"Look quickly, there's more than just our passage!"

Ying Tianyu's warning prompted everyone to follow his direction, realizing there were over a dozen golden passages beneath the spider demon, exactly like the one they just destroyed.

"Using the passages to split us up, what's the purpose?"

"Have you forgotten that in the passage we had to use our cultivation to resist the pressure? Even the strongest would be exhausted after a long time, letting the spider demon attack at the opportune moment..."

Upon hearing Hou Yuxiao's answer, everyone's expressions changed. Yet, Chu Kuangren, who just asked the question, remained puzzled, continuing to ask: "It can deal with us, sure, but what about the martial dao saints who came before us?"

Then, the only Mystic Realm Master present, Ying Tianyu, seemed to realize something. He waved his hand to spread golden lines of restriction around, quickly perceiving its essence, then raised his head toward the gigantic spider demon in the sky, speaking to everyone in a heavy voice:

"This is a realm within a realm; we haven't reached the true Treasure Vault Celestial Domain yet!"

"A realm within a realm?"

Seeing everyone's curiosity, Ying Tianyu quickly explained: "The Seventh Order Magic Formation is a celestial domain on its own, a domain is a realm. The divine sect likely set up many small mystic realms within the domain, isolated from one another. The saints entered different places than us."

Hou Yuxiao glanced at the dozen golden passages below with a slight frown:

"You nine, go destroy those passages and rescue the others first."

People seemed taken aback at Hou Yuxiao's words, while a trace of coldness flashed in Chu Kuangren's eyes as he asked with a hint of sarcasm: "Rescue them?"

Among these hundred martial dao sub-saints, many had already pledged allegiance to various holy lands. It was understandable to help allies, but some had sided with Great Jin; rescuing those would be aiding the enemy.

"Rescue them; without doing so, we can't get out!"

As Hou Yuxiao finished speaking, Chu Kuangren, Lu Kangping, and the other six sub-saints of martial dao, confused at first, immediately understood upon feeling a surge of demon qi descending from the sky.

The spider demon in mid-air moved.

Its eight legs, like black blades, tore through space restrictions suddenly falling toward the group, unleashing a demonic qi so overwhelming that it brought with it a storm, nearly shaking the entire space continuously.

Hou Yuxiao's eyes narrowed as he gripped the Canglong Staff, the star sea sacred core of the Demon Ape Martial Spirit behind him suddenly burst into bright light. He charged directly toward the spider demon in the sky, shouting to those behind him:

"Rescue people; just the nine of us can't handle it!"

The 9,000-zhang Demon Ape Martial Spirit wielded the Canglong Staff enshrouded in black aura. Though its form couldn't compare with the massive body of the spider demon, bolstered by the Xuanmo Qi, its momentum was formidable. The staff merged with the heavens, like a stabilizing needle of the seas, abruptly crashing into the sky, casting the world into darkness, with tumultuous waves overturning the black sea, rushing straight toward the spider demon's head.

The spider demon's eyes glowed red, seemingly unnatural, lacking the intelligence of normal demons. But it still boasted cultivation of second rank Undying Realm, so Hou Yuxiao dared not hold back, employing his strongest means from the outset.

His mission was not to defeat but merely to stall the spider demon, yet even in stalling, he couldn't afford carelessness.

Roar...

Deep down, Hou Yuxiao feared the spider demon, yet he didn't regard it as an insurmountable presence, having witnessed the decline of Long Yu and Ni Han, two first rank immortal realm demons. Could the spider demon really surpass them?

However, the spider demon's earth-shaking roar immediately enlightened him; those two first-grade demons weren't killed by him, his so-called witnessing merely proved others' strength, having no direct relation to him.

The shockwave from the fierce roar sent the Demon Ape Martial Spirit flying backward tens of miles, and Hou Yuxiao felt not only his physical body collapsing but his soul seemingly shattered by the shockwave, his sea of consciousness quaking for over a dozen breaths before recovering.

His previously well-prepared attack was nothing before the spider demon; even with his body slowly stabilizing, the staff flew backward with no strength left for a second assault against the spider demon.

The most perilous reality was the opponent charging toward him.

The enormous body of the spider demon spread across the starry sky, with slight movement swaying numerous stars. When it suddenly charged at him, the entire starry world shook violently, the wind stronger than before by dozens or hundreds of times, and its eight leg-like blades traced eight starry fissures, slicing straight toward Hou Yuxiao's face.

Throughout the entire event, space stagnated, the world trembled, Hou Yuxiao's pupils reflected his deepest dread. The Demon Ape Martial Spirit embraced the staff defensively, as he had no choice but to take this unavoidable strike head-on.

Swish...

The steel blades clashed with the Canglong Staff mid-air; the Demon Ape Martial Spirit which just consolidated its strength diminished by half in an instant, and Hou Yuxiao's face flushed red, as the grip on the Canglong Staff made his palms burst open, reverse blood surged to his throat, spraying outward with a stifled voice.

Splat!

"A third rank Undying Realm's body is invincible; second rank Undying Realm, soul unmatched, this abomination's attack surpasses the physical level, extending into the star sea sacred core."