I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

"You beast! How dare you harm members of my Hidden Moon Sect!"

A Qi Refining disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect who had followed along witnessed the tragic deaths of his fellow disciples. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, his blood boiled.

Ignoring the difference in strength, he roared and summoned a flying sword magic weapon, which transformed into a stream of light and pierced straight at the white jade spider!

"Ding!"

The flying sword struck the white jade spider's crystalline carapace with precision, producing only a crisp collision sound and leaving a shallow, almost invisible white scratch.

It couldn't even pierce the carapace!

Disturbed from its meal, the spider abruptly raised its head, its eight compound eyes flashing with a cold light as it locked onto the attacker.

"Damn it! Let's attack together and take care of this beast first!"

Seeing this, Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng knew there was no way to resolve the situation peacefully, and shouted in unison.

In an instant, six or seven magical artifacts soared into the air and attacked the white jade spider!

Zhou Yuan and Han Li were naturally among them, but the two seemed to have a great tacit understanding, using ordinary, inconspicuous longswords and throwing knives.

The attack was all bark and no bite, having little effect on the spider as well.

Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng, while seemingly unleashing a fierce attack with their magical artifacts, actually did not use their true trump cards, employing only conventional magical artifacts. Clearly, all four of them had something to hold back.

The white jade spider hissed, and its eight long legs swung rapidly, like eight sharp scythes, leaving afterimages in the air.

"Snap! Snap!"

With a few sharp sounds, several Qi Refining disciples who were at the forefront, wielding their magical weapons to attack, had their weapons directly struck by the spider's claws, their spiritual light dissipating and breaking into several pieces on the spot!

Several Qi Refining disciples turned pale.

"This monster has a hard shell and immense strength; we cannot defeat it by force! Retreat! Let's go back to the cave we were in!"

Xuan Le made a quick decision and shouted loudly.

He and Lü Tianmeng exchanged a glance, both seeing the intention to back down in each other's eyes.

Although the teleportation array and the token were very tempting, the monster in front of them was obviously not easy to deal with. Even if they could win by fighting head-on, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

The most urgent task is to save our lives and retreat to a relatively safe place before making any further plans.

However, just as everyone was about to retreat after hearing this, the white jade spider seemed to be enraged and suddenly opened its mouth.

With a "plop," a thick, whitish liquid with a fishy smell shot out like a water jet, heading straight towards everyone.

Everyone instinctively dodged.

They assumed it was some kind of corrosive or aggressive liquid.

But to everyone's surprise, the clump of white liquid suddenly expanded and stretched rapidly when it was halfway through its flight, instantly transforming into a giant white net several meters in diameter, covered with viscous fluid.

With lightning speed, the giant net snapped shut on the hole they had entered through, completely sealing off their only escape route!

The spider web is exceptionally tough and sticky, emitting a faint spiritual light, and cannot be easily broken by ordinary flames or sharp weapons.

"It seems we can't leave for the time being."

Xuan Le's gaze sharpened, the intention to retreat vanished from her face, replaced by a ruthless fierceness. With her escape route cut off, only a fight to the death remained!

"Gentlemen, stop holding back! Show your true skills and kill this beast first!"

Lu Tianmeng also shouted sharply, and at the same time patted his storage bag, a huge black axe the size of a door appeared in his hand, the blade of which gleamed coldly, clearly a top-level attack magic weapon!

Xuan Le no longer held back, now holding a pair of gleaming golden short halberds, exuding a sharp aura.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan also "timely" summoned the seemingly clumsy and heavy dark gold broadsword—the Broken Gold Sword. The sword was plain, but it faintly exuded a sharp aura that could pierce through armor.

Han Li silently summoned the black iron shield to protect himself, while holding several talismans in his hand.

The battle erupted again. This time, everyone held nothing back. The light of top-tier magical artifacts shone brightly in the cave, and the roaring sounds were endless.

Although the White Jade Spider was powerful, it began to let out angry and painful hiss under the combined attack of four Foundation Establishment cultivators (two of whom were in the late stages) using their true abilities.

Cracks and wounds began to appear on the glossy carapace.

However, the monster's counterattack was extremely fierce. Its sharp claws, fangs, and the spider webs and venom it spewed from time to time posed a great threat and trouble to everyone.

The four Qi Refining disciples, who were already injured, were the first to be hit. In the fierce battle, they were struck by the spider's claws or smeared with venom, and fell to the ground screaming and died.

Soon, only four Foundation Establishment cultivators—Zhou Yuan, Han Li, Xuan Le, and Lü Tianmeng—remained in the cave, facing the white jade spider in a fan shape.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a glint flashed in Xuan Le's eyes, and he suddenly produced a palm-sized, golden-yellow, ancient bronze bell.

The bronze bell grew as soon as it was exposed to the wind, instantly becoming several meters in size. With its mouth facing down, it emitted a deep, resonant "hum".

"Give me the town!"

Xuan Le shouted, and the bronze bell slammed down, completely enveloping the enormous white jade spider!

The bell shimmered with yellow light and runes flowed around it, clearly a precious top-tier magic weapon that combined the ability to trap enemies with sonic attacks.

"Fellow disciples, protect me! I will activate my talisman and annihilate this fiend in one fell swoop!"

"Fellow disciples, protect me! I will activate my talisman and annihilate this fiend in one fell swoop!"

Upon seeing this, Lü Tianmeng's face revealed a hint of joy and eagerness.

Without hesitation, he patted his storage bag and carefully took out a talisman that shone with a bluish light and exuded spiritual energy—it was a talisman treasure!

He formed hand seals and frantically poured his magical power into the talisman.

The talisman shone brightly, instantly transforming into a phantom image of an ancient-looking cyan jade ruler.

The jade ruler trembled in the air, splitting into two, then four... In the blink of an eye, it differentiated and gave rise to hundreds of densely packed cyan ruler shadows, which hovered in front of Lü Tianmeng, exuding a sharp aura.

However, just as Lü Tianmeng was fully activating the talisman, a sinister smile on his face, preparing to deliver a fatal blow, another unexpected event occurred!

When Lü Tianmeng unleashed his talisman and cried out "Guardian!" Zhou Yuan felt a sudden sense of alarm!

He knew that Lü Tianmeng was ruthless and harbored selfish motives.

Is the target of unleashing such a powerful talisman at this moment really just the trapped spider?

Without much thought, his Cloud-Stepping Boots glowed with azure light, and he retreated several feet like a ghost. At the same time, he held the Golden-Breaking Sword horizontally in front of him, activating his protective spiritual light to its maximum.

Almost simultaneously, Han Li's expression also changed on the other side.

Relying on their long-cultivated instinct for caution, they retreated without hesitation.

The black iron shield firmly protected his body.

Xuan Le also frowned deeply. Instead of stepping forward to "protect" him, she secretly strengthened her own defenses and stared sharply at Lü Tianmeng.

"Die!"

Lu Tianmeng suddenly roared, his face revealing a ferocious expression.

However, the hundreds of cyan ruler shadows that were suspended did not bombard the spider under the bronze bell as everyone expected. Instead, they suddenly changed direction and, like a rain of pear blossoms, split into three streams, shooting towards Xuan Le, Han Li, and... Zhou Yuan, who had just regained his footing!

The sharp, swift blade tore through the air, emitting a piercing whistle, clearly intending to annihilate all three of them!

really!

He killed them to silence them and then kept the treasure for himself!

"Shameless!"

"How dare you!"

Xuan Le and Han Li shouted angrily at the same time.

The three were prepared and immediately used their respective skills. Xuan Le crossed two golden halberds in front of her to block, bursting out with dazzling golden light.

Zhou Yuan swung his Broken Gold Sword, unleashing a condensed dark gold sword light to meet the ruler-like figure.

Han Li's black iron shield shone brightly, and at the same time, several defensive talismans were instantly activated, transforming into layers of light shields.

However, just as the countless blue shadows were about to collide with the three people's defenses, another unexpected event occurred!

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream, filled with shock and agony, suddenly burst from Lü Tianmeng's mouth!

Everyone looked over and saw that the yellow bronze bell that had covered the white jade spider had been quietly removed by Xuan Le!

The white jade spider, now freed from its confinement, flew into a rage. With one of its sharp, spear-like forelegs, it pierced through Lü Tianmeng's chest from below at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow. Lü Tianmeng had been neglecting his defenses due to his full power in activating the talisman!

Blood gushed out from his back and chest!

Lu Tianmeng's sinister smile froze, replaced by disbelief, horror, and despair. He looked down at the blood-stained, crystalline spider claw protruding from his chest. The talisman he was halfway activating lost its magical support, its radiance quickly dimmed, and the countless shadowy figures in the sky vanished.

"You... Xuan Le..." Lu Tianmeng turned his head with difficulty, staring intently at Xuan Le, who had a cold smile on her face, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.

Xuan Le remained expressionless, coldly staring at him: "Senior Brother Lü, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. If you want to take it all for yourself, you'll have to ask me if I agree."

"Pfft!"

With a flick of its sharp claws, the white jade spider tossed Lu Tianmeng's mangled corpse out like a tattered sack, where it slammed heavily against the cave wall, where it lay lifeless.

This late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, despite his meticulous planning, was outmaneuvered by his allies and met a tragic end at the hands of a demonic beast.

The cave fell silent instantly, with only the heavy breathing of the white jade spider and the suppressed heartbeats of the others remaining.

Xuan Le waved his hand to retrieve the bronze bell artifact, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan and Han Li.

"Junior Brother Zhou is indeed quick-witted; he retreated in time."

Xuan Le spoke, but her tone revealed neither joy nor anger.

"Brother Xuanle is even more far-sighted; I admire him," Zhou Yuan replied casually, without putting down the broken golden sword in his hand.

Xuan Le laughed heartily, as if the life-or-death struggle and the betrayal of his allies had never happened.

He pointed at the teleportation array radiating ancient energy and the blue token in the hands of the five-colored skeleton, a glint of fervor flashing in his eyes:

"Junior Brother Zhou, let's not beat around the bush. The treasures here are priceless. This ancient teleportation array and that token probably involve ancient secret realms or distant places, which is an incredible opportunity! If the two of us join forces, taking them will be a piece of cake."

He abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Han Li, who stood closely beside Zhou Yuan, his face full of vigilance, and his tone turned icy:

"However, the fewer people who know the secrets of this place, the better. Although Junior Brother Han and Junior Brother Zhou are from the same sect, he is ultimately an outsider. How about... we join forces to eliminate him first, and then the two of us will share the fortune of this place equally?"

Han Li's expression changed drastically.

My heart was pounding in my throat.

He gripped the black iron shield tightly and held onto the talisman, his gaze urgently turning to Zhou Yuan.

"Senior Brother Zhou! We came from Yellow Maple Valley together and fought side by side many times. I, your junior brother, have never done anything to wrong you!"

"Moreover, Xuan Le harbors malicious intentions; cooperating with him is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger!"