CHAPTER 544: CHAPTER 336: RUINS, SHADOW OF THE BEE KING

"Puchi—!" Blood spurted out. Malvite howled in pain, spitting out a mouthful of thick black blood.

"This is right, this is right..." Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and with empty eyes lowered, he looked at his chest pierced by lightning, where no heart was beating, "You kill me, then kill the other two Bee Princes, then Qiao will gain true freedom, he doesn’t belong here..."

Gu Qiye frowned, pulling the lightning-infused hand blade from the opponent’s chest. His right hand’s five fingers remained spotless, as both blood and internal organs had been completely incinerated by the lightning, disappearing before they could remain on his hand.

Malvite coughed once, collapsing onto the cocoon.

He leaned against the thin membrane of the cocoon, his body slowly sliding down, sprawling on the ground. A streak of dripping blood was left on the cocoon, like a small river of blood, spreading to Malvite’s huddled back.

Before long, Malvite, who had lost his heart, also lost his breath.

Gu Qiye kept his distance from him, only taking a deep breath and raising his head after confirming Malvite’s death. Together with You Ruirui, they looked at the Queen Bee trapped within the cocoon.

The Queen Bee was still deeply asleep. Despite the commotion outside, she showed no signs of awakening.

"As long as the Queen Bee is killed, the Light-Eating Bees will lose their ability to reproduce," You Ruirui said softly.

Gu Qiye nodded silently. Without hesitation, he raised his hands, palms facing each other, as wisps of black current emitted from his fingertips. The arcs of electricity leaped silently, then rapidly gathered into a massive electric ball.

Gu Qiye’s hanging bangs covered his eyes as he exhaled deeply, controlling the agitated currents. Retreating while simultaneously flicking his fingertips forward, he pushed the pitch-black electric ball toward the giant cocoon at the palace’s center.

Immediately after, he swiftly picked up You Ruirui and retreated toward the palace entrance.

The Icelandic girl remained silent for a moment.

"Do you have to carry me?" she asked expressionlessly, "I can walk this distance myself."

"Sorry, I’m just used to it inadvertently."

The two lapsed into silence, as if to alleviate the awkwardness, looking ahead at the scene.

At the moment the electric ball touched the cocoon, it first contracted to the extreme, then suddenly expanded, finally exploding into a cataclysmic black current that expanded endlessly outward.

Just like the re-enacted scene that destroyed more than a dozen skyscrapers at the center of Li Jing City that day.

The violent black currents tore through space, forming trenches that spread and ravaged the entire beehive. At that moment, the palace’s dome cracked open, and moonlight poured through the gaps, illuminating the cocoon that was disintegrating.

The cocoon shattered, and the Queen Bee was swallowed by the surging lightning. Her body disintegrated layer by layer within the flashes, leaving not even embers in the world.

The palace rapidly collapsed, the honey on the ceiling cascading layer upon layer, like molten oil.

Gu Qiye took one last look at Malvite. Soon, the Four Bee Lords and the hive would be destroyed together, and there was no need for him to stay here, to avoid being affected by the lightning with You Ruirui.

Just as he was about to leave with You Ruirui, he suddenly turned back, his pupils slightly shrinking.

A deafening sonic boom resounded, followed by a pitch-black figure suddenly descending from the split ceiling of the palace, entering through the gap, folding its hexagonal wings, and landing next to the broken cocoon.

Undoubtedly, that was the Great Bee Lord—"Qiao". Gu Qiye instantly recognized the figure.

Black lightning ravaged the surroundings, ready to spread to his body at any moment. Yet Qiao remained silent, eyes downcast, looking in silence at the Queen Bee’s corpse, then at Malvite sprawled on the ground.

After a while, Qiao bent down and raised his right arm to block the violent lightning.

The electric light roared past, obliterating Qiao’s entire right arm in an instant, yet his face remained expressionless.

At the cost of a right arm, he gently picked up Malvite’s body from the ground.

"Malvite, I let you down..." Qiao murmured softly, gazing at him.

The next moment, the entire palace collapsed. The resplendent beehive plummeted straight downward from above. Feeling weightless, Gu Qiye no longer hesitated, shooting with You Ruirui toward the exit of the beehive, then leaping into the sky.

You Ruirui condensed the air, forming layers of rings in mid-air, extending downward into a sheet of ice that spanned hundreds of meters, reaching the ground.

Gu Qiye transformed into a swift black lightning, racing along the ice, reaching the ground in an instant. He put You Ruirui down, looking up at the team members who had been waiting for them for a long time.

"Hey, you finally decided to come out." Fan Dongqing landed on the ground, having already put away the Vessel of Li Qing.

"Newbies, your side is always the slowest. We’ve already taken down the second Bee Lord." Jiushijiu said, descending from the sky with a flying backpack, landing beside the three.

"Is it over?" Fan Dongqing asked.

Gu Qiye remained silent, recalling in his mind the scene before leaving, with Qiao, having lost his right arm, gazing down and silently lifting Malvite’s body with his left arm, standing motionlessly among the rampaging electric currents, emotionless as a statue.

It didn’t seem like an expression someone still wanting to live should show.

"It should be over," Gu Qiye said, raising his head to look at the sky.

The beehive disintegrated, transforming into countless fragments that fell straight down, crashing onto the earth with a roar. After a while, the entire world was wrapped anew by the silent black night. The deserted island lay still and quiet, with the elimination task completely completed, all Four Great Bee Lords extinguished, and every worker bee on the island eradicated without a trace. Likely, only members of Rainbow Wings remained on the entire island.

"Where is Garfield?" Gu Qiye asked.

"He went to find Liuli. Not sure what madness overtook Liuli; she suddenly disappeared," Fan Dongqing muttered, "Could she be avoiding me for our date? She promised to accompany me for two days after the task was finished."

Jiushijiu raised an eyebrow, looking at him wordlessly.

Yet the next moment, their expressions abruptly changed, as an unprecedented pressure suddenly emerged on the ground. Gu Qiye paused, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

He stiffly turned his head, slowly looking toward the ruin of the beehive.

At this moment, a figure was slowly emerging from the ruins. His body was pitch-black, with hollow and chilling eyes, and a long tail arched upwards.

It was undoubtedly the Great Bee Lord "Qiao", but now he seemed entirely different. His body was slowly transforming, vivid scarlet like fresh blood gradually covering Qiao’s entire body, forming layers of hard exoskeleton.

At the same time, a somber dark red appeared in Qiao’s golden pupils, his tail turning into a sharp blade, with the pointed tip protruding outward.

His hexagonal wings now had an entire additional pair, possessing two pairs of wings that spread out massively, blocking out the sun.

Looking at such a demonic figure, a single word slowly surfaced in the minds of each Rainbow Wing member present:

—Bee King.