Chapter 759: Mutual Testing

Despite having weapons pointed at them, Auntie Zhu remained calm, her eight legs gently resting on the ground. He Lingchuan stood upright, his saber still sheathed. Dong Rui, on the other hand, cowered behind them, rubbing his arms.

Their apparent lack of desire to fight seemed to temper the opponents' reactions. One of the figures stepped forward two paces and demanded, "Who are you, and why have you trespassed into Rongshan territory!"

He was a young man, barely twenty, with a square face, high cheekbones, sunken eyes, and prominent eyebrows. His appearance could only be described by one word: fierce.

His gaze was like a hungry wolf staring at its prey, sending shivers down one's spine. He Lingchuan had served in the Great Wind Army for so long, surrounded by comrades who had faced life and death together, yet few possessed such an intimidating gaze or demeanor.

Dong Rui couldn't help but exclaim, "So this truly is Rongshan! I didn't lead us astray after all!" He rarely made a mistake navigating underground with his Snail Toad, whereas walking on the surface was far more disorienting.

He Lingchuan interjected, "Are you Rongshan disciples? We've just arrived in this esteemed place and are looking for Elder Dao Quan!"

At this moment, someone urgently said, "Junior Brother Qiu, there's no time! Those things are about to emerge!" The cold young man ignored him, merely tilting his head to ask He Lingchuan, "Looking for Elder Dao? What do you want?" Then he pointed at the spider demon and asked, "Why are you with a cicada?"

A cicada? These unobservant humans mistook a majestic Spider Immortal for a mere cicada? Auntie Zhu's eight legs tensed, and her body immediately swelled to more than twice its size. She had originally shrunk to the size of a warhorse, but this sudden growth made her appear robust and formidable, every bristle signaling a warning: "I'm not to be trifled with."

Everyone was startled and became highly vigilant. A man standing behind her subconsciously took two steps back, accidentally triggering a mechanism, and a sleeve arrow shot out with a 'whoosh.'

With Auntie Zhu's twelve eyes providing a virtually 360-degree panoramic view with no blind spots, how could he possibly land a sneak attack? She simply lifted a leg, and the sleeve arrow flew harmlessly past. Such a large spider then leaped into the air and pinned the man directly to the ground!

The unlucky fellow immediately cried out in pain. Auntie Zhu's legs were covered with bristles up to three inches long; when she pinned him, it felt like countless needles piercing his body, causing him unbearable agony. Yet he couldn't break free, as Auntie Zhu immediately spun a web, binding him securely.

By all rights, the next step would have been to inject venom and wait for it to take effect. But Auntie Zhu showed mercy, refraining from turning him into a meal. After all, He Lingchuan had traveled a long way and still needed to deal with the masters of this land.

Seeing this, the other Rongshan disciples rushed forward to rescue him. The cold young man surnamed Qiu narrowed his eyes, then suddenly flashed behind Dong Rui and delivered a hand chop to his neck.

He immediately recognized that this person was likely the weakest of the three intruders. His strategy was to attack the weak first, leaving the tough nuts to be cracked later.

But just as he made his move, his vision blurred. Something inexplicably lunged towards his face, growing larger in mid-air. They were so close that it seemed his entire face would be engulfed. The cold young man let out a sudden roar and punched the approaching object.

His roar was deafening, like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day right next to one's ear. Dong Rui was so shaken that he stumbled back two or three steps, his mind and blood reeling. This was even worse for the Bat Demon Puppet, a creature that relies on ultrasonic waves for navigation and positioning. It was instantly dazed, its body even stiffening for a moment. Immediately after, the young man's fist connected. The demon puppet, which had just transformed to the size of a common fruit bat, was sent flying in an arc, landing about ten meters away.

But with just that slight delay, Dong Rui had already slid deftly and swiftly beneath Auntie Zhu's belly; his movements were so light and quick that even He Lingchuan might not have executed them so smoothly. He was no good at fighting, but he was first-rate at escaping. Without such impeccable skills, how could he have remained on Beijia's Wanted List for so long without being captured?

While they usually bickered, at crucial moments, Auntie Zhu remained the most reliable teammate. Her eight long legs acted like pillars, securely protecting him in their midst. Of course, he still had to make a show of it, saying, "We've come from afar; is this how Rongshan treats its guests?"

He had many venomous tricks, but it wasn't a good time to unleash them, fearing it would further harm relations. All attacks from the Rongshan disciples were blocked by Auntie Zhu. They say two fists are no match for four hands, but Auntie Zhu had eight legs, allowing her to engage multiple opponents simultaneously, each fighting their own battle.

But Auntie Zhu wasn't comfortable either. With two hissing sprays of web, she stuck two of them directly to a tree. Others tried to rescue them, but the spider web's toughness was astonishing, proving difficult for swords or blades to cut.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan had already engaged the cold young man. Facing He Lingchuan, the young man produced a section of a purple-gold staff, which, with a shake, instantly transformed into a six-foot-long pole. He flicked the tip of the pole, thrusting it towards his opponent's brow.

He Lingchuan immediately felt something amiss upon engaging. This young man's strength was truly astonishing, only slightly inferior to Meng Shan, but far surpassing him in dense, restrained power. When he wielded the pole, it made no whistling sound; only upon striking an opponent's weapon or body would the immense contained force suddenly erupt, catching them off guard.

He Lingchuan dodged a blow. The pole tip struck a large rock, silently boring a hole through it. Taking advantage of the moment, He Lingchuan spun around and aimed a strike at the young man's face.

He was here to find someone in Rongshan, not to cause trouble, so he flipped his wrist, intending to hit him with the flat of his saber. If it landed, it would be no less impactful than a powerful slap.

It was remarkable that the young man saw this clearly in a flash. He dropped the pole from his left hand, transforming his grip into a fist, and struck the flat of the Flowing Life Saber. With a 'clank,' the fist met the saber, producing a faint metallic sound.

He Lingchuan leveraged the impact, pressing down, and delivered a swift, powerful side kick to the back of the young man's knee. This kick had once sent Fierce Tiger Jiao Yu flying; if it landed squarely on a joint, it would undoubtedly result in a fracture.

As a guest, He Lingchuan didn't want to take a life, but he wouldn't mind serving up a 'fracture package' first. The speed was too great; the young man simply couldn't dodge it.

However, just then, a black shadow suddenly emerged from the young man's leg and violently jabbed at He Lingchuan's boot. He Lingchuan's kick landed on this black shadow, as if dispersing a cloud of black mist, and the young man was also sent flying about seven meters away.

However, He Lingchuan himself felt a sharp pain in his foot, as if something had pierced his boot and stung him. The top of his foot immediately went numb. 'Damn it!' He instantly knew something was wrong, reached into his storage ring, and immediately swallowed an antidote pill.

The young man rolled twice upon landing, then immediately stood up. His steps were unsteady, and he swayed, but he was indeed standing. This fellow was truly tough; moreover, much of the force from He Lingchuan's kick had been absorbed by the black shadow, so it hadn't managed to break his bones.

He Lingchuan darted forward with a push of his foot, appearing like a phantom to onlookers. Immediately, the Wave Cleave technique was unleashed. Since he began his cultivation, he had diligently honed his skills, tackling challenges and overcoming hardships, all to synchronize his saber intent with his will. As these two saber strikes swept forth, the young man opposite felt as if he were caught in a raging storm, the ubiquitous surging energy threatening to tear him to shreds.