Chapter 131: New Home

Even Xu Qi was shocked by the sight and quietly asked Xu Ziyan:

“Ziyan, will this Light Shield you set up hold?”

“It should be fine!” Xu Ziyan answered softly.

Xu Ziyan controlled the Talisman Array, shielding the group. Everyone flew in neat formation on their swords, following her quiet directions as they travelled deeper into the ravine. After moving another five hundred meters, the entire valley became an ocean of spiders. The smallest were the size of a fist, the biggest was as large as a millstone.

From the sky, spiders continuously leapt down from the cliffs on both sides. They landed on the Light Shield, their legs quickly freezing stiff so that they couldn’t hold on. They fell off but were unharmed by the drop. They simply picked themselves up and began scaling the cliffs again.

Just entering the Endless Forest had already shown them how dangerous it was. They flew slowly while searching the cliff faces for a cave entrance. They had already found many caves. This ravine had numerous holes in the cliffs, whether natural or dug by the spiders was unclear. So far, none that Xu Ziyan had scanned with her Spiritual Power were large enough to shelter all ten of them. So, they had to keep searching both cliff sides.

Just as the sun started to set, Xu Ziyan finally sensed a large cave with her Spiritual Power. It was big enough to house hundreds of people. The entrance wasn’t large and was thickly covered with vines. Without careful searching, they would never have spotted it.

Xu Ziyan took out a Fire Spirit Talisman and threw it through the Light Shield into the cave. Using her Spiritual Power, she guided the talisman paper deep inside, right to the very end of the cave tunnel, before activating it. A sudden blaze erupted at the back wall, incinerating several spiders instantly. The remaining panicked spiders began scrambling towards the cave entrance.

Xu Ziyan threw another talisman into their path and activated it just behind them, creating another fierce burst of Flame. More spiders rushed towards the entrance. Xu Ziyan repeated this, using one Fire Spirit Talisman after another, creating explosions of scorching heat that moved from deep inside the cave outwards, driving the spiders before them. Soon, millstone-sized spiders began pouring out of the entrance – all were that large, no smaller ones. Then, before long, a gigantic spider, easily the size of three millstones, charged out and clung to the cliff face, glaring fiercely at Xu Ziyan and the group.

It took a full half hour for all the spiders to finally evacuate completely. Yet, Xu Ziyan didn’t enter immediately. She threw several more Fire Spirit Talismans inside. Knowing that the cave, long inhabited by spiders, likely a Spider King’s territory, would be damp and toxic, she used the fire to cleanse the air. So, they hovered silently outside, waiting.

Another half hour passed. The final rays of the setting sun lingered on the horizon, and the flames inside dwindled completely. Xu Ziyan activated the Ice Talismans within the Light Shield and guided the shield, carrying them all, towards the cave entrance.

The shield emitted waves of biting cold air. As they neared the entrance, spiders that had gathered there, waiting for the flames to die to reclaim their lair, spotted Xu Ziyan’s group drifting towards them through the air. They seemed ready to attack in vengeance for their burned home. But the intense chill radiating from the shield made them shrink back fearfully.

Suddenly, the Spider King raised its abdomen and shot a thick strand of Spider Silk at Xu Ziyan. It struck the Light Shield with a sharp snap and stuck fast. Immediately, thousands of spiders clinging to the cliff face also raised their abdomens. Countless strands of shimmering silver Silk shot towards the group. In moments, the entire Light Shield vanished under a thick web. Then, pulled by the network of Silk strands, the whole shielded mass began plummeting towards the bottom of the cliff.

Xu Mei and Xu Meiruo couldn’t help but shriek in alarm. Even Xu Qi asked, worry in his voice:

“Ziyan, what do we do?”

“Stay inside the shield!”

Xu Ziyan commanded while swiftly pulling eight new Talismans from her Storage Pouch. She added them to her Talisman Array, deactivated the Ice talismans, and immediately channeled power into the eight Fire Spirit Talismans. Flames erupted fiercely around the Light Shield. Within two to three heartbeats, the sticky Spider Silk coating the shield burned away completely, restoring the shield. Everyone within the shield collectively sighed with relief.

To avoid leaving obvious marks or disturbing the surroundings, Xu Ziyan cut off the power to the Fire talismans as soon as the Silk was burned away. She reactivated the Ice talismans and guided the group towards the cave entrance. This time, perhaps stunned by their fiery defense, Xu Ziyan’s group managed to float right inside the cave before the spiders could mount another attack. A large horde of spiders surged in after them.

When Xu Ziyan’s group stopped near the back of the cave, the spiders also halted. They clustered not far away, surrounding them. Their legs twitched and touched against each other, seeming to communicate some signal or deliberate a strategy.

Xu Ziyan assessed the cave. The Fire attacks had dried it out thoroughly, though a faint unpleasant smell lingered. She guided the shield all the way to the cave’s rear wall. Taking out a Wind Talisman, she tossed it from within the shield out into the cave space. Instantly, violent gusts ripped through the cavern, blasting the stale air straight out of the entrance. The wind buffeted the spiders, forcing them to clutch desperately at the rocky floor and walls with all eight legs.

The gale stopped. Just as swiftly, Xu Ziyan threw out eight Ice Talismans. They flared to life, forming a shimmering Light Curtain partition across the middle of the cave, effectively splitting it into two sections and blocking the spiders in the outer half. The eight talismans formed a barrier that radiated a biting cold, driving the spiders back just far enough that the chill became less intense.

Xu Ziyan now let the protective shield surrounding her group fade and retrieved her talismans. She glanced thoughtfully at the Light Curtain barrier, then scanned the cave floor. Finding a flat rock, she took out her Talisman Brush and Talisman Paper. Her brush moved as swiftly as dancing dragons and snakes. To the astonishment of her companions, she swiftly completed sixteen Breath-Concealing Talismans.

With a wave, she tossed the sixteen talismans past the Light Curtain. They fell into place just outside and activated, forming another Talisman Array. This array instantly masked the subtle energy signature emanating from the Ice Talisman barrier. Now, the barrier seemed invisible, completely undetectable—let alone Xu Ziyan or her companions inside. Unless their pursuers physically entered the cave itself, just probing with Spiritual Power would never find them.

Only then did Xu Ziyan let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on a rock. The others quickly found places to sit as well. The relentless flight, the constant tension—now suddenly released—left them all feeling deeply tired. It wasn’t physical exhaustion so much as complete mental fatigue.

Xu Lan kept sneaking glances through the barrier at the clustered spiders outside. She would look quickly, then snap her eyes away, only to find herself drawn back moments later. Each glance made her skin crawl uncomfortably with shivers. Finally, she couldn’t take it. She crept quietly over to Xu Ziyan.

“Sister Ziyan,” Xu Lan asked timidly, “why didn’t you drive all the spiders out? Why leave them half the cave?”

Hearing her question, the others also looked questioningly at Xu Ziyan. Xu Ziyan gave a soft, slightly weary laugh.

“Reserving half the cave for the spiders lets them help disguise our hiding place,” she explained softly. “If enemies do pursue us here and see so many spiders outside, they’ll assume no one could possibly be staying further inside.”

“Oh!” the group murmured, filled with respect for her reasoning.

Xu Lan, however, remained anxious. “Sister Ziyan… then… could you perhaps cast some kind of spell? To cover up that barrier? It’s really spooky having to see those spiders like that!”

Xu Ziyan looked up at the horde beyond the barrier and also found it unpleasant. She waved her hand and tossed out a single Illusory Realm Talisman. Instantly, an illusion appeared over the barrier area—a soothing view of lakes and mountains that instantly calmed the mind upon seeing it.

Even just their half of the cave was extremely spacious. With only ten people, it felt vast. There were also two side alcoves branching off the main cave. Xu Ziyan and others checked each one; both were large enough to hold three people each. Finding the largest flat rock, Xu Lin and a few others used their Magic Arts to hollow out its center. Tossing a Water Talisman inside filled the hollow instantly with fresh water.

They were all young people. With this cave feeling almost like a new home, everyone pitched in to tidy up their living area. It took them a solid half hour for a basic cleanup. After washing their hands and faces with water, they finally gathered around to sit down and eat.

As they ate, most couldn’t help but steal frequent, hopeful glances at Xu Ziyan. Their eyes held anticipation and yearning, like children eagerly awaiting candy at the New Year.

Once the meal was done and everyone had eaten their fill, Xu Ziyan clapped her hands lightly to grab everyone’s focus. The instant the first clap sounded, all eyes snapped towards her, shining with excited expectation. Suppressing an amused smile inside, Xu Ziyan understood—they were waiting for her to deliver on her earlier promise of better Cultivation Elixirs.

So, without further delay, Xu Ziyan retrieved the prepared pills from her Storage Pouch. She gave each person two vials. These vials contained Spirit Burst Pills—specifically, Fifth Rank pills. Each bottle held a solid fifty pills; enough for one a day for a hundred days.

For appearance’s sake, she also handed two vials to Xu Lin. Xu Lin played along, accepting them eagerly like everyone else. He pretended to open his vial immediately. As soon as others followed suit, the cave filled with the strong, distinct fragrance of Elixirs…