Chapter 260 Encirclement by Two Networks

The aerial power of the Wind God Wings was ultimately limited; the Bat King seized the opportunity to flap its wings, gaining altitude and vanishing once more into the darkness.

Chen Mu landed lightly on the ground. His expression remained calm, yet his gaze grew increasingly solemn.

The Bat King's flight speed was indeed faster than he had anticipated. Especially in the dark, it held an absolute home-field advantage; he couldn't kill it alone, even if he could catch up.

After a moment of thought, Chen Mu looked toward Liu Quan.

"Brother Liu, can we use the crimson flame demon-binding nets?"

Liu Quan was taken aback, but then his eyes lit up.

"You mean... use the nets to intercept it?"

"It's too fast for us to chase, so we'll leave it with nowhere to hide."

"Form groups of two and use the nets for interception."

Chen Mu quickly assigned tasks, and everyone voiced their agreement. In the dim cavern, the group rapidly split into two teams.

Liu Quan moved nimbly, setting his large wooden chest on the ground. In a few quick motions, he pulled out the only two remaining crimson flame demon-binding nets.

The nets were a dark red color and felt slightly heavy in hand. It was unclear what material they were woven from, but having been soaked in sulfur and saltpeter, they emitted a faint, pungent odor.

Liu Quan handed one side of a net to Shen Suning and whispered quickly.

"Miss Shen, we're a team. Wait for Brother Chen's signal, then spread the net and scoop upward."

Shen Suning took the net and nodded.

The other net was taken by Ling Xiaoning, and Zhao Mo silently gripped the other side. The two exchanged a glance without speaking, but their hands holding the net were exceptionally steady.

Chen Mu's gaze swept over the group as he said in a deep voice,

"Brother Feng, Brother Wan, you two provide support from below. Use your bow and hook-sickle spear to force it toward the nets. Under no circumstances should you let it dive and injure anyone."

Feng Qing nodded slightly, an arrow already notched on his bowstring with the tip angled upward. Wan Chongshan gripped his hook-sickle spear tightly, its tip glinting with a cold light.

Everyone nodded and dispersed to their positions.

Above the cavern ceiling, the Bat King's circling speed slowed down. It seemed to have sensed the unusual movements of the people below, but it did not flee. Instead, it hovered where the darkness was thickest, peering down from its high vantage point.

Chen Mu stood where he was, his soul-slaying blade pointing diagonally toward the ground as the Wind and Rain Induction Mantra quietly circulated.

It's there, directly above, thirty feet to the east, hovering motionless.

It was waiting—waiting for someone to show a weakness.

Chen Mu didn't move, nor did he look up. He simply waited in silence. Within the cave, there was a deathly stillness, broken only by the sound of light breathing.

Suddenly, the Bat King moved.

It folded its wings and dropped straight down like a stone at an incredible speed. Its target was Ling Xiaoning, who held a fluorescent pearl and was positioned furthest on the outer edge.

Ling Xiaoning felt a foul wind pressing down from above. Before he could react, the black shadow was already within arm's reach.

"Xiao Ning!"

Shen Suning cried out, her soft whip snapping out as the tip lashed toward the shadow.

But the Bat King was too fast. The whip merely grazed its wing membrane, failing to stop its momentum.

At the critical moment, a blade light flashed out.

Chen Mu had already predicted it would attack in this direction. The Wind and Rain Induction Mantra captured the change in airflow the moment it plummeted. Activating the Divine Void Step, he shifted thirty feet laterally, his soul-slaying blade slashing upward toward the Bat King's chest and abdomen.

This strike was both fast and ruthless. If the Bat King didn't change direction, it might bite Ling Xiaoning, but it would certainly be disemboweled in the process.

Ultimately, it valued its own life.

It flapped its wings violently, and its diving momentum suddenly veered. It narrowly avoided the sharpest part of the blade, grazing the top of Ling Xiaoning's head. The resulting foul wind left his hair in disarray.

"Do it!"

Chen Mu shouted sharply.

Shen Suning and Liu Quan had been ready and waiting. The moment the Bat King turned, they snapped the crimson flame demon-binding net open, casting it toward the creature.

A flash of alarm and rage crossed the Bat King's eyes. It beat its wings frantically, trying to fly higher to escape, but having just turned, it couldn't fully evade the net.

The edge of the net grazed its left wing membrane. Though it didn't capture the beast, it forced it to dodge in the opposite direction.

And that direction was exactly where Ling Xiaoning and Zhao Mo were stationed.

"It's coming!"

Ling Xiaoning's palms were soaked with sweat from nerves, but his hands were quick. Together with Zhao Mo, he shook out the other net, casting it toward the oncoming Bat King.

Seeing another net approaching, the Bat King let out a shrill screech. Its body twisted unnaturally in mid-air, allowing it to squeeze through the gap between the two nets.

"Damn it, how can it be so fast!"

Liu Quan couldn't help but curse.

The group's attack missed, and the Bat King had already ascended several yards, vanishing into the darkness once more.

The veins on Wan Chongshan's hand bulged as he gripped his hook-sickle spear, staring fixedly into the darkness. He wished he could rush up and fight it to the death, but he could only fret helplessly from below.

Feng Qing remained expressionless, but his iron bow was drawn taut. His arrow followed the erratic sound of flapping wings above.

Chen Mu remained standing where he was.

The Bat King's flight speed was unnervingly fast. One or two people couldn't catch it, and the net interception was a beat too slow. They needed tighter coordination.

He tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice.

"Miss Shen, Brother Liu, you guard the east side. Xiao Ning and Brother Zhao, guard the west side. Don't wait for it to pounce before acting. Listen for my command and throw the net two breaths early."

"Brother Wan, Brother Feng, when it's forced into a corner, use your arrows and spear to block its retreat."

Everyone nodded. Chen Mu closed his eyes and waited quietly, listening as it circled rapidly against the cave ceiling. Its speed increased, creating a turbulent airflow that made the entire cavern howl with wind.

It was gathering momentum, preparing for a fatal strike.

Chen Mu suddenly opened his eyes.

"East side!"

Shen Suning and Liu Quan did not hesitate. They snapped the crimson flame demon-binding net open, casting it toward a patch of darkness.

The moment the net unfurled, the black shadow rushed exactly into that position.

The Bat King clearly hadn't expected them to predict its trajectory so accurately. Startled and enraged, it tried to halt its momentum, but it was going too fast to stop and slammed headfirst toward the net.

Just as it was about to be caught, it made an eerie twist, grazing past the edge of the net.

"West side!"

Chen Mu's sharp command rang out immediately after.

Ling Xiaoning and Zhao Mo unfurled the other net, casting it toward the creature.

The Bat King had just dodged the eastern net and its momentum was spent. It couldn't turn again in time. Seeing it was about to crash into the net, it actually folded its wings and let its body drop straight down.

This was its only choice. Crashing into the net meant certain death. While falling was dangerous, with its speed, as long as it could flap its wings again before hitting the ground, it could escape.

But it hadn't expected people to be waiting below.

Feng Qing's arrow had long been aimed at its downward trajectory. The moment it fell, a fire arrow shot through the air, heading straight for its chest and abdomen.

The Bat King twisted its body mid-air, narrowly avoiding the arrowhead. But in the next second, Wan Chongshan's hook-sickle spear arrived.

The spear point pierced toward its back. Although it missed its vitals, it sliced another wound into its wing membrane, causing the already damaged wing to tear completely.

The Bat King could no longer maintain a stable flight posture and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Surround it!"

Chen Mu shouted, and the group immediately rushed forward, surrounding the Bat King.