Pillar of Yita

The wound opened by the spear made even the unfertilized eggs inside the abdomen gush out along with the liquid, falling to the ground and quickly shriveling up.

The Spider Mother shrieked incessantly, but it was to no avail. As the injuries multiplied, it gradually weakened.

The Seven Seas Travel Group looked at one another in confusion, never expecting the Panier Cunning Spider’s Spider Mother to be like this. Although its level was higher than that of an adult Female Spider, its combat abilities were instead weaker. But thinking about it, as a reproduction machine for the spider swarm, being bloated and not adept at fighting was only normal.

Once the Dragonfire Guild had completely trapped the Spider Mother, they did not kill it but instead used rolling logs to build a platform, letting the higher strength close-combat professions drag the massive creature forward with iron chains.

”What are they planning to do?”

Xiangzi was puzzled.

Atira frowned but understood the Dragonfire Guild’s intention: ”They want to lure out more spider swarms.”

It was at this moment that the voice of the Big Cat Man came from the communicator: ”Ade, the people from the Dragonfire Guild are making a move.”

Fang Hong watched the scene before him as he picked up the Communication Crystal and asked, ”Have they begun to lure the Hill Giants away?”

”Yes,” Reed replied, ”Bakins said they sent some Nightingales into the giant’s settlement, seemingly stealing something out.”

Fang Hong’s heart stirred: ”What did they steal, did you manage to see?”

”Not sure, it seems to be some ragged bags, no idea what’s inside.”

”Giant’s pockets,” Fang Hong took a deep breath: ”The Dragonfire Guild isn’t playing small; those tattered bags are the Hill Giant’s most precious possessions. With these stolen, the giants may chase them all the way to Idus.”

Suddenly a rumbling sound came through the communicator.

Reed glanced back and said, ”The Hill Giants seem to have noticed.”

”Follow them and come over to meet us.”

”Got it.”

Fang Hong put the Communication Crystal back into his pocket and looked up, noticing that the Dragonfire Guild people seemed in no hurry to leave. They were gathering the corpses of surrounding Female Spiders one by one, piling them together.

Then they threw torches onto them, and raging flames shot skyward.

”Lord Captain, look over there,” Hilveld patted his shoulder, suddenly saying.

Everyone was startled, looking in the direction Miss Ship’s Officer indicated, they saw a trail of black smoke rising into the sky above the forest.

Soon, a second and third smoke column rose skyward, far and near, everyone counted, finally fixing the number of smoke columns at eleven.

Added to the twelfth one formed by burning the pile of Female Spider corpses—

If we assume each smoke column represents two teams from the Dragonfire Guild, then there are about a hundred of them right now, and converting that to the whole forest, wouldn’t that mean over a thousand people? Everyone in the Seven Seas Travel Group thought of this, causing their expressions to change slightly.

”Does the Dragonfire Guild have that many people...” Parker couldn’t help murmuring.

Fang Hong was also somewhat unprepared to encounter such a huge spectacle here.

After igniting the bonfire, the Dragonfire Guild led the dying Spider Mother away.

The members of the Seven Seas Travel Group naturally followed behind, though initially trailing the Dragonfire Guild, under Fang Hong’s guidance, they soon circumvented to the front. With the Dragonfire Guild’s speed greatly reduced from dragging the massive creature, it wasn’t too troublesome to take this bit of a detour.

The reason Fang Hong chose this was because there were more and more giant spiders in the forest.

He had scouted through the Clockwork Fairy that the nearby and distant spider swarms seemed to be gathering, although after the last battle, these eight-legged creatures had not shown themselves again. But they hadn’t strayed far, just hiding in the forest, observing the Dragonfire Guild from afar.

This forest contained far more than just three or five spider swarms; hidden within the crimson sandy mountain range was a giant spider swarm settlement. Although spider swarms were not harmonious with one another, occasionally even killing each other.

But in the face of external enemies, they also united against them, just as they unanimously faced the Hill Giants.

Fang Hong didn’t know what impact capturing the Spider Mother would have on these giant spiders, but since the other side chose to do so, it was clearly not without purpose.

In fact, the silent currents gathering in the jungle seemed to indicate this point as well.

Not long after, the Dragonfire Guild encountered another group of their own. Unlike the current team leisurely strolling, that group was being hunted by a swarm of giant spiders, fortunately, this side’s reinforcements arrived timely and drove off the approaching spiders.

However, with two Spider Mothers gathered together, Fang Hong observed through the Clockwork Fairy that the trailing spider swarms were increasing.

The Dragonfire Guild had suffered significant losses in the previous battle, and it was clear the spiders would launch another attack soon. Fang Hong watched the scene from afar, realizing that following them in this state might not be wise either.

At the moment, only the rear and sides were swarming with spiders, but soon, there could be a surrounding from the front as well.

The Dragonfire Guild had strength in numbers, but this small team hidden on the outer edge could find themselves in trouble.

He thought for a moment and then said to everyone:

”With such a grand effort from the Dragonfire Guild, there must be more than one settlement of Hill Giants disturbed; with such a large-scale operation, the place they converge on at the end must be specially chosen,” Fang Hong looked at his Miss Ship’s Officer: ”Hilveld, do you know any place nearby with relatively open terrain?”

”I do,” it was Luo Hao who spoke: ”This Spider Gorge is quite famous; there’s an interior basin in the middle of the gorge that should meet your requirements.”

Fang Hong looked at Hilveld, seeing her nod gently.

He made a decisive decision: ”Let’s go to that place ahead of time.”

...