Chapter 953: Changing Tactics

Sigh, I can't afford it. This set of formation talismans relies entirely on Profound Crystals to drive it; the cost of using them is exorbitant.

If not for the restrictions of the escape-art-forbidding formation, the people of Beijia could indeed use the Small Mountain-Moving Formation to come and go as they please.

"Later, the large and small monsters in the surrounding area, as well as practitioners and hunters from the wilderness, frequently attacked my territory, and my offspring often went missing for no reason," Zhu Erniang said with annoyance. "There are also old monsters living around Butterfly Valley. They said someone offered a Profound Crystal bounty; catching fifteen or more of my offspring could be exchanged for one, and if they caught a Spider Guard, just one would suffice."

Zhu Danniang was puzzled: "You didn't find their hiding place?"

"They were extremely careful coming and going, likely using formations to hide themselves, or simply hiding in houses made with Mustard Seed Art," Zhu Erniang replied. "Among the enemies were bird monsters; as long as they carried the Mustard Seed house and flew away into the sky, I couldn't track them anymore."

No matter how capable a Burrowing Spider is, it doesn't have wings. How can something running on the ground be faster than something flying in the sky?

Mustard Seed Art is a rare divine skill. He Lingchuan only knew that Songyang Prefecture could produce it, and that there were indeed people in Beijia who collected Mustard Seed houses. When Fushan Yue previously surrounded a residence to capture Cen Boqing, the latter hid inside the Mustard Seed space "Pueraria Cave Heaven," found someone to carry him out of the residence, and almost succeeded in escaping.

"So, your relationship with the surrounding neighbors is bad again, right?"

Zhu Erniang gave a hum. The surrounding monsters were all catching its offspring to trade for Profound Crystals; how could the neighborhood relationship be amicable?

Besides, it was an outsider; what reason did the local monsters have to help it?

Zhu Danniang was very indignant: "When you encountered difficulties, why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have helped you kill them all!"

Its younger sister was just too soft. If the two sisters went together, the opponent could not possibly handle two giant spider monsters.

"What use was there in telling you?" Zhu Erniang said gloomily. "At that time, you had just left White Sand Port in the Yuan Kingdom and were drifting on the sea."

"..." Zhu Danniang did the math and realized that seemed to be the case. At that time, it was indeed on a long sea voyage, drinking with He Lingchuan and Dong Rui all day long.

But it understood its sister after all, and upon second thought, it asked: "What did you plan to do then? Move again?"

Zhu Erniang remained silent.

After tangling with those bastards from Beijia for several months, it was indeed losing patience and had once again conceived the idea of moving. It just so happened that He Lingchuan's invitation arrived at this time.

Zhu Danniang gave a long "Oh": "So you wanted to come over all along?"

Zhu Erniang glared at Zhu Danniang with its twelve eyes. How could its own sister's claws turn outward? It just wanted to be a little reserved, didn't it? Being invited versus coming over on one's own initiative—could the treatment be the same?

What kind of soul-stirring soup did the one surnamed He feed its sister? They hadn't seen each other for only a few months, so why was she getting dumber? He Lingchuan naturally understood Zhu Erniang's little thoughts. He coughed to interrupt the sisters' staring contest: "Having dealt with them for so long, do you know the other party's name?"

"I only heard his subordinates call him Lord Yu, and I don't know which 'Yu' character it is," Zhu Erniang thought for a moment. "But when this leader first spoke to me—through my offspring—he claimed to be under the command of the Frost Leaf National Master of the Beijia Kingdom."

"Frost Leaf National Master?" He Lingchuan felt a jolt in his heart.

He had only met the Frost Leaf National Master once in Spirit Void City, yet he had countless ties to this great National Master! The Spirit Void messenger disappearance case, the Immortality Pill case, and the Cen Boqing case all had the battle between the Frost Leaf National Master and the Qingyang National Master at their core.

This bloodless shadow war ultimately ended with the victory of the Frost Leaf National Master.

Based on He Lingchuan's impression of the Frost Leaf National Master, as long as one was involved with this person, things were definitely not simple! "Regardless of whether this team finding you was accidental, Spirit Void City should already know the news of your appearance in the eastern part of the Mou Kingdom and has issued further instructions," He Lingchuan pondered. "Beijia is full of talent; I don't know who this 'Lord Yu' is, but his strategy is very cunning. Previously, when they had few people, they would never confront you head-on, but they would make you feel ostracized everywhere in the Mou Kingdom. If you couldn't stay, you would have no choice but to move again and again."

"If you hadn't come to the Yangshan Archipelago, they would still be following closely behind you like a pack of wolves, waiting for you to show a flaw, waiting for you to show signs of fatigue and make mistakes in your defense. By that time, they would also have waited for reinforcements from Beijia to deliver a fatal blow."

Within the territory of the Mou Kingdom, Beijia could not summon a large army, but it could summon some powerful individuals.

"Erniang, you are cautious by nature, unlike Danniang who is..." straightforward, "fearless. When encountering such persistent enemies that you can't catch, you can only move away."

And every time Zhu Erniang moved, it was a great drain on its vitality; a large amount of fungal mats, food, and supplies could not be taken away. The offspring had nothing to eat during the transport, and Zhu Erniang had to regurgitate nutrients to feed them.

The enemy saw its weakness, which is why they constantly harassed it, severing the connection between the Burrowing Spider nest and the surrounding environment, forcing it into a dead end again and again.

In the past, General Red dealt with Zhu Erniang by relying on brute force.

Beijia, however, had changed to a different set of tactics.

This was a very clever approach. It must be said that as a monster kingdom, Beijia had many tricks for dealing with these prehistoric great monsters.

Hmm, no. He Lingchuan stroked his chin; this method had a strong style of the Frost Leaf National Master.

So, would this game turn into a match between him and Frost Leaf?

With a "clack," Zhu Danniang's claw tip gouged a hole in the reef, sending sparks flying.

Zhu Erniang was not as agitated as it was, but instead turned back to issue several instructions to the little spiders, telling them to block the last corner of the enclosure and then set the web.

"You told me that as long as I moved into the Yangshan Archipelago, I would be safe from now on, which is why I moved here," it looked back at He Lingchuan. "Now, do you still dare to say that?"

He Lingchuan changed from his original casual manner, sat up straight, and said earnestly: "I keep my word!"

The spider sisters looked at each other.

To be able to make such a bold claim in the face of the pursuit of a powerful contemporary nation? If someone else said it, they wouldn't believe a word of it! But He Lingchuan was different.

This young man's past was the best guarantee.

Zhu Danniang couldn't help but ask: "What are you going to do?"

"When soldiers come, block them with generals; when water comes, cover it with earth," He Lingchuan smiled slightly at them. "Erniang, don't let your mind be disturbed by 'Lord Yu' like before, don't mess up your own formation, and don't take these Beijia pursuers too much to heart. Dig your holes as you should, produce as you should; everything will proceed step by step."

What? Just like that? Zhu Erniang was greatly disappointed upon hearing this and was about to ask back, but discovered that its sister beside it was actually silent.

Usually, when its sister heard such nonsensical words, shouldn't she be the first to jump up? Why was she able to keep her cool this time?

(End of chapter)