Chapter 1512: Battle Against the Pests (Part 1)

Early on the second day, just as dawn broke, the rising sun cast its rays over the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range, bringing a refreshing coolness to the otherwise chilly landscape. Clearly visible on the ground were still-wet bloodstains.

Liu Ye stood on the city wall, gazing into the depths of the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range, lost in thought. Wang Qingshan stood respectfully by his side, while Wang Yingjie and the others remained at a distance.

Wang Yingjie's gaze was resolute; Wang Qingshan had already informed him of the situation: two Soul Transformation cultivators would lead the charge to decisively deal with the Netherworld Spiders. Once these Netherworld Spiders were eliminated, they could return to the South Sea. However, today's battle was extremely perilous, and many cultivators were sure to perish.

Liu Ye withdrew his gaze, turned to Wang Qingshan, and instructed, "Nephew Wang, relay the order: immediately attack the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range. Be cautious, but kill as many Netherworld Spiders as possible to draw their attention. The fiercer your assault, the easier it will be for me to act."

"Yes, Ancestor Liu," Wang Qingshan replied. He assented repeatedly, then looked at Song Xiruo and politely said, "Fairy Song, as per Ancestor Liu's orders, let's launch the attack on the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range and eliminate all Netherworld Spiders in one fell swoop."

Song Xiruo nodded. She then produced a two-foot-long red horn, engraved with numerous profound spiritual runes, from which astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations emanated. Raising the red horn to her lips, she gently blew. A low horn blast sounded, and a red light shot out, soaring straight into the sky.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as a giant crimson fireball exploded high in the sky, visible from a hundred-mile radius.

"Everyone, heed my command!" Song Xiruo's voice, though not loud, resonated throughout the giant city. "Proceed as planned: attack and eliminate all Netherworld Spiders. Those who perform great deeds will be handsomely rewarded; those who shrink from battle will be severely punished!"

"Yes, Senior Song!" the cultivators responded in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

Ten thirty-meter-tall golden giant apes led the way. Their bodies shimmered with golden light, etched with numerous profound spiritual runes, reflecting a metallic luster under the sunlight. They were clearly Level 3 puppet beasts.

With the ten Level 3 puppet beasts clearing the path, thousands of low-level cultivators followed, trailed by Wang Qingshan and the other Nascent Soul cultivators. Everyone's expression was exceptionally solemn.

A short while later, they arrived at the entrance to the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range. The entrance was blocked by dense black spider silk, which covered the entire mountain range. Wang Yingjie and the other high-level cultivators hovered in the sky, their gazes fixed on the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range.

The Myriad Puppet Mountain Range was barren, devoid of any greenery. Anything with even a hint of spiritual energy had been consumed by the Netherworld Spiders, making the landscape exceptionally desolate.

A red-robed Daoist produced a shimmering red feather fan. He fanned it towards the void; a red light flashed, and roaring flames swept forth, striking the black spider silk. With a crackling sound, the black spider silk immediately ignited, erupting into a roaring blaze. The flames spread rapidly, shooting high into the sky.

The fire rapidly spread deeper into the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range. As it reached the depths, a series of sharp, piercing screeches erupted, and a large expanse of black miasma surged from the valleys. The flames quickly diminished and extinguished at a visible rate. Tens of thousands of Netherworld Spiders then burst forth from crevices, caves, and valleys, swarming together in such dense numbers that it made one's scalp tingle. After emitting shrill screeches, they charged out, heading straight for the cultivators.

A team of cultivators from the Three Flames Palace quickly formed hand seals, their hands glowing with red light. A deafening thunderous roar echoed from high in the sky as a massive cloud of fire appeared without warning. The fire cloud, dozens of miles wide, eclipsed the sky. From afar, it resembled a colossal crimson sun hanging high above, radiating astonishing heat. Faintly visible were streaks of crimson fire snakes continuously writhing within the cloud.

Following a series of thunderous roars, the crimson fire cloud violently churned like boiling water. House-sized fireballs flew out, smashing down onto the Netherworld Spiders below. Each massive fireball that struck the Netherworld Spiders immediately exploded. Continuous roars echoed, and flames shot skyward as the Netherworld Spiders were engulfed by the roaring inferno, letting out piteous screeches.

Large numbers of black Netherworld Spiders, ablaze, surged out of the sea of fire. Their vitality was exceptionally tenacious; ordinary fire-based spells couldn't harm them at all.

Wu Chang snorted coldly. He took out a shimmering red hammer, and after injecting spiritual power, it rapidly expanded to the size of a house. He then hurled it towards a peak over a thousand feet high.

Boom!

Following a deafening crash, the ground violently shook. The peak shattered into countless fragments, which rained down on the Netherworld Spiders. As the dense shower of debris struck, some Netherworld Spiders were smashed to a pulp, and ghastly green liquid oozed across the ground.

Wu Chang was like a humanoid behemoth, wielding the massive red hammer. He smashed dozens of outer peaks to smithereens, turning them into a sky-filling shower of debris that struck the Netherworld Spiders. A large number of Netherworld Spiders were pulverized by the debris, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming; as one wave perished, another quickly surged forth.

Wang Qingshan and the others also attacked, eliminating low-level Netherworld Spiders. The number of cultivators was too small; if they relied solely on low-level cultivators, they would never be able to eliminate them all.

Wang Qingshan flicked his sleeve, and nine Azure Glass Swords flew out. With a change in his sword chant, the nine swords burst forth with dazzling azure light, transforming into nine massive azure lotus flowers. They scattered and flew towards the swarm of creatures.

Upon reaching above the Netherworld Spider swarm, the nine azure lotus flowers emitted resonant sword hums and began to spin rapidly. Innumerable azure sword energies shot forth, streaking towards the Netherworld Spiders below.

Boom!

A deafening roar sounded as the Netherworld Spiders were pierced through by the dense azure flying swords.

Wu Chang wielded his massive red hammer; with each swing, a large group of Netherworld Spiders was smashed to a pulp. Li Linger formed a sword chant, and a blue sword rain suddenly poured down from the sky. The bean-sized raindrops transformed into sharp blue sword energies, striking the Netherworld Spiders. Each one perished, their bodies unable to remain intact.

Song Xiruo conjured a small, exquisite red cauldron. She struck it with a spell-seal, and the small cauldron instantly erupted with countless red runes, rapidly expanding in size. The massive red cauldron then spewed forth roaring flames, striking the Netherworld Spiders below. One by one, the Netherworld Spiders were engulfed by the roaring inferno. They struggled violently but could no longer escape the sea of fire.

Monk Jingkong held a fist-sized golden wooden fish. He gently tapped it while chanting scriptures, and resonant Sanskrit chants echoed. Waves of golden sound ripples swept forth; upon contact with these, the Netherworld Spiders ceased all movement, their internal organs shattered. He was not taking lives, but eradicating demons.

Fan Ruoruo held a shimmering golden jade ruler. She gently swayed it, and countless golden lights emerged, transforming into innumerable fine golden rays. These rays struck the Netherworld Spiders below, riddling them like sieves.