Chapter 150: The Terrifying Spiders
"They must have died," Shang Pei said, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had not expected the mercenary group that entered first to perish so quickly. There was undoubtedly something terrifying lurking within that tunnel.
"Which path do we take now?" one of the martial artists asked, his gaze turning to Shang Pei.
At this point, entering any of the tunnels clearly carried significant danger. But if they hesitated, other groups might claim the treasures first. The secret realm's riches were not infinite, and those who ventured in first would have the best chance of seizing them.
With that thought, the martial artists felt a rising urgency in their hearts.
"Let me think..." Shang Pei muttered, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, other martial artist groups, driven by the hope of great rewards, had already begun moving toward different tunnels. The greater the risk, the greater the reward, after all. If they could find treasures early, they would make a fortune.
"We're going in through this tunnel," Shang Pei said after a moment's deliberation.
"Isn't that… the same tunnel the Sky Tiger Mercenary Group just entered?" one of the martial artists asked, glancing nervously at the passage Shang Pei was pointing toward.
"Yes, that's the one," Shang Pei confirmed with a serious nod.
Lin Luoluo also nodded slightly, agreeing with his decision. While the previous group had perished, that didn't necessarily mean they would meet the same fate. If there were traps or mechanisms, they likely had already been triggered by the earlier group.
Logically speaking, the more dangerous a place was, the more likely it was to contain valuable treasures.
"Let's go," Shang Pei ordered as he strode forward into the tunnel.
Lin Luoluo followed without hesitation. Entering a secret realm to search for treasures meant always being prepared for death.
Despite their fear, the other martial artists quickly followed, determined to seize whatever opportunity they could.
Inside the tunnel, dim, ghostly flames floated in the air, giving the passage an eerie glow. The flames flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
Lin Luoluo noticed one of the flames hovering close to her and hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch it. The flame dispersed immediately upon contact.
"It's not real fire," Lin Luoluo murmured to herself.
"It's a type of concentrated energy," Shang Pei explained as he led the group forward.
"Concentrated energy?" The others exchanged puzzled glances.
"Yes, it's a form of special energy. But don't even think about trying to absorb it. You could end up paralyzed," Shang Pei warned them.
As they proceeded further, the group began to notice skeletons scattered across the ground.
"What is this...?" one of the martial artists gasped, his eyes widening in horror.
"Stay alert," Shang Pei said grimly, his expression darkening.
A closer look revealed that the skeletons were fresh, with some still covered in scraps of flesh. Weapons and tattered armor lay strewn around the remains.
Lin Luoluo, with her sharp eyes, quickly recognized who they were. "These are from the Sky Tiger Mercenary Group."
"The Sky Tiger Mercenary Group?" the others echoed, their eyes widening in shock.
The Sky Tiger Mercenary Group had several ninth-rank martial artists among its ranks, and the rest were all high-level fighters. Could they really have all died here, reduced to mere skeletons?
Realizing the danger, the group immediately drew their weapons, their eyes filled with wariness.
"Be careful. There's something ahead," Shang Pei warned as he unsheathed his massive sword. His heightened senses told him that something dangerous was nearby.
"Wait..." As soon as Shang Pei extended his senses, his pupils contracted in alarm.
"Watch out above!" he shouted.
Suddenly, a flurry of dark shapes dropped from the ceiling.
"Ah!!!" A scream echoed through the tunnel.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Lin Luoluo reacted instantly, drawing her Soul Severing sword and slashing wildly at the creatures descending from above. Their bodies were torn to pieces by her strikes.
[Eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider slain. Evolution points gained: 8,000 points.]
[Eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider slain. Evolution points gained: 8,000 points.]
[Eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider slain. Evolution points gained: 8,000 points.]
...
"Damn it! Kill them! Kill them all!" Ye Fan exclaimed, excitement surging through him as more spiders continued to rain down from the ceiling.
The Fanged Black Spiders, though small in size, had weak defenses and were easy to kill. However, their sheer numbers posed a danger, and their venomous fangs were lethal. Their jaws were lined with sharp teeth, and venom dripped from each fang.
[Absorbing essence blood from eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider. Energy gained: 8 points.]
[Absorbing essence blood from eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider. Energy gained: 8 points.]
[Absorbing essence blood from eighth-rank Fanged Black Spider. Energy gained: 8 points.]
...
As the system notifications flooded in, Ye Fan couldn't help but feel like he was clearing a dungeon, mowing down monsters one after another.
Boom!
At that moment, Shang Pei unleashed a powerful flame martial technique. The fire shot upward, scorching the ceiling and incinerating a large number of the spiders.
The Fanged Black Spiders were particularly vulnerable to fire, and most of them were burned to ashes on the spot. The few remaining spiders scurried away in fear.
After cutting down the spiders that had fallen to the ground, Lin Luoluo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she typically remained calm, the sudden onslaught of creatures had been unnerving.
"These Fanged Black Spiders are terrifying," Ye Fan remarked, eyeing the corpses littering the ground. The spiders, about the size of a baby's head, had many eyes and large, jagged mouths filled with sharp teeth. Their grotesque appearance made them even more unsettling.
"How many people did we lose?" Shang Pei asked, turning to check on the group.