Chapter 8: The White Blade Jade Spider

The full moon hung in the sky like a silver disk.

The warriors were quietly cultivating, with Mo Yan Yu's delicate figure hidden among the branches and leaves of an ancient tree. Her breath was steady. Karu was beside another tree, engrossed in reading a scroll of poison techniques. The drug slaves were scattered haphazardly in the wetland behind the earth dragon, lying all over the place.

Shi Yan woke from his cultivation, silently observing the terrain and calculating in his mind.

Mo Yan Yu was at the front of the group, Karu was at the rear. They flanked him, seemingly unaware of him, but judging from their positions, it was clear they were subtly wary of him.

It seemed like Johnson knew he might make an ill-advised move. Tonight, he had not been cultivating but was instead watching from a distance of ten meters behind. The moment Shi Yan showed any sign of odd behavior, Johnson would immediately notice and take action to stop him.

This is bad, Shi Yan thought to himself, continuing to wait, hoping that the others would let their guard down.

Time passed unnoticed, and soon the bright moon disappeared. It seemed the daybreak was near. Shi Yan still hadn't found a proper opportunity to escape, and he felt some anxiety creeping in. After a moment of hesitation, Shi Yan decided it was time to act instead of waiting any longer.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

At this moment, strange sounds came from the distance. Judging by the sounds, something seemed to be slowly approaching.

Shi Yan, with his vital essence circulating in his arms, suddenly became alert, his eyes shining brightly. He was fully awake now.

"All of you, be on guard!" Mo Yan Yu called out softly. Her delicate form stood on the ancient tree, and using her elevated position, she looked into the distance. After a moment, she exclaimed in surprise, "White Blade Jade Spiders!"

All the warriors instantly woke from their cultivation.

The warriors' expressions turned solemn as they quickly drew their weapons. Without needing further instruction from Mo Yan Yu, they gathered around the earth dragon, forming a circle with a distance of five to six meters between them.

Karu also tucked his scroll away, furrowing his brows as he moved toward the earth dragon and said in a deep voice, "Watch the drug jars on the earth dragon carefully!"

"Yes!" the warriors replied loudly.

The drug slaves, who had been asleep, also awoke. Hearing that White Blade Jade Spiders were approaching, they hurriedly gathered near the earth dragon, clearly aware of the threat posed by the spiders.

"Clink!"

A set of keys flew out from Mo Yan Yu's hand and landed at Johnson's feet. "Johnson, unlock the shackles of all the drug slaves so they aren't killed by the White Blade Jade Spiders. Hurry!" Mo Yan Yu urged.

Johnson picked up the keys, looked up at Mo Yan Yu, and pointed at Shi Yan. "Does he also need to be unlocked?"

"Unlock him. I don't want him dying too easily," Mo Yan Yu said impatiently.

"Kid, you better behave. I'll keep my eyes on you!" Johnson sneered and unlocked the shackles on Shi Yan's hands and feet before moving on to unlock the others.

The shackles removed, Shi Yan felt a sudden lightness in his body and let out a cold laugh.

The Shi family was a "Martial Soul" family. Though the owner of this body had not become a martial artist, he had a fondness for adventuring and searching for ancient relics. That person was quite familiar with various beasts, and when Mo Yan Yu mentioned the White Blade Jade Spider, Shi Yan wasn't surprised but rather delighted, immediately realizing that this was his chance to escape.

The White Blade Jade Spider was a second-level beast, with eight legs as sharp as blades. It preferred to move in the deep night and was a social creature, usually appearing in groups of five or six. The spiders were ferocious, often eating humans. In the Dark Forest, these spiders would not hesitate to attack humans.

Beast skin was tough, and they moved with great speed, often larger than humans. Unless faced by powerful warriors, most humans would either die or be severely injured when encountering such beasts. Although the White Blade Jade Spider was only a second-level beast, the fact that it always appeared in groups and with its speed, made it a difficult opponent for most warriors.

In the Dark Forest, encountering a White Blade Jade Spider was a bad omen. The creature didn't have any valuable parts, yet it was extremely combative. It moved quickly and struck swiftly, never leaving without causing harm to humans.

Shi Yan quietly approached the earth dragon, standing among the frightened drug slaves. He watched the situation closely without rushing into any actions.

"Not good! There are eight of them!"

Mo Yan Yu cried out from the tree, her brows furrowed, her face serious. "This won't be easy to handle. Everyone, stay alert! Remember, once combat begins, don't chase after them. The White Blade Jade Spider is at an advantage in dense forests. Do not fight them in the bushes!"

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of blades being driven into the earth grew louder. Soon, two White Blade Jade Spiders, each about ten meters long and one and a half meters high, emerged from the shadows. The spiders were pure white, roughly the size of an ordinary car. Their eight legs were like sharp daggers, shining with cold light, incredibly sharp.

The White Blade Jade Spiders moved swiftly, their dagger-like legs flashing dangerously as they approached. Their speed was indeed astonishing. In an instant, they reached the group. The sharp spider legs gleamed with a chilling light, and it was easy to imagine the devastating result if one of those legs struck a person.

The warriors, seeing the White Blade Jade Spiders appear one after another, became more tense. Mo Yan Yu had already descended from the tree and stood at the front of the group, her jade-like fingers crackling with electric arcs, ready to strike. Karu, sitting in the earth dragon's carriage, had a cold expression but didn't seem panicked.

The eight White Blade Jade Spiders quickly surrounded the earth dragon. They weren't without intelligence. In fact, they split up and surrounded the earth dragon, moving in a circle, as if they were eight cars circling it.

With a strange shriek, the eight White Blade Jade Spiders suddenly sprang into action. Their white, dagger-like legs shot through the air toward the warriors surrounding the earth dragon.

The air was filled with flashing white blades as the warriors swiftly dodged and retaliated with their weapons, aiming for the spiders' abdomens and compound eyes.

The battle became chaotic!

The spiders surrounded the earth dragon, their legs raining down from the sky. The warriors dodged left and right, their weapons continuously striking at the spiders. Mo Yan Yu unleashed her "Martial Soul," and two arcs of blue lightning shot out from her hands, striking the White Blade Jade Spiders, causing them to shudder.

"Slash!"

One warrior, caught off guard, was struck by one of the spider's legs across his chest and abdomen. A chilling scream echoed as his intestines spilled out, and he collapsed to the ground.

The drug slaves panicked, quickly taking cover beneath the earth dragon. A few of the more terrified drug slaves, losing their minds, attempted to crawl between the spiders' legs, hoping to escape, but they were pinned to the ground by the spider legs, dying instantly.

Shi Yan moved cautiously behind the warriors, his shackles clinking loudly with each step.

"Crack!"

A warrior from the Mo family's Second Heavenly Layer, while moving, collided with another warrior. The unfortunate one didn't dodge in time and was struck by a spider's leg across the neck. His head flew off, blood splattering onto Shi Yan.

Shi Yan was drenched in blood, his vision slightly blurry. A violent, bloodthirsty urge suddenly surged through him. The vortexes in his 720 meridians spun wildly, and a strong suction force emanated from his meridians.

The body of the decapitated warrior began to shrivel as Shi Yan felt an influx of energy—desperation, resentment, and madness—all flowing into him, flooding his meridians. The energy accelerated the spinning of the vortexes in his meridians, absorbing the strange energy with astonishing speed.

In an instant, the body of the dead warrior was completely drained of blood and essence, resembling a desiccated corpse.

A violent bloodlust exploded in Shi Yan's mind. His 720 meridians twisted with dark, evil energy, urging him to kill mercilessly.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

One of the White Blade Jade Spiders aimed a leg directly at Shi Yan's head. Shi Yan was startled and barely managed to dodge by sliding to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

"Slash!"

The warrior beside him was struck by one of the spiders, and his sharp weapon stabbed into the spider's compound eye, blinding it. In retaliation, the spider slashed across the warrior's waist, cutting him in half.

As Shi Yan moved closer to the injured warrior's position, he prepared to move again but noticed something strange.

A new surge of suction power erupted from his meridians! Energy, mixed with fury and resentment, flowed from the dismembered warrior's body, rushing into Shi Yan's body.

Quickly, the body of the warrior who had been cut in two also became a shriveled husk.

Shi Yan was shocked!

Without thinking, he immediately realized that his body was hiding another "Martial Soul"—one that absorbed the power of the deceased. This "Martial Soul" was incredibly sinister, and even Shi Yan felt disturbed by its presence.

At that moment...

Another strange shriek echoed from the remaining six White Blade Jade Spiders, and they retreated, flying into the dense forest.

Clearly, the White Blade Jade Spiders recognized the strength of the group, and after losing two of their own, they finally decided to retreat.

Shi Yan's expression changed. The thoughts about the strange "Martial Soul" in his body were instantly suppressed. Without hesitation, he channeled his energy into his legs and shot forward, following the retreating spiders.

This was his only chance to escape!

A sudden warmth surged through his meridians. The warmth infused his vital essence, greatly strengthening it.

Shi Yan's heart surged with joy. His confidence grew as he charged toward the spiders. As he glanced back at Mo Yan Yu, he coldly called out, "Mo Yan Yu, get cleaned up and wait for me. I will have you sooner or later!"

"Chase him!" Mo Yan Yu trembled, her beautiful eyes burning with anger as she pursued Shi Yan.

Faster than her, however, was Karu!

The poison master had been waiting for this moment. As Shi Yan charged toward the White Blade Jade Spiders, Karu soared high like a hawk, the first to dive down toward Shi Yan.

"Kid, I've been waiting for you to try to escape," Karu sneered ominously from the air.