Lin Hao was at the top of the cliff wall for only a very short time.

He already had a rough estimate of his body’s strength and power, so he had anticipated the consequences of this strike.

Likewise, Lin Hao was well aware of the danger of being on the cliff face.

In such a narrow space, if he couldn’t get away immediately, getting entangled in the other spider’s silk would mean certain doom.

Therefore, the moment he hit the cliff wall, Lin Hao didn’t linger. He did the same as before, pushing off the wall with both legs at top speed and diving down.

A wad of spider silk greeted him.

Although Lin Hao hadn’t wasted a single second, he was still too slow.

The giant spider below had reacted.

The wad of silk shot from the giant spider’s mouth, then burst open, transforming into a web that enveloped Lin Hao.

Lin Hao was mid-air, his body already bound by silk, and his downward momentum was incredibly fast. It was unavoidable; he was caught squarely in the web.

BOOM!

The web was not only incredibly sticky but also exceptionally tough. Lin Hao failed to break through it.

However, under the full exertion of his tens of thousands of pounds of force, there was still an unexpected effect.

After hitting the web, Lin Hao’s body didn’t stop. He continued his dive and still smashed into the giant spider below.

THUD!

A loud, muffled sound echoed as dust and sand flew up from the ground, and another crater appeared.

Unfortunately, because the web had impeded him, more than half of the force had been absorbed.

WHAM!

The next moment, Lin Hao’s body was struck heavily.

Then, his entire body was flung back, left dangling between the cliff wall and the ground.

A spiderweb held him firmly captive.

His hope of finishing off the other spider was dashed.

Suspended in mid-air, Lin Hao quickly scanned his surroundings, hoping to find a way to escape.

As he looked, he was slightly taken aback.

Not far ahead, there was another web, and a person was trapped within it.

The person was disheveled and emaciated, but Lin Hao found him very familiar. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Looking closer, Lin Hao was stunned. Who else could it be but Ling Xiao?

Seeing the faint rise and fall of his chest, Lin Hao felt relieved. ’He’s still breathing.’

"Ling—" Just as Lin Hao opened his mouth, his body swung violently and slammed into the cliff wall.

A jolt of pain shot through his body.

It was the spider’s long leg, striking Lin Hao with a heavy blow.

Clearly, it wanted to avenge its companion.

Its legs were not only long but also unusually sharp.

If it were an ordinary person, that stab would have pierced right through them.

Fortunately, Lin Hao’s body was incredibly durable; otherwise, he would have been in for a world of hurt.

When its first attack failed, the giant spider below went berserk, its long legs striking at Lin Hao like sharp blades.

Trapped in the sticky web, Lin Hao had become a living target.

’When have I ever been this passive, only able to take a beating?’

A ferocious expression appeared on Lin Hao’s face. With a roar, he suddenly strained with his hands.

Under his full power, the sticky web stretched taut. Just as he was about to free his hands, another wad of webbing shot toward him.

Not only that, but the spider seemed to realize how terrifying Lin Hao was, and it began launching web after web, blanketing him completely.

Before long, a large cocoon had formed around Lin Hao’s body.

"You beast! You think a mere web can trap me?" Lin Hao raged, seeing the giant spider glaring at him like a tiger stalking its prey.

Before Lin Hao could unleash his power, a weak voice called out, "Lin Hao?"

There was a hint of pleasant surprise in the voice.

Needless to say, Ling Xiao had been startled awake by Lin Hao’s earlier roar.

"It’s me. How are you doing?"

"Not good. I’ve been trapped here too long. I’m about to die. You have to get me out of here," Ling Xiao’s voice was full of hope and desperation.

Lin Hao was a bit stunned.

Although he hadn’t known Ling Xiao for long, Lin Hao knew he was a proud and arrogant person. For him to say such words meant he had truly lost all hope.

"Hang on, I’ll figure something out," Lin Hao replied.

"Wait, Lin Hao, whatever you do, don’t use your cultivation. The moment you do, the silk will frantically absorb your True Essence until not a single drop is left," Ling Xiao quickly warned, pinning all his hopes on Lin Hao.

"Thanks for the warning."

’No wonder Ling Xiao looks like this. He must have used his cultivation, and now all his True Essence has been drained.’

Lin Hao acknowledged him and was about to use his strength when a sudden scream came from Ling Xiao’s direction.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Hao asked.

"My leg... My leg’s been pierced by the spider! It’s trying to kill... AAGH!" Ling Xiao’s voice was filled with agony. Before he could finish, another scream rang out.

Then, Lin Hao saw the giant spider once more.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Lin Hao thought he saw a hint of mockery in the spider’s eyes.

Lin Hao froze for a moment, then immediately understood.

’This giant spider has intelligence. After realizing I know Ling Xiao, it’s trying to provoke me with his screams.’

’I just killed its companion. It’s trying to give me a taste of my own medicine.’

"Fuck! Don’t tell me you want me to feel what you felt?" Faced with a spider that was practically sentient, Lin Hao couldn’t help but curse.

The giant spider, of course, didn’t answer. Instead, it moved toward Ling Xiao again.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort escaped Lin Hao, and then...

BOOM!

A ball of fire erupted.

The webbing, though sticky, was flammable. The moment it touched the flames, it burst into a blazing inferno.

This was no ordinary fire. In just an instant, Lin Hao broke free.

BOOM!

The next moment, Lin Hao’s fist slammed violently into the giant spider’s body.

This was a full-power strike. The giant spider’s body instantly exploded into a mist of blood.

Taking a clean set of clothes from his storage spirit ring and changing, Lin Hao stood before Ling Xiao.

"I knew you’d have a way." Seeing Lin Hao, a smile appeared on Ling Xiao’s pale face.

Lin Hao saw that Ling Xiao’s legs were a mangled mess of flesh and blood. He didn’t reply, instead asking, "Do you have a weapon on you?"

"Yes, there’s a short blade at my right hip."

Lin Hao took it out, then extended his hand, and a ball of exotic fire appeared.

After heating the short blade, he sliced it through the web with a single motion.

Before long, Ling Xiao was free from the web.

Moving his hands, Ling Xiao stared blankly at Lin Hao and murmured, "So I wasn’t dreaming."

Lin Hao smiled but didn’t answer, instead lowering his head to examine Ling Xiao’s injuries.

He was already extremely weak; if he lost any more blood, his life would definitely be in danger.

Without a second thought, Lin Hao began to circulate his Cultivation Technique to heal Ling Xiao.

"What are you doing?" Ling Xiao grabbed Lin Hao’s hand and asked.

"Healing you, of course."

"Are you crazy? Stop! Haven’t you noticed something’s wrong?"

Lin Hao had, of course, noticed. The moment he circulated his Cultivation Technique, his True Essence began to leak out.

At that moment, Lin Hao understood. The leakage of True Essence wasn’t because of the Devil Beasts, but because something was strange about this Demon Suppression Cave.

"It’s fine. True Essence isn’t very useful in this Demon Suppression Cave anyway." Lin Hao didn’t stop, continuing to heal Ling Xiao with a calm expression.

"I am not your equal. Even if my cultivation reaches the Elemental Realm or the Soul Gathering Realm, I will never be your equal." Ling Xiao stared blankly at Lin Hao, finally uttering these words.

"You’re wrong about that. Everyone has their own value. A pair of iron chopsticks, no matter how hard, can be snapped. But a bundle of bamboo chopsticks is much harder to break."

The words seemed random, but Ling Xiao understood.

Lin Hao was telling him that for the sect to become truly strong, relying on individual strength was not enough. Only by uniting could they go further.

The sect’s leaders must cast aside their prejudices. Unity is the key to success.

"Senior Brother, I have learned my lesson." Awe-struck, Ling Xiao felt a genuine and heartfelt respect for Lin Hao for the first time.

Lin Hao smiled and said, "Take a look. How is it?"

Ling Xiao looked down and saw that the wounds on his legs were completely healed, as good as new.

Not only that, but Ling Xiao also felt a warmth spreading through his body, filling him with strength.

"This..."

Ling Xiao wasn’t a fool. He knew this was clearly the result of Lin Hao infusing his own True Essence into his body to clear his meridians.

Furthermore, he had never seen such miraculous True Essence before.

Physical injuries healed so quickly just by being treated with True Essence.

Only now did Ling Xiao realize how foolish and ignorant he had been. Lin Hao was far, far stronger than him.

He stood up abruptly and gave a deep bow.

The former number one genius of the Heaven-Stepping Sect had bowed his head before Lin Hao, completely and willingly.

"Don’t be so formal. We’re fellow disciples." Lin Hao clapped Ling Xiao on the shoulder, giving him a clean, bright smile.

Ling Xiao just nodded.

He didn’t know how to respond to Lin Hao.

"By the way, are you choosing to leave, or continue forward?" Lin Hao asked.

Ling Xiao gave a bitter smile. "Once you enter the Demon Suppression Cave, there’s no turning back."

At this point, all of Ling Xiao’s grand ambitions had been completely worn away.

Lin Hao nodded and said, "Since we chose the same path, let’s go together."

"As you wish, Senior Brother," Ling Xiao replied respectfully.

"Right, how did you get past that swarm of giant rats from before?" Lin Hao asked suddenly.

This was one thing that set Lin Hao apart from others. For the same outcome, he liked to analyze different methods. Brainstorming like this was a great help in improving his cultivation.

"Giant rats? I didn’t encounter any. The spiders just now were the first wave of Devil Beasts I’ve run into," Ling Xiao said, a bit embarrassed.

To think that he, a man with sky-high ambitions, was nearly killed by the very first wave of Devil Beasts he encountered after entering—the blow to his pride was devastating.

"How can that be?" Lin Hao frowned.

"They say that after entering the Demon Suppression Cave, different people encounter different Devil Beasts," Ling Xiao whispered from the side.

"I see."

This information wasn’t in Chu Tiandu’s memories, so Lin Hao didn’t know about it.

Lin Hao nodded and stepped forward.

As they walked, Lin Hao warned, "Be careful. That giant spider trapped you here but didn’t eat you. It might have had another purpose."

"Right, there’s another one! From what I observed, that one is about to lay eggs, so they were stockpiling food." Ling Xiao cried out in alarm, the spiders having clearly left a dark shadow on his mind.

Hearing Ling Xiao say that, Lin Hao understood. He couldn’t help but smile and say over his shoulder, "Don’t worry, I already took care of the other one."

Surprise flashed in Ling Xiao’s eyes, then they widened in horror as he shouted urgently, "Senior Brother, look out!"