No Way Back, Xu Yang Takes Action

As soon as Xu Yang spoke, a commotion erupted among the crowd. Several skilled fighters immediately headed back the way they came, only to return moments later with pale faces, telling the others, "The passage we came through has vanished. It's turned into a solid stone wall; we're trapped here."

The crowd fell silent at these words. Zhao Qiankun then asked Xu Yang, "Nephew, how did you discover the passage had disappeared?" Hearing Zhao Qiankun's inquiry, everyone turned their gazes toward Xu Yang.

Facing their stares, Xu Yang replied with a calm expression, "Just as those two men entered the cave, the passage behind them suddenly vanished, turning into a stone wall. I've already checked it; the wall is indeed solid, with no passage behind it. This must have triggered a mechanism within the cave."

After hearing Xu Yang's account, Yin Shihong looked grim and said, "So what do we do now? Are we just supposed to wait here and die?" Lei Dong turned to look at the many caves behind them and said, "The only way forward is to keep moving. One of these caves must be the real one!"

Hearing Lei Dong's suggestion, the group had no choice but to turn back to the rows of caves. Yin Shihong looked left and right, then spat out bitterly, "These damn caves all look the same! Who knows which one is real? It looks like we'll have to explore them one by one. Chief Lei, how about our two sides take turns sending people in?"

Lei Dong nodded in agreement, saying, "Fine, I agree! To show my sincerity, my side will go first." As he spoke, he scanned his men and pointed at Zhang Yi, saying, "Brother Zhang, your martial arts are formidable and your experience is vast. You take the lead!"

Zhang Yi was stunned for a moment, but immediately nodded and said, "No problem, Chief, just watch me!" Zhao Qiankun, standing to the side, said to Zhang Yi with some concern, "Be careful, brother. Do not be careless." Zhang Yi nodded to show he understood and immediately chose a cave, leaping inside.

He had only been in the cave for a moment when a fierce sound of combat erupted, accompanied by the roars of a beast. Shortly after, Zhang Yi's figure appeared at the cave entrance, with a massive tiger chasing closely behind him.

The sight of such a colossal tiger made Xu Yang's heart tighten. The beast was shockingly large; it could no longer be considered an ordinary wild animal, otherwise, someone of Zhang Yi's skill would not have been in such a sorry state.

Eventually, with the help of the others, Zhang Yi managed to escape the cave without further incident. Strangely, once the giant tiger reached the entrance, it stopped in its tracks, roaring repeatedly at Xu Yang and the others outside, but refusing to step out. After a while, it actually turned around and retreated back inside.

Seeing this, Xu Yang thought to himself, It seems the things inside the caves cannot leave. Perhaps Old Man Tianjue arranged it this way on purpose. This man is definitely more than just a peak-level expert!

Zhang Yi, still shaken, approached Lei Dong and said, "Chief, it's a dead end inside. You saw that giant tiger guarding it. After clashing with the beast, I realized its strength is immense—I was no match for it. Luckily, I was fast enough to escape."

Lei Dong patted his shoulder and said, "You've worked hard, Brother Zhang! The escort agency will reward you after this mission." He then turned to Yin Shihong and said, "Hall Master Yin, it is your turn. Please, proceed quickly."

Yin Shihong let out a cold snort and waved his hand. Two burly men immediately stepped forward and entered a cave. Sure enough, shouts and cries rang out from within, followed by a series of screams, and then the cave fell silent. It was clear that the two men had met a grim fate.

Seeing this, Yin Shihong's face darkened. He turned to an old man beside him and said, "Please, Fire Venerable, go and check the situation inside." The old man nodded expressionlessly and quickly stepped into the cave, returning just as fast.

With a twitching face, he reported, "It is a dead end. The cave is filled with giant man-eating ants. The two men have already been devoured, leaving not even their bones behind." Yin Shihong cupped his hands toward the old man and then turned his gaze toward Lei Dong's side.

Seeing this, Lei Dong scanned the crowd and his eyes landed on Xu Yang. Xu Yang stepped forward immediately and said, "Let this junior go this time." Lei Dong patted him with a sense of emotion and said, "Be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Brother Li's successor." Xu Yang nodded and immediately set off, choosing a cave and leaping inside.

Upon entering the cave, Xu Yang took a quick look and found it quite spacious. A mysterious light, coming from an unknown source, illuminated the interior. He moved forward cautiously, and before long, he reached the end of the cave. It was clearly a dead end, and Xu Yang's heart grew tense.

He scanned his surroundings, but found nothing. Still, he did not lower his guard, slowly moving his feet backward, inching closer to the entrance.

Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped up above Xu Yang's head. He reacted instantly, pushing off the ground and retreating rapidly. A large white net covered the spot where he had just been standing. Before he could even see what had attacked him, another gust of wind struck.

Xu Yang retreated again, and this time, he finally saw his attacker. Clinging to the ceiling of the cave was a giant spider, two meters in size, its six red eyes fixed firmly upon him.

Xu Yang shivered, retreating quickly. The giant spider raised its six sharp, long legs and leaped behind Xu Yang, blocking his path out of the cave. Seeing this, Xu Yang stopped and focused all his attention on the spider's every move.

The giant spider lifted its two front legs, aiming them directly at Xu Yang. With a hiss, it spat a mass of white silk toward him. Xu Yang tried to dodge, but the silk suddenly expanded in mid-air, turning into a web. Xu Yang became flustered, retreating repeatedly.

The giant spider seized the moment to spring forward, its two sharp front legs thrusting toward Xu Yang's chest. Xu Yang's reaction was lightning-fast; he retreated again while taking a deep breath, causing his chest to cave inward.

The spider's sharp legs flashed past, slicing through the clothes on Xu Yang's chest as cleanly as if cut by scissors. Cold sweat rolled down Xu Yang's forehead. He felt a wave of lingering fear, followed immediately by a surge of burning rage.

In his anger, he channeled his full power into the Ice Palm and struck out at the giant spider. A cold, biting wind followed his palm strike. The spider hissed, pushed off with its six legs, and leaped onto the ceiling, opening its maw to spit another mass of silk at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang's expression changed, and he dodged the attack. Looking up at the spider, he felt a sense of helplessness—he couldn't reach it while it was up there. I'd better retreat! Thinking this, Xu Yang used his movement technique to head toward the cave entrance.

Seeing its prey trying to escape, the spider gave chase, firing continuous bursts of silk at Xu Yang. Xu Yang pushed his movement technique to the limit, dodging repeatedly. Seeing that the silk was ineffective, the spider lunged at him.

Xu Yang dodged the spider's sharp legs and engaged it in combat. The cave was filled with biting cold winds and hissing sounds. After fighting for a while, Xu Yang's face changed drastically; a streak of green toxin had appeared within his body. He hadn't realized he had been poisoned by the spider.

A wave of numbness spread through his body, and his mind began to blur. In this critical moment, Xu Yang bit his tongue hard. The sharp pain cleared his mind, and seizing the opportunity, he immediately unleashed the Heavenly Demon Great Art. His aura shifted, becoming eerie, and wisps of black mist began to swirl around him.

The giant spider sensed the impending danger and hissed, lunging at Xu Yang with all its might. Xu Yang roared, and the black mist around him rapidly gathered into his hands, forming a black sun in his palms that radiated wisps of heat.

He raised his hands and slammed them into the giant spider. As they collided, a loud boom echoed, followed by a roar and a shrill, hissing shriek. A figure flew out of the cave, vomiting a mouthful of emerald-green blood. Behind him, the giant spider clung to the cave entrance, hissing, its six eyes turned deep red as it clawed at the air.

Seeing Xu Yang's miserable state, Zhao Qiankun stepped forward, helped him up, and pulled a red pill from his robes. "This is a Hundred Herb Pill, an antidote for all poisons. Nephew, take it quickly!" Xu Yang took it and swallowed the pill immediately.

After sitting in meditation and circulating his energy, the spider toxin was neutralized by the pill's power. Xu Yang's complexion improved significantly. He stood up and said to Zhao Qiankun, "Thank you for the pill, Senior. The toxin has been cleared; I am no longer in any danger."

"That is good. Otherwise, we would have failed Brother Li," Zhao Qiankun said with a sigh of relief. Beside him, Lei Dong also looked relieved; it was clear he had been very worried about Xu Yang's condition.

Lei Dong walked over and patted him, saying, "Looking at you, the cave must have been another dead end. You go ahead and continue your recovery; we will handle the rest."

Xu Yang nodded, found a spot to sit, and began to circulate his energy to heal while watching the situation unfold.