Chapter 40

Zhang Zhongqin’s reaction was sharp. He immediately dashed and climbed up a towering ancient tree not too far away. Looking around, he saw the forest in the distance tremble. Someone was speeding through the trees. As his clothes fluttered, his figure could be seen clearly. Wasn’t that Pei Ling?

“That brat is right in front!” Zhang Zhongqin felt ecstatic. He hurriedly told his companions under the tree, “He seems lost, and he’s actually running towards us!”

“So we searched far and wide for him only to find him by chance!” Huang Xian and Chen Mei were surprised. Then they laughed loudly. Huang Xian snapped his fingers as he said with a ferocious smile, “I was afraid that I would delay Senior Brother Chen’s time. I didn’t expect that this kid would deliver himself to my door.”

They were overjoyed as they went to surround Pei Ling. Pei Ling quickly sensed the three while running for his life, and he could not help but rejoice. He welcomed them as if he was meeting his biological siblings, who had been separated from him for many years. “Senior Brother Huang! Senior Brother Zhang! And Senior Sister Chen… I finally found you! Oh yes, why aren’t Senior Brother Chen and Senior Sister Xiao here?”

“The two of them are waiting for you in the Soul Devouring Mother Array!” Huang Xian laughed grimly and reached out his arm, wanting to grab him.

However, a bloody glow surged out from Pei Ling’s body. He suddenly increased his speed and flashed past them like an arrow leaving a bow at the last moment.

The wind that was stirred up even hurt their faces!

Huang Xian and the other two were startled for a moment. Only then did they realize that something was wrong as Pei Ling had already slipped away quickly. As he ran, he shouted, “Senior Brothers, what Senior Brother Chen said has been completed. This evil creature has also been lured here according to the plan… Quick! Let’s kill it together! Let’s help it reunite with those dead offspring!”

The three of them subconsciously looked in the direction he came from and saw that several towering ancient trees were cut off. In the gaps where they collapsed, a pair of crimson eyes were looking at them with fury!

Immediately after, it shook its eight legs and jumped into the air with ease. The human face symbol on its abdomen extinguished the tiny hope of Huang Xian and the other two. Without any hesitation, the enraged Man-Faced Spider spat out a spider web.

Huang Xian and the other two were scared out of their wits as they ran frantically.

However, it was not a big deal for Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin. After all, they were both at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. At the critical moment, they forced themselves to speed up and narrowly avoided the spiderweb. However, Chen Mei was not so lucky. She could only let out a scream before she got enveloped by the spiderweb.

Immediately, the Man-Faced Spider pulled the spiderweb containing Chen Mei with a strand of spider silk. Its vicious mouth moved closer, and the agonizing “crunch” sound followed was accompanied by a scream for a moment before it quickly fell silent.

Pei Ling turned his head for a glance. As his hair stood on end, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He would rather his fellow Daoists get killed instead of him! If not for this group of people, he would not have provoked the Man-Faced Spider. As the saying went, the one who started the trouble should end it. Whether he could safely escape back to Spiraling Mountain City depended on these ‘companions’.

The problem was that Chen Mei had already died right after seeing the Man-Faced Spider. The remaining two probably could not hold on for long. He had to pull away from the Man-Faced Spider quickly and think of a solution!

At the thought of this, Pei Ling endured the discomfort and forcefully activated his spiritual power. The Blood Spiraling Escape Technique increased his speed while he turned into a blood-colored light that instantly disappeared into the horizon.

Upon seeing this scene, Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin’s eyes almost split open. “You little bastard!!!”

However, the Man-Faced Spider quickly finished eating Chen Mei and caught up to them again. Although their cultivation levels were higher than Pei Ling’s, they had nothing similar to Pei Ling’s escape technique. Even if they tried their best, they could only watch as the Man-Faced Spider rapidly closed in on them.

Soon, a foul wind blew at the back of their heads. The Man-Faced Spider’s legs tore through the branches and leaves of the forest, almost hitting their backs.

“Damn it!” The duo’s faces turned pale. They hurriedly looked at each other and understood each other. Almost at the same time, they slammed their palms against their chests. A green light flashed in their eyes as they suddenly accelerated.

However, at the same time, blood gushed out of their seven orifices, complementing their twisted faces. They looked terrifying, and their auras rapidly dropped down.

It was the Blood Ignition Art of the Deep Sea Sect. It used the burning of blood essence to increase one’s power forcefully. However, the price was that one’s cultivation level would drop drastically after practicing it, resulting in a backlash from their spiritual power.

It was no different from quenching one’s thirst with poison.

However, at this moment, the two of them did not have a better option.

“Look for Senior Brother Chen!” Blood flowed from the corner of Huang Xian’s mouth as he shouted, “We can’t hold on for too long!”

Zhang Zhongqin also understood their situation. Blood flowed faster from his seven orifices as his figure flashed through the forest like the wind.

After a while, Chen Huan was meditating by the Soul Devouring Mother Array before he opened his eyes suspiciously. Xiao Tasha was admiring his handsome face, and she was about to say something when two bloodstained figures fell from the sky.

“Senior Brother Huang! Senior Brother Zhang?!” Xiao Tasha swallowed her words and exclaimed, “How did you guys become like this?”

Huang Xian coughed up a mouthful of blood and ignored her. He hurriedly said to Chen Huan, “Senior Brother Chen, the situation isn’t good! That little bastard Pei Ling has somehow provoked the Man-Faced Spider while he possesses an extremely fast escape technique… Just now, Junior Sister Chen Mei got swallowed by the Man-Faced Spider, while that little bastard was nowhere to be seen. We used the Blood Ignition Art to shake off that monster temporarily.”

Xiao Tasha’s eyes widened as she gasped. “What? Doesn’t this mean the Man-Faced Spider is coming this way? Senior Brother Chen, we have to leave at once!”

“Leave?” Chen Huan’s expression darkened. He quickly thought about it before looking up and saying coldly, “We can leave, but what about Junior Brother Huang and Junior Brother Zhang? Do you think we can outrun the Man-Faced Spider if we bring them along? Or do you want to abandon them?”

“I…” Xiao Tasha said subconsciously.

Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin gave her a resentful glance, making her feel even more embarrassed. She then lowered her head in silence.

“We definitely can’t leave.” Chen Huan turned to his two junior brothers and said quickly, “The only thing we can do now is to use the Soul Devouring Mother Array.”

He explained, “This array formation has already been set up. Since the Man-Faced Spider is going to chase after us soon, how about this? You guys go down to the sub-formation first and lure it in. Once the sub-formation traps the Man-Faced Spider, Junior Sister Xiao and I will split up and run.”

As he spoke, he took out two talismans from his storage bag and handed them to Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin. “As for you guys, you are definitely in no condition to run in this situation. These are Breath Concealing Talismans for the both of you. While the Man-Faced Spider is in the sub-formation, you guys quickly find somewhere to hide. At that time, once the Man-Faced Spider can’t find you two temporarily, it will definitely chase after us if it sees me splitting up with Junior Sister Xiao to escape! This way, you guys will be safe.”

Huang Xian coughed and replied, “Thank you, Senior Brother! It’s just that the sub-formation can’t even trap Pei Ling…”

“Even if Pei Ling’s cultivation isn’t high, he’s a human after all. He might have obtained lucky opportunities before he entered the sect.” Chen Huan said without batting an eyelid, “Although the Man-Faced Spider is a Foundation Establishment demon beast, it’s a beast that had no human form. Its intelligence is inferior to ordinary mortals! Besides, the sub-formation should delay it for a while. Otherwise, none of us can escape!”

Before Huang Xian could say anything, Xiao Tasha looked at Chen Huan with a pale face and said anxiously, “Er… Senior Brother Chen, you told them we would split up to run away while they hide? So what will happen to me?”