Luo Xiaosu held tightly onto Aiweila’s hand, weaving left and right through the forest in an attempt to shake off the pursuers behind them.
But no matter how she changed her route, the sounds of Helipu and his men chasing after them always came from behind.
They were like a school of sharks that had caught the scent of blood, relentlessly biting down on them.
“Sister, what do we do? They… they seem about to catch up!”
Aiweila’s small face was flush red, sweat beads the size of beans rolling down her temples.
Panting heavily, she ran alongside Luo Xiaosu, her delicate body seemingly reaching its limit.
“Damn it!”
Luo Xiaosu looked back.
Through the dense woods, she could faintly see the figures of the soldiers; the distance between them was shrinking.
Beside her, Aiweila’s steps were growing heavier.
That mage must have a spell to track their location.
If they kept running like this, the two of them would be caught sooner or later.
“It seems we have no choice but to go there.”
Her eyes sharpened.
Without any hesitation, she paused mid-step, then turned and ran in another direction.
—
“Hmph, still trying to escape?”
Behind them, Helipu stopped.
In his hand, he held the sapphire-inlaid staff; the gem was emitting a faint glow, pointing toward the direction Luo Xiaosu and the others had fled.
“Under my Tracking Magic, even if you turn to ashes, I can still find your traces.”
He looked in the direction the magic indicated.
There, the lush forest came to an end, replaced by a gray, lifeless mist.
“Tsk, running in a panic?”
He didn’t recognize what that mist meant.
In the eyes of a pampered royal mage like him, it was just a common muddy pond in the forest.
“Sir, this…”
Leimeng, standing beside him, looked hesitantly at the swamp before them, instinctively feeling a chill.
“The mist ahead looks unusual. It should be the Misty Swamp that Di Leike mentioned. Should we…”
“What are you afraid of?”
Helipu snorted disdainfully, cutting him off.
“That coward Di Leike is still hiding in town, afraid to come out. He thinks this swamp is dangerous? I think he’s just incompetent.”
He raised the sapphire staff in his hand; the sapphire at its tip shone even brighter.
“The Tracking Magic shows they’re right ahead, and the distance is shrinking. Looks like that damn mist has blinded them; they’re going in circles.”
Helipu said as he strode inside, a smug and greedy expression on his face.
“Pass the order: everyone stick close, don’t let them escape.”
No one noticed that after this group of soldiers entered the swamp, four or five figures were secretly hiding in the grass not far behind them.
—
“Sister… isn’t this the place we came the other day?”
Seeing the familiar scene, Aiweila shuddered and tightly gripped Luo Xiaosu’s hand.
She recalled the scene from that day when they accidentally entered the swamp and were chased by Lightning Bees.
“Mm.”
Luo Xiaosu nodded, her tone turning serious.
“Aiweila, you must stay close to me.”
Since that group earlier could use Lightning Bees to attack them, she could use the same method to deal with their current pursuers.
“Found it.”
With a pause, Luo Xiaosu finally spotted a Lightning Bee diligently collecting nectar.
“Sorry, little bee, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
She raised her magic staff and aimed at the Lightning Bee.
“ICE CONE SPELL!”
Swoosh—
An ice cone instantly formed and shot toward the bee.
The ice cone didn’t hit the bee; it grazed past the flower it was on.
Luo Xiaosu’s intention was never to kill it, but to anger it.
Sure enough, the Lightning Bee, disturbed by the ice cone, was first stunned, as if it hadn’t expected anyone in this swamp to dare attack it.
Then it immediately flew up, its originally pale blue compound eyes instantly turning blood red, staring intently at Luo Xiaosu and the others.
As if sensing that the people before it were not to be trifled with, the Lightning Bee didn’t attack immediately.
Instead, it raised its abdomen and shot a bolt of electricity into the sky.
Buzzzz—
Soon, in the distance, a swarm of countless Lightning Bees was flying toward them.
“Sister… this…”
Seeing that huge swarm, Aiweila’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, and she couldn’t even speak clearly.
“Run!”
Luo Xiaosu grabbed the still-stunned Aiweila and turned to run back the way they came.
Soon, the two sides met.
Helipu, through the mist, saw two figures in the distance rushing toward him, and couldn’t help but sneer.
“Heh, so they really are lost. They’re even running straight toward us. Walking right into the trap.”
Beside him, Leimeng felt something was off.
“S…Sir… do you hear something?”
“Huh?”
Helipu frowned and glanced at him.
“You coward, stop scaring yourself. This swamp may be a bit dangerous, but in my eyes, it’s not even worth mentioning.”
He snorted contemptuously and turned his gaze back into the depths of the mist.
He raised his sapphire staff again; a blue light gathered at the gem, and he was about to aim at the two distant figures and attack.
However, just as the ice cone was about to form—
Whoosh!
The previously calm thin mist ahead was suddenly torn apart by a violent gust of wind.
Next, Helipu saw a sight he would never forget.
Buzzzz—
In the distant sky, a large dark cloud suddenly appeared—no, it was a swarm of tens of thousands of Lightning Bees.
The electric arcs at their tails converged, interweaving into a massive dark blue electric net.
The air seemed to carry a faint smell of burning at that moment.
This terrifying swarm, with the momentum to destroy everything, was chasing Luo Xiaosu and the other girl relentlessly, flying straight toward them.
“Damn! What the hell is that thing!”
Helipu’s arrogance crumbled instantly.
An unprecedented chill crawled up his spine.
“S…Sir! What should we do!”
Leimeng beside him was completely terrified.
He stared in horror at the huge swarm, his legs trembling uncontrollably, his voice breaking.
Looking at that vast, dark swarm, he had only one thought: run!
“Damn it! That Di Leike actually dared to conceal the existence of such a dangerous creature here.”
Helipu frowned, gnashing his teeth and cursing inwardly.
He wished he could go back to town and teach Di Leike a good lesson.
But for now, the top priority was how to escape from this terrifying swarm.
“Don’t panic! These little bees are nothing to fear!”
Helipu turned around and yelled at the soldiers behind him, who also looked pale as death.
He knew that facing such a massive number of Lightning Bees, no matter what, the losses would be devastating.
Then, even if he managed to return, the only thing waiting for him would be the king’s wrath.
Now, the only way to salvage the situation was to eliminate those two witches and take their treasures.