I will be stronger after the remake

Ling Chong frowned and said, "But we've searched everywhere and there's not even an entrance. Are we supposed to use spiritual magic to forcibly blast a hole out?"

Gui Taxi asked, "Do you know any mountain-breaking level spiritual techniques?"

"At most, it can only damage a rock; breaking through a mountain is a level three."

While Ling Chong was speaking, he secretly glanced at Tang Ping.

Tang Ping shrugged, indicating his helplessness. In terms of damage output alone, martial arts cannot compare to spiritual arts. The ultimate move of the "Zen Sea Blade Technique" may have the power to split mountains, but he cannot use it now, and he also needs a good blade.

Gui Taxi sighed and said, "Then we can only contact our superiors and ask them to send an expert over."

"Let me think about it some more, there's no rush."

Ling Chong was unwilling to give up so easily, because he had only discovered a "demon's lair," and it was impossible for him to be awarded a second-class merit. At most, it would be counted as performance in the year-end evaluation, but he couldn't think of a better way for the time being.

Tang Ping was unsure of the level of his mutated spiritual power, "Three-Eyed True Radiance," in terms of reconnaissance, or whether it could surpass "Observing Qi in the Cave," but at this moment, he could only try anything as a last resort.

He activated his psionic powers and circled the hill again. Then he discovered a cave on the south side of the hill. The edges of the cave were covered with dense spider silk, each strand shimmering with an eerie luster. Above the cave, the words "Spider Cave" were clearly written.

Spider Cave, Spider Demon?

Tang Ping recalled the Spider Demon's performance in the original "Journey to the West" and felt that he could fight her. Moreover, judging from the fact that she dared not show herself, she was probably not in good condition, which was a good time to strike.

"We can't expose the existence of 'Three-Eyed True Radiance.' We need to come up with an excuse to make them discover the cave entrance in a plausible way."

Tang Ping knew perfectly well that his "novice monk" spirit type was unlikely to be hidden from those people, and "novice monk" was not a rare spirit type; a little investigation would reveal that it did not possess reconnaissance-type spiritual abilities.

After a moment's thought, he had an idea. He returned to the group and suggested, "If we can't break the mountain apart, how about we just set it on fire?"

"Setting the mountain on fire wouldn't make much sense. Even if the mountain is under an illusion spell, it's impossible to break it by setting it on fire—unless it happens to be an illusion spell that fears fire."

Gui Taxi didn't think much of this method, but considering that the other party was a new colleague, she didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm, so she quickly changed the subject: "However, there's no better way right now, so it wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

Tang Ping and Xiang Yun are not good at fire-based spiritual arts, so Gui Taxi and Ling Chong have to perform them.

Fortunately, as second-tier psionicists, the two did not pursue lethality but only aimed to expand the burning area as much as possible, so it was not too difficult.

Moments later, a raging fire engulfed the entire barren mountain.

Gui Taxi used "Observing Qi from Within the Cave" but found no change in the demonic energy inside. He shook his head and was about to comfort Tang Ping when he suddenly heard Ling Chong exclaim from not far away: "A cave! A cave has appeared over here, it's the Spider Cave!"

He rushed over and saw the cave appearing in the flames, along with the rapidly charring spider silk around it. He immediately realized, "No wonder the illusion array, which was set up using spider silk as a medium, was burned by fire."

What the hell is that luck!

Then he saw three characters above the cave and made the reaction that every Chinese person would make: "Spider Cave, Spider Demon?"

“It should be,” Ling Chong nodded, then excitedly rubbed his hands together. “Although the Spider Demon is quite famous, her strength in Journey to the West is very weak. She belongs to the category of minor demons, only slightly stronger than Little Drill Wind, and not even as good as Tiger Vanguard!”

Gui Taxi reminded, "Don't be careless. The spider demons may be weak, but there are seven of them in total... No wonder it's a rainbow of colors, it must be here."

(Note: Only one short chapter today)

Chapter 177 Forcing the Spider Out of its Hole

Seeing Ling Chong about to walk into the cave, Tang Ping hurriedly stopped him: "Are you just going to go in like that?"

"if not?"

"Putting aside the question of the spider demon's strength, this Spider Cave is clearly their territory. They may have set up many traps inside, just waiting for us to crawl in. Moreover, the cave is small and it is not easy to move around. If we are not careful, we will get entangled in the spider silk. Then we will not be able to set it on fire, because we will easily burn ourselves."

Gui Taxi nodded and said, "Comrade Tang Ping's analysis makes a lot of sense."

Ling Chong frowned and said, "Then what should we do? They obviously won't come out on their own. Is there any way to force them out?"

Xiang Yun, who had been keeping quiet all along, finally spoke up: "How about setting it on fire?"

Gui Taxi shook his head and said, "It's easy to set fire to a mountain, but it's impossible to burn a cave. First of all, the inside of a cave is usually dark and damp and lacks flammable materials, so it's hard to start a fire. Secondly, the oxygen inside a cave is limited, and the flames will go out due to lack of oxygen after a short time. Therefore, throughout history, the way to deal with enemies hiding in caves has always been to smoke them out, rather than burn them out."

Ling Chong couldn't wait to say, "Let's use smoke too."

"Others may be exceptionally intelligent, but you are exceptionally intelligent yet not intelligent at all. You only know how to use outdated methods to find your own way. Spider demons are monsters, not humans. Would they be afraid of smoke?" Gui Taxi sneered, mocking, "Even if ordinary people are afraid of smoke, if it were you or me, as long as we have spiritual power, what's so difficult about holding our breath for half an hour? No matter how weak the spider demon is, she can't be without this much ability."

Ling Chong said helplessly, "You're the one who agrees we can't go in, and you're also the one who says setting fires is useless. You've said all the good things, so tell me what we should do?"

"do not know."

Seeing that Ling Chong was about to retaliate, Gui Taxi preemptively said, "It's better to have no other choice than to make a mess of things."

At this moment, Tang Ping said, "Actually, setting a fire isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Gui Taxi was taken aback for a moment, but instead of being angry at being slapped in the face, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I have never studied fire-based spiritual arts, so I would like to ask, do flames released using spiritual arts require oxygen?"

Gui Taxi and Ling Chong exchanged a glance, and the latter said, “Using spiritual techniques to release flames not only does not require oxygen, but also does not require fuel. All the energy is provided by spiritual power. However, if you want the released flames to continue burning, you need oxygen to sustain them. If you want to sustain them purely with spiritual power, you have to keep casting spiritual techniques. Doing so consumes a lot of spiritual power. Even I can't last a minute.”

Tang Ping nodded and said, "I don't expect to burn the spider demon to death with fire, but can you just burn away the spider silk in the cave?"

Ling Chong pondered, "Judging from what we just saw, the spider silk burns quite quickly, which isn't difficult. The problem is how to get the flames inside. The cave can't be a straight passage, and we don't have the ability to manipulate the flames to go around or turn."

Without hesitation, Tang Ping said, "It's simple. I'll first use a wood-based spiritual technique to summon withered vines to extend inside and cover as many caves as possible. Then you can use the withered vines as a medium to burn them."

Ling Chong and Gui Taxi discussed it for a while and concluded: "The method is feasible, but we must rush in immediately after the fire starts to burn, to prevent the other side from redeploying the spider silk."

Tang Ping raised his hand to stop him, saying, "No, fire attack is followed by water attack. Alternating between fire and water is the key. It's a bit difficult for ordinary people to fill a cave with water, but it's very simple to do with spiritual magic."

Xiang Yun agreed, saying, "Summoning water out of thin air consumes a lot of spiritual energy. Moving water is much easier; we can just use a water control spell. I happened to see a river on the way here, not far from here."

Tang Ping continued, "If there's a bottomless pit in the cave, this method won't work. But it's just a trial anyway. If it succeeds, great. If it fails, there's no loss. I don't expect to drown the spider demon with water. As long as I can disable any potential traps and cause some trouble for her, that will be a huge gain."

After a brief discussion, everyone agreed that it was feasible, since there was no risk involved. Even if fire or water attacks failed, it would only be a waste of spiritual energy, which could be recovered after a period of meditation.

Tang Ping then formed hand seals, and a dense green spiritual energy emanated from his body as he unleashed a wood-based spiritual technique.

Countless withered vines suddenly sprouted from the ground, resembling agile pythons, and burrowed into the entrance of the Spider Cave. Under Tang Ping's control, they continued to extend deeper and branched out in different directions. Once an obstacle was encountered in a certain direction, they would stop growing and focus on other directions until no further opportunities could be found in any direction.

Having used up about half of her spiritual power, Tang Ping stopped casting the spell and said, "It's done."

Ling Chong and Gui Taxi understood each other perfectly and immediately used fire-based spiritual techniques. Each of them summoned several lines of fire, which ignited the withered vines. Driven by their spiritual power, the flames quickly extended inward through the withered vines.

In an instant, a raging fire erupted inside the cave, its red light blazing, and thick smoke billowed continuously from the cave entrance.

Not only that, but there were also faint noises coming from inside the cave, as if the monsters inside were also thrown off balance by the sudden flames and were busy putting them out.

Of course, it didn't matter whether the fire was extinguished or not; as the oxygen in the cave ran out, the flames quickly died down.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yun, who had already taken action when Tang Ping summoned the withered vine, was leading the river upstream. Her unique spiritual personality, "Lady Xiang," was the true goddess of the Xiang River. She did not possess any spiritual power related to water, but when she manipulated water, she did have a sense of complete freedom, as if she were naturally compatible with water. When she used water-based spiritual arts, she achieved twice the result with half the effort.

This is a hidden benefit that is not manifested in the form of psychic energy.

Xiang Yun pointed her finger, and the river water transformed into a giant water dragon, rushing towards the Spider Cave and pouring into the cave continuously, as if an invisible water pump was at work.

Upon seeing this scene, Tang Ping had a flash of inspiration and said, "Speaking of which, are there any poison-based spiritual techniques, preferably the kind that can dissolve in water?"

Gui Taxi and Ling Chong gasped upon hearing this, looking at Tang Ping as if they were seeing him in a completely new light.

You're a handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, how could you be so vicious?

"It's a pity that such a spiritual technique doesn't exist." Ling Chong sighed regretfully.

Gui Taxi said thoughtfully, "You reminded me that although there are no poison-type spiritual arts, there are indeed talismans that target monsters and can create talisman water. Talisman water is also a legitimate Taoist technique. The Five Pecks of Rice Sect and the Way of Peace both started by using talisman water."

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of talismans from his person, picked one out, held it with both hands, raised it above his head, and chanted in a deep and solemn voice: "Heaven and Earth, the origin of all things. Demons and monsters lose their courage, spirits and monsters vanish. So be it!"

(Note: Updates during the May Day holiday will be split into two chapters to better align with website activities.)

Chapter 178 Half-Human, Half-Spider

As Gui Taxi chanted incantations while holding the talisman, streams of golden spiritual energy flowed from his fingertips, resonating with the runes on the talisman.

Immediately, he flicked the talisman towards the river controlled by Xiang Yun. The talisman drew an arc in the air and landed precisely in the water.

In an instant, a bright light shone forth, and the runes seemed to come alive, moving and spreading rapidly in the water. The originally clear river water instantly rippled with golden waves, merging with the light of the runes and emitting a mysterious power that could subdue monsters.

To be honest, none of the four people present had high hopes for this move; they just felt that it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, since there would be no loss if they failed.

However, the result was unexpectedly effective.

As the golden talismanic water flowed into the cave, the monsters inside sensed the danger and emitted sharp, piercing chirps, their voices filled with rage.

At the same time, the Spider Cave experienced a violent tremor, the entire mountain began to shake, and huge rocks fell from the top of the cave, raising clouds of dust.

The spiritual pressure inside the cave became chaotic. The originally regular spiritual energy fluctuations now surged and spread wildly outward like a runaway horse, impacting everything around them. Everyone felt mentally uncomfortable and quickly used their spiritual power to resist.

Gui Taxi used his spiritual energy to "observe the qi within the cave" and took a look. His expression changed drastically. He was both surprised and delighted. He said, "The monster inside is about to break out. We should retreat first!"

Depriving the enemy of their geographical advantage is undoubtedly a tactical success.

The four hurriedly retreated away from the Spider Cave. After a while, a black mist surged out of the cave entrance, and faint, sinister, and furious laughter could be heard from within the mist.

Immediately afterwards, enormous spiders crawled out of the mist, their eyes gleaming with a blood-red light, and their sharp fangs dripping with green venom.

Originally, they would have given people a terrifying impression, but now they were all soaked to the bone and affected by the talisman water, their condition was weak and their aura was even weaker. It only made people feel that this was a good opportunity to beat a dog when it was down.

Without any orders, everyone acted simultaneously.

To conserve her spiritual energy, Tang Ping pinched a handful of small stones in her palm and used her self-created finger-flicking technique to precisely hit the spider monster's vital points, delivering a fatal blow.

Although Ling Chong was skilled in close combat, the situation was unclear at the moment, so he dared not rush forward to avoid being surrounded by enemies or accidentally injured by his teammates. He simply used his spiritual magic to summon countless wind blades, which, like sharp blades, swirled and whistled in the air and flew towards the spider swarm, cutting them in two.

Gui Taxi unleashed lightning-based spiritual techniques, striking the spiders with pinpoint accuracy. The spiders instantly turned black upon impact, emitting a pungent odor, and the resulting explosions also injured nearby monsters.

Xiang Yun used the water on the ground to cast ice-type magic, which saved spiritual energy. Countless sharp ice pillars instantly grew from the ground, like spears piercing through the giant spider's body.

One side fled in panic and fell into a bad state, while the other side was well-prepared and had been gathering strength. In an instant, the group of spider monsters were slaughtered, and blood flowed like a river. The green blood mixed with the stagnant water and spread on the ground, emitting a nauseating smell.

"Watch out, the main character is coming out!"

Gui Taxi seemed to have seen something again and hurriedly spoke up to remind her.

The next moment, countless tough threads shot out from the cave entrance. These threads, like agile venomous snakes, coiled towards the group at an extremely fast speed. Wherever they passed, visible marks were left in the air, and rocks were cut into pieces by the threads.

Gui Taxi and Ling Chong reacted in time, each using their own spells to defend themselves. Xiang Yun, however, was noticeably slower. The ice pillars she summoned failed to block all the attacks. Her arm was touched by the silk threads, instantly cutting a deep wound that exposed bone, as if it had been touched not by spider silk, but by steel wire.

"Well!"

With a painful groan, Xiang Yun lost her balance and was unable to concentrate. Her subsequent spiritual spells were forcibly interrupted, and her life was in danger.

Tang Ping acted swiftly, striking repeatedly with his fingers. Golden finger energy whistled out, colliding fiercely with the flying silk threads in mid-air. The sounds of "bang bang bang" were incessant as the silk threads snapped one after another, and for a moment, the broken threads fell like snowflakes.

"Thank you, thank you."

Looking at the reliable figure protecting her, Xiang Yun expressed her gratitude with a heart full of lingering fear.

"Don't get distracted on the battlefield. Quickly treat your wounds and get yourself in good condition."

Tang Ping casually gave a word of advice, easily blocking all the spider silk. Faced with this sudden attack, martial arts were more effective than spiritual techniques in responding in time.

"Oh."

Just as Xiang Yun was using her spiritual arts to heal her wounds, the entrance to the Spider Cave suddenly began to shake.

Gui Taxi took out another paper boat and instructed everyone: "Pay attention, if the spider demons that come out are at the third level, retreat immediately without hesitation. No matter how weak they are in the original story, their cultivation level is what it is. We can't win against seven third-level demons no matter what, even if they are weakened by the talisman water. But if they are only at the second level, then there is nothing to worry about. Accumulate spiritual power and kill them in one go."

As they were speaking, the cave entrance suddenly burst open, shattering the three characters "Spider Cave" above it into pieces.

Then, two bizarrely shaped giant spider demons burst out of the hole. Their upper bodies resembled human women, with long, black hair disheveled and looking extremely disheveled from being soaked in water. Their once beautiful and alluring faces were now tinged with a bluish-gray from the talisman water. Their eyes were narrow and sharp, with flames of anger burning in their blood-red pupils. Their lips were crimson, as if they had just drunk blood, and two rows of sharp fangs were faintly visible.

Its lower body is that of a huge spider, with eight thick spider legs supporting its massive body. The legs are covered with black hairs, each hair as hard as a steel needle, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The surface of its body is covered with a hard black carapace with complex and eerie patterns. Its abdomen is bulging high, and green mucus seeps out from the gaps in its abdomen from time to time, dripping onto the water and making a "sizzling" sound, emitting a puff of steam, which seems to contain strong acidity.

"Hey, hey, hey, this isn't the spider demon from 'Journey to the West' at all. It looks more like the spider woman from Japanese mythology. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Ling Chong wore an expression of disbelief.

Gui Taxi smiled with delight upon seeing this. After confirming the situation several times with his spiritual energy, he put away the paper boat and said, "They have the spiritual pressure of a third-rank spirit, but their spiritual power is only at the second-rank level, and there are only two of them. Although we don't know the specific reason, we can win!"

(Author's note: The book's tags have been messed up. If you have time, please help add proper tags or like the correct ones.)

Chapter 179 An Unsuited Battle

Despite his complaints, Ling Chong didn't slow down at all. He adjusted his breathing, circulated his spiritual energy, and in an instant, a layer of golden Buddhist light emanated from his body. He suddenly opened his mouth and let out a deafening "Buddhist Lion's Roar".

The sound waves, imbued with powerful spiritual energy, struck the two spider demons as if they were solid. The spider demons' movements were momentarily halted, and their upper bodies, especially the human form, convulsed and trembled, revealing expressions of pain.

Gui Taxi seized the opportunity, quickly conjured a purple talisman, and chanted a Taoist incantation: "Thunder Lord descends to earth, all evil is warded off. Thunderlight flashes, shattering all demonic influences. So be it!"

As the incantation was recited, Gui Taxi flicked her finger, and the talisman that was flicked away instantly burst into flames in the air, turning into streaks of dazzling lightning that blasted towards one of the spider demons. Wherever the lightning passed, the air was instantly ionized, leaving behind streaks of blue light.

The spider demon sensed danger and tried to dodge, but it was still slowed down by the impact of the "Buddhist Lion's Roar" and was accurately struck by lightning, instantly triggering a series of explosions and arcs of electricity.

The spider demon's human body let out a painful scream as its carapace exploded, scattering everywhere and green blood gushing out.