"Are you an idiot? A Snow Spider nest houses only one Spider Queen and one Spider King. With the Spider King fighting the Leopard King head-on, the back entrance would definitely be hard to defend if the Wolf King also showed up."
"But look, the Gale Wolves retreated first. The Wolf King definitely didn't come. Those Gale Wolves are so cunning; I even suspect they only feigned an alliance with the Flaming Leopards, their real goal being to betray them."
"But there's no conflict between the Gale Wolves and the Flaming Leopards; their territories are thirty kilometers apart..." Wang Youle asked again, perplexed.
"Fire overcomes wind! As long as the Flaming Leopards are around, the Gale Wolves can never become the regional hegemon. The Snow Spiders became the hegemon precisely because they have no natural predators," Wang Lan said casually.
"The Flaming Leopard King has retreated," Jiang Xinyu stated flatly.
Indeed, the distant battlefield changed. After launching a wide-area Star Martial Skill to repel the Spider King, the Leopard King didn't continue the fight but turned and fled into the distance.
"Typical of the Flaming Leopard King. Such a stylish retreat, abandoning the pack he brought along."
With his formidable strength, the Leopard King burst through the Snow Spiders' encirclement, but the Flaming Leopards he left behind could not. Moreover, the Leopard King showed no intention of turning back to save his subordinates, charging straight out of the spider horde and vanishing without a trace.
Sorrowful howls echoed from behind. The Flaming Leopards were hopelessly trapped by the swarm of Snow Spiders, awaiting their fate.
"So powerful... What level of strength do the Spider King and Leopard King possess? They're practically... war machines."
"Peak of Star Cloud."
"Something's wrong!" Xu Xiangwen suddenly exclaimed in a low voice. "The Snow Spiders have gone berserk—"
His voice was so strained it cracked.
"The Snow Spiders went berserk? How?" Gong Feiyu immediately demanded, his voice tight with anxiety.
"I don't know! Dense swarms of Snow Spiders are pouring out of their nest, spreading rapidly in all directions. There must be... at least tens of thousands of them!"
"We retreat, now!" Jiang Xinyu ordered decisively.
They had originally planned to scavenge, but with the Snow Spiders rampaging, there was no advantage to be gained. Endless hordes of Snow Spiders, like a tsunami, surged outward, leaving devastation in their wake.
After running for a kilometer, Xu Xiangwen glanced back. That one look was enough to make his face turn pale with fright.
"This is bad! The Snow Spiders are less than a kilometer behind us!"
"Can we detour to get around them?"
"They stretch for hundreds of meters. We'd be cut off before we could get around them. We can only run straight ahead."
Jiang Xinyu frowned, then suddenly stopped. "Stop!"
Star Energy fluctuated around her, and the glacier beneath her feet instantly cracked, forming a large pit.
"Jump down."
Almost as soon as she gave the command, Wang Lan and the other four jumped into the pit. Jiang Xinyu then activated her Star Power, instantly sealing the top of the pit with a layer of ice more than two feet thick.
"Xinyu, are you serious? If they find us, we're dead for sure."
"But if they don't find us, we'll hit the jackpot. Think: what could trigger a Snow Spider rampage?"
"Something must have happened to the Spider Queen! If Sherry, the Spider Queen, was truly at the end of her lifespan, a new queen should have already emerged. The emergence of a new queen wouldn't trigger a rampage. So, there's only one explanation: a disruption in the Snow Spider Queen's succession!"
"Sherry is dead?"
"Yes. The Snow Spider rampage will continue until a new queen emerges to quell it. During this time, the trial grounds will likely become very chaotic," Jiang Xinyu said.
"Quiet! I hear something... The Snow Spider army is coming."
"No, those don't sound like Snow Spider footsteps. It sounds like... people?"
The moment he finished speaking, several figures appeared overhead. They were moving incredibly fast; there were about six or seven of them.
"It seems this Snow Spider incident isn't an accident but someone's deliberate doing. Damn it! To think they'd go this far for the Spider Queen's Soul Bead..."
Just then, a gigantic Snow Spider shot past overhead. It was quickly followed by a vast, endless swarm of Snow Spiders rushing above them.
Everyone's heart leaped into their throats. The only sound in the ice cave was the frantic THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of their own heartbeats.
Imagine thousands of enemy troops charging overhead. If discovered, they'd be dead without a burial.
The Snow Spider army finally passed completely after about ten minutes.
Once no more Snow Spiders appeared, the five of them finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"The Spider King has mobilized... Is it chasing those people?" Gong Feiyu said gravely.
"They're doomed. With tens of thousands of Snow Spiders converging on them from such a short distance... unless the trial grounds' garrison is ahead to intercept, they're as good as dead," Xu Xiangwen said, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.
He had a point. The trial grounds had been stable; why stir up trouble? Meddling with the Snow Spiders like this... their rampage wouldn't just cause chaos in the snowy mountains; it could affect the entire trial grounds.
"No, this isn't a simple Snow Spider rampage. If the queen had died, the Snow Spiders would also be slaughtering each other in their frenzy. But just now, the Spider King was leading the Snow Spiders in pursuit."
"What could make the Spider King abandon protecting the current queen to lead his troops in pursuit?" Jiang Xinyu paused, her eyes suddenly brightening. "The new Spider Queen is with those people! They're carrying a space beast cage!"
"Damn! A Spider Queen is listed for a hundred billion at the Exotic Beast Trading Market! And even with such a price tag, they're almost impossible to find on the market. People will really do anything for wealth."
"A hundred billion? That expensive? You're kidding, right?" Wang Lan's heart lurched. That kind of money is completely out of my reach.
"It's not that expensive considering its true value. A Spider Queen isn't just about the creature itself; it represents an entire Snow Spider tribe. Gaining one means you can establish a private trial ground.
Do you understand what a private trial ground means to those Star Martial families? There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Star Martial families, but only a select few possess their own private trial grounds. These grounds are the bedrock of their family's prosperity, capable of nurturing an endless stream of exceptional members.
Compared to the rise and prosperity of a family, what's a hundred billion? It's a lot of money, sure, but ultimately just a number. A private trial ground, however, can yield endless, boundless benefits."
"I see."
"But there's one crucial condition right now."
"A condition? What condition?"
"Sherry, the current Spider Queen, isn't dead yet. If she were to die, the new queen would instantly mature and assume her role. The space beast cage couldn't hold her then, nor could they carry it. So..." Jiang Xinyu's lips curved into a crafty smile.
To Wang Lan and others familiar with Jiang Xinyu, that smile was a dangerous omen. When Jiang Xinyu smiled like that, it meant she was about to hatch a serious scheme.
Jiang Xinyu usually acted with integrity, forthright and principled, but that didn't mean she was incapable of cunning. With her intelligence, her schemes could leave a lasting impression. If Jiang Xinyu decided to be devious, she would undoubtedly weave a complex web of plots, a scheme within schemes, a trap within a trap.
"Just tell us the plan," Wang Lan sighed.
"The Snow Spider nest is currently defenseless. Both the Spider King and the other Snow Spiders have abandoned Sherry to rescue the new queen. Sherry must be feeling quite pitiful right now..."
"So, since we're conveniently positioned, we can send Sherry to her maker?" Gong Feiyu nodded.
"Our main objective is to prevent those people from escaping with the new Spider Queen. Snow Spiders are a treasure of the trial grounds, a national asset of Jade Country. Their actions are criminal. As citizens of Jade Country, we cannot ignore this.
After Sherry is killed, the new queen will complete her evolution. With the Spider King arriving shortly after, their conspiracy will collapse. And incidentally... there should still be many unhatched eggs in the Snow Spider nest. Their Soul Beads contain Star Power. It might be a bit less, but it's free for the taking..."
"That's your real goal, isn't it? Fine, we've come this far. Let's do it!"
With the plan set, Xu Xiangwen used his Heavenly Eye to scout the surroundings, confirming no Snow Spiders were outside. They broke through the ice layer, and the group shot out of the ice cave like a dagger, streaking towards the Snow Spider nest.
The Snow Spider nest was less than two kilometers away. At their speed, it would only take Wang Lan and the others a few minutes to reach it. Surprisingly, they didn't encounter a single Snow Spider along the way. All eyes were fixed on the dark, maw-like cavern ahead—the Snow Spiders' lair, once home to tens of thousands of them.
Wang Lan and Xu Xiangwen led the charge directly into the cave. Only when they were inside did they encounter Snow Spiders. However, their numbers were small; only a few dozen appeared simultaneously.
"I'll clear the way!" Gong Feiyu declared. He noted the cave interior wasn't covered in ice or snow, meaning his Earth Lance would be effective. Moreover, the Snow Spiders' weak point was their abdomen. It seemed both timing and terrain favored him.
Star Power surged around Gong Feiyu, and multiple earth lances erupted from the ground. While not instantly lethal, they heavily wounded the Snow Spiders.
The path ahead cleared, and the five-person squad advanced without slowing.
They knew the Snow Spider nest was large, but they hadn't expected it to be this vast.
After advancing three kilometers, they finally reached the heart of the Snow Spider nest: a massive underground cavern. In its center, a gigantic Snow Spider lay quietly.
If the Spider King was a three-meter-tall behemoth, this Spider Queen was easily three times larger. Yet, judging by her appearance, one would hardly recognize her as a Snow Spider.
To me, she just looks like a long, fleshy worm, Wang Lan thought. Her eight legs couldn't even reach the ground, and her round, bulging body seemed incapable of movement.
As Wang Lan and the others entered, the Spider Queen suddenly emitted a series of high-pitched SQUEALS.
"She's calling for reinforcements! We need to deal with her immediately!"
"What about these larvae?" Wang Youle asked, looking somewhat reluctantly at the dense swarm scattered around. That's a lot of money just lying there.
"Once we've dealt with the queen, all of these will be ours. What's the rush?" Xu Xiangwen snapped.
Jiang Xinyu instantly charged the Spider Queen, slashing down hard with her sword.
Wang Lan was taken aback. A reminder to stay grounded, he thought. You were getting arrogant again, weren't you? Thinking your close-combat skills were the best in the squad? Look at Jiang Xinyu. Could you make a strike like that?
CLANG—
The Spider Queen lacked offensive power but possessed astonishing defenses. The ice armor covering her body was harder than steel, and its one-foot thickness was utterly daunting.
When her initial strike failed, the light from Jiang Xinyu's sword suddenly exploded outward.
That's an incredibly refined sword technique, and it's also a type of basic martial skill, Wang Lan mused. But I can't identify which specific Star Martial Skill it is.
Under Jiang Xinyu's assault, ice fragments flew like snowflakes from the armor, scattering frost and ice everywhere.
Meanwhile, Wang Lan, Xu Xiangwen, Gong Feiyu, and Wang Youle formed a defensive perimeter, intercepting Snow Spiders attempting to reach their queen. Just ten seconds later, the number of attacking Snow Spiders surged dramatically.
"Xinyu, how much longer?"
"Less than twenty seconds! Hold on! Xu Xiangwen, find us an escape route!"
"I've already checked! The cliff wall behind us is only thirty centimeters thick and not very dense. Wang Lan should be able to shatter it with his Inch Strength!"