MTLNOVEL Chapter 41: Betrayal
Chen Haunt was at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, but the Man-Faced Spider, despite lacking full intellect, was a Foundation Stage demon beast. It wasn't entirely brainless. Wouldn't it chase Sil Deshah, who was slower, first? How was this plan any different from sending her to die in Hwong Hyun and Cheung Joer'tin's place?
At that thought, Hwong Hyun and Cheung Joer'tin's eyes flickered, but they remained silent, their expressions unreadable.
Chen Haunt sighed, his tone softening as he turned to Sil Deshah. "Junior Sister Sil, don't worry—I wouldn't abandon you. Look, here's one last Aura-Hiding Fulu. You're an array cultivator—use your skills to speed up within the formation, escape far, and then hide with this Dao Fulu. How's that?"
"The last one?" Sil Deshah, who had been fuming and frantic moments ago, now softened. She hesitated, feeling a pang of guilt. After a pause, she murmured, "No… you keep it, Senior Brother Chen. I'm an array cultivator—I might have other ways out."
Chen Haunt pressed the Dao Fulu into her hand anyway, his grip firmly Sil Deshah's hand. Then he turned to Hwong Hyun and Cheung Joer'tin, his voice urgent. "No time to waste! The spider's closing in—get into the child formation now!"
The two exchanged a look. Drained of essence blood and barely clinging to life, they had no better options. Clasping their fists, they rasped, "Aye!"
As they hurried off, Chen Haunt's gaze deepened, watching until they were out of sight. Suddenly, he spun back to the still-nervous Sil Deshah, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Once they're in the child formation, trigger the parent formation—devour them and refine them into the Summon Soul Banner."
"Huh?" Sil Deshah blinked, stunned. Her fingers twisted the fabric of her robe as she stared blankly at Chen Haunt.
"The child formation couldn't even hold Pay Ling—how could it trap the demon spider?" Chen Haunt tamped down his urgency, his voice coaxing and soft. "The purpose of what I said earlier was to steady them. They know we can't match the spider, yet they dragged us into this death trap. Clearly, they have ill intent toward us. If we told them straight that we can't escape with them, they'd betray us immediately and fight us to the death. Better to lose a limb than your life, don't you think?"
He paused, his expression darkening. "And they're not innocent. Don't forget, Mave went with them. Only they came back—maybe they sacrificed her to stall the demon spider."
Sil Deshah's eyes widened, but Chen Haunt pressed on. "If it were just me, fine—I'd run with them. I'm at the sixth layer, faster than them. But you, Deshah-chan? You're at the fifth layer, just like them. They can't outrun the demon spider to Lothgar City—how would you escape? Leave you behind? Or carry you on my back? Neither option will get us out alive."
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "Think about it, Deshah-chan, the only way out now is to sacrifice them and finish the banner early. That's our only chance."
Sil Deshah stood frozen, her mind reeling. In her eyes, Chen Haunt had always been cunning and brutal toward other sect comrades but loyal and caring to his squad members. Yet here he was, the same senior brother who had just scolded her for the sake of the two other squad members, now proposing to devour their souls and refine them into the banner?
But his words—spoken in the name of protecting her—struck a chord deep within her. Already smitten by his sweet, caring demeanor, her heart fluttered with emotion. Hwong Hyun and Cheung Joer'tin had often sniped at her—just moments ago, they had blamed her for Pay Ling's escape. Chen Haunt had always smoothed things over and spoken up for her.
Sacrifice them? Devour their souls and refine them? Well, duh! Fair play!
Decision made, Sil Deshah nodded firmly. "Aye! But Senior Brother Chen, they're already badly wounded, and it's not midnight yet—the effect of devouring them won't match Pay Ling's body."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Chen Haunt pressed, his voice urgent. "The spider's closing in, Deshah-chan—move fast! If they catch on to our plan, it'll get messy."
Sil Deshah didn't hesitate. She darted to the parent formation, her array compass in hand. Raising it high, she began weaving a series of intricate seals. The faint blood-light glowing on the ground flared brighter, the earth beneath her feet twisting and writhing like a living thing. A slow, firm pulse rippled outward, signaling the activation of the array.
In the slot canyon below, the child formation answered the parent's call. The illusory maze shattered, revealing the true nature of the trap. Blood-red tendrils erupted from all directions, swarming toward the panicked and recovering Hwong Hyun and Cheung Joer'tin.
"What's happening?!" Sensing the shift, they leapt to their feet, thinking the spider had caught up. But there was no eerie man-faced spider—just countless blood-red tendrils closing in. Shock and panic hit them simultaneously. "This is the child formation's effect—Soul-and-Blood Drain! The spider's not here yet—why is it activated?!"
"Chen Haunt, you bastard!!!" After a split-second of dazed realization, they roared in fury. "I slaved for you, and you fucking sell me out?!"
In the parent formation above, Chen Haunt ignored the curses echoing from the slot canyon. He turned to Sil Deshah, his voice calm but urgent. "How much longer will it take?"
"Soon!" Her heart raced as she felt the looming presence of the spider. Her spiritual energy was still not fully recovered, but she swallowed a Spirit Restore Pill and forced herself to focus. "Senior Brother, just a moment—a dozen breaths at most."
Chen Haunt's eyes glinted with satisfaction. "Good… By the way, Deshah-chan, can this parent formation trap the spider? I noticed the runes are far more complex than the child formation. Could we turn it against that demon beast?"
"No, Senior Brother," Sil Deshah replied, her focus unwavering as she controlled the array. "The Soul-Devouring Parent-Child Array is designed differently. The child formation focuses on trapping and killing, while the parent formation is meant for refining Dao artifacts. The parent formation can't hold a Foundation Stage demon beast like the Man-Faced Spider—not even a basic Enlightenment Stage beast. The setup of the parent formation is wide open, with clear entrances and exits."
As she spoke, the runes of the parent formation quaked and glowed brighter. Two blood-wrapped souls were yanked from the child formation below, surging upward into the Summon Soul Banner. The banner fluttered without wind, its surface roiling with blood-red waves. The souls trapped within the banner continued cursing Chen Haunt, their voices filled with malice and rage. But soon, their curses turned to malicious joy as they recognized the newcomers.
"Hwong Hyen, Cheung Joer'tin? Haha, here comes your doom day!" one soul cackled, its voice dripping with scorn. "Well, well, well… Seems my judgment was rotten from the start. But watching you mutts rip each other's throats out? Hell, I could die peacefully right now."
"Hwong Hyun?!" another soul roared, its pale face contorted with madness. "You filthy bastard! I'll skewer your guts and feed them to the crows!"
A third soul hissed like a cornered serpent, its voice venomous. "Quiet hounds bite hardest, Zhang Zhongqin! All that 'loyalty' was just rotten meat wrapped in silk. Now you'll join me as a vengeful wraith in this damned banner—no escape."
The souls clawed and snarled, a writhing mass of resentment, all fighting and biting at each other within the banner. All except Sil Deshah's cousin's soul, who stood apart, her lips curled in a frost-laced smirk. Her eyes, glinting like poisoned daggers, locked onto Sil Deshah.
"Wretch cunt Sil Deshah," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "I'll wait. When your soul screams, devoured into this banner… I'll tear you apart myself. Piece. By. Piece."