Chapter 269: White Spider

It was an extensive, interconnected stalactite cave; though its exact size was unknown, it certainly wasn't small.

Han Li held up a moonstone and surveyed his surroundings, coming to this conclusion.

The moment the tunnel collapsed and rocks and soil fell, Han Li swiftly activated his protective shield. Though he was buried deep underground amidst a series of earth tremors, he at least had enough space to breathe and gather himself.

However, the terrain had shifted too much during the tremors, leaving Han Li disoriented and unable to determine his location or direction. With no other option, he released several lizard puppet beasts, sending them to dig simultaneously in multiple directions, hoping to find a way out.

He now deeply regretted not having learned Earth Evasion Arts earlier. Otherwise, a simple spell would have allowed him to move freely through the earth. Instead, he was forced to slowly crawl, following the tunnels dug by his puppet beasts.

As for using magical artifacts to clear a path, Han Li merely considered the thought for a moment before dismissing it entirely.

Squandering his magical power without knowing his direction or location was unwise. Furthermore, using artifacts within the soil and rocks was extremely perilous; a single misstep could trigger another collapse.

Thus, each time, Han Li first sent several puppet beasts to explore a given area, then chose the most likely path to safety and proceeded. After several hours of tedious crawling, he finally emerged into this unknown stalactite cave, allowing his tightly strung nerves to completely relax.

The feeling of surviving such a disaster was truly wonderful!

Han Li looked back at the cave he had crawled out of, knowing that others must have also survived the tunnel collapse. However, whether they could find a way out of the rubble was another matter entirely.

In a sealed-off space, even Foundation Establishment cultivators likely couldn't last very long. For Qi Condensation disciples, their chances of survival were even slimmer!

Despite his relief, Han Li was still somewhat puzzled.

How did the tunnel collapse and earthquake occur so soon after their entry? Could it be the work of the Demonic Dao? Han Li believed this speculation was highly probable.

On the surface, the Demonic Dao cultivators were extensively destroying the entrance to the spirit mine, smashing everything inside the cave to pieces with their magical artifacts.

High above the spirit mine, an old man in yellow robes regretfully addressed a girl in red:

"Junior Sister Lian," he began, "isn't this a bit overkill? Why use an Earth-Shaking Talisman just for some stray dogs? That's a very rare mid-tier talisman!"

"Hmph! Escaping from Lian Feihua isn't that easy!" the girl in red pouted nonchalantly. "Although clearing out this spirit stone mine is just a secondary task, it would still make me uncomfortable if they managed to escape smoothly!"

Hearing this, the old man in yellow didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Wasting a rare talisman for such a reason was truly ridiculous! But then again, she was the sole daughter of the Demonic Flame Sect Master. *Cough*. As a Guardian of the Heavenly Fiend Sect, he decided it was best to mind his own business.

With that thought, the old man could only keep silent.

Not long after, this group of Demonic Dao cultivators, having thoroughly destroyed the spirit mine, flew away from the area and gradually disappeared from sight.

One day later, a massive medicinal herb cultivation garden, hidden far from this location by the Seven Sects, was raided by the same group. All the medicinal herbs intended for refining pills were plundered, and even the young seedlings were burned to ashes by the Azure Sun Demonic Flame!

This incident immediately seized the attention of the Seven Sects' high-ranking members. In comparison, the attack on the spirit stone mine where Han Li was located became insignificant. A destroyed spirit mine could be restored with time, but the spirit herbs that were stolen and burned would not grow back for decades.

The enraged higher-ups of the Seven Sects specifically dispatched masters to pursue them. Unexpectedly, on the way, they were intercepted by the enemy's reinforcements, ambushed, and suffered another minor loss.

With such repeated setbacks, the Seven Sects were naturally unwilling to swallow their anger. Feeling they had recovered some of their strength, they and the Six Sects once again initiated the second wave of large-scale warfare.

Underground, Han Li furrowed his brow. He finally identified an opening with a draft, so he sent two puppet beasts to scout ahead and followed them.

After passing through dozens of connected caves, the stalactite cave's space grew larger and larger, with the largest chambers easily accommodating a hundred people. The draft also became increasingly strong, which reassured Han Li slightly; wind, after all, meant there was a passage leading to the surface.

As Han Li stepped into a new cave, he encountered six or seven people: Xuan Le, Lu Tianmeng, and other cultivators. Surprisingly, Zhong Wu was also among them.

They were slightly taken aback when they saw Han Li and his two puppet beasts.

But just as Xuan Le smiled, about to say something, a piercing scream suddenly echoed from another direction, making everyone's expression change to one of shock.

Xuan Le and Lu Tianmeng exchanged glances. Without bothering to question Han Li, they immediately hurried towards the source of the sound. Naturally, all defensive spells and magical artifacts were activated or held in readiness; no one dared to be careless in the slightest.

Seeing this, Han Li hesitated. In the end, he took out his White Phosphorus Shield and slowly followed. However, he didn't cast any defensive spells on himself, instead simultaneously applying Body Lightening Technique and Wind Riding Art. He always believed that in narrow spaces, speed was more crucial than defense.

When their group passed through three or four large caves and arrived in an even larger stalactite cave, they were immediately startled by the scene before them.

In the middle of the cave, a crystalline white spider, several *zhang* long, was gnawing at a bloody, mangled corpse with its massive fangs. The tattered white clothing on the corpse indicated that this person was a Masked Moon Sect disciple who had escaped burial. Three or four ruined magical artifacts were discarded near the corpse.

Even more eye-catching, behind the spider, amidst piles of raw spirit ore, was an extremely ancient hexagonal teleportation array. Beside the array, a five-colored skeleton sat cross-legged in meditation, floating three feet above the ground, holding a dazzling blue token that emitted a faint glow.

"What is that?"

A Qi Condensation cultivator swallowed hard and asked dryly. No one knew if he was referring to the strange spider, the teleportation array, or the skeleton and token, and naturally, no one answered him.

Perhaps the man's voice startled the spider, as the monster stopped gnawing and raised its head, looking with icy eyes at the group that had just entered the cave.

This made Han Li and the other cultivators' hearts sink, and they quickly became vigilant.

But after looking for a moment, the monster lowered its head and continued tearing at the corpse, seemingly ignoring everyone present. This made everyone exchange bewildered glances.

"Die!"

A Masked Moon Sect disciple, perhaps feeling a pang of empathy upon seeing his fellow sect member die by the spider's fangs, suddenly raised his hand and launched a fiery red dart-shaped artifact towards the spider.

This startled Lu Tianmeng and the other experienced cultivators, who secretly cursed the man for being too reckless.

With a crisp thud, the dart struck the spider's head, which hadn't moved an inch, and was actually bounced back, not leaving even a scratch on the beast. Meanwhile, the dart's tip was slightly bent. This was simply too outrageous!

"Attack together!"

Xuan Le glared fiercely at the reckless fellow disciple but had no choice but to call for a joint attack, as the spider had stopped eating and was slowly crawling towards them.

As soon as he spoke, over a dozen magical artifacts were simultaneously unleashed, transforming into various divine powers that struck the giant spider. Han Li also unleashed his golden blade.

Immediately, the white spider's body was engulfed in a multitude of attacking lights, its form momentarily hidden within the brilliant glow, as if it would be killed instantly. But after a series of cracking and popping sounds, the light from all the attacking artifacts rapidly diminished. Five or six lower-grade artifacts even fell to the ground, completely devoid of spiritual energy.

Seeing this, Han Li and the other cultivators were greatly alarmed. They all instinctively recalled their artifacts to examine them closely.

As a result, the top-tier artifacts were unharmed, but the high-tier ones suffered considerable damage. As for those that fell to the ground, they were certainly even lower-grade artifacts. The white spider, now visible again, showed no wounds anywhere on its body and continued to crawl unhurriedly towards them.

"Retreat!"

After Lu Tianmeng and Xuan Le exchanged glances, they spoke in unison.

Although they had some thoughts about the teleportation array and the token, engaging in a direct confrontation with such a demonic beast would be incredibly costly, even if they could kill it. Returning to the surface was more important.

But at this moment, the white spider opened its mouth and sprayed a stream of white liquid directly into the midst of the group.

After witnessing the monster's power, no one was foolish enough to receive this unknown liquid. They all instinctively dodged to either side.

"Oh no!" Han Li exclaimed, a flash of insight striking him as he suddenly remembered something.

This made the other cultivators pause slightly, somewhat confused.

As a result, the liquid suddenly transformed into a giant net mid-air, shooting directly towards the cave entrance and adhering to it, instantly sealing off the entrance through which they had come.

The other cultivators' expressions changed. Only then did they realize that this stalactite cave seemed to have only this one entrance!