Chapter 186 - 181 Break the Deadlock 1
Chapter 186: Chapter 181 Break the Deadlock 1
Translator: 549690339 I???????????????? —
Since it was still nighttime, his bees remained unusable.
The Diamond Ink Turtle was just a turtle shell; looking at its cowardly demeanor, bringing it to face the enemy wouldn’t be of any help.
Xiao Niu was still evolving.
Others lament the lack of knowledge when the time comes to use it, but he lamented the scarcity and weakness of his pets when it was time to use them.
The mam issue was that the enemy they encountered this time was too powerful.
If it had been a master like Mo Sang or Shi Doudan, Qin Niu would easily defeat and win the battle.
This Old Master Huang was just too formidable; he had at least decades of accumulation, whereas Qin Niu only had months, naturally resulting in a somewhat strapped situation.
As they waited, a series of intense buzzing sounds came from the sky. Nearly a hundred Corpse Bees appeared above and dove straight down. However, those three Bee Generals had already been relocated by Qin Niu. Buried at the boundary of the Ancient Banyan Tree’s scope.
Qin Niu, on the other hand, had over two thousand Army Ants clinging to him, lying in wait in a concealed spot.
He felt that Old Master Huang’s most formidable method was likely the Corpse Bees.????????????????????????????????? ‘
Otherwise, after one ordinary Corpse Bee was captured by Qin Niu and imprisoned in the Insect Jar, with Old Master Huang’s caution, he could have simply given up on it.
There was no need to dispatch more formidable Bee Generals and three Corpse Bees for the rescue mission.
If one of Qin Niu’s Grade Three Army Ants fell into enemy hands, and the enemy’s capabilities were unknown, he certainly wouldn’t consider reclaiming
Unless it was someone as important as Fourth, only then might he consider taking a risk to investigate.
Even so, he would still be extremely cautious.
If it was impossible, he would give up immediately.
That Old Master Huang could dispatch over four thousand Grade Three Army Ants showed that his foundation was incredibly profound.
Logically, losing one or two Grade Four Corpse Bees shouldn’t be a big deal for him.
But Old Master Huang, after a significant amount of time, still couldn’t forget and insisted on dispatching Bee Generals for a rescue mission, indicating that each Corpse Bee was extremely difficult to cultivate.
This time nearly a hundred Corpse Bees came, which probably meant a full mobilization.
The Queen Bee was temporarily nowhere to be seen.
It might also be hidden among the swarm; the dim light made it hard to distinguish.
“So many Grade Four Corpse Bees forming an army is indeed terrifying.” Qin Niu watched the dense aerial army with a sense of trepidation.
Being stung by any of the Corpse Bees could potentially be fatal.
His target was not these Corpse Bees, but the true adversary who had yet to show themselves.
For now, just let them stir up commotion.
The three Bee Generals were each imprisoned in an iron-cast Insect Jar and buried underground; it was nearly impossible that they would be able to save the Bee Generals.
Old Master Huang, with his sinister and cunning nature, would more likely send them to search for Qin Niu’s whereabouts and then attack en masse.
The competition between both sides was a matter of patience.
Time passed bit by bit, and Qin Niu was in no hurry.
Nighttime favored the Corpse Bees, and now, as dawn was about to break, it was definitely Old Master Huang who was anxious.
This was the importance of hiding one’s strength.
Old Master Huang had sent insects and Mu Kuai to deal with Qin Niu three times, all without return; he had no idea of Qin Niu’s true strength.
Finally, a figure like a ghost rapidly approached from the distance.
Its speed was astonishing.
No, this wasn’t Old Master Huang.
Though the figure’s speed was extremely fast, indicating a strength of at least tenfold in the common realm, the figure was short and seemed like a woman.
She was only about one meter thirty to one meter forty in height.
“There are actually two enemies coming; this is a bit troublesome.”
Qin Niu’s eyebrows knitted slightly.
It was impossible to just watch this person save the Bee Generals.
He subconsciously gripped the Ink Blade in his hand, quickly thinking of a strategy.
Plans can’t keep up with changes.
He had to make a quick decision.
The best plan was to kill this pathfinder cannon fodder to prevent the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze from being exposed too early.
The most formidable move must be saved for the most difficult enemy to deal with.
He was certain that Old Master Huang must be watching from not too far away. Killing this cannon fodder shouldn’t be too hard, but by doing so, Qin Niu’s position would be exposed. Then, when nearly a hundred Corpse Bees swarmed over, his handful of Army Ants would not be able to withstand them.
This was a very thorny issue.
Almost like an unsolvable knot.
Qin Niu inwardly sighed that his means were still too few.
Watching the swarm of Corpse Bees fly chaotically at low altitude, searching for his traces, Qin Niu thought of a plan.
Why not use the enemy’s strategy against them?
“Fourth, how many Corpse Bees can you control at one time?”
“Four to five is the limit, and if it’s those powerful Bee Generals, we can only control one at a time.”
Their strongest were only Grade Three Army Ants; compared to the Grade Four Corpse Bees, they were still somewhat weaker. Against the Grade Five Bee Generals, there was even less of a contest.
It’s like a master in the Acquired Realm-just one finger could kill an ordinary person.
“Control a few Corpse Bees to attack that person.”
Qin Niu issued the command.
This move was something Old Master Huang would definitely not expect. Five Corpse Bees were soon taken over and swiftly flew toward the rapidly advancing figure.
The Army Ants’ Mental Attack and Spirit Control both had distance limitations.
The current distance was just right.
The figure appeared not to have detected the danger.
The five Corpse Bees pounced on the person, their stingers ruthlessly piercing the body, injecting copious amounts of poison.
“Hmph… cursed things!”
It was the sharp and delicate voice of a young girl; she couldn’t be very old.
Probably around eleven or twelve.
After being attacked, she let out a painful grunt and cursed fiercely.
“Fourth, exchange for five new Corpse Bees and continue the attack,” Qin Niu ordered without a shred of mercy for the enemy.
Once the Corpse Bees on her body lost control, they quickly reverted to normal.
Although stung, the girl did not harm them.
It was as if the lives of the Corpse Bees were more precious than her own.
Five more controlled Corpse Bees once again pounced towards her.
This time, she was prepared, desperately waving a pair of short blades in her hands.
They were two short blades, mere half a foot long, flickering with a cold light. One of the Corpse Bees was struck by her short blade, injured, and fell to the ground.
Qin Niu watched with silent amusement.
Dog eats dog; this move was simply splendid.
“Master, master, why are the bees out of control?” the girl cried out in agony. No one responded to her.
Old Master Huang, probably hidden behind her, must have wanted to strangle the girl. Such a shout made it obvious to even a fool that Old Master Huang was lurking in the background.
Qin Niu was all smiles at her misfortune.
Strike the snake at its vital point; to his delight, a clever ruse had caused the enemy to shoot themselves in the foot.
“All…”
She screamed again, having been stung once more.
The venom of the Corpse Bee must be terrifying; while the stings had not yet seriously harmed her body, it might only be a matter of time.
Even if bitten by a deadly king cobra, it would take a while for the venom to take effect.
Seeing no response from her master and the Corpse Bees attacking like mad, the girl became infuriated.
She continuously slashed and stabbed with her short blades.
In an instant, two more Corpse Bees were injured and fell to the ground. These Corpse Bees had strong defenses but were not invincible to swords. The defenses of the Queen Bee might be stronger.
Qin Niu had never tried to test whether swords could injure them.
He deliberately didn’t rush to kill those three Queen Bees, instead using them as a lure, baiting Old Master Huang to reveal himself.
“Fourth, control five more to attack that person,” Qin Niu commanded, indifferent to the outcome.
Using the enemy’s weapon against them, even if the Corpse Bees were completely wiped out, it wouldn’t matter.
It would also destroy one of Old Master Huang’s trump cards, eliminating a major threat.
As five more Corpse Bees rushed towards the girl, she became even more frenzied.
The remaining Corpse Bees, however, heeded the commands of the mastermind behind the scenes, quickly ascending before staying out of reach.
Old Master Huang must have realized by now that Qin Niu could control his Corpse Bees.
Now, with the confrontation imminent and secrets being exposed, the fight was alighting with intensity.
“Fool! Stop right there!”
A furious shout from an elderly voice echoed from a hidden spot behind, and the remaining eighty to ninety Corpse Bees all flew in that direction.
With that shout, Old Master Huang finally appeared.
Undoubtedly, he believed that his painstakingly arranged trap had been foiled by Qin Niu, who had edged a slight victory, compelling him to show himself.
“All Niu, I know it’s you, come on out!” Old Master Huang exclaimed, showing he was well-informed about Qin Niu’s childhood name, indicating inquiries had been made in the village.
Who exactly had he asked?
A dark glint flashed in Qin Niu’s eyes.
What he despised most were traitors and spies.
Despite Old Master Huang shouting his name, Qin Niu stayed hidden in the shadows, unmoving.
He was waiting for the right moment.
The break of dawn was yet to come, and entering the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze would be certain death.
Although Old Master Huang had lost a round earlier, his vitality was unscathed. He still had eight to ninety powerful Corpse Bees, posing a serious threat to Qin Niu.
Patience was crucial.
He might wait for daylight, then brazenly flee into the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze with the three Queen Bees right in front of Old Master Huang.
Of course, he would need to perform convincingly enough to avoid raising suspicion throughout the process.
Alternatively, he could stay put, waiting for Old Master Huang to come looking
for those three Queen Bees.
By then, Old Master Huang was likely to step into the maze himself.
Since Qin Niu had deliberately placed the Queen Bees on the border, Old Master Huang, no matter how cautious and unaware of the intricacies, would fall into the trap with just one misstep.
When it came to schemes and tactics, Qin Niu was no easy adversary.
“All Niu, in reality, we have no deep-seated hatred. It was wrong of me to tamper with you, and for that, I apologize. Here, I have ten thousand silver, and as long as you return those three Queen Bees, we’ll consider our debts settled,” Old Master Huang proposed, pulling a thick stack of silver notes from his bosom.
No one could confirm the exact amount, but it looked considerable.
Still, there was no answer, just silence in the mountains.
Except for the girl who lay on the ground, groaning with pain that likely heralded the onset of the bee venom, she seemed in great agony.
“You are well aware of my capabilities; if we truly go for a life-and-death struggle, the dead man will surely be you. It’s best to think it over,” Old Master Huang warned, his message carrying a hint of powerlessness.
His words, once spoken, became a sign of weakness to Qin Niu.
It signaled that Old Master Huang was running out of cards to play.
Otherwise, there would have been no need for threats, just a thorough search of the area to rescue the trapped Queen Bees.