At this segment of the White Elephant Mountain Range, the mountain terrain became precipitously majestic. The mountainside remained covered in snow year-round, yet surprisingly, the summit had little snow accumulation—the powerful high-altitude gale winds were so fierce that even snow couldn’t settle there. Throughout the world, the creatures capable of flying over or climbing across this area were exceedingly rare.

For this reason, the heartland of the White Elephant Mountain Range had long been a forbidden zone for living beings, and circumventing the massive mountain range required several months. However, after the Cliff Mountain underground palace was opened, humans could pass through the largest and most treacherous peaks of the White Elephant Range from beneath the earth, without having to endure the challenges of blizzards and vertical limits.

Of course, this was provided that people didn’t get lost here.

The Cliff Mountain cavern’s position as a passage connecting the eastern and western sides of the White Elephant Range was so strategically important that several powers that had existed in this land fought ceaselessly over it. This continued until the Yao and Jin dynasties were established and became preoccupied with internal wars, neglecting control of this area.

Not long after, humans were shocked to discover that the cave had been occupied by the Spider King, a creature with profound cultivation.

Although these spider demons grew in extremely cold regions, their eggs required heat to hatch, preferably at a constant temperature. Suitable breeding grounds were difficult to find, and the Cliff Mountain cavern was ideal.

After the spider demons occupied it, they further expanded and reinforced the cavern, transforming it into an upgraded labyrinth with maximum difficulty. The cost for humans to reclaim it would be enormous.

This was an utterly barren land with almost no economic output, situated at the border between two countries—commonly referred to as a “no man’s land.” Both sides calculated and found that the cost of seizing it was too high to be worthwhile.

“From then on, both Yao and Jin Kingdoms established a covenant with this nest of demons, allowing them to guard the Cliff Mountain cavern and collect tolls from passing creatures. The only requirement was that they must defend their territory responsibly and not permit any large armies to pass through.” He smiled, “Of course, this last condition need not be explicitly stated—the spider demons would naturally defend their lair.”

Feng Miaojun laughed: “I thought humans and demons were natural enemies, but who knew they could have such contractual relationships.”

Tie Xinning scoffed lightly: “When there’s profit to be made, who wants to fight to the death? If you traveled the world, you would discover cooperation between humans and demons in all aspects, visible or invisible, certainly not limited to this.” In this world, where were there any absolute enemies?

Both Yao and Jin countries discovered that having the Cliff Mountain cavern in the hands of a neutral third party was better. They didn’t need to spend effort managing it, as the spider demons could protect the safety of passing humans.

Maintaining distance while facilitating exchange—wasn’t this exactly what the rulers of both countries wanted?

After the spider demons moved into the cavern, they redesigned it, digging ventilation shafts, storage rooms, drainage systems, and even nurseries, making it quite comprehensive.

The group traveled through the underground passages for a long time, passing through stone caves of various sizes. They frequently saw people resting on piles of dry grass, sitting or lying down, some even cooking over fires.

These scenes left many spectators dumbfounded. Feng Miaojun thought privately that the Spider King truly knew how to do business—the service was indeed different after collecting fees.

It also showed the vastness of the Cliff Mountain range. Everyone had been walking underground for so long without seeing an exit. In the past, how many people in the world could have crossed the entire White Elephant Mountain Range by climbing over it?

Fortunately, after traveling for two hours, the path led by the spider demons finally began to ascend.

Feng Miaojun had been feeling that the group seemed to be moving in circles. When she asked Tie Xinning, he merely said this was the necessary route and told her to walk with peace of mind. With an experienced guide beside her, she could only choose to trust him.

Moreover, there were many things here that diverted her attention, such as the vein patterns visible on the rock walls. Ginkgo exclaimed in amazement while touching a faintly glimmering rock wall before her: “What is this?” The wall seemed to be adorned with countless sparkles, like stars in the night sky when viewed from afar.

“Sand gold stone,” Feng Miaojun answered readily, having previously been involved in mining, “It contains mica and hematite, very eye-catching.” She smiled and pointed to some blackish veins on a nearby rock wall, “However, you might prefer this more.”

Ginkgo chuckled: “What’s that, coal?”

Tie Xinning glanced at Feng Miaojun and answered for her: “No, it’s gold ore, and this vein is quite rich in content as it goes deeper.”

Ginkgo’s eyes widened in astonishment: “This is gold?!” Wasn’t gold supposed to be blindingly shiny? How could it be as black as charcoal?

Feng Miaojun shook her head: “When exposed to rock walls for extended periods, it becomes like this.” Gold ore was impure, containing many impurities. It was fortunate that this was the spider demons’ lair; otherwise, the many precious stone and mineral deposits in the cavern would have been completely excavated by gold diggers.

As they were speaking, the group emerged from a tunnel, and suddenly the view opened up before them. Everyone was startled and stopped in their tracks.

Twenty zhang ahead, there was a cliff edge. Beyond it, there was no path, only an enormously large cave.

This massive cave was irregularly shaped, and the suspended distance from where the group stood to the opposite side was at least ten li. The wind came from somewhere unknown and became particularly strong in this open area, causing people to sway unsteadily.

Feng Miaojun thought to herself, no wonder they had been winding through dark passages earlier, feeling like they were going in circles. They had no choice but to spiral up and down to avoid this massive cave in the middle.

This abyss was so enormous that it was almost impossible for it to have been excavated by human or spider demon power. The most plausible explaKingdom: this was once a channel for volcanic magma to rise and fall!

Only magma so hot and turbulent that it could destroy everything could have created this scene with its supreme power.

Feng Miaojun had seen volcanoes in her world, and they were very similar to what was before her. If there was any difference, it was that the Cliff Mountain volcano’s mouth was not at the mountain’s peak but hidden within its belly.

This was not entirely related to the eruption from years ago.

The spider demon leading the way ahead called out loudly: “Follow me, stay close to the wall!”

It moved sideways, and the group discovered that the edge of the abyss had been smoothed out to create a path, presumably the handiwork of the spider demons. Humans didn’t possess the ability to climb vertically like spiders, and since the spider demons collected tolls, they had to build proper paths.

To become wealthy, first, build roads—this principle holds everywhere.

But this path wasn’t particularly wide, especially with giant beasts like Morongduo in the group, each one blocking the way completely. The group had to proceed in a single file.

Walking on the mountain path, someone kicked a pebble that rolled off the cliff. After about several breaths, they heard a “splash.” Looking down, everyone was shocked:

At the bottom of the enormous cave, an immensely huge silk web had been woven. In the center of the web, a spider was perched, motionless, as if in a light slumber.

This spider… how to describe it? The group had previously observed the giant beast Morongduo and thought it was enormous. But compared to this spider, it was like comparing an orange to a watermelon.

The giant spider was over ten zhang tall, with six legs half-bent at its sides, each looking like the arm of a pile driver.