The Haze Spider seemed somewhat overwhelmed by this sudden and fierce attack.

It roared angrily, trying to use its thick, long legs to block the group's attack.

However, the black-robed man's longsword still managed to slit the skin around his throat, and green blood gushed out like a spring.

Seeing this, the other men in black robes also mustered all their strength, unleashing a barrage of divine powers and skills.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the Mist Spider gradually became unable to hold on.

Its movements became sluggish, and it sustained more and more wounds.

Finally, after a deafening roar, the massive body of the Mist Spider crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The men in black robes were panting heavily, their faces showing relief at surviving the ordeal.

The leader of the men in black robes immediately ordered, "Quickly, save Lao Ba!"

The crowd quickly surrounded the abyss and used their divine power to slowly pull the unconscious Lao Ba out of the abyss.

Lao Ba's face was deathly pale, and he had multiple injuries, but thankfully he was still breathing.

The leader of the black-robed men breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Heal his wounds first, then go find that kid. He knows the secret of the demigods; we can't let him get away!"

Everyone nodded and began to treat Lao Ba's wounds.

……………

At this moment, Wang Fan was standing by a rushing river, his brows furrowed, pondering the direction the women had left in.

He knew that time was of the essence and the man in black robes could catch up at any moment.

Just as he was getting anxious, he suddenly noticed a protruding rock on the riverbank.

There was a very shallow scratch, crescent-shaped, which was the secret code for communication agreed upon with the women.

Wang Fan was overjoyed. He looked in the direction indicated by the scratch marks and found that the grass on the opposite bank seemed to have been cleared by human hands.

Without further hesitation, Wang Fan observed the water flow and spotted several prominent rocks in the river.

Take a deep breath, use your movement skills, and leap and dart between the stones.

With their superb skills, they successfully crossed the river.

After getting ashore, he followed the faint traces all the way.

As they went deeper, the signs around them became increasingly clear.

The broken branches and the scattered threads all indicate that our companions had passed through this place.

Finally, in a secluded valley, Wang Fan heard a familiar voice.

He approached cautiously and, through the dense foliage, saw the figures of Hua Nianci, Su Yaqi, Su Yalin, Qin Xiaoxuan, and Xiao Meng, among others.

They were sitting together, their faces showing worry and exhaustion, but thankfully they were all safe and sound.

"Sister, why hasn't Brother Wang Fan arrived yet? I'm so worried about him," Su Yalin said anxiously, her eyes reddening.

Su Yaqi gently hugged her younger sister and comforted her, "Yalin, don't worry, Wang Fan will definitely get rid of those bad people, and he will definitely come to find us."

Hua Nianci nodded and said, "Yes, Wang Fan is so powerful, he'll be fine."

Wang Fan gently pushed aside the branches, stepped out, and said with a smile, "I'm here perfectly fine."

When the crowd saw Wang Fan, they were first taken aback, then excitedly surrounded him.

"Wang Fan! You've finally arrived! We were so worried about you!"

Everyone chimed in with their own stories, their faces beaming with the joy of a reunion after a near-death experience.

Looking at them, Wang Fan felt warmth and relief, but he also knew that the danger was not over.

"Let's not be too happy yet, we need to get out of here quickly," Wang Fan said solemnly.

After hearing this, everyone nodded, put away their smiles, and waited for Wang Fan's next instructions.

After a quick thought, Wang Fan said, "Let's go to Blazing City."

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Blazing City is the border city of the Land of Fire where the expeditionary force gathered last time.

After a long and arduous journey, they finally caught sight of the towering city gates of Blazing Fire City in the distance.

Flags fluttered on the city wall, and the guards stood tall and straight.

As Wang Fan and his group approached the city gate, the guards cast questioning glances at them.

One of the guards, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward and looked Wang Fan and his companions up and down.

With an incredulous look on his face, he said, "You...you're still alive? We all thought your whole team had been wiped out."

Wang Fan's brows furrowed instantly, a strong sense of unease welling up inside him.

The guard's words suggested that he was extremely knowledgeable about their team's situation.

However, aside from the teams involved in the campaign, it is impossible for anyone else to know so clearly about their life and death status.

In a flash, Wang Fan thought of two suspicious individuals—Lie Yan and the Yan family.

During the last battle at the castle, Lieyan and the Yan family were still outside holding off the enemy.

However, a sudden change occurred inside the castle, and after losing contact with the outside world, no one knew what happened afterward.

Could it be that they are behind this, deliberately spreading the news that their entire group has been wiped out?

Wang Fan asked calmly, "Why do you think we've been completely wiped out? Where did you get this information?"

The guard leader was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Wang Fan to ask such a question, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

He then forced himself to remain calm and said, "This...this has spread all over the place. They say that you encountered an extremely powerful opponent during your last campaign, and almost no one survived."

Wang Fan felt a chill run down his spine; it seemed the previous punitive expedition had taken a backseat.

There were other things they didn't know about, and the outside world thought they had met with some misfortune.

He didn't want to explain further, only saying, "We escaped by chance and now want to go into the city to rest."

The guard leader hesitated for a moment, but ultimately waved his hand, signaling them to go in.

After all, Blazing City is a place that welcomes heroes from all walks of life.

As long as there are no issues with one's identity, people are generally not turned away from the city.

Meanwhile, the man in black robes finally caught up with the man in the valley.

The leader of the men in black robes looked at the empty valley.

Enraged, he kicked a nearby rock away, yelling, "Damn little mouse, it runs so fast!"

The other men in black robes also looked annoyed.

Old Eight, clutching his still-healing wound, gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, are we just going to let them get away like this?"

The leader of the black-robed men had a sinister look in his eyes. He sneered and said, "Hmph, they can't go far. Blazing Fire City is the only place they might go."

He slowly turned his head, glanced at his men behind him, and a ruthless determination flashed in his eyes. "Go back and assemble the team first. This time, we must not only capture that kid, but also take this opportunity to eliminate all forces that oppose us."

"Yes, boss!" the men in black robes replied in unison, their voices filled with bloodthirsty excitement.

They had long harbored resentment towards those forces that opposed them, and now that they had this opportunity, they were naturally eager to seize it.

The leader in black robes waved his hand, leading the group back quickly.

Meanwhile, inside Blazing Fire City, Wang Fan and his companions were unaware that a massive crisis was surging toward them.