Lord of the Magical Beasts

Chapter 123: Giant Crab Spider

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After a moment’s deliberation, thinking about the powerful Black Pulp Melon, Yang Ling decided to take the gamble. He clenched his teeth and instructed the army to walk slowly toward the Taildon Valley.

The Ogre army took the front and the Gargoyles covered his back. The Horned Bee Beasts hovered low in the air, responsible for providing the army with cover. The rest of the troops formed a tight circular defensive formation. With caution in every step, they walked forward.

The entrance to the valley was wide, but there were rocks of various shapes strewn around. With the steep cliffs on both sides, it looked exceptionally narrow and pressing.

Compared to the outside, the inside of the valley was darker and colder. Even Yang Ling trembled in the cold, much less the elf archers and their weaker constitution. If the area outside the valley was chilly, then the area within could be described as outright sinister and cold.

The cold air penetrated their thick coats like a venomous snake, entering the body through every pore. It was chilly straight to the bone. Their limbs were numb, their scalps aching. It was as if even their souls were about to be frozen solid, much less their blood.

The group had just walked a few steps when a strange sound came from deep within the valley. It sounded like the roar of the wind, but also like the howls of a wild beast. The sound glided past the hearts of everyone like the cold wind.

“Sir, why don’t we come back after we have gathered all of the warriors?”

Argus looked nervously at the serious Yang Ling, gripping his longsword tightly, incredibly nervous. He recalled the various legends that he had heard about in the past. He frequently looked around in fear, paranoid.

“Yes yes yes! Sir, why don’t we head outside first!” The Gnome Elder agreed loudly with Argus. For some reason, he had a very bad feeling, as if the dark sky was going to fall on them at any time.

“Having too many people isn’t always a good thing!” Yang Ling said after a moment’s deliberation. “With our abilities, we might be able to hold our own against a level eight, or even a level nine Magical Beast. Even if we are unable to win, we should at least be able to retreat safely. There’s nothing to be scared of. But remember, do not leave the formation. You must not act rashly!”

Even though the valley was much more sinister than he had expected, Yang Ling was unwilling to give up now that he was already here. He had a feeling that in addition to the large sulfur mine, he might even find many rare treasures if he persisted on.

According to the reports of his scouts, both the inside and outside of the Taildon Valley was covered with mountains. They had not been able to see the end of the valley even after travelling over two hours on a fast horse. No one knew just how long this eerie valley was.

With Yang Ling’s consolation, the group lifted their spirits and pressed on. Along the way, they saw incomplete skeletons from time to time, some missing limbs, others only left with a skull. Under the heavy cloud cover, the skeletons scattered on the ground only reflected bits of light, making them even more sinister and scary.

The group advanced slowly as they observed the surrounding terrain closely. They sent out a large number of scouts and Horned Bee Beasts, in case they suddenly got attacked by enemies. Along the way, they picked up anything that was of value.

After journeying for an hour, the smell of sulfur in the air became stronger. They were probably not too far away from the sulfur mine now. They did not encounter any monsters along the way, but they did manage to pick up many things near the various skeletons. There were sharp swords, heavy armor, and grimy crystal coins. Other than that, there were also several staffs and weird items.

Grabbing a black staff that an Ogre had passed back to him, Yang Ling had no expression, but he felt incredibly shocked. He could feel a massive Magical Energy within this pitch black staff. Looking at the intricate patterns on the staff, he finally believed the words of the fox elder.

Other than ordinary Swordsmen and Spellcasters, there were also several Great Swordsmen and Great Spellcasters who had lost their lives in the Taildon Valley. In fact, there were even powerful Sword Saints and Magical Tutors!

When a scout sent back a Space Ring, Yang Ling was both excited and incredibly nervous. Space Rings were incredibly rare on the continent. Ordinarily, only the rich and noble would wear Space Rings. Under normal circumstances, only Spellcasters who had reached the level of Magical Tutor would have the abilities to keep a Space Ring safe.

What kind of monster could cause even powerful fighters like Magical Tutors or Sword Saints to die here?

The farther they headed inside and the more treasures they picked up, the more nervous Yang Ling got. At the same time, it might have been just a hallucination, but he felt the sensation of being watched become stronger and stronger. In fact, he could faintly hear waves of icy laughter filled with disdain. The pagoda-shaped mark at the center of his brows became hotter and hotter, slowly starting to throb.

Chitter...

Just as Yang Ling was still hesitating on whether to retreat immediately, the Tarantula King suddenly screamed maniacally, instructing the spider army to stay cautious.

“Not good! Quick, close in the formation, quick!”

Even though he did not know what danger the Tarantula King had sensed, Yang Ling did not dare hesitate, quickly closing in the formation. The Evil Eyes that had weak defences stayed in the center, while the powerful Withered Tree Warriors and Ogres acted as shields. They formed a tight circular defensive formation.

After receiving the order, the scouts quickly returned to the formation. The barbarians who were further away also rushed toward them with all their strength. But they had just made it within twenty steps of the main formation and were heaving sighs of relief when disaster suddenly struck!

Several sharp spines suddenly appeared from under the ground, immediately impaling the defenseless scouts. The sharp, oval-shaped spines pierced into their chests, punching through their spines before emerging from their backs.

After the successful attack, a large horde of basin-sized spiders crawled out from under the ground and split into two groups.

One team charged toward the group fiercely, their two pincers opening and closing with a cold gleam. They shot out a smelly poisonous liquid from far away, their range greater than the spider army led by the Tarantula King. The other team dug underground in groups, launching many sharp spikes from the earth.

“Oh god, Giant Crab Spiders! Sir, retreat, retreat quickly!”

Seeing the horde of spiders approaching him, seeing the earth spikes swarm toward him like the tide, the Gnome Elder lost his color in shock. The clansmen behind him shivered in fear.

It was rumored that the Giant Crab Spiders were magical creatures that came from Hell in groups. They not only had immense strength, fatal poison, and sharp claws, they could also dig underground and launch terrifying Earth Spikes, leaving no way to escape.

Giant Crab Spiders?

Seeing the Giant Crab Spiders that seemed to be the evolved versions of the Red-haired Tarantula, Yang Ling swallowed with difficulty. Sharp claws, blanketing poison, massive numbers, and those terrifying Earth Spikes... It was no wonder that the Beastmen had suffered heavy casualties. It was no wonder that corpses lined the valley.

“Retreat, all of you retreat, quickly!”

After his shock, Yang Ling reacted quickly. He was prepared to send the Gargoyles to cover his back and instruct his army to retreat urgently. But he had just said this when Giant Crab Spiders dug out from all around him. He was surrounded in the blink of an eye.

With no choice left, Yang Ling could only instruct his army to defend themselves where they stood!

Violently charging forward, a dozen Ogres had not even managed to kill a few Giant Crab Spiders when they fell to the combined effects of the other party’s poison and Earth Spikes. The sharp Earth Spikes pierced through the soles of their feet, and the fatal poison corroded their muscles and bones, instantly reducing them into piles of bloody gore.

Under the command of the Evil Eye Tyrant, the Evil Eye army unleashed a wave of strong light. But disappointingly, perhaps due to the unique structure of the Giant Crab Spiders’ eyes or because they had reacted too quickly, the attack didn’t have much of an effect.

Faced with the horde of Giant Crab Spiders and their terrifying poison, the Horned Bee Beasts and Gargoyles had no way of getting close to them. Because of their limited range, the spider army led by the Tarantula King was also useless in this situation. Only the Evil Eye army retaliated with all their might under the command of the Evil Eye Tyrant, trying their best to hold off the tidal-like attack of the enemy.

At Yang Ling’s command, the Unicorn also unleashed bolts of snake-shaped lightning, attacking the sieging Giant Crab Spiders. Unfortunately, there were just too many Giant Crab Spiders. There was no end to their swarm, so Yang Ling’s army simply could not kill enough of them.

As the attacking army of Giant Crab Spiders increased and advanced, the Ogres and barbarians in the outer circle all got struck by their attacks. Some got hit by the acidic poison. They were unable to shake off the substance, and small holes appeared on them in the blink of an eye. Some were propped up above the ground by the sharp Earth Spines, their limbs twitching as their bodies became covered in blood.

What do I do?

Seeing the acidic poison blanketing them, Yang Ling became covered in sweat. If he was alone, he might have been able to escape quickly using the fast Unicorn. If he only had the Magical Beast army beside him, he could have recalled them into the Wizard’s Pagoda before escaping, but what was he going to do with the rest of the barbarians, elves, Ogres, and Gnomes?

The waves of Earth Spikes, the acidic poison that could cut through heavy shields... Faced with the massive numbers of Giant Crab Spiders, the group lost their color in shock. The poison was even more terrifying than the Earth Spikes. It could penetrate anything.

At the critical moment, the ones that saved the army were not the cannon-like Evil Eyes or the fighter jet-like Horned Bee Beasts, but the Gnomes who had always been used as bait, the cowardly, insignificant Gnomes!

Under the command of the Gnome Elder, several Gnome Spellcasters quickly flipped open an earth element spell formation, joining hands as they activated a powerful of earth element barrier ring, blocking the blanketing poison of the Giant Crab Spiders.

Hisssss...

A piercing sound could be heard when the blanketing poison of the Giant Crab Spiders fell on the protective barrier, releasing bales of thick white smoke. It was jarring to watch.

“Sir, the attacks of the Giant Crab Spiders are too concentrated! The protective barrier will only last an hour at the very most. You have to find a way out as soon as possible!”

After catching his breath, the Gnome Elder reminded Yang Ling fearfully. He could not imagine how they were going to defend themselves against the powerful attacks of the Giant Crab Spiders after the protective barrier lost its effectiveness.

“Hmph, an hour is more than enough. It is enough for me to kill them all!”

Seeing the Giant Crab Spiders advancing toward them, Yang Ling had decided to take a gamble. He was going to wait until the hordes of Giant Crab Spiders charged over before instructing the Evil Eyes and spider army to unleash a strong counterattack.

Without the threat of the poison, the counterattack of the Evil Eyes and the spider army swept across the sieging enemies. The Giant Crab Spiders were all killed before they could even dig into the ground.