I Will Grind My Way To Godhood

Jo Ying heard the broadcast and bit her lip.

The swarm of Sea Bees had truly arrived; Mr. Fox was indeed as brilliant as ever.

Yet, the process and outcome of the event were entirely different from what they had imagined. Mr. Fox was indeed remarkable. ‘We can only retreat for now...’

She glanced at the man with the family name Wei who had been cut in half at the waist, and the strange cat-eared woman approaching rapidly. Her body spun in the air and flew out through a large hole in the ceiling left by a revolver.

In the moment she flew out, she couldn't help but glance back into the room.

From this angle, she couldn't see the full face of the young man, only the slender, pale neck and below.

Her instinct to evade responsibility made her want to blame everything on this boy, claim it was all his fault for being too charming, practically a fatal attraction.

Yet her genuine affection wouldn't allow her to do so.

Just seeing him once more, her feelings transformed from the regret of a failed mission to a deep regret of not being able to have a moment with him.

‘It’s all that idiot Wei Chu's fault, just wanted to vent a little, why stop so forcefully, letting things escalate to this!’

Finding a new scapegoat in her heart, Jo Ying sighed, swiftly moving out of the hole, intending to fly away from the massive, swaying cruise ship.

At this moment, a shadow flickered across the void.

Regaining her senses, Jo Ying found that her limbs had been severed, the cuts smooth as porcelain, with her blood scattering in mid-air.

Her truncated body and head were gripped by a slender hand. Five silver claws pierced her scalp and skull as if through tofu, holding her firmly.

The next moment, there was a blur, and Jo Ying realized she was back in the casino.

In front of her stood the young man with silver eyes, inexplicable in their beauty.

He was sitting at a poker table, legs crossed and chin propped on his hand, elbow resting on his knee, seemingly unaffected by the ship’s violent rocking, his pose stable beyond belief.

Lying at his feet was Wei Chu, halved at the waist, completely motionless. ‘

Not bad, Teacher Wan,’ Xue Jing praised, looking at Ning Fengwan, elegantly dressed in a black lace gown with her hair up.

Her long legs ended in black pointed red-soled high heels... very alluring.

Yet she had just used them to sprint across walls to subdue the enemy; it was downright absurd.

‘Ahem.’

Pleased with the compliment, Ning Fengwan coughed slightly, straightening her slender waist.

‘What now? Things seem a bit urgent,’ the girl asked, feeling the ship's violent shaking.

‘We’ve been out here for hours, and if the ship capsizes, we might not be able to swim back.’

Before Xue Jing could speak, Jo Ying, held like a human stick by Fengwan, smirked, ‘

The sea is full of Sea Bees now; if we hit the water, we'd be stung to death. How could we swim back?’

‘Hmm?’ Ning Fengwan's fingers pressed harder, the claws digging further into Jo Ying's skull.

‘Hiss— It really hurts, girl. You're about to stab into my brain. Can you ease up a bit?’ Jo Ying grimaced, speaking through gritted teeth.

‘Fun fact, brains have no pain receptors; it won't hurt if it reaches your brain,’ Ning Fengwan said nonchalantly.

‘...You're hurting my scalp and skull right now,’ Jo Ying said helplessly.

Xue Jing inquired curiously, ‘Sister, didn’t I kill you just moments ago? How are you still alive?’

Jo Ying responded as if it were obvious, ‘

It was just my neck being twisted—is that supposed to kill me?’

‘...You would typically die, wouldn’t you?’ Ning Fengwan seemed at a loss for words.

‘Creak—’ Amidst the rocking ship, the sound of twisting metal came from somewhere, signaling the ship’s dire situation.

Outside, the faint screams of people could be heard, and the broadcast was rapidly instructing the crowd to evacuate.

After pondering a moment, Xue Jing asked, ‘

Your goal boarding this ship was to capture the “Sea Bee King,” so you brought the swarm?’

Jo Ying affirmed, ‘

Indeed, that's correct.’

His eyes glimmering, Xue Jing snapped his fingers and turned to Ning Fengwan, ‘See, Teacher Wan, I told you the trouble on the ship has nothing to do with me. They brought the Sea Bees.’

‘...No, this is definitely your fault—because you're on this ship, they came, leading the Sea Bee swarm,’”,

"I'm quite certain of this," Ning Fengwan declared firmly.

Xue Jing looked unconvinced. "That's absurd. Are you saying if the Earth were to be destroyed next moment, it would be my fault just for living on it?"

"Boom, boom—"

The ship trembled with a loud crash as if a massive object had fallen to the ground.

Xue Jing turned to Jo Ying. "Sister, since you all came here to capture the Sea Bee King, you must have a strategy to deal with the swarm, right?"

Jo Ying seemed to want to nod, but with her head restrained, she couldn't. Looking at the alluring face of the young man before her, she spoke softly, "We did, originally..."

"Once the Sea Bee swarm appears, their numbers are terrifying, at least a hundred thousand, possibly reaching a million."

"The Sea Bee King, as the swarm's only 'brain,' commands the bees in battle, hidden among the hundreds of thousands. It looks almost identical to regular Sea Bees, making it extremely hard to locate."

"Only by capturing or killing the Sea Bee King and isolating its pheromones can the swarm become disoriented and scatter."

Her eyes shifted, glancing at the two-part silent Wei Chu lying on the ground. "To find the hidden Sea Bee King... we must rely on Wei Chu's cybernetic eyes, uploaded with specific data."

Jo Ying revealed Wei Chu's real name without reservation now.

Xue Jing stepped down from the table, crouched, and poked at Wei Chu's eyes. With a sticky sound, he forcibly extracted the eyeball, trailing delicate flesh-colored nerves and fine cable-like appendages, sparking blue arcs as it was pulled away.

Xue Jing offered the eyeball, covered in an unknown sticky substance and blood, to Jo Ying. "Want to try them on?"

Jo Ying looked at him speechlessly. "Do you think this is some plug-and-play Sharingan?"

Realizing his impractical suggestion, Xue Jing tossed the eyeball away, pondering aloud, "So there's only one option left?"

"What's that?" Ning Fengwan inquired.

"Exterminate the entire Sea Bee swarm," Xue Jing replied, wiping his fingers with a tablecloth.

Jo Ying tried to shake her head but only managed to sway her torso. "That's a pipe dream..."

"Three Sea Bees can slaughter a grown man. A sting from their tails ranks among the 'top ten most painful things in the world.' To annihilate a swarm of over a hundred thousand at sea, we'd need individuals of at least Level 6 with extensive destruction capabilities..."

"When the sky falls, the taller ones have to bear it... and I guess I'm the tallest here, so might as well try," Xue Jing said, brushing dust off himself, then smiled at Jo Ying. "Sister, anything particular to watch out for in a Sea Bee swarm fight?"

Jo Ying was momentarily dazed by his smile, involuntarily blurting out, "There are some huge ones in the swarm, the Warrior Bees, far more dangerous than the regular ones."

Xue Jing nodded and turned to walk out of the casino.

Seeing this, Ning Fengwan asked, "Ah Jing, what about this woman?"

Without looking back, Xue Jing simply said, "Kill her."

His tone was flat, as if stating a lunch decision.

Jo Ying sighed, admiration in her eyes, "Even when he's ruthless, he's captivating..."

"Ugh."

Ning Fengwan glared at her in disgust, tossed her into the air, her five fingers turning into claws that swiftly sliced.

Jo Ying was split into six long strips of meat, scattered on the ground.

Stepping out of the casino, Xue Jing immediately bumped into Security Chief Chen Liang. "Mr. Xue!"

Chen, seeing Xue Jing, seemed to find his anchor, his prior urgency dissolving. "Chief Chen... well done."

Noticing the Vutu sword in Chen's hands, Xue Jing was slightly surprised.

Handing over the sword, Chen rapidly informed, "Mr. Xue, what now? The distress signal’s sent but rescue may come too late."

As the ship rocked more violently, Chen couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly, recalling his conversation with Mr. Xue earlier. "Such odds are rare, even less likely than winning a million-dollar lottery, but here we are, ahahaha..."

"Who would've thought I'd actually hit the jackpot..."

Xue Jing accepted the Vutu Sword, lightly caressing the scabbard as he asked, "Are all the passengers taken care of?"

Chen Liang nodded, "All the passengers should be gathered inside the ship's cabin."

Xue Jing walked to the deck railing, peering down at the sea below.

In the pitch-black night, only the ship's lights offered some illumination, casting their glow on the ocean's surface.

The waves were tumultuous, splashing water, and through the faint light, countless shadows seemed to be darting back and forth beneath the surface.

A series of dull, pounding thuds echoed from the ship's hull, each one causing hearts to clench with fear.

"Sea Bee swarms are among the few marine species with high threat levels that can bypass naval defenses and invade internally," Chen Liang whispered.

"A Queen Bee needs only to be fertilized once, and she can lay eggs for life... A single fertilized Sea Queen Bee slipping past defenses can begin laying eggs immediately, forming a massive colony."

"However, despite their carnivorous nature, Sea Bee swarms usually keep to deep-sea regions and rarely surface."

"Why on earth would they suddenly attack a cruise ship?" Chen Liang wondered aloud, puzzled.

Having dealt with Jo Ying, Ning Fengwan left the casino, her high heels clicking as she approached Xue Jing, folding her arms and looking out to sea. She asked, "What should be done?"

Xue Jing thought for a moment before lightly leaping onto the railing, standing firmly despite the ship's constant swaying as if rooted to the spot.

His eyes turned a divine silver as the Vutu Sword was unsheathed.

A black membrane coated the blade, and spiral grooves appeared on his arms.

"Black Sky Blade: Twisting Thunder—"

With a crack of thunder from nowhere, an enormous black whirlwind of blade light slashed from the blade's edge, spiraling toward the multitude of shadows on the sea's surface.

Upon contact with the water, the black whirlwind immediately engulfed the seawater, spiraling into a massive waterspout.

"Whoosh—"

A waterspout reaching from sea to sky arose before them, swarming with countless shadows caught within as they spun with the currents.

Xue Jing focused intently on these 'creatures'.

They were about forty to fifty centimeters long, segmented into three parts with yellow and black stripes, resembling bees.

However, unlike bees, their abdomens had six gill-like organs, where their wings should be lay four asymmetrical long fins, and the structure of their six legs was webbed, ideal for underwater movement. Their mouthparts featured a horn beetle-like black exoskeletal hammer.

"Thud thud thud thud—"

Countless Sea Bees fell onto the deck with a series of thuds.

Every Sea Bee that landed bore several blade wounds, their amber blood oozing from the cuts. Some still twitched, six legs struggling as their stingers jabbed nervously in the air.

Chen Liang's eyes widened with disbelief.

What on earth was this? A legendary sword aura?

How could a single strike summon a waterspout like that?

Even knowing how strong Mr. Xue was... this was beyond comprehension.

"Teacher Wan, how many were killed with that strike?" Xue Jing asked in a detached tone.

Under the influence of the Heavenly Blade's aura, not only his pupils and demeanor but also his voice carried an air of divinity.

Ning Fengwan, slightly dazed, replied in a low voice, "Not even three hundred, I think..." Her tone unintentionally carried a hint of reverence she hadn't noticed herself.

Xue Jing pondered for a moment.

Though his vitality and stamina were excellent due to his "Health Cultivation", even slashing at this rate, he couldn't significantly diminish a swarm of at least ten thousand Sea Bees.

The energy expenditure for such a level of sword strike was immense; he might not manage even thirty strikes.

"Need to think of another way," Xue Jing mused.

At that moment, the water's surface agitation increased drastically.

"Poo poo poo poo—"

Countless Sea Bees launched from the water at great speed, swarming toward Xue Jing's position.

They either extended the exoskeleton hammer on their heads or raised their rear ends to reveal stingers; their opaque compound eyes sent chills down one's spine.

Xue Jing swung his Vutu Sword, slicing all the attacking Sea Bees in half. The continuous sound of the blade cutting through flesh was accompanied by the countless Sea Bee corpses scattering like rain.

Nearby, Ning Fengwan also revealed her Snake Slayer daggers on her fingertips, cutting through the Sea Bees.

An endless stream of Sea Bees leaped forward relentlessly like reverse dumplings, launching wave after wave of death-defying assaults.

"Director Chen, you'd better find shelter inside the cabin."

While swiftly wielding his blade, Xue Jing advised to Chen Liang, whose face was smeared with Sea Bee blood nearby.

Chen Liang quickly nodded and crawled toward the safety of the cabin.

"Crack—"

The ship suddenly tilted sharply, nearly capsizing, and a blaring alarm sounded incessantly.

"The hull is breached... water is entering!"

Chen Liang stumbled and fell, his face pale with shock.

Meanwhile, Xue Jing focused solely on moving across the deck.

Like bullets, the Sea Bees continuously fired towards him without hesitation, shooting in the direction he moved.

Observing this, a thought flashed in Xue Jing's mind.

He continued to slaughter the endless Sea Bees while scanning his surroundings with the corner of his eye.

"I need a higher vantage point... This cruise ship is absurdly tall."

He glanced up at the observation tower located several decks above and smirked.

"Teacher Wan, take care of yourself."

Xue Jing advised Ning Fengwan before his figure flashed, speeding up as he began to scale the cruise ship, aiming for the top level.

The Sea Bees were relentless, continuously firing at wherever he stood as he leapt off walls, grabbing a balcony railing and propelling himself upward.

Several Sea Bees collided with the glass, shattering it with their hard exoskeleton hammers, causing several passengers hiding inside to scream.

"Shadow Blade: Thunderstorm—"

Landing on a deck level, Xue Jing unleashed a black tornado blade aura, shredding the Sea Bees in its path, granting him a brief respite to continue climbing.

Minutes later, he finally vaulted to the top deck, quickly sprinting to the lookout tower's roof.

From this vantage, Xue Jing scanned his surroundings, his view unobstructed.

In the pitch-black night, under the cruise ship lights, shadows revealed black currents.

In Xue Jing's silvery eyes, black flames ignited.

With the Shadow Flame's presence, darkness could no longer impede his vision.

"The Sea Bees can precisely attack me continuously, clearly aware of my position."

"Only the Sea Bee Queen can command the swarm."

"It can see where I am..."

As he slaughtered the Sea Bees, Xue Jing's gaze swept the sea.

"It's on the surface..."

His pupils, burning with black flames, seemed to devour all light.

With Level 7 targeting, surpassing human limits of vision was fully engaged, constantly adjusting the focus within his eyes.

Covering countless indistinguishable shadows over several hundred meters, each nearly identical, was like searching for one grain of glutinous rice in a vat of regular rice.

Xue Jing maintained extraordinary composure without the slightest impatience.

'Not this one... Not this one... Not this one...'

Remembering every detail of the Sea Bees' appearances, Xue Jing persistently searched for an anomaly among them on the water's surface.

Bee after bee, his speed increased from one every few seconds to less than one per second.

Eventually, he could sweep across an area, comprehending the appearance of all Sea Bees.

The intensive graphical analysis quickly consumed his mental strength, causing his eyes to heat up gradually.

"Not here... Not here either..."

Xue Jing's eyes grew hotter.

Xue Jing paid no heed, continuing to engage his incredible vision, sweeping his eyes incessantly across the surroundings.

Time passed, although he couldn't tell how long. Suddenly, his pupils trembled, and a buzzing echoed in his ears.

Unnoticed by even himself, his pupils had unconsciously transformed into animal-like vertical slits.

Suddenly, as if receiving a divine revelation, he turned his head.

The burning black-flame pupils scanned over a seemingly insignificant area.

In that moment, Xue Jing experienced a hallucination.

He felt as if he had become a real dragon riding among the clouds, undulatingly swimming through the sky.

Before him lay layer upon layer of swirling cloud seas, which seemed to obscure his vision. The dragon cast a casual gaze.

Divine light pierced through, dispersing the clouds like Moses parting the sea, revealing a clear path.

Xue Jing's vertical pupils glowed, focusing intently on that inconspicuous spot.

There, a Sea Bee that looked almost identical to the others lay sprawled on the water's surface.

The difference was that the yellow and black stripes on this Sea Bee, were, if observed closely, entirely reversed from those of a normal Sea Bee.

The yellow had turned black, and the black had turned yellow.

Its fur was also slightly longer than that of a typical Sea Bee.

Most crucially... Xue Jing could "perceive" it with absolute clarity through his vision.

The creature... was looking back at him.

Despite the compound eyes giving away no discernible direction in its gaze, Xue Jing just had that feeling.

"Found you..."

Without hesitation, Xue Jing stomped the ground.

With a bang, the lookout tower shattered beneath his foot as he launched himself towards the Queen Bee like a cannonball.

Clutching the Vutu Sword, shrouded in a black film, his silvery-white vertical pupils exuded a sense of disdain and cold indifference.

Countless Sea Bees surged out to block this man from approaching the "Queen."

However— "Ssssss—"

The relentless sound of blades slicing through flesh resounded. Any Sea Bee drawing near to Xue Jing was instantaneously reduced to scattered fragments, as if running into a meat grinder.

The Sea Bee Queen sensed its detection and immediately submerged, attempting to flee.

Although Xue Jing should have lost sight of the Sea Bee Queen, it's as if he had a see-through locking mechanism activated, his vision steadfastly tracking the Queen into the depths.

He plunged in as well, the water crashing around him.

Only the muted thudding of his ears could be heard, and nothing else.

Still, his eyes remained steadfastly open.

With Level 3 swimming skills and Twin Speed, he advanced like a marine creature, swiftly converging on the descending Sea Bee King.

Dozens of massive forms, larger than ordinary Sea Bees, coursed rapidly towards him.

"Soldier Bees..."

Xue Jing conjured his Twin Force and Twin Defense, spiral indentations covering his chest and neck.

"Black Heaven Blade: Roll of Gale and Thunder—"

The ultimate slash swung underwater crafted a colossal undersea vortex, briefly forming a spiral-shaped undersea passage, barricading all Soldier Bees outside.

Gazing at the Queen Bee at the tunnel's end, Xue Jing whispered softly: "You're doomed. Not even Jesus can save you, as I said."

With a push off the water's surface, Xue Jing charged, black flames engulfing his body, Vutu Sword in hand, hurtling with menacing speed towards the Sea Bee Queen.

"Swoosh—"

A flicker of black light. "Black Heaven Blade: Flow Piercer."

The Sea Bee Queen's form stiffened, its body cleaved in half with surgical precision from the front of its mandible to the stinger at the rear.