"The number of eyes... could this be the legendary creature, the Verdant Annihilator?"
Upon seeing so many red eyes, Bai Lu shivered uncontrollably.
"It must be, otherwise the entrance and the spiderwebs above wouldn't be so sturdy."
"This isn't just any ordinary large spider, but a legendary being. To have the chance to fight such a creature before we die, that's a life without regret!"
Qing Luan's lips licked with excitement as she watched the monster gradually emerge from the darkness.
Inheriting Qing Feng's penchant for a good fight, the stronger her opponent, the more exhilarated she became.
Even when facing an inevitable defeat, she felt an indescribable thrill.
Tap... tap... tap...
Her slender spider legs struck the ground, each beat seemingly pounding on Qing Luan and Bai Lu's hearts.
Whoosh!
A gust of cold wind swept in.
The spider's head, covered in compound eyes, appeared in the light, followed by its massive body.
"Kaka kaka!"
The spider's huge fangs made a clattering sound.
A spider with red and green stripes, as tall as a six-story building, appeared on the scene.
The moment it entered, it occupied nearly half the area, cornering Qing Luan and Bai Lu.
"So it was for this cute little spider... that makes sense..."
Seeing this, Zhang Chen nodded in realization.
No wonder the followers of the Mother God cult had dug such a deep pit.
Given Qing Luan's strength, no matter how deep the pit, she could easily jump out.
Moreover, the top was sealed with spider silk; what was the point of making it so high?
Now, seeing the large, adorably sized spider, Zhang Chen understood.
"C-cute...?"
Miao Qi clutched Zhang Chen's arm tightly, her palms sweating.
Miao Ke and Miao Yin weren't faring much better, almost clinging to Zhang Chen.
The feline genes also carried a deep-seated fear of spiders. The moment they saw this behemoth, the fur on all three little cats stood on end.
"Oh, I didn't mean its appearance is cute. Its looks are average among spiders, but its size is indeed very cute. It's plump and clumsy, like a little oaf, hehe!"
Zhang Chen smiled slightly. The large spider reminded him of Mo Ran and Roid.
He could still recall Mo Ran hatching and Roid lumbering along with him, carrying him.
Compared to Roid's size, wasn't this spider's size incredibly small and cute?
"This..."
"Not cute at all!"
"Its fangs are so scary!"
"With this size, it could probably eat all the cat-eared people in River Valley City!"
"Too terrifying!~"
The three little cats whispered.
If they weren't afraid of being exposed by the surrounding cultists, they would have already jumped up in fear.
"Wow!"
The surrounding cultists, upon seeing the large spider, all let out exclamations of awe before falling silent.
Part of it was fear of this behemoth, and the other part was the fear of attracting its attention.
If this large spider went berserk, everyone present would die.
"Praise the Mother God, please accept the offerings we present!"
In the middle of the spectator stands, there was a large platform where figures dressed like priests stood, holding staffs and waving them incessantly.
"Mother God? This big spider is the Mother God?"
Miao Ke asked with a frown.
Zhang Chen shook his head; he wasn't sure either.
"You're new here, aren't you?"
Suddenly, a cultist beside them asked.
He was a middle-aged man with a dejected appearance.
However, at this moment, his face bore an expression of confident self-satisfaction, as if to say, "You've seen through me, haven't you?"
"Yes, we're new. We haven't seen the Mother God's true form yet!"
Zhang Chen quickly seized the opportunity to play along.
"Then you're lucky to have met me. I've been in the cult... no, I've been here for twenty full years, a veteran believer!"
"Let me tell you, this big spider is not the Mother God, but the Mother God's envoy."
"All offerings are consumed by the Mother God's envoy. The Mother God, as the supreme deity, would naturally not show herself easily."
"Besides, the offerings this time are not that high-grade, merely reserve candidates from the Black Tail Swallow Legion."
"There are a hundred or so individuals like them in the Black Tail Swallow Legion. The truly terrifying ones are the official thirteen."
The man said proudly.
"So that's how it is, I've learned a lot!"
Zhang Chen nodded.
"You're welcome. Are you here voluntarily? Do you not have a guide yet?"
"How about I be your guide? From now on, I'll lead you on missions, and I guarantee your status in the cult will soar!"
"Perhaps one day, you might even get to behold the Mother God's true form!"
The middle-aged man looked as if he had them all figured out.
"Is this guy... an idiot?"
"What's with that weird expression?"
"In his eyes, we're probably all as foolish as he is..."
The three little cats didn't speak, communicating only through glances and expressions.
"Alright then, we'll trouble you!"
Zhang Chen didn't refuse; instead, he readily agreed.
"Good, good, good, that's great. From now on, you three will follow me... to develop."
"My name is Cai Da Yuan, what are your names?"
Cai Da Yuan was so delighted that his gums showed.
Since arriving at the Mother God cult, no one had ever wanted to follow him. Even if someone did, they were poached by others.
After all, his social skills and his ability to judge people were extremely poor.
Now, having gained four subordinates at once, he was overjoyed.
"I'm Zhang Chen, this is Miao Ke, Miao Qi, and Miao Yin."
Zhang Chen didn't hide anything and directly stated their names.
After all, he and the three little cats weren't celebrities in this world. Even if they revealed their names, no one would recognize them.
"After the big spider eats these two people, what do we do next?"
Miao Ke initiated the conversation.
"Once the sacrifice is complete, the Mother God's envoy will usher in a new birth. Our cult is brewing a earth-shattering plan."
Cai Da Yuan said mysteriously.
"Hmph, you just want to destroy the Elf Kingdom, don't you? What's so surprising about that!"
Miao Qi pouted, saying dismissively.
"The Elf Kingdom is just the first step. Our Mother God cult's grand ambition, I'll tell you when you reach higher levels."
Cai Da Yuan said with a smile.
"Kaka kaka, woo!~"
Suddenly, the entire stadium trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
The large spider in the arena roared as if it had gone mad.
One of its compound eyes had been blinded, and yellow-green fluid was oozing from it.
"Oh no, the Mother God's envoy is going berserk! Let's retreat first. We'll recapture it when it sheds its skin!"
Cai Da Yuan said, ignoring Zhang Chen and the others, and followed the crowd, running frantically out of the arena.