Chapter Fifty: Target! Yanshan

"Oh? Christina, tell me quickly, where can we find salt?" Sun Licheng's eyes lit up instantly as he hurriedly pressed for answers.

"Well, there's a mountain to the southwest. From our village, it takes about the time for the moon to rise to reach it. The mountain is very tall, and at its base there's a cave with lots of salt inside," Christina replied with a smile.

"Oh?" Sun Licheng was puzzled. Didn't the Silver Moon Tribe lack salt?

"My grandmother told me that in the past, people from the tribe used to collect salt from the cave. The salt there was delicious, maybe as tasty as the salt you brought, Sun Licheng. It's not like the salt we eat now, which is bitter and gritty with sand. Unfortunately, a horde of spiders appeared later and drove our people out, taking over the entire mine. Our ancestors tried many times to reclaim the cave, but failed. The spiders are very fierce; we lost many people. Eventually, our tribe could only trade for salt with other tribes," Christina's expression grew increasingly downcast as she spoke.

Sun Licheng felt a headache coming on; he sensed something unusual. "Christina, are there really a lot of big spiders there?"

"Yes, I know there are many big spiders, but Sun Licheng, you're a hero, aren't you? My grandmother said I'm so pretty, that the man who belongs to Christina must be a hero!" Christina said excitedly, then added, "I believe you'll defeat the spiders!" She waved her little hand to cheer him on.

Sun Licheng smiled bitterly in his heart. "Who says primitive people are simple? This is a classic trap."

Even though he realized the Silver Moon Tribe had set him up, he couldn't protest; after all, he'd already promised. Besides, if he couldn't handle this small task, how could he help the Earth God gather the fragments of divinity and find his way home?

With that thought, Sun Licheng smiled and said, "Yes, I will defeat the spiders and help the Silver Moon Tribe reclaim the salt mine."

Upon hearing this, the girl was overjoyed. She threw her arms around Sun Licheng's neck, kissed him, and dashed away, calling out, "I'm going to tell Father and Grandma!"

Watching her small figure disappear into the distance, Sun Licheng smiled faintly. "Youth is wonderful," he called to the sky, startling the Wolf King, who stared at him intently, thinking something urgent had happened.

...

Guided by Vol, Sun Licheng rode the Wolf King, accompanied by Dogmeat, to Salt Mountain.

Even from a distance, they spotted a large mottled spider.

This type of spider was enormous, over a meter long, with four sinister compound eyes and two fangs gleaming coldly. It was clearly on patrol.

"Vol, I need to stay here and observe closely. You take the others back," Sun Licheng whispered, seeing they couldn't advance further.

"Alright. But shouldn't I leave a couple of people to help you?" Vol was still worried.

Sun Licheng, however, didn't want anyone left behind; there were things he preferred the Silver Moon Tribe not to know. He shook his head, "No, just me, the Wolf King, and Dogmeat will be fine."

"Very well," Vol agreed when he saw Sun Licheng's insistence.

Once he confirmed Vol had led the others away, Sun Licheng sent Dogmeat to scan the surrounding terrain, while he activated his perception abilities to watch the outermost spider and figure out its patrol route.

An hour later, the spider stopped before a thicket, sensing something amiss within. Just then, a steel beast leapt out from the bushes and clamped down viciously on its neck, pinning it to the ground—Dogmeat.

The spider shrieked and struggled frantically, slashing at Dogmeat with its claws, but to no avail. Dogmeat's body was made of steel, now clad in vine armor. This special armor was lined with large black fish skin and reinforced with bronze plates, offering excellent protection. Not only were the spider's claws ineffective, even a knife would struggle to cut through.

At that moment, Sun Licheng burst from behind the bushes, wielding a mountain-cleaving blade in one hand and a net in the other.

With a few sharp cracks, Sun Licheng severed several of the spider's legs at the root. Then he threw the net over the spider's head, binding it tightly with rope. The spider was completely subdued.

A whistle rang out, and the Wolf King, already prepared, charged down from the slope.

Sun Licheng hoisted the spider onto the wolf's back, patted the Wolf King, and sent it off with its captive. He picked up the severed spider legs, rallied Dogmeat, and brought up the rear.

By the time Sun Licheng and his companions had fled, the other spiders arrived, only to find nothing but spider fluids and traces of battle—no enemy in sight.

Through careful preparation, Sun Licheng had successfully captured a prisoner.

...

On the fourth day, at Sun Licheng's forward camp, Master Dexterous was reporting his research results.

"Boss, after studying the spider you caught, I found their strongest attack is their venom, followed by their claws," Master Dexterous explained, pointing to a 3D image of the spider on the screen.

After capturing the spider, Sun Licheng and his team returned to the forward camp at top speed. To know oneself and the enemy is to be invincible; since he would be fighting spiders, the first task was to study their capabilities. In military matters, Master Dexterous was unquestionably trustworthy. With Dogmeat's assistance, he had results in less than half a day.

"Oh, so what about their combat strength?" Sun Licheng asked, suddenly enlightened.

"Dogmeat can handle two, but not three. This one is probably a regular wolf spider. There may be even stronger spiders deeper inside the cave," Master Dexterous replied.

Sun Licheng rubbed his brow, his expression darkening. "There must be a lot of spiders. This expedition won't be easy. We'll need more preparation."

Once preparations began, Sun Licheng, aided by Master Dexterous, extracted a small amount of spider venom and tested its toxicity on himself, finding its effect limited. This provided some comfort. His body, rebuilt by the Lord of the Stars, had minimized pain and negative sensations, coupled with immortality and powerful regenerative abilities, making him a perfect frontline assault force.

For this battle, Sun Licheng crafted a special vine armor: double layers of large black fish skin, packed with custom bronze plates, each inscribed with various defensive magic arrays. Simulations by Master Dexterous showed the armor's defense was excellent; the spider's fangs couldn't pierce it at all.

The cave's cramped space required precautions against enemy rushes disrupting formation, so Sun Licheng also made a large shield. He selected the hardest wood from the forest for the shield's body, covered it inside and out with black fish skin, and fixed it with fish glue for extra flexibility. The shield was then clad in bronze, etched with multiple defensive magic arrays—physical, flame, frost, lightning, and venom defense—making it exceedingly luxurious. The only drawback was its weight, but Sun Licheng was strong enough that it wasn't an issue. In fact, the heavy shield served well for charging and shield-bashing.

"Boss, you should add a magic crystal slot to the shield to keep its defenses active," Master Dexterous suggested, seeing Sun Licheng satisfied.

Sun Licheng considered and agreed. With magic crystal support, the shield would have sustained combat ability, raising its defensive power several levels.

The preparations took three days to complete. All equipment met expectations after testing, and everyone was pleased.

"Boss, all preparations are complete. Awaiting your orders," Master Dexterous reported in military style, even saluting with a tentacle for effect.

"Excellent. Tomorrow at dawn, everyone moves out—target, Salt Mountain!" Sun Licheng declared, raising his hand in command.