The flames blazed fiercely.
In the scorching air, a giant tree slowly toppled over, crashing to the ground with a loud thud, igniting more chaos with the scattering sparks.
The giant spider leader let out a sharp shriek, nearly tearing through human eardrums.
This was its territory, its home, now burned to ashes. Everything in front of it made it extremely angry.
Unlike ordinary spiders, it didn't fear fire, and its webs had evolved to the point where they were entirely fire-resistant.
The culprits were right in front of it, and it intended to pour all its rage onto these two individuals!
Zi Di was already trapped in the web, and she only had a Black Iron Aura, not worth worrying about.
The only concern was Zhenjin.
The aura of this youth—the giant spider leader was unsure about it.
The giant spider leader focused all its killing intent on Zhenjin.
It shot more and more webs towards Zhenjin.
At first, only the long spear and the youth's hands were bound by the webs. Soon, layers of webs enveloped Zhenjin's entire body, even starting to cover his ears and nose.
If at this moment someone could cut through the webs with a dagger, Zhenjin could escape this dilemma.
But no one did!
Huang Zao had the chance to throw the dagger over, but he didn't!
Thus, Zhenjin found himself in a desperate situation.
A sharp weapon was critical to break free at this moment.
If only he had that longsword in his hand, facing such a situation would be easy.
Even without a longsword, a scimitar would do.
Definitely not a war spear.
Zhenjin suddenly exerted force within the web. He hadn't given up yet!
Though his strength increased, it was far from reaching the limit the web could bear, unable to break free.
The attempt left Zhenjin feeling somewhat hopeless.
If he couldn't break free with full strength, there was almost no hope. Struggling aimlessly would only tighten the web, just like sinking into quicksand; a futile attempt would hasten death.
Zhenjin remained still, his thoughts racing, trying to find a way out.
Layers of webs wrapped around him, and to the giant spider leader, the seemingly resigned youth looked deceptively close. At the top of its hideous mouthparts, there were over a dozen eyes clustered together.
All of the spider's eyes fixed on Zhenjin, its mouthparts moving slightly, making a chirping sound, as if mocking Zhenjin!
It wanted to torment this youth thoroughly, impale him, drain his blood. Simultaneously, it would inject spider venom into Zhenjin's body, watching the poison corrode him from inside out until the youth decayed. Finally, it would consume every rotten piece, leaving nothing behind, filling its belly.
This was the consequence of offending it!
Zhenjin did not struggle, clenching his teeth, forced to stare into the giant spider leader's eyes.
Face to face, only a few steps apart.
The giant spider leader raised its two front limbs, sharp as spears or swords, effortlessly piercing through the web.
Instantly, Zhenjin groaned, feeling the two limbs like daggers trying to stab into his back.
His chainmail held up, resisting the two limbs.
This obstruction further enraged the giant spider leader.
It yanked the web violently, shortening the distance between it and Zhenjin, with only a hand's breadth between their eyes.
"Zzz!"
The giant spider leader's mouthparts opened wide, emitting a strong, rancid stench onto Zhenjin's face.
Simultaneously, a large amount of green viscous liquid, like saliva, flowed from its mouthparts.
Zhenjin's eyes widened, almost thinking the giant spider leader was going to swallow his head in one bite!
But the next moment, the giant spider leader slightly relaxed its strength, retracting its mouthparts, nodding and shaking its head at Zhenjin.
Zhenjin saw mockery and cruelty in the spider's expression.
His heart turned cold. He immediately understood: the spider in front of him simply wanted to terrify him, torment him, slowly cooking him, making him fully enjoy the pain. Listening to his screams and cries, watching him struggle, little by little, step into death!
The pressure on his chainmail increased, finally reaching its limit. The chainmail gave way, and the spider's sharp limb pierced through.
One of the limbs smoothly entered Zhenjin's flesh.
The youth felt a coldness first, followed by a wave of pain.
Besides the intense pain, there was a profound fear.
Zhenjin could clearly feel the path of the two limbs. After piercing the outermost layer of flesh, one limb continued to deepen slowly, starting to threaten his vital organs, while the other hit an obstacle, meeting a rib.
The giant spider leader exerted continuous force. Zhenjin's rib barely delayed it, then snapped.
"Ah!" Pain surged, and Zhenjin let out a low growl, his handsome face contorting in an instant.
The fire continued to burn, its light reflecting on Zhenjin's face, making him look devilish at this moment.
The giant spider leader quietly enjoyed the scene, its eyes perfectly reflecting the youth's expression. But what disappointed the spider leader was it found no trace of fear or pleading in Zhenjin—only anger and hatred!
The flames in Zhenjin's heart burned fiercer than the forest fire around him.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Under the spider leader's torment, he let out continuous low growls.
His mind felt like it would explode, and a brand new memory suddenly emerged.
The martial ring was surrounded by people.
The duel in the arena was nearing its end.
"As expected of the once great southern noble!" A youth was cornered.
He was wounded, with some injuries deep enough to show bone, looking extremely battered.
He was the Holy Temple Knight Qing Kui.
And his opponent was a middle-aged man with two long, slender mustaches, completely unharmed. He raised his head slightly, strolling leisurely towards Qing Kui.
Zhenjin found himself among the onlookers, anxiously watching the two in the arena.
His gaze mainly focused on the middle-aged man.
For that man was his father, the clan leader of the Hundred Needle Family!
Beside Zhenjin, there were many fellow Holy Temple Knights, faces he recognized.
"Qing Kui, if you can't go on, surrender!"
"Your opponent is too strong. You're still young. Losing is no disgrace."
"Think about your sister, Qing Kui. Don't be stubborn."
The young Holy Temple Knights shouted.
Qing Kui's sister was also outside the arena, pale-faced, trembling like a delicate flower in a storm.
Qing Kui took a deep breath, wobbling as he stood straight, summoning all his strength to lift his longsword and face the Hundred Needle Clan Leader once more.
"Sigh!" A heavy sigh rose from the crowd.
"Qing Kui initiated this duel. Getting him to surrender is harder than turning a dragon around."
"What now?"
"Even if Qing Kui surrenders, it depends on whether the Hundred Needle Leader will spare him."
"Yes, Qing Kui's father and grandfather died in the battle, all perished at the hands of the Hundred Needle Family. The hatred between the two families is too deep."
Qing Kui screamed, charging uselessly again.
The Hundred Needle Clan Leader easily dodged, his stabbing sword gently twisting, disarming Qing Kui.
Clang.
The longsword flew up, landing on the ground, its tip slicing into the marble behind Qing Kui.
The disparity in strength was evident.
Qing Kui's sister couldn't bear it anymore. She pleaded with the knight elder presiding over the duel: "Uncle Squad Leader, I beg you, for the sake of our two families' many years of friendship, intervene and save my brother."
The knight elder was the squad leader of the Fifth Group of the Holy Temple Knights.
He snorted coldly, his expression unhappy: "This is a sacred duel between knights, fair and impartial, with no favoritism!"
He looked at Qing Kui's sister, his gaze sharp: "I tried to save your brother, but as a member of my Fifth Group, he didn't listen to me, insisting on challenging the Hundred Needle Clan Leader."
"Hmph, how capable is he? How much power does he have? How much real combat experience? He hasn't even fully mastered the Qing Kui Family's signature combat skill, the Bronze Armor, yet dared to challenge the Hundred Needle Clan Leader."
"Is this knightly courage and fortitude? It's a revenge-fueled folly, pure stupidity!"
"So, you saw. The Hundred Needle Clan Leader used a single combat skill, the Thousand Needle Fierce, to break your brother's Bronze Armor completely."
"Thousand Needle Fierce is an advanced form of the Hundred Needle Family's signature combat skill, the Hundred Needle Wind, usable only by those with Gold cultivation. Hundreds of Imperial Knights have died under this move. Even I fell to this move once, stabbed through the heart by the Hundred Needle Family's stabbing sword!"
"Your brother Qing Kui forsook the Holy Temple Knights' creed, abandoned courage, defied endurance. This is his own doing!"
"As the current leader of the Qing Kui Family, he must bear the consequences of his recklessness. This is the price he must pay—even if it costs his life."
The squad leader's merciless words made Qing Kui's sister collapse, weeping in despair.
The surrounding angry young knights fell silent under the squad leader's rebuke.
But they clenched their teeth tighter, their fists even tighter.
The Hundred Needle Clan Leader took a deep look at the squad leader and approached Qing Kui again. In an arrogant tone, he said, "Qing Kui Leader, what ability do you have to resist? Do you still have any fighting energy left?"
"Then, I'll take your life with the next strike." The Hundred Needle Clan Leader slowly raised the stabbing sword in his hand, the tip pointing straight up, almost touching his nose.
"This will be the last scene of your life. So, watch closely."
"Don't worry, using the Thousand Needle Fierce to kill you would be overpraising you. You're far worse than your father and grandfather. The Hundred Needle Wind is enough to bury you."
"If you somehow survive this strike, what harm in sparing your life?"
With that, the Hundred Needle Clan Leader's stabbing sword turned into a dazzling flurry of sword shadows.
Qing Kui roared, waiting for this moment.
The last of his fighting energy surged out, a flash of green light faintly forming a knight's charging long spear.
Boom!
The two clashed and passed each other.
An arm flew through the air, blood splattering, falling outside the ring.
The arm still held a stabbing sword.
It was the Hundred Needle Clan Leader's sword-wielding arm!
The crowd was stunned.
Dead silence.
Thump! Qing Kui collapsed, unconscious.
The Hundred Needle Clan Leader clutched his nearly severed wound with his left hand, his face extremely grim.
"Fath, Father!" Zhenjin exclaimed, his voice trembling violently.
The squad leader walked into the arena, standing between the Hundred Needle Clan Leader and Qing Kui, separating them.
His brows furrowed deeply, glaring seriously at the dismembered noble: "Hundred Needle Clan Leader, the words spoken in a duel are sacred vows. Your duel is over."
The middle-aged man's pupils contracted, staring intently at the unconscious Qing Kui, teeth clenched, letting the blood flow from his wound, his face full of shock and hatred.
After a while, he nodded slowly, filled with a deep sense of gloom and reluctance, stumbling off the dueling platform.
"Father!" Zhenjin ran over, supporting the Hundred Needle Clan Leader.
Cheers erupted around them, Qing Kui's sister wept with joy, young Holy Temple Knights raised their arms in celebration, many bystanders shouting in disbelief.
The middle-aged man looked around, taking in the scene, his face returning to calm: "My son, look at me. Tell me, what is our family's motto?"
"Do not overestimate others, nor underestimate them." Zhenjin struggled to lift his head, his voice choked with emotion.
"Good, remember it, memorize it thoroughly!" The Hundred Needle Clan Leader gritted his teeth, speaking harshly.