Buddha-faced Golden Body

"Boss, pumping out the water is impossible. Not only do we not have the ability, but even if we did, who knows how long it would take. We can't wait that long."

"The worst option is out too. That woman tried it before, and many people died. It's too dangerous."

"The middle option sounds reliable. If she's willing to go first, and we stay outside to break the formation, then we'll go with the middle option."

After some analysis, the Liu brothers gave a sensible reply.

"That makes so much sense."

Zhu Bo rolled his eyes. Listening to them was like listening to nothing at all.

He had been hoping that with more people, there would be more wisdom, and the brothers would offer constructive suggestions. Instead, it was as if they had said nothing!

He also knew the middle option was best, but would She Xuan really be willing to put herself in danger while they stayed outside to break the formation?

How could that be possible!

Even a fool knew that the inside of the formation was full of unpredictable dangers. To go in there would be like an old man making his own coffin – his life wouldn't last long.

"Commander Zhu, have you decided?" She Xuan urged.

"We've decided."

Zhu Bo replied irritably, "We choose the middle option. You go in to die, and we'll stay outside to break the formation. We'll split the spoils fifty-fifty."

"In that case, the lives of a few of us are in Commander Zhu's hands," She Xuan said solemnly.

"Sister She, do you really mean that?!"

"Of course."

"Wait... wait a moment, let me think again."

Zhu Bo was stunned. His sarcastic remarks were just a way to mock She Xuan. He never expected her to actually agree.

Now, he was in a dilemma.

A wise person doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. He understood this principle, and She Xuan was no exception. Her quick agreement must mean she had a backup plan.

If he backed down out of fear, and the trip to the underground palace was in vain, he would only get a small benefit by drawing his sword. He would lose face and substance, which was unacceptable.

But what if he went in instead...

What if She Xuan was using a feigned retreat to lure him in, and then changed her mind? Wouldn't that be falling right into her trap!

Not good. He absolutely could not do anything that would benefit others at his own expense.

Go in together?

Even worse!

"Commander Zhu, have you made up your mind?"

She Xuan asked playfully. The calmer she was, the more unsure Zhu Bo became.

"Boss."

At this moment, Liu Xiong of the Liu brothers secretly tugged on Zhu Bo's sleeve and gave him a meaningful look.

Big brother, this woman is unfathomable. We brothers will help you!

Through their eye contact, Zhu Bo understood immediately and made up his mind. "Sister She, we agreed to cooperate on this trip. It's not fair for only you to lead the way into danger. I should contribute something too."

"Commander Zhu wants to enter the formation with me?"

"I want to, but I have to stay and break the formation."

Zhu Bo shook his head with a troubled expression and pointed at Liu Xiong and Liu Meng. "My two brothers will enter the formation with Sister She. Sister She should leave two people behind as well."

"Commander Zhu is quite cautious."

She Xuan said with a half-smile. She raised her hand and pointed to two people in her group. "Fat Dragon, Fat Tiger, you two stay and watch Commander Zhu. Be careful. If he's even a little slow, my life will be forfeit."

Two tall, thin figures walked out from the group, with long arms and legs and completely unremarkable faces.

Truly, ordinary, unremarkable faces.

After the two teams had exchanged personnel, She Xuan took a deep breath and had a burly man lead the way. They stepped into the mist one by one. The Liu brothers didn't dare to linger and, under Zhu Bo's repeated calls to "take care," disappeared into the mist.

Once the group had vanished, Zhu Bo waved his hand and produced a Wolf-tooth Brush. While observing the shifting mist, he began to sketch on the ground, calculating the positions of the eight gates.

The mist shifted without any discernible pattern. Amidst layers of killing intent, not a single path to survival could be seen. After only a few breaths, Zhu Bo, his cultivation rapidly depleting, stopped with sweat pouring down his face.

"What an evil Demon Cultivator! I've studied Mystic Gate formations for many years. I wouldn't dare say I've mastered all the formations in the world, but I'm proficient in the principles of Array Dao. I've never seen such an unreasonable formation. This... this doesn't make sense!"

Zhu Bo exclaimed in shock, "Was the Array Dao level a thousand years ago far superior to today's, or am I just ignorant and unable to recognize the principles of this Mystic Gate formation?"

As he spoke, he poured all his attention into breaking the formation, unwilling to accept defeat.

On the side, Luo Ban's eyes widened. He raised his hand and gripped his saber hilt, stepping forward to shield Zhu Bo.

Lu Bei's hair stood on end. He drew his Black Gold Straight Saber to protect himself, but even so, he felt several cold gazes upon him. An bone-chilling coldness lingered, as if he had one foot in the grave, with his life in constant peril.

He cautiously retreated, standing back-to-back with Luo Ban. His eyes darted around, but he saw nothing.

"Front, back, left, right?"

"None. I'm sure of it."

"I am too. The upper part is my responsibility, you watch out for the lower part."

"Okay."

The two exchanged words quickly. A strong sense of crisis washed over them. Luo Ban raised his hand, grabbed Zhu Bo's collar, and lifted him off the ground.

Fat Dragon and Fat Tiger saw their actions and instinctively thought their allies had betrayed them. They each drew their weapons and angrily approached.

Just then, the void trembled non-stop. An invisible blade struck from behind, piercing Fat Dragon's chest and spraying a large amount of blood.

With hot blood splattering his face, Fat Tiger's expression turned to horror. He ran towards Luo Ban, only to be dragged by an invisible force from the void and whooshed high into the air.

Passing through the wall.

Illusion formation!

Lu Bei and Luo Ban gasped. They thought they were safe outside the formation, but they had unknowingly been trapped inside all along.

The two retreated, plunging into the mist.

Instantly, the scenery changed. The stone pathway vanished, replaced by a massive underground cavern, a hundred meters long and wide. Above them, a colossal beast awoke from its slumber, baring its fangs to enjoy its meal.

It was a giant spider hanging upside down, several zhang in size. Its many eyes glowed eerily, and on its black back, a golden human face was exceptionally striking.

Unlike the spiders Lu Bei knew, this giant spider didn't just drink the soup; its mouthparts took up a disproportionate amount of its head. It was currently chewing on half a corpse, crunching loudly.

The chewing sound made one's scalp tingle. Crunch, crunch. It was unclear whether it was Fat Dragon or Fat Tiger.

As it ate, the giant spider leisurely crawled towards the heads of Lu Bei and the other two.

Luo Ban reached out, and four cold, sharp flying daggers shot out, clanging against the giant spider. Sparks flew, but not a single scratch appeared on its body. Instead, the surrounding inverted stone spikes were affected by the explosions, shaking the entire cave.

"Is that a Buddha-faced Golden Body... Spider?!"

Zhu Bo, who had been stunned, snapped back to reality and shouted in disbelief.

Luo Ban's body trembled. As if he had heard of this spider's fearsome reputation, he tightly gripped Zhu Bo's collar and turned to flee without a word.

At the same time, Lu Bei had already run fifty meters ahead.

[Side Quest: Eliminate the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider. Rewards will be given based on contribution.]

The awaited side quest had arrived, but Lu Bei felt no joy. After witnessing an explosive spectacle and hearing the giant spider's imposing name, he knew this was no place to linger.

The best strategy was to run. He had no desire to end up like Fat Dragon and Fat Tiger three days later.