Chapter 4086 — A Traitor in the Ranks

Yet the Blood Wolf of the Jungle did not choose to give chase; it stood frozen in place, and somehow, a jet-black arrow was now lodged fast in its neck.

A moment later, the Blood Wolf of the Jungle toppled stiffly to the ground, thrashing and howling in agony for a long while before its life finally ebbed away.

Phew! Only then did [Huang Xiaotao] let out a long breath. Had she not taken the risk of luring it over, given the cunning that Blood Wolf of the Jungle had displayed, there was no telling who would have been left standing today.

It was also fortunate that she had laced her arrow with a deadly poison in advance; otherwise, even if she had managed to plant an arrow in the Blood Wolf of the Jungle, with its thick hide and coarse flesh, it would never have died.

Having slain the late-stage Foundation Establishment Blood Wolf of the Jungle, [Huang Xiaotao] did not pause for even a moment. Without even taking time to catch her breath, she turned and hurried toward [Cong Zhima] and [Chen Muzhuang]; a moment more of delay, and someone might well be dead.

And so it was: by the time [Huang Xiaotao] arrived, [Cong Zhima] and [Chen Muzhuang] were already in dire straits—covered in wounds and barely able to stand, while the two peak mid-stage Foundation Establishment spirit beasts they faced were still full of vigor.

However, with the addition of [Huang Xiaotao]'s formidable fighting strength, the tide was reversed in an instant; in less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the two peak mid-stage Foundation Establishment spirit beasts were slain by the three of them working together.

Slumping to the ground in a sorry state, applying medicine while gasping for air, [Cong Zhima] looked up at the enormous cocoon woven of spider silk overhead and said with some concern, "Brother Lingyi has been up there so long—surely nothing's happened to him?"

"I'll go up and take a look." Ignoring her aching body and her nearly exhausted reserves of strength, [Huang Xiaotao] gritted her teeth, rose, and made ready to climb the tree.

In her recollection, the spirit beast that had set its sights on [Wei Zhao] seemed to be a Thousand-Eyed Spider—a fearsome beast whose strength surpassed even that of the Blood Wolf of the Jungle. And Lingyi was the "weakest" of them all; facing the Thousand-Eyed Spider alone, with so much time having passed, he had most likely met with disaster.

[Huang Xiaotao] well knew the danger of charging up there recklessly, but even if there was only the faintest sliver of hope, as captain she could not stand by and let Lingyi die.

Yet just as [Huang Xiaotao] rose to climb the tree, the great cocoon suddenly blazed with fire in all directions. Then, in the firelight, the cocoon swiftly turned to ash and scattered on the wind, and [Wei Zhao] appeared from within, leaping down from midair.

[Cong Zhima] stared at [Wei Zhao]—somewhat bedraggled but showing no obvious injuries—and said, dumbfounded, "Brother Lingyi, you really are something! That one that came after you looked like a Thousand-Eyed Spider, didn't it? That's a late-stage Foundation Establishment spirit beast, and you were actually able to handle it!"

Not only he; at this moment, the looks [Huang Xiaotao] and [Chen Muzhuang] cast at [Wei Zhao] were likewise filled with unmistakable shock. They had all along believed [Wei Zhao] to be the weakest among them.

"Heh, it's just that I happen to know a fire-type martial skill. Its spiderweb was nothing but spinning a cocoon around itself. Pure luck—otherwise I couldn't have handled it." [Wei Zhao] laughed, his face full of modesty.

"So that's it—fire really does seem to counter spiders. Brother Lingyi, you're certainly lucky, but don't be so modest; luck is a kind of strength too!" [Cong Zhima] and the other two said, the realization dawning on them.

[Wei Zhao] smiled to himself. Fire did indeed counter spiders, but at the late-stage Foundation Establishment level, without sufficient strength of one's own, no amount of elemental advantage would matter—a few rays of light from the Thousand-Eyed Spider would have been enough to kill you.

With [Wei Zhao]'s strength, dealing with this Thousand-Eyed Spider was in truth as easy and pleasant as beating a dog. Had he not deliberately concealed his power and dragged things out, he could have killed the wretched spider in a single exchange, and would never have let it go on this long.

Of course, had [Cong Zhima] and [Chen Muzhuang] truly been in mortal danger just now, [Wei Zhao] would have had no choice but to abandon his plan to hide his strength and step in to rescue them.

"All right, everyone surviving today is already a stroke of great fortune. This place has been cleared by those five spirit beasts, so for the time being it should be the safest spot around. Let's rest and recover here first, and once we're more or less restored, we'll continue." [Huang Xiaotao] gave the order.

The others were just about to comply when, at that very moment, three figures suddenly descended from the sky, landing before them all with savage grins on their faces!

Glancing at the three, whose ill intent was plain, [Wei Zhao] looked up and, sure enough, saw a flying spirit beast circling in the sky above. Had they not come from the air, they could never have escaped his senses.

"Tsk tsk, how is it you're all so badly hurt? You've really been through a lot! Come on, hurry up and hand over the Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruits—no need to make me search you myself, is there?" The leader was a young man with a frivolous, arrogant cast to his face, who sneered at [Huang Xiaotao] with a raised eyebrow.

"Su Zhaohu, you despicable, shameless wretch!" Only then did [Huang Xiaotao] understand. Even with her face hidden by a mask, the trembling of her body made her feelings plain.

"Heh, shameless? Is this your first day out on a mission? This place has always belonged to the strong. If you don't want to die here, then be sensible and hand over the Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruits right now!" Su Zhaohu threw back his head and laughed triumphantly, then looked [Huang Xiaotao] up and down with a gleeful, taunting air. "Huang Xiaotao, tell me—if you'd become my sixth cousin's wife back then, would you have ended up like this? Women are all cheap; you brought this on yourself. Not only is your face ruined, but you've sunk to such a wretched state. Tsk tsk!"

"You!" [Huang Xiaotao] bit her lip in humiliation. Had she not just fought five spirit beasts to the point of mutual ruin, she would have had no reason to fear this Su Zhaohu at all—but now, with him plundering her misfortunes, it was too late to say anything.

"You really won't hand it over? Then don't blame me for being rude!" Su Zhaohu sneered viciously. [Huang Xiaotao] had once been hailed as a cultivation prodigy, and truth be told, he did not dare underestimate her too much—but now, well, everything was in his grasp.

Seeing Su Zhaohu about to make his move, [Huang Xiaotao] had no choice but to grit her teeth and hand over the two Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruits she had on her.

"Heh heh, now that's being sensible!" Su Zhaohu snatched the two Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruits into his hands, drooling with greed, while the two who had appeared with him likewise began pressing the others for their Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruits.

[Cong Zhima] glanced at [Huang Xiaotao] and could only obediently hand his over as well. But when it came to [Chen Muzhuang]'s turn, he hurriedly said, "Brother Su, you can't do this! Didn't we agree? I lured them here so they'd fight the spirit beasts to mutual ruin, and then you'd reward me with a Myriad-Crossing Golden Elixir Fruit!" (To be continued) R655