Chapter 85: The Reappearance of the "Great Panda" Goddess!

"Cough, cough... Blurgh!"

Chi Yao shoved the Spirit Stones off her body and struggled to rise to her feet.

Dust and small stone chunks filled the air, as though the tunnel had turned into a sea of miasma.

Combined with her sealed cultivation, her vision was severely limited.

Even so, she was still able to identify the source of the earlier disturbance.

From the far end of the tunnel, the direction opposite to the one they had entered, a massive furry head emerged.

The creature possessed six carapace-covered legs, while countless eyes squirmed across its head.

At first glance, it resembled a spider.

Yet, its size made it difficult to deem it as such. Standing well over six feet tall, it radiated the oppressive pressure that only an apex predator could possess.

As Chi Yao studied it, the creature seemed to notice her gaze.

It opened its mouth and let out a piercing screech before charging toward her.

Its limbs shone brightly in the darkness, displaying the sharpness of their tips as they thrust toward her like spears.

A chill ran down Chi Yao’s spine.

Her intuition warned her to flee this place as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would surely die!

Even with her Foundation Establishment cultivation, this was not an opponent she could possibly face.

Now that her cultivation had been sealed, survival seemed nearly impossible.

Yet just as she was about to close her eyes and wait for death, a deafening metallic clang echoed through the tunnel.

The spider demon halted in place.

Though it struggled violently and continued lunging forward, it couldn’t advance a single inch.

It was as though there was an invisible barrier standing between them, separating them. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Chi Yao was startled at first.

But soon, understanding dawned upon her.

Her eyes landed on the thick chains wrapped around the demon’s hind legs, which extended deep into the darkness behind it, firmly locking it in place.

’So it’s a sealed demon...’

Chi Yao let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

’Fortunately... fortunately...’

Having already died once, she originally believed she would be fearless in the face of death. However, this experience had proven otherwise.

It shattered her expectations.

’No! I have not taken revenge yet! I haven’t reached the pinnacle of Dao! I can’t die here! Not like this!’ she gritted her teeth, subconsciously clenching her fists with her determination.

Just as a newfound resolve was arising within her heart, a pile of Spirit Stones nearby shook.

A slender hand emerged from beneath the rubble and pushed the stones aside.

"Cough, cough." Its owner climbed up and got to her feet.

It was none other than Huo Ling’er.

The moment she spotted the spider demon, her face turned pale, and she instinctively shrank back.

But when she saw its current state and its inability to get any closer, she relaxed.

Of course, only a little.

"I knew it!" she shouted, pointing at Chi Yao and glaring at her with hatred.

"You witch! You’re my nemesis! This is all your fault! Do you possess some kind of Misfortune-Bringing Body?"

She ground her teeth as she spoke.

Originally, she wanted to say a few more words to vent her frustrations.

However, she soon noticed Chi Yao staring at her with an odd expression.

At first, she didn’t understand why.

But then, she felt something soft brushing against her skin. As she looked down, her face turned crimson.

’Damn it! Why did the panda suit have to activate now?!’ she complained inwardly.

She wanted to put it away and put an end to this embarrassing scene, only to realize something horrifying.

Her cultivation was still sealed.

Without Spiritual Energy or divine sense, she couldn’t interact with the magic weapon at all.

In other words... she was stuck with it!

"I never expected Senior Sister to have such... unique tastes," Chi Yao remarked, snapping her back to reality.

"However, I feel a panda doesn’t really suit you. Perhaps you should try dressing as a pig or a gorilla the next time. It will match your personality perfectly."

Her tone was completely serious, devoid of any ridicule.

Yet, the content of her words made Huo Ling’er want to attack her.

Even if she had to endure another punishment afterward, she was convinced that teaching this witch a lesson would be absolutely worth it.

Thankfully, Chi Yao sensed her intentions before she could do so.

Knowing this was hardly the time for another fight, she quickly changed the subject.

"You know, our situation is rather dangerous," she said, pointing toward the tunnel entrance behind her.

Or rather, where the entrance used to be.

A mountain of collapsed Spirit Stones had now replaced it, blocking the entire passage.

"This was our only route out. As for the other direction... Chi Yao’s gaze shifted toward the spider demon.

The creature had apparently lost interest in its two small prey.

After letting out a few irritated screeches, it retreated into the depths of the tunnel, occasionally glancing back as if warning them not to follow.

Yet neither of the two women felt relieved.

They understood the truth. They were trapped!

One exit had collapsed, while the other was guarded by a bloodthirsty demon.

"This..." Huo Ling’er swallowed nervously.

"Someone must have heard the previous collapse, right? They’ll surely come rescue us?"

Unfortunately, Chi Yao shattered her last hope.

She shook her head.

"This section of the mine is far from the Jade Pure Sect’s outpost. Unless a cultivator possesses a powerful enough divine sense to scan the entire mine, nobody will notice we’re here."

"Only a Nascent Soul expert can do this."

Saying this, Chi Yao paused briefly before revealing the full extent of their predicament’s severity.

"That’s assuming they’ve even realized something happened. Most likely, no one heard anything."

Huo Ling’er wanted to argue that their Master would definitely come looking for them.

However, her words never left her mouth.

She had to admit that her Master... was somewhat unreliable when it came to these things.

It was very likely that he would forget about them, just as he had forgotten about her in the past.

"W-What do we do now?" she asked anxiously.

Seeing her reaction, Chi Yao nodded inwardly in satisfaction.

She hadn’t wasted time talking to this madwoman for no reason.

In truth, she already had a plan.

All she needed was a suitable helper. Or more accurately, a suitable cannon fodder.

Seeing the hopeful look in Huo Ling’er’s eyes, a faint smile crept on Chi Yao’s face.

"It’s fine. I already have a way to escape our predicament," she said.

"Here’s what we’re going to do..."