He had made up his mind.
The Phoenix Girl was too far beyond his reach.
However, Brother Wei was different and he was standing right in front of him.
From now on, he aimed to be just like Brother Wei.
The young man's mind changed quickly, and his eyes were gleaming with admiration.
Helian Wei Wei witnessed all of it, suddenly feeling an immense pressure upon her shoulders.
Actually, if Zhuge Yun had not expressed his wishes, she would have ignored Ni Feng.
Her aim in the royal tomb was simple. She must find the Sharira, and remove the demonic traits from the baby.
However, some people were simply too asinine.
She could tolerate the imitation and fakery, but she was doing it so shamelessly.
Helian Wei Wei laughed mockingly, her cold gaze looking at how the exorcists were criticizing the Ni Family.
As someone who was by the Phoenix Girl before, Old Li could not bear to see this commotion any longer. He hunched his body as he stood up and said, "There has to be some misunderstanding here, Little Brother Wei. I know the Phoenix Girl very well. If she had not sent the message through my dreams back then, the entire village and I would have perished a long time ago. Someone with so kindhearted would never steal credit from someone else's work…"
Seeing that Old Li was on their side, Ni Hu hurriedly followed up, "Old Li is right, there has to be some sort of misunderstanding! Brother Wei, you have been besmirching my elder sister this whole time. You even laid traps for her to fall in! Yet, you haven't told us about this creature that you kept mentioning. I, for one, have never of any being that is capable of dragging people away while staying hidden! I bet you don't even know what it is yourself. That's why you keep getting everyone fixated on the gate selection, so that they won't be able to concentrate their minds. You're scared that they will question you again if they do!"
Ni Hu's guessed that because she heard Helian Wei Wei saying that she had not figured out the answer yet.
Since she had not figured it out then, it should still be the same now. After all, only two hours had passed.
Ni Hu continued, "How fortunate, if it weren't for Old Li's words, I would've become your scapegoat. It's merely some worthless things on the bodies, and not some kind of treasures. Stop exaggerating by saying that it's something stronger than the strings used by humans. Then, you spout nonsense about how it can catch prey instantly and bind them tightly? Pfft, does it even exist? Why haven't I heard of them before this then?"
Ni Hu laughed mockingly and turned his face away.
Helian Wei Wei's calm voice interrupted his loud ramble as she said, "With your intelligence, I'd be surprised if you have."
"You!" Ni Hu's veins were popping out on his forehead, as his fingers rolled into an iron fist.
Helian Wei Wei strode toward Ni Hu, her eyes colder than ever, saying, "The Ni Family wronged us in the first place. Your elder sister shamelessly committed a theft, taking someone else's ideas as hers. This isn't a matter of who's scapegoating who. Secondly, just because you've never heard about something, doesn't mean that everyone is as ignorant as you!"
"Tsk, spouting these meaningless words again. Don't think that you can attack the Ni Family like this and…"
"Spider silk." Without waiting for Ni Hu to finish, Helian Wei Wei interrupted him casually, "No matter how dense you are, I believe even you should know the characteristics of spider silk. It's sticky and resilient, so once a prey falls in, they would be trapped. Even if there are no visible web markings, the bodies showed signs of web silk. How is that unremarkable to you, Master Ni?"
"I…" Ni Hu looked as if he was punched in the face. He never thought that Helian Wei Wei could actually find a type of strand just as he described!
Spider silk?
He was humiliated in public for something so mundane.
Helian Wei Wei stared at him mockingly and continued, "If the perpetrator was a spider, it could hide behind the Eastern Gate. It just needed to spit out some strands to bind the two corpses and quickly drag them away, without anyone noticing."
Hearing Helian Wei Wei's words, Ni Hu felt all his strength leaving his body.
He felt a fear unlike any before. How could this person before him be so intelligent? It was almost like no one could ever escape his mind.
It's too terrifying!
Not only Ni Hu, but even Ni Biao started to doubt his judgment on this person simply because he lacked spiritual aura. This person was no outsider. In fact, he was an expert and was skillful enough to be a threat to the Ni Family!
Ni Biao cast his gaze downward, as if something was rumbling in his eyes. Nobody noticed the dark aura rolling within.
Somewhere hidden in the royal tomb, a dark shadow loomed over its reflection, watching everything unveiling upon it. Smiling sinisterly, it muttered, "I never thought that someone could find out it was me! Even so, these people will be doomed! The leader already had a mishap, they surely won't end well. Just quickly kill each other already!"
Only then, he would have the chance to savor the unforgettable taste of fresh, tender fetuses…
Chapter 772 - Facing A Difficult Problem
Old Li turned around and looked at Helian Wei Wei.
Then, a gush of sincere admiration swept over him.
If he respected Ni Feng because she was the reincarnation of the Phoenix Girl, his respect towards Little Brother Wei would be for the constant unexpected display of his talents.
Everybody had seen spider silk before. Thinking back, who would have thought to connect that and the current situation together?
Even if they did see a silver strand, it was still unclear what it might have been. Only Little Brother Wei would have such an agile mind.
Any exorcist would know that it required wisdom and vast knowledge to figure it out so quickly, not every person was capable of that.
This person is amazing!
If he possessed spiritual aura, Old Li could not imagine how powerful he would be.
In order to protect the Ni Family from being criticized further, Ni Biao had to speak up, "Now that we know what happened to the bodies in front of us, should we move forward and try to reach the main coffin as soon as possible?"
Now that things had come to this, he must think of a way to protect the Ni Family's name, as he could not allow it to be disgraced by anyone again.
Now was their chance. They would lead the journey and move forward by going below the bodies.
Ni Biao realized it would be the perfect chance to go through, since the spider that made the web was not there.
Even if anything happened, they would merely send two scouts ahead to discover the dangers ahead.
Then, Ni Biao looked behind and saw that the Ni Family did not lack people.
He had raised all these disciples from young, so now would be the perfect time to prove their worth.
"Qing Shan, Qing Shui. Both of you shall go first," Ni Biao ordered the two people behind him.
They were disciples of the Ni Family, who were very talented and possessed exceptional spiritual aura. They had always looked down on the exorcists from other families. When they heard Ni Biao's words, they lifted their chins and replied, "Yes, Master!"
The two looked at each other. Then, one of them took a yellow rune while the other unsheathed his Mahagony Sword, gallantly preparing to move forward.
The exorcists looked at Ni Family in a different light, as they regarded them as villains, but Ni Biao's actions had moved their hearts.
No one would want to take the lead in this type of situation. Ni Biao's orders made them felt as if they have misunderstood Ni Feng.
After Ni Biao gave the orders, Ni Feng coughed and gently said to them, "Be careful." This scene made the exorcists feel bad even more.
Her soft delicate voice beautifully matched with her gentle and calming nature.
Honestly, her frail appearance made them want to protect her.
Helian Wei Wei merely watched silently with a smirk.
Compared to Ni Hu, Ni Biao and Ni Feng were much harder to deal with.
This duo of father and daughter understood human compassion too well, and knew exactly when to act the part to dispel any suspicions.
Sending their people now was undeniably dangerous.
The other exorcists saw Ni Biao being considerate to others, but they failed to notice that Ni Biao was reluctant to go himself and merely dispatched his disciples.
The disciples were not genuine bloodlines of the Ni family They were simply gifted children that he picked up from various places and trained to be exorcists. Even if they were given the Ni family's name, they were merely used as pawns.
If Ni Biao truly treated them as his own, he would not be so callous, sending them away without any hesitation.
It was clear as day that Ni Biao would not send Ni Hu to do anything dangerous, since he was Ni Biao's biological son. The others, however, were merely his disciples...
Helian Wei Wei despised Ni Biao's behavior. As she was the Mercenary Queen, she had plenty of men under herself as well.
She would never send her people to the vicious frontlines in her stead.
His Highness had evidently seen through her thoughts too.
Standing behind Helian Wei Wei, his long legs were partially bent as he leaned against a stone wall, with his arms crossed in front of his c.h.e.s.t. He smiled sinisterly, as his eyes were filled with scorn.
Humans, they always use underhanded tricks.
As a devil, he enjoyed seeing the strife among humans.
"Heh."
It seemed to be an inappropriate time for Baili Jia Jue to laugh.
Helian Wei Wei glanced at him, knowing that he had a twisted mind, and asked, "You seem happy?"
"Adequately so," The smile that Baili Jia Jue tried to mask was obvious. His rich elegant voice rang melodiously as he warned her, "Keep your distance, I don't want blood splashing on you."
Helian Wei Wei rolled her eyes.
Is that the important thing?
Hold up.
Did His Highness say, blood?
Helian Wei Wei knew that Baili Jia Jue would not say something without acting on it. Thus, she lifted her head and looked at the front.
Something was not right.
Even if the guarding magical being was not around, outsiders should not be able to enter so easily!
As the thought flashed through Helian Wei Wei's mind, Qing Shan and Qing Shui who just entered the cave looked as if they have tripped over something.
Then!
Their smug expressions twisted into fear as strands of silver cut into their throats!
Fresh blood poured out of the two like fountains, painting the entire place red.
Qing Shan was lucky, as he was still barely alive.
Qing Shui was unfortunate, as he could not even attach the yellow rune before being brutally murdered. With a violent tug, his body was hung dangling on the hall's ceiling.
Everything happened in a blink of an eye. By the time everyone could react, they only saw flashes of silver strands wrapping around Qing Shui's body in a complicated pattern. However, the strands retreated very swiftly. Once they have bound their prey, they instantly became invisible. Unless they were illuminated with a torch, it was impossible to see them.
Standing in the middle, Qing Shan swung his Mahagony Sword like a madman but to no avail.
The silver strands were too sticky, so swords could not cut through them.
"M-Master… Save, save me!" Qing Shan's fingers were outstretched, scrambling to try and crawl over. Even as death loomed over him, he still whole-heartedly believed that his master would come to his rescue.
Ni Biao stepped forward, but merely as an act. To bystanders, he looked like he really meant to save Qing Shan.
Chapter 773 - Wei Wei And His Janus-faced Highness
Qing Shan was hopeless because the more one struggled in the spider web, the tighter it would bind.
The overwhelming stench of blood filled the mausoleum.
Qing Shan and Qing Shui's bloodied bodies dangled above like the other corpses, in a creepily awkward manner. The arch on their face were no smiles, but simply an illusion made by the spider webs.
The younger exorcists threw up upon setting their eyes on this sickening scene.
Even Old Li's face had turned as white as sheets.
After witnessing this dreadful sight, nobody dared to make any careless moves. However, their trembling eyes gave away their shock and fear.
This royal tomb had too many uncontrollable variables.
As the old saying goes, they would not be frightened if they were to encounter demons or ghouls.
However, they were like sitting ducks in this terrifyingly treacherous royal tomb and no one could predict what would happen next.
"What do we do now?"
The road ahead was clearly sealed.
After looking at Qing Shan and Qing Shui's bodies, they finally understood the reason behind the mountains of corpses in there.
Most of them were probably tangled by the spider webs and were hung from the ceiling when they were passing through here. Over 40 corpses could be seen dangling here.
They must have met the same fate as Qing Shan and Qing Shui, killed by the hidden spider's webs as they journeyed through here.
Furthermore, the next tomb entrance was a room away from them. It would take them over ten steps to reach it, but no one knew what could happen in between.
Some of the exorcists wiped the sweat off their foreheads and exclaimed under their breath, "It's useless, we'll never get to the main coffin. We should escape while everyone is alive!"
"That's right!" Someone agreed and said, "The rules stated that all participants are allowed to resign from the match, so I want to leave too!"
About 10 of the approximately 30 participants firmly intended to leave, some had even lowered their heads to start packing. Since they were not going to win, it would be better to save themselves by retreating now. After all, nobody knew what was waiting for them if they continued their journey.
In a flash, a few strings of spider silk slaughtered two people before their eyes.
Moreover, they had not seen this creature that was lurking in the royal tomb.
The thought of a gigantic spider, hiding in the royal tomb and watching them from the dark, sent chills down their spine.
On the other hand, Helian Wei Wei acted differently. She raised her gaze and calmly interrupted their fantasy, saying, "It's impossible to return."
"Why?" After the incident earlier, the exorcists were starting to value Helian Wei Wei's opinions.
Helian Wei Wei glanced at the corpses that were hanging from the ceiling, before withdrawing her gaze and placidly said, "Spiders would never weave their webs in just one place because they specialized in trapping their prey. Unlike other creatures who eat their prey fresh, they prefer to wait until their prey is incapacitated before showing up. Therefore, they would make plenty of spider webs to tightly bind their prey..."
"I never thought that a human would understand my methods so well." An enormous black figure that was hiding in the dark, narrowed its eyes viciously at its reflection in the mirror. Then, it moved forward on its uncountable legs, taunting, "Looks like I need to be more prepared, so that I can devour the child in her… Just thinking about that appetizing meal makes me hunger for it!"
Plop!
The water ripples was disturbed by its antenna as it whizzed by, with a flash of silver thread trailing behind it. Then, the gigantic shadow concealed itself again, as its lips continued to move busily. Meanwhile, its haunting scarlet eyes could be seen gleaming faintly in the dark.
Meanwhile, in the royal tomb, the exorcists were baffled. Therefore, they questioned her with a frown, "It's not like we haven't heard the nature of spiders before, but what does that have to do with us leaving?"
Helian Wei Wei real
ized that the exorcists could not understand because she was being too subtle. Hence, she decided to explain it plainly, "Are you sure you won't find spider webs on the way back?"
"There weren't any on our way here, no?" The exorcists had yet to grasp the situation.
The corner of Helian Wei Wei's lips twitched as she felt annoyed, "Just because we didn't encounter any on our way here, it doesn't mean that there won't be any on the way back. The spider could have sealed up the entrance while we're here to cut off our escape routes. This is how the spiders trap their prey."
"It's impossible, it can't be!" the exorcists started to shout. Even though they continued to deny it, they actually believed Helian Wei Wei's explanation. Otherwise, they would not have lowered their backpacks again.
After all, exorcists were humans as well. Naturally, they would fear death too.
"If what Brother Wei said is true, then aren't we all... doomed?"
They have seen the power of the spider webs, and all the exits were probably sealed off by the spider. No matter where they run, they could not escape.
"Why would it do such a thing and not kill us immediately!" Some of the exorcists furiously punched the walls. If they faced it directly, they would not lose to a spider.
Helian Wei Wei thought to herself. If you could figure it out, do you think the spider won't think of that?
"This an ancient royal tomb and the spider living here have probably evolved, be it physically or mentally. From what we have seen thus far, this spider is not going to be easy to deal with." Helian Wei Wei's continued casually, "It knows that by blocking off all the exits, we would starve to death in here within seven days. Even if we survive, our water bottles would be empty and we would die of dehydration. Then, it would appear to devour whoever it likes."
All the exorcists shuddered upon hearing her last sentence.
Only Baili Jia Jue's reaction was different, as he laughed softly in his polished and elegant voice. Then, he uttered casually with slight disdain, "Such ungraceful table manners, only foolish beasts like Spider Demons would do such things. What an abomination."
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