"Retreat immediately... I'd love to say that, but we can't get away anymore."
Tang Wulin glanced around and made his judgment with some reluctance.
He really wanted to lead Xie Xie and Gu Yue away from here, but the Man Faced Demon Spider's web had already surrounded them. If they wanted to escape now, they could only press the emergency button on the backs of their hands and leave the Spirit Ascension Platform.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's venom was practically impossible to cure, and its web was terrifyingly sticky. Add its incredibly sturdy carapace to the mix, and Tang Wulin couldn't think of any way to deal with it, at least not for the moment.
As the Man Faced Demon Spider used its web to steadily shrink the area, the space they had to move around in grew smaller and smaller.
Soon, the Man Faced Demon Spider seemed to have no desire to keep laying web. It was ready to enjoy these three delicious humans instead.
The little girl and the young man who wasn't quite as fast seemed especially tasty and nourishing, judging by the auras they gave off.
The next moment, with a pfft, the hundred-year Man Faced Demon Spider suddenly twisted around, and a mass of yellow-green light swept toward the three of them.
The yellow-green mass spread rapidly in the air, turning into a giant net. At the same time, the Man Faced Demon Spider let out a shriek and lunged at them.
Gu Yue's eyes turned cold. She raised a hand and fired basic attacks of several elements at the enormous web, trying to stop it from falling.
But the web was incredibly tough. Even though Gu Yue's attacks struck with pinpoint accuracy, they couldn't stop the giant web from coming down over them.
Xie Xie was already feeling a little desperate. His right hand hovered over the button on the back of his left hand, ready to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform at any moment.
"I can't believe our luck is this bad. We just entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, and now we have to leave already?"
Just then, a purple ring of light appeared behind them. It sliced through the web surrounding them, then cut the giant net in half, sending it down onto the web on either side.
"It's Lan Kai! He's here to help us!"
Xie Xie jumped up excitedly, nearly triggering the emergency button by accident and leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform for nothing.
"No. He won't help you kill this Man Faced Demon Spider. At most, he'll help you when you're in danger."
Wu Zhangkong's voice abruptly sounded in their ears, making Tang Wulin and Xie Xie pause in surprise.
"Why?!" Xie Xie immediately asked, but the next moment, Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his waist, and Tang Wulin pulled him aside.
In the next moment, the Man Faced Demon Spider's sharp leg stabbed into the spot where Xie Xie had just been standing, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"Lan Kai is too strong. If you rely on him, you won't grow at all."
Wu Zhangkong's cold voice rang out again, utterly crushing the last trace of hope in Xie Xie's heart.
Lan Kai merely shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do about it either.
"Fine, then. We'll just have to fight."
Xie Xie shook his head, his gaze turning even colder as he looked at the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Since they had to fight one way or another, and Lan Kai was there to keep them from getting in over their heads, Xie Xie's courage swelled.
"Gu Yue, next time, use a different method to hold the web open! Buy me an opening!"
Recalling the materials about mecha weaknesses he'd read at home, Xie Xie immediately came up with a new idea.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's carapace was incredibly hard, and its only theoretical weakness was underneath its abdomen.
But under normal circumstances, the weak spot on its abdomen was very difficult for other Soul Beasts or Soul Masters to reach.
At the very least, Xie Xie didn't think a single slide tackle would deal enough damage to the Man Faced Demon Spider's abdomen. Maybe Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw could do it?
But they'd still need the others' help to pull that off.
However, the joints between its limbs were indeed more fragile than the rest of its body, and could serve as an alternative weak point.
And for some reason, after seeing Lan Kai, a battle instinct had surfaced in Xie Xie's mind:
Forget everything else—first, let's tear off all those spider legs!
"Okay." Gu Yue nodded.
After her earlier attempt, she'd realized that her counterattack had been more trouble than it was worth.
The toughness of the Man Faced Demon Spider's web had truly exceeded her expectations.
"Tsk, this is so inconvenient. If only I could call on more power, like Lan Kai can."
Seeing that the Man Faced Demon Spider had lost interest in Lan Kai and was firing webs at Gu Yue and the others again, Gu Yue sighed. A thick stone pillar then surged up from the ground, shooting skyward and forcefully propping up the web the Man Faced Demon Spider had launched, keeping it from falling—as if it were some enormous Armstrong rotary cannon.
Right after that, Xie Xie climbed partway up the pillar, then leaped into the air, aiming straight for the Man Faced Demon Spider's back.
At the same time, Tang Wulin activated his Blue Silver Grass, trying to bind the Man Faced Demon Spider tightly.
"Not bad teamwork. Gu Yue handles defense, Tang Wulin handles control, and Xie Xie delivers the strongest strike.
"Against any other Soul Beast, even a thousand-year Soul Beast, this might've been enough to take it down.
"But this is a Man Faced Demon Spider..."
Even though the strand of Blue Silver Grass Tang Wulin used to bind the Man Faced Demon Spider had turned golden, the spider still snapped it apart by sheer force.
The Man Faced Demon Spider then raised its forelegs, aiming straight at Xie Xie, who was still in midair.
Their seemingly flawless teamwork fell apart in an instant.
And Xie Xie looked ready to be pierced by the Man Faced Demon Spider's foreleg.
"Out of the way! Don't get in the way!"
The next moment, a voice with a faint echo suddenly rang out. A huge bone claw appeared and slammed the Man Faced Demon Spider back onto the ground.
"Dark Demon Dragon? Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi!"
Xie Xie had been knocked into a tree off to one side. Though he looked a little worse for wear, he still broke into a grin.
His two classmates' timely arrival at the most crucial moment made him feel much more at ease.
"Tsk, they've never even had Juggler train them. So why did they just give me the feeling that Juggler had logged in and taken over?"
Lan Kai had already condensed an Ultra Slash in his palm, but lowered his right hand once more, unable to help thinking to himself.
Honestly, he just wanted to be assigned a combat mission as soon as possible. He'd even be fine entering the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform alone.
Continuing to OMO like this wasn't something a Warrior of Light should be doing.
However, when faced with the Dark Demon Dragon's sneak attack, the Man Faced Demon Spider suddenly shrieked and unleashed a burst of tremendous power, hurling the Dark Demon Dragon's Bone Dragon Claw away by sheer force.
Before you continue