10: Chapter 10 First-Blooming Realm Monster - Frost Prison Demon Orb

Pushing through the frost-covered bushes, Chen Nianchu pointed to the side. "We're here."

Zhang Wen looked in the direction she pointed. Whoa, look at that! The cave entrance was as black as spilled ink, with icicles hanging down like maces. Just one peek inside made him feel a chill shooting up to his skull. He instinctively tightened his safety helmet, pressed the thunder bath towel under his arm closer to his chest, and peered around, asking, "Who's squatting in there? What's their cultivation level like?"

Chen Nianchu smoothed her wind-ruffled hair, her tone relatively calm. "A Frost Prison Demon Spider, early Initial Blooming Realm. It got injured a few days ago during a fight with my team." She glanced at Zhang Wen's "equipment" and added, "Even though it's injured, the spider silk it spits can freeze into ice shards. It's no fun getting tangled up in it."

"Spi... spi... spider?" Zhang Wen blinked, then suddenly grinned. He patted his chest and said, "Hey, it's no big deal! As long as the pay is right, never mind a spider bro from the Initial Blooming Realm—even if it were in the Forming Realm, I could grab it by its eight legs and drag it out for you!"

After saying that, he lifted his chin proudly. The snow on his safety helmet fell with a rustle, landing on the lightning pattern of the thunder bath towel. He looked just like a temporary worker who had rushed from a construction site to save the world.

Chen Nianchu was amused by his "Construction Site War God" look and burst out laughing, her eyes curving into crescents. "Look at you, so full of confidence, as if you're certain you'll win." She brushed the fallen snow off her shoulder, her tone relaxing a bit. "But don't be too nervous. If we really can't win, with our speed, running away shouldn't be a problem."

With that, she took the lead and walked toward the cave entrance, her black skirt sweeping past the icicles and kicking up a flurry of fine ice crystals. Elder Li followed closely behind, his withered hand resting on the sword at his waist, his eyes alertly scanning the ice spikes hanging from the cave ceiling.

Zhang Wen chuckled, tightened his safety helmet, and hurried to follow with the thunder bath towel tucked under his arm. "Run? With me, Zhang Wen, on the job, it'll never come to the point of needing to run—" Before he could finish, his foot suddenly stepped on a loose patch of ice. He nearly slipped with a "ziliu" sound, but fortunately, he was quick enough to grab an icicle on the cave wall, avoiding a public embarrassment.

The inside of the cave was much darker than the outside. A cold draft mixed with a faint fishy smell hit them. The ice condensed on the stone walls reflected a faint light, and several strands of silver-white spider silk could be seen scattered on the ground, feeling as hard as iron wire. Chen Nianchu warned as she walked, "This spider silk only softens when it meets heat. Be careful not to let it tangle your joints when we fight later."

Zhang Wen gave a grunt of agreement, but his eyes lit up in the dark. The "Mission Progress" on the System panel had already started ticking. He felt the bath towel in his arms and muttered to himself, "I'll show you later. This thunder bath towel isn't just for scrubbing off dirt; it can be used as an Immortal-Binding Rope too!"

The depths of the Demon Cave were darker than imagined, almost to the point where one couldn't see their own hand. Only the icicles reflected a faint light, barely allowing them to see the path beneath their feet. Zhang Wen felt uncomfortable after just a few steps, his brow furrowing involuntarily. In this pitch-black environment, he might not even be able to react if he were ambushed by spider silk.

His fingertips moved slightly, and a faint purple lightning arc crackled between his fingers, instantly illuminating the surrounding area for several meters. The Lightning Radiance reflected off the icy cave walls, creating layers of halos that made even the scattered stones on the ground clearly visible.

"Hmm?" Chen Nianchu paused and turned to look at the lightning arc on his fingertips, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "You have a Thunder Element talent?" Ice and lightning had a subtle relationship of counter and being countered; the explosive power of the lightning System often had a miraculous effect on cold-type Yao Beasts.

Zhang Wen extinguished the lightning arc, leaving only a small cluster to maintain the light. He raised an eyebrow and asked back, "Yeah, is there a problem?" He thought she would be surprised by his talent, but he didn't expect Chen Nianchu to only have a look of realization in her eyes.

"No problem, it's a good thing." As soon as Chen Nianchu finished speaking, Elder Li, who was standing beside her, stroked his beard and laughed. A bit of light returned to his cloudy eyes. "Lightning counters ice—it's a natural counter! Young Miss, our chances of winning have increased significantly. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Zhang Wen finally realized and scratched his head with a chuckle. "So that's how it is? Well, that's great. I'll let it have a taste of my 'Thunder Package' later—" He patted the bath towel in his arms, the lightning pattern shining exceptionally bright under the Lightning Radiance. "Scrubbing and striking together, I'll make sure it behaves!"

Chen Nianchu looked at his eager expression, the smile on her lips deepening. She didn't stop, however, and lowered her voice slightly. "Don't be careless. We're almost at its lair. Watch your step."

Chen Nianchu suddenly raised her hand to press on Zhang Wen's shoulder, putting a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. Her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz. "Shh—we're here."

Looking in the direction she indicated, they saw a snow-white figure as large as a round table lying on an ice platform deep in the cave. Its eight hairy legs were covered in ice armor, with icicles hanging from the tips. At the moment, it was lazily rubbing its mouthparts with its front limbs. The patterns on the spider's back shimmered with a cold, eerie blue light under Zhang Wen's Lightning Radiance.

"See that? That's the Frost Prison Demon Spider." Chen Nianchu's voice had a slight tremor, but she remained coherent. "It's best at using the 'Ice Silk Cage' to bind people. That silk freezes you into a block of ice the moment it touches you; once you're caught, it's truly impossible to escape. And then there's its signature move, 'Frost Blade Thrust.' It can pierce through three-finger-thick ice rock with just a lift of its front leg. Most of the team I led before had their skin and flesh torn open by this move... When we fight later, whatever you do, don't meet it head-on."

Zhang Wen squinted at the spider's eight long legs, then looked down at the thunder bath towel in his arms. He suddenly patted his chest and laughed. "I know, I know. It's just a big silk-spitting spider. Don't worry!" He pressed his safety helmet onto his head and draped the bath towel over his arm, looking just like he was going to give the spider a back scrub. "Consider it unlucky for having crossed paths with me, Zhang Wen, today. If I don't pluck its silk bald and bend its legs, I'll write my name 'Zhang Wen' backward and call myself 'Wen Zhang'!"

Elder Li's mouth twitched as he listened, and he couldn't help but whisper a reminder, "Young man, that's an Initial Blooming Realm Yao Beast, not a crab from the wet market..."

"Don't worry, Elder Li!" Zhang Wen lifted his chin, and lightning crackled twice on his fingertips. "I can tie a crab into an octopus. This spider is a piece of cake!"

Just as he finished speaking, the Frost Prison Demon Spider on the ice platform seemed to sense movement. It suddenly raised its head, its eight compound eyes lighting up with an eerie green glow in the darkness as it hissed and spat silk—the battle was about to begin.