Chapter 89: Spine-Chilling!

A rustling of hurried footsteps rose within the dense fog, and in such a place, even the slightest stir could make one’s flesh creep.

After that single bloodcurdling scream, the man made no sound again.

Someone nearby followed the voice and looked over, only to find him hanging from a tree, his body wrapped in a web-like layer of something sticky that dripped with slime.

He was upside down, his face swollen a deep purple-red, already long dead.

“He’s dead!”

“What is that thing?”

“Could it be some kind of venomous insect?”

Ji Shaofeng followed the commotion and, seeing the sight before him, his expression darkened.

“Light the torches!”

Someone immediately lit one and handed it to Ji Shaofeng.

He took the torch and thrust it toward the hanging man, and flames leaped up at once. At that same moment, an uncanny scene unfolded around them.

Within the mist, firelight darted and crisscrossed in all directions, forming cords of flame suspended in the air as they burned.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from ahead.

“Ah!”

Another scream rang out.

That single cry was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

No one yet knew what had happened.

Ji Shaofeng suddenly ran forward, his figure moving through the fog as though he were walking in broad daylight, utterly unaffected. With a flick of his slender hand, silver needles invisible to the eye shot swiftly toward one direction.

Not far away, something heavy struck the ground.

At once, a rustling filled the earth, as if countless insects were crawling beneath the surface, setting gooseflesh rising all over.

To this point, no one still knew what had happened. Yet the atmosphere alone made every nerve in their bodies tighten.

Ji Shaofeng stepped forward and looked down at the immense creature lying motionless on the ground.

It was spiderlike in shape, but a pair of wings jutted from its back. Its belly was enormous, large enough to swallow an adult whole, and fine fur covered it in rings of black and purple. In front were two massive claws, sharp as blades.

Even Ji Shaofeng, who knew venomous creatures well, could not tell what the thing before him was.

He tried using beast speech to draw out some information, only to discover that it was merely an ordinary poisonous insect, possessing no intelligence at all.

For now, his silver needles had only temporarily subdued it, and there was no guarantee it could not break free from his control. In the blink of an eye it had killed two people; this thing absolutely could not be left alive.

A dagger suddenly appeared in Ji Shaofeng’s hand, and just as he was about to drive it into the insect, the creature twitched and lunged straight at him.

Its speed was so great there was no time to evade.

The two claws at its front, bristling with sharp barbs, lashed at Ji Shaofeng again and again.

One of the others, unable to dodge in time, was struck by those razor-sharp claws and left with a deep gash. Almost instantly, the wound began to rot and ooze pus, a pitiful sight beyond endurance.

The wounded man was being consumed by poison; his skin slowly turned purple. Once the toxin spread to his heart, death would be certain.

Those who were uninjured quickly took out medicine and gave it to the wounded.

They had barely entered the mountain before dozens had already been hurt by this one insect. Some had lost their lives; others had already fallen into confusion and delirium.

Chu Yu immediately gathered his soul force and whipped up a fierce gale.

Yet the fog was not dispersed as he had expected. It remained just as thick as before.

Ji Yin had been coming in this direction all along. She faintly made out Ji Shaofeng’s figure struggling with a giant poisonous insect, and just as she was about to rush forward, Xuan Yuanji held her back.