" Alright let's head out! " Leader Xu commanded the group,
Everyone packed their belongings then they started to move towards the mountains
It took them 2 days to reach the north village near the base of the mountain, where the mines are located. Along the way, they encountered some small savage beasts but they were frightened by something and they didn't dare to attack.
Upon entering the village, they noticed that most of the youngs and the women are missing. They headed to the village's chief house.
Upon knocking on the door, and old feeble man opened and asked
" Yes, who are you ? "
" Hello, we are from the EverlastingStar Academy, we were sent to subjugate the spiders in ... "
When the Chief heard that they were from the academy, he couldn't help but rejoice and cried out while kneeling.
" SAVIOOOURS! Please help us!!! "
" Huh?! " Leader Xu couldn't help but make a surprised face
....
The Chief explained the situation, apparently, the mines were infested by the earthen spiders, so they sent a request to the Academy to kill these beasts.
Who knew that fives days ago, the earthen spiders got out of the mines and headed to the village, they attacked and kidnapped the youngsters in the village to feed on them. Hearing this, most of the people in Qianli's group couldn't help but feel disgusted towards this beasts and that only made their resolve strengthened.
However, weird enough, the beasts attacked last night too. And this time kidnapped the women.
It was known that the earthen spiders are ferocious beasts who eat meat to grow up, so leader Xu wasn't surprised to know that they kidnapped children, since their tender meat suits their appetite.
What was most surprising, was that they came back yesterday and kidnapped the women too.
Why would they kidnap them too? Could it be that the children aren't enough to.... no wait, this is bad!
Leader Xu began to frown after pondering for a while
Qianli also reached the same conclusions and asked in a hurry
" Leader, we must go right now! "
" Y-Yes! " Leader Xu responded
The other members of the group didn't understand why the two of them were frowning, but since they were sent to kills these beasts they didn't care much.
" Chief, I would trouble you to bring us there right now if you don't mind! "
" Y-yes of course! " The chief hurriedly answered and then the group departed to the mines.
----------------------------------------
" It's here! " After showing them the entrance of the mines he backed with his legs trembling.
The mines were live a big cave inside the mountain, an ominous feeling came from the inside where darkness lurked.
" Alright, Let's prepare. Brother Tong, I'll have you troubled to prepare us some dispelling poison pills and recovery if you don't mind " Leader Xu turned and asked the red heard alchemist.
" Ayo! Don't bother, I've already prepared them when we were camping! " The Alchemist responded with a smile and gave two pills to each member of the team.
" Perfect! Brother Lei, since we will advance slowly, I'll trouble you to protect brother Tong and junior sister Qianli if you don't mind "
" ... "
Lei Zhu didn't answer back, he disappeared with a swift movement.
" Alright, sister Yao you stay behind me and cover my back. Brother Dugu I'll trouble you to be in front to defend us. "
" B-But I hate spid..." Dugu frowned and answered with a trembling voice
" SHUT UP FAT PIG! AT THE VERY LEAST BE USEFUL FOR ONCE! " Yao Lan rebuked him with an angry voice
" .... " Dugu couldn't help but cry and go in front of the group.
" Junior sister Qianli, I'll trouble you to set up a formation around us to protect us from surprise attacks if you don't mind "
" It's already been set " Qianli nodded and answered
" It's already set. Wait.... what??? " Leader Xu responded with a surprised voice.
Not only him but the other members of the group turned around to her after hearing her answer.
" S-Sister are you joking? right? When did you set up the formation?? Why can't we see it? "
Qianli rolled up her sleeves and showed them her right and left arm.
Diagrams were inscribed in them with mysterious symbols.
" The left arm I inscribed a protection formation, the other arm I inscribed a trap formation ... "
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Leader Xu couldn't help but ask himself: Wait... imbuing one's own flesh with the formation, why haven't I heard of this technique before?
Well not that it matters, at the very least she is prepared. Now that I think about it it was the same in the forest, I didn't find any formation inscribed on the trees or the rocks and neither Brother Lei....
Leader Xu couldn't help but pale after thinking about the scene with the wolves.
Don't tell me she prepared that technique against this beasts too.... Oh God, I shouldn't have asked; now I'm gonna have nightmares....
" A-Alright, let's go! " Leader Xu said with a trembled voice, which everyone heard and couldn't help but be surprised.
The only one who was not surprised was Lei Zhu who was hiding in the shadows since he participated in the plan earlier and understood Leader Xu's thoughts.
....
After that, the group entered the giant cave like mine. They advanced slowly to the depths.
100 meters... 300 meters... 600 meters... 1 Km and they found nothing!
Could it be the information they got was wrong? No, since the villager's testimony was not falsified they the beasts are hiding for sure.
But where were they hiding?
The group stayed on alert.
Until they reached 4 Km, Qianli sensed something wrong and spoke.
" Leader Xu, 200 meters ahead of us, I've picked up life signs! "
" !!! "
Everyone one picked their weapons, Dugu who was in front also picked his shield and prepared himself for the battle.
" There are here! " Leader Xu warned
Dozens of spiders came crawling from the inside of the cave, some in the walls, others on the ground they had the characteristic of the earthen spiders.
" Twenty... No twenty-five spiders! Alright, let's do like we prepared earlier "
After saying this, Dugu and Leader Xu rushed in front to confront the majority spiders.
Some of the spiders who weren't taunted by the two of them were rushing to attack Qianli and the Alchemist kid from behind.
But before they even jumped on them they were struck by flying daggers.
Those who were hit by the daggers were electrocuted and burned to the crisp in a matter of seconds.
As for the senior Yao, she took her bow and started rampaging with her arrows, shooting every spider on the front to help out the leader and dugu who were in a little trouble facing twenty spiders on their own.
The spiders that were hit by the arrows couldn't help by crying out before dying, the arrows perforated their strong shell and passed through them. This was why the wind attribute was scary.
Leader Xu unsheathed his sword, and with a yellow glow, he struck the spiders.
One move and three spiders fell down.
This was the effect of a spiritual artifact fusing with one's own Qi, he became a golden warrior who's rampage was unstoppable.
The rest of the spiders frightened fell back and started focusing Dugu.
Sadly for them, even though Dugu was one fat meat shield who barely moved. With his resistance and his armor, he bore no weakness.
Just when they were about to use their poisonous thorn, he understood instinctively that he couldn't block their strikes, so he turned serious, he threw his heavy shield at them. The expression on his face surprised everyone, even Leader Xu
Could it Brother Dugu will face them seriously from now? I'm excited to see what techniques will he use ...
That's what everyone thought, even the spider cautiously stepped back intimidated by his aura
The next action made them even more surprised!
he ran ...
" AaaAAh save me! I D-Don'T WAnT To DIIIIE!!!! "
" ...... "
" ..... "
" ..... "
Everyone in the team couldn't help but curse him... Even the earthen spiders who were fighting with him began cursing him....
The spiders enraged by his actions pursued him
Given the expression on their faces, If the spiders had the ability to speak they would have said
This FAT PIG's meat..... We want this mee-EEA Aat!
They drooled over and continued to pursue him with madness in their eyes.
" YOU FAT PIG STOP MOVING! "
Senior Yao began cursing out loud,
Dugu was fat and given the way he was running didn't matter to her.
She swiftly targeted the spiders following him and shot her arrows until the last one died....
The battlefield turned into silence...
The red haired alchemist who stayed back with Qianli came to leader Xu and said
" Hahaha, the earthen spiders are nothing! See What did I tell you guys? it's not worth to be cautious about it! "
From the start of the battle to the end, they didn't give them any opportunities to use their poisonous thorns on them, It could be said to be a success.
But leader Xu didn't sheat his sword away and cried out.
" Don't Let your guard down! Did you forget? they can hide and attack us from underneath the ground! "
Everyone took their battle stances immediately
Qianli shook her head and answered to everyone's worries
" They are all dead "
Everyone turned to her and asked with a dumbfounded face
" They activated my trap, and they all died ..."
" W-What do you mean j-junior sister?? " Leader Xu asked with a surprised face.
Lei Zhu reappeared in front of them, he took out a long lance and planted it on the ground somewhere.
Blood was on the tip of his lance.
Leader Xu understood, and he asked
" Junior sister Qianli, what did you do? "
" It's a trap formation called Reversal earthen spikes; each spider that activated my first detection formation were stricken down the moment they tried to enter the ground underneath us. "
Everyone was astonished, formations could actually be used this way?
But then Leader Xu said
" But the cost of this formation.... it must have cost you a lot of Qi, when did you activate it? "
" Earlier, when we entered the cave "
" But that's impossible, no one has enough Qi to continuously activate this formation while walking this long distance! Not even a grand master specialized in the formations and seals! "
She continued to explain
" My formation doesn't cost Qi, it costs blood energy "
She unrolled her sleeve, some blood flowed from her arm.
Leader Xu frowned and paled
" Blood energy.... Life force.... Junior sister, do YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! "
to cultivators life force was essential, in cultivation the more they break through the greater their life force is
When a cultivator burns his life force, the blood energy disperses. And it never comes back!
Only an immortal could use this technique since Qianli already ate the pill of immortality that her master concocted for her. She didn't suffer from this problems
At most, the blood energy that she lost will come back later.
She understood the leader's worries and told him in a calm manner
" Don't worry leader, it didn't cost me that much. At most when I break through the next realm I'll gain the blood energy back so it isn't a big problem "
The leader frowned but seeing the smile on the face of this young girl. He forced his self to calm down.
Everyone understood the conversation and shook their heads.
Leader Xu was someone who cared deeply about the members of his team, so when he understood that Qianli was the one who suffered the most to protect his team, he hated himself for not noticing this earlier.
He wanted to protect everyone, he wanted to protect Qianli even more now!
" A-Anyway, leader do we have to dig them out now? "
The red haired youth asked
" .... "
Everyone frowned
Qianli apologized
" Sorry, I forgot that we need to retrieve their thorns "
" No problem, tell us the location of the bodies, everyone will help you digging them out." Leader Xu answered with a sigh
" .... all of them? " Qianli questioned
" Hmm? what do you mean? " Leader Xu surprised by her answer, asked
" Do we have to dig them out all? " Qianli continued
" Naturally, how many are underneath us? eight? ten at most? " Sister Yao spoke
" 78 " Qianli answered
" .... "
" .... "
" .... "
Silence fell down.
----------------------------------------
Since they couldn't dig the bodies out, they marked the location and headed to the depths of the mines to rescue first the children and women held captive.
When they reached 4 km they stopped.
There was a hole small enough to crawl inside of it, at the end they saw something they didn't want to see.
Everyone wanted to run back instantly
Infront of them was a gigantic cave, thousands of earthen spiders were there.
They hid behind rocks and started inspecting the place.
Brother Tong cried out
" Leader look there! "
They noticed on the side cocoons hanging.
Qianli then said
" Inside the cocoons are the women, but only dozens of children are there. "
Xu Ten frowned and asked
" The children... where are the rest of the children... "
Qianli shook her head and answered
" We are late ... "
She pointed somewhere with her finger
When the group saw that place, they turned their head and closed their eyes, even the senior sister Yao Lan puked and started crying silently.
The place where Qianli pointed her finger was like a small hill. When one noticed further they saw the corpses of the children amassed there forming that hill. Only bones remained.
Fury took over most of the members of the group
" We have to KILL THEM ALL! "
Leader Xu stayed calm and asked
" Qianli, about the women... do you know what ... "
He couldn't help but stop the question
Qianli answered with an explanation
" yes leader, they are breeding them, they inject them with eggs to form the next generation of spiders. Humans are the most compatible hosts... "
Qianli was knowledgeable about the earthen spiders, she understood from earlier that it was not only dozens of spiders residing here in the mines. These spiders have long ago formed a colony underneath this mountain.
The earthen spiders lacked females mostly; so they often kidnapped females to mate with them.
Leader Xu then said with a stern voice
" Everyone, let's go out. Brother Lei I'll have to trouble you to send a message to the academy "
Lei Zhu nodded and disappeared.
" Wait! " Yao Lan cried out " What about the women and the rest of the childrens? we are going to leave them?!! "
Leader Xu said wIth an unshakable and cold expression
" We have no choice, in front of us there is an army of earthen spiders, we can't confront them. And we can't rescue the women either even if we wanted to since we lack numbers. But mostly ... "
" I suspect there is an Earthen Spider Queen in this place given the size of this colony "
Hearing this answer, everyone's face turned blue.