“RRY, I didn’t mean to come here; I was being chased and ended up here by accident. Please don’t take offense, brother…” Ye Jingyu spoke without hesitation…

No joke, with his current acuity, anyone who could appear silently before him was no ordinary person. More importantly, this was clearly the other party’s territory. As a guest, at least the basic courtesies should be observed…

But the hall was eerily quiet; there was no explosion of anger or surprise as expected. Ye Jingyu looked up and saw the figure still seated on the stone bed, not having moved an inch…

“Brother…” Ye Jingyu called out softly again, finding that the figure still gave no reaction. Looking closely, he saw the person’s face was aged and withered, like an ancient corpse, eyes tightly shut, utterly motionless; even his chest wasn’t rising or falling. A closer inspection revealed a thick layer of dust covering the person’s body, indicating he hadn’t moved in ages…

Could he already be dead?

Thinking this, Ye Jingyu cautiously approached the figure, gently extending his right hand to check for breath, then touching the chest, only to find absolutely no sign of life…

“Apologies, Senior. This junior meant no offense…” Even knowing the person was deceased, Ye Jingyu maintained a respectful demeanor. Just as he was about to offer an apology, a strange sound drifted over, startling him again. Turning, he spotted a massive opening in front of him, from which the noise originated…

An indescribable pressure emanated from the cave entrance. Ye Jingyu tensed his body, scanning his surroundings. He spotted a rusty, broken blade discarded in a corner—the only usable weapon in the entire room. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and picked up the ruined blade. At that moment, a colossal shadow began crawling out of the pitch-black opening…

Seeing the true face of the giant body, even Ye Jingyu, who was accustomed to bizarre sights, involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath of cold air…

It was a gigantic spider, standing easily over four zhang tall, even slightly taller than the White Ape Spider Emperor. Its eight legs, like blades of steel, were covered in extremely sharp barbs. Ye Jingyu had no doubt that a casual strike from one of those legs could finish him off, even if he were as resilient as an immortal cockroach…

He gripped the broken blade tightly… Well, describing it as a blade was generous; it was more like a shard of scrap iron. Only the part he held resembled a legendary hilt; nothing else looked like a knife. Rust completely obscured the entire blade surface…

Ye Jingyu didn't expect this piece of metal to be of any use, but having something in his hand at this moment was better than nothing…

With his entire focus locked onto the great spider before him, Ye Jingyu’s mind was in turmoil…

Damn it, why is this young master so unlucky? He had just escaped the clutches of that villain Qin Yan, thinking that surviving a great disaster meant good fortune lay ahead, only to run into this creature now?

Is Heaven truly jealous of my handsomeness?

While Ye Jingyu was cursing the heavens internally, the giant spider seemed to lose its patience. All eight legs moved simultaneously, and its massive body lunged toward Ye Jingyu, instantly covering the distance. The foremost pair of legs lifted high, poised to strike down at Ye Jingyu…

Seeing the claws sharper than any treasured blade, Ye Jingyu didn't even think; he rolled aside, evading the spider’s terrifying attack. But the spider reacted with extreme speed; the other pair of claws immediately slashed across, forcing Ye Jingyu to continue dodging laterally…

Though his movements were agile, the spider’s speed was not slow, and with eight legs at its disposal, no matter how Ye Jingyu tried to evade, he could barely escape the range of the spider’s assault…

Furthermore, every time Ye Jingyu attempted to flee at full speed, the giant spider’s maw would open, launching a silken thread as thick as a rope that immediately blocked his path…

Gradually, although Ye Jingyu had yet to sustain a scratch, he was alarmed to find the available space for evasion shrinking constantly. The spider threads, as thick as a thumb, were weaving a complete encirclement. Judging by their immense tensile strength and the viscous material coating them, Ye Jingyu was certain that once enveloped by this webbing, he would have absolutely no chance of breaking free…

The realization that this giant spider could have killed him instantly but chose instead to toy with him ignited a furious rage in Ye Jingyu’s heart. Unbearable!

When has this young master ever been played with like this? And by a mere spider, no less…

Consumed by explosive anger, Ye Jingyu disregarded everything else. He stomped down hard, propelling his body upward, landing directly atop the giant spider’s head. He raised the broken blade high with both hands and brought it down with all his might toward the spider’s skull…

He didn’t expect this dilapidated piece of iron to harm the seemingly solid scales covering the spider’s head, but at least it could vent the suffocating resentment in his chest…

CRACK! A deafening sound echoed. As anticipated, the broken piece of iron failed to cleave through the scales on the spider’s head in a single strike. However, acting like a solid iron rod, it smashed those scales into powder. Immediately, the spider emitted a strange wuwawa sound from its mouth, seemingly agitated by some immense stimulus, its gigantic body thrashing uncontrollably…

Ye Jingyu seized the opportunity without hesitation. He raised the iron piece with both hands and smashed it viciously into the spot where the scales had shattered…

Never mind how sharp the blade was; with Ye Jingyu’s strength capable of lifting a thousand catties, even an iron pillar could pierce the spider’s flesh, especially since its scales proved so vulnerable, shattered instantly by Ye Jingyu’s blow…

As Ye Jingyu predicted, the piece of scrap iron plunged deep into the giant spider’s flesh as if it were a treasured sword. A jet of blue blood spurted out. Ye Jingyu was lucky to have dodged in time, avoiding the corrosive fluid. After several leaps backward, putting substantial distance between himself and the spider, Ye Jingyu watched as the giant spider thrashed desperately, as if the blow hadn't merely pierced its body but had torn it to shreds…

Ye Jingyu stared, bewildered, at the convulsing creature. Although the strike had been heavy, the size of the blade relative to the spider’s enormous body should have been like being stabbed by a pencil sharpener—it shouldn't have been a vital spot. Why did the injury appear so severe?

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Ye Jingyu vaguely sensed the spider’s body slowly shrinking. Apart from the initial spurt of blue blood, not another drop leaked out before it ceased twitching entirely…