Repelling Spiders, Devouring Wolves

As Yuan Ming was in a standoff with the three Green Wolf Beast Slaves, Bayin finally caught up and joined the fray without a word.

He suddenly charged forward, delivering a savage tackle that directly slammed into Yuan Ming.

In his haste, Yuan Ming could only cross his arms to block in front of him, but he was still sent flying backward by the immense, strange force, crashing hard against the mountainside.

Yuan Ming felt a sweetness in his throat as a mouthful of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"As expected, he's strong."

He made a judgment about Bayin's strength in his mind. With his current power, he was no match for Bayin in a head-on confrontation, let alone with three others assisting.

Just then, Yuan Ming suddenly heard a rustling sound from above. Immediately after, a string of small pebbles rolled down the mountainside behind him.

"Finally, they're here."

Yuan Ming murmured, then surprisingly deactivated his Fur Transformation Technique, returning to his human form.

This action was akin to dropping one's armor on the battlefield, causing Bayin and the others to look on in surprise, unsure of what he was planning.

Yuan Ming had no intention of explaining. He immediately took out a paper packet from his embrace, tore it open roughly, and began to sprinkle it onto himself.

Red and white powder fell all over his body, and a pungent odor spread through the air.

Bayin wrinkled his nose, and then he heard one of the Green Wolf Beast Slaves speak, "Boss Bayin, this looks like... Beast Repelling Powder."

Although he didn't understand what was happening, he had already sensed that something was amiss.

"Don't mind it, hurry up and kill him," Bayin roared.

The three Green Wolf Beast Slaves lunged forward simultaneously. Yuan Ming, having returned to his human form, did not use the Fur Transformation Technique again. Instead, he turned and began to climb up the mountainside.

One of the Green Wolf Beast Slaves moved with incredible speed. It grabbed onto a protruding rock on the cliff face with its forepaws, used the leverage to leap up, and opened its gaping maw to bite at Yuan Ming.

Just as its fangs were about to clamp down on Yuan Ming's calf, a "whoosh" sound suddenly cut through the air.

Immediately after, a sharp, black bone spur shot past Yuan Ming's back and pierced the head of the Green Wolf Beast Slave, splattering blood.

The Green Wolf Beast Slave's body, carried by the bone spur's powerful momentum, slammed into the ground, killing it instantly.

The other two Green Wolf Beast Slaves were so terrified by this sight that they froze in their tracks, halting their advance.

They all looked up towards Yuan Ming's position and saw a massive, dark head emerging from a large cave opening in the rock face above.

Its head was as large as an ox's, covered in short black fur, with two rows of eight compound eyes neatly arranged. Below them were a pair of curved chelicerae, gleaming with a dark luster. Above its head, a sharp, black single horn protruded.

"What kind of monster is this?" one of the Green Wolf Beast Slaves exclaimed.

His voice immediately attracted the attention of the strange head. All eight eyes swiveled towards him. The sharp horn on its head flashed with dark light, and a black bone spur suddenly shot out.

The Green Wolf Beast Slave reacted quickly, dodging to the side.

The black bone spur grazed its back, leaving only a shallow cut, but it missed any vital points.

Seeing its attack miss, the strange head immediately began to move. Its head extended forward, and its entire body emerged from the cave, followed by its eight long, spear-like black spider legs.

Its body clung to the steep rock face, its eight spider legs firmly embedded in the crevices of the stone, making it as stable as a mountain, with no sign of falling.

"Unicorn Wolf Spider, what is this thing doing here?" Bayin exclaimed in shock.

As soon as he spoke, he saw that the Green Wolf Beast Slave, which had been grazed by the bone spur, had already collapsed on the ground, black blood flowing from its nose and mouth. It was dead.

The remaining Green Wolf Beast Slave was so terrified by this scene that it remained frozen in place.

"Such potent venom."

As soon as Bayin finished speaking, a black bone spur shot through the air, heading straight for his face.

He immediately slapped out with his hand, his claws precisely deflecting the bone spur. Using its original momentum, he redirected the black bone spur, sending it flying back towards Yuan Ming.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming quickly dodged to the side and continued to climb upwards.

He was the closest to the Unicorn Wolf Spider, and the creature had already sensed his presence.

However, because he was covered in Beast Repelling Powder, the Unicorn Wolf Spider did not attack him immediately. Instead, it prioritized attacking Bayin, who posed the greatest threat.

The Unicorn Wolf Spider rapidly climbed down the cliff and scurried towards Bayin. Its eight steel-spear-like legs supported its body, and it reached Bayin in just a few steps.

The tips of its spider legs were incredibly sharp, constantly stabbing at Bayin.

Bayin could only swing his two badger-like paws, using the tips of his claws to block the attacks, creating a series of metallic clanging sounds.

The seemingly slender legs of the Unicorn Wolf Spider collided with his sharp claws, yet they sustained no damage. Instead, Bayin was forced into a defensive posture, with his body receiving several bloody scratches.

In a short while, blackness began to appear on his wounds, indicating that he too had been poisoned.

Yuan Ming took the opportunity to climb rapidly upwards, soon reaching the cave where the Unicorn Wolf Spider resided.

He flipped into the cave entrance, and was immediately hit by an indescribable, complex odor.

Yuan Ming's gaze swept across the area. On both sides of the cave entrance, there were scattered, gnawed-clean white bones and pieces of tattered, mangled flesh.

And in the center of these filthy remains, there was an object with a dark red color, resembling a lingzhi mushroom or immortal herb. Its texture was close to wood, yet it seemed to possess a slight, animal-like wriggling motion.

"That's right, it's the Flesh Lingzhi mentioned in the Compendium of Herbs." Yuan Ming's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.

Some time ago, when he was out hunting, the prey he had injured had disappeared after fleeing into this valley. When he searched for it later, he discovered that the Unicorn Wolf Spider had taken advantage of the situation.

When he came to investigate, he found this Flesh Lingzhi. Knowing it was a precious spiritual medicine recorded in the Compendium of Herbs, he conceived the idea of taking it for himself.

After trying and failing, Yuan Ming realized he was no match for the Unicorn Wolf Spider. That's when he devised the strategy of luring the pursuing Green Wolf Gang into a trap, intending to seize the treasure amidst the chaos.

With the treasure within reach, Yuan Ming stepped forward and carefully dug out the palm-sized Flesh Lingzhi. He wrapped it in pre-prepared beast hide and tucked it into his bosom.

Having secured the item, Yuan Ming approached the cave entrance, planning to assess the situation outside before making his next move.

However, just as he reached the entrance, a ghastly pale human face descended from above, its round eyes staring directly at him.

The eyes were an inky black, devoid of any whites, giving them a sinister appearance.

Startled, Yuan Ming flinched back, allowing him to get a clear view of the pale face. It was clearly a peculiar pattern on the head of a completely black spider.

This spider was much smaller than the Unicorn Wolf Spider. Its eight spindly legs were like matchsticks, and its body was slender and elongated. Only its head was round, bearing a pale human face.

As Yuan Ming watched it, it watched him back. Its dark eyes revealed nothing.

At that moment, the strange human face inexplicably grinned. However, there were no teeth visible, nor even a discernible mouth. It was as if a formless mask was plastered onto the spider's forehead.

This eerie sight sent a shiver down Yuan Ming's spine, and he instinctively prepared to flee.

But the cave in the cliff face was shallow, with only one exit. Yuan Ming found himself trapped.

He had no choice but to use the Furring Technique, transforming into a White Ape. He rummaged through the pile of white bones, grabbed a bone from some unknown beast, and prepared to throw it with his Essence Accumulating Arm.

However, before he could even use the beast bone, which had long since died, it shattered with a "crack."

Yuan Ming quickly switched to another bone, but it also crumbled at his touch.

Cursing inwardly, he took out a third bone. Just as he was about to throw it, he noticed the feel of it in his hand was off. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't a bone at all, but a rust-covered Ancient Bronze Sword.

At that precise moment, the Human-Faced Spider launched its attack. One of its slender legs shot towards Yuan Ming like a steel spear, moving with incredible speed, no slower than the Unicorn Wolf Spider.

Yuan Ming had no time to hesitate and quickly raised his sword to block.

With a sharp "clang!"

The sword met the spider's leg, sending sparks flying.

Yuan Ming felt a powerful force surge through him, forcing him to retreat. He looked at the sword in his hand and saw that only a bit of rust had flaked off; it was otherwise unharmed.

The Human-Faced Spider attacked again, its two legs thrusting forward in a rapid, alternating assault on Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming parried with his sword while desperately trying to push back towards the cave entrance.

The limited space within the cave restricted his movements, leaving him in a defensive position.

As he blocked the spider's legs and pressed towards the exit, the Human-Faced Spider's abdomen suddenly contracted. A small opening on its belly spewed out a stream of white fluid, which expanded in mid-air to form a white web, descending to envelop Yuan Ming.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming deflected a lunging spider leg with his sword. With his other hand, he spread his fingers, grabbed the web, and with a swing of his arm, coiled it into a knot.

A sharp pain shot through his palm as a potent corrosive force penetrated his flesh. Even with the White Ape's hide offering some protection, his palm was instantly scarred by the corrosive substance.

The burning pain caused Yuan Ming's eyes to widen in fury, igniting a ferocity that felt alien to him.

He let out a roar, using one hand to grip his sword and block the incoming attacks. He lunged forward, clenching his injured hand into a fist and smashing it fiercely against the attacking spider leg.