Chapter 65

When Fu Yan heard Si Yizhi’s explanation, she could not help pausing slightly. It seemed she had not expected this gu insect to be so powerful. Fortunately, she had always acted relatively cautiously. If she had truly fallen for it, she feared it would have been very difficult to break free from its control.

Seeing Fu Yan freeze slightly, Si Yizhi thought she did not believe his explanation, so he immediately continued speaking. “Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but these gu insects are very unusual. They are specially refined by the Duanmu family. I heard that even Dao Integration-stage experts find it difficult to resist the control of these gu insects.”

“Who are you, and why do you know this so clearly?” Fu Yan suddenly stared at Si Yizhi before her with some curiosity and asked probing.

In truth, for a cultivation family, this kind of method was definitely something that could not be exposed to the light. Fu Yan had stayed in the Northern Region for more than half a year, yet she had never heard of such a method. Without a doubt, this Duanmu family should have been secretly raising gu insects. Yet the person before her knew about it so clearly, which inevitably made one suspicious.

As soon as the words fell, Si Yizhi on the ground suddenly jumped up again. He hurriedly revealed that unreliable, carefree appearance once more and said with a chuckle, “Heh heh, how would I know about the Duanmu family’s affairs? I was just casually talking nonsense. Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to take it seriously. If the Duanmu family knew I was making up stories about them behind their backs, even a few lives wouldn’t be enough for me to survive.”

“Fellow Daoist, take pity on me. These random words must absolutely not be spread outside. I still want to live a few more days. Also, Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. The memory of the Soul-Nourishing Lotus has already been deleted from my mind. There will absolutely not be a second person who knows about today’s matter.” As Si Yizhi spoke, he raised his paws and vowed solemnly, looking as if he were only one step away from swearing an oath to Fu Yan.

Seeing him cover himself without leaving a trace, Fu Yan became more and more curious about this person’s identity. However, the person opposite her seemed not to give Fu Yan another chance to ask. He hurriedly turned around, opened his legs, and ran straight into the forest in one breath.

He only left behind one sentence: “Since Fellow Daoist is fine, it’s about time we part ways here and each look for other opportunities!”

Fu Yan: “…”

In the blink of an eye, only Fu Yan was left near the pond.

After sighing that this person’s lightness skill was not at all inferior to her own, Fu Yan swiftly withdrew her gaze. Although she was ​unauthorized copy​somewhat curious about the other party’s identity, she did not have any extreme thoughts.

As for the matter of her possessing the Soul-Nourishing Lotus, Fu Yan was not afraid of it spreading either. After all, although the other party seemed careless and loud, he did not seem like someone who said one thing and meant another. Besides, he also did not know her identity. Even if he wanted to spread it, he would have no way to do so.

Thinking of this, Fu Yan did not spend too much mental energy on this person. She turned back and glanced at the three corpses on the ground. Thinking that the battle just now might attract others over, she immediately flashed into the forest.

A faint breeze stirred, and the leaves on the branches trembled lightly. A red figure very soon disappeared completely.

After shuttling through the forest for nearly three or four days, Fu Yan’s figure finally swept out of this enormous ancient tree forest at dusk that day. Of course, during this period, she had also encountered several waves of disciples from sects and cultivation families, and had fought several times.

However, she felt that she could still be considered relatively lucky. She had not encountered any particularly powerful opponents, nor had she encountered any danger from the secret realm itself. Her journey out had been rather smooth.

Looking at the small plain before her, Fu Yan could not help frowning slightly. She needed to find a hiding place before the sun set. After all, she could not travel all night.

Inside this secret realm, no one knew what danger they would encounter in the next second. So no one would foolishly exhaust themselves just to hurry along. One had to maintain an abundance of energy at all times.

That was why, over the past few days in the ancient tree forest, in order to guard against sudden attacks in the middle of the night, Fu Yan had not dared relax in the slightest. Now, she truly felt rather tired. That was why she wanted to find a relatively safe place tonight and properly nourish her spirit.

Thinking of this, Fu Yan’s gaze landed on a mountain peak to the right. She prepared to go up and find a hidden cave, then continue searching for the signal sent by the Shuiling Sect elders after daybreak tomorrow.

Since she had made up her mind, Fu Yan no longer hesitated. Her figure moved directly, and with wind rising beneath her feet, she rushed wildly toward that mountain peak.

Seeing that the sky had completely darkened, Fu Yan finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. She swiftly followed a small path and continued walking up the mountain. [unauthorized copy]Fu Yan had no intention of going to the summit. Instead, she began searching for a hiding place around the mountainside.

Because few people had set foot on this mountain peak, the mountainside was filled everywhere with green thorns and brambles. Moving forward was truly rather difficult. Worried about encountering some danger, Fu Yan did not dare make too much noise and could only feel her way forward little by little.

After who knew how long, Fu Yan finally discovered a cave ahead. After confirming that no one was following behind her, she swiftly flashed over and approached the cave.

The entrance to the cave was relatively narrow, and because the outside was full of thick brambles, entering was indeed rather inconvenient. Fu Yan had no choice but to carefully turn sideways and walk in.

This kind of cave generally had a high possibility of containing an ambush or demon beasts. However, when Fu Yan stood at the entrance, she did not discover anything wrong. The cave was very quiet inside, without the slightest sound.

After pausing, Fu Yan held the broken Linglong Sword and walked inward slowly, step by step. Unsurprisingly, it was completely dark inside. Fu Yan could only create a ball of flame and continue advancing inward. After walking for a short while, however, she discovered several faintly glowing points of light suddenly appearing from the depths of the cave, like tiny light bulbs.

Yet in the next moment, Fu Yan immediately stopped walking. It seemed she had suddenly realized something. In an instant, she felt as if all the blood in her body was flowing backward.

In this cave where one could not even see one’s fingers before one’s face, how could there possibly be light bulbs? Rather than saying they were faintly glowing points of light, it would be more accurate to say they were actually several pairs of… eyes.

But even so, she still could not feel the aura of a demon beast at this moment. It was clear that the thing inside was definitely not simple. Its strength was surely far above hers.

With this thought, Fu Yan did not hesitate at all. Without looking back, she directly turned and used her Wind Shadow Steps, only wanting to leave this neither-too-large-nor-too-small cave as quickly as possible.

But since she had so openly barged into someone else’s territory, how could the thing inside the cave allow Fu Yan to leave just like that? In the next second, Fu Yan heard dense crawling sounds coming from behind her.

“Huff.”

Its breathing seemed exceptionally loud, beginning to magnify endlessly behind Fu Yan. Just as she was about to escape the cave entrance, she suddenly felt something stick to both her feet.

This sudden change nearly made Fu Yan stumble and almost fall straight out. Fortunately, her reaction was quick enough, and she hurriedly steadied herself.

The moment she steadied herself, before Fu Yan could make any move, she felt that thing swiftly wrap upward from her feet. In almost the blink of an eye, her entire lower body had already been wrapped so tightly by this thing that she could not move.

Fu Yan swiftly lowered her eyes. Borrowing the faint light, she finally saw clearly what was binding her. What entered her sight was a mass of white, fine, dense threads in the shape of spun silk, and they were extraordinarily sticky. No matter how she exerted force, she could not break free.

This was actually… spider silk!

In the next moment, just as Fu Yan realized the situation she was facing, she felt a powerful pulling force come from behind her again. With a whoosh, her entire body was dragged directly back into the cave.

She did not even have the slightest chance to resist.

After a burst of spinning dizziness, Fu Yan finally felt herself being fixed in place. When she came back to herself, she discovered that her entire body was wrapped tightly in spider silk, leaving only her head outside to breathe.

She tried moving again, only to realize that not only had she been wrapped into a zongzi, she had also been stuck onto an enormous spider web.

Fu Yan: “…”

In the depths of the cave, because several pieces of unknown [Read on BaiLianTales]white ore were exposed on the stone wall at the side and were glowing faintly, the cave was not as dark as she had imagined. At the very least, Fu Yan could now see clearly the culprit that had tied her up here.

Inside the vast cave, an enormous spider demon beast was quietly hanging upside down in midair by its spider silk. Its eight legs slowly curled together, and red fuzz grew on them. Fu Yan did not know whether it was poisonous.

The faint points of light Fu Yan had seen from outside just now had indeed been the six bright eyes of this spider demon beast. When opened, they were like bronze bells, truly rather terrifying.

No matter what, Fu Yan had not expected that instead of finding a safe hiding place, she had now become this spider demon beast’s meal on a plate.

Perhaps because this spider demon beast was not hungry yet, after tying Fu Yan to the spider web, it made no other movement and seemed to be quietly resting.

Seeing this, Fu Yan naturally could not easily sit still and wait for death. She could only attempt to break open the spider silk on her body and think of a way to escape the cave.

“Wuwu, Fellow Daoist and I really are fated. I didn’t expect that after only a few days apart, we would actually meet again here!”

Just then, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly sounded in her mind. Fu Yan could not help revealing a slightly surprised expression. She seemed not to have expected that aside from herself, someone else had also been tied up and brought into this cave by the spider demon beast.

Si Yizhi looked at Fu Yan opposite him and had no choice but to transmit again, “I’m here. Fellow Daoist, raise your eyes and look across from you.”

Hearing this, Fu Yan slowly raised her eyes. Borrowing the faint light, she finally saw that there truly seemed to be another enormous spider web opposite her. Because the spider demon beast hanging upside down in the middle had blocked most of her view, Fu Yan had not noticed it just now.

Fu Yan could only barely see that there was also a figure wrapped like a zongzi opposite her. She could not see his face clearly, but from the voice alone, she knew who this person was.

It was precisely the person she had encountered that day at the Soul-Nourishing Lotus.

“Why are you here too?” Fu Yan only felt speechless. In order not to disturb the spider demon beast in the middle, she could only secretly transmit her voice.

Speaking of this, Si Yizhi also felt like crying without tears. This afternoon, he had merely accidentally barged into this cave. He had thought that an opportunity would be waiting for him, but unexpectedly, he ended up in this situation.

“Wuwu…” While crying to Fu Yan about his misfortune, Si Yizhi hurriedly said, “Seeing Fellow Daoist’s figure is truly wonderful. Family! You don’t know how frightened I’ve been, tied up here all alone. It’s pitch-black here, and there isn’t even anyone to talk to.”

Fu Yan: “…”

“Fellow Daoist possesses vast abilities. Can you save me while you’re at it?” Seeing Fu Yan not continue speaking, Si Yizhi could only keep transmitting.

As the words fell, regardless of whether the other party could see it, Fu Yan could not help rolling her eyes at him. “Please. Didn’t you see that I’m also tied up here and can’t move?”

“That’s true.” Si Yizhi seemed to have only just realized this point. He immediately comforted her again. “But it’s fine. This demon beast already ate one cultivator this afternoon, so it probably won’t be hungry now. At least we’re safe tonight.”

“…” Fu Yan did not feel that this was a piece of news capable of comforting anyone.

For a time, the vast cave once again fell into silence.

Looking at the spider demon beast before her, Fu Yan suddenly thought of something and could not help transmitting again, “Do you know what kind of demon beast this is?” As for how to break the spider silk, if the other party knew, he probably would not have been tied up here for most of the day.

Hearing this, Si Yizhi’s voice transmission quickly came from the other side. “This is an ancient secret realm. The demon beasts inside are naturally different from those in the Northern Region outside. Although I don’t know what demon beast it is, I guess it should be a peak third-level demon beast. Its exact unauthorized copy strength is hard to say, but it should not be lower than middle Dao Integration stage.”

A peak third-level demon beast. That was indeed somewhat difficult to handle. Even if Fu Yan’s strength was formidable, facing such a powerful demon beast, she was still at a loss.

But how could Fu Yan be willing to simply be eaten like this? In her mind, one possible method of escape after another swiftly flashed by.

Heart-Comprehending Sword Strike?

Putting aside whether it could deal with the demon beast before her, Fu Yan, who was tied up like a zongzi, had no way to use any sword moves at all. Moreover, this spider silk was far too tough. She was not confident she could cut it apart.

After thinking through all her trump cards, Fu Yan only had the Xuyou Jade Seal left. Looking at the bones beneath the spider web, she could not help secretly swallowing. Even if she could hide inside the Xuyou Jade Seal, if she did not reach the strength to face it head-on, she might never have another chance to come out again.

Thinking of this, Fu Yan could not help sighing softly. She raised her eyes again and looked at the spider demon beast hanging upside down before her, but in her mind, she suddenly thought of something else.

Very soon, Fu Yan hurriedly closed her eyes and began examining her qi sea. She saw that the strand of black qi was still quietly staying to the side. Because she suddenly thought of the previous beast tide, Fu Yan wondered whether the black qi could also devour this spider demon beast’s power.

However, the black qi currently had no reaction at all. It was as if it had fallen asleep, unbelievably quiet. Clearly, she could not count on it.

“Um…” Si Yizhi’s voice suddenly came from the opposite side again. “I have a treasured artifact that should be able to cut through this spider silk, but…”

“But what?” Fu Yan raised her eyes and looked at the figure opposite her. When she heard that the other party had a way, she naturally understood that it would not be that simple. Otherwise, this person would have escaped long ago.

Si Yizhi chuckled twice before explaining, “Although the treasured artifact in my hand can cut through this spider silk, it requires [stolen content]time, and it will make quite a bit of movement. So I wonder if Fellow Daoist can…”

Si Yizhi did not fully explain, but as long as Fu Yan was clever, she would know what he wanted to express. “You want me to attract this spider demon beast’s attention and then create time and an opportunity for you?”

Without someone helping cover him, it was true that Si Yizhi could not possibly cut through the spider silk alone. But not everyone was willing to trust another person. After all, if he cut through the spider silk and took the chance to run away, completely disregarding Fu Yan’s safety, that was also entirely possible.

So after making this suggestion, Si Yizhi was actually rather nervous. He was not sure whether Fu Yan would trust him, and even less sure whether she would agree to this proposal.

“All right.”

Just as Si Yizhi thought Fu Yan would consider it for a long time, Fu Yan’s very straightforward voice instantly sounded in his mind. For a moment, he even wondered whether he had heard wrong.

“Your true essence should still be enough, right?” Before the other party could answer, Fu Yan asked another inexplicable question.

Although he did not know why Fu Yan suddenly asked this, Si Yizhi still quickly gave an affirmative answer. Then Fu Yan’s voice transmission sounded in his mind again. “Then start. Friendly reminder: raise your protective true essence to the maximum.”

Si Yizhi: “???”

Yet not long after Fu Yan’s words fell, Si Yizhi immediately understood why she had said that. Because he saw a dense, dark swarm of Corrosion Bees suddenly fly out inside the vast cave.

Si Yizhi: “!!!”

To attract the spider demon beast’s attention and also hold on long enough for Si Yizhi to cut through the spider silk—forget the current Fu Yan, who had been wrapped into a zongzi. Even if she were at her peak [read the original at bailiantales.com]and holding her sword, she would not have much confidence.

So after hearing Si Yizhi’s suggestion, Fu Yan instantly thought of the Corrosion Bees inside the Xuyou Jade Seal. Although the Corrosion Bees were only second-level demon beasts, such a large swarm should be enough to make the spider demon beast suffer. Buying some time should not be a problem.

Thinking of this, Fu Yan did not hesitate any further. With a movement of her mind, she directly released the swarm of Corrosion Bees from the Xuyou Jade Seal.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

For a time, the entire cave was filled with an ear-splitting buzzing sound. The spider demon beast, which had been quietly resting, immediately opened its eyes and stared tightly at the swarm of Corrosion Bees that had suddenly appeared.

The swarm of Corrosion Bees that had just appeared did not care where they were. They seemed only to know how to sting and bite the living creatures before them, so they swiftly swarmed toward the spider demon beast hanging upside down in the middle.

Of course, Fu Yan and Si Yizhi, who were both wrapped like zongzi, naturally could not avoid becoming targets of attack either. Fortunately, only their heads were exposed, and they still had thick protective true essence.

With a rumble,

the spider demon beast before them immediately fell down from midair. Then, as if enraged, it directly spat spider silk at the Corrosion Bee swarm, instantly sticking them tightly to the wall.

Seeing this, Si Yizhi could no longer care about being shocked that Fu Yan had suddenly produced so many Corrosion Bees. He hurriedly mobilized and strengthened his protective true essence. Only then did his mind move, and a tiny dagger appeared in his mouth.

His entire body could not move, so Si Yizhi could only hold the dagger between his teeth and cut bit by bit at the spider silk wrapped around him.

This tiny dagger was indeed no ordinary object. In only a short while, it had already bailiantales.com cut through nearly half of the spider silk. At last, one of Si Yizhi’s arms was freed.

Not daring to delay, he hurriedly held the dagger with his hand. The speed at which he cut through the spider silk finally became much faster.

On this side, the Corrosion Bee swarm was clearly not a match for the spider demon beast. In only a few breaths, half of the Corrosion Bees had already been stuck to the wall by its spider silk and could not move in the slightest.

After another breath passed, Si Yizhi opposite her was finally completely freed from the pile of spider silk. He raised his eyes and glanced at Fu Yan, who was still trapped. Disregarding the Corrosion Bees circling in front of him, he flashed forward and swiftly swept beneath Fu Yan’s spider web.

Looking at Si Yizhi, who was quickly helping her cut through the spider silk, Fu Yan smiled and said lightly, “I thought you would run straight out. I didn’t expect you to have some loyalty.”

Hearing Fu Yan casually tease him as if nothing were happening, Si Yizhi was so anxious he could hardly stand it. However, the movements of his hands did not slow in the slightest. “My dear grandaunt, how do you still have the mood to joke at a time like this? I’d love to just leave, but if I really walked away like that, once you got out, wouldn’t you skin me alive?”

Just as Fu Yan could see that Si Yizhi was not simple, Si Yizhi naturally understood that Fu Yan was very far from simple as well. Putting aside her formidable strength, if Fu Yan also had a life-saving method, offending such a person would not be a wise choice.

As they spoke, the spider demon beast at the side seemed to finally notice the movement over here and immediately crawled toward the two of them.

With a hiss, a strand of white spider silk was spat straight at Si Yizhi. Fortunately, the latter had kept part of his attention on it and successfully dodged to the side.

At this time, Fu Yan finally had one hand free. She swiftly drew out a talisman and threw it directly at the approaching spider demon beast. With a swish, a light curtain appeared between the beast and the two people.

This was an isolation talisman Fu Yan had obtained from that Duanmu family woman. Although it had no real power, it could still block for one breath of time.

In the next second, while the spider demon beast attacked the light curtain before it, Fu Yan threw out an explosion talisman with her other hand, making it explode [stolen content]directly on the beast’s head. Of course, this was still not enough.

“Heart-Comprehending Sword Strike!”

Fu Yan gave a low shout. The broken Linglong Sword instantly appeared before her, then carried overwhelming true essence as it stabbed straight toward one of the spider demon beast’s eyes.

The defense of a third-level demon beast was generally very difficult to break. However, at this moment, the spider demon beast had already gone through the Corrosion Bee swarm’s attack, and on top of that, the force of the explosion talisman. Only then did Fu Yan’s sword barely manage to pierce one of its eyes.

At the side, Si Yizhi had long been so shocked by Fu Yan’s string of actions that he almost could not hold the dagger steadily.

In the next moment, all the spider silk on Fu Yan’s body was finally completely cut apart. The two people inside the cave did not dare delay in the slightest. They both used their lightness skills to the extreme and shot straight toward the passage leading to the exit.

At this moment, the spider demon beast behind them seemed to be filled with towering fury. It immediately disregarded its injured eye and actually chased them out swiftly.

The moment they escaped from the cave entrance, both of them could not help letting out a breath of relief. Only, just as they took one step out, a massive sound came from beneath their feet.

“Ahhh!”

In the next moment, the two seemed to fall into an abyss.