The Prettier the Woman, the Better She Lies

The Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider was critically injured by Lu Bei... heavily wounded, it went berserk and chased Luo Ban with all eight of its legs, dripping green fluid from its mouth that mixed with the kicked-up dust, greatly expanding the range of the poison mist.

Zhu Bo continuously swung his fan, creating strong winds to block the spread of the poison mist.

Lu Bei took out a Detoxification Pill and swallowed it, stopping the damage-to-health drain of two drops per second. He gripped his saber and strode towards...

Glancing at the exit that was just a stone's throw away, Lu Bei stopped. One was the path to escape, the other was a giant beast rampaging through the entire area. The choice wasn't difficult.

Of course, he had to go back and fight the monster.

From She Xuan's deliberate act of putting herself in danger, to them being ambushed by the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider while in the safe zone, and then the illusion array's indistinguishable reality, the truth was now laid bare.

They had fallen into a trap!

The last time She Xuan entered the tomb, it wasn't an illusion array that blocked her, but the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider. Knowing she was no match and unwilling to share the treasures within the cave dwelling with other experts, this woman found Zhu Bo, who was of comparable strength, to buy time by sacrificing her allies.

And it was highly likely that there was no illusion array in the cave dwelling to begin with. She Xuan had set it up in advance, triggered the mechanism, and left, leaving the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider guarding the cave dwelling for them.

What Wu Ji's mother said was right: the most venomous heart belongs to a woman; the prettier the woman, the more deceitful she is.

Bai Jin was an exception.

Lu Bei didn't know what the situation was outside or if She Xuan had succeeded in obtaining the Demon Cultivator's remains, but he was certain of one thing: She Xuan, who dared to set a trap for the Zhu family, never intended for Zhu Bo to leave alive.

There was a trap outside. It looked like a path to survival, but in reality, it was just a different kind of dead end.

Unacceptable!

With this thought, Lu Bei began to scheme. He took a deep breath of the poisonous air and quickly rushed towards the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider.

"Don't panic, my two elder brothers, I'll lend you a hand."

As his saber light fell, Lu Bei, disregarding his cultivation consumption, continuously used the 'Undercurrent' skill to increase his critical hit rate. Although it didn't significantly damage the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider, it did help Luo Ban escape the beast's poisonous maw.

"Lu, my brother, you've come at the right time!"

With his fighter by his side, Zhu Bo immediately perked up. True friendship is seen in adversity, he said emotionally, "I'm ashamed to say, I saw you at the cave entrance just now..."

"Brother Bo, you think too little of me. I'll remember this debt for now and settle it with you later," Lu Bei snorted coldly, instantly establishing his persona as a loyal brother who would go through fire and water for his friends.

"Alright, it's a deal."

Zhu Bo nodded and swung his Magic Treasure fan, conjuring a gale that forced the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider to its knees. Lu Bei and Luo Ban repeated their previous tactic, each striking with their saber, once again blowing out one of the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider's eyes.

Lu Bei's spirits lifted as he saw this. He vaguely saw a red bar above the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider's head shorten by a segment and swung his saber even more vigorously.

One person provided auxiliary crowd control, two people attacked fiercely. This was their first coordinated effort, and the output was quite smooth. Especially Lu Bei and Luo Ban; the latter noticed Lu Bei using military saber techniques and immediately switched to a supportive style, not only saving his own cultivation and stamina but also greatly increasing the attack damage.

After a moment, all eight eyes of the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider were blown out. Its head was pockmarked, and the green fluid stained the dirt and gravel, making its specific shape unrecognizable.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Lu Bei decisively delivered the finishing blow. While Luo Ban created a diversion to attract its attention, he threw another flying knife.

This time, it didn't hit its mouthparts but struck its pockmarked skull, causing fluid to splash everywhere and taking half of its remaining life.

"It's still not dead?"

"What tenacious vitality..."

Gazing at the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider writhing in the green poisonous mist, the three of them gathered together, panting, and exchanged glances.

Zhu Bo's face was pale. Continuously activating his Magic Treasure at the Foundation Establishment stage had severely depleted his cultivation. He took out several bottles of pills and stuffed them into his mouth.

Luo Ban, who was the main attacker, had blood at the corner of his mouth. Without the support equipment of his Eldest Cousin, his defense was far inferior to Lu Bei's. He had been sent flying twice by the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider, and it was only the resilience of his body, trained through a Body Refining Method, that had allowed him to endure until now. He was the most heavily injured among the three.

Lu Bei wasn't faring much better. As the highest damage dealer on the field, his cultivation points had dropped to the point where the 'Rewind' skill was about to trigger. His health was also rapidly decreasing due to his declining stamina.

"What do we do? Should we keep killing it?"

"We don't know the situation outside yet. Let's prioritize conserving our strength. Since it's half-dead and blind, it can't see us anyway. Let's leave now while we can."

Zhu Bo made the decision, and the three of them hurried towards the exit. Before entering, Luo Ban stopped Zhu Bo and threw a flying knife, confirming there were no ambushes before drawing his saber and stepping in first.

Bang!

A black shadow flew backward.

It was Luo Ban, moving so fast he left afterimages.

Lu Bei, having been on guard, quickly retreated by pushing off the ground. However, it was useless. He was fast, but the opponent was faster. A fist the size of a sand pot rapidly enlarged in front of him. He only had time to raise his saber to block before being sent flying by an overwhelming force.

Zhu Bo followed closely behind. Not long after Lu Bei fell, Zhu Bo crashed down directly. Seeing the danger, he rolled and dodged, but Luo Ban, who was lying beneath him, took the brunt of it, being smashed twice.

[You have been attacked. Defense deducted, HP -80]

[You have been poisoned. Per second, HP -20, duration 30 seconds]

This wasn't the Buddha-faced Golden Body Spider's poison mist; it was more potent.

When did he get poisoned?

Lu Bei took out a Detoxification Pill and swallowed it, but it couldn't neutralize the special toxin. He thought for a moment and accepted the 20 HP loss per second.

"Hehehehe..."

A burly man walked in with a sinister grin, cracking his knuckles. This was the same person who had torn a zombie apart earlier. He had an astonishing physique and immense strength, and like She Xuan, he was a Monster Cultivator.

"Commander Zhu, you're quite capable. You've even tamed such a ferocious beast," She Xuan said as she led her team in. Without the two cannon fodder, Fei Long and Pang Hu, only five members remained in the seven-person squad.

The Liu family brothers, exchanged as hostages, were currently bound and gagged, their faces bruised and swollen to the point of appearing fatter.

"And you, little brother, you've got some skills. This big sister was almost fooled by your innocent charm earlier." She Xuan smiled as she looked at Lu Bei. He was lying on the ground, gasping for breath, and responded by lifting his hips slightly.

"Sister She, you're the one with the skills. I'm no match for you. Whether you kill me or let me go, you decide!" Zhu Bo was poisoned, the detoxification pill ineffective. He was dizzy and couldn't even speak clearly.

He knew that the other side had the advantage, with his own men injured or captured. A direct confrontation would be disastrous.

But he wasn't afraid. His surname was Zhu, and seeing that She Xuan hadn't dared to kill the Liu family brothers, he knew there was room for negotiation.

Zhu Bo silently vowed to find someone to deal with the demoness in eighteen different ways and then chop her up to make snake soup.

"Commander Zhu, please don't misunderstand. I was forced to scheme against you."

She Xuan calmly stated, "Your clan is powerful, with members spread throughout Wu Zhou. If I didn't have the upper hand, how could I get you to willingly concede benefits?"

I knew it!

Zhu Bo's heart settled. He didn't give She Xuan a pleasant look. "Enough with the nonsense. I'm poisoned by your snake venom, so bring out the antidote first."

"Of course."

"And also, let my two brothers go."

"Commander Zhu, you're too greedy!"

She Xuan shook her head, but she agreed to Zhu Bo's request. She stuffed a bottle of antidote into Liu Meng's arms and waved, pushing the Liu family brothers out.

The Liu family brothers stumbled forward, tears streaming down their faces as they knelt before Zhu Bo. Luo Ban, struggling to stand, drew his saber and cut the ropes, freeing them.

"Big Brother, that woman is so..."

"Antidote," Zhu Bo interrupted, his face ashen.

The Liu family brothers nodded repeatedly, took out the small bottle from their arms, and poured out three pills, distributing them to Lu Bei and the other two.

Gulp!

Luo Ban swallowed it down, his complexion improving slightly. He signaled the Liu family brothers to step back and then shielded Zhu Bo with his saber.

"Little Brother Lu, are you alright?"

After taking the antidote, Zhu Bo saw Lu Bei still lying motionless and couldn't help but frown.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. Zhu Bo's face changed drastically. Looking at Luo Ban standing in front of him, he was in so much pain that he involuntarily knelt on one knee.

Pfft! x2

Two cold glints pierced them, and Zhu Bo and Luo Ban froze, unable to believe they had been backstabbed by their own teammate.

The Liu family brothers struck successfully and quickly moved away, standing behind She Xuan, daring not to meet Zhu Bo's gaze.

"Why?"

Zhu Bo's mouth tasted bitter, and he coughed out a mouthful of dark blood, almost dying of anger.

"People strive for higher ground, water flows downhill. There's no 'why'."

She Xuan smiled and explained, "I met the two Liu family brothers in Hongling County. They felt they would gain more by siding with me than with you, so they rationally chose to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. It's that simple."

The Liu family brothers lowered their heads deeply. Their betrayal was a fact, and they offered no explanation.

Don't ask why; just know that she gave them too much.

"Sister She, your calculations are truly remarkable, interlocking each step and leaving me no room to maneuver. But I... don't understand..."

Glancing at the fallen Luo Ban and then at Lu Bei, who was frantically beating his chest and spitting blood, Zhu Bo voiced his confusion: "If I die, someone will eventually find you. What good will that do you?"

"The world is vast, and I just need to leave Wu Zhou."

She Xuan looked at Zhu Bo with pity. "To be honest, I didn't want to be enemies with Commander Zhu until death. But I have another business that requires the blood of the Zhu clan. After much thought, I could only start with you today."

"You want to rob my Zhu clan ancestors' tombs?"

"Heh heh, Commander Zhu, you're a dying man. It's best not to know too much, lest you die with lingering resentment." She Xuan waved her hand indifferently. A figure emerged from behind her, drawing a sharp blade, ready to draw Zhu Bo's blood.

At this moment.

"Finally... almost dead..."

Lu Bei threw away the detoxification pill in his hand, coughed up blood, and sat up. His eyes blazed with ferocity, pulling everyone in front of him into his capture range.

Capture range: 1-10 people. Skill 'Blood Rage' activated.

Judgment successful!

Cultivation: 880/3010 Health: 18/2200

Cultivation below 30%, health below 10%. Double judgment successful. Skill 'Rewind' activated. Strength and speed attributes doubled. Health recovery rate of 10% per second, duration five seconds.

Name: Lu Bei Level: 20 Main Profession: Dao Cultivator (Foundation Establishment) Attributes: Strength 180, Speed 136, Spirit 145, Stamina 100, Charm