Chapter 18: The Four Lin Sisters

"Is it an illusion?"

Lin Qinxue gasped in astonishment, opening her eyes to look. It was no illusion! The dense swarm of bees that had previously clouded the air had thinned significantly. Aside from a few stragglers still buzzing about, the rest had surged in another direction. There, a man wreathed in red mist was locked in a brutal slaughter! He seemed entirely unfazed by the toxic stings of the Burrowing Bees, appearing like a god descended from the heavens. With every swing of his blade, he claimed the lives of several bees. The occasional flashes of lightning were dazzling, incinerating swathes of them at once. The swarm that had felt so oppressive to the four sisters posed no threat to this man at all.

"Big sister... who is this guy? How is he so strong?"

Lin Qinfeng, bathed in the glow of the [Holy Blessing], felt the toxins in her body being suppressed. Her eyes were filled with confusion as she replied, "He looks unfamiliar. He doesn't seem to be from the Eight Great Families..."

"Regardless of who he is, as long as he can hold off the swarm, that's enough! Big sister, little sister, we must leave now..." Lin Qinhua said anxiously, sweat covering her forehead. Although players did not have limitations like 'mana' or 'blue bars,' using abilities still consumed stamina. The exertion within the secret realm, combined with the continuous healing she had been providing, had left her severely drained. She felt that if she kept going, she might collapse from exhaustion before Lin Qinxue’s condition could even improve.

"Right, we’re retreating!" As the eldest, Lin Qinfeng acted decisively, understanding the gravity of the situation. She led the team toward the exit. But soon, she discovered that the entire underground space was shrouded in a transparent barrier. No matter how much they rammed into it, attacked it, or fired their guns, they could not break through.

"What is this?!" Lin Qinfeng pounded against the barrier, her voice filled with despair. "We can't get out? We're trapped in here!"

"The Killing Realm... it’s kill or be killed, isn't it..." Lin Qinhua’s voice trembled, her legs giving way as she sank to the ground.

Only Lin Qinfeng remained relatively calm. Seeing that escape was impossible, she looked back toward the distance. "Don't panic, everyone. According to the rules of the Killing Realm, if we can wipe out all the monsters inside, the players can leave. Though the four of us were repelled by the Bee Queen, causing the dimensional rift to spiral out of control, if that man can slaughter all the monsters here, the barrier might just open! We still have hope!"

Hearing this, Lin Qinhua and Lin Qinyue exchanged glances.

***

Wipe out all the monsters here? How could that be possible?! They knew the other side of the dimensional rift was connected to the entire giant hive. The sisters had only managed to reach the depths of the hive by relying on their unique awakened talents. Yet, the Bee Queen had managed to critically injure their primary damage dealer, Lin Qinxue, with a single strike. Even if the mysterious man was a god incarnate capable of killing all the Burrowing Bees, how would he fare against the terrifying Bee Queen? That was a Level 10 monster! The gap was simply too vast!

Seeing the grim expressions on her sisters' faces, Lin Qinfeng frowned. In truth, she also felt that clearing the area was unrealistic. But what choice did they have? Fighting for a chance was better than waiting for death.

"Regardless, we have to try!" Lin Qinfeng stood tall, doing her best to appear confident. "I will assist that man. Qinyue, remember to keep the blessings up. The rest of you, hold your formation. Do not fire unless absolutely necessary, so as not to attract the swarm's attention."

"Big sister! You're still injured!" Lin Qinhua cried out, clearly not wanting her sister to risk her life.

"It's fine. As long as Qinyue's blessings continue, this level of toxin won't kill me yet." With that, Lin Qinfeng rushed toward Lu Li.

[Arrogance] (Emerald) ability activated! Particles of light shimmered around Lin Qinfeng, instantly condensing into a magnificent suit of light armor. With powerful energy surging through her body, she took a deep breath and roared at the churning swarm ahead: "Come and fight!!!"

Her shout was like a stone thrown into a lake, sending ripples through the air. The swarm, previously focused on Lu Li, immediately shifted its target and surged toward Lin Qinfeng.

Lu Li, who had been enjoying the slaughter, paused, feeling a bit bewildered. "What's going on? Who’s stealing my kills..."

But soon, Lin Qinfeng’s explanation made him understand. "Friend! Let's cooperate! I'll draw the aggro, you handle the kills!"

"I see. No problem!" Lu Li agreed readily. Although he could handle the swarm on his own, the stamina drain was significant. If any unexpected situation arose, he might find himself struggling. Now, with a tank nearby to draw fire, the pressure on him was significantly reduced.

He even had spare time to activate his Soul Devouring ability.

[Devoured Level 2 monster soul, Soul Points +4]
[Plundered ability — Corrosive Poison Needle (Bronze)]
[Devoured Level 3 monster soul, Soul Points +6]
[Plundered ability — Corrosive Poison Needle (Silver)]
[Devoured Level 1 monster soul, Soul Points +2]
[Plundered ability — Corrosive Poison Needle (Black Iron)]
...

As the corpses of the Burrowing Bees piled up, Lu Li’s Soul Points soared. Soon, he crossed the 500-point mark!

[Ding! Detected that player Lu Li has reached 500 Soul Points. Soul Soldier capacity increased to 10!]
[Current Soul Soldiers: 1/10.]

"Condense Soul Soldiers! As for the type, Blade-Armed Mantis will do!"

Soul Points were rapidly consumed, and black mist swirled around Lu Li, condensing into nine pitch-black Blade-Armed Mantises. He distributed the experience evenly, bringing each Soul Soldier to Level 3. As for why he didn't use the Burrowing Bees as Soul Soldiers? It was mainly because the Blade-Armed Mantis had an innate advantage over the Burrowing Bees. Moreover, as long as Lu Li wished, Soul Soldiers could be dispersed and re-condensed, unlike Soul Guardians, which were permanent once formed.

The nine Soul Soldiers dived into the swarm, and Lu Li increased his pace, charging forward. The [Holy Blessing] took effect, pushing Lu Li’s combat power to its peak!

In the eyes of Lin Qinhua and Lin Qinyue, Lu Li was now shrouded in red mist, like an unstoppable god of death. Swathes of Burrowing Bees fell around him, the rate of their deaths almost matching the rate at which they emerged from the dimensional rift.

"This guy seems to have some real skill, Second Sister, what do you think..." Lin Qinyue muttered.

To her surprise, Lin Qinhua was already smitten, her eyes filled with adoration: "What do I think? I'm thinking with my eyes, of course—he’s so handsome..."

"Wipe the drool off, Second Sister, focus on the healing! Third Sister is coughing up blood over here!!"

"Ah?! Wuwuwu, I'm sorry, Third Sister, please don't die..."