After several hours of high-intensity flight for his life, coupled with the piercing agony of a fractured arm, Lin Feng's body and mind had long been pushed to their limits.
His legs felt as heavy as lead, trembling uncontrollably every time they touched the ground. Sweat had soaked through his robes and blurred his vision, while even breathing brought a scorching pain deep in his lungs.
He abruptly stopped, gritted his teeth, and turned around, his eyes brimming with the ruthless resolve of someone staking everything on one final gamble.
He could not run anymore. Running any farther would only mean death—but even if he died today, he would take that damned monkey down with him.
Yet the expected pounce never came.
The Ghost-Faced Beast Monkey that had chased him for three full hours seemed to have suddenly encountered something utterly terrifying.
Without even sparing him another glance, it let out a terrified shriek, turned, and fled into the depths of the forest, vanishing without a trace after only a few leaps.
Lin Feng stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the empty woods. It took him a long while before he finally muttered in disbelief.
"Did... did it really run away?"
After holding his breath for a few more seconds and confirming that the damned monkey truly was not coming back, the nerves he had kept taut for hours finally slackened completely.
All strength drained from his body at once. He slid weakly down the thick tree trunk, his back against the cold bark, gasping violently as he burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha! I survived again. Looks like my luck isn't that terrible after all!"
His laughter carried the hoarseness and wild joy of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
Just then, a blob of cold, sticky white fluid dripped down from above and landed squarely on his shoulder.
The smile on Lin Feng's face instantly froze. An icy chill shot up his spine and straight to the top of his head.
He finally understood why the Ghost-Faced Beast Monkey had suddenly abandoned prey that was already in its grasp and fled without looking back.
Stiffly, he slowly raised his head.
Within the shadowy canopy above, a five-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider, ten meters across, hung upside down from a thick branch.
Its eight eerie, cold green compound eyes stared fixedly at him. The grotesque, twisted human face on its abdomen grinned, revealing bone-white fangs dripping with venom.
Almost the instant he looked up, the Man Faced Demon Spider opened its mouthparts and shot out a mass of incredibly tough white spider silk.
Lin Feng's pupils shrank. His body had already been pushed beyond its limit; he did not even have the strength to raise his hand and dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the spider silk hit him head-on and nailed his entire body firmly against the trunk.
His limbs were bound tightly.
As he watched the Man Faced Demon Spider move its eight long legs, covered in black hair and sharp barbs, toward him step by step.
The savage pressure of a top predator bore down on him so heavily that he could barely breathe.
Lin Feng's heart sank completely.
Even with a Resurrection Armor in hand, he had no confidence that he could survive.
Man Faced Demon Spiders were already renowned for their speed and deadly venom, let alone a peak specimen with five thousand years of cultivation.
Its explosive power and hunting efficiency were simply not comparable to that Ghost-Faced Beast Monkey, which only knew how to toy with its prey.
The moment he resurrected, it could immediately strike again, leaving him no chance to catch his breath.
He suddenly gave a bitter smile, filled with both self-mockery and resignation.
"So this is where I really fall... Still, compared to ending up in that damned monkey's hands, at least my innocence is intact. Does that count as a blessing in disguise?"
The smile faded, leaving only deep unwillingness in his eyes.
"I'm so unwilling... I haven't even unlocked Six-God Gear. My path as a support has only just begun, and I'm about to die here."
"I still haven't paid back Uncle Zhao and the dean. And... I won't have the chance to repay the Angel Goddess's kindness either."
The next moment,
the purple thousand-year soul ring on his body suddenly rose, its brilliant glow lighting up the dim forest.
With a thought, the Thornmail on him was instantly recalled, replaced by a gold coin engraved with Sage's Protection that immediately merged into his body.
Streams of warm, mysterious golden light wrapped around his body like flowing creeks, forming a faint golden barrier. The Resurrection Armor's passive [Resurrection] was ready.
Lin Feng calmly raised his eyes toward the Man Faced Demon Spider, which had already approached and opened its fangs. There was not a trace of fear in his gaze, only faint amusement and calm acceptance.
"Getting killed by a spider? Tsk, that's a first."
Just as the Man Faced Demon Spider's venom-soaked forelimb was about to pierce Lin Feng's chest.
A golden sword aura of unparalleled brilliance suddenly tore through the forest.
A fierce sacred presence instantly swept across the area, carrying an innate suppressive force against Evil Spirit soul beasts.
The Man Faced Demon Spider instantly sensed that sacred power of light, which it instinctively hated and feared. Ignoring the prey already at its mouth, it let out a sharp screech and swiftly dodged the sword aura.
The sword aura slammed into the ground, instantly blasting open a ravine several meters deep. The rotting leaves and weeds nearby were burned to ash by the sacred energy.
Lin Feng froze for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his pupils lighting up.
"It's her!"
Above the forest, a woman in a flowing gilded gown hovered silently. A light veil covered her face, revealing only a pair of sharp, cold phoenix eyes that gleamed like molten gold.
Golden Angel wings slowly unfolded behind her, and a faint sacred radiance lingered around her. She held a longsword flowing with golden light, like an Angel descended into the mortal world.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple—four soul rings rose steadily around her. She was unmistakably a Soul Ancestor expert.
It was that mysterious rich woman from the Soul Recovery Pavilion... No, right now, she was his only lifeline!
"There's hope!"
Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and his desire to survive in the face of despair soared to its peak.
Even though he was firmly nailed to the tree by spider silk, one yellow and one purple soul ring suddenly rose beneath his feet as he murmured.
"Blue Sentinel Power!"
"Red Sentinel Power!"
With a slight movement of his fingertips, two Thornmail Gold Coins engraved with thorn patterns shot toward Qian Renxue in dazzling golden light.
Afraid that his savior might mistake them for an attack, he hurriedly shouted.
"Big sis, thank you for saving me! I'm a Support System soul master. Don't resist the coins—this is my support blessing!"
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue, who had been about to instinctively dodge, suddenly stopped. She watched the two strange coins flying toward her with interest, her gilded phoenix eyes full of curiosity.
The two coins instantly entered her body, and a vast, surging power immediately flooded through every part of her body.
Strength increased by 90% Defense increased by 600% Maximum health increased by 140%
Qian Renxue could clearly feel that this power had not only brought terrifying attribute boosts, but had also given her an additional soul skill she could activate at will.
Immediately afterward, blue and crimson halos appeared around her, and her Soul Power recovery speed instantly reached its maximum.
At that moment, Qian Renxue felt stronger than she ever had before.
Even though she only possessed the cultivation of a Soul Ancestor at the moment, with Lin Feng's full set of buffs, her overall combat power had increased severalfold.
She looked toward the Man Faced Demon Spider opposite her, battle intent surging in her phoenix eyes. Her golden wings flapped fiercely, and she turned into a streak of golden light, charging boldly at the Man Faced Demon Spider with her light sword in hand!
The Man Faced Demon Spider had already been furious that its prey had been interrupted. Seeing this tiny human actually dare to charge at it, it let out an ear-piercing screech.
Its mouthparts opened, spraying several masses of white spider silk laced with paralyzing venom at Qian Renxue like cannonballs.
"Watch out for the spider silk! Thornmail can actively trigger Thorn, reflecting 35% of true damage for three seconds. Red Buff makes your attacks inflict slowing and True Burn—kite it!"
Nailed to the tree trunk, Lin Feng was afraid Qian Renxue would not know how to use those effects. He rapidly shouted out every key point, practically wishing he could teach her himself.
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