Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 373: The Wasp Hive

Outside the hive, venomous wasps swarmed chaotically through the air.

The Spirit-Binding Rope was well-concealed, slipping undetected beneath the hive as it stealthily approached the swarm.

Although named Ghost-Headed Wasps, these creatures merely resembled wasps in appearance, lived in colonies, and built hives similar to those of real wasps. However, they were not actual wasps but a type of rare insect.

Unlike wasp colonies, they did not have a queen. Instead, they appeared in pairs.

If these venomous wasps still retained the traits of Ghost-Headed Wasps, then Qin Sang only needed to capture a few pairs.

The Spirit-Binding Rope lay in ambush, waiting patiently for the right moment.

One of the venomous wasps flew in circles around the hive, gradually straying further from the swarm until it was finally isolated.

In an instant, the Spirit-Binding Rope sprang forth like a serpent.

The wasp was incredibly alert—just as the rope was about to ensnare it, it detected the danger. Its stinger aimed straight for the rope, stabbing fiercely, while its three pairs of blood-colored wings vibrated violently, producing an ear-piercing shriek.

If this sound spread, it would alarm the rest of the wasps, forcing them to flee for their lives.

Fortunately, Qin Sang was well-prepared. The moment the wasp reacted, the Spirit-Binding Rope accelerated sharply, striking forward in a flash and binding the venomous wasp tightly before retreating soundlessly.

With the wasp securely bound, the Spirit-Binding Rope returned to Qin Sang’s palm.

The venomous wasp struggled frantically, but the rope was strong enough to restrain even a Foundation Building cultivator, let alone a mere insect.

Avoiding the stinger, Qin Sang carefully examined the creature. Comparing its features, he confirmed that it strongly resembled a Ghost-Headed Wasp.

For now, he decided to call it a Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp.

The others curiously approached, and the elder spoke in a low voice, "Daoist Master Qingfeng, may I take a look at this venomous wasp?"

Qin Sang knew the elder wanted to study the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp in hopes of finding a way to harvest the Blood Poison Flower.

Capturing this particular wasp had seemed effortless only because the hive was on the outermost perimeter, relatively small, with a sparse swarm.

Near the Blood Poison Flower, however, several massive hives clustered together, the venomous wasps forming a dense, swirling cloud. Just looking at them made one's scalp tingle with dread—there was no way to capture them one by one like before.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang handed the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp to the elder, a sharp puff rang out.

A spray of foul blood burst forth.

Startled, everyone instinctively dodged aside. When they looked again, the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp had self-destructed.

The jade slip had indeed mentioned that Ghost-Headed Wasps were ferocious and extremely difficult to tame. However, these mutated Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps were even more extreme—once captured and realizing escape was impossible, they would choose to self-destruct.

Qin Sang’s expression darkened. He repeated the process, capturing a few more, but each one exploded just like the first.

In the end, he cleared out the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps surrounding the small hive and carefully removed the hive itself. Scanning it with his spiritual consciousness, he found that the interior was filled with Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp eggs.

Will these larvae be tameable?

Qin Sang pondered for a moment before storing the hive in his Mustard Seed Pouch and letting the matter rest.

First, the others wouldn’t wait for him indefinitely. Second, the other hives were clustered tightly together, making it impossible to extract them without alerting the entire swarm.

Once the larvae hatched, he would find out.

Qin Sang nodded to the group, signaling that they could depart.

The elder's expression changed upon seeing Qin Sang about to leave. Anxiously, he called out, "Daoist Master, please wait!"

"What is it, Daoist?"

Qin Sang feigned ignorance.

"May I have a private word with you?"

The elder pulled Qin Sang aside and bowed deeply. "Daoist Master, I can see that you are quite knowledgeable about these venomous wasps. I humbly ask for your guidance."

Qin Sang’s face showed a contemplative look. He neither agreed nor outright refused.

Seeing this, the elder immediately understood. He took out his share of Cold Gold's mother lode from his Mustard Seed Pouch and presented it, saying, "I have nothing else of value, but this is at least worth something. Please, Daoist Master, accept it."

This man was certainly willing to part with treasures—it seemed the Blood Poison Flower was of immense importance to him and his disciple.

Qin Sang spoke honestly, "To be frank, Daoist, I do have some knowledge of a venomous wasp called the Ghost-Headed Wasp. Based on my speculation, these Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps should be mutated forms of them. However, due to their prolonged exposure to the blood miasma, whether they still retain the original traits of the Ghost-Headed Wasp, I cannot say for sure."

Upon hearing this, the elder's face showed a hint of disappointment, though he did not take back the Cold Gold's mother lode.

Earlier, he had tried asking others for help, but no one was willing to risk their lives provoking the venomous wasps for just a piece of Cold Gold's mother lode.

Left with no choice, the elder had to settle for a less-than-ideal alternative.

Qin Sang nodded, accepted the Cold Gold's mother lode, then extracted the relevant information about the Ghost-Headed Wasp from the jade slip and copied it onto another jade slip, which he handed to the elder.

With the master-disciple pair staying behind, only five people remained in the group.

Since they were all skilled cultivators, their pace increased significantly.

Before long, they had already reached the foot of the mountain and continued forward, their figures gradually disappearing into the depths of the blood miasma.

Not long after Qin Sang and the others left, a shadowy figure emerged from behind, following their trail.

The person stopped in place, scanning both the mountain and the direction Qin Sang’s group had taken. Hesitant for a moment, their gaze suddenly sharpened as if they had discovered something. Without further hesitation, they activated their movement art and swiftly dashed forward.

...

The journey continued without further incident.

Kong Xin diligently led the way, guiding them safely beyond the blood miasma.

Inside the Endless Valley, apart from certain special regions, there was no blood miasma, so they no longer needed to use Demonic Qingyang Fire as protection.

Qin Sang stowed away his jade pendant and carefully observed his surroundings.

Although this was still Endless Valley, the area within and beyond the blood miasma felt like two entirely different worlds.

At first glance, this place had mountains, rivers, flowers, and grass, appearing no different from the outside world.

However, the blood-red clouds that hung ominously in the sky, never dissipating, and the eerie, beastly howls echoing from the distance constantly reminded everyone that this was still the Endless Valley.

Those crimson clouds were likely the result of ancient barriers mingling with bloodthirsty qi. There could even be spatial rifts hidden within them. In any case, it was best to avoid flying at high altitudes. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

Kong Xin kept his words brief, listing key precautions before taking the lead once more.

The front half of the Endless Valley was not particularly dangerous. Even Qi Refining Realm cultivators could venture in if they followed the right paths. But the deeper one went, the denser the dangers became.

As they traveled, detours were common—sometimes they had to take multiple turns before finding a stable route that bypassed beast hordes or unknown barriers.

This was something Qin Sang and the others had strongly insisted on.

After the incident in the underground cavern, it was difficult to fully trust Kong Xin. Every so often, they made him explain the route in detail so they could collectively analyze and vote on the best course of action.

Although Kong Xin found this tedious, he had no choice but to comply.

With caution at every step, they safely reached their destination.

Crossing over a small earthen ridge, they spotted a stream winding out from the mountain ravine, resembling a flowing jade belt.

Kong Xin's expression lit up with excitement, and he called out in a low voice, "We're here!"

Qin Sang flickered forward, keeping a close watch on the surroundings while discreetly glancing behind him, his heart filled with quiet astonishment.

Throughout the journey, both he and Wandering Man had remained highly vigilant, even deliberately exposing a few flaws in their movements.

Yet, the stalker never revealed themselves again, as if they had simply vanished.