Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Dominance Ability over the Bee Kingdom

As things stood, he had the Killer Bee and Wasps holding back the bees in the cave. Tu Xiao’an surveyed the scene, staring at the two beehives—one large and one small. Under the cover of his consciousness, he quickly discovered the Bee Kings inside. One, on the outside, was relatively smaller; it was likely the one that had matured more recently.

The Bee King in the inner hive was quite large, as big as a typical Wasp.

For a honeybee to grow to the size of a Wasp was no easy feat, as a fully grown adult Wasp was already five centimeters long.

’Two Bee Kings... should I capture both of them, or should I leave one behind?’

Tu Xiao’an frowned, conflicted. ’Don’t burn your bridges,’ as the saying goes. This hillside was a great place for grinding levels, so it made no sense to just show up and annihilate the entire Bee Family.

’Capturing just the Old Bee King should be enough.’

Through his Conscious Insight, Tu Xiao’an discovered that the younger Bee King was only Rank 3, while the Old Bee King was a full Level 5.

For a tiny honeybee to reach Level 5 meant it had lived for at least ten years, which was a very advanced age.

But clearly, even after ten years, the Old Bee King was still hale and hearty, holding all the power.

Having figured this out, Tu Xiao’an unleashed his Consciousness Power, completely enveloping the section of the hive where the Old Bee King was located.

As he fully deployed his consciousness, Tu Xiao’an paused. He could clearly feel his Consciousness Power had grown much stronger; it felt as if he could easily lift a fifty-pound stone.

’It seems my 10,000 Energy Value points weren’t spent for nothing. The effects of leveling up are truly remarkable.’

’Huh... a fluctuation?’

Tu Xiao’an discovered a force struggling where he had projected his consciousness, attempting to break free from its control.

He focused for a moment and realized it was the Old Bee King, flapping its wings furiously, trying to escape his formless conscious control.

’Hmph. Even if you are a Bee King, you’re merely Level 5. My current Level is Rank Seven. This is total domination.’

His Snake Pupils narrowed. On its royal platform in the hive, the Old Bee King slowly rose into the air. But from the way it struggled, it was clear it hadn’t flown up on its own.

It had been forcefully lifted by Tu Xiao’an’s formless Consciousness Power.

At that moment, Tu Xiao’an examined the Old Bee King that commanded over a hundred thousand bees. Its Qi and blood were far stronger than that of an ordinary bee, and its size was in a league of its own. The stinger on its abdomen was particularly conspicuous, looking as if a single sting would be fatal.

’But compared to my Killer Bee, this Bee King is nothing. Even at Level 5, my Killer Bee is far more powerful in a one-on-one fight. It can even shoot its stinger for a ranged attack.’

Honeybees don’t actually attack proactively, and for a simple reason: it kills them. Their stingers are connected to their internal organs, and they have barbs that get lodged in the skin. When they try to pull away after stinging, their internal organs are torn out along with the stinger, ending their life.

This marks a fundamental difference from Wasps. A Wasp can sting someone and not die, which contributes to its ferocious nature.

The System-evolved Killer Bee, however, was a perfect and even more monstrous combination of honeybee and Wasp. Not only could its stinger detach, but it could also be shot out, carrying a potent venom. Furthermore, its overall physical attributes had broken through major biological limits.

Every living creature has its physical shackles. For example, it is rare for East Asians to grow taller than 1.9 meters; breaking that barrier is difficult because of genetics.

Tu Xiao’an watched the struggling Old Bee King with cold Snake Pupils. As the king of its lineage, commanding an army of over one hundred thousand bees, when had it ever suffered such an indignity?

As Tu Xiao’an released his Consciousness Suppression, the Old Bee King’s struggles intensified. An incessant, piercing BUZZ filled the air, echoing throughout the cave.

The Old Bee King’s cries were a call for help. Instantly, the bees in the cave became even more frantic, fighting with reckless abandon. Swarm after swarm charged the Silver White Snake, as if ready to perish together in a final, suicidal attack.

Tu Xiao’an glanced over to see a dense, dark mass that blotted out the light. Of the thirty Wasps he had released, fewer than ten remained to hold back the bees; the rest were all dead.

The Killer Bee, however, remained fierce and unrivaled. No other bee dared to provoke it. It was as if the very sight of it struck a fear deep in their souls, making them as deferential as they would be before their own king.

This was the Bee Kingdom, and these bees were fighting with everything they had. With their king’s life on the line, how could they not fight to the death?

Facing the massive swarm, Tu Xiao’an was fearless. His Snake Skin began to shimmer. With a sudden tremor of his body, a formless wave of Qi blasted out from him. In an instant, the bees flying toward him were violently thrown back.

The blast created collateral damage, affecting the swarms behind them. Large numbers of bees crashed into their comrades or simply lost control, plummeting to the ground and plunging the scene into chaos.

This wave of conscious Qi from Tu Xiao’an was like a martial artist’s full-power punch, its surging energy remarkably potent. On any other day, his Consciousness Power would have been too weak to pull this off. But today, having leveled up twice in a row, it had increased dramatically.

However, releasing Consciousness Power like this was extremely draining. It was like taking a sudden, deep breath and exhaling it all at once, causing temporary shortness of breath and oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Right then, Tu Xiao’an felt a bit dizzy.

’I can probably only use a move like this once, unless I level up again and enhance my Consciousness Power.’

’I need to end this quickly. There’s no point getting bogged down by these bees. Once I capture the Bee King, this will all be over.’

Tu Xiao’an focused his mind, looking at the Old Bee King still suspended mid-air by his power. As the king of a lineage, it was naturally proving troublesome; it wouldn’t be captured in the blink of an eye without putting up a fight.

”Capture!”

With Tu Xiao’an’s sudden shout, the captive Old Bee King didn’t vanish immediately. It struggled desperately in mid-air for several seconds before reluctantly appearing inside his Pet Box.

”DING... Congratulations, Host, for capturing the Level 5 Bee King. You have received 100 Energy Value points and obtained the dominance ability over the bee lineage.”

”What!”

Tu Xiao’an was stunned. ’Dominance ability over the bee lineage?’

’Is it the same as my dominance ability over the Snake Race? Does this mean if I unleash it, all these bees will submit in terror and be enslaved by me?’

’Just because I captured their king, I’ve usurped the throne.’

’Haha, so that’s how it works!’

This was a pleasant surprise. Tu Xiao’an had planned to capture the Bee King and order it to make the other bees submit. Now, it seemed he wouldn’t need the Bee King at all.

Because he was now the new king of the bee lineage.

Inside the cave, wave after wave of bees continued to swarm brazenly toward the Silver White Snake. Suddenly, the silvery-white form on the ground flashed as an unparalleled aura erupted from it.

”Dominance ability, activate!”

WHOOSH...

In an instant, the tens of thousands of bees froze as if petrified. Their frenzy immediately transformed into awe. One by one, they drifted down and prostrated themselves on the ground.

’Excellent, it worked! The moment I activated the dominance ability, these bees submitted to me, not daring to act out of line.’

Imagine a venomous Snake becoming the king of the Bee Kingdom and leading them. How comical and incredible was that?

Yet Tu Xiao’an the Snake had actually managed it—all thanks, of course, to the System’s miraculous power.