"So many..."
"At least a hundred!"
"How could so many beasts appear all at once?"
The Qingyun Sect disciples were utterly shocked, and cries of alarm rang out from all sides.
Lu Jiuyuan said nothing.
His gaze swept past the beast tide and toward the distant forest.
The beasts' eyes were blood-red. Those weren't normal animal eyes; they were in a frenzied state, driven there by some kind of force.
Someone had used special means to drive them here, sending them charging toward the group like mad.
In Southern Border, there were only a handful of factions capable of doing something like this.
There was no need to guess who was behind it!
A cold smile curved Lu Jiuyuan's lips.
Fenxiang Valley.
They wanted to wear them down with the beast tide?
Then come out and play savior once they were badly wounded?
They certainly had a clever plan.
Then he'd show them exactly what mid-Taiqing Realm strength meant.
Lu Jiuyuan glanced back at the Qingyun disciples behind him and spoke in a calm yet powerful voice. "Everyone, heed my command. Form a defensive formation. Don't split up or rush forward. Just hold your positions."
He turned to face the oncoming tide of beasts and slowly raised his right hand.
He found the option in the group function.
[Ability: Death Spider Emperor's Third Soul Skill—Demon Spider Summoning] [Source World: Douluo Continent] [Ability Level: Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring level] [Effect: Summon a large number of demon spiders to fight for you. Their number and strength depend on the user's spiritual power and spiritual energy output.] [Use? Yes/No]
Lu Jiuyuan selected "Yes."
In that instant, the spiritual energy within him began to surge wildly. His vast Taiqing Realm power poured into the golden imprint like a dam breaking. A flash of purple light gleamed deep in his pupils—the light of the Death Spider Emperor.
He pointed forward with his right hand.
"Demon Spider Summoning."
His voice was quiet, yet it stirred a ring of visible ripples in the air, like some ancient incantation.
The earth trembled.
The earth trembled.
Dozens of yards ahead of the beast tide, countless cracks suddenly split open in the ground.
Black fissures wreathed in purple smoke, as though something had torn the earth open from within.
A rustling sound rose from the cracks, growing louder and louder, dense as a swarm. It sounded as though something was surging up from beneath the earth.
Then they appeared.
Countless black spiders crawled out of the fissures. Each was as large as a millstone, its back covered in purple markings. Barbed spines lined their eight long legs, and black venom dripped from their mandibles.
Their eyes were deep purple, cold and merciless. There was no trace of frenzy in them, only a pure instinct to kill.
One, ten, fifty, a hundred...
Their numbers kept growing.
Lu Jiuyuan stood behind the swarm of demon spiders, his robes snapping in the wind.
His face was paler than usual, and a few clear beads of sweat glistened at his temples.
Maintaining more than a thousand demon spiders at once consumed far more spiritual energy than he had expected.
The spiritual energy of the mid-Taiqing Realm was rapidly draining from his body, like a great river irrigating a hundred acres of farmland at once.
But the results were astonishing.
The frenzied beasts charged into the spiders' formation and were immediately surrounded by a dense swarm.
The demon spiders sank their fangs into the beasts, and their venom spread rapidly. The beasts' movements slowed, then stiffened, until they finally collapsed in the dust and writhed.
A few Iron-Back Bears tore several demon spiders apart with brute strength, but more immediately rushed in to take their place, drowning the bears in venom and claws.
The beast tide's charge was forcibly halted.
The red-eyed beasts piled up before the spiders' formation, forming a wall of mangled flesh. Those behind trampled over their companions' corpses as they charged forward, only to be stopped by yet more spiders.
The air filled with the heavy stench of blood and the rank smell of venom. Roars, shrieks, and the cracking of carapaces mingled in a deafening din.
The Qingyun disciples stared at the scene, all of them stunned.
Wen Min's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. For a long moment, she couldn't close it. "Th-this spell... Since when has the Qingyun Sect had a spell like this?"
No one could answer her.
Lu Xueqi tightened her grip on the Tianya Sword and watched Lu Jiuyuan's back. Surprise flashed in her eyes, but it soon gave way to worry.
She could sense his spiritual energy draining at an astonishing rate.
Jin Ping'er's Purple Glow Blade fell still in her hand. Her gaze shifted from the demon spiders to Lu Jiuyuan, and a strange glint flickered in her eyes.
She had read many of the Hehuan Sect's records and seen the secret arts of countless sects, but she had never encountered a technique for summoning demon spiders like this.
It didn't resemble the methods of any sect in this world.
Lu Jiuyuan, just how many secrets were you hiding?
The beast tide continued its assault, but its momentum had clearly weakened.
Even the controlled beasts seemed to be growing afraid. A few Giant Wolves at the rear hesitated and stopped, a trace of instinctive fear flickering in their blood-red eyes.
Lu Jiuyuan's lips curled slightly.
Afraid already?
Not enough.
Nowhere near enough.
He drew a deep breath, and the spiritual energy within him surged again. The cracks in the ground widened, and more demon spiders crawled up from below.
Another wave of purple demon spiders emerged, and the beast tide collapsed completely.
The remaining beasts let out terrified wails and turned to flee.
They no longer obeyed any force. All they wanted was to escape.
Several slower beasts were overtaken by the purple demon spiders. Their massive pincers pinned them to the ground, and venom flowed into their bodies. In a few breaths, they fell silent.
The cracks in the ground slowly closed. As if their task were complete, the demon spiders sank underground one after another and vanished.
As the dust settled, the battlefield was left strewn with the corpses of beasts and shrouded in silence.
Lu Jiuyuan lowered his hand and swayed slightly.
A hand reached out from beside him and firmly caught his arm.
He turned his head and saw that Lu Xueqi had come to his side without him noticing. She still held the Tianya Sword in one hand, while the other gripped his arm tightly.
Her brow was furrowed, and there was no hiding the worry in her eyes. "Senior Brother, you..."
"I'm fine." Lu Jiuyuan smiled faintly, his voice softer than usual. "I've just used up a lot of energy. I'll be fine after I rest."
Lu Xueqi said nothing. She simply held him and didn't let go.
The Qingyun disciples behind them finally snapped out of their daze and burst into unrestrained cheers.
"Senior Brother Lu!"
"That was amazing!"
"You stopped so many beasts all by yourself!"
"The Taiqing Realm... Is this what Taiqing Realm strength looks like?"
Wen Min hurried over, concern filling her eyes. "Senior Brother, how are you? Are you all right?"
Lu Jiuyuan smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Don't worry!"
"That's good!" Wen Min breathed a sigh of relief, but she stayed by his side.
His gaze passed over the cheering disciples and settled on the distant forest. The presence there had completely disappeared!
Those who had been watching had quietly retreated the moment the beast tide collapsed.
They ran fast, at least.
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