sān rén zhèng jìn tuì liǎng nán ， qià hǎo jiù pèng jiàn le lín xuān ， yú shì huáng yī xiū shì shùn lǐ chéng zhāng de yāo qǐng tā rù huǒ ， bìng tí chū miè le cǐ yāo shòu hòu ， jiāng suǒ de jīng shí píng fēn de jiàn yì 。
三人正进退两难，恰好就碰见了林轩，于是黄衣修士顺理成章的邀请他入伙，并提出灭了此妖兽后，将所得晶石平分的建议。
The three were in a difficult situation, but just as they were struggling, Lin Xuan happened to appear. The yellow-robed cultivator naturally invited him to join their group and proposed splitting the crystal stones they would obtain from killing the妖兽.
lín xuān zì rán bù quē jīng shí ， dàn zài shāo yī chén yín zhī hòu ， què diǎn diǎn tóu biǎo shì tóng yì 。
林轩自然不缺晶石，但在稍一沉吟之后，却点点头表示同意。
Lin Xuan naturally wasn't short of crystal stones, but after a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement.
nà huáng yī xiū shì dà xǐ ， dāng jí jiù jiāng lín xuān lā le guò qù ， bìng háo shuǎng de zì wǒ jiè shào ：“ zài xià zhōu liáng ， zhè wèi shì huáng zhōng huáng xiōng ， zhè wèi shì mǎ jìn dào yǒu ， dōu shì wǒ zài lù shàng jié shí de 。”
那黄衣修士大喜，当即就将林轩拉了过去，并豪爽的自我介绍：“在下周良，这位是黄钟黄兄，这位是马进道友，都是我在路上结识的。”
The yellow-robed cultivator was overjoyed and immediately pulled Lin Xuan closer, introducing himself with great enthusiasm: "I am Zhou Liang. This is Brother Huang Zhong and this is Fellow Daoist Ma Jin. We met them on our journey."
lín xuān bào le bào quán ， nà huáng zhōng nǎi shì yī bái xū lǎo zhě ， kàn qǐ lái ， yīng gāi yǒu qī lǎo bā shí le ， dàn què shēn cái kuí wú ， shēng ruò hóng zhōng ， yǔ zì jǐ yī yàng ， shì zhù jī zhōng qī de xiū zhēn zhě 。
林轩抱了抱拳，那黄钟乃是一白须老者，看起来，应该有七老八十了，但却身材魁梧，声若洪钟，与自己一样，是筑基中期的修真者。
Lin Xuan gave a slight bow. Huang Zhong was an elderly man with white beard, appearing to be in his seventies or eighties, but he had a sturdy build and his voice was as deep as a bell—just like Lin Xuan, both were mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
ér lìng wài nà jiào mǎ jìn de rén ， shēn chuān yī jiàn hēi sè de duǎn páo ， sān shí suì zuǒ yòu ， zhù jī chū qī
而另外那叫马进的人，身穿一件黑色的短袍，三十岁左右，筑基初期
Ma Jin, on the other hand, wore a black short robe and was around thirty years old, at an early stage of Foundation Establishment.
“ zài zhè lǐ néng pèng jiàn lín dào yǒu ， yě suàn shì yǒu yuán le ， fàng xīn ， zhǐ yào wǒ men sì rén lián shǒu ， yí dìng kě yǐ miè le cǐ yāo shòu 。” huáng zhōng fǔ xū ér xiào 。
“在这里能碰见林道友，也算是有缘了，放心，只要我们四人联手，一定可以灭了此妖兽。”黄钟抚须而笑。
"Meeting Daoist Lin here is truly by chance. Rest assured, with all four of us working together, we can definitely take care of this妖兽," said Huang Zhong, stroking his beard in a smile.
“ shì a ， èr jí jí pǐn yāo shòu ， shēn shàng de cái liào mài shàng shù qiān jīng shí yīng gāi méi yǒu wèn tí 。” mǎ jìn cuō le cuō shǒu ， mǎn liǎn xīng fèn de mú yàng ：“ duì yú wǒ men sàn xiū ér yán ， zhè kě zhēn shì yī dà bǐ cái fù 。”
“是啊，二级极品妖兽，身上的材料卖上数千晶石应该没有问题。”马进搓了搓手，满脸兴奋的模样：“对于我们散修而言，这可真是一大笔财富。”
"Yes, a second-grade top-tier妖兽. Selling the materials from its body should fetch several thousand crystal stones," Ma Jin rubbed his hands, looking excited: "For us scattered cultivators, that's a huge fortune."
lín xuān yě gēn zhe fù hè le jǐ jù ， rán ér xīn zhōng què zài lěng xiào ：“ sàn xiū ？”
林轩也跟着附和了几句，然而心中却在冷笑：“散修？”
Lin Xuan nodded along but was secretly laughing to himself: "Scattered cultivator?"
suī rán sān rén de dǎ bàn què shí shì sàn xiū ， bù guò lín xuān yě zhǐ xiāng xìn nà zhōu liáng méi yǒu sā huǎng ， zhì yú zhè mǎ jìn yǔ huáng zhōng ， mù guāng duǒ shǎn ， yī kàn jiù yǒu māo nì zài lǐ miàn ， jǐn guǎn tā men zì yǐ wéi yǎn shì dé bù cuò ， dàn què táo bù guò lín xuān de huǒ yǎn jīn jīng le xiáng zhuāng bù zhī de yǔ tā men hé zuò ， zhǐ yào xiǎo xīn yì diǎn ， yǐ lín xuān de shǒu duàn ， zì rán shì bú huì hài pà liǎng wèi tóng jiē xiū shì de àn suàn 。
虽然三人的打扮确实是散修，不过林轩也只相信那周良没有撒谎，至于这马进与黄钟，目光躲闪，一看就有猫腻在里面，尽管他们自以为掩饰得不错，但却逃不过林轩的火眼金睛了详装不知的与他们合作，只要小心一点，以林轩的手段，自然是不会害怕两位同阶修士的暗算。
Although their appearance did suggest they were scattered cultivators, Lin Xuan only believed Zhou Liang hadn't lied. As for Ma Jin and Huang Zhong, their eyes darted around nervously—clearly, there was something fishy going on. Despite their attempts at concealment, Lin Xuan's sharp eyes easily caught onto it.
nà yuè mó zhī zhū ， lín xuān zhì zài bì děi 。
那月魔蜘蛛，林轩志在必得。
He pretended not to notice and cooperated with them, knowing that as long as he stayed cautious, his skills would ensure he wasn't afraid of the two fellow mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators' tricks.
xū yǔ wēi yí ， shuō le yī xiē méi yǒu yíng yǎng de yǔ yán ， huáng zhōng tū rán shén sè sù rán de dào ：“ suī rán yǒu wǒ men sì rén lián shǒu ， dàn èr jí jí pǐn yāo shòu fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， wǒ men zài tā cháo xué rù kǒu bù yí gè zhèn fǎ wěn tuǒ yì diǎn 。
虚与委蛇，说了一些没有营养的语言，黄钟突然神色肃然的道：“虽然有我们四人联手，但二级极品妖兽非同小可，我们在他巢穴入口布一个阵法稳妥一点。
The Moon Demon Spider was his target.
“ bù zhèn ？”
“布阵？”
They chatted aimlessly for a while before Huang Zhong suddenly said solemnly: "Even though we have four of us working together, this second-grade top-tier妖兽 is no small matter. Let's set up an array at the entrance to its lair as a precaution."
lín xuān yī jīng 。 rán hòu zài tā chà yì de mù guāng xià ， huáng zhōng cóng chǔ wù dài lǐ ná chū le yī dà duī wù pǐn 。
林轩一惊。然后在他诧异的目光下，黄钟从储物袋里拿出了一大堆物品。
"Set up an array?"
duì yú zhèn fǎ 。 lín xuān bìng bù mò shēng ， tā céng jīng shǐ yòng guò de zhèn fú jiù yǒu shù zhāng zhī duō ， rán ér zhēn zhèng de zhèn pán yǔ zhèn qí ， què hái cóng lái méi yǒu jiàn guò 。
对于阵法。林轩并不陌生，他曾经使用过的阵符就有数张之多，然而真正的阵盘与阵旗，却还从来没有见过。
Lin Xuan was startled. Under his surprised gaze, Huang Zhong took out a pile of items from his storage bracelet.
zài xiū zhēn bǎi yì zhī zhōng ， zhèn fǎ kě yǐ suàn shì hěn tè bié dì yī zhǒng 。
在修真百艺之中，阵法可以算是很特别地一种。
Although Lin Xuan wasn't unfamiliar with arrays, he had never seen genuine array disks or flags before. Among all the hundred arts in cultivation, arrays were quite unique—powerful if driven by enough crystal stones, but also difficult to obtain and create.
wēi lì jīng rén 。 zhǐ yào yǒu zú gòu de jīng shí qū dòng ， zhù jī qī dì xiū shì yě kě yǐ píng cǐ shā diào níng dān qī de gāo shǒu 。
威力惊人。只要有足够的晶石驱动，筑基期地修士也可以凭此杀掉凝丹期的高手。
Lin Xuan had visited many markets and paid attention to such information, but found nothing useful. At most, he acquired a few array talismans, which cost him exorbitant amounts of crystal stones.
yào zhī dào zhè zhǒng yuè jí shèng lì de qíng kuàng ， chú le zhèn fǎ ， zài xiū zhēn jiè jī hū shì bù kě néng chū xiàn de 。
要知道这种越级胜利的情况，除了阵法，在修真界几乎是不可能出现的。
Compared to the true arrays set up with disks and flags, the power in these talismans was only one-third, and they were single-use consumables that couldn't be recovered.
rán ér zhèn fǎ suī rán lì hài ， dàn cǐ dào què fán fù wú bǐ ， xiǎng yào chéng wéi zhèn fǎ shī ， chú le líng gēn fāng miàn de yāo qiú 。 zuì zhǔ yào dì shì nǎo zi gòu hǎo yòng 。
然而阵法虽然厉害，但此道却繁复无比，想要成为阵法师，除了灵根方面的要求。最主要地是脑子够好用。
Nevertheless, Lin Xuan used them smoothly, deeply appreciating their benefits. He longed for genuine arrays but had never seen any until now; it seemed Huang Zhong possessed such valuable items.
cōng míng jué dǐng ， cái néng duì fù zá de zhèn fǎ yǒu suǒ lǐng wù 。
聪明绝顶，才能对复杂的阵法有所领悟。
"Are you an array cultivator?" Zhou Liang also looked surprised and somewhat incredulous.
zài liàn dān fāng miàn 。 yōu zhōu de xiū zhēn jiè hái yǒu yí gè líng yào shān ， kě què méi yǒu yí gè yǐ zhèn fǎ wén míng de mén pài ， jǐn yǒu de jǐ gè zhèn fǎ shī dōu shì xián yún yě hè bān de cún zài ， yǐn jū zài bù wéi rén zhī de dì diǎn 。
在炼丹方面。幽州的修真界还有一个灵药山，可却没有一个以阵法闻名的门派，仅有的几个阵法师都是闲云野鹤般的存在，隐居在不为人知的地点。
"Certainly not," said Huang Zhong, stroking his beard: "This was something I stumbled upon. Please forgive me for the inconvenience."
qiě bì zhǒu zì zhēn ， bù jǐn shōu tú dì yāo qiú yán kē wú bǐ ， ér qiě chuàng zào chū lái de zhèn pán zhèn qí yě hěn shǎo liú chuán yú shì 。
且敝帚自珍，不仅收徒地要求严苛无比，而且创造出来的阵盘阵旗也很少流传于世。
"Oh!" Lin Xuan mimicked a look of admiration.
lín xuān qù guò hěn duō fāng shì ， yě céng jīng liú yì guò zhè fāng miàn dì xìn xī ， kě què méi yǒu yì diǎn shōu huò ， zuì duō yě jiù shì shōu gòu dào jǐ zhāng zhèn fú ， ér qiě dōu shì huā le tiān jià de jīng shí 。
林轩去过很多坊市，也曾经留意过这方面地信息，可却没有一点收获，最多也就是收购到几张阵符，而且都是花了天价的晶石。
The four then shared some setup tools and began setting up the array under Huang Zhong's guidance. It was called the "Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array," powerful enough to take down mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although they had difficulty dealing with the Moon Demon Spider, their combined efforts should suffice.
yǔ yòng zhèn pán 。 zhèn qí suǒ bù xià de zhēn zhèng de zhèn fǎ xiàng bǐ ， zhèn fú lǐ fēng yìn de wēi lì bù zú qí sān fēn zhī yī ， ér qiě wú fǎ huí shōu ， shì yí cì xìng de xiāo hào pǐn 。
与用阵盘。阵旗所布下的真正的阵法相比，阵符里封印的威力不足其三分之一，而且无法回收，是一次性的消耗品。
They hid around, carefully concealing their breaths as per Zhou Liang's instructions. The Moon Demon Spider was likely out hunting, so all they needed to do was wait for it to enter the array and trap it like a fish in a pot.
dàn ráo shì rú cǐ ， lín xuān yě yòng de shí fēn shùn shǒu ， shēn qiè tǐ huì dào le tā de hǎo chù ， duì yú zhēn zhèng de zhèn fǎ ， gèng shì xīn xiàng wǎng zhī 。 zhǐ shì yì zhí méi yǒu jī huì jiàn shí 。 méi xiǎng dào huáng zhōng shǒu lǐ què jū rán yǒu zhè me bǎo guì de dōng xī 。
但饶是如此，林轩也用的十分顺手，深切体会到了它的好处，对于真正的阵法，更是心向往之。只是一直没有机会见识。没想到黄钟手里却居然有这么宝贵的东西。
Each of them also cast some illusionary restraints on themselves.
“ dào yǒu nán dào shì zhèn fǎ shī ？” zhōu liáng tóng yàng lù chū le jīng yà zhī sè ， yǒu diǎn bù néng zhì xìn dì kāi kǒu le 。
“道友难道是阵法师？”周良同样露出了惊讶之色，有点不能置信地开口了。
They waited for several hours, during which the Heaven Demon Mimicry Technique failed once, causing Lin Xuan considerable worry. Fortunately, everyone was far enough apart and concealed by illusions, so no one noticed. After the effect wore off, Lin Xuan took a Ling Spirit Pill.
“ dāng rán bú shì 。” huáng zhōng mō le mō hú xū ：“ zhè shì lǎo fū wú yì jiān dé lái de 。 ràng jǐ wèi dào yǒu jiàn xiào le 。”
“当然不是。”黄钟摸了摸胡须：“这是老夫无意间得来的。让几位道友见笑了。”
Despite the Moon Demon Spider's prolonged absence, they were all cultivators with some patience. Lin Xuan extended his divine sense out. Although he was mid-stage Foundation Establishment, his divine sense had been strengthened through Star Sea Purification, far surpassing that of other mid-stage cultivators.
“ ó ！” lín xuān yě qià rú qí fèn de liǎn lù xiàn mù zhī sè 。
“哦！”林轩也恰如其分的脸露羡慕之色。
With careful observation, he wouldn't be detected.
rán hòu ， sì rén fēn bié fēn de le yī xiē bù zhèn qì jù ， bìng zài huáng zhōng de zhǐ diǎn xià ， zài zhōu wéi kāi shǐ bù zhì 。
然后，四人分别分得了一些布阵器具，并在黄钟的指点下，在周围开始布置。
As expected, Huang Zhong and Ma Jin whispered to each other a few times, but Lin Xuan couldn't make out what they were saying. They must have been communicating telepathically.
zhè shì yī tào míng jiào “ wǔ hǔ qún yáng zhèn ” de zhèn fǎ ， wēi lì zú yǐ jī shā zhù jī zhōng qī de xiū zhēn zhě ， suī rán xiǎng yào miè shā yuè mó zhī zhū yǒu yí dìng nán dù ， dàn jiā shàng jǐ rén de fǔ zhù ， yīng gāi shì méi yǒu shén me wèn tí le 。
这是一套名叫“五虎群羊阵”的阵法，威力足以击杀筑基中期的修真者，虽然想要灭杀月魔蜘蛛有一定难度，但加上几人的辅助，应该是没有什么问题了。
Lin Xuan's vigilance increased as he scrutinized the Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array setup in front of him. Was it meant to trap the Moon Demon Spider or them—his temporary allies? He wasn't sure.
rán hòu ， sì rén zài zhōu wéi yǐn bì le qǐ lái ， xiǎo xīn shōu liǎn zhe zì jǐ de qì xī ， jù zhōu liáng suǒ shuō ， nà yuè mó zhī zhū yīng gāi shì wài chū mì shí ， tā men zhǐ yào děng zài zhè lǐ ， wèng zhōng zhuō biē jiù kě yǐ 。
然后，四人在周围隐蔽了起来，小心收敛着自己的气息，据周良所说，那月魔蜘蛛应该是外出觅食，他们只要等在这里，瓮中捉鳖就可以。
Taking advantage of their distraction, Lin Xuan quietly took out a talisman from his pocket—the original Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array. While this could theoretically contain even top-tier cultivators, the one he had was only one-fifth as powerful and had cost him seven hundred crystal stones in an unexpected encounter.
dāng rán ， měi rén dōu hái gè zì wǎng zì jǐ shēn shàng shī zhǎn le yī xiē huàn shù dì jìn zhì 。
当然，每人都还各自往自己身上施展了一些幻术地禁制。
Originally, Lin Xuan intended to use it as a last resort, not even bringing it out when facing the阴鬼上人. But for some reason, he kept feeling uneasy…
zhè yī děng jiù shì shù gè shí chén ， qí jiān ， tiān mó nǐ róng shù hái shī xiào le yī cì ， zhe shí ràng lín xuān dān xīn le bàn tiān ， hǎo zài měi yí gè rén dōu xiāng jù pǒ yuǎn ， yòu yòng huàn shù yǐn nì le shēn xíng ， dào yě méi yǒu rén fā xiàn ， děng shí xiào yī guò ， lín xuān yòu fú xià yī kē yǐn líng dān 。
这一等就是数个时辰，其间，天魔拟容术还失效了一次，着实让林轩担心了半天，好在每一个人都相距颇远，又用幻术隐匿了身形，倒也没有人发现，等时效一过，林轩又服下一颗隐灵丹。
Cultivators often had premonitions about future events, so after a moment's thought, Lin Xuan took out the talisman and set it up.
suī rán yuè mó zhī zhū jiǔ jiǔ méi yǒu chū xiàn ， dàn jǐ rén dōu shì xiū zhēn zhě ， zhè diǎn nài xīn hái shì yǒu dì ， lín xuān jiāng shén shí fàng le chū qù ， tā suī rán xiū wèi shì zhù jī zhōng qī ， dàn yóu yú xīng hǎi tí chún de duàn liàn ， shén shí dì qiáng dà yuǎn yuǎn chāo guò le tóng jiē xiū shì 。
虽然月魔蜘蛛久久没有出现，但几人都是修真者，这点耐心还是有地，林轩将神识放了出去，他虽然修为是筑基中期，但由于星海提纯的锻炼，神识地强大远远超过了同阶修士。
With such a powerful backup plan, Lin Xuan felt more at ease. He was confident that with this setup, any unexpected situation could be handled calmly.
zhǐ yào xiǎo xīn yì diǎn ， tōu tōu guān chá bìng bú huì bèi fā xiàn 。
只要小心一点，偷偷观察并不会被发现。
After a brief rest, Lin Xuan suddenly raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes, turning his head to the southeast. At that moment, he heard an excited voice: "Daoist friends, be careful—the Moon Demon Spider has returned."
jié guǒ bù chū suǒ liào ， nà huáng zhōng yǔ mǎ jìn yǒu jǐ cì zuǐ pí wēi dòng ， suī rán tīng bù qīng chǔ tā men zài shuō shén me ， dàn kěn dìng shì chuán yīn wú yí le 。
结果不出所料，那黄钟与马进有几次嘴皮微动，虽然听不清楚他们在说什么，但肯定是传音无疑了。
Lin Xuan's lips curled slightly as he used his divine sense to scan the area. Huang Zhong and Ma Jin had stopped their telepathic communication, staring intently at the entrance of the valley. Zhou Liang was visibly nervous, his hand trembling as he held the array flag.
lín xuān xīn zhōng yòu duō le yī fān jǐng tì ， dà yǒu shēn yì de kàn le yī yǎn qián miàn suǒ bù xià de wǔ hǔ qún yáng zhèn ， zhè jiū jìng shì yòng lái kùn zhù yuè mó zhī zhū ， hái shì duì fù zì jǐ zhè xiē zàn shí de méng yǒu ， kǒng pà hái shì liǎng shuō zhī shì 。
林轩心中又多了一番警惕，大有深意的看了一眼前面所布下的五虎群羊阵，这究竟是用来困住月魔蜘蛛，还是对付自己这些暂时的盟友，恐怕还是两说之事。
Although Lin Xuan didn't show it, he also became serious. A second-grade top-tier妖兽 was a formidable opponent.
chèn qí bù zhù yì ， lín xuān qiāo qiāo cóng huái lǐ tāo chū yī zhāng fú ， yuán bǎn de “ jiǔ gōng bā guà zhèn ” jī hū kě yǐ kùn zhù níng dān qī de xiū zhēn zhě ， suī rán zhè zhāng zhèn fú lǐ fēng yìn de ， jǐn yǒu qí wǔ zhī yī de wēi lì ， dàn yě shì lín xuān zài jī yuán qiǎo hé zhī xià ， bìng qiě huā le qī bǎi jīng shí de tiān jià cái hǎo bù róng yì shōu gòu lái de 。
趁其不注意，林轩悄悄从怀里掏出一张符，原版的“九宫八卦阵”几乎可以困住凝丹期的修真者，虽然这张阵符里封印的，仅有其五之一的威力，但也是林轩在机缘巧合之下，并且花了七百晶石的天价才好不容易收购来的。
Soon, an enormous spider appeared before them. Its body was as large as a grindstone, with eight sharp claws like knives. The ordinary Moon Demon Spiders were pure black, but the advanced Moon Demon Spider had golden stripes on its back and legs.
yuán běn lín xuān shì zhǔn bèi zuò wèi shā shǒu jiǎn lái shǐ yòng ， shèn zhì zài miàn duì “ yīn guǐ shàng rén ” shí yě méi yǒu shě de ná chū lái ， dàn bù zhī dào wèi shén me ， tā gāng cái xīn zhōng yì zhí yǒu bù hǎo de yù gǎn ……
原本林轩是准备做为杀手锏来使用，甚至在面对“阴鬼上人”时也没有舍得拿出来，但不知道为什么，他刚才心中一直有不好的预感……
As the Moon Demon Spider approached, everyone's hearts raced, but they held their ground according to their prearranged plan—waiting for it to enter the Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array before attacking.
ér xiū dào zhī rén ， duì yú wèi lái fā shēng de shì ， huò duō huò shǎo huì yǒu yī xiē gǎn yìng ， suǒ yǐ lín xuān lüè yī chén yín ， jiù jiāng zhè zhāng zhèn fú ná le chū lái ， bìng qiāo qiāo bù xià 。
而修道之人，对于未来发生的事，或多或少会有一些感应，所以林轩略一沉吟，就将这张阵符拿了出来，并悄悄布下。
Initially, things went smoothly. However, when the spider was about a hundred paces from the entrance, it suddenly stopped and seemed to sense something, hesitating in place.
yǒu le zhè yàng lì hài de hòu shǒu ， lín xuān xīn zhōng dùn shí tà shí le yī xiē ， xiǎng bì yǒu le zhè yàng de bù zhì ， jiù suàn pèng shàng shén me yì wài ， zì jǐ yě kě yǐ cóng róng yìng fù guò qù 。
有了这样厉害的后手，林轩心中顿时踏实了一些，想必有了这样的布置，就算碰上什么意外，自己也可以从容应付过去。
Seeing this, Lin Xuan remained calm, but the other three were panicking.
suí hòu ， lín xuān xiǎo xī le yī huì er ， tū rán ， tā shuāng méi yī tiāo ， zhēng kāi le yǎn jīng ， jiāng tóu zhuǎn xiàng le dōng nán de fāng xiàng ， ér zhè shí ， yī jù lüè dài xīng fèn de yǔ yán ， yě chuán rù le ěr duǒ lǐ ：“ gè wèi dào yǒu ， xiǎo xīn le ， nà yuè mó zhī zhū yǐ jīng huí lái le 。”
随后，林轩小息了一会儿，突然，他双眉一挑，睁开了眼睛，将头转向了东南的方向，而这时，一句略带兴奋的语言，也传入了耳朵里：“各位道友，小心了，那月魔蜘蛛已经回来了。”
After some time, the Moon Demon Spider made two chirping sounds, opened its mouth, and shot out a black beam of light.
lín xuān zuǐ jiǎo wēi wēi shàng qiào ， yòng shén shí yī sǎo ， zhǐ jiàn huáng zhōng yǔ mǎ jìn tíng zhǐ le chuán yīn jiāo tán ， shén sè níng zhòng de dīng zhe shān gǔ de rù kǒu ， ér nà zhōu liáng ， gèng shì mǎn liǎn jǐn zhāng de shén sè ， niē zhe zhèn qí de shǒu dōu zài wēi wēi fā dǒu 。
林轩嘴角微微上翘，用神识一扫，只见黄钟与马进停止了传音交谈，神色凝重的盯着山谷的入口，而那周良，更是满脸紧张的神色，捏着阵旗的手都在微微发抖。
"Thud," the beam hit the ground without exploding. It was actually toxic water, but the rocks it splashed onto melted like ice meeting heat.
lín xuān zì rán bú huì zhè yàng ， dàn biǎo qíng yě yán sù qǐ lái ， èr jí jí pǐn yāo shòu shì hěn qiáng de cún zài 。
林轩自然不会这样，但表情也严肃起来，二级极品妖兽是很强的存在。
"This妖兽 has discovered our trap—let's act now!"
piàn kè hòu ， yī tóu zhēng níng de zhī zhū chū xiàn zài le miàn qián ， tā de shēn tǐ zú yǒu mò pán dà xiǎo ， bā zhǐ jù dà de lì zhuǎ fēng lì rú dāo ， pǔ tōng de guǐ yuè zhī zhū shēn tǐ shì chún hēi sè ， kě jìn jiē chéng yuè mó zhī zhū yǐ hòu ， tā de bèi bù ， fù bù ， tuǐ jiǎo shàng dōu duō le yī xiē jīn sè de tiáo wén 。
片刻后，一头狰狞的蜘蛛出现在了面前，它的身体足有磨盘大小，八只巨大的利爪锋利如刀，普通的鬼月蜘蛛身体是纯黑色，可进阶成月魔蜘蛛以后，它的背部，腹部，腿脚上都多了一些金色的条纹。
Huang Zhong shouted loudly and released a ghost head-shaped灵器: "Together, we will force it into the array."
yuè mó zhī zhū jiàn jiàn jiē jìn ， zhòng rén de xīn yě suí zhī yuè tiào yuè kuài le qǐ lái ， què dōu àn nài zhe méi yǒu xíng dòng ， gēn jù shì xiān shāng liáng hǎo de jì huà ， yào děng tā jìn rù “ wǔ hǔ qún yáng zhèn ” zài dòng shǒu 。
月魔蜘蛛渐渐接近，众人的心也随之越跳越快了起来，却都按耐着没有行动，根据事先商量好的计划，要等它进入“五虎群羊阵”再动手。
"Agreed!" Zhou Liang and Ma Jin agreed. They also activated their treasures. Lin Xuan couldn't afford to be idle; he hesitated for a moment before throwing the flying sword given by Zhou Yan towards the sky.
kāi shǐ hái shì mán shùn lì ， kě zài jiē jìn dòng kǒu bǎi yú zhàng de dì fāng ， yuè mó zhī zhū tū rán tíng xià le jiǎo bù ， bìng xiǎng gǎn yìng dào le shén me shì de kāi shǐ pái huái bù qián le 。
开始还是蛮顺利，可在接近洞口百余丈的地方，月魔蜘蛛突然停下了脚步，并想感应到了什么似的开始徘徊不前了。
Given his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and possession of an upper-grade灵器, he was already quite impressive.
jiàn dào zhè yí mù ， lín xuān hái hǎo ， qí tā sān rén ， wú bù xīn jí rú fén 。
见到这一幕，林轩还好，其他三人，无不心急如焚。
Four dazzling lights—three in front and one behind—attacked the Moon Demon Spider. However, the妖兽 moved swiftly. With a slight movement of its claws, it vanished from sight, leaving all the灵器 to fall into empty space.
yòu děng le piàn kè ， nà yuè mó zhī zhū tū rán zhī zhī de míng jiào le liǎng shēng ， zhāng kāi zuǐ ， tǔ chū yī dào hēi máng 。
又等了片刻，那月魔蜘蛛突然吱吱的鸣叫了两声，张开嘴，吐出一道黑芒。
"Where did it go?" Zhou Liang turned around, looking surprised.
pā ， nà hēi máng shè dào dì shàng ， què bìng wèi bào liè kāi lái ， yuán lái shì yī dào dú shuǐ ， kě bèi tā sǎ zhōng de yán shí ， què rú bīng xuě yù dào gāo wēn yī yàng ， shùn jiān róng huà 。
啪，那黑芒射到地上，却并未爆裂开来，原来是一道毒水，可被它洒中的岩石，却如冰雪遇到高温一样，瞬间融化。
"Be cautious."
“ cǐ yāo shòu yǐ jīng fā xiàn le xiàn jǐng ， dòng shǒu ba ！”
“此妖兽已经发现了陷阱，动手吧！”
A warning came from beside him as Zhou Liang suddenly looked up, his face changing color. The Moon Demon Spider had somehow appeared directly above him, its claws gleaming with cold light, lunging viciously towards him…
The three were in a difficult situation, but just as they were struggling, Lin Xuan happened to appear. The yellow-robed cultivator naturally invited him to join their group and proposed splitting the crystal stones they would obtain from killing the妖兽.
Lin Xuan naturally wasn't short of crystal stones, but after a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement.
The yellow-robed cultivator was overjoyed and immediately pulled Lin Xuan closer, introducing himself with great enthusiasm: "I am Zhou Liang. This is Brother Huang Zhong and this is Fellow Daoist Ma Jin. We met them on our journey."
Lin Xuan gave a slight bow. Huang Zhong was an elderly man with white beard, appearing to be in his seventies or eighties, but he had a sturdy build and his voice was as deep as a bell—just like Lin Xuan, both were mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Ma Jin, on the other hand, wore a black short robe and was around thirty years old, at an early stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Meeting Daoist Lin here is truly by chance. Rest assured, with all four of us working together, we can definitely take care of this妖兽," said Huang Zhong, stroking his beard in a smile.
"Yes, a second-grade top-tier妖兽. Selling the materials from its body should fetch several thousand crystal stones," Ma Jin rubbed his hands, looking excited: "For us scattered cultivators, that's a huge fortune."
Lin Xuan nodded along but was secretly laughing to himself: "Scattered cultivator?"
Although their appearance did suggest they were scattered cultivators, Lin Xuan only believed Zhou Liang hadn't lied. As for Ma Jin and Huang Zhong, their eyes darted around nervously—clearly, there was something fishy going on. Despite their attempts at concealment, Lin Xuan's sharp eyes easily caught onto it.
He pretended not to notice and cooperated with them, knowing that as long as he stayed cautious, his skills would ensure he wasn't afraid of the two fellow mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators' tricks.
The Moon Demon Spider was his target.
They chatted aimlessly for a while before Huang Zhong suddenly said solemnly: "Even though we have four of us working together, this second-grade top-tier妖兽 is no small matter. Let's set up an array at the entrance to its lair as a precaution."
"Set up an array?"
Lin Xuan was startled. Under his surprised gaze, Huang Zhong took out a pile of items from his storage bracelet.
Although Lin Xuan wasn't unfamiliar with arrays, he had never seen genuine array disks or flags before. Among all the hundred arts in cultivation, arrays were quite unique—powerful if driven by enough crystal stones, but also difficult to obtain and create.
Lin Xuan had visited many markets and paid attention to such information, but found nothing useful. At most, he acquired a few array talismans, which cost him exorbitant amounts of crystal stones.
Compared to the true arrays set up with disks and flags, the power in these talismans was only one-third, and they were single-use consumables that couldn't be recovered.
Nevertheless, Lin Xuan used them smoothly, deeply appreciating their benefits. He longed for genuine arrays but had never seen any until now; it seemed Huang Zhong possessed such valuable items.
"Are you an array cultivator?" Zhou Liang also looked surprised and somewhat incredulous.
"Certainly not," said Huang Zhong, stroking his beard: "This was something I stumbled upon. Please forgive me for the inconvenience."
"Oh!" Lin Xuan mimicked a look of admiration.
The four then shared some setup tools and began setting up the array under Huang Zhong's guidance. It was called the "Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array," powerful enough to take down mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although they had difficulty dealing with the Moon Demon Spider, their combined efforts should suffice.
They hid around, carefully concealing their breaths as per Zhou Liang's instructions. The Moon Demon Spider was likely out hunting, so all they needed to do was wait for it to enter the array and trap it like a fish in a pot.
Each of them also cast some illusionary restraints on themselves.
They waited for several hours, during which the Heaven Demon Mimicry Technique failed once, causing Lin Xuan considerable worry. Fortunately, everyone was far enough apart and concealed by illusions, so no one noticed. After the effect wore off, Lin Xuan took a Ling Spirit Pill.
Despite the Moon Demon Spider's prolonged absence, they were all cultivators with some patience. Lin Xuan extended his divine sense out. Although he was mid-stage Foundation Establishment, his divine sense had been strengthened through Star Sea Purification, far surpassing that of other mid-stage cultivators.
With careful observation, he wouldn't be detected.
As expected, Huang Zhong and Ma Jin whispered to each other a few times, but Lin Xuan couldn't make out what they were saying. They must have been communicating telepathically.
Lin Xuan's vigilance increased as he scrutinized the Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array setup in front of him. Was it meant to trap the Moon Demon Spider or them—his temporary allies? He wasn't sure.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Lin Xuan quietly took out a talisman from his pocket—the original Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array. While this could theoretically contain even top-tier cultivators, the one he had was only one-fifth as powerful and had cost him seven hundred crystal stones in an unexpected encounter.
Originally, Lin Xuan intended to use it as a last resort, not even bringing it out when facing the阴鬼上人. But for some reason, he kept feeling uneasy…
Cultivators often had premonitions about future events, so after a moment's thought, Lin Xuan took out the talisman and set it up.
With such a powerful backup plan, Lin Xuan felt more at ease. He was confident that with this setup, any unexpected situation could be handled calmly.
After a brief rest, Lin Xuan suddenly raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes, turning his head to the southeast. At that moment, he heard an excited voice: "Daoist friends, be careful—the Moon Demon Spider has returned."
Lin Xuan's lips curled slightly as he used his divine sense to scan the area. Huang Zhong and Ma Jin had stopped their telepathic communication, staring intently at the entrance of the valley. Zhou Liang was visibly nervous, his hand trembling as he held the array flag.
Although Lin Xuan didn't show it, he also became serious. A second-grade top-tier妖兽 was a formidable opponent.
Soon, an enormous spider appeared before them. Its body was as large as a grindstone, with eight sharp claws like knives. The ordinary Moon Demon Spiders were pure black, but the advanced Moon Demon Spider had golden stripes on its back and legs.
As the Moon Demon Spider approached, everyone's hearts raced, but they held their ground according to their prearranged plan—waiting for it to enter the Five Tigers Grazing Sheep Array before attacking.
Initially, things went smoothly. However, when the spider was about a hundred paces from the entrance, it suddenly stopped and seemed to sense something, hesitating in place.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan remained calm, but the other three were panicking.
After some time, the Moon Demon Spider made two chirping sounds, opened its mouth, and shot out a black beam of light.
"Thud," the beam hit the ground without exploding. It was actually toxic water, but the rocks it splashed onto melted like ice meeting heat.
"This妖兽 has discovered our trap—let's act now!"
Huang Zhong shouted loudly and released a ghost head-shaped灵器: "Together, we will force it into the array."
"Agreed!" Zhou Liang and Ma Jin agreed. They also activated their treasures. Lin Xuan couldn't afford to be idle; he hesitated for a moment before throwing the flying sword given by Zhou Yan towards the sky.
Given his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation and possession of an upper-grade灵器, he was already quite impressive.
Four dazzling lights—three in front and one behind—attacked the Moon Demon Spider. However, the妖兽 moved swiftly. With a slight movement of its claws, it vanished from sight, leaving all the灵器 to fall into empty space.
"Where did it go?" Zhou Liang turned around, looking surprised.
"Be cautious."
A warning came from beside him as Zhou Liang suddenly looked up, his face changing color. The Moon Demon Spider had somehow appeared directly above him, its claws gleaming with cold light, lunging viciously towards him…