Quentin Drake was so angry that his mustache bristled and his eyes bulged. He raised his hand to smack him again, but Noah Duanmu nimbly dodged, grinning as he asked, "Dad, do you know what kind of formation this is?"
"I..." Quentin Drake coughed twice and said, "Ask your elder brother!"
Noah Duanmu tutted, "So you don't know either! Always playing the elder!" Before he finished speaking, he had already leapt behind Liam Duanmu.
Quentin Drake glanced around at the many fellow martial artists present. He couldn't chase after his son to hit him, so he could only glare at him in frustration!
Everyone was worried about how to get out, but after this little commotion, they relaxed a bit. Everyone knew the eldest son of the Grandmaster's Estate was outstanding in every way, while the second son was a notorious playboy, always idling about, frequenting brothels and gambling houses. Sometimes, he'd even tease young ladies on the street, much to Master Duanmu's headache!
"Alliance Leader, what kind of formation is this?"
Some who knew a little about formations had observed for a long time but couldn't make sense of it, so they had to ask Liam Duanmu.
Unexpectedly, Liam Duanmu frowned and shook his head, "I don't know."
The moment those three words came out, everyone lost their composure. Even Liam Duanmu didn't know—were they trapped as soon as they entered? Though there was no immediate danger, if they remained stuck here, they'd starve or die of thirst. For such prominent figures in the martial world, ending up like this would be far too tragic!
Just as they were thinking this, a faint rustling sound echoed from afar, and everyone instantly became alert.
Maxwell Jing pulled out several small porcelain bottles from his waist and handed them to Susie Yun. These were medicines that Ethan Gu had given him—antidotes, wound salves, sleeping powders, and more—everything one could need.
At this moment, everyone was fully alert, so no one noticed the brief exchange between the Ghostmaster’s guardian and Cloud Guildmaster’s companion. Susie Yun quickly stowed the bottles away and asked, "What about you?"
Maxwell Jing kept a close eye on their surroundings and squinted, saying, "There’s every kind of medicine here!" After all, the outer valley of Healer’s Sanctuary was known for cultivating medicinal herbs.
Though the medicines were given to him by Ethan Gu, Susie Yun was now considered part of their own circle. He couldn’t just stand by and watch her get hurt.
He wasn’t worried about Damien Gray or Morgan Shangguan, but Susie Yun—even with Ryan Ouyang protecting her—was still vulnerable. The poisons in Healer’s Sanctuary were impossible to guard against!
Healer’s Sanctuary was renowned for medicine, but people often forgot that medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin.
Morgan Shangguan wasn’t surprised that Maxwell Jing knew medicine. Back when he kicked Qing’er, he’d struck precisely, something not everyone could do. She’d realized then that Maxwell Jing was no ordinary man, so it was no wonder he had ties to Healer’s Sanctuary.
The rustling suddenly stopped. They waited a long time, but all was silent, and gradually, everyone began to relax.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a man clutching his foot, collapsing to the ground. His skin rapidly turned black, and his entire body shriveled before their eyes, becoming a pitch-black corpse.
Fear gripped everyone’s hearts. What could be so deadly? They’d only just entered the valley and already faced such danger. Panic spread, but thankfully, the leaders remained calm and soothed the crowd.
Maxwell Jing walked over and inspected the corpse, then examined the wound on the man’s foot. Returning to Damien Gray’s side, he said, "Master, it was a snake bite."
"A snake?"
"What kind of snake could be so deadly?"
"Right Guardian, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"
Maxwell Jing replied in a low voice, "The poisons in Healer’s Sanctuary are nothing like ordinary toxins."
Galen Gu was known for collecting the most venomous creatures, feeding them poison until only the deadliest survived.
Now everyone truly realized the gravity of their situation. Some already regretted coming—after all, fear of death is universal. If they lost their lives, no treasure would matter.
But regret was useless now; there was no way out. All they could do was force themselves to stay calm and pray they could survive.
Suddenly, someone remembered that among them was a disciple of Healer’s Sanctuary. If he was truly from there, surely he’d know how to break the formation!
With a crowd of fierce faces staring him down, the young disciple was nearly terrified to tears. His voice trembled, "I don’t know anything! It’s my first time outside the valley, and... and it’s never been like this before!"
"Hmph! Who knows if you’re really clueless, or just pretending?"
"That’s right! You’re a disciple of Healer’s Sanctuary, you must be in league with Galen Gu!"
"I see now, there’s nothing good about anyone from Healer’s Sanctuary!"
These people, who once ruled the martial world, now found themselves trapped and frustrated. With danger all around, their panic needed an outlet. The young disciple, tied to the source of their troubles, naturally became everyone’s scapegoat.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at the crowd’s ugly expressions, then turned away to study the formation. Damien Gray simply stood there, occasionally casting her a glance, as if completely unfazed by the peril surrounding them.
Liam Duanmu focused intently on deciphering the array, carrying the hopes of everyone present.
Just then, the rustling returned, louder and closer than before.
Everyone tensed up once more. After a while, they finally discovered the source of the sound.
Spiders—dozens of them, all blood-red—swarmed toward the group. The sight resembled a tide of flowing blood, turning stomachs with revulsion.
Most of the women had gone pale. The crowd pressed closer together, but with spiders coming from all sides, there was nowhere to hide.
Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan, however, showed no sign of panic. Seizing the moment, Damien Gray moved closer to Morgan, and under the cover of his sleeve, secretly took her hand and gently squeezed it.
Morgan Shangguan shot him an amused glance and squeezed his hand in return, her eyes scanning the spiders. These spiders were subtly different from ordinary ones, exuding an eerie, unsettling aura.