Chapter 217 Queen Bee Dies

At this moment on the clock tower...

Abuda Zhebie’s hair had already come loose, the surging soul power making his long strands stand on end. In his hand, the Ice Bow was drawn taut, three fingers simultaneously gripping the fully drawn string, forming three ice arrows!

But the ice arrows remained unloosed, his entire body and the bow tensed, soul power rippling.

His Sun God’s Eye was activated, the eyeballs glowing like small suns, filled with divine power, swiftly searching for a target in the air.

Fu Liye was not in the clock tower at the top of the tower; he had vanished again. The Queen Bee was right before Abuda Zhebie, yet he still had no chance to seize it, because above the Queen Bee hovered a purple card.

Zhebie knew that if he abandoned his attack and chose to steal the Queen Bee, the only outcome would be the other side killing the mother insect first.

At stake were hundreds of thousands of lives, but to Fu Liye, it was merely an exciting game, one he deliberately prolonged to make it more thrilling. Otherwise, it would be too unchallenging.

There wasn’t a single worthy opponent!

Swish~~~

Purple smoke spread in the air, but Zhebie did not move.

A decoy!

After all, as the top expert of Ice Spirit, a hero ranked in the Holy Sanctuary, his combat experience was extensive. While the spatial teleportation technique using the purple card seemed unpredictable, it actually left traces.

The difference in spatial disturbance between the real appearance and a feint was subtle, but imperceptible to others, Zhebie could discern it! As a divine archer, keen eyesight was fundamental, and the Sun God’s Eye was the coveted eye technique for any divine archer. Zhebie’s perceptiveness was extraordinary!

Bang bang bang!

This time, three streams of purple smoke appeared simultaneously in three directions, and Zhebie seemed to see three figures of Fu Liye rushing out from the purple smoke.

"Kill!"

The aura had already locked on, and three ice arrows shot out at lightning speed, hitting their target dead center.

So easy?

Zhebie's heart tightened slightly, followed by a sudden flash of purple smoke before his eyes.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three blue cards shot out from the space, leaving Zhebie no chance to dodge. He gathered all his soul power in his chest to brace for the impact.

He had experienced the power of the blue cards before; even with full soul power defense, they weren't enough to kill him. However, Zhebie's pupils suddenly constricted sharply.

Because following the three blue cards was a shimmering golden light…

Boom!

Zhebie's body flew backward, crashing into the giant bell behind him. The bronze bell emitted a loud ringing sound, and residual golden lightning still coursed through his body.

Pfft!

A jet of blood spurted out, and Zhebie clutched his chest, trying to steady himself against the bronze bell. But his legs trembled, and he finally knelt down, unable to speak, his heavy breathing like that of an ox.

Purple smoke quickly coalesced in front of him, forming the figure of Fu Liye.

"Sigh…" Fu Liye shook his head in disappointment. In his eyes, Zhebie had lost his original appeal. He didn't even bother to deliver the final blow. From the beginning, he had never been particularly interested in killing, especially those who were weak. What he sought was the absolute pleasure of conquering the will of the strong.

Looking toward the city gate at the foot of the mountain, he smiled unexpectedly: "They actually held off the first wave. It seems Ice Spirit hasn't been idle these past years; they still have some substance."

He raised his head to look at the Tian Shu Great Array’s protective net that had already spread halfway up the mountain. The dense golden runes forming the protective shield were visibly extending and weaving towards the mountaintop, but they had only just reached halfway in fully protecting Ice Spirit City.

"It’s still early," Fu Liye laughed. "But I really want to see whether the Ice Bees’ attacks are stronger, or if your Ice Spirit’s Tian Shu Great Array defense is stronger, or how long it can hold out."

"Fu Liye!"

A cold voice from the tower below was immediately followed by a terrifying sword light slicing through the air as if capable of cleaving the sky!

Swish!

Red Sister, who was fighting Dongbuluo, recoiled in shock, while several Nine Gods Assassins who failed to dodge in time, along with a soul crystal cannon weighing hundreds of pounds, were instantly split in two by the sword light!

Everyone felt a gentle breeze brush past their faces; no one saw clearly as a fleeting shadow darted toward the clock tower's top, reaching it in the blink of an eye.

That graceful figure made a slight turn in mid-air, using the rotational force to instantly condense a terrifying sword momentum.

"Break!"

The terrifying sword beam pierced through, causing soul power to oscillate, subtly distorting space, making the surrounding air seem to ripple and sway. The strong influence caused Fu Liye’s purple badge teleportation to experience a slight delay.

"Oh, Karida?" Fu Liye hastily dodged, somewhat surprised, then burst into laughter: "What a coincidence, after finishing things here, I was just planning to pay you a visit... Hmm!"

At the moment Karida ascended the tower and struck with her sword, an old hand also burst through the floor at the top of the tower, reaching directly for the Queen Bee with pinpoint accuracy.

"Hey, hey, hey, you’re too shameless, two against one, I won’t join in!" Fu Liye laughed heartily, instantly pulling back.

With Zhebie present but Oscar absent, this was already abnormal. He had been on guard against this old man lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity to steal the Queen Bee.

Teleportation was definitely too late, but with just a thought, the purple badge hovering above the Queen Bee instantly turned blue, releasing lightning to attack the Queen Bee.

“No~~~” Oscar’s voice was filled with despair, his eyes bloodshot as he watched the queen bee, which had been within his grasp, explode violently in his palm!

It was over.

The queen bee’s explosion triggered the swarm into a frenzy!

The queen bee and her swarm were intimately connected; every ice bee could sense the queen’s condition. At this moment, the distant swarm was clearly in a state of madness, their silver wings beating faster, reflecting an even brighter silver light.

Without the queen bee, it was like opening Pandora’s Box. Almost instantaneously after the queen’s death, the distant silver light intensified several times over, enveloping the entire sky and land as if under an endless aurora, blocking out the sun and moon, like the gates of heaven suddenly opening, permeated with the swarm’s mad intent to destroy the world.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz~~~~

The previously scattered swarms seemed to receive a unified signal all at once. The distant silver lights converged and merged, rushing toward Ice Spirit City with even greater speed and urgency.

Crash...

Oscar burst through the shattered floor, leaping up from the lower level to land on the top floor of the tower. Nearby, the giant bell was struck by flying debris, ringing out, accompanied by a long sigh.

He knew the strength of the Nine Sons of the Dark Hall, so he had always hidden in the shadows waiting for the right moment, and even unexpectedly received the help of such a skilled expert as Karida. But in the end, it all came to naught. Once the swarm went into a frenzy, it would inevitably lead to a life-or-death struggle with Ice Spirit City.

Abandon the city?

It was too late. The swarm was moving too fast. With the city’s population of three hundred thousand civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers, there was no way they could evacuate in time! Besides, the surrounding terrain of clear ice mountains offered no cover, placing everyone well within the range of the ice bees’ attacks. Any large-scale evacuation would make the people the most visible targets, inviting slaughter. Where could they go?

However, the desperate battle at the city gate had bought some time, delaying the first wave of the swarm’s invasion. By now, the Tian Shu Great Array was already eighty percent activated.

Oscar had guarded the ice cave for two hundred years, tasked with controlling the swarm and preventing troublemakers from causing chaos. In previous years, he rarely participated in the Snow Festival, but this year, he had no choice.

But the savior foretold in the prophecy had already fled…

Oscar smiled bitterly, old age had truly made him muddled.

He gave Fu Liye, who wore a mocking expression, a deep look.

"Here, now there's nothing I can do," Fu Liye shrugged: "If you want to gang up on me two against one, I won't join in. But if it’s one-on-one, I might consider playing along."

"Senior Oscar, leave this man to me!" Karida said coldly, her eyes fixed on Fu Liye.

Oscar nodded, saying nothing, his eyes devoid of sorrow, joy, or anger, only filled with endless depth.

At this point, even if he and Karida joined forces to kill Fu Liye, it would be futile. His final moments and last glimmer of light should not be wasted on hatred.

Swish~~~

The aged figure merely turned slightly, then vanished directly.

Neither Karida nor Fu Liye moved; their auras were locked onto each other. Spatial teleportation was not all-powerful, especially before an expert of Karida's caliber. It was just a skill, a skill that could be traced.

"Another one of his tricks?" Karida asked coldly.

"Haha, the boss doesn't have time for such trifles," Fu Liye laughed heartily, looking very relaxed: "So, when are you joining us at the Dark Hall? The boss said you're different. You’re clearly smart, yet you insist on doing the stupidest things. The Blade is beyond saving, defying fate is futile."

"Joining?" Karida sneered, her wrist flicked, revealing a sword with a matte white blade that reflected the sunlight without dispersing it, like a rosebud about to bloom.

Death Rose!

It was both Karida's nickname and the name of her sword!

She said coldly: "Betraying the Holy Sanctuary, betraying my faith, today, I will cleanse the ranks!"

"Tsk tsk, it’s only been a few years and your mouth has grown quite bold. As one of my younger brothers would say, you haven’t been beaten down by society yet. Come on, anyway..."

　Whoosh!

　Bang!

　The sword was bathed in light, a purple mist shining almost simultaneously. Fu Liye instantly appeared dozens of meters up in the air, laughing loudly, "Your temper hasn’t changed; you’re ready to fight at the drop of a hat... Hey, well done!"

　The sword's glow flashed momentarily, and the rose bud, which had only faintly reflected light, suddenly blossomed like a rose in full bloom, not at all deceived by Fu Liye’s instantaneous movement.

　The thorns of the rose pierced the sky, as if capable of tearing through the heavens, aiming straight for his chest. Fu Liye flicked his wrist, and a golden light surged forth.

　A golden divine tablet, a single rose thorn.

　Two beams of light collided in mid-air.

　Boom!