Nor Underestimate

Flames burned fiercely.

In the scorching air, a giant tree slowly toppled, crashing to the ground with a bang, the flying sparks igniting more chaos.

The Eight-Legged Spider leader let out a sharp whistle that almost pierced the eardrums.

This was its territory, its home, now burned to the ground. Everything before its eyes filled it with immense rage.

Unlike ordinary Eight-Legged Spiders, it wasn't afraid of flames, and its silk had undergone a qualitative improvement, completely immune to burning.

The culprits were right before it, and it would pour all its rage onto these two!

Zi Di was already trapped by the spiderwebs, and her Black Iron aura was nothing to worry about.

The only concern was Zhen Jin.

The aura of this young man—the Eight-Legged Spider leader was somewhat unsure.

The Eight-Legged Spider leader focused all its killing intent on Zhen Jin.

More and more spider silk shot towards Zhen Jin.

At first, only the spear and the young man's hands were bound by the silk, but soon layers of silk wrapped around Zhen Jin's entire body, even starting to cover his ears and nose.

If, at this moment, a dagger could cut the silk, Zhen Jin could escape this predicament.

But there was none!

Huang Zao had the opportunity to throw a dagger, but he didn't!

Therefore, Zhen Jin was in a desperate situation.

A sharp weapon was the key to escaping at this moment.

Or if that longsword had been in Zhen Jin's hand back then, facing this situation would have been easy to resolve.

Even without the longsword, a saber would do.

In short, not a war spear.

Zhen Jin suddenly exerted force within the spiderweb, he hadn't given up yet!

Although his strength had increased, it was far from reaching the limit the spiderweb could withstand, making it impossible to break free.

The result of the attempt made Zhen Jin feel a hint of despair.

If he couldn't break free with all his might, then there was basically no hope. Random struggling would only make the silk bind tighter and tighter, like falling into quicksand; a worthless attempt would only hasten death.

Zhen Jin remained still, his thoughts racing, trying to find a way to escape.

Layers of spider silk wrapped around him. Seeing the seemingly resigned young man, the Eight-Legged Spider leader deliberately moved closer to the young man's face. Above its ferocious mouthparts, there were over a dozen eyeballs, densely packed together.

The spider's eyeballs stared at Zhen Jin, its mouthparts slightly opening and closing, making squeaking sounds, as if the spider leader was sneering at Zhen Jin!

It wanted to thoroughly torment this young man, it wanted to pierce him, letting his blood drain dry. At the same time, it would inject its spider venom into Zhen Jin's body, watching the venom corrode, watching the young man rot little by little from the inside out. Finally, it would suck up the entirety of the young man who had rotted into a puddle, leaving not a single drop, filling its belly.

This was the consequence of offending it!

Zhen Jin didn't struggle, clenching his teeth, forced to meet the spider leader's gaze.

The two sides faced each other, only a few steps apart.

The Eight-Legged Spider leader raised its two foremost feelers. The slender tips of the feelers were sharp like spears or swords, easily piercing through the spiderweb.

Immediately, Zhen Jin grunted. He felt the two feelers, like daggers, attempting to stab into his back.

The chainmail did its job, resisting the two feelers.

This obstruction further enraged the Eight-Legged Spider leader.

It yanked hard on the spider silk, instantly shortening the distance between Zhen Jin and itself. Their eyes were almost only a palm's width apart.

Screech—!

The Eight-Legged Spider leader's mouthparts opened wide, and a strong, putrid stench of acid sprayed onto Zhen Jin's face.

At the same time, a large amount of green, viscous liquid, like saliva, flowed out from its mouthparts.

Zhen Jin's eyes widened. He almost thought the Eight-Legged Spider leader was going to swallow his head whole!

But the next moment, the Eight-Legged Spider leader slightly relaxed its strength, its mouthparts retracted, and it shook its head at Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin actually saw a look of mockery and cruel amusement on the spider's face.

A chill ran through his heart, and he immediately understood: this spider in front of him purely wanted to intimidate him, torment him, slowly process him, and let him fully enjoy the pain. To listen to his screams and wails, to watch him struggle, and step by step, little by little, enter death!

The pressure on the chainmail grew heavier and heavier, finally reaching its limit. The chainmail couldn't hold up and was pierced by the spider's sharp feelers.

The latter successfully stabbed into Zhen Jin's flesh.

The young man first felt a chill, then pain struck.

Besides the intense pain, there was also unadulterated fear.

Zhen Jin could clearly feel the subsequent path of these two feelers. After piercing the outermost layer of flesh, one feeler continued to penetrate, very slowly, beginning to endanger the young man's internal organs. The other encountered resistance, hitting a rib.

The Eight-Legged Spider leader continued to exert force. Zhen Jin's rib only slightly obstructed it before breaking.

"Ah!" Pain came, and Zhen Jin couldn't help but let out a low roar. His handsome face instantly contorted.

The flames continued to burn, the firelight reflecting on Zhen Jin's face. At this moment, the young man was as ferocious as a devil.

The Eight-Legged Spider leader quietly appreciated this, its dozen or so eyes perfectly reflecting the young man's expression at this moment. But what disappointed the Eight-Legged Spider leader was that it didn't detect any signs of weakness or pleading from Zhen Jin—only anger and hatred!

The fire in Zhen Jin's heart burned even more fiercely than the surrounding forest fire.

"Ah ah ah!" Under the Eight-Legged Spider leader's torment, he let out continuous low roars.

His head felt like it was about to explode, and a completely new memory suddenly surfaced.

The Martial Arts Arena was surrounded by people.

The duel in the Martial Arts Arena was also coming to an end.

"As expected, worthy of being a former great noble of the South!" A young man was forced into a corner.

He was injured, some wounds were deep enough to see bone, and he was extremely disheveled.

It was the Temple Knight, Qing Kui.

His opponent was a middle-aged man with two thin, long mustaches, completely unharmed. He held his head slightly high, leisurely and composed, walking almost at a stroll towards Qing Kui.

Zhen Jin found himself among the onlookers, watching the two in the arena nervously.

His gaze was mainly focused on the middle-aged man.

Because this man was his father, the patriarch of the Hundred Needles Family!

Beside Zhen Jin, there were also many of his Temple Knight colleagues crowded together, all familiar faces.

"Qing Kui, if you can't do it, just surrender!"

"Your opponent is too strong, and you're still too young. Defeat is not shameful."

"Think about your sister, Qing Kui, don't be stubborn."

The young Temple Knights were all shouting.

Qing Kui's sister was also outside the arena. At this moment, her face was pale, without a trace of color, and her delicate body trembled, like a pitiful little flower in a storm.

Qing Kui took a deep breath, swayed, and stood up straight. He used all his strength to lift the longsword in his hand and once again faced the Hundred Needles patriarch.

"Alas!" Heavy sighs came from the crowd.

"This duel was initiated by Qing Kui. To make a guy like him surrender voluntarily is harder than making a giant dragon turn back."

"What should we do?"

"Even if Qing Kui surrenders voluntarily, it depends on whether the Hundred Needles patriarch is willing to let him go."

"That's right, Qing Kui's father and grandfather both died in that battle, both at the hands of the Hundred Needles family. The two families have too deep a hatred."

Qing Kui roared and launched another futile charge.

The Hundred Needles patriarch easily dodged, and with a gentle twist of the rapier in his hand, he sent the longsword in Qing Kui's hand flying.

Clang.

The longsword flew into the air, then fell to the ground, its sharp edge cutting into the marble and sticking into the ground behind Qing Kui.

The contrast in strength was very obvious.

Qing Kui's sister could no longer bear it. She pleaded with the elderly knight presiding over the duel in the arena, "Uncle Captain, please, for the sake of the many years of friendship between our two families, please step in and save my brother."

This elderly knight was the captain of the Fifth Regiment of the Temple Knights.

He snorted coldly, his expression displeased. "This is a sacred duel between knights, fair and just, absolutely no favoritism!"

He looked at Qing Kui's sister, his gaze sharp. "I have already tried to save your brother, but as a member of my Fifth Regiment, he wouldn't even listen to me, his captain, and insisted on challenging the Hundred Needles patriarch."

"Hmph, how old is he, how much strength does he have? How much combat experience? He hasn't even completely mastered the Qing Kui family's signature Battle Qi technique, Bronze Armor, and yet he dares to challenge the Hundred Needles patriarch."

"Is this the bravery and fearlessness of a knight? This is being blinded by thoughts of revenge, it's utterly foolish!"

"So, you see. The Hundred Needles patriarch used the Battle Qi technique Thousand Needles Burst once, and completely destroyed your brother's Bronze Armor."

"Thousand Needles Burst is an advanced technique of the Hundred Needles family's signature Battle Qi technique, Hundred Needles Wind, a move that can only be used by those with Gold cultivation. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of Imperial Knights who have died under this move. Even I, back then, fell under this move and had my heart pierced by the Hundred Needles family's rapier!"

"Your brother, Qing Kui, he did not abide by the tenets of the Temple Knights. He abandoned bravery and violated patience. He brought this upon himself!"

"As the current patriarch of the Qing Kui family, he must bear the consequences of his recklessness. This is the price he should pay—even if that price is his life."

The Old Captain's merciless words completely crushed Qing Kui's sister. She immediately collapsed to the ground, covering her face and weeping.

The surrounding young knights, who had been indignant, also fell silent due to the Old Captain's reprimand.

Only, their teeth were clenched tighter, and their fists were squeezed harder.

The Hundred Needles Patriarch took a deep look at the Old Captain and approached Qing Kui again. He said in an arrogant tone, "Patriarch Qing Kui, what ability do you still think you have to resist? Do you still have Battle Qi?"

"Then, with the next move, I will take your life." The Hundred Needles Patriarch slowly raised his rapier, the tip pointing straight up, almost touching his nose.

"This will be the last scene of your life. So, open your eyes wide and watch carefully."

"Don't worry, using Thousand Needles Burst to kill you would be giving you too much credit. You are far inferior to your father and grandfather. Hundred Needles Wind is most suitable for burying you."

"If you survive this move by chance, then what's the harm in sparing your life?"

After speaking, the rapier in the Hundred Needles Patriarch's hand suddenly transformed into a dazzling flurry of sword shadows.

Qing Kui roared in anger, he had been waiting for this moment.

The only remaining Battle Qi in his body was forcefully channeled out all at once. Amidst the flashing blue light, it vaguely formed a charging knight's spear.

Boom!

The two collided and then passed each other.

An arm flew through the air, scattering dripping blood before falling outside the arena.

A rapier was still clutched in the hand of that arm.

It was the hand with which the Hundred Needles Patriarch held his sword!

The entire arena was shocked.

A dead silence.

With a thud, Qing Kui fainted on the ground, motionless.

The Hundred Needles Patriarch covered the wound that was almost severed at the shoulder with his left hand, his face extremely grim.

"Fa... Father!" Zhen Jin exclaimed, his voice trembling violently.

The Old Captain walked into the arena at this moment, standing between the Hundred Needles Patriarch and Qing Kui, separating the two.

His brows were deeply furrowed, and he stared at the middle-aged noble with the severed arm with an extremely serious expression: "Patriarch Hundred Needles, words spoken during a duel are sacred vows. Your duel is over."

The middle-aged man's pupils constricted slightly. He stared intently at the unconscious Qing Kui, gritting his teeth, letting the blood flow from his wound, his face filled with shock, anger, and hatred.

After a long while, he finally nodded slowly, staggering off the Martial Arts Arena with intense gloom and unwillingness.

"Father!" Zhen Jin ran over and supported the Hundred Needles Patriarch.

A roar of cheers erupted around them. Qing Kui's sister wept with joy, the young Temple Knights raised their arms and shouted, and many onlookers exclaimed in disbelief.

The middle-aged man looked around, taking in the surrounding scene, but his expression had already returned to calm: "My son, look up at me. Tell me, what is our family's motto?"

"Never overestimate, nor underestimate anyone," Zhen Jin managed to lift his head, his voice choked with sobs.

"Very good, remember it, remember it firmly!" The Hundred Needles Patriarch gritted his teeth and said fiercely.