The current situation was very clear. Either the giant spider would break free, first killing Daoist Yu Zhang and the other three old Daoists, and then joining forces with the black-clad youth to kill Gu Zhao; or Gu Zhao would trap the giant spider, allowing the four old Daoists to gang up and beat the black-clad youth to death before joining forces to destroy the giant spider.
Gu Zhao and his four companions were very confident.
The black-clad youth, however, was getting a bit anxious, because he truly could not defeat these four old Daoists.
Even though the four men before him had barely over a millennium of Dao Practice, their combined strength was so formidable that they could utterly suppress a top-tier expert like him, who possessed over two thousand years of Dao Practice. Even though he had long since refined his Body Seal to unleash a hundred and twenty percent of its power, he still failed to gain any advantage. Furthermore, he discovered that whether it was the golden Sword Light, the Divine Statue of the strange beast, the seven-colored radiance, or the black-and-white Sword Diagram, they all clearly exhibited a suppressive effect against his Demon Power and poisonous mist.
The profound depth of their Magical Power was even greater than his own, despite him being the inheritor of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s Ascension Method!
Daoist Yuan He struck continuously with his Sword Pointing, wielding a Pure Yang Flying Sword with dazzling finesse. Through Sword Light Division and Refining Sword into Silk, streaks of Sword Light resembled gossamer threads. Taking the form of a Sword Net and the vastness of a Sea of Swords, they transformed into a glittering golden Sea of Sword Qi—sharp, fierce, and utterly unstoppable.
Daoist Yu Zhang continued to use his most proficient Celestial Pig Great Curse. Reciting the Spell of over a hundred characters forwards, backwards, interwoven, or inverted—all while circulating his Magical Power—produced different effects. It could condense a Dharma Aspect, cast a Daoist Skill, execute demons, slay ghosts, or destroy devils.
Daoist Yan Ling used his Seven Treasures Ruyi to empower the Taiyi Divine Light. The Divine Light gleamed in seven colors, stimulating the Yin Yang Five Elements within the body while stirring the seven emotions of joy, anger, and others within the Sea of Consciousness. The Divine Light bypassed all protective Magic and acted directly inside the black-clad youth’s body, causing him unspeakable agony.
Daoist Qingwei was the best at close combat among them. Stirring up Tai Chi with a longsword, he closed in directly on the black-clad youth. With flickering movements and sharp Sword Light, Taoist True Qi coated his blade. The penetrating might revealed by his Tai Chi Sword Diagram was even greater than that of the Pure Yang Sea of Swords.
The black-clad youth carefully guarded his Sea of Consciousness with his Divine Soul, using the Demon Power within his body for protection. He activated his Body Seal while simultaneously releasing Profound Ink Spider Silk. Yet, even so, he felt overwhelmed, beaten to the point where he could only defend and hardly counterattack. Thus, he pinned all his hopes on his master.
BOOM!
The giant spider once again crashed through the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array. Even with Gu Zhao blocking its path, it still managed to ram a crack into the Purple Sandalwood Flagpole of one of the Banners. Gu Zhao thrust his Long Spear, channeling endless Thunderbolts into its shaft. The purplish-gold radiance was so blinding that the others could barely keep their eyes open.
"Strike!"
Gu Zhao’s spear struck the giant spider’s head, forcing it back dozens of feet where it was once again sealed by the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array. Gu Zhao, however, was thrown back hundreds of feet before he managed to dissipate the force and steady himself.
"The northern wind drifts in, the western wind gathers thick. The southern vermilion phoenix soars, the eastern fire dragon prowls. The True Man holds the mandate, summoning you to form clouds and thunder."
Eight Directions Cloud Thunder Spell!
RUMBLE—
Inside the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array, thunder boomed and lightning flashed. The energy of the Nine Heavens’ Thunderbolts could hardly be fully concealed by the Array and seeped out. Along with it emerged dense Corpse Qi, Demon Qi, and poisonous gas.
SCREECH—
The giant spider howled from within the Array, and then, with reckless abandon, it smashed through the Array once more.
CRACK!
With a sharp sound, an Eight Gates Golden Lock Array Flag was shattered by the impact!
The black-clad youth’s eyes lit up.
Then he heard Gu Zhao sigh, "Although this giant spider is far less formidable than the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, after being refined into a zombie, it really doesn’t fear injury or pain."
After Divine Monarch Mo He was trapped by the Array, his first reaction had been to forcefully break it, which allowed Gu Zhao the opportunity to severely injure him. Once his attempt to break the Array was thwarted and he suffered that unexpected injury, his momentum steadily declined. After exhausting his trump cards, he lost all hope of breaking out, not even managing a final burst of desperate strength.
But the giant spider before them was different. Although its strength had vastly decreased from when it was alive after being refined into a zombie, it felt no pain or fear of injury. Retaining the foundation of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, it could unleash its full power regardless of its wounds. This was a zombie refined from a ten-thousand-year Great Demon, possessing an incredibly resilient physique. The fact that Gu Zhao had managed to hold it off for this long before a single Banner was destroyed was already quite an accomplishment.
"The Array is broken! Let’s see how you can..."
Before the black-clad youth could finish his sentence, he watched Gu Zhao pat the gourd at his waist. A purple shadow immediately shot out, instantly appearing in the exact spot of the shattered Banner. With a flagpole crafted from Purple Sandalwood, a banner surface woven from ice silkworm silk, a Five Thunders Talisman embroidered by a master of Su Embroidery, and Spiritual Power personally imbued by Gu Zhao, it was identical to the remaining seven Banners.
The new Eight Gates Golden Lock Array formed once again, locking the giant spider inside. The endless sea of lightning stretched on continuously, turning into bolts of Thunderbolts that struck the giant spider, wearing away its Corpse Qi and Demon Qi.
"How do you still have an Array Flag?!" the black-clad youth shouted, both shocked and furious.
"Even driving a car requires a spare tire. My Eight Gates Golden Lock Array needs eight Banners to form the Array; how could I not bring a spare?" Gu Zhao swung his Long Spear and laughed teasingly.
Jokes aside, Gu Zhao hadn’t read all those novels for nothing.
Take the Beidou Seven Stars Array: once Tan Churui died, the array failed, entirely unable to trap Huang Yaoshi and West Poison. Or the Profound Yin Beast-Gathering Banner: destroy one pole, and a chain reaction followed. As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dam collapses from an anthill. From traditional novels to modern web fiction, every plot example served to remind Gu Zhao that when setting up Array Flags, one must always prepare spares!
"Stop worrying about my Array Flags and see if you can even get away first," Gu Zhao pointed at the black-clad youth.
The black-clad youth turned his head, only to find the four old Daoists had already surrounded him tightly.
...
By the time the giant spider smashed through the third Array Flag, the black-clad youth let out a tragic scream as his body perished and his Dao vanished.
A dense burst of Evil Qi was divided among the Thunder Seeds within the Sea of Consciousness of the four old Daoists. Gu Zhao’s Five Thunders Order also took a share. Through the inhaling and exhaling of the Five Thunders Order, a portion nourished his own body while the rest condensed into a Thunder Seed.
A Thunder Seed took shape amidst the flashing electricity, then began to orbit around the Five Thunders Order.
"So much Evil Qi!"
After absorbing the Evil Qi, the old Daoists all exhaled deeply, their bodies and minds invigorated.
"Let’s hurry up and help!"
Daoist Yan Ling was the first to recover. He once again activated his Seven Treasures Ruyi, shining the Taiyi Divine Light onto the giant spider that had broken out of the array, though the effect was minimal. Gu Zhao pulled out yet another spare Array Flag. The Eight Gates Golden Lock Array formed once more, sealing the giant spider within.
Right on its heels, Daoist Yuan He spurred his Pure Yang Flying Sword, Daoist Yu Zhang manifested the Celestial Pig Dharma Aspect, and Daoist Qingwei unleashed his Tai Chi Sword Diagram, stalling the giant spider and rendering it completely unable to smash through the Array again.
The five of them pooled their strength to battle the zombie of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch. They ground it down for a full day and night until they finally utterly destroyed the Divine Soul Mark within its body.
Daoist Yuan He asked Gu Zhao, "Should we save it for Senior Brother Ming Chong to use in Alchemy or medicinal wine?"
Gu Zhao pointed at the six faces on the giant spider’s body. "Could you stomach drinking that?"
Daoist Yuan He shook his head decisively. "No!"
Gu Zhao rolled his eyes at him. "Then destroy this thing so we can have some peace!"
The group burst into laughter. Daoist Yuan He’s Pure Yang Sword Light flashed and vanished, thoroughly obliterating the Six-Headed Divine Monarch’s corpse. Following that, Pure Yang True Fire engulfed the insect’s body. The blazing heat of the Pure Yang True Fire swiftly reduced the lifeless carcass to ash now that it lacked the support of Magical Power.
BOOM—
As the flames swept past, a six-colored Treasure Pearl dropped from the fire, illuminating the surrounding lake water with the radiant glow of a rosy sunset.