As soon as Xu Yang said this, an uproar broke out among the crowd. Several skilled fighters immediately headed back the way they had come. A short while later, they returned with faces ashen and told everyone, "The passage we came through has disappeared. It's been replaced by a stone wall. We're trapped here."
The crowd fell silent. Zhao Qiankun turned to Xu Yang and asked, "Nephew, how did you discover the passage had disappeared?" At his question, everyone turned to look at Xu Yang.
Under their gazes, Xu Yang calmly replied, "The passage behind us vanished and turned into a stone wall just as those two big brothers entered the cave. I've already checked it, too. The wall is solid, with no passage behind it. Some mechanism in the cave must have been triggered."
After hearing Xu Yang's account, Yin Shihong said gloomily, "What do we do now? Are we supposed to sit here and wait to die?" Lei Dong turned to look at the many caves behind them. "Our only option is to keep moving forward. One of these caves must be the real one!"
Hearing Lei Dong say this, the crowd had no choice but to return to the caves. Yin Shihong looked from side to side and said bitterly, "These caves are all exactly the same. Who knows which one is the real one? Looks like we'll have to search them one by one. Chief Escort Lei, how about our two sides take turns sending people in?"
Lei Dong nodded in agreement. "Fine, I agree! To show our sincerity, we'll go first." He glanced over his men, then pointed at Zhang Yi. "Brother Zhang, you're a skilled fighter with plenty of experience. You'll take the lead."
Zhang Yi first looked taken aback, then quickly nodded. "No problem, Chief Escort. Just watch me!" Zhao Qiankun looked at Zhang Yi with concern. "Be careful, brother. Don't let your guard down." Zhang Yi nodded to show he understood, then immediately chose a cave and leaped inside.
He had barely entered the cave when the sound of a fierce battle rang out, mingled with roars from a beast. Then Zhang Yi appeared at the entrance, with a massive tiger chasing close behind him.
At the sight of the enormous tiger, Xu Yang's heart tightened. It was far too huge to be an ordinary beast; otherwise, Zhang Yi wouldn't have been in such a sorry state with his skills.
With help from the others, Zhang Yi eventually made it out of the cave unharmed. Strangely, the giant tiger stopped as soon as it reached the entrance. It roared again and again at Xu Yang and the others outside, but refused to come out. After a while, it turned and went back inside.
Seeing this, Xu Yang thought, It seems nothing inside the caves can come out. Perhaps Old Man Tianjue arranged it that way on purpose. He's definitely more than just an ordinary Connate expert!
Still shaken, Zhang Yi walked over to Lei Dong and said, "Chief Escort, that cave is a dead end, too. There's a giant tiger guarding it. After fighting the beast, I found that it's incredibly strong—I was no match for it. Luckily, I was fast enough to break away and run out."
Lei Dong patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks for your effort, Brother Zhang! The escort agency will reward you after this operation." He then turned to Yin Shihong. "Hall Master Yin, it's your turn. Please send someone in right away."
Yin Shihong snorted and waved a hand. Two burly men stepped forward and entered a cave. Sure enough, shouts rang out from inside, followed by a scream. Then the cave fell silent. It was clear the two men had met a terrible end.
Yin Shihong's expression darkened. He turned to an old man beside him. "Please go in and check the situation, Fire Venerable." The old man nodded without expression and quickly entered the cave. Before long, he came back out.
His face twitched as he said, "It's another dead end. The cave is full of giant flesh-eating ants. The two men have been eaten down to the bone." Yin Shihong cupped his hands toward the old man, then turned to look at Lei Dong's side.
Lei Dong immediately swept his eyes over the crowd, settling on Xu Yang. Xu Yang stepped forward. "This time, let me go." Lei Dong patted him with a sigh. "Be careful. I don't want anything to happen to Brother Li's disciple." Xu Yang nodded, chose a cave, and leaped inside.
Once inside, Xu Yang glanced around. The cave was quite spacious, and light from some unknown source brightened the entire place. He cautiously made his way forward. Before long, he reached the end of the cave. It was clearly a dead end, too, and tension immediately gripped him.
He quickly searched the surroundings, but found nothing. Still, he didn't let his guard down. He slowly stepped backward, inching toward the entrance.
Suddenly, a gust of forceful wind swept over Xu Yang's head. He reacted at once, pushing off with his foot and darting backward. A white net landed where he had been standing. Before he could see what had attacked him, another gust of wind swept toward him.
Xu Yang retreated again. This time, he finally saw what had attacked him: clinging to the cave ceiling was a giant spider, two meters across. Its six red eyes were fixed intently on him.
Xu Yang shuddered and immediately leaped backward. The giant spider raised its six long, sharp legs and sprang behind him, blocking the way out. Xu Yang stopped in his tracks and watched the enormous spider's every move, fully focused.
The giant spider slowly raised its two front legs and pointed them straight at Xu Yang. With a hiss, it opened its mouth and spat a ball of white webbing at him. Xu Yang tried to dodge, but the web suddenly spread open in midair, becoming a net. He was thrown into disarray and stumbled backward again and again.
Seeing this, the giant spider sprang into the air, driving its two sharp front legs straight toward Xu Yang's chest. Xu Yang reacted with blinding speed, leaping backward again as he took a deep breath. His chest immediately sank inward.
The spider's sharp leg tips flashed past, slashing through Xu Yang's clothes with a swish. The clean cuts looked as if scissors had made them. Cold sweat streamed down Xu Yang's forehead. First, he felt a surge of lingering fear; then, fury blazed through him.
Enraged, he immediately unleashed the full force of his Ice Palm, striking the giant spider with all his might. A frigid wind swept through the cave in the wake of his palm. The spider hissed, pushed off with all six legs, and leaped up to the ceiling. It opened its mouth and spat a ball of webbing at Xu Yang.
Xu Yang's expression changed, and he hurriedly dodged. He looked up at the giant spider helplessly. While it was up there, his attacks couldn't reach it at all. He'd better retreat! With that thought, he immediately used his lightness skill to head for the entrance.
Seeing its prey try to escape, the giant spider immediately chased after him, shooting web after web in quick succession. Xu Yang pushed his lightness skill to its limit, dodging again and again. When the giant spider saw its webs were useless, it sprang straight at him.
Xu Yang dodged the spider's sharp legs and fought it head-on. The cave was filled with bitterly cold gusts and a flurry of hissing. After fighting for a while, Xu Yang's expression changed drastically. A wisp of green poison had appeared inside his body. He hadn't even realized the giant spider had poisoned him.
Numbness surged through his body, and his mind grew hazy. At this critical moment, Xu Yang bit down hard on his tongue. The sharp pain cleared his head. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately unleashed the Heavenly Demon Great Art. His bearing changed, turning eerie, as strands of black smoke drifted around him.
The giant spider sensed the danger approaching and immediately hissed, springing at Xu Yang with all its might. Xu Yang roared. Strands of black smoke around him rushed toward 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. The two drew together at blinding speed. A tremendous crash rang out, followed by a roar and a shrill hiss of pain. A figure shot out of the cave and spat out a mouthful of emerald-green blood. Behind Xu Yang, the giant spider crouched at the entrance, hissing. Its six eyes had turned dark red as it bared its fangs and claws at him.
Seeing Xu Yang in such a sorry state, Zhao Qiankun hurried forward and helped him up. He took a red pill from his robes and said, "This is a Hundred Herb Pill. It counteracts all poisons. Nephew, take it quickly!" Xu Yang reached out at once, took the pill, and swallowed it.
After sitting in meditation and circulating his energy, Xu Yang's spider venom was neutralized by the Hundred Herb Pill. His complexion improved considerably. He stood and said to Zhao Qiankun, "Thank you for the pill, senior. The poison has been purged, and I'm all right now."
"That's good. Otherwise, we'd have let Brother Li down badly." Zhao Qiankun breathed a sigh of relief. Lei Dong, standing nearby, also looked relieved. He was clearly very worried about Xu Yang's injuries.
Lei Dong walked over and patted him. "From the way you look, that cave must be another dead end. Go sit down and keep treating your injuries. We'll handle the rest."
Xu Yang nodded quickly, found a place to sit, and circulated his energy to heal his injuries while watching what happened next.
Before you continue