Chapter Sixty-Five: The Wolf Spider

Li Sibai took the spiral shell, nodded at He Tianshu, and sped forward on his own. At this moment, the success or failure of their group rested almost entirely on his shoulders, yet he no longer felt the tension that had gripped him before. Even he doubted his ability to return with the Ice Spirit Grass, so he simply relaxed.

Li Sibai raced ahead, yet the figures in front of him grew fainter and fainter. Had he not kept his Violet Divine Sight active, he would have lost them long ago. He could no longer see He Tianshu behind him either, which surprised Li Sibai. By rights, He Tianshu should not have encountered trouble; with his strength, even injured, he should not have lagged so far behind. Perhaps he had stopped, unable to endure the pain? Li Sibai was uncertain, but there was no time to ponder it. His focus was fixed on those ahead.

Soon, anxiety began to gnaw at Li Sibai. The snow line was approaching, the edge of the primeval forest lay ahead, and once the three figures entered it, he could barely discern them. Even with his Violet Divine Sight, countless obstacles obscured his vision. He could only vaguely make out that the three figures had separated, each heading in a different direction.

Helpless, Li Sibai quickened his pace and arrived at the edge of the primeval forest. Before him lay only a silent woodland, devoid of any trace to follow.

Without hesitation, Li Sibai drew the Xuantian Sword from his back and strode off in the direction where the central figure had disappeared.

Night had deepened. Most of the beasts within the forest seemed to be asleep, only the occasional chirr of insects or the movements of nocturnal monsters broke the quiet.

Li Sibai found traces on the ground, evidence that someone had recently passed by, and followed the trail forward, all the while wary of attacks by night-prowling beasts.

The first time he entered the forest, he had teammates to support him, could fight as a group, and even if they encountered a terrestrial beast, victory was possible. Now, he ventured alone. Though He Tianshu might follow, he had vanished from sight, and if trouble arose, distant help would be of little use, especially since He Tianshu was injured.

Li Sibai’s strength was sufficient to contend with beasts of the profound rank, but without Ye Chunjiao’s Soul-Devouring Whip to assist him, he proceeded with extra caution.

Yet, as he walked, no beasts attacked him. Instead, he came upon several fresh corpses—beasts slain not long ago, likely by the person ahead.

Li Sibai felt both alarm and delight: delighted that someone was clearing a path for him, and that these beasts would tire out his predecessor, increasing his own chances should they meet; alarmed because the slain monsters were mostly profound-ranked. For someone to dispatch several profound beasts in quick succession spoke to formidable power—whether he could prevail in the end remained uncertain.

As he pondered this, sounds of fierce combat came from ahead. Li Sibai adjusted his breathing, lightened his steps, curious to see what was happening but unwilling to be discovered.

The scene that greeted him shocked him.

A massive purple spider was locked in battle with the woman in green. Its body was more than a meter and a half in diameter, eight spear-like legs over three meters long, its carapace gleaming with a violet sheen. The tips of its legs were slender and sharp, silently piercing the earth with every step.

It was the nightmare of lesser beasts, a devourer of life, hated by all monsters. The names ascribed to it all pointed to one thing: it was a wolf spider. Among beasts, it was a terror, often hunting other monsters to increase its own cultivation.

It possessed a hard shell, astonishing speed, eight legs capable of piercing and laced with potent venom, and most dreadful of all, its webs.

The woman in green, whether from exhaustion after her earlier duel with Li Sibai or from the repeated attacks along her journey, was clearly fatigued. Facing the giant wolf spider, she was struggling. Several times, she tried to break free, only to be ensnared by silk or intercepted by a web; the spider seemed to treat her as a feast not to be missed.

Li Sibai broke out in a cold sweat. Judging by its size, the spider was at least a low-tier terrestrial beast. With such power, the woman in green’s fate was grim.

He silently mourned her for a moment, then turned to leave, intent on searching for Guo Jian. He had no desire to be entangled here, especially since the one in peril had been his adversary.

But as he turned to depart, the woman in green spotted him and fled toward Li Sibai.

The wolf spider, unwilling to let its prey escape, shot a strand of silk at her ankle, while a massive web descended from above, attempting to envelop her.

If caught in the web, the spider would soon use its venomous legs to strike and finish its prey.

The woman wielded her long sword, unleashing an ice spell; a thick wall of ice fell from above, blocking the web’s attack. But the spider’s silk had already wrapped around her ankle, slowing her pace.

With a sweep of her sword, she severed the silk and tried to flee, but more strands shot toward her. She hastily summoned another ice wall to block them.

Yet, having cast the spell twice in succession, the second ice wall was noticeably smaller, barely holding off the silk in front of her. More strands of silk swept toward her back—and Li Sibai was their target.

It was not only the woman who had noticed another presence; the wolf spider had as well, and it was eager for another morsel delivered to its jaws.

Li Sibai saw that escape was impossible and regretted his carelessness in coming so close.

With no other choice, he raised the Xuantian Sword, golden light flaring, while the white battle energy within him flowed into the blade, a cool sensation sharpening his mind. He swung the sword, deflecting most of the incoming silk and, for the moment, helping the woman in green escape the spider’s grasp.