Just now, Gong Xiao had obtained the "Mantis Fist," and Ding Longyun also wanted to acquire the Spider Queen's special ability. Moreover, killing a leader-level monster guaranteed a one hundred percent chance of obtaining that ability. This time, Ding Longyun didn't rush in recklessly. Instead, gripping his axe, he aimed at one of the Spider Queen's legs and swung down. Inspired by Su Li's earlier kill of the Overlord Crab, he understood that such a massive creature was hard to kill easily; with their strength, they could only wear it down slowly.
The axe struck one of the Spider Queen's hind legs. Ding Longyun felt a jolt in his arm as the axe bounced back. The Spider Queen's hind leg kicked out, and if he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been stabbed. This sent a chill down his spine.
"Its head is the fatal weak point, but it's hard for us to reach. Let's first try to cripple a few of its legs—attack the leg joints!" Su Li, moving alongside the Spider Queen, struck again while shouting loudly to remind Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun.
"Got it!" Ding Longyun steadied himself, realizing why the axe had been deflected earlier. Though the creature's eight legs looked thin and long, as if easily chopped off, they were actually extremely tough, with only the joints being vulnerable.
Gong Xiao also charged forward with Su Li. Seeing the Spider Queen lift two legs to stab viciously at Su Li, she shouted, "I'll hold it off—you strike!" With her left hand, she unleashed "Vine Bind," shooting it out to try and bind both of the Spider Queen's legs together.
Unfortunately, the Spider Queen's attack was swift and fierce, and its two legs stabbed at Su Li from opposite sides. Gong Xiao couldn't bind both legs at once, managing only to ensnare one.
"Now!" Gong Xiao strained with all her might, pulling the bound leg backward.
Su Li raised his blade to block the other spider leg stabbing at him, the force of it making him grimace in pain.
Even Su Li struggled to withstand the Spider Queen's strength, let alone Gong Xiao. As she tried to yank one of its legs, she underestimated its power. The bound front leg retracted, pulling Gong Xiao off the ground and sending her flying.
"Let go!" Su Li sensed danger and bellowed, leaping up with all his strength and swinging his blade downward in midair.
This time, he put everything into it. The force behind the strike exceeded fifteen hundred jin.
The Spider Queen spun its body, supporting itself on four legs while raising the other four like javelins to thrust out.
Gong Xiao, yanked uncontrollably into the air, realized the danger and quickly retracted her "Vine Bind," crashing heavily to the ground before rolling sideways.
With a sharp *shiiing*, a pitch-black, razor-sharp spider leg stabbed into the cement floor where she had just landed, leaving a small crater. Gong Xiao's scalp tingled—if she had been half a second slower, that leg would have pierced her body instead of the concrete.
In the brink of life and death, Gong Xiao's reflexes were sharp. After rolling, she raised her baseball bat to shield her face. Sure enough, the spider leg, now embedded in the cement roof, swept horizontally toward her head.
Thanks to the bat blocking her front, the sweeping leg struck it with immense force. Gong Xiao's arms shuddered, and she lost her grip—the bat flew from her hands, and she was sent tumbling sideways.
Without the bat, she would have been cleaved in two by the spider leg.
All of this happened in an instant. Gong Xiao had narrowly escaped death twice, her body drenched in cold sweat.
This Spider Queen was utterly terrifying.
Su Li, putting his full strength into the blow, slammed his cleaver into another spider leg with a deafening crash. Yet, like before, the leg was as hard as steel. No matter how much force he exerted, he couldn't sever it, and the recoil sent him flying, crashing heavily to the ground with a *bang*.
Another spider leg followed immediately, stabbing like a javelin to pin Su Li to the floor.
Like Gong Xiao, Su Li reacted quickly. As he fell, he rolled sideways, watching the spider leg miss and pierce the cement roof beside him. But his next move differed from Gong Xiao's.
While falling, he had already anticipated the Spider Queen's follow-up attack. So, as he rolled, he used his hands, feet, waist, and abdomen to push off the ground, flipping upright. Instead of shielding himself against the leg's sweeping strike like Gong Xiao had, he took the initiative. Following the leg's joint, he sliced horizontally with his cleaver.
Though the spider leg was as hard as steel, the tendons at the joint were not invulnerable. His blade cut through easily, and half the leg flew off.
Having succeeded, Su Li immediately lunged diagonally at full speed.
True to form, the Spider Queen let out a piercing shriek as several legs slammed down, all embedding into the cement roof.
With one leg severed at the joint, the Spider Queen was furious. It spun its massive body and charged straight at Su Li.
It realized that among these humans, Su Li was the most dangerous and the most hateful. Ignoring Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun entirely, it focused all its energy on pursuing Su Li, intent on killing him.
As the enraged Spider Queen rushed at him, Su Li didn't attack. Instead, he turned and fled, sprinting toward the stairwell exit. At the same time, he pulled a dagger from his pocket and tossed it to Gong Xiao.
Gong Xiao, who had just gotten up, glanced at the two-meter-long spider leg lying on the ground, then at the dagger Su Li had thrown to her. She paused for a moment before understanding his intent. Picking up the dagger, she chased after the Spider Queen. She realized that she and Ding Longyun now had their chance.
Su Li had fully drawn the Spider Queen's aggro, and he cleverly lured it toward the stairwell, creating an opportunity for them.
Su Li dashed into the stairwell entrance. The frenzied Spider Queen slammed into it heavily, but its massive body couldn't fit through. It could only keep ramming the entrance, thrusting several legs inside in a wild assault. However, no matter how strong it was, it couldn't destroy the reinforced concrete stairwell. Though powerful, it was far from reaching the level of a Nightmare Beast.
Seizing this golden opportunity, Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun struck simultaneously from behind. The Spider Queen, though possessing some intelligence, was not human. In its rage, it had momentarily lost its reason, giving them their opening.