Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 36: Charge In

The swarm was so massive that even Tu Xiao’an had to take a moment to assess the situation.

The moment he entered, he would be completely exposed and attacked by the swarm. It seemed he had underestimated how difficult it would be to get the honey.

The sky was filled with bees. For a single snake like him to charge in would be quite difficult.

Tu Xiao’an wasn’t in a hurry. He decided to find the bees’ main camp before taking action. The area was vast. Although She Mountain was the territory of venomous snakes, he was certain there were none here.

Any venomous snake that entered this area would be asking for death. Their sharp fangs were useless against the bees.

’Strange, where’s the hive?’ Tu Xiao’an frowned. With such a massive number of bees, their hive had to be somewhere on this hillside. He was sure of it.

Tu Xiao’an cautiously slithered a bit further in. He soon noticed large swarms of bees constantly flying toward a particular spot on the slope. His Snake Pupils narrowed as he gazed into the distance.

To his surprise, he saw a large opening to a tomb on the slope. The entrance was pitch-black, and a chilling wind blew out from it, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

He watched as group after group of bees flew into the tomb, while just as many emerged in orderly swarms.

Tu Xiao’an pondered for a moment, a strange look in his eyes. ’Don’t tell me their hive is built inside the tomb.’

He couldn’t help but smile wryly. ’These bees really know how to pick a spot. So creative.’

Even tiny bees possessed great intelligence.

The mountains were dotted with old tombs, both large and small. In the past, every household in Bai Town had its own family tomb here. When a relative died, they would be cremated, and their ashes, along with a coffin, would be interred in the tomb.

Cremation only became common in recent years; before that, bodies were interred directly.

Later, the government enacted a policy forbidding villagers from building new tombs in the mountains. If any appeared, officials would be sent to demolish them as a warning. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The tomb the bees had chosen was an abandoned grave, at least fifty years old. The entrance was overgrown with weeds, and there likely wasn’t a coffin inside; otherwise, the bees would never have made it their home.

Tu Xiao’an hid quietly in the shadows, watching the tomb’s entrance and formulating a plan.

This tomb was like the Inner Imperial Palace, its surroundings teeming with "Imperial Guards." Any intruder who got close would be swarmed and attacked.

If he wanted to get some honey, he would have to charge into the tomb—a practically suicidal move.

But Tu Xiao’an was determined to get that honey. As long as it would help his mother’s health, he would do whatever it took.

Just then, Tu Xiao’an spotted a dozen or so bees flying over from nearby, like a small patrol squad. Upon seeing the Silver White Snake, they immediately began to watch him with vigilance.

They immediately surrounded the Silver White Snake. Their buzzing seemed to carry a warning: ’Who goes there? Take one more step and you will be shown no mercy.’

This area was a massive bee stronghold. The sheer number of them would astonish even a professional Beekeeper.

As a snake, a creature of the Land, Tu Xiao’an was naturally at a disadvantage against flying opponents. But with his system’s support, he had no fear of such low-Level creatures.

Besides, there were only about a dozen bees in front of him right now.

’They’re just here to deliver some Energy Value to me.’

In an instant, Tu Xiao’an’s Consciousness Power spread out, enveloping all dozen-plus bees. His eyes narrowed, and a ripple of power pulsed through the air.

Enveloped by his Consciousness Power, the dozen-plus bees began to tremble in mid-air, frozen in place and radiating fear.

’Come on, little darlings. My Pet Box is waiting for you.’

With a single thought from Tu Xiao’an, the dozen-plus bees vanished, reappearing inside the system’s Pet Box.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully capturing 13 Level 1 wild bees. You have obtained 65 Energy Value."

That’s how it was. Level suppression made captures so satisfying. It was a shame Tu Xiao’an’s dominance ability only worked on fellow members of the Snake Race. If he could dominate bees, this army of hundreds of thousands would be his to command without him needing to capture them one by one.

Still, this was fine. Capturing them was the only way to get Energy Value. The bees swarming all over the mountain were pure Energy, and the benefits were immense.

He checked his stats internally.

Evolutionary Energy Value: 1870/5000.

His previous Energy Value had all come from wild mosquitoes. ’Now, it’s time for these bees to help me level up.’

Tu Xiao’an glanced at the tomb entrance on the distant slope, still several dozen meters away. A stealthy approach was impossible. The saying "a sentry every three steps and a guard post every five" wasn’t enough to describe the density of bees here.

In that case, he would just have to advance openly and fight his way to the tomb’s entrance.

A light flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s Snake Pupils. With a twist of his body, he shot forward, covering ten meters in an instant. But before he could get much farther, he was once again surrounded by a dozen bees, their hostility palpable.

’Consciousness Power, envelop and kill!’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A bizarre scene unfolded: the dozen-plus bees exploded in mid-air, turning to dust.

As Tu Xiao’an’s Level increased, his four major Attributes and his Consciousness Power grew stronger. His Consciousness Power, in particular, was incredibly useful.

When released, his Consciousness Power was like a pair of Formless hands that could control objects. By his own estimate, he could now use it to lift something weighing over ten pounds into the air.

Consciousness Power, much like physical strength, could be either retracted for internal use or projected outward.

Retracting it meant using it to suppress and capture creatures. Projecting it meant attacking with it, like a Formless blade.

He had just used his Consciousness Power as a weapon. The Level 1 Bees simply couldn’t withstand its pressure.

This was just Tu Xiao’an testing the waters. He planned to practice more to get a better handle on controlling his Consciousness Power.

It was a shame about those dozen bees. By dying outright instead of being captured, they had lost even the chance to be enslaved.

Tu Xiao’an didn’t mind, though. There were far too many bees here—what harm was there in killing a few?

This was an excellent place to grind levels and farm mobs, as well as a perfect training ground for Tu Xiao’an’s new abilities.

He had just killed over a dozen bees, but in the blink of an eye, thirty more flew over and attacked the Silver White Snake directly.

’Haha, excellent! Time to test out my Divine Dragon Tail Swing!’

This time, Tu Xiao’an didn’t use his Consciousness Power. Its power was finite, and using it continuously would drain it quickly.

If he over-consumed it, he wouldn’t even have the energy left to capture creatures.

The Silver White Snake’s tail shot up, blurring into an afterimage with a WHOOSH. Any bee that flew into its path was instantly smashed into a pulp.

Such was the force of the strike that when Tu Xiao’an’s tail hit the ground, it left a crack spreading across the earth.

"Ding... Killed Level 1 Bee, obtained 5 Energy Value!"

The notification chimed continuously in Tu Xiao’an’s mind until he finally just muted it.

He intended to use the bees for "training." His tail swept back and forth relentlessly, killing bees instantly with every pass.

In just a few moments, the entire group of thirty-plus bees was wiped out.