"Hmmmmmm… a lush… rich… life… domain... kyakakakakakakakah" the spider creature spoke eerily as it inhaled deeply of the air.
Meng Fu and company was in a state of shock, the creature spoke and it seems to be a powerful intelligent lifeform.
Zhu Hongwu on the other hand made his move. Out of thin air appears tens of floating swords coated with golden Qi, Zhu Hongwu gestured his sword hand forward and sent the tens of floating swords into the spider creature.
Everything moved extremely fast, as Zhu Hongwu's sword attack flew towards the spider creature; he took the greatsword and leapt forward to attack.
The spider creature didn't seem to mind this, as it let the incoming tens of sword thrown by Zhu Hongwu to land into its body with indifference. As if unbothered by the attack, the spider creature's eight eyes moved towards the leaping Zhu Hongwu.
Zhu Hongwu on the other hand kept his composure, deep inside he was impressed at how ineffective his attack was.
"Take this!" Zhu Hongwu bashed his greatsword with immense power.
The spider creature received the attack by blocking it with one of its slender-hooked-arms.
Shaaaaaaaa!
Zhu Hongwu's sword bash came crashing as it finally dealt a considerable blow to the spider creature. Its slender-hooked-arm took a deep cut from the attack; as the spider creature sent an eerie shrill of agony, and leapt backwards from Zhu Hongwu.
"Huuuuuman scum, lowly and weeeeaaak! Kyakakakak!" The spider creature's ear-piercing sound reverberated.
Zhu Hongwu's movements awaken Meng Fu and the rest from their stupor. As Zhu Hongwu called out for Meng Fu, "Elder Meng, I would need your assistance!"
"Apologies Brother Zhu, I was caught off guard in a moment. Shall we begin?" Meng Fu replied.
Meng Fu took out five talismans and launched it into the spider creature as Meng Fu casted his attack and channeled his Qi into the attack.
"Five elemental Seal: Bind!" Meng Fu shouted.
A viridescent green Qi erupted from the five talismans, each with a strong power of the five elements. The viridescent green Qi coming from the five talismans manifested a huge palm of five elements trying to seize the spider creature.
"Kyakakakak Child's play Kyakakakak" the spider creature sneered, as it spit out a massive web attack towards Meng Fu's Five Elemental Seal.
As both attacks was about to collide, the spider creatures' web passed through the Five Elemental Seal of Meng Fu as if a ghost passing through a huge wall. Meng Fu was caught off guard by the outcome, and as he was about to be engulfed by the web, He took another talisman and activated it. Casting a huge shield against the web, Meng Fu managed to evade the attack. At the same time, the Five Elemental Seal was split in half by the spider creature, unable to bind it.
Zhu Hongwu's greatsword then reappeared behind the spider creature and made a powerful vertical slash towards the spider creatures' another limb.
Shaaaaaaaa!
"Kyakakakak scuuuuuuum!" the spider creature howled in pain that sent another ear-piercing sound throughout the pit.
Zhu Hongwu didn't let up and continued his barrage of attacks, as Meng Fu supported him from the distance with his long range attacks. But Meng Fu's attacks seem to take no damage against the spider creature, as it can easily take it and shrug it off.
As time goes by, it seems apparent that no matter how powerful their strikes were, the spider creature seemed almost impervious to their efforts. The spider creature moved with unnatural speed and agility, evading their blows and retaliating with deadly precision. Its slender-hooked-arms moved with a fluid grace, countering Zhu Hongwu's sword strikes effortlessly. The creature's movements were so swift that it appeared to be dancing with death, each strike aimed at disabling its opponents with ruthless efficiency.
As the battle raged on, Zhu Hongwu and Meng Fu exchanged glances, realizing the severity of the situation. This creature was far stronger and more formidable than they had anticipated. It was as if they were facing a legendary beast, a creature of ancient power and malevolence.
"Kyakakakak is that all that you have? You can't stop me from harvesting the essence of your domain then! Kyakakakak" the spider creature let out another eerie sound that sent chills before those present.
"Brother Zhu, buy me some time! I have a far stronger Seal with me that I think, could seal this creature. But I have to burn a lot of my life essence for using it, so I have to ask for your help!" Meng Fu suggested.
Zhu Hongwu looked deeply towards Meng Fu; Zhu Hongwu knew that burning your own life essence will bring forth powerful strength, but it will cost a cultivators life. Some even lose their own lives after burning almost the entirety of their life's essence. Zhu Hongwu nodded and adjusted his stance and focused his inner qi, readying himself for a more precise and powerful strike. He knew that brute force alone would not be enough to defeat this creature; he needed to find its weaknesses and exploit them.
As the spider creature lunged forward for another attack, Zhu Hongwu swiftly dodged its strikes and countered with a rapid flurry of sword strikes. His movements were fluid and precise, but still, the creature seemed to anticipate his every move.
Meng Fu unleashed his elemental attack, sending a barrage of elemental energy towards the spider creature. The five elements converged, aiming to ensnare and immobilize the creature. But once again, the spider creature defied their expectations, effortlessly avoiding the attack and retaliating with its own deadly webbing.
The webbing shot towards Meng Fu with incredible speed, threatening to entangle him. But Meng Fu reacted swiftly, conjuring a defensive barrier just in time to shield himself from the attack. However, the force of the impact was so immense that it pushed him backward, leaving him momentarily vulnerable and coughing a mouthful of blood.
Seizing the opportunity, the spider creature lunged towards Zhu Hongwu, aiming for a devastating blow. Zhu Hongwu barely managed to evade the strike, but the creature's speed was relentless. It pursued him with relentless aggression, forcing Zhu Hongwu to continuously defend against its attacks.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Zhu Hongwu's mind raced with a plan. He had observed that the creature's attacks were concentrated on its limbs and webbing. Perhaps that was its vulnerable point. He communicated his insight to Meng Fu, and they devised a strategy to target the creature's weaknesses.
Meng Fu sat cross-legged and released another batch of formation flags and sent them into precise locations within the battle ground. As he struggled to circulate all his internal energy, Meng Fu erupted with the most powerful energy he had ever displayed. As if the viridescent green Qi that was burning around him came to a climax, it turned into an emerald colored green Qi that shone brightly and domineeringly. Burning his life essence, Meng Fu's strength greatly increased, as if he had stepped into the third stage of cultivation; the Core Formation Stage.
Nine powerful spiritual pillar emerges above Meng Fu, burning with an emerald color Qi. The pillar was a cultivator Dao Pillar that signifies the amount of power he had in the Foundation Establishment Stage. Early stage would have one to three Dao Pillars; Middle stage with four to six Dao Pillars; Late stage has seven to nine Dao Pillars.
Meng Fu's Nine Dao Pillar signifies his peak second stage cultivation. The Nine Dao Pillars melted by a powerful emerald green Qi and formed Crimson monochromatic Core Qi, witnessing this the spider creature couldn't help but mock. Forming a Crimson Core Qi signifies Lower tiered type of Core, as it was forcefully executed. Still, it granted Meng Fu immense power and internal energy. He activated the formation flag that he just brought out and slammed his hands into the ground and said, "If the Heavenly Sword Mountain Sect has their Celestial Sword Seal. Then this shall be our Divine Void Sects number one seal, the Abyssal Life Seal!"
Boooooooooom!
Out in the center of the formation flags, purple Qi emerged boiling. Zhu Hongwu leapt away from the epicenter of Meng Fu's seal and stood behind Meng Fu.
The spider creature couldn't react in time as its limbs directly submerged within the boiling purple Qi. The spider creature was alarmed by the turn of events for the very first time. 'How can this low tiered domain display such powerful formation traps and seals?' the creature thought.
"Kyakakakak!" the spider creature struggled to break free from the boiling purple Qi.
Although the spider creature wasn't taking any damage, it had been immobilized by Meng Fu's Seal.
25 meters away from the battle, at the edge of the pit; Neebo and Prince Archilles was in complete terror as to what they had been witnessing. The display of power and skill was unlike anything they had ever seen before. The speed, precision, and ferocity of the attacks were on a whole different level, making them feel small and insignificant in comparison.
The fear that had gripped Neebo earlier had now intensified, seeing the true extent of the dangers within the Nefarious Sanctuary. He could hardly believe that Zhu Hongwu and Meng Fu were able to stand their ground against such a formidable opponent. It made him realize just how much he had underestimated the dangers lurking in this place. Neebo couldn't help but think back to his own struggles in the Nefarious Sanctuary. He had been imprisoned for weeks, enduring the relentless assault of the dark energy within the sanctuary. But compared to the ferocity and power of the spider creature, his own struggles seemed trivial.
Prince Archilles, too, was shaken to the core. He had always seen himself as powerful and invincible, had always been ambitious, seeking to prove his strength and rise to power. But witnessing the battle before him shattered that illusion. The strength and unity displayed by Zhu Hongwu and Meng Fu were beyond anything he had imagined. He knew that if he were to face the spider creature himself, he would be utterly overwhelmed.
Bai Feng also felt fear towards the spider creature, but also astonishment before Meng Fu and Zhu Hongwu's skills and abilities. He thought that his skills now would only be trivial against the spider creature. Thus he felt thankful at being sidelined in this battle.
At the center of the Abyssal Life Seal Formation, the spider creature had completely been immobilized. Zhu Hongwu breathes relief as he witnessed the outcome, his gaze then landed towards Meng Fu, who was seating cross-legged. Zhu Hongwu was downcast upon having a closer look on Meng Fu; Meng Fu has clearly aged a ton. He originally looked robust and strong, but after burning a ton of his life's essence, Meng Fu seem to lose more than half his life span. Leaving him like an old withered man lying on the ground.
"You did great, Elder Meng!" Zhu Hongwu said softly.
Elder Meng nodded weakly as he softly gave a smile.