Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy-One: Picking Up Bargains… No, This Is Still a Melee

Tsk tsk, those few disciples of Profound Heaven Sect usually look proper, but this archery skill—ridiculous!

Shi Ran muttered under her breath, showing contempt for the archery accuracy of Profound Heaven Sect, then glanced at the daoist couple in the crowd.

That couple is kind-hearted, which is good, but trying to reason with a pack of red-eyed demon beasts and a bunch of hotheaded fools—isn't that just dragging oneself into a mud pit? She shook her head, utterly unable to comprehend why their sense of justice had to erupt right now.

Go ahead, fight hard, anyway she has zero interest in getting involved!

Shi Ran yawned again, rubbing her nose that had grown a bit chilly from the morning cold wind. Only one thought filled her mind: When will this farce end? Let's wrap up after the fight!

She just wanted to find a quiet place to properly digest last night's breath-regulation gains, and incidentally ponder where today she could profitably pick up bargains; watching the bustle to the end, only she kept sighing.

Shi Ran's wish was doomed to go unfulfilled, because a junior sister of Profound Heaven Sect probably heard her earlier disdainful 'tsk tsk'—her voice wasn't loud or soft, just happened to drift downwind—or perhaps the senior brothers and sisters, flushed with anger over successive mistakes, eager to save face. She was seen pulling with all her strength on a bow nearly taller than a person, aiming at the exceptionally large bear dad.

"Junior sister, don't be impulsive!" an older disciple nearby shouted urgently, but it was too late! The junior sister's eyes held only the determination to prove herself; the bowstring hummed, an arrow infused with considerable spiritual power shot forth, whistling sharply, drawing a breath‑taking red line.

This time it was extremely accurate, precisely striking a large, earth‑brown, hive‑shaped object in the treetop—but that was no unknown weed; it was the nest of a swarm of soul‑shade poison bees.

This time it was extremely accurate, precisely striking a large, hive‑shaped earth‑brown object in the canopy—but it wasn't some unknown weed; it was the nest of a swarm of soul‑shadow poison hornets.

Numbering in the thousands, with joints of varying length, bodies jet‑black, tails flashing a faint blue glow, the poison bees surged up in a black cloud like a storm overhead, making scalps tingle; their buzzing instantly drowned out the beasts' roars and human voices below. Thoroughly enraged by the sudden attack, they carried fierce hostility and indiscriminate aggression, sweeping down violently.

The first target of their diving assault was none other than Shi Ran, who happened to be closest to the nest, still in a spectator's stance, completely unprepared.

And their first dive‑bomb target was..... Shi Ran, who was closest to the nest, still in a spectator's state, completely unprepared.

The curse Shi Ran had stuck in her throat was forcibly shoved back by the incoming, scalp‑numbing buzz of the bee swarm; her pupils contracted sharply and gooseflesh erupted all over her body.

Cold detachment? Staying out of it? Digesting one's breath regulation? Bargain‑hunting plans? All of it, to hell with it.

"Are Profound Heaven Sect's swords grown with eyes just to pit their own people?!" Shi Ran screamed in furious desperation, her voice cracking. She could no longer bother hiding her presence, practically tumbling out of the thicket, her movements clumsy yet swift as a ghost.

She frantically waved her wide‑sleeved robe, trying to drive off the poison bees with their scorching stingers that fearlessly flung themselves at her; at the same time she shouted at the equally stunned Profound Heaven Sect disciples: "Are you here to strangled beasts or to feed the demon beasts snacks? If your aim is bad, just stay out of the way—what chaos are you adding?"

Luo Changfeng, Qi Chengshuang, and Ruan Xinli, who had been hiding together with her, were also startled; Qi Chengshuang grabbed Ruan Xinli and ran, at this moment his eyes held only his soft‑spoken junior sister, as for his senior brother and the one who always opposed the junior sister—he tossed them both out of his mind!

Luo Changfeng looked at his empty hands, feeling a bit disappointed, still dazed when a tiny fireball suddenly flew in from the side, incinerating the poison bee rushing at him; he looked up—Shi Ran had already been driven mad by stimulation: "You wanna die? What are you standing there for?"

Luo Changfeng stared at his empty hand, feeling a bit disappointed; just as he was dazed, a tiny fireball swooped in from the side and incinerated the poisonous bee rushing at him. Luo Changfeng looked up—Shi Ran had already been driven completely mad by the provocation: "You want to die? What are you standing there for?"

Their four‑person movement not only drew the fury of all the poison bees, but instantly gathered everyone's gaze—those of Profound Heaven Sect, the daoist couple, and even the three‑member bear‑demon family—onto them.

The kind‑hearted daoist couple clearly also saw the few people wretchedly chased by the bee swarm; the male cultivator's face changed, he cried urgently: "Not good! A fellow daoist over there got hit by mistake!" He brandished his long sword, a sharp sword qi swept aside the demon beast before him, actually intending to charge over to Shi Ran's side to rescue.

"Don't come over! First look after yourselves!" Shi Ran nearly vomited blood—what time is it now? These two living Buddhas still want to save all beings? She frantically swatted at the bees crawling into her sleeves while shouting hoarsely: "I can still move and I'm not dead yet—focus on fighting you! Keeping your distance is the biggest help you can give me!!!"

"Don't come near! Look after yourselves first!" Shi Ran almost spat blood—what time is this? These two living Buddhas still thinking of saving all beings? While she frantically beat at the poisonous bees crawling into her sleeves, she hoarsely yelled: "I can still move and I'm not dead yet—focus on fighting you! Staying away is the biggest help you can give me!!!"

The exploded hive and the suddenly erupting chaos were like pouring a bucket of ice water into a sizzling oil pan, igniting the already edge‑of‑rage Profound Heaven Sect bear family three, whose massive commotion and the bees' violent aura were completely set ablaze.

The exploding hive and the sudden outbreak of chaos were like ladling ice water into a boiling oil pot, completely igniting the three members of the Xiong family of the Tianxuan Sect, who were already on the verge of frenzy, by the huge commotion and the violent aura given off by the poisonous bees.

The bear's roar shook the valley; from deep in the forest rose answering cries—wolves, tigers—unexpectedly, this bear's circle of friends was quite extensive. Shi Ran drew a Golden Bell Cover talisman, enveloping Luo Changfeng and herself; if not now, when else?

The bear dad, eyes bloodshot, indiscriminate, trampled everything in his path, charging at everyone present—Profound Heaven Sect disciples, that daoist couple, and the hapless Shi Ran quartet—with a violent, non‑selective rush.

The ground rumbled, dust shot sky‑high, violent demonic power and chaotic spiritual force mingled, turning the area into a death vortex.

Shi Ran beheld the apocalyptic scene before her, feeling the earth tremble beneath her feet and the savage aura of demon beasts surging from all directions; she glanced upward where the poison bees still buzzed, waiting to strike.

Only a wicked fire surged straight to her celestial crown, making her vision go black! All around, demonic and spiritual power sealed them in; she and Luo Changfeng could no longer exit, seeing the forest's demon beasts swarming in—tigers as tall as mountains, snarling gray wolves, three‑tailed red foxes—encircling them imperviously.

She merely wanted to watch the show in peace and pick up a bargain; having provoked no one, she was thrown into chaos by that absurd arrow and a nest of enraged poison bees.

Now she doesn't want to fight but must, doesn't want to get involved but has to, because the out‑of‑control demon beast tide and the frenzied bee swarm have dragged her dead‑center into the mire she couldn't avoid.

Now she has to fight even though she doesn't want to, and she has to get involved even though she doesn't want to, because the out-of-control monster tide and frenzied swarm have already tightly dragged her into the center of this mire she cannot avoid.