At the summit of the Demon Cave, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.
The blue sky and white clouds stretched out like a painting, mountain streams babbled, and the landscape was lush with green.
However, this beautiful scenery stood in stark contrast to the tragedy about to unfold.
A group of women were gathered in the woods.
They were members of the Time Girl Group, including Zong Yajuan and Gao Yimin.
Their faces, usually radiant, were now twisted with ugly expressions of terror and unease.
Here in the tranquil woods, a horrifying sight unfolded before them.
A young woman, Zhao Fen.
She was tightly bound in a massive spiderweb.
The web was like a shackle from Hell, constantly dripping a putrid liquid that had corroded her clothes away to nothing.
Zhao Fen's body was contorted by the web's grip, her skin brutally split open, revealing shocking, bloody flesh.
Her eyes were wide, as if about to pop from their sockets, and shot through with blood, filled with endless terror and despair.
One could only imagine the brutal torture she had endured before her death.
Her head was bent back at an impossible angle, resting against her back. The bones in her neck had clearly shattered, unable to support its weight.
Damp hair stuck to her face, every strand seemingly soaked in blood, dripping gore onto the ground.
And her pale white abdomen was swollen, bulging as if stretched by something inside, ready to burst at any moment.
"Why is Zhao Fen here?"
Zong Yajuan's voice trembled with rage. "Didn't we say everyone had to move in pairs?"
"It happened like this."
A young woman named Dai Ju stepped out from the crowd. She kept her head down, her voice weak. "It wasn't our team's turn to patrol today.
The signal above the Demon Cave has been restored, and the reporters sent by the platforms have started nonstop twenty-four-hour live broadcasts.
Zhao Fen wanted to use her break to call her boyfriend, but we never expected..."
Hearing this, Zong Yajuan's anger intensified.
The gruesome death of Yu Kailin was still fresh in their minds, yet Zhao Fen had dared to be so careless and act alone. She simply couldn't comprehend such recklessness.
But now that Zhao Fen was dead, Zong Yajuan couldn't pursue the matter any further.
"This isn't the time to be assigning blame."
Gao Yimin stepped forward. "Losing two members in a row means there's an unknown Evil Spirit moving in the shadows above the Demon Cave.
This proves our initial assessment was wrong. The crisis in the Demon Cave isn't over.
From now on, we can no longer split up.
There are ten members of the Time Girl Group left. We must unite and face this unknown threat together.
Only then can we ensure our safety and prevent anyone else from getting hurt."
The other members of the Time Girl Group nodded, their expressions grave.
To hunt and kill two King-level experts without triggering any abnormal fluctuations meant that the Evil Spirit hiding above the Demon Cave was extraordinarily powerful.
Any single King-level expert facing such an opponent would most likely be in mortal danger.
They realized they could no longer act alone.
Even two King-level experts working together could not guarantee absolute safety.
Just as they were anxiously discussing their next move, a horrifying scene suddenly unfolded.
Zhao Fen's corpse, once as white as jade, began to twitch violently, her legs shaking as if in a seizure.
This sudden development made the ten members of the Time Girl Group instantly tense up.
They all assumed combat stances, the Original Force in their meridians circulating at high speed, ready to face any potential danger.
"Could it be... Zhao Fen isn't dead?"
Gao Yimin's voice held a trace of shocked disbelief.
She stared intently at the twitching corpse, her heart filled with unease.
"Impossible."
Zong Yajuan immediately refuted the idea. Her sharp gaze swept over Zhao Fen's body, focusing on her swollen belly.
On the pale white skin of her abdomen, what was once smooth was now covered in a web of veins.
These veins writhed beneath the skin as if they were alive.
The belly itself was also heaving and squirming, as if something was struggling inside.
"There's only one possibility..."
Zong Yajuan's voice was low and cold, her eyes locked on Zhao Fen's stomach.
The ten members of the Time Girl Group all frowned.
As women, the scene before them made them feel extremely uncomfortable, both psychologically and physically.
However, this was no time to shrink back. They had to face this unknown horror.
Dai Ju stared at Zhao Fen's contorted corpse and said with a grave expression, "I suspect there's something inside Zhao Fen's stomach. Once it breaks out, it will be extremely dangerous.
I suggest we dispose of Zhao Fen's body immediately, along with whatever is about to be born from it."
As she spoke, a look of determination appeared on her face. She swiftly drew an exquisite Bow from her back. With a light pull of her fingers, the bowstring instantly tightened, forming the shape of a full moon.
Then, she loosed an Arrow formed from pure Elemental Power.
The tip of this Arrow shimmered with a dangerous energy that could tear through the air, its killing power enough to make one's blood run cold.
The surrounding air rippled from its passage,
as if torn by an invisible force, sending concentric waves spreading outwards.
Under the threat of the Arrow, Zhao Fen's pale belly squirmed even more violently, as if a pair of hands were churning madly inside.
If she were alive, the intensity of such convulsions would have killed her from the pain, her internal organs churned to a pulp.
The Arrow shot toward Zhao Fen like a meteor.
In that split second, Zhao Fen's stomach suddenly deflated like a balloon that had lost all its air.
As everyone watched in shock, a pale, bluish-white baby appeared between Zhao Fen's legs.
Its appearance was like the arrival of the coldest winter, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.
Its solid white eyes stared fixedly at the members of the Time Girl Group,
its gaze devoid of any human emotion, holding only a chilling indifference and disregard for life.
SWISH!
The Arrow shot by Dai Ju sped forward.
Just as it was about to strike the Ghost Infant, a pitch-black figure twisted into existence with an unnatural movement.
A rotten, stinking hand, as if reaching out from Hell itself, snatched the Arrow from the air. With a sudden flick, it sent the Arrow flying back toward Dai Ju, even faster than before.
Dai Ju's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
She never imagined that an even more terrifying Evil Spirit would appear, one that could catch her Arrow with its bare hand and turn it back against her.
The whole scene was so bizarre and terrifying it sent a shiver down one's spine.
"Watch out!"
Fortunately, Zong Yajuan was quick-eyed and swift-handed, shoving Dai Ju forcefully.
As she stumbled, the returning Arrow grazed past her hair.
Otherwise, it would have pierced her skull!