Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1626 - 1626 0959 Some Trouble

Chapter 1626: Chapter 0959: Some Trouble Chapter 1626: Chapter 0959: Some Trouble Chapter 0959: A Bit of Trouble

There were others who thought like Xiu Zhengyu, not just Xiu Zhengyu alone. The secret realm provided by the Holy Land offered countless opportunities, but though said to be countless, the actual number was limited—especially compared to the number of young talents who entered the realm for the competition, it was truly a case of more monks than porridge. Even if all the young talents didn’t engage in battle and managed to coexist peacefully, consulting with each other when encountering opportunities, only a very small number could actually secure these opportunities. Most people, upon entering the secret realm, were doomed from the start, with no chance of obtaining these opportunities, especially something like the Infant Fruit, which could directly boost their chances of success.

If they could seize this opportunity, it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t participate in the remaining competitions. Even if they continued in the upcoming competitions with this opportunity in hand, they would have the confidence and essentially a way out.

However, looking at that swarm of Tiger Baby Bees was truly hair-raising.

Xiu Zhengyu gritted his teeth and said, “I think we should go with the first plan. I’m willing to lead the charge; you guys follow behind me.”

Facing such a swarm of Tiger Baby Bees, the person in front would undoubtedly bear the greatest pressure. Accordingly, if they could successfully pluck the Infant Fruit, then when it came to distributing rewards afterwards, the person who exerted the most effort would naturally have the easiest time claiming the Infant Fruit.

Xiu Zhengyu’s calculations were clear to everyone in the small team, but no one contested this position with Xiu Zhengyu. They knew that being at the forefront of the team didn’t mean certain death, but it wasn’t far off. This was risking their very lives for a chance. Without sufficient strength and rashly taking the front position would only mean a senseless loss of life.

Gao Yuqiu glanced at Qi Tian. She wanted to speak up and suggest Qi Tian take the lead, but making such arrangements would reveal Qi Tian’s strength to everyone, and thereafter, not only could Qi Tian take the greatest merit of this operation, but he would also become a formidable pressure on the whole team. Who would listen to her after that? Even if she used all her charm skills to the fullest, it would probably still be difficult to suppress everyone’s fear of Qi Tian’s strength.

Gao Yuqiu bit her lip and said, “Okay, this time Mrs. Zhengyu, you go first. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll arrange for other Sirs to replace you in time.”

Xiu Zhengyu said, “There’s no need for others to replace me. This charge, if I do not pluck the Infant Fruit, I will not give up. Even if I die, I would die on the path of the charge, not replaced halfway through by someone else.”

Gao Yuqiu nodded and did not continue to persuade. At this point, anything said would be futile. With the opportunity at hand, Xiu Zhengyu would not back down, and the other members would not dispute with him either.

Soon, the nine members completed their strategic arrangement; Xiu Zhengyu was at the forefront, with two other cultivators following closely on his left and right, forming a small charge team at the very front, while the others followed behind, ready to support them at any time.

“Charge.”

Gao Yuqiu shouted. The small squad flew out from their hiding spot and zipped towards the direction of the Infant Fruit Tree.

The sudden appearance of Gao Yuqiu’s team immediately caught the attention of two other small squads of cultivators who were entangled in a battle; they wanted to stop them but were too engrossed with their opponents to be able to halt immediately. They could only try to quickly resolve the fight and then turn their focus on Qi Tian and his team.

Suddenly, as Qi Tian and his team neared the Infant Fruit Tree, their rapid approach immediately grabbed the attention of the Tiger Baby Bees. Their reaction was extremely swift; immediately, hundreds of Tiger Baby Bees flew out from the hive, forming a cloud that charged towards Xiu Zhengyu and his team.

Seeing the Tiger Baby Bees coming, Xiu Zhengyu slapped his chest, and instantly, a flash of light spread from his chest, quickly forming a protective shield around him.

With the shield’s protection, Xiu Zhengyu propelled his flying sword, facing the oncoming Tiger Baby Bees and charged towards the direction of the Infant Fruit Tree.

The Tiger Baby Bees crackled as they struck Xiu Zhengyu’s shield, producing bursts of noise, but purely with their striking, they were utterly unable to harm Xiu Zhengyu’s shield.

The tiger baby bees quickly discovered the problem. Several of them shone brightly and directly flew onto Xiu Zhengyu’s shield. They clung tightly to the shield, their tails lighting up in a halo, and their stingers thrust toward the shield.

Xiu Zhengyu had only heard of the tiger baby bees, a type of spirit bug, and was unfamiliar with their combat methods. Nevertheless, he instinctively felt that he could not let the tiger baby bees continue. He tried to attack from within the shield, but there were too many of them. As soon as he dealt with one, another would arrive, and with their tough skins, ordinary attacks hardly affected them. He had to use his more powerful techniques, but that distracted him from concentrating on the shield and making his way forward.

The situation was nearly the same for the other two teammates who charged forward with him. The tiger baby bees also clung to their shields, launching relentless attacks.

Gao Yuqiu and his team were close behind. They couldn’t just watch as Xiu Zhengyu was trapped by the tiger baby bees, so they immediately gave the order to attack them.

Initially targeting only the front-running trio including Xiu Zhengyu, the order from Gao Yuqiu prompted another swarm of tiger baby bees to emerge from their hive. They swamped the sky and rushed toward them.

The tiger baby bees on Xiu Zhengyu’s shield were the first to pierce it with their stingers. Though the shield was tough, it surprisingly couldn’t withstand their stingers and was directly punctured. The bees’ tails swelled rapidly, then forcefully released, detaching the stingers, which then stabbed toward Xiu Zhengyu hiding inside the shield.

Xiu Zhengyu had just attacked another tiger baby bee, and when the stinger flew at him, he was startled. The space inside the shield was too cramped for evading, so in a hurry, he could only twist his body slightly, hoping to avoid the stinger’s strike.

However, Xiu Zhengyu had clearly underestimated the life-force-filled stinger of the tiger baby bee. Although the stinger brushed past him initially, it miraculously curved and attacked him again.

This time, Xiu Zhengyu couldn’t dodge. The tiger baby bee’s stinger brutally jabbed into him. If not for his armor’s protection, the stinger would have pierced right into his flesh. Even so, it was still a terrifying experience for Xiu Zhengyu.

Before Xiu Zhengyu could even catch his breath, the other tiger baby bees, taking advantage of the opportunity created by their companions, began thrusting their stingers into the shield that Xiu Zhengyu had erected. Then they fired them off in a direct and deadly attack on Xiu Zhengyu inside the shield.

At first, Xiu Zhengyu could hold on, but as more and more stingers were shot at him, he no longer had time to dodge. His armor was riddled with holes. Even worse, one of the stingers hit right on the jade talisman that activated the shield, shattering it completely.

With the talisman broken, the shield could no longer be sustained. The tiger baby bees, unimpeded, launched themselves at Xiu Zhengyu without regard for their lives, quickly engulfing him.

At the same time, the other two teammates who were also front-runners soon fell. They were surrounded by dozens of tiger baby bees, each in a dire state. At this point, it was not about moving forward, but rather, a miracle that they weren’t injured.

Gao Yuqiu wanted to help Xiu Zhengyu, but she was also facing the trouble of being attacked by the tiger baby bees.

The number of tiger baby bees was simply overwhelming, and each one fearlessly fought to the death. Although individually, they weren’t very strong, their attack methods were extremely sharp, catching one off-guard. Even though they all had the strength of the peak of the Gold Core Realm, these tiger baby bees still caused them immense headaches.

The most relaxed among them was probably Qi Tian alone, but even he felt somewhat troubled. The tiger baby bees were not easy to deal with, and they could fly, often attacking from tricky angles, risking one’s chance of getting stung with the slightest carelessness.

Of course, Qi Tian found them bothersome mostly because he was currently relying solely on his own strength and hadn’t used other means. If he truly wanted to deal with these tiger baby bees, although troublesome, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Gao Yuqiu soon found herself struggling to keep up. She realized she had underestimated the power of these tiger baby bees. Once airborne, each one was as large as a pigeon, agile, fast-flying, and importantly, fearless and willing to sacrifice. When they found that ordinary attacks could not harm Gao Yuqiu, these tiger baby bees would not hesitate to shoot their stingers, attacking from angles Gao Yuqiu could not anticipate.

Gao Yuqiu wasn’t skilled in combat. She thought that with Xiu Zhengyu and the others charging in front, they would be able to block most of the tiger baby bees. She hadn’t anticipated they couldn’t hold up, now encapsulated by the tiger baby bees, their fates uncertain. Expecting them to withstand more tiger baby bees was clearly impossible.