Demonic Arts

Zhang Yang had not noticed it before, but after conducting a careful search of the area, he discovered that roughly one-third of the trees here had grown in grotesquely twisted shapes, as though each one concealed a suffering, despairing soul within.

Even some of the weeds that flourished wildly elsewhere were strangely contorted here—neither dead nor alive, bizarre beyond measure.

And the closer one got to the Black Spiders' underground nest entrance, the worse this phenomenon became.

When Zhang Yang led his soldiers to a massive deep pit hidden within the dense forest, the entrance to the Black Spiders' underground nest was laid bare before them.

There was not a trace of green left here. Every plant had died, leaving only some stiff black substance carpeting the ground.

At the bottom of the pit was a pitch-black opening at least five meters tall and more than ten meters wide, like the gaping maw of some legendary fiend. Zhang Yang could not help but hesitate.

He had indeed intended to clear out the spiders' underground nest and use it as a temporary camp to get through the night. But now, he deeply suspected that even more powerful monsters—or perhaps some Spider Demon Elder—might be lurking inside.

I can't take the risk. I only have 237 energy points left, 143 soldiers under my command, and 189 recruitment slots remaining. I can no longer afford heavy losses, or I might end up as a Village Chief without a single follower.

With that thought, Zhang Yang decided to give up searching the underground spider nest. He did not even have a single torch—what right did he have to launch an attack?

Rather than that, he might as well hunt other solitary monsters.

"Retreat!"

The moment Zhang Yang gave the order, his entire body turned icy cold. It was as if some terrifying, evil force had fixed its gaze upon him. That power seemed capable of crossing the void and freezing his whole body, until even his thoughts could no longer flow.

Yet the state lasted only an instant. Zhang Yang seemed to hear a crack, like ice splitting apart. Like a drowning man on the brink of death suddenly breathing fresh air, he broke free from that evil Bind. The price was that he felt utterly hollowed out, his mind blank, his entire body numb, blood spurting from his nostrils like little snakes.

At the same time, two lines of blood-red information flashed across his vision, projected by the Village Building Order.

You were attacked by Imprisonment Demonic Art, but because you possess a C+ soul, Imprisonment Demonic Art was ineffective and transformed into minor mental shock damage.

You were attacked by Soul Restraint Demonic Art, but because you possess a C+ soul, Soul Restraint Demonic Art was ineffective and transformed into minor mental shock damage.

What was going on?

It took Zhang Yang several full seconds to recover from that dreadful state. Then he saw two Black Spiders as huge as trucks crawling out of the deep pit.

The Giant Black Spider on the left continually spat out strands of Ice Spider Silk. Every strand could instantly freeze an ordinary soldier stiff, after which he would shatter into fragments with a crackling crunch.

The Giant Black Spider on the right continually spat out red strands of Flame Spider Silk. A single strand was enough to set a soldier ablaze, reducing him directly to ashes.

They really were Spider Demon Elders, and they even knew demonic arts. What level of monsters were these?

Zhang Yang instinctively activated Level One Vision and immediately saw two red points of light. He shuddered, because that represented extreme danger.

What should he do?

Zhang Yang's mind roared. His first thought was to flee—to leave the ordinary soldiers behind to hold them off while he escaped with the six elite soldiers.

But could they really escape?

And even if they did, would it mean anything?

There were still 189 recruitment slots left in the Village Building Order. Was he really going to abandon the more than one hundred soldiers he had already recruited, letting them die in vain just to buy himself a chance to escape?

What would he do the next time he encountered monsters this dangerous?

"Let's fight!"

Zhang Yang made his decision without hesitation. Without another word, he recruited 180 Spearmen. The two Giant Black Spiders had extremely high defense, their bodies covered in thick black bristles. Ordinary arrows could not pierce their defenses at all; only the arrows fired by the three Elite Archers could barely break through.

Since that was the case, he could only use a sea-of-men tactic and surround them with enough Spearmen!

He would smash the cauldrons and sink the boats!

"Spearmen, charge!"

"Elite Spearmen, wait for an opening!"

Zhang Yang shouted madly as more than two hundred Spearmen surged forward like a tide. Though the two Giant Black Spiders could rapidly spit out strands of Ice Spider Silk and Flame Spider Silk, they could not seal off everything.

In the blink of an eye, the two hundred-plus Spearmen had rushed close and launched their Pierce skill one after another. Even though they were merely ordinary soldiers, even though they faced Spider Demon Elders, the nature of the spear meant they could still inflict some damage on the monsters.

"Hisss!"

The two Giant Black Spiders shrieked as they spat webbing and darted about swiftly. At the same time, clouds of black, ink-like poisonous smoke rose from beneath their abdomens. Almost in the blink of an eye, any soldier touched by that poisonous smoke began coughing violently, dying from the poison within a dozen seconds.

Yet this scene did not shake Zhang Yang's resolve. He did not even order the soldiers to retreat. At this moment, he understood with perfect clarity that this was his only method.

Before each Spearman was poisoned to death, he could launch at least three piercing attacks. They might not be fatal wounds, but drops of water could wear through stone; each strike was steadily reducing the health of the two Giant Black Spiders.

Zhang Yang had already activated Level One Protection. It was a decent defensive measure, but its only flaw was that he could not move while using it.

He had the three Elite Archers and one Elite Sword and Shield Soldier enter the protection zone, while the two Elite Spearmen stood by and searched for an opportunity. Ordinary soldiers alone could not kill the two Giant Black Spiders.

"Can you shoot out their eyes?"

"Village Chief, I'm afraid not. We already tried just now. The arrows we fired always veered off course at the very last instant before hitting, as if they were being affected by some invisible force. In fact, it isn't just our attacks—even the Spearmen's piercing attacks seem to be deflected. They can never inflict fatal damage on them."

An Elite Archer named Liu Dali answered.

"An invisible force?"

Zhang Yang froze, recalling the two demonic arts that had nearly killed him earlier. These two extremely dangerous Black Spiders had quite a few tricks up their sleeves.

If that was the case, then even if all two hundred-plus Spearmen died, they might still fail to harm the Black Spiders at their core.

I refuse to believe that your protective power has no limit!

"Wu Yuan, Duan Jiu, the two of you join the attack. Prioritize the Black Spider on the left. Be careful not to get hurt by the poisonous mist!" Zhang Yang first gave orders to the two Elite Spearmen, then ordered the three Elite Archers.

"Liu Dali, Qin Yidao, Sun Goudan, you three hide yourselves. Do not shoot yet. When Wu Yuan and Duan Jiu unleash Gale Pierce, immediately use Wind Chasing Triple Shot and shoot out that Black Spider's eyes!"