Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

In the clear blue sky, countless black dots, each carrying a streak of light of various colors, descended towards the Primordial Mystery Realm below.

Each black dot represents a monk.

Looking down from the sky, the hidden realm below is an endless primeval forest, with ancient trees blocking out the sun and thick fog flowing through the forest, giving one the feeling of looking down at the Amazon rainforest from high above.

In mid-air, Yu Luoning gripped the Heart-Connecting Talisman tightly. The talisman emitted a faint light, and an invisible light bound her tightly to Shi Shangxu, Lu Feishuang, Lu Mingyu, and Mo Fei, ensuring that they would land in the same landing area.

The wind howled past their ears as they drew closer to the dark green forest.

Suddenly something in the jungle seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, gleaming with a cold, white light.

The light flashed by, and Shi Shangxu narrowed his eyes, almost instinctively saying in a deep voice, "Everyone be careful, there's something strange going on."

Before the words were even finished, the expressions of the group became serious.

The next moment, in the jungle, a treetop trembled slightly, and a spider silk shot in swiftly, wrapping around the waist of the person at the very edge of the group with lightning speed.

"Holy crap! My god, help me!"

The scream abruptly stopped, leaving only a breath's time to react.

Everyone's expression changed drastically.

Lu Mingyu screamed in terror, "Oh no, it's Mo Fei!"

Yu Luoning's pupils contracted, and she didn't even have time to be shocked.

Just how incredibly lucky were they? They had barely entered the secret realm when the weakest one was kidnapped.

"Chase after it, that thing is incredibly powerful. If we delay any longer, Mo Fei's chances of survival are slim."

Shi Shangxu's expression was cold and stern. Before he even landed, he instantly changed direction in mid-air, transforming into a streak of light and plunging into the dense forest below.

Lu Feishuang and Lu Mingyu followed closely behind, and the group flew through the tangled forest on their swords like madmen.

But this was clearly not the flying sword's home turf; with obstacles blocking its way, its speed wasn't much faster than running.

The group sheathed their flying swords and channeled their spiritual energy into their legs to increase their movement speed.

"What was that just now? Did everyone see it clearly?" In the midst of the high-speed race, the gale-force wind stung his cheeks, and Lu Mingyu's voice trembled uncontrollably.

Lu Feishuang's face was pale. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and darted among the branches.

She swung her sword, severing the vines blocking her path, and growled quickly, "It's probably a mutated spider-like demon beast. It's too fast. It's probably at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Stop talking! Keep up!"

Shi Shangxu, who was walking at the forefront, cut through the thorns with his sword to clear a path, with Yu Luoning following closely behind.

Yu Luoning wanted to use her teleportation technique, but the dense forest in front of her blocked her way, and she had no idea when the spider demon would change direction.

This guy seems to have some intelligence; he's setting traps as he walks, spitting out white spider webs in three different directions.

After chasing for an unknown amount of time, the group finally reached the heart of the spider's lair.

The air here was extremely damp and foul-smelling. Huge bushes blocked out all the sunlight, and what was even more chilling was that white spider webs were everywhere, with countless skeletons hanging on them.

Shi Shangxu looked around warily, his handsome face solemn.

He slightly raised his hand, his slender fingertips pressing down gently.

Everyone immediately held their breath and slowly stopped in their tracks.

Shi Shangxu said in a very soft voice, "If we encounter danger later, everyone immediately crush the life tablets to teleport out. Remember, survival is the first priority. I will definitely save Mo Fei."

Yu Luoning glanced at Shi Shangxu; his features were sharp, and his eyes were upright and dignified.

This fool is probably worried that he won't have the ability to create a clone to protect them if they encounter danger.

"How can that be?"

A cold glint flashed in Lu Feishuang's eyes as she gritted her teeth in resentment: "We haven't even gotten our hands on the three divine artifacts yet. If we retreat now, the losses will be too great."

Yu Luoning nodded: "Cousin, I agree with Sister Lu. Fortune is often found in danger."

"Moreover, Senior Mo gave us several high-level talismans before he left, and repeatedly told us to take good care of Mo Fei. We accepted his favor. It would be morally wrong not to rescue Mo Fei."

Shi Shangxu's voice was clear and firm, "I will go..."

"Shi Shangxu, we're a team. We advance together and defend together. Do you want to monopolize the chance to be a hero? To have all the spotlight? Let me tell you, you're dreaming. Don't even think about stopping us from shining." Yu Luoning chuckled and took a half step forward.

Shi Shangxu was speechless. His previously taut shoulders relaxed slightly, and a look of bewilderment and amusement appeared between his brows and eyes.

Lu Mingyu, who was standing to the side, looked a little pale.

"Although Young Master Mo has a bad temper, he's not stupid. Could it be that he's already crushed the life talisman and left the secret realm?"

Shi Shangxu shook his head. "He can't do it. That beast's spider silk has bound his whole body into a cocoon, leaving him no chance to free his hands. Besides, activating the life tablet requires three breaths of casting time. In short, we don't have much time left to rescue him."

Just then, everyone heard a rustling sound coming from afar, like the sound of crabs crawling, so dense that it sent chills down their spines.

Everyone turned around and saw countless fist-sized, eight-eyed black spiderlings surging out like a tide, surrounding them completely in no time.

The group drew their swords and unleashed a massive area-of-effect attack, instantly clearing out a patch of poisonous spiders.

However, there were too many spiderlings. After the spiderlings died, their bodies secreted a purple poisonous gas, and in the blink of an eye, a thick purple mist spread out.

The poisonous gas continued to corrode the protective spiritual light of everyone, and their faces turned pale. They dared not stop, gritting their teeth and frantically cleaning up the poison while constantly taking out detoxification pills from their storage bags and stuffing them into their mouths.

Shi Shangxu activated his magic, unleashing three fireballs in quick succession, instantly clearing out a patch of poisonous spiders and leaving charred marks on the ground.

Yu Luoning twitched her fingertips slightly, looked at the traces of the fire, and then put her hand back.

The advanced version of Nirvana Fire cannot be used, as the two are of the same origin. If it is used and Shi Shangxu notices something amiss, it will be difficult to explain.

As for the Moon-Slaying Sword Technique, it's too noisy to use.

As the purple mist grew thicker, Lu Mingyu and Lu Feishuang noticeably slowed down their movements.

In this situation, Yu Luoning felt anxious.

Constantly searching for skills that I can use.

Fortunately, the origin of the Beast Taming Soul Banner can be explained.

So, as everyone gradually fell out of control and were in dire straits, Yu Luoning summoned the Beast Taming Soul Banner.

In an instant, a black mist swept out from the banner like a storm.

As they got closer, Lu Feishuang and the others were surprised to find that these were actually black flying ants, completely black in color.

These black ants are highly venomous and fearless of death.

Under Yu Luoning's divine control, they quickly engaged in battle with the poisonous spiders swarming from the ground.

When Shi Shangxu saw the Beast Taming Soul Banner, his clear eyes narrowed slightly.

In a short while, he directed everyone to protect him, while Yu Luoning could focus on manipulating the soul banner from among the group.

Before long, Yu Luoning's face grew paler and paler. She maintained the soul banner while trying to detect the mental fluctuations of the flying ants.

However, the clues were discovered in a short while.

"You clear the way for me, I'm going to slay the Spider King."

Yu Luoning's voice was cold and sharp.

In response, Shi Shangxu wielded his longsword and slashed at the ground. A fiery, moonlit streak flashed across the ground, instantly carving a bloody path for her.

Yu Luoning manipulated the black flying ants to form a shield in front of him, leading the group to break through and create a path.

Using the flying ants' spiritual senses, the group quickly located the spider's nest.

Upon seeing the uninvited guests, the Spider King roared, causing the rubble at the cave entrance to fall in a clatter.