Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 371 : Demon Trap (4)

"Duck."

Driven by an inexplicable trust in the mysterious voice, Qiao Wei dove for cover. A searing lance of flame erupted where he’d stood moments before, bathing the monstrous spiders in its fury. Panic-stricken screeches filled the air, but the blaze pursued relentlessly, consuming the creatures one by one until only smoldering ash remained.

A gritty shroud descended, the air thick with the burnt remains of the spiders. Qiao Wei huddled on the ground, vision obscured, his breath shallow against the fabric of his sleeves. Then, a grip like iron clamped onto his arm, yanking him upwards. He stumbled, disoriented, as the world tilted and a figure emerged from the haze.

"Are you alright?"

Qiao Wei opened his eyes and blinked past the smoke-filled air. He was staring directly at a familiar face. It was him again.

The father of the twins whom he rescued at the bottom of Mount Wu.

Qiao Wei’s breath caught in his throat. What were the odds of their paths crossing in such a desolate place?

Zhang Fengxi narrowed his eyes at Qiao Wei. The latter’s breath hitched as Fengxi’s steely grip loosened. His legs turned to jelly beneath him, threatening to buckle and sending him sprawling to the side.

"Careful."

Zhang Fengxi’s iron grip clamped on Qiao Wei’s shoulders, steadying his position as his gaze flickered to the looming presence of the two gigantic cocoons nearby.

"Are those your friends?"

Only then did Qiao Wei remember his two shidis, who were still enclosed inside the cocoons.

"Yes!" He cried out in a surge of panic. "My two shidis are inside!"

Zhang Fengxi’s spear ripped through the silky cocoon, scattering the threads like fallen petals. Gu Shengxia and Wang Chunli crumpled to the ground, their forms still and lifeless, their faces pale and waxen.

"Shidis!"

Qiao Wei rushed toward his fallen comrades to check their vitals.

Thankfully, they were still alive.

He put one hand on their chests each to infuse their bodies with spiritual power, but the intense fight against hundreds of spiders had taken everything he had.

There was nothing left.

Thus a violent cough wracked his body, sending a spray of crimson across his lips.

"Fool!"

Zhang Fengxi yanked at Qiao Wei’s shoulder, pulling him away from the two men on the ground.

"Think about yourself before you save others!" The supreme general snapped in annoyance.

He made Qiao Wei sit in a lotus position before he took his spot behind the man. With both hands pressing against Qiao Wei’s back, Zhang Fengxi forced his abundant spiritual power into the former’s body.

For someone of Zhang Fengxi’s origin and cultivation, most natural venoms rarely yielded adverse effects.

But for Qiao Wei, a mere mortal, such venoms could easily be deadly if not expelled in time.

After some time, Qiao Wei’s body convulsed violently. He lurched forward and spat out a mouthful of blackish blood. It contained all the spider venom that entered his system just now, thanks to Zhang Fengxi’s impeccable handiwork.

In between ragged breathing, Qiao Wei turned to look at the man behind him and muttered, "T-Thank you."

By now, he was pretty sure that his savior was either a high-ranked demon or a high-ranked god.

With all strands of his being, he prayed that it was the latter.

Zhang Fengxi picked up his Three Realm Spear from the ground and brushed some ash off its blade.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought that you lived somewhere near Mount Wu."

The weight of Zhang Fengxi’s question settled upon Qiao Wei, a sober reminder of the responsibility that had brought him there.

"Oh no!!!" He cried out, startling Zhang Fengxi.

"... What’s wrong with you?" The latter asked while staring at Qiao Wei incredulously.

"That spider demoness! She said that she was going to attack the Dong Village!!!"

Qiao Wei pushed himself off the ground, but his body refused to cooperate. He quickly tumbled to the ground again, his limbs felt as heavy as iron.

"Please," he begged Zhang Fengxi. "The spider demoness... She is going to destroy the entire village..."

Zhang Fengxi pinned him with an unreadable look for a while, but then he helped Qiao Wei up again. Then, Zhang Fengxi slung one of Qiao Wei’s arms around his broad, mighty shoulder and clapped a hand on the weak man’s waist.

With a resolute nod, Zhang Fengxi urged Qiao Wei to "Show the way."

Under normal circumstances, Qiao Wei might be excited to ride on a flying tiger, but at the moment his entire focus was on Dong Village and the safety of its inhabitants.

When he saw thick smoke rising from the village’s direction, Qiao Wei’s heart lurched to the bottom of his stomach.

"Over there!" he exclaimed while pointing in the direction of the smoke.

"Xiao Huang," Zhang Fengxi said, his face hardening at the sight.

The spiritual tiger roared in response and dove toward the smoldering village.

After catching three cultivators for her children, the spider demoness became greedy. One or two men were no longer enough. She needed a lot of food to feed her children while they slowly fed on the cultivators and absorbed their spiritual power.

Since she had already kidnapped over ten people from Dong Village, she might as well kill the entire village, and relocate with her children into the village to enjoy a feast of fresh blood and succulent flesh.

There was only one problem in her grand plan -- the villagers were not willing to sacrifice themselves for her and her children.

The spider demoness worked as fast as she could, wrapping one villager in a thick cocoon before chasing after another. She was swinging on her silk string when suddenly a sharp sound sliced the air. The string came apart and she landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"WHO?" she whirled around and screeched angrily.

She did not even get to see what her attacker looked like before a searing inferno burst at her face and consumed her whole.