Chapter 50

Shen Hanyu led the three girls farther back, doing his best to avoid being caught up in the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon's attacks.

Tian Meng was still clicking his tongue in wonder within the Sea of Consciousness, seemingly fascinated by the situation.

"Hanyu, I think this guy is determined to fight that stinking spider to the death. Why don't we watch from the sidelines for now? Then we can fish in troubled waters afterward. Hehehe..."

Tian Meng's voice carried a vaguely familiar tone.

Shen Hanyu did not answer, but that was more or less what he had in mind. No one could refuse such a fortuitous encounter. Though it came with considerable risks, the rewards would be exceptionally rich as well.

Whether it was the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon or the Blizzard Spider King, both were top-tier Ice Attribute Soul Beasts. Few Soul Beasts could surpass them within their respective specialties.

It was just a pity that their cultivation was too low. Otherwise, Shen Hanyu definitely would not have minded making them Soul Rings for the Cold Sky Spear.

Although he could not absorb another Soul Ring for the time being, every part of such Soul Beasts was valuable. If one of them even dropped a Soul Bone... hehehe, then he would truly strike it rich...

"Tian Meng, according to what you said earlier, that thousand-year Silver Emperor Sky Falcon won't die anytime soon, right?"

Shen Hanyu asked.

Tian Meng nodded and said, "The Blizzard Spider King greatly enjoys the struggle and despair of prey before death. Although its frost venom is indeed among the deadliest poisons, that Silver Emperor Sky Falcon truly isn't in any mortal danger for now. What, are you planning to...?"

Shen Hanyu nodded and continued, "Indeed. With your cover, it shouldn't be hard to move freely under the nose of a thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast..."

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Tian Meng's little eyes shifted as he nodded thoughtfully. Then, he revealed his trademark grin, though it somehow carried a perverse undertone...

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Hanyu found a hidden, shadowy cave beneath a massive, decayed ancient tree.

Brushing away the snow and ice covering it, Shen Hanyu let out a small sigh of relief and praised sincerely, "Setting everything else aside, this fellow is far better than the Cave Spider at digging holes. If not for your scouting, I probably would have needed quite some time to find this place."

Tian Meng chuckled and said, "How could a spider-type Soul Beast with such a massive cave system have only one entrance and exit? I merely found the exit this fellow uses for emergencies. All right, let's go in and take a look, hehehe..."

Shen Hanyu nodded, then leaped straight inside.

After following a damp passage downward for some time, snow-white spider silk began appearing along the cave walls. Strands as thin as threads occasionally hung down, giving off faint glimmers in the darkness.

Tian Meng carefully examined the spider silk and cautioned, "Hanyu, try not to touch it. This silk is linked to the Blizzard Spider King's Mental Power—it's what you humans call an alarm system. The moment it is touched, the Blizzard Spider King will immediately know that someone has entered its nest."

Shen Hanyu nodded. Avoiding the faintly glowing strands in the darkness was not particularly difficult, and for him, it was effortless.

Dust and clumps of earth constantly fell from the ceiling, as though an earthquake were taking place. Shen Hanyu knew that the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon had likely gone berserk and started attacking the ground above, trying to locate the Blizzard Spider King's nest.

There were nearly thirty meters of frozen soil above them. Even for the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon, breaking through it would likely take a long time. Shen Hanyu still had plenty of time.

Tian Meng navigated for Shen Hanyu like a rather unscrupulous map, leading him through one crisscrossing tunnel after another. Its complexity surpassed even that of a labyrinth.

Of course, it would be more accurate to say this place was a massive underground maze.

After passing another junction, Shen Hanyu smelled an intensely pungent stench from far away. Even someone accustomed to the foul odors of Soul Beasts could not help covering his nose and mouth, because the smell was simply too overpowering.

Tian Meng watched the spectacle from the Sea of Consciousness without a care and explained with a grin, "The Blizzard Spider King eats and relieves itself in this cave. There isn't much ventilation here, and the temperature is much higher than on the surface. Over time, even in such frigid surroundings, the stench slowly ferments. Naturally, the closer you get to its true nest, the stronger the smell becomes."

Shen Hanyu rolled his eyes and continued feeling his way forward.

Sure enough, the farther he went, the denser that enchanting "fragrance" became. In the end, it was so strong that it stung his eyes.

Tian Meng's tone became more serious. "Hanyu, it's right up ahead. I suggest you prepare yourself..."

After crossing the final stretch, the space before him suddenly opened up.

This was a naturally formed underground cavern. The surrounding walls were made of stone, and numerous tree roots hung down from the ceiling.

Even more astonishingly, the entire ground was covered in a thick layer of bones. There were even many half-eaten chunks of flesh that had been casually discarded, piled into a small mountain in one corner. They gave off waves of stench, and wriggling high-protein creatures could vaguely be seen within, making one nauseous.

Numerous enormous spider webs were woven overhead. Faint agonized screams came from somewhere ahead, along with the sound of something slowly crawling across the webs.

Shen Hanyu shifted aside and hid behind a protruding rock, surveying the scene outside.

A miniature Silver Emperor Sky Falcon was tightly wrapped in white webbing and hung upside down from the cave wall. Dark Red blood dripped slowly along the webbing from its body before falling into the mouth of a massive white spider below.

The white spider stood firmly upon the web with seven enormous spider legs. The first leg on its left side was visibly only half intact, with the other half nowhere to be found.

Besides that, the Blizzard Spider King had more than a dozen huge wounds of varying sizes across its body. Some had yet to heal and remained deep enough to expose bone.

After examining it, Tian Meng said, "Oh? No wonder this Blizzard Spider King dared provoke the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon, its natural enemy. So it had already been attacked by a Silver Emperor Sky Falcon before. Although it was lucky enough to escape, its injuries are truly severe. In its current state, forget fighting the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon—even how much longer it can survive is a question."

Shen Hanyu studied it as well, then nodded in agreement. "Tian Meng, let's deal with this Blizzard Spider King and those little spiders first. That Silver Emperor Sky Falcon has clearly been poisoned by the Blizzard Spider King's frost venom, and it probably will not live much longer either. Before the big one above fully understands what is happening down here, we should settle things here first..."

Tian Meng nodded in agreement. Then, an invisible stream of Mental Power slowly drifted toward the Blizzard Spider King.

A moment later, Tian Meng let out a breath and said, "All right. This fellow's Mental Power was weak to begin with. I just casually invaded its Sea of Consciousness, and I didn't expect it to have no defenses whatsoever. It's basically unconscious now. You can make your move."

A dim light flashed through Shen Hanyu's eyes. He swiftly hooked down the recently thousand-year-old Silver Emperor Sky Falcon with a thrust of his spear, slammed it viciously against the surrounding cave wall to knock it unconscious, then dragged it toward the way he had come.

Shui Bing'er and the other two girls had actually been following Shen Hanyu from afar the entire time. Although the Soul Beasts on the surface had mostly been frightened away by the Silver Emperor Sky Falcon, Shen Hanyu was still not at ease. So, he had left markings and directions as he went, allowing the three girls to follow him into the cave. They were probably waiting in some safe tunnel right now...