Blood River

Spider Nest.

Su Muyu stood in the courtyard, with ten people behind him. Apart from Chou Niu and Mao Tu, Zi Shu, Yin Hu, Chen Long, Si She, Wu Ma, Wei Yang, Shen Hou, You Ji, Xu Gou, and Hai Zhu all stood there with utmost reverence.

"The real reason Chou Niu left—I think you can all guess," Su Muyu said gravely.

No one behind him responded, each gripping their weapons tightly.

"But there’s no need to say it. Everything will have an answer once this matter is concluded." Su Muyu suddenly lowered his voice. "However, I know Chou Niu isn’t the only one."

"Boss..." Yin Hu couldn’t help but call out.

"No need to say more. Regardless." Su Muyu turned around and planted his umbrella into the ground. "At least for today, I ask everyone to protect this Spider Nest at all costs."

"Yes!" the group shouted in unison.

Inside the inner chamber, a hundred red candles had been lit, their light reflecting off eighteen bronze mirrors, illuminating the entire room. Bai Hehuai took a deep breath and sat before The Head. "Head, are you ready?"

At this moment, The Head sat bare-chested on the ground, his muscular frame exposed, the Sleeping Dragon Sword placed beside him. He had been meditating with his eyes closed, but upon hearing Bai Hehuai’s call, he finally opened them and nodded. "Miracle Healer, please begin."

"Very well." Bai Hehuai gently pulled a red cloth strip, unfurling it on the ground. It was lined with silver needles, glinting coldly under the candlelight. With a flick of her hand, three needles struck The Head’s chest. He grunted and immediately vomited a mouthful of white blood.

"To think it’s already reached this point..." Bai Hehuai frowned slightly. With another wave of her hand, three more needles leaped into the air before embedding themselves into The Head’s scalp. Steam immediately began rising from his body, filling the candlelit, mirror-lined room with mist.

Outside the Spider Nest.

Xie Fanhua’s twin Ghost Blades descended without a sound, cleaving the red gate before him in an instant. He leaped inside, followed closely by the other five.

"Silent Formation. Make no sound," Xie Qianji whispered.

No sooner had Xie Qianji spoken than a chorus of bell chimes suddenly rang out in the courtyard. He turned to see tiny copper bells hanging from the eaves all around, now vibrating wildly, their sound growing denser and louder. At the same time, hundreds of arrows rained down upon them, riddling their bodies before they could even react.

"Boss was right. Someone was bound to come tonight," Yin Hu landed and stepped forward to inspect the six corpses. Using his blade, he flipped over the first body and gasped. "Puppets!" He instinctively leaped back, but the corpse was faster, its hand shooting out toward him. Yin Hu swung his blade fiercely, slicing the hand into three pieces.

This corpse wasn’t human at all—it was made of wood.

Among the five bodies, one stood up. Clad in white, his figure was gaunt, his face unnaturally pale.

"Puppet Assassination Art. You’re Mu Bai," Yin Hu growled.

"Xie Family’s Xie Huxiao. Your senses aren’t as sharp as they used to be," a cold voice spoke from behind Yin Hu.Yin Hu was startled, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. This person's speed was so fast that he hadn't even sensed their approach. He swiftly turned around, instinctively swinging his blade, relying on the intuition honed through years as an assassin to block the strike. Yet, the force still sent him flying back ten paces, only stopping when Chen Long, who had come to assist, reached out to steady him.

"The one who inherited the Dragon Tooth Blade," Chen Long remarked with admiration. "Ah Hu, it seems the Xie Family has produced a blade even sharper than ours."

"Xie Longyin, Xie Huxiao," Mu Bai chuckled. "How do you like facing these two blades at once? Bu Xie."

"So you're Bu Xie," Yin Hu said, even more astonished. "You've grown so much."

"You were the first to teach me the way of the blade all those years ago," Xie Bu Xie said, leaping forward. "I've waited a long time for this fight."

"That little blade-obsessed boy has become a true blade fanatic," Chen Long mused as he drew his long saber. Together with Yin Hu, he charged forward, engaging Xie Bu Xie in a fierce duel. Wielding only the Dragon Tooth Blade, Xie Bu Xie held his own against their twin sabers without faltering.

The real Xie Qianji finally landed on the rooftop at this moment. With a flick of his wrist, he sent out a flying dagger that severed all the surrounding bronze bells in one swift motion. "I'll break the formation. You two advance."

"Don't underestimate us," eight masked figures appeared simultaneously. Now, all remaining members of the Earthly Branches Twelve Stars present in the manor had revealed themselves.

"Excellent, excellent. Let's see how you fare against us first," Mu Qingyang declared loudly as he strode in, clad in Daoist robes. He tossed a Peach Blossom Coin into the air, catching it as it landed with the Peach Blossom side up. "Hahaha, Peach Blossom face—great fortune!"

"Mu Family's fake Daoist!" Zi Shu leaped forward, his twin maces striking toward Mu Qingyang.

Mu Qingyang remained unperturbed, his faint smile unwavering. Just then, Mu Xuewei, clad in silver, flashed past him, catching the right mace with a single palm. A white mist immediately surged along the weapon toward Zi Shu.

"Be careful! She's the Poison Flower!" someone warned from behind.

Zi Shu hastily retreated, his twin maces whirling wildly to disperse the toxic mist.

"Where is Su Muyu?" Mu Xuewei demanded.

"Don't start by thinking about your sweetheart," Mu Qingyang sighed, shaking his head. "We're here for serious business."

"If you want to see Su Muyu, it's simple—just kill all these people," Mu Bai said with a wave of his hand, causing the four Puppets beside him to rise.

Meanwhile, Su Muyu stood on the corridor outside the Head's chamber, listening to the sounds of battle from the front courtyard as he slowly twirled the handle of his umbrella.

"Do you think they can fight their way here?" a hunchbacked elder appeared beside Su Muyu.

"They obtained the blueprint of this Spider Nest and specifically arranged for experts to dismantle the formation. The Spider Nest's purpose is now meaningless," Su Muyu murmured.

"Not many possess the blueprint of this Spider Nest," the hunchbacked elder chuckled, his grin turning sinister. "I happen to be one of them."

"I trust you, Elder," Su Muyu replied plainly.

"Oh? I thought Lord Puppet had already placed me on his list of targets," the elder said slowly."In desperate situations, sometimes we are powerless, and all that remains is to believe. For example, I believe in those in the front courtyard, even though some among them have already betrayed me. And I believe in you, senior. You are the kind of person who would still stand by The Head's side, even if I were to betray the Spider Shadow." Su Muyu stopped twirling the handle of his umbrella.

"What a touching speech," the hunched old man said as he slowly walked toward the front courtyard. "So touching that it's worth dying for."