Chapter Sixteen: Bloody Battle
The Ghost Eye Demon Spider created a massive physical illusion to conceal itself.
Previously, it had used the same method, conjuring a physical illusion of tree trunks and branches, to hide silently within.
Zhao Liuyun concentrated his mental force and could hear the sound of its legs piercing the rock extremely close by—
It was hiding inside the physical illusion!
The trio's attacks almost shattered the illusion, which began to flicker and waver precariously.
It uses illusions to mislead, creating suitable opportunities to strike... It certainly wouldn't miss the moment Tian Wenlong and the others struck empty, losing their balance.
At this moment, there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to evade.
This shouldn't be the intelligence of a hundred-year Spirit Beast!
Could it be that through physical hunting, it developed an innate fierce fighting Spirit and honed such combat wisdom through countless battles?
The solution is simple.
Just use long-range attack skills to probe its true nature.
The key is that the Long Fang Elephant Mercenary Group lacked this element.
They had it before; Ye Ye's Second Spirit Ability could unleash two fierce wind blades.
The problem is he died, and he was the first to die... Pure energy-type attack skills lack physical support and consume the most spirit power.
Once spirit power is exhausted, that person becomes a burden to the team.
Unless they are a genius destined for a great future, most people making a living tend to favor sustained combat power, keeping their final trump card.
Ghost Eye Demon Spider... "Damn it!"
Thinking of the unjustly deceased Ye Ye, Zhao Liuyun cursed under his breath.
His spreading mental force hadn't detected the target; the Ghost Eye Demon Spider was indeed hidden inside the physical illusion.
He had given the necessary reminders and orders; now, it was up to them to fight.
Zhao Liuyun waited for the next opportunity.
The agility-attack system Spirit Master Zhu Qiaoqiao moved like a streak of light, rushing forward as ordered, intending to cover the openings left by the three assault-type Spirit Masters.
Bai Feng, the Stepping Water Deer Spirit Master, was adjusting his direction.
Fang Rui, the Azure Gale Tiger, was between assault and agility-attack; his speed wasn't as fast as a pure agility-attack type, so he followed behind Zhu Qiaoqiao, preparing for the second wave of offense.
If the first strike failed, he could fill the void.
The Striped Leopard's attack frequency was extremely high, its fierce claw strikes suddenly tearing open the fluctuating physical illusion.
The view suddenly cleared, and the hideous form of the Ghost Eye Demon Spider was exposed to everyone's eyes.
Its blood-red, sharp legs were like deadly spears, suddenly striking Tian Wenlong's earth and rock protective shield.
Piercing a point to break the surface, the earth element shield cracked inch by inch, then violently shattered.
The rock armor inside, which was originally a joke, actually blocked for a moment, at the cost of shattering, allowing Tian Wenlong to escape with Zhu Qiaoqiao's coordinated attack.
Tian Wenlong, still shaken, rolled on the ground, letting his teammates take over the battle.
First, put on armor, then shields, and fight again after replenishing status.
The Ghost Eye Demon Spider could identify the halos on people; those with more halos were more powerful.
If even the strongest were vulnerable, the rest were like ants that could be easily crushed.
"Ha—!"
Its arrogance grew, but the Ghost Eye Demon Spider still picked on the weaker target first.
It ignored Wu Qianming, the golden-armored tank, and instead plunged another sharp foreleg into the chest of Wu Xu, who was charging forward.
Blood splattered, excruciating pain spread from his chest, and the scent of blood stimulated Wu Xu's eyes to turn crimson, his strength wildly surging in anger.
The cost was that his rationality was rapidly devoured by bestiality.
"Gorilla, come back!" Zhao Liuyun shouted sternly, simultaneously activating his Hypnosis Spirit Ability, attempting to soothe Wu Xu's uncontrolled rage with a refreshing floral fragrance.
Unfortunately, it was useless.
The bloodthirsty impulse and fury made Wu Xu lose all caution; he charged forward without hesitation.
"Roar—!"
He let out an earth-shattering roar to the sky.
"Thump!"
At the cost of his chest being pierced and his life abruptly ending, that red-haired fist, imbued with demonic energy in its fury, struck the Ghost Eye Demon Spider's hard carapace like a heavy hammer tearing through the air.
"Hiss—!"
The fine black spines broke off in response, and a thin crack appeared on the carapace. The Ghost Eye Demon Spider cried out in pain and stumbled backward.
There was no time to mourn Wu Xu's death; in a flash of lightning, Zhao Liuyun seized this fleeting opportunity and released his First Spirit Ability again.
And before that, the skill 'Potent Burst' from the 'Hunter' class had already been used.
This was a more potent Dream Creation Spirit Ability after intense mental concentration!
It could prevent the Ghost Eye Demon Spider from being awakened by the pain caused by Wu Xu's attack.
Pain can awaken a person from a dream, but if one is truly exhausted, sleepiness can override the sensation of pain!
"Controlled!" Zhao Liuyun exclaimed, seeing the purple Spirit light accurately hit its mark.
The light in the Ghost Eye Demon Spider's crimson eyes rapidly dimmed, and the legs supporting its body began to go limp.
He could clearly perceive that a dream was forming in the devil spider's mind.
Bai Feng, another agility-attack system Spirit Master, looked excited; he had seized this opportunity.
"First Spirit Ability 'Iron Head'! Second Spirit Ability 'Water Deer Charge'!"
Bai Feng's hands transformed into deer hooves, and he dropped to all fours. A cerulean water deer phantom emerged from behind him and swiftly merged into his body.
His antlers swelled, glowing with dazzling blue light, and he began to accelerate wildly, charging at the Ghost Eye Demon Spider with a fierce impact like a true deer.
Zhao Liuyun once joked that this was a low-grade version of a SpiritAvatar.
But its power was indeed not to be underestimated; even a Spirit Elderwould find it difficult to withstand such a full-body charge.
Even the Ghost Eye Demon Spider would be injured by this immense impact.
Bai Feng had always had a low presence in the Mercenary Group, somewhat timid, and usually not of much use in general battles.
He always felt bad, longing for others' recognition and to prove his worthiness to join the Mercenary Group.
At this moment, he seized the opportunity, vowing to turn the tide of the battle and prove his value!
However, the next second—
"Buzz~!"
The fissure in the center of the Ghost Eye Demon Spider's eight eyes suddenly opened.
The gleaming silver-white pupil within burst forth with a terrifying aura.
The dream collapsed instantly, and the attack was already upon it.
Facing the unavoidable "Antler Charge," the Ghost Eye Demon Spidersuddenly lowered its body, plunging five of its spider legs deep into the ground, leaving only one rear leg to fiercely meet the attack, colliding violently with the furious charge!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
"Hiss—!"
"Boom!"
Piercing shattering sounds intertwined with explosions. At the cost of one spider leg being completely broken, the Ghost Eye Demon Spiderforcefully endured this killing move.
A half-meter-long crack appeared on the carapace of its left abdomen, and dark red blood gushed out.
And Bai Feng's entire body was completely pierced by the leg!
Bai Feng's "Iron Head" ultimately couldn't withstand the Ghost Eye Demon Spider's sharp leg.
The Mercenary Group lost another member.
Wu Xu died in a frenzied battle, and Bai Feng unexpectedly perished.
Everything happened in an instant.
At the cost of two lives, the Ghost Eye Demon Spider was finally severely wounded.
"Brother Feng!"
Zhao Liuyun's heart was restless, but Heart Like Still Water forced him to calm down.
Think, think carefully about how to fight next?
This should be Dragon's Might.
There was no time to ponder where the giant spider got its dragon bloodline; with the Silver Dragon Eyes open, the power of the dream was completely nullified... What else could be utilized?
A purple glow swirled in Zhao Liuyun's eyes; he keenly captured the devil spider's movements amidst the swirling poisonous smoke.
The previously scattered poison powder was taking effect.
Having inhaled too much poisonous smoke, the devil spider's movements were somewhat sluggish!
With the large wound caused by Bai Feng, it was an excellent time to continue poisoning it.
Extreme Reflexes, derived from the Thief class, activated. Seizing the moment the devil spider stiffened, Zhao Liuyun used Controlling Crane Catching Dragon to assist, and a poisoned flying dagger shot out like lightning, accurately embedding itself into the wound on the devil spider's abdomen.
His throwing technique was terrible, incomparable to Tang San's.
But his quick reactions and swift thinking made up for it; as long as the general direction wasn't wrong, Zhao Liuyun could fine-tune the trajectory with Controlling Crane Catching Dragon.
On the other side, Tian Wenlong rapidly reactivated his first two defensive Spirit Abilities, and his Third Spirit Ability, Mountain Shaking Fist, once again gathered power in his fist.
The death of his teammates infuriated him to the extreme; only the death of the devil spider could alleviate this hatred.
As the main combat force of the team, he had to step forward now, without retreating.
"Azure Gale Blade!" Fang Rui's brows furrowed as he unleashed his Second Spirit Ability.
He clasped his hands, forming a half-meter-long cyan blade of light in front of him.
Zhu Qiaoqiao's expression was sorrowful, and she seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack.
First Spirit Ability, Rending Claw: her claws extended, sharp as blades, and possessed a piercing effect.
Second Spirit Ability, Gale Thrust: capable of increasing speed by one hundred percent.
Her figure shot out like a gust of wind, her offensive swift and fierce as lightning.