Talisman Formations Suppress Demons, Spider Nests Hide Secrets

The sea of clouds before Jade Void Palace had been stained a dark purple, as experts from all sides converged into a spiritual light barrier stretching for miles. On the left were the remnants of the Dragon Clan led by Ao Guang, their water vapor churning like waves; on the right were the clans of Feng Yao and Qilin Cang, flames and earth armor interweaving brilliantly; in the center stood reclusive powerhouses like Donghua, with Wood Spirit, Thunder Marsh, and other auras intertwining to form a solid defensive line. Xuan Fu and Donghua stood side by side slightly behind the formation, blue and white robes complementing each other, talisman light and Wood Spirit power resonating quietly.

"The Demon Spider Commander's baleful corruption has already tainted the Kunlun Dragon Vein. If we don't break its core within three hours, the spiritual light barrier will collapse." Donghua condensed a wisp of emerald Wood Spirit at his fingertip and gently tapped it onto the Stealth Talisman Array Xuan Fu had laid down. "Fellow Daoist, your talisman array can block the corruption's detection, perfect for covering us as we seek its weakness."

Xuan Fu nodded slightly, his Spiritual Sense spreading along the Wood Spirit power. He had already infused the Purification Talisman's cleansing force into the array base. Now, borrowing Donghua's Wood Spirit perception, he clearly captured the energy flow within the Demon Spider Commander—that mass of black-red origin formed after devouring the Malevolent Spirit Crystal pulsed like a beating heart, surrounded by countless fine threads of corruption, their ends faintly connecting to an unknown space deep beneath Kunlun.

"It's drawing on the Dragon Vein's origin to nourish itself, and there seems to be an external force guiding it from behind." Xuan Fu lowered his voice, his fingertip swiftly tracing through the void as cyan-gold talisman patterns condensed in the air. "I'll use the Rigid-Soft Talisman Array to restrain its spider silk. Fellow Daoist Donghua, bind the origin threads with Wood Spirit power. The rest of you focus on attacking the joints of its eight legs—that's where the corruption's energy flow is weakest."

Before his words faded, the Demon Spider Commander let out a screech that shook the cosmos. Its ten-thousand-zhang body pressed down violently, eight hooked giant legs crushing the clouds, and countless black spider silk shot out like a torrential rain. Where the corruption on the silk touched the ground, it turned to scorched earth, even corroding space into black spots. Ao Guang roared, his water vapor condensing into a thousand-zhang wall, while Feng Yao's flames transformed into a Fire Phoenix charging upward to intercept the silk. But the silk's corrosive power pierced through instantly—the water wall collapsed, and the Fire Phoenix dissipated with a mournful cry.

"Such strong corrosive power!" Qilin Cang's face turned pale as his earth armor surged three zhang thick to shield the group. "Activate the defense, now!"

Just as the spider silk was about to strike the spiritual light barrier, Xuan Fu raised his hand abruptly. The cyan-gold Rigid-Soft Talisman Array unfurled in an instant. Like a spinning Taiji Diagram, its rigid force forcefully bounced the silk away, while its soft power dissolved the residual corrosive aura. At the same time, dozens of Purification Talismans flew from his fingertips, emerald light scattering like a rain of stars, rapidly purifying the corruption in the air and temporarily stabilizing the defense line.

"Now!" Donghua seized the moment, his Wood Spirit power surging as countless emerald vines burst from the ground, snaking toward the Demon Spider Commander's eight legs like serpents. The vines carried innate life force, perfectly countering the corruption. The moment they coiled around the giant legs, they began to seep in, trying to block the energy flow.

Ao Guang, Feng Yao, and the others reacted as well. The Dragon Clan's Water Dragons, the Phoenix Clan's fire feathers, and the Kirin Clan's stone spikes struck simultaneously at the spider's joints. The reclusive powerhouses also unleashed their skills—Thunder Marsh's lightning, Wood Spirit's thorns—each attack falling like shooting stars, densely pounding the spider.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The attacks landed on the spider's black scales with the sound of metal clashing, leaving only shallow white marks, which only enraged it further. The Demon Spider Commander's human head's blood-red eyes flashed with cruelty. Its eight legs kicked off, its massive body hurtling toward the spiritual light barrier, while it opened its maw to spew a black-red origin beam. Where the beam passed, space collapsed directly, carrying the might to destroy everything.

"Not good! Fall back!" Xuan Fu's heart tightened. He immediately activated the Universe Folding Talisman, teleporting himself and Donghua several li away. The other experts also fled. The spiritual light barrier shattered instantly under the origin beam, the ground splitting open into a ten-thousand-zhang-deep chasm. Black corruption surged from the chasm, transforming into countless small demonic beasts that charged at the group.

"This Demon Spider Commander's defense is too terrifying!" Ao Guang panted, steadying himself as his dragon robe was torn in many places. "Our attacks can't even harm its foundation!"

Xuan Fu did not speak, his Spiritual Sense locked tightly on the black-red origin within the Demon Spider Commander. He noticed that the moment the origin beam had been spat out, the origin mass dimmed briefly, and the corruption threads connecting to the depths had also shown a momentary disturbance. "Its origin is strong, but it relies on underground corruption to replenish itself! We must cut its connection to the depths!"

He quickly retrieved the Fiend Spirit Origin and Demon Cores he had collected earlier from his storage space. His fingertip talisman patterns flew as he began condensing new talismans. Cyan-gold Rigid-Soft Talisman power, emerald Purification Talisman power, and pitch-black Malevolent Spirit Talisman power—three forces interwove in his hands, gradually forming a tri-colored talisman: the Demon Suppressing World-Breaking Talisman. This talisman combined the Purification Talisman's cleansing force, the Rigid-Soft Talisman Array's penetrating power, and the Fiend Spirit Origin's destructive force, specifically targeting the spider's corruption core.

"Fellow Daoist Donghua, can you lend me your Wood Spirit power for cover?" Xuan Fu gripped the Demon Suppressing World-Breaking Talisman. "I need to get within a hundred zhang of it to sever the corruption threads."

Donghua nodded, his Wood Spirit power surging again as countless vines grew wildly, forming an emerald barrier that tightly bound the smaller demonic beasts. At the same time, he condensed a Wood Spirit Pearl at his fingertip and hurled it at the Demon Spider Commander's eye. "Everyone, please distract it for a moment!"

Ao Guang and the others understood and launched another assault. Water Dragons, Fire Phoenixes, stone spikes, and lightning struck simultaneously at the spider's head and torso. Though they couldn't inflict severe wounds, they successfully drew its attention. The Demon Spider Commander roared, swinging its eight legs to block the attacks, its blood-red gaze fixed on Donghua, clearly seeing him as the primary threat.

Seizing the gap, Xuan Fu activated the Universe Folding Talisman, turning into a barely perceptible cyan-gold stream that flew like a ghost toward the Demon Spider Commander's abdomen. That was where the corruption threads were densest, the core node connecting it to the underground space.

The moment he neared the spider, Xuan Fu felt a suffocating pressure of corruption. The corrosive aura from the black scales nearly melted his talisman body. He immediately activated the Purification Talisman, emerald light enveloping him, while pushing the Rigid-Soft Talisman power to its limit to dodge the sweeping giant legs and spraying silk.

A hundred zhang, fifty zhang, thirty zhang...

The distance shrank. Xuan Fu could clearly see the corruption threads writhing under the scales like blood vessels, their ends connecting to the deep earth, endlessly drawing corruption power. Just as he prepared to activate the Demon Suppressing World-Breaking Talisman, the Demon Spider Commander suddenly sensed his presence. Its blood-red eyes snapped toward its abdomen, and it spat out a dense black mist.

The mist carried extreme corrosion and hallucinatory power. The moment it touched him, Xuan Fu's Purification Talisman light dimmed, and his Spiritual Sense briefly went haywire. "Not good!" His heart jolted. He immediately activated the Malevolent Spirit World-Breaking Talisman, its pitch-black power erupting to carve a path through the mist. At the same time, he folded space again, instantly closing to within ten zhang of the spider's abdomen.

"Break!"

Xuan Fu hurled the Demon Suppressing World-Breaking Talisman. Tri-colored talisman light blazed like a sword, piercing the spider's scales and striking the core node of the corruption threads with precision. As the talisman light exploded, the Purification force frenziedly devoured the corruption, the Rigid-Soft power tore through the threads, and the Malevolent Spirit power destroyed the node's origin connection.

"Roar—!"

The Demon Spider Commander let out a wretched howl. Its abdominal scales burst open, the black-red origin trembling violently, and the corruption threads connecting to the depths snapped instantly. Its aura plummeted. Its massive body staggered back several li, its blood-red eyes filled with pain and fury, locked onto Xuan Fu. "Ant! This Venerable One will tear you to pieces!"

Having succeeded, Xuan Fu turned without hesitation, activated the Universe Folding Talisman, and instantly teleported back to Donghua's side. The strike had nearly drained most of his talisman power; his talisman patterns dimmed slightly, and his Spiritual Sense felt weary. "It's done! Its origin connection is severed—its strength is greatly reduced!"

Donghua quickly offered a wisp of pure Wood Spirit power to help him recover. "Fellow Daoist, your divine might! Now is the perfect time to slay it!"

Ao Guang and the others also saw the turning point, their morale soaring. "Kill!" The Dragon Clan's Water Dragon condensed again, crashing toward the spider with thunderous force. Feng Yao's flames turned into a sky full of fire feathers. Qilin Cang's stone spikes fell like a torrential rain. The reclusive powerhouses' skills also activated once more, a dense barrage of attacks pouring onto the Demon Spider Commander.

Though greatly weakened, the Demon Spider Commander remained ferocious. It roared, swinging its eight legs as the black-red origin erupted again, spewing countless black flames to fend off the attacks. The black flames carried a strong Aura of Destruction, incinerating the Water Dragon and extinguishing the fire feathers one by one. The battle once again fell into a stalemate.

Xuan Fu absorbed Wood Spirit power to recover while observing the battle. He noticed that though the spider's black-red origin was dim, it was still tenacious, and deep within it seemed to hide a faint trace of Golden Patterns. This pattern was not corruption power but carried a strange Sense of Order, similar to some ancient presence in the chaos.

"This Demon Spider Commander's origin seems to have been modified..." Xuan Fu thought with alarm. He recalled the mysterious gaze he had sensed in the chaos before, and the strange timing of the Demon Tide's appearance. He vaguely felt an invisible hand manipulating things from behind—the Demon Spider Commander might just be a pawn.

Just then, the Demon Spider Commander suddenly stopped attacking. Its black-red origin rapidly contracted, and its massive body began to twist and deform. Its eight legs gradually shortened, its human head grew more grotesque, and a pair of black wings sprouted from its back. Its aura began to climb quickly, showing signs of breaking through to the mid-Quasi-Saint stage.

"Not good! It's going to self-destruct its origin for Mutual Destruction!" Ao Guang's face changed drastically as he turned to flee.

Feng Yao and Qilin Cang also turned pale. The power of a Quasi-Saint's origin self-destruction was enough to annihilate the entire Core Area of Kunlun—they had no way to withstand it. The reclusive powerhouses also retreated, fear written on their faces.

Donghua frowned deeply, his Wood Spirit power surging to its limit as he tried to form a Defensive Barrier. "Fellow Daoist Xuan Fu, is there any way to stop it?"

Xuan Fu's Spiritual Sense locked onto the black-red origin within the Demon Spider Commander. The Golden Patterns grew clearer, seemingly directing the self-destruction process. He rapidly cycled his Spiritual Sense, countless talisman combinations flashing through his mind, when a solution struck him. "Combining the Demon Suppressing Talisman with the Rigid-Soft Talisman Array might suppress its origin self-destruction, but we need to work together!"

Without hesitation, he immediately activated his remaining talisman power. The cyan-gold Rigid-Soft Talisman Array expanded again, while hundreds of Purification Talismans flew out to merge into the array. "Fellow Daoist Donghua, lend me your Wood Spirit power to stabilize the array base! Fellow Daoist Ao Guang, wrap the array in water vapor to enhance the soft power!"

Donghua and Ao Guang complied at once. Wood Spirit power flowed into the array like veins, while water vapor encased it in a massive sphere. The aura of Rigid and Soft Harmony grew denser. Xuan Fu's hands formed seals rapidly, and the talisman array expanded sharply, descending toward the Demon Spider Commander.

"Don't even think about it!" the Demon Spider Commander roared. Its black-red origin erupted to the extreme, the self-destruction aura thickening. The surrounding space began to tremble violently, countless fine cracks spreading outward.

The moment the talisman array collided with the spider, the rigid force forcibly suppressed the origin's eruption, the soft power tried to dissolve the self-destruction energy, and the Purification Talismans frenziedly devoured the corruption. The Demon Spider Commander let out agonized screeches, its body twisting within the array. The black-red origin flickered, the self-destruction process forcibly slowed.

"Push harder!" Xuan Fu Grit Teeth, his talisman patterns blazing as he nearly burned his origin to drive the array. Donghua, Ao Guang, and the others also poured in their own origins. The array's light grew brighter, gradually suppressing the spider's aura.

Just as the Demon Spider Commander's black-red origin was about to be completely suppressed, the Golden Patterns deep within suddenly erupted. A thin golden beam shot out from the origin, piercing through the talisman array in an instant. The beam moved with incredible speed, carrying an indescribable pressure, aimed directly at Xuan Fu.

Xuan Fu's heart jolted. He wanted to teleport away but had no time. He could only instinctively activate his Defense Talisman Array, a cyan-gold barrier expanding instantly.

"Puchi!"

The golden beam pierced the barrier and struck Xuan Fu's talisman body. A sharp pain shot through him as his talisman patterns cracked in several places, his Spiritual Sense thrown into chaos. He spat out a mouthful of golden Talisman Blood.

Seizing the opportunity, the Demon Spider Commander's black-red origin erupted violently, breaking free from the array's suppression. It turned into a Black Flowing Light and fled toward the underground rift in Kunlun. It had abandoned self-destruction, choosing to escape.

"Don't let it get away!" Ao Guang roared, about to give chase, but Xuan Fu stopped him.

"We can't catch it..." Xuan Fu wiped the Talisman Blood from his lips, his face pale. "That golden beam is no ordinary thing. There's definitely a more powerful existence behind it. And the underground space it fled into is saturated with corruption to the extreme. Charging in recklessly would only be suicide."

Donghua also nodded, looking at Mystic Talisman with concern. "How are your injuries, Fellow Daoist? That golden beam seemed to contain some kind of Law Power—ordinary healing won't work on it."

Mystic Talisman circulated his Spiritual Sense to examine himself and found a trace of golden Law Power lingering in the cracks of his talisman body, slowly eroding his origin. "It's fine. I have a Purification Talisman and Wood Spirit Power—I can suppress it for now." But inside, he was filled with shock and doubt. What exactly was this golden Law Power? And who was the being behind the Demon Spider Commander?

Just then, the spiritual light of Jade Void Palace suddenly flared again, and a gentle voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Mystic Talisman, your feat in severely wounding the Demon Spider Commander and cutting off its source of evil is no small merit. This palace possesses Innate Spiritual Fluid that can aid in your recovery. I invite you and Fellow Daoist Donghua to enter the palace for a discussion."

Mystic Talisman and Donghua exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. The great power of Jade Void Palace had never shown itself before, yet now it was actively inviting them inside—clearly interested in Mystic Talisman's mastery of talisman dao, or perhaps alerted by the anomaly of the golden Law Power.

Without hesitation, the two flew toward Jade Void Palace. Behind them, Ao Guang and the others were clearing the remaining Demonic Beasts. The crisis in the Kunlun Mountain Range was temporarily resolved, but Mystic Talisman knew this was only the beginning. The being behind the Demon Spider Commander, that golden Law Power, and the evil space beneath the earth all heralded a far greater storm to come.

The moment he stepped into Jade Void Palace, Mystic Talisman felt a dense wave of Innate Spiritual Qi envelop his body, easing the pain of his wounds. At the center of the hall, a blurry phantom hovered amid the clouds, radiating a gentle yet vast pressure.

"We, the juniors Mystic Talisman and Donghua, pay our respects to the elder," they both said, cupping their fists in salute.

The phantom nodded slightly. A milky-white spiritual fluid drifted slowly forward and settled before Mystic Talisman. "This is Innate Jade Fluid. It can dissolve the Law erosion within your body. However, you must tell me truthfully—do you recognize the golden patterns inside the Demon Spider Commander?"

Mystic Talisman accepted the Innate Jade Fluid, His heart stirred. It seemed the great power of Jade Void Palace had also noticed the anomaly of the golden patterns. Just as he was about to speak, his Spiritual Sense suddenly caught a familiar aura—coming from the direction of the evil space underground.

This aura was exactly the same as the mysterious gaze he had encountered in the chaos!

Mystic Talisman's expression instantly turned grim. That mysterious being had been hiding all along in the evil space beneath the Kunlun Mountains!

And at that moment, the moment the Innate Jade Fluid touched the golden Law Power inside him, a Violent Fluctuation erupted. The golden patterns surged wildly, and a strange symbol emerged on his talisman body.

The moment the phantom saw the symbol, its aura turned heavy. "That is... the Chaos Annihilation Talisman Seal!"