The White Spider

Chapter 271: The White Spider

This was a stalactite cave with passages leading in many directions. Although its true size was unknown, it looked far from small.

After raising a Moonlight Stone and examining his surroundings for a while, Han Li came to this conclusion.

The instant the tunnel collapsed and the stone and earth came crashing down, Han Li had quickly activated his protective barrier. As a result, though he was buried deep underground amidst a series of violent tremors, he at least had some breathing room to recover.

However, the terrain had changed so drastically during the quake that Han Li had no idea where he was, nor could he determine his orientation. With no other choice, he released several of his lizard-style puppet beasts, sending them to dig in multiple directions in the hope of finding a path out.

At this moment, he deeply regretted not having learned the Earth Escape Technique earlier. If he had, a simple spell would have let him move freely through the soil. Instead, he had to crawl slowly behind the passage cleared by the puppet beasts.

As for the idea of using a magic tool to clear a path, Han Li dismissed it as soon as it crossed his mind. He would never actually attempt it.

Without knowing his direction or position, wasting mana recklessly was hardly a wise decision. Besides, using a magic tool within earth and stone was extremely dangerous. One wrong move could trigger another collapse.

Thus, Han Li had his puppet beasts scout a certain area first each time, then selected the direction most likely to lead to an exit. After following this tedious process for several hours, crawling all the while, he finally reached this nameless stalactite cave, allowing his tightly wound nerves to fully relax.

The feeling of having survived a disaster was truly wonderful.

Han Li glanced back at the hole he had crawled out of, knowing full well that there were likely others who had also survived the tunnel collapse. But whether they could find a way out of the rubble was another matter.

In an airtight space, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator probably couldn't hold out for long. Qi Condensation disciples were even more unlikely to survive.

Still, amid his relief, Han Li felt a twinge of confusion.

Why had the tunnel collapsed and the earthquake struck so soon after they entered? Had the demonic cultivators caused it? Han Li felt there was a good chance this guess was correct.

...

On the surface, the demonic cultivators were busy destroying the spirit mine entrance, smashing everything inside the cave with their magic tools.

High above the mine, a yellow-robed elder spoke regretfully to a girl in red.

"Junior Sister Lian, wasn't that a bit excessive? For the sake of a few stray dogs, why waste an Earthshaking Talisman? That's an extremely rare mid-grade talisman!"

"Hmph! Do you think you can just run away from me, Lian Fei, that easily? Though sweeping this spirit stone mine is just a side task, letting them get away smoothly still rubs me the wrong way!" The girl in red curled her lips, speaking indifferently.

The yellow-robed elder found this both ridiculous and exasperating.

To waste a rare talisman for such a reason was simply absurd! But then again, she was the only daughter of the Devil Flame Sect's Sect Leader. Sigh, as a mere Protector of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, he should mind his own business.

With this thought, the elder shut his mouth and said no more.

Before long, this group of demonic cultivators, having completely destroyed the spirit mine, flew away, gradually disappearing from sight.

One day later, a massive medicinal herb plantation belonging to the Seven Sects, located quite far from the mine, was ambushed by the same group. All the medicinal herbs that were about to be refined into pills were plundered clean, and even the seedlings were burned to nothing by the Green Sun Demon Flame.

This incident immediately seized the attention of the Seven Sects' upper echelons. In comparison, the attack on the spirit mine where Han Li had been staying suddenly seemed trivial. After all, a damaged mine could be restored with time, but the spirit herbs that had been stolen and burned would not grow back within decades.

The high-level cultivators of the Seven Sects, furious, dispatched experts to pursue the attackers. Unexpectedly, they were ambushed halfway by the enemy's reinforcements and suffered a minor setback.

After this string of defeats, the Seven Sects naturally refused to swallow their anger. Believing they had recovered some strength, they prepared to launch a second large-scale war against the Six Sects.

...

Underground, Han Li frowned deeply. Having confirmed a cave entrance from which a breeze was flowing, he sent two puppet beasts ahead to scout while he followed behind.

After passing through several dozen caves, the stalactite caverns grew larger and larger, with the biggest easily able to hold a hundred people without issue. Similarly, the draft grew stronger, which put Han Li somewhat at ease. After all, a breeze meant there was a passage leading to the surface.

Just as Han Li stepped into a new cave, he unexpectedly encountered six or seven people—Xuan Le, Lü Tianmeng, and the other cultivators, including Zhong Wu among them.

They were also slightly startled to see Han Li and the two puppet beasts at his side.

Xuan Le was about to say something with a smile when a shrill scream suddenly came from another direction, making everyone's expression change to one of alarm.

Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng exchanged a glance. Abandoning any thought of questioning Han Li, they immediately hurried toward the source of the sound. Naturally, they activated defensive spells and readied their magic tools, careful not to be careless in the slightest.

Seeing this, Han Li hesitated for a moment. In the end, he took out his White Phosphorus Shield and slowly followed behind. However, he did not cast any defensive spells on himself, instead applying only the Light Body Technique and the Wind Riding Technique simultaneously. He had always believed that in confined spaces, speed was more important than defense.

When their group passed three or four large caves and arrived at an even larger stalactite chamber, they were all startled by the sight before them.

In the center of the cave, a giant, crystalline white spider, several tens of feet in length, was gnawing on a bloodied corpse with its massive fangs. The tattered white robes on the body identified the victim as a Moon-Masking Sect disciple who had survived the cave-in. Scattered nearby were three or four badly damaged magic tools.

But what drew even more attention was the pile of raw spirit ore behind the spider, in the middle of which sat an ancient-looking hexagonal teleportation formation. Beside the formation, a five-colored skeleton sat cross-legged in meditation, floating three feet above the ground, holding a brilliant blue token in its hands that emitted a faint glow.

"What is this?"

A Qi Condensation disciple swallowed hard and asked dryly. No one could tell whether he was referring to the bizarre spider, the teleportation formation, or the skeleton and token. Naturally, no one answered him.

Perhaps the sound of his voice disturbed the spider. The monster ceased its feasting and raised its head, fixing the newly arrived group with an icy stare.

Han Li and the other cultivators tensed up, immediately going on guard.

But after staring at them for a moment, the monster lowered its head and continued tearing at the corpse, utterly ignoring them. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

"Die!"

A Moon-Masking Sect disciple, perhaps feeling a pang of grief for his fallen comrade, suddenly raised his hand and launched a red dart-shaped magic tool, shooting it toward the spider.

This startled experienced cultivators like Lü Tianmeng, who silently cursed the man for his recklessness.

With a crisp bang, the dart struck the spider's head, which hadn't even bothered to dodge. The projectile was deflected, not leaving a single scratch on the insect's body, while the dart's tip was already slightly bent. The other cultivators' eyes nearly popped out. This spider's shell was this hard? It was too much!

"Everyone attack together!"

Xuan Le shot a fierce glare at the reckless disciple, but had no choice but to call for a coordinated assault, as the spider had stopped eating and was slowly crawling toward them.

At his command, over a dozen magic tools were launched simultaneously, unleashing various forms of power as they struck the giant spider. Han Li also sent his Golden Blade flying.

For a moment, the white spider was covered in a brilliant display of multicolored light, its form completely obscured by the intense radiance. It seemed as if it would be killed in an instant. But after a series of cracking and popping sounds, the light from the attacking magic tools rapidly dimmed. Five or six of the lower-grade tools lost all spiritual nature and fell directly to the ground.

Seeing this, Han Li and the others were greatly alarmed. Without a word, they recalled their tools for a closer inspection.

Fortunately, the top-grade tools were largely undamaged. The high-grade tools had suffered some noticeable wear. As for those that had fallen to the ground, they were obviously of even lower quality. The white spider, now fully visible again, bore not a single scar anywhere on its body, still crawling unhurriedly toward them.

"Retreat!"

Lü Tianmeng and Xuan Le exchanged a look and spoke in unison.

Though they had some interest in the teleportation formation and the token, fighting such a demonic beast head-on would come at a terrifying cost, even if they could kill it. It was far more important to return to the surface.

But at that moment, the white spider opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of white liquid directly toward the center of the group.

Having already witnessed the monster's power, no one was foolish enough to let this unknown liquid touch them. They all instinctively dodged to both sides.

"Not good!" A flash of insight struck Han Li's mind. He recalled something and couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

The other cultivators were momentarily stunned, unsure of what he meant.

The liquid suddenly transformed into a massive net in mid-air, shooting straight toward the cave entrance and sticking to it. In an instant, it had sealed off the only way they had come in.

The other cultivators' expressions shifted. It was then that they realized this stalactite cave seemed to have only that one entrance.