Chapter 1503: Have Intention but No Heart

Rise of Kyushu

Lu Ye didn't know where Ban Ci had obtained this information. Even in the Xiaoren tribe's Xiyuan Pavilion, he hadn't seen any records of it. However, Ban Ci's extensive knowledge and broad experience throughout their journey had left a deep impression on Lu Ye. If she said so, it must be true.

"What should we do?" Lu Ye asked, clumsily dodging the crisscrossing spider silk. He felt like he was about to give up. There wasn't much room to maneuver here, and the exit was completely sealed by spider webs. Escape was impossible unless he used the artifact he had left outside and activated a void spirit pattern. But if he did that, his Pan Shan Blade would certainly be lost, and Ban Ci's chances of survival would be slim. The most crucial thing was the intense surge of distracting thoughts in his mind, which profoundly affected his spiritual consciousness—something he had never experienced before.

"Lure it out!" Ban Ci gritted her teeth and said.

Lu Ye understood her intention, and his last bit of resolve immediately loosened as Ban Ci spoke. This caused his movements to slightly freeze, and a strand of spider silk quickly wrapped around him, binding him tightly. More spider silks wafted in, sticking to Lu Ye's body.

Lu Ye tried to break free but was powerless. He looked at Ban Ci, his expression complex: "Your information had better be accurate!" Because if the information was wrong, he might not suffer much—he could just teleport away. But Ban Ci's sacrifice would be immense. Still, this was their only hope, better than leaving Ban Ci behind alone.

Ban Ci closed her eyes, seemingly resigned to her fate.

With a ripping sound, the spider silk stuck to Ban Ci suddenly tightened, tearing her clothes to shreds. Lu Ye suffered the same fate. Then Lu Ye realized his body was somewhat out of control. Under the manipulation of the spider silk adhering to him, he felt like a puppet. Ban Ci was clearly in the same state.

Ban Ci, who had ascended over eighty steps, now trembled. Under the control of the spider silk, she floated stiffly down, landing in front of Lu Ye. They were now face to face. Ban Ci's long eyelashes quivered. Although she had anticipated this moment and prepared herself mentally, she was still overwhelmed with shame and indignation when it actually happened.

Originally, inviting Li Taibai to accompany her here was just a test. She suspected he might be someone else she knew, and if so, she might need to actively win him over in the future. She never imagined things would escalate to this point. But to lure the Lustful Demonic Spider out, she couldn't think of any other way, especially since she herself was bound by spider silk.

The burning gaze and aura from opposite made her tremble. Normally, such a gaze would be utterly repulsive, but under the influence of the Lustful Demonic Spider, she found herself unable to feel much aversion. Instead, she felt a strange delight. She suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze hazy as she looked at Lu Ye, and then her facial features rapidly shifted.

Lu Ye was surprised to realize that the Ban Ci he saw daily was not her true appearance. She had used some mysterious method to alter her features. While the Ban Ci he usually saw was already quite beautiful, her true face was even more stunning, possessing an indescribable beauty. In comparison, the Ban Ci he had known seemed somewhat playful, but the one before him now had an added touch of grace and nobility.

Silently, the two individuals, like puppets on strings, swiftly drew closer. A searing aura spread through the cavern, making them forget themselves and lose all inhibition, as if they were about to completely succumb. Even if the outside world changed drastically, with sun and moon shifting and seas turning to land, it would not affect them in the slightest.

Then, at a certain moment, a sharp, barbed, hairy claw foot appeared out of thin air. Neither Lu Ye nor Ban Ci had detected it before, and by the time it appeared, they had no time to react. The claw foot, like a bolt of lightning, pierced directly through Lu Ye's chest, then continued into Ban Ci's body, which was pressed tightly against him. Even with their powerful Star Manifestation realm physical bodies, they were pierced through like paper in such a sudden attack, strung together. A sensation of pleasure and agony struck them simultaneously, and both let out a muffled groan.

However, thanks to the intense pain, their almost hazy gazes suddenly regained a sliver of clarity.

Ban Ci's gaze swept over Lu Ye's shoulder and fixed on the space behind him. Although the Lustful Demonic Spider was not visible there, she knew it was hiding in that very spot. She opened her mouth, and a golden light shot out. It was unclear what kind of treasure it was, but its power was immense. Ban Ci had been preparing for this moment for a long time; this was her all-out attack. It was also the strike she relied on to turn the tide, an attack that even a Moon Reflection cultivator could not ignore! If this strike proved ineffective, then she and Lu Ye would simply have to wait for death.

Almost simultaneously with Ban Ci's move, Lu Ye also forcefully activated the power of his Talent Tree. In his Divine Sea, filled with pink mist, a raging inferno suddenly ignited. The color and nature of the flames were identical to those burning on the Talent Tree. Previously, the Talent Tree's power could only burn away impurities that invaded the physical body and could not be used within the Divine Sea. However, after the Talent Tree's three transformations, Lu Ye discovered that its power could now be employed within the Divine Sea.

This was a discovery made by chance, but Lu Ye had never acted on it. Earlier, when the Soul Clan woman invaded his Divine Sea, if Lu Ye had done this, she would have been incinerated into oblivion. The Mermaid Clan's songs were ethereal and left no trace, rendering the Talent Tree's power useless. However, the pink mist currently invading his Divine Sea was clearly something the Talent Tree could burn.

As soon as he noticed the pink mist, Lu Ye had considered using the Talent Tree's power. But at that time, the Lustful Demonic Spider remained hidden, and even if he had acted, he wouldn't have been able to locate it, so he had to endure. Lu Ye wasn't entirely sure what the essence of this pink mist was, but since it could invade his Divine Sea, it was highly likely to be the Lustful Demonic Spider's soul power. Therefore, Lu Ye deduced that once this pink mist was burned, the Lustful Demonic Spider's fate would certainly not be good.

Lu Ye's assumption was correct. The moment the Talent Tree's flames began to burn in his Divine Sea, a sharp shriek suddenly rang out. Immediately after, he felt an overwhelmingly powerful aura abruptly appear behind him. Ban Ci, facing him, saw it even more clearly. The Lustful Demonic Spider, which should have been invisibly hidden, suddenly exposed itself, and it seemed to be injured, letting out violent shrieks.

At this crucial moment, Ban Ci unleashed her long-planned attack. Previously, with the Lustful Demonic Spider hidden, she wasn't entirely confident in her strike. But as the golden light shot out, the spider's form was revealed. With a thought, Ban Ci guided her golden light directly towards the spider's open maw, where it forcefully entered. Green blood splattered, and the demonic spider shrieked in increasing pain, its monstrous maw tearing and mangling.

However, Ban Ci's heart sank because she realized that while her attack had indeed inflicted some damage on the Lustful Demonic Spider, it was not enough to be fatal! Ultimately, the power gap was still too vast. "We're done for!"

The demonic spider, in pain, retreated, withdrawing the claw foot that had impaled Lu Ye and Ban Ci from their bodies. Hot blood gushed out. Lu Ye had no time to check his injuries; his concentration was so intense that he couldn't even feel the pain from his wounds. He immediately raised his hand and summoned his Sword Gourd! The Pan Shan Blade was still bound in the spider web. At this moment, the only thing he could quickly use that posed a threat to the demonic spider was the Sword Gourd.

He pointed the gourd's opening towards the spider, and with a surge of spiritual power, nine incomparably sharp sword qi blasts shot out like shooting stars, flying towards their target. The attacked location was precisely the spider's mangled maw, which was its only weakness now. These nine sword qi blasts were derived from the Sword Gourd after it had consumed the great magical sword of the Skeleton General. Lu Ye had never used them before. Compared to other sword qi within the gourd, these nine possessed particularly potent destructive power.

The nine sword qi blasts all struck inside the spider's maw. Lu Ye faintly heard sounds of internal organs being torn and damaged. The spider's shrieks grew louder, clearly indicating significant trauma from this attack. This wasn't over. Lu Ye held a short arrow in his other hand. It was a rare treasure he had purchased for a hefty sum at a recent auction on Myriad Forms Island, an item capable of threatening Moon Reflection cultivators. However, despite its great power, it had an undeniable drawback: it required charging. Unlike the Sword Gourd, which Lu Ye could activate with a thought, this rare short arrow needed Lu Ye to infuse a significant amount of spiritual power to unleash its full potential. This was a common drawback for all rare treasures, including spirit talismans.

During the brief interval after unleashing the Sword Gourd's sword qi, Lu Ye had already begun channeling spiritual power into the short arrow. Just as the power of the nine sword qi blasts was depleted, the rare short arrow was perfectly activated! The short arrow in his hand trembled slightly, transforming into a streak of light that instantly reached the demonic spider. Normally, with the spider's strength, neither the Sword Gourd's sword qi nor this rare short arrow would pose much of a threat to it. Even Ban Ci's long-prepared attack might not have injured it.

However, Lu Ye's activation of the Talent Tree's power to burn the pink mist that had invaded his Divine Sea had caused the spider immense trouble. That pink mist was a manifestation of its soul power, and its soul was injured by the Talent Tree's incineration. In pain, its reaction speed naturally slowed significantly. The short arrow's streak of light also struck into the spider's maw. True to its nature as a rare treasure, the power of this single strike surpassed even the nine previous sword qi blasts from the Sword Gourd. It pierced directly through the spider's body, exiting from its back, impaling it clean through.

In just a brief moment, Ban Ci and Lu Ye had successively unleashed three waves of powerful attacks. By catching the powerful demonic spider off guard, they left it reeling, its body gravely injured and continuously shrieking.