"The arrival of these demon beasts is strange. There must be a high-level demon beast controlling them from behind the scenes. Judging by the current scale, nothing less than a Late-stage Golden Core demon beast could command an attack of this magnitude. The situation is not looking good."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan’s brow furrowed. It was only his first day here, and this was already happening. ’The enemy has excellent timing.’
’The real problem is that we’re exposed while the enemy is hidden. We don’t even know who we’re up against. No matter how long we fight these demon beasts, it won’t do any harm to the mastermind behind it all.’
With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan reassessed the situation outside. He saw that although there were many attacking demon beasts, they wouldn’t be able to break through the Array’s barrier anytime soon. ’At this rate, these Low-level Demon Beasts alone won’t be able to defeat our formation.’
’Unless the mastermind has some unknown trick up their sleeve, something I don’t know about yet.’ Remembering the Crimson Spider Demon Shadow hidden within the minds of the three Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators, a chill ran down Fang Qingyuan’s spine. He turned and asked Ma Kun,
"Have all the Cultivators who were originally in the camp been screened yet?"
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, Ma Kun’s face grew even paler. He answered quickly,
"We’ve only checked a small portion; there wasn’t enough time. We arrived this morning, spent midday dealing with those few Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators, and there was no way to screen several hundred Qi Refining Cultivators in a single afternoon."
It was now nighttime, around eight or nine o’clock by the standards of his past life. The attack had occurred just as Ma Kun was beginning to work through the night to screen the rest. He’d had no choice but to assign people to guard the Loose Cultivators while he took his own men to reinforce the front line.
After hearing Ma Kun’s explanation, Fang Qingyuan cursed inwardly. ’There’s definitely a problem among those Loose Cultivators. At this point, it’s better to risk killing an innocent than to let this situation spiral out of control.’
Thus, Fang Qingyuan made a snap decision and said,
"Senior Brother Shangguan, I’ll have to trouble you to take a few people and handle this. I don’t trust anyone else for this; right now, I can only rely on you."
Shangguan You looked surprised for a moment, then smiled.
"Not a problem. Leave it to me."
After speaking, Shangguan You let out a sharp whistle. Instantly, a massive golden python slithered out from the nearby shadows. Shangguan You stepped onto its head in a single stride, cupped his fists in a final salute to the others, and departed with the great serpent.
Watching Shangguan You depart, Fang Qingyuan felt much more at ease. Sending the strongest combatant in his camp to deal with the mastermind’s hidden ploys was the most fitting decision.
Otherwise, if he had sent a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Ma Kun, he feared that Ma Kun and his men might have been lost in the process.
After Shangguan You had gone, Fang Qingyuan said to Ma Kun,
"You, take a few men and reinforce the front line. You must hold back these demon beasts. Do not, under any circumstances, let them break through the Array and get in."
With a solemn expression, Ma Kun took the several Foundation Establishment Family Masters beside him, turned, and headed for the most intense section of the front line.
In the blink of an eye, half of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were gone. Fang Qingyuan looked at those who remained and said,
"Everyone, this is a critical moment. Don’t hold anything back. I don’t want to just sit here and passively defend against the demon beasts’ assault. I want to send someone outside the Array to follow the trail of these beasts back to their source and investigate the situation. Who among you is willing to undertake this mission?"
The remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators were mostly Beast Taming Sect Members; Ma Kun and those from the vassal families had already been sent away by Fang Qingyuan.
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s proposal, these Foundation Establishment Cultivators exchanged uneasy glances. Leaving the protection of the Array to trace the demon beasts back to their source was by no means a simple task.
If they were discovered by demon beasts along the way, their chances of survival would be slim to none.
For a moment, no one said a word. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan sighed. Just as he was about to dismiss them and try to think of another plan himself, a voice called out.
"First Seat, I am willing to go."
Fang Qingyuan turned his gaze to the Cultivator who had spoken and saw a young Foundation Establishment Cultivator looking back at him with a resolute expression.
It was Luo Kun, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment disciple. He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator sent from the Highland Snow Country to lend aid. He had been quiet and reserved this whole time; Fang Qingyuan hadn’t expected him to be the one to step forward.
Fang Qingyuan shot a displeased look at the Foundation Establishment Cultivators from his own sect. As his gaze fell upon them, they all lowered their heads slightly.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan sighed to himself. ’The spirit of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect is truly lacking. To let an outsider who came to help be the one to take on such a task...’
’I must properly sort things out when I return,’ the thought flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind. He then turned to Luo Kun and said,
"This mission will be fraught with danger. Don’t let this be a moment of reckless courage. Think it over carefully before you answer. It’s not too late to back out."
Luo Kun’s expression was firm as he said,
"My Companion Beast is an Ice Mountain Snow Silkworm. It excels at concealing its presence. Even if I can’t complete the mission, ensuring my own safety won’t be a problem."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan went up and clapped him on the shoulder, saying with approval,
"You’ve brought honor to your sect. In that case, I will entrust this mission to you. If you have any needs, state them now. We will not refuse anything within our power to provide."
Luo Kun smiled calmly, shook his head, and turned to leave. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan stopped him.
"Take this venomous bee. Once you reach your destination, release it. Just let it go, and I will know."
The venomous bee Fang Qingyuan gave Luo Kun was sealed in a jade box, which he told Luo Kun to keep with him.
This particular venomous bee was a mutated variety, nurtured by the Spiritual Power within the Immortal Mansion. Its life force was incredibly tenacious; even sealed in the jade box without air, it wouldn’t die for a day or two.
Furthermore, Fang Qingyuan had discovered that ever since the Bee Queen, Fang Ruoxi, had awakened her Innate Divine Technique, the ’Voice of All Things’, the way his tens of thousands of venomous bees communicated had become even more incredible.
The venomous bees originally communicated by secreting pheromones, performing dances, and vibrating their wings—methods that required close proximity. But now, Fang Qingyuan discovered that the bees seemed to have developed a kind of telepathy.
In the Immortal Mansion, if a bee discovered a pest on a Spirit Plant, it no longer had to return to the hive to rally the troops. It would simply bob its head, and other bees from far away would immediately fly over.
This phenomenon worked over distances of a thousand meters and was truly mystical. And that wasn’t all. Fang Qingyuan also found that the amount of Soul Power he consumed when directing the swarms had been drastically reduced.
As a result, Fang Qingyuan’s control over them had become much more refined. In the past, he could only give the swarms general commands, like "attack a target." Now, he could add layers of detail to those commands: how to attack, where to strike, whether to fly in an arc—all of these things were different now.
The bee Fang Qingyuan had just given him could possibly transmit information back from dozens of miles away. However, to achieve such a feat, the Bee Queen would have to emerge.
Luo Kun took the jade box, gave another salute to everyone, then found a corner of the Array. In a flash, he slipped through it.
The Array was designed to keep things out, not in, making it easy to exit and convenient for those inside to launch attacks. Getting back in, however, would be far more troublesome.
Watching Luo Kun exit the Array, Fang Qingyuan placed great hope in him. ’I hope he can uncover some of the truth. Otherwise, this fog of war is simply too thick to see through.’
Just then, Fang Qingyuan’s Divine Sense picked up the sound of wretched screams coming from the rear of the encampment. Accompanied by the oppressive might radiating from Shangguan You’s Golden Core Spirit Beast, it was obvious that the battle there had already begun.
And judging by the aftershocks of the fight, Shangguan You’s opponent actually possessed the combat strength of a Golden Core!