After the Immortal Disappeared

But he still had to try. "If you let us leave today, I swear I will offer you a blood sacrifice within ten days as thanks!"

"Ten days? Why should I wait ten days?" Second Madam Zhu cackled. "I’ll just drag all one thousand of you and your hundreds of livestock away to be used as fertilizer. Then my little ones will have something to eat this winter!"

"Second Madam Zhu, reconsider," General Nanke said sternly. "Even if I fall here today in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest, Panlong City will come seeking justice later. If you won’t think of yourself, think of your hundreds of thousands of children. Aren’t you afraid their nests will be destroyed and your entire line eradicated?"

"You worthless peasants, no better than ants, dare to act so insolently before me? I was here before Panlong City ever existed, and I’ll still be here after it’s gone!" Second Madam Zhu said coldly. "Your Panlong City only survives because you have the Red General backing you. The Red General, hah! I know exactly what kind of creature *it* is! You fools, taking a wolf for your mother and not even knowing it. Sooner or later, it will squeeze you dry of your very last drop of blood and marrow! Pfft!"

She roared the last word, and the sound made everyone’s heart skip a beat. Immediately after, the ground began to rumble as something came roaring from the other side of the mountain.

General Nanke whipped his head around in alarm, only to see a Water Dragon roaring out of the mountain ravine, its white-crested waves towering twenty to thirty feet high.

It was a flash flood!

The army was camped right in the middle of the River Valley; there was no escape for most of them.

The old Spider Demon had only pretended to parley with General Nanke while secretly casting a mantra to summon the water.

In his desperation, General Nanke glanced at Second Madam Zhu on the small hill, then turned and whispered a few words to the Sparrowhawk on his shoulder, handing it a small bundle.

He’d had an idea ever since Second Madam Zhu first appeared.

The Sparrowhawk snatched the bundle and took to the sky.

Then the Water Dragon arrived, surging ferociously toward the soldiers. The blazing fire wall was extinguished in a single blow!

The Primordial Power coursing through the Panlong City Army could weaken or nullify Demon Techniques that targeted them directly. But the flood summoned by the Spider Demon was a true natural disaster. How could a mere mortal body stand against it?

...

With no pursuers behind them, Hee Lingchuan and the others slowed their horses and breathed a sigh of relief.

Those spiders could normally chase a person clear across town, but now they had turned back after less than a thousand yards. Clearly, their top priority was protecting the nest, and they dared not stray too far.

Confident in this, the group turned their horses and followed the tree line up the slope. It was a shortcut that would save them time.

Looking down from the top of the slope, the cavern resembled a gaping, bloody maw, eternally waiting for some witless fool to leap inside.

Hee Lingchuan noticed the brocade covering the entrance was bulging upward, clearly billowed by a wind from below. The group could hear a WHOOSHING sound as the wind whipped the hair at their temples.

’Why is there wind coming from underground?’ he thought. ’There must be another exit.’

Willow used a few tricks to avoid the Spider Guards’ senses, making their detour tense but safe. Just as they were about to mount their horses and gallop on, an object flew in from the northeast and circled several times above the cavern.

As an archer, Willow’s eyesight was more than adequate, especially with the glow from the spores for light. She watched it for a moment before saying, "It’s a Sparrowhawk."

These creatures flew as fast as an arrow during the day, making them killers of smaller birds, but their night vision was average at best. With the sky still dark, the fact that it was circling over the cavern was clearly unusual.

Sunx Jiayuan suddenly exclaimed, "It’s holding something in its claws!"

The Sparrowhawk circled twice more as if it had finished scouting, then abruptly climbed over a thousand feet before diving straight down!

It moved like an arrow loosed from a bow, so fast it left an afterimage in the air.

It veered away without touching the ground, but the object in its claws was accurately dropped into the cavern.

The great sheet of brocade trembled, shimmering with iridescent light.

Now, everyone could see that the Sparrowhawk was here to cause trouble for the Spider Nest.

Next, a brilliant burst of flame erupted at the cavern’s entrance.

The group held their breath, waiting.

A moment later, the mountain wind cleared the smoke and dust, and Hee Lingchuan let out a soft, "Huh?"

The silken brocade, which danced in the slightest breeze and looked as if it could be pierced with a single finger, was completely unharmed!

’That thing is actually blast-proof?’

The Sparrowhawk also seemed baffled and flew lower to inspect the situation.

The surrounding Spider Guards had already gathered, angrily spitting streams of Spider Silk at it to hinder its flight.

The Sparrowhawk turned and flew away. Everyone felt a pang of disappointment; it was all thunder and no rain.

Fortunately, it soon returned and began circling again, as if searching for a better angle.

This time, Willow finally got a clear look. "It’s clutching a Command Arrow in its talons!"

The faces of the onlookers grew grim.

How could an ordinary Sparrowhawk be using a human artifact? Besides, that wasn’t something a civilian would even possess.

The Sparrowhawk adjusted its angle and dropped it again.

Once again, the Command Arrow failed to pierce the silken web and enter the cavern.

The Sparrowhawk let out a frustrated cry.

It circled a few more times, as if trying to come up with a plan, but then it flew directly toward them.

They exchanged glances. ’Have we been discovered?’

Sure enough, the Sparrowhawk flew to a branch above Liu Tong, folded its wings, and landed. It spoke in a human voice, "Panlong City Patrol Guards?"

Liu Tong remained cautious. "And you are?"

"I am a Messenger for the Red General," the Sparrowhawk replied. "The Spider Demon leader, Second Madam Zhu, has flooded the River Valley and inundated our army! The battle has turned against us. General Nanke ordered me to destroy the King’s Nest to relieve the crisis at the front."

It had discovered the location of Second Madam Zhu’s nest earlier while scouting the terrain. The glowing spores made it incredibly conspicuous from the sky. Clearly, the highly skilled and audacious demon was confident no natural enemy would dare to attack.

Sunx Jiayuan immediately said, "I think I saw this very Sparrowhawk a few months ago when I was on a campaign with the Red General."

"But the satin-like spiderweb is too resilient; the Command Arrow I dropped couldn’t pierce it." The Sparrowhawk flapped its wings. "The front line is in dire straits. You must help me!"

It was fast, but it was also too small. No matter how beautiful that silken sheet was, it was still a giant spiderweb at its core.

If it flew into it, it would be like a moth flying into a spiderweb.

"How can we help?" Liu Tong asked uncertainly. "Should we try shooting arrows at it?"

He had watched closely. The Command Arrow had gotten stuck on the web before it could detonate.

"If you were to circle above and look from different angles, you’d see it’s not a single web, but at least thirteen or fourteen layers stacked together. If they were forced apart, there should be gaps between each layer. Otherwise, how could the Spider Queen, being so large and plump, pass through freely without tearing the mesh?"

So that was it. Looking at the web again, everyone had to admire Second Madam Zhu’s weaving skill. Thirteen or fourteen layers of Spider Silk were stacked so perfectly they looked as light, thin, and translucent as a single sheet.

"If someone could get through the web and then use the Command Arrow, the attached Fire Bomb might be able to set the nest ablaze, just like what the Baling People did," Hee Lingchuan said quietly. "Judging by this elaborate web, the Spider Queen values this cavern. She might abandon the battle and rush back."

That would lift the siege on General Nanke.

Even though their army was the bait, they had no desire to be devoured by spiders or Baling People.

However, slipping through layers of webbing was not the Sparrowhawk’s forte. When it came to this particular skill, wings were not as dexterous as hands.

No wonder it had asked them for help. The Patrol Guards looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

Who would go?

’Could anyone who goes even make it back?’

No one knew what lay within the nest covered by that beautiful, sunset-colored silk. What if they failed to set it on fire?

Liu Tong glanced at Skinny. Among the squad, his Body Technique was the most agile, making him the best candidate to enter the cavern.

But Skinny kept his mouth clamped shut, not making a sound.

With the main army fighting a losing battle, their small squad happened to be right near the Spider Queen’s nest. They had to complete this mission, no matter the cost. Liu Tong sighed to himself. Just as he was about to speak, someone else said, "I’ll go!"

Everyone turned to look. It was Sunx Jiayuan, who had been standing at the back.

A companion grabbed his shoulder and said urgently, "Hey!"

Among their squad, Sunx Jiayuan’s Cultivation wasn’t the highest, nor was his Body Technique the best.

Sunx Jiayuan asked Liu Tong, "If I die here, will I be honored as a fallen hero?"

Liu Tong nodded. "Of course. This is a great service." If he succeeded, it would be one man saving the entire army.

Panlong City had a policy of generous compensation for soldiers killed or maimed in the line of duty. If a soldier was posthumously honored as a hero, their family would receive exceptional treatment and benefits in Panlong City. Not only would their food and clothing be provided for, but they would immediately be given a Tin House, their children would attend school for free, and they would receive subsidies and condolences during festivals.

In short, their family’s future would be secured.

Skinny, with his large family, was an exception.

Sunx Jiayuan’s expression was solemn. "Good. Please bear witness for me!"

Since someone had volunteered, Liu Tong breathed a sigh of relief. He first had the merchants move to a relatively safe clearing farther back, and then the group began to discuss their plan of attack.

All nine members of Hee Lingchuan’s original squad were still alive. Including the seven comrades they had rescued from the spiders earlier, they had a total of sixteen people who could fight.

Around the nest, however, there were seven or eight hundred spiders, including more than twenty large Spider Demons.

The group had to provide cover for Sunx Jiayuan as he entered the cavern, allowing him to successfully complete his mission to destroy the massive nest.

Without a doubt, in the world of the giant web, spiders were far more agile than humans. So even if the others could fend off the spiders’ attacks, Sunx Jiayuan still needed to find a way to traverse the web itself.

They had all seen a Fox Bat land on the web earlier. The very tip of its wing had merely brushed the silk, and it had been stuck fast, completely unable to escape.

This web was almost certainly woven by the Spider Queen, Second Madam Zhu, herself, and its power could not be underestimated. The fact that she dared to leave her nest so brazenly proved her confidence in it.

If Sunx Jiayuan couldn’t figure out a way to move freely on it, this mission would be a suicide run, not a bombing run.

"The best way to keep from getting stuck is to use oil," Hee Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. "Does anyone have any on them?"

"I only have a small vial of kerosene," Willow said, her face taut. "That won’t work. He has to use the Command Arrow. What if he sets himself on fire..."

He would be immolating himself.

"Then mud should work," Hee Lingchuan said, pointing to the west. "Where we climbed ashore just now, there’s a big patch of soft mud. Brother Sunx, why don’t you go roll around in it? Try to get as much on you as possible. The thicker the coat, the better."

The inspiration came from the wild boar they had caught earlier. It had been rolling around on the riverbank, covering itself in mud. Though it was a pig’s nature to do so, who was to say it wasn’t a survival tactic for living in the Spider Queen’s territory?

Everyone thought about it and agreed it made sense.

Sunx Jiayuan turned and started walking back. The Patrol Guards all mounted their horses, not a single one staying behind.