Chapter 284: I Need You

Bai Lian watched with her own eyes as the oasis inn in the distance suddenly vanished, replaced by a pitch-black cave entrance. She immediately realized—something was terribly wrong.

“Quick! Summon Fairy Taomo here!” she ordered.

A wisp of unique smoke burst into the air as her figure flashed and appeared at the cave’s entrance.

But just as quickly, she slammed to a halt and began cautiously backing away.

At the cave mouth, Bai Jing’s enormous spider body emerged. In front of her, Eight Ghosts stumbled out, vomiting blood in large mouthfuls, barely able to stand.

“Eight Ghosts!” Bai Lian’s face turned grim.

This mission had already become a complete disaster.

Lihun had been ambushed by Chen Fei, nearly losing his life. Recovering from that kind of damage would require multiple large-scale blood sacrifices.

Now Eight Ghosts was heavily injured—things had turned dire. Fortunately, Bai Jing didn’t pursue them further.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Eight Ghosts’ eyes flashed with deep dread as he coughed.

“Quick—call for reinforcements. That monster is too strong!”

“Already done,” Bai Lian replied coldly. “Fairy Taomo is on her way. As for the Demon Lord, he’s being watched by people from Tianqing Sacred Land and can’t act. But many Mystic Realm cultivators are on their way!”

Hearing this, Eight Ghosts finally relaxed a little.

“Huh? She didn’t come out?” Bai Lian immediately sensed something was off.

They exchanged glances. A glint of hope flashed in Eight Ghosts’ eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deep frown.

Chen Fei was still inside!

All of this—this pursuit, this mission—was for the black-and-red command flag he carried! Now, even though Eight Ghosts had escaped and Bai Jing couldn’t leave her lair, Chen Fei was still in there!

“What a pity,” Bai Jing’s soft, seductive voice echoed out.

Her delicate human face peeked from the cave—except it was attached to the massive body of a spider, which made the scene incredibly unsettling.

“You vile beast! How dare you kill our Sacred Sect’s people!” Eight Ghosts barked angrily.

“Who’s more daring, I wonder?” Bai Jing laughed coldly. “This is the Dusk Sand Dunes—my territory.”

Then, she gave a chilling smile.

“I know you’re all interested in that little guy. As it happens, so am I. And as long as he’s in there, you won’t leave, will you? Perfect. My children could use a good feast!”

A rustling hiss echoed again as massive spiders, nearly the same size as Bai Jing herself, began crawling out of the cave and blocked the entire entrance.

Eight Ghosts’ face paled. He glanced at Bai Lian.

She looked equally grim. This place was already a forbidden land, and though they’d never encountered a Ghost-Faced Demon Spider before, the fact that this one had lived here so luxuriously spoke volumes.

And the worst part—this spider had brains. She was using Chen Fei as bait, knowing they wouldn’t abandon their prize.

“Shape-shifted demon beasts really are a pain to deal with,” Bai Lian exhaled.

Then her voice turned frosty:

“But that man is ours. This may be a forbidden zone, but if we act in full force—do you think you can escape?”

Bai Jing chuckled, her seductive eyes scanning the group.

“Then by all means… try it.”

With that, she and her army of spiders retreated back into the cave, leaving only countless glowing green eyes flickering in the darkness—a silent warning that many more spiders awaited inside.

Back inside the Purple Clear Palace, Leng Yue looked at Chen Fei, brows furrowed.

“This situation is bad. What’s your plan now?”

Chen Fei spread his hands.

“What plan could I have? All we can do now is take it step by step. But honestly, this might be a good thing—we can just sit and watch them tear each other apart.”

“Not a bad idea, little one,” Bai Jing’s voice suddenly echoed.

When the illusion of the inn crumbled, Chen Fei didn’t hesitate—he immediately retreated into the Purple Clear Palace.

But that created a problem: the Palace remained outside, now in Bai Jing’s hands, essentially under her control.

She held the intricately crafted miniature palace in her palm, admiring it like a treasured artifact.

“A spatial artifact? How rare. Little one, interested in cooperating?”

“Cooperate? In what way?” Chen Fei asked warily.

Though he played along, he had no interest whatsoever in anything Bai Jing offered.

Her strength and cunning already marked her as a terrifying ancient demon, and Chen Fei wasn’t foolish enough to trust a single word.

“I help you kill everyone outside. In exchange, you give this to me—as my payment,” she said sweetly, eyes shimmering with desire.

The inn she conjured had been maintained purely through her magic. But with the Purple Clear Palace, she might finally escape her underground life.

She might even be able to manifest a more realistic illusionary inn!

Chen Fei grinned:

“Sure! But I’m not as strong as you. When you’ve handled it, then I’ll come out.”

“You’re a sly little fox,” Bai Jing laughed. She hadn’t expected to fool him so easily.

Anyone who could survive being hunted like he had clearly wasn’t stupid.

Leng Yue had been listening in silence but now looked at Chen Fei, her expression serious.

“I need something from you.”

Chen Fei turned toward her, curious.

“Whatever it is, just say it, Senior Sister Leng Yue. If I have it, it’s yours.”

He wasn’t exactly poor right now. He might not have taken anything overly powerful from the Chen Clan, but he’d collected quite a bit—medicinal herbs, spirit stones, and treasures during battles.

Not to mention he now controlled the Spirit Tower, which was stocked with valuable items.

Basically, Chen Fei was a walking treasure vault. As long as Leng Yue didn’t ask for some extremely rare or obscure artifact, he probably had what she needed.

But he could never have predicted what she said next—and it both shocked and confused him.

Leng Yue’s face turned a shade of red.

“The spiritual energy in my body was disrupted by the energy surge from Tianzhang Mountain. The cold Qi won’t condense. If I forcefully use my arts, I’ll need… a supreme yang item.”

“A supreme yang item?” Chen Fei furrowed his brow, rummaging through his storage space, trying to recall if he had anything suitable.

But Leng Yue’s face twisted slightly in embarrassment.

He really didn’t understand what she meant?!

With a wave of her hand, spiritual energy surged, sealing the surrounding space in a haze.

“Leng Yue… what are you—” Chen Fei looked up, confused.

In the mist, a pair of cold lips suddenly pressed against his.

Her voice followed in a low whisper:

“Soon, a wave of icy Qi will enter your body. If you can withstand it… you may break through to the Mystic Realm.”

Chen Fei: (/ω＼*)