123: Chapter 123 The Sword Arrives

“Go!!!”

Lin Fan did not hesitate in the slightest. He grabbed Yue Changkong, who had collapsed, completely drained of strength after unleashing that shot, and let out a roar at the rest of the group, who were also in a state of shock!

He led the remaining people, charging into the scorched valley that had been cleared by the lightning, and rushed madly toward the unknown Black Forest without looking back.

Behind them, the corpses of over a hundred Wind Blade Wolves were already charred black, covering the entire valley; not a single one had been able to cross the line of lightning by even half a step!

They had carved out a path of survival for the team in a tragic yet effective way!

When they passed through the last layer of dense bushes, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

They had arrived in a colossal circular basin, as if formed by a meteor impact. It was completely different from the chaotic and violent atmosphere outside; the entire basin was terrifyingly silent.

The ground of the basin was a strange, scorched dark black, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and a thick, inescapable scent of blood.

What made them feel even more palpitating was that there were no living plants here, only bizarre, twisted black dead trees that seemed to have been dead for ten thousand years, standing silently like silent tombstones.

In the very center of the basin, there was a colossal, bottomless pitch-black cave, like a gaping mouth leading to Hell that was ready to devour anyone, constantly exuding a terrifying pressure filled with cold, evil, and the Aura of death and destruction.

“This is it...” Lin Fan muttered as he looked at the cave.

He could clearly feel that the unparalleled terrifying Aura belonging to the Beast King was emanating from that cave. It was this terrifying pressure that had formed a natural Domain, causing those violent low-tier Yao Beasts to not dare to approach this area at all.

They were temporarily safe.

“Thump!”

“Cough... cough cough...”

However, just as they relaxed, Wulu, Big Fool, Gong Qianxue, and the others, including Lin Fan who was supporting Yue Changkong, could no longer hold on; they all collapsed to the ground, coughing violently and spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.

The continuous bloody battles and the extreme escape had long since drained their physical strength and Internal Energy. Everyone was severely injured and on the verge of their limits. In particular, the exhausted Yue Changkong had directly fallen into a coma.

Just as Lin Fan took out the Spirit Spring Essence to help everyone recover some strength, a terrifying roar filled with endless rage and majesty exploded without warning from the depths of the pitch-black cave!

“Roar——!!!”

That roar was no longer the bellow of an ordinary Yao Beast; it seemed to carry a trace of intelligence and a questioning tone! A terrifying pressure, more than ten times greater than before, descended suddenly like an awakening ancient demon god, causing the entire basin to shake violently under this roar!

“Humans... ants...”

An intermittent yet supremely majestic ancient Divine Thought fluctuation sounded directly in the minds of Lin Fan and the others.

“How dare you... intrude into... this King's... Forbidden Ground!”

“Die!!!”

Accompanied by that Divine Thought roar, a pitch-black spider thread as thick as a water vat shot out from the cave like a bolt of black lightning tearing through space. Its target was crystal clear: Lin Fan and his group, who had trespassed into this territory and disturbed its slumber!

“Not good! Spread out quickly!” Lin Fan's pupils contracted sharply as he let out a heaven-shaking shout.

He never expected that the intelligence of this Beast King would be so high; it could accurately lock onto them, the intruders, and launch a fatal attack without even appearing!

In terror, everyone used their last ounce of strength to roll and dodge in all directions.

With a boom, that pitch-black spider thread grazed Lin Fan's body and slammed fiercely into the ground where they had just been standing.

“Sizzle——!” A teeth-grinding corrosive sound rang out. The hard black rock ground was instantly corroded by the virulent poison attached to the spider thread, creating a huge pit several meters deep, emitting plumes of nauseating black smoke.

With just one strike, its power far exceeded that of the previous fourth-tier Vajra Giant Ape.

“Gulu... Gulu...” From the depths of the cave came a hair-raising crawling sound, as if something was waking from its slumber. A terrifying Vicious Beast, so huge it was suffocating and only existed in myths and legends, slowly crawled out from the dark cave.

It was a giant spider several times larger than the Vajra Giant Ape, its entire body as pitch-black as ink, covered in a layer of carapace that shone with a cold metallic luster like ten-thousand-year dark iron.

Its eight hideous legs, over ten meters long and like sharp spears, left deep scratches on the hard ground with every movement.

And on its hideously deformed head, there were densely packed nine compound eyes, glowing a ghostly green and filled with endless malice and cruelty.

Sixth-tier Beast King—Nine-Nether Demon Spider!

When this legendary terrifying Vicious Beast was fully revealed before everyone, that absolute, suffocating, and terrifying pressure, originating from the level of life itself, instantly enveloped the entire basin.

“Roar!” The Nine-Nether Demon Spider's nine compound eyes coldly swept over this group of “intruders” in the basin. Its Divine Thought sounded again, filled with an unquestionable tone of judgment: “Trespassers... all die!”

Before the words had faded, its eight hideous legs exerted force, and its massive body, like a moving black mountain, charged fiercely toward Lin Fan, who had the strongest Aura and posed the greatest threat among them, with a terrifying momentum that crushed everything!

“My Lord, be careful!”

“Big Brother!”

Wulu, Big Fool, and the others were terrified and devastated, roaring as they tried to rush forward to help, but they were already completely exhausted and struggling even to stand up; they could only watch helplessly as the death beast got closer and closer to Lin Fan.

And at this critical moment, a burst of greedy and evil laughter suddenly sounded from the entrance on the other side of the basin: “Jie jie jie jie... What a magnificent beast! If I could drain its essence blood... I'm afraid it would allow me to break through directly to the sixth tier, right?!”

Immediately after, dozens of disheveled figures rushed out from the dense forest. Leading them was none other than Ji Xuan, whose face was livid and who was covered in blood.

It turned out that they had also been scattered by that terrifying beast horde and had almost been wiped out, only to accidentally stumble into this Beast King's Forbidden Ground.

“Lin Fan?!” Ji Xuan was stunned for a moment when he saw Lin Fan and his group, who were in just as sorry a state in the basin, and then his handsome face revealed an endless, hateful, and gloating, hideous smile.

“Hahahaha! Heaven is truly helping me! Lin Fan! Didn't expect this, did you?! You damn loach, you fled to the ends of the earth, but in the end, you will still die before this Prince!”

He didn't take the Nine-Nether Demon Spider currently attacking Lin Fan seriously at all. In his view, Lin Fan was a dead man! After this beast killed Lin Fan, he would gather all his men, and they could wear it down to death!

He had even begun to calculate how to deal with Lin Fan's corpse to vent his hatred.

Thus, an extremely absurd and deadly scene was formed.

At one end of the basin was the unfathomably powerful sixth-tier Beast King, launching a fatal attack on Lin Fan. At the other end of the basin was Ji Xuan's main force, which had been scattered by the beast horde but still retained some combat power, watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, ready to reap the benefits.

And Lin Fan's team was miserably sandwiched right in the middle of these two deadly forces.

A real three-way death game of chess had officially begun at this moment!

Facing the Nine-Nether Demon Spider that was crushing over like a black mountain, there was no despair in Lin Fan's eyes. Instead, beneath that extreme calmness, an unprecedented, brilliant divine light erupted.

An opportunity; this was the only opportunity he had been waiting for, a chance to survive after being placed in a desperate situation!

He looked at the Demon Spider that had only him in its eyes, then glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ji Xuan, who was gloating not far away, and a crazy and bold plan instantly took shape in his mind.

He did not retreat; instead, he bit his tongue hard, forcibly squeezing out the last trace of Qi and blood in his body.

“Phantom Steps Without a Trace!”

His figure left a lifelike afterimage in place, while his real body, like a wisp of blue smoke, used a strange movement technique that completely defied inertia, grazing the edge of the Demon Spider's massive body and narrowly dodging the fatal collision.

“Roar?!” The Nine-Nether Demon Spider missed its strike, and a trace of surprise and brutality flashed in its nine compound eyes.

It suddenly stopped, and its eight legs, like the most flexible arms, brought up streaks of black death afterimages, crazily piercing and sweeping toward Lin Fan. For a moment, the entire basin was filled with the hair-raising, air-tearing “hissing” sounds.

Lin Fan pushed his movement technique to the limit. He was like a small boat in a stormy sea, narrowly dodging and maneuvering again and again amidst the tempestuous attacks.

He did not fight back; he was just running.

He was using himself as bait, leading this sixth-tier Beast King by the nose, slowly moving at a steady pace toward a specific direction, and that direction was exactly where Ji Xuan and his remaining soldiers were located.

“What is he doing?!”

“This madman! Is he looking for death?! He actually wants to lure that monster over to our side!”

The aristocratic disciples under Ji Xuan quickly discovered Lin Fan's intention, and one by one, they turned pale with fright and screamed in horror.

The gloating on Ji Xuan's face instantly froze, replaced by endless shock, anger, and disbelief.

“Stop him! Quick! Stop that bastard for this Prince!” Ji Xuan roared in exasperation.

The dozen or so remaining loyal death soldiers beside him immediately understood. Suppressing their fear of the Beast King, they actually raised the weapons in their hands and launched an intercepting attack toward Lin Fan, who was “fleeing”!

“Mystic Ice Arrow!”

“Blazing Fire Saber!”

A barrage of long-range attacks covered Lin Fan's back like dense raindrops. They had actually chosen to “join forces” with that terrifying sixth-tier Beast King to pincer-attack Lin Fan.

“Well come!”

Lin Fan was waiting for exactly this moment!

A brilliant light flashed in his eyes. The footwork under his feet changed again. It was no longer a simple dodge, but seemed to have undergone the most precise calculations. Every time, at the very instant an attack was about to strike his body, he would sidestep with a subtle movement that was nothing short of perfection, avoiding his vital points.

And so, a scene that made Ji Xuan and his group's eyes split with rage occurred!

More than half of the ranged attacks that were supposed to hit Lin Fan missed because of his miraculous dodging, and instead slammed solidly into the Nine-Nether Demon Spider that was frantically chasing him behind him!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Frost shattered, and flames flew everywhere!

Although these attacks were like a mere tickle to the thick-skinned Tier 6 Beast King and could not cause any substantial damage, this behavior was a most naked provocation to the dignity of a king!

"Roar——!!!!"

The Nine-Nether Demon Spider was completely enraged!

Its nine dark green compound eyes were instantly stained with a layer of blood-colored light, and its Divine Thought roar exploded in the minds of everyone in the basin!

"Damned... ants... you... all must die!!!"

It gave up on Lin Fan, that slippery little "snack," and shifted its target to the group of larger and even more "delicious" food that had dared to take the initiative to attack it!

It suddenly roared at the sky, and a dark green energy filled with a destructive Aura was rapidly condensing within its hideous giant mouth. It was exactly its innate Divine Ability—[Nine-Nether Annihilation Poison Flame]!

"Not good! It's going to spew Poison Flame! Scatter! Quickly scatter!" Ji Xuan let out a scream that had become distorted with terror, but it was already too late.

"Puff——!!!"

A dark green, highly toxic flame as thick as a water dragon descended like divine punishment, sweeping towards Ji Xuan and his dozen or so deathsworn who were already scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, with an irresistible posture.

Wherever the Poison Flame passed, even the air was ignited, emitting a "sizzling" sound, and the space itself appeared visibly distorted.

"No——!!!"

Amidst desperate screams, those dozen or so loyal deathsworn didn't even have a chance to escape, instantly turning into ashes within the terrifying Poison Flame, leaving not even a trace of bone behind.

Only Ji Xuan, at the most critical moment, activated a one-time life-saving jade pendant given to him by his father, Prince Ying. With a "bang," a layer of golden light shield flashed and disappeared on his body, blocking the lethal Poison Flame for him. However, the huge impact still blew him away, and he fell heavily to the ground like a dead dog, vomiting a large mouthful of blood on the spot, his face pale as paper, and he completely lost his combat capability.

With just one strike, Ji Xuan's forces were wiped out!

Meanwhile, Lin Fan had long since taken this opportunity to lead his brothers to silently retreat to a hidden corner of the basin filled with craggy rocks, using the terrain to perfectly hide their figures.

He had successfully used the Beast King's attack to eliminate Ji Xuan's viable forces without shedding a drop of blood.

"Gulu... Gulu..."

After spewing that mouthful of innate Poison Flame, the Nine-Nether Demon Spider's Aura also showed a momentary, imperceptible wither. But soon, its nine compound eyes coldly swept towards the last few living creatures in the basin again; it was not yet full!

Lin Fan knew that the real final battle was only just beginning now.

He looked at the Beast King in the distance, which, although greatly exhausted, was still exuding a terrifying pressure, and then looked at the group of brothers beside him who were already at the end of their rope and covered in wounds, his eyes becoming incomparably solemn.

A head-on clash was still a dead end; he could only win by wit!

He gave a look to Limitless Sword, the only one beside him who still maintained considerable combat power, and Limitless Sword understood.

"It just finished spewing its innate Poison Flame, and this is its weakest and most defenseless moment, but this time will not exceed thirty breaths!" Lin Fan's voice was extremely low, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears. "In a moment, I will once again detonate the remaining medicinal power of the 'boiling blood powder' and enter the 'pseudo-Tier 5' state, launching a head-on assault against it regardless of everything to create an opportunity for you!"

"Big Fool! Wulu! Your target is not its body, but its walking legs! I want you to use your last bit of strength to disable at least four of its legs for me, turning it into an immobile target!"

"Gong Qianxue! Your target is its compound eyes! Use your strongest armor-piercing arrow and shoot it blind for me!"

"Brother Limitless Sword!" Lin Fan finally looked at Limitless Sword, his eyes burning with crazy Battle Intent, filled with absolute trust. "I will force out its most fatal weakness, the only lifeline beneath its hard shell—the location of its 'Soul Crystal'! I can only hold on for... three breaths! Within three breaths, I need you to pierce it with your strongest sword strike! Can you do it?!"

Limitless Sword looked at the man before him who could still set up such an exquisite killing trap in a desperate situation, and for the first time, a heartfelt, heroic, and gratifying smile appeared on that face which had been frozen for ten thousand years.

"Three breaths? ... That is enough!"

"Kill!"

There was no more useless chatter! Lin Fan let out an earth-shattering roar and once again forcibly detonated the remaining medicinal power in his body.

With a bang, a blood-colored Aura, more violent and unstable than at any time before, swept out from his body. His eyes instantly turned blood-red, filled with the madness to destroy everything!

He had once again entered that life-burning "pseudo-Tier 5" state!

"Beast! Pay with your life!!!"

His entire body turned into a blood-colored stream of light, proactively and fearlessly charging towards that Tier 6 Beast King, which was like a god or demon.

And Limitless Sword also moved at this moment. He seemed to have completely merged with the long sword in his hand, transforming into a pure Sword Intent that was formless and traceless, yet sharp to the extreme.

A final battle of a Mortal defying a god or demon had thus erupted!

Lin Fan had gone completely crazy! He abandoned all defense and technique, leaving only the most primitive, most violent style of exchanging injury for injury, life for life!

The three-pointed, double-edged blade in his hand brought forth waves of blood-colored blade light capable of splitting mountains and breaking peaks, crazily hacking and slashing at the Nine-Nether Demon Spider's massive body!

Puchi! Puchi!

Huge chunks of black carapace were forcibly hacked away by him, and dark green, foul-smelling blood gushed out like a fountain!

And he himself paid a heavy price, his body being pierced again and again by the Demon Spider's spear-like legs. Yet, he seemed to feel not a hint of pain, only more crazily stabbing the war blade in his hand deeper into the Demon Spider's body!

"Right now!" Lin Fan let out a shrill roar and, using his last bit of strength, actually used his own body to firmly wedge himself between the Demon Spider's two front legs!

"Do it!" Big Fool and Wulu, who had long been prepared, let out beast-like roars and attacked simultaneously from the left and right! They poured their life's strength into this final blow, smashing fiercely onto the Nine-Nether Demon Spider's fragile joints!

Crack! Crack!

Accompanying two crisp sounds of bone breaking, the two walking legs supporting the Demon Spider's massive body were actually broken off!

At the same time, Gong Qianxue's final arrow, which condensed all her spirit and strength, also silently cut through the sky like a black meteor, and with a "puff," accurately shot and exploded the very center one of the Nine-Nether Demon Spider's nine compound eyes!

"Roar——!!!!" The intense pain made the Nine-Nether Demon Spider let out an unprecedented roar of agony, and it was precisely because of this intense pain that it subconsciously raised its head high, thereby completely exposing its soft abdomen, which had always been firmly protected by its thick shell and was its only lifeline—the location of its "Soul Crystal"—to the air!

Right now! A brilliant sword rainbow, as if it had been waiting for a thousand years, soared into the sky at this moment!

Limitless Sword merged with his sword, infusing all of his essence, Qi, and spirit into this strongest and purest sword strike!

This sword strike seemed capable of cutting through even time and space! This sword strike was his Dao, and also his everything!

"Break!!!" The sword rainbow flashed and passed through the Demon Spider's soft abdomen.

Time seemed to fall into eternal stillness at this moment. The Nine-Nether Demon Spider's massive body suddenly stiffened, its nine compound eyes filled with disbelief and endless fear. It slowly lowered its head, looking at the tiny, piercing blood hole in its abdomen.

The Tier 6 Beast King, the Nine-Nether Demon Spider, had fallen!

When the Nine-Nether Demon Spider's massive body, like a black mountain, collapsed with a boom, splashing up a sky full of nauseating, foul-smelling flesh and charred dust, the entire core basin of the Ten Thousand Beast Garden fell into a deathly silence that was eerie to the extreme.

The exhaustion and collapse after surviving a disaster, like an invisible tide, instantly submerged everyone in Lin Fan's team.

"Thump!" Big Fool's burly, iron tower-like body was the first to give out. The terrifying wound on his chest that had been blasted by the Vajra Giant Ape completely burst open, blood gushing wildly. His whole body, as if all his bones had been extracted, fell straight backward, smashing a shallow pit into the hard ground.

Wulu and Yue Changkong also knelt on one knee at almost the same time, their weapons heavily propped on the ground, only then barely managing not to collapse.

Their bodies were likewise covered in crisscrossing wounds, their faces pale as paper, gasping violently, every breath pulling at the intense pain throughout their bodies.

Even Xu Changqing and Gong Qianxue, who had been lingering on the edge of the battlefield and appeared unscathed, felt waves of dizziness and were swaying, due to the high mental tension and several times they had forcibly exerted their Internal Energy to provide long-range support.

"Brother... Brother Gao..." Xu Changqing leaned against a craggy rock, looking at the man standing in front of the Spider King's corpse, whose figure was still as upright as a spear, but whose back revealed an indescribable desolation and exhaustion, his voice filled with undisguised worry.