Success

The spider seemed to be asleep and had not noticed Xiao Yu, its uninvited guest.

Although Xiao Yu had never killed an insect-type demon beast, he knew they were generally far more formidable than beasts and birds of the same tier. This was common knowledge in the cultivation world.

Moreover, most insect-type demon beasts possessed unusual, extremely lethal poison arts that could leave someone fatally poisoned in an instant. Unless absolutely necessary, few people were willing to provoke such demon beasts.

The spider before him was enormous. Judging by the spiritual pressure it emitted, it was an upper-tier demon beast, but its strength could probably rival that of an ordinary top-tier demon beast.

Xiao Yu's heart tightened, and he silently cursed his luck. These purple monkey flowers actually had such a demon beast guarding them. If he wanted to gather the spiritual herbs on the rock wall, he would have to find a way to deal with it!

Xiao Yu pushed his Concealment Technique and Aura Concealment Technique to their limits, suppressing his magical power and presence as he continued observing the spider. It really did seem to be fast asleep.

Delighted, he took out the Small Axe, seven flying swords, and a stack of Enhanced Fire Serpent Talismans. He intended to deliver a fatal blow while it slept.

Then Xiao Yu slowly infused magical power into the two magical artifacts, keeping the fluctuations of power to a minimum.

A moment later, both artifacts had accumulated enough magical power. Without further hesitation, Xiao Yu swiftly launched them.

A streak of yellow radiance and seven streaks of azure light flew from Xiao Yu's hands. In the blink of an eye, they reached the space above the spider and slashed down at the junction between its head and body.

That was not all. After launching the Small Axe and the Mother-and-Child Swords, he swiftly activated several dozen Fire Serpent Talismans and hurled them at the spider.

The moment the Small Axe and the flying swords left Xiao Yu's hands, the enormous spider jolted awake.

Its eyes, each the size of a baby's fist, swiveled and spotted the artifacts hurtling toward it. It suddenly opened its mouthparts and spat out a glob of green liquid.

The green liquid splashed apart in midair, instantly forming an enormous green web more than ten feet across that descended over the Small Axe and the flying swords.

At the same time, it braced its eight legs against the ground and bent them slightly, then shot sideways in a blur.

Xiao Yu was startled. The spider's reactions were actually this fast! He hurriedly took out the Spirit Turtle Shield and sent several streaks of red light into it. The shield floated beside him, ready to defend against any surprise attack from the spider.

The Small Axe and the flying swords were, after all, premium top-tier magical artifacts. Driven by Xiao Yu's magical power, which approached that of a thirteenth-layer cultivator, their attacks were exceptionally powerful. The web the spider had hastily spat out failed to stop either artifact.

With a few light sweeps, the seven flying swords tore several large holes in the enormous green web. Then the swords and the Small Axe continued slashing toward the spider.

Yet that brief obstruction had bought the spider enough time to dart away from its original position, leaving both the Small Axe and the flying swords striking empty air.

The dozens of fire serpents following close behind, however, attacked over a wide area. Although the spider had reacted quickly, it still failed to escape their range.

The fire serpents surrounded it tightly, instantly transforming into a sea of flames. A series of booms erupted, mingled with shrill, agonized squeals.

Within the flames, the spider frantically swung its eight legs, forming a wheel-like blur as it struck at the fire serpents one after another. After several exchanges, it finally destroyed all the fire serpents, but paid a heavy price for doing so.

Xiao Yu kept the Small Axe and the flying swords hovering outside the sea of flames. The moment the spider emerged, he would send them in to finish it off.

A moment later, the scene within the flames gradually became clear. The spider lay on the ground, twitching occasionally. Four of its eight legs had been broken and hung limply from its body. Scorched black marks covered several parts of its body, and a smell like burned protein drifted toward him.

At the sight, Xiao Yu sent both artifacts slashing down without a second thought.

This time, the spider struggled desperately to dodge and managed to evade the seven flying swords. In the end, however, it could not escape the Small Axe. With a crack, the axe struck its neck. With a wet thud, its head came off and rolled onto the ground. After a few twitches, the spider fell still.

"Heh, a sneak attack really is the best way to fight! It cuts down the risks considerably!" Having killed this seemingly formidable spider demon beast so easily, Xiao Yu could not help remarking.

He then took out the Spirit Shovel and approached the purple monkey flowers. He dug out a chunk of the purple rock wall they grew on along with them and safely stored it in the Jade Box.

After gathering all the spiritual herbs, he returned to the spider's corpse and dismembered it with the Small Axe. Its carapace, fangs, and legs would fetch at least a few spirit stones.

Why did Xiao Yu dig up every spiritual herb wherever he went? First, these main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills grew only within the Forbidden Grounds. There were no seeds available outside, and even if he took the seedlings out and accelerated their growth, they would leave no seeds behind. Thus, he needed to take out more seedlings.

Second, Yue Kingdom would not be able to withstand the Demonic Path invasion in a little over a decade. By then, even the Forbidden Grounds would no longer belong to the Seven Sects of Yue Kingdom, so why should he concern himself with so much?

As for whether he could save Yue Kingdom by using his foreknowledge to warn his sect in advance?

The chances were far too slim. In the face of absolute strength, any struggle was futile. Besides, by then he would be no more than an insignificant Foundation Establishment cultivator. A man of little standing carried little weight, and the great tides of the world were simply beyond his ability to steer.

Next, Xiao Yu visited three more locations recorded as having spiritual herbs. This time, good fortune finally smiled upon him. None of the three places had demon beasts guarding them, allowing him to gather the herbs effortlessly. He was beside himself with delight.

By then, the third day in the Forbidden Grounds had ended, so Xiao Yu had no choice but to find a secluded cave and rest for the night.

Fortunately, after a day of searching, he had gathered enough seedlings of all three main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills to accelerate their growth. He therefore needed to make different plans for his fourth day.

Before entering, he had never imagined things would go so smoothly. Now, aside from setting aside half of the fifth day to leave the Forbidden Grounds, he still had a day and a half to gather mature spiritual herbs.

The mature spiritual herbs he currently possessed were not enough to exchange for even one Foundation Establishment Pill. If he simply left, accelerated the herbs' growth, and refined pills to reach Foundation Establishment, he would certainly arouse suspicion. How had he reached Foundation Establishment without obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill? That was a question he would find very difficult to explain.

Thus, before leaving, he had to gather another one or two spiritual herbs to bring his total to ten. Besides, Xiao Yu now had some understanding of his own strength. As long as he remained a little cautious, he had nothing to fear.

On the fourth day, Xiao Yu left the cave, chose a direction, and sprang away at a run.

This time, he intended to visit an underground cave. It supposedly contained quite a few spiritual herbs, including, of course, mature ones.

Xiao Yu leaped swiftly from treetop to treetop. Fortunately, his luck held, and he did not encounter any packs of demon beasts.

Along the way, he only encountered a few solitary mid-tier demon beasts, which he naturally dispatched with ease.

Just as he crossed a mountain ridge and approached his destination, he suddenly spotted two figures flashing past in the distance.

Startled, Xiao Yu immediately jumped down from the tree and hid in the dense forest to observe them.

About a mile ahead, one figure wore brightly colored clothing, while the other was dressed in blue. They raced forward in bounding leaps and vanished somewhere in the blink of an eye.

They seem to be disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain and the Blade Transforming Dock. How did they end up together? And the place where they disappeared is precisely the underground cave I'm heading for. Should I still go? Xiao Yu was deeply torn.

After thinking it over for a long while, Xiao Yu decided to go and assess the situation first. He could not defeat two opponents at once, but escaping should not be a problem. His Wind Riding Art was twice as fast as other people's; he refused to believe they could catch him.

If there's an advantage to be had, I'll take it. If there's no opening, I'll slip away!