It was a Burrow Demon Spider, its body far larger than any of its kind. Its eight compound eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty, scarlet light, and its limbs, like sharp metal spears, were dug deep into the ground.

The carapace covering its body had a dull, metallic sheen and radiated a terrifying pulse of energy.

A glaring red warning symbol instantly popped up on the tactical visor, along with the estimated data:

[Target: Mutated Burrow Demon Spider (Commander Level)]

[Energy Level Assessment: 31.2]

[Threat Level: Extreme!]

"A Star Beast Commander!"

Luo Liang let out a low growl and instinctively took a step forward. A faint golden glow from his Golden Jade Skills instantly enveloped his body as he shielded the others behind him.

Tana also gripped her heavy hammer, the usual playful smile gone from her face, replaced by a grim expression.

An Energy Level of 31.2... this was already beyond what their squad could handle on their own!

"Zhao Qingwei, call for backup! Now!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Xu Wuyi drew the dark red spear from his back with a reverse grip, angling the tip toward the ground. An aura, steady as a mountain yet concealing a scorching heat, rose up around him.

He strode forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Luo Liang, his gaze locked tightly onto the Demon Spider Commander, which emanated a terrifying aura.

"Understood!"

Zhao Qingwei reacted instantly. Almost at the same moment Xu Wuyi spoke, she was already contacting the major at the entrance command post via the squad’s encrypted channel.

"Reporting! We’ve encountered a Star Beast Commander at the border of Sector B-7 and Sector B-6. Energy Level assessed at 31.2, type: Mutated Burrow Demon Spider! Requesting backup!"

The major’s calm voice came back over the comms: "Received! We have a lock on your coordinates."

"Hold on. The ’Gale’ squad is closest to your position. Support will arrive within three minutes! Share your real-time feed with me!"

Zhao Qingwei immediately operated her tactical visor to share their combat feed.

Just then, the Demon Spider Commander moved!

It seemed to be enraged by the group of "little bugs" before it, their Qi and Blood rich and vibrant. Despite its massive body, it was surprisingly agile. A limb with a tip as sharp as a spear shot forward with a piercing shriek, aiming straight for Xu Wuyi at the very front!

"Watch out!"

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted. He activated Instant Shadow Step, his body rapidly retreating backward and to the side. At the same time, his spear shot out like a flood dragon emerging from its cave, precisely striking the tip of the incoming limb!

CLANG—!

The explosive sound of metal on metal erupted in the tunnel, sending sparks flying.

Xu Wuyi felt a tremendous force travel up the spear shaft, his arm going slightly numb. He used the momentum to slide back several meters before steadying himself.

The Demon Spider Commander’s limb was also knocked slightly off course by the strike, and it stabbed into the nearby rock wall, sending shattered stone flying.

’Such immense power!’ Xu Wuyi thought, his heart sinking.

Just a casual strike held such power. Commander Level beasts were truly not to be underestimated.

"Fight and retreat! Fall back toward the reinforcements’ direction!"

Zhao Qingwei shouted sharply, her longsword already unsheathed and shimmering with a cold light.

She hardly needed to give the command; the squad members were already in motion.

Luo Liang held his ground beside Xu Wuyi, channeling his Golden Jade Skills to their fullest to draw the Demon Spider’s attention and take some of the pressure off Xu Wuyi.

Tana roared as she swept her heavy hammer horizontally, forcing the Demon Spider to pull back from a full pursuit.

Li Hao and Ding Haichuan continuously attacked from the flanks and from a distance. Their arrows and flashes of saber light sought out gaps in the carapace, and while it was difficult to inflict a fatal wound, they effectively disrupted the Demon Spider’s movements.

Xu Wuyi took on the main burden of the fight.

His spear danced like a spinning wheel as he pushed his Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear to its limits. The powerful physique granted by his Minor Achievement in the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace gave him the capital to contend with this Commander Level Star Beast.

His Soul Suppressing Domain unfolded silently. While it couldn’t significantly hinder the Demon Spider Commander like it did with low-level Star Beasts, it did cause a slight sluggishness in its movements, creating precious opportunities for the team to dodge and counterattack.

BOOM!

The thick, sticky web spit out by the Demon Spider was shredded and incinerated by a single thrust from Xu Wuyi’s spear, which was infused with his scorching Qi and Blood.

CRACK!

Tana seized the opportunity to smash her heavy hammer onto a limb that was attempting a sneak attack. The sickening crack of bone made the Demon Spider let out a pained roar.

The battle was incredibly intense. The constant collision of Qi and Blood with the Star Beast’s energy stirred up violent gusts of wind within the tunnel.

The team worked in perfect concert, fighting as they retreated. On their tactical visors, the green dots representing the support team were rapidly approaching.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

Suddenly, a hurried and frantic voice cut into the squad’s public comms channel. It was another support squad, responsible for an adjacent sector:

"Mayday! Mayday! This is ’Gray Rat’ squad! We’ve encountered a Commander Level Rock Armor Centipede in Sector C-4!"

"Energy Level is over 30! We can’t hold on! We have a man heavily wounded! I repeat, we can’t hold on!"

The sounds of fierce fighting and pained screams could even be heard over the channel. Their situation was clearly more dire than Xu Wuyi’s team, as they had already suffered casualties.

Just then, a calm and powerful voice cut into the channel. It was the captain of the main assault team, the ’Gale’ squad:

"’Gray Rat’ squad, Star Martial 1723, hold on. I’ve received your distress calls. The ’Gale’ squad is splitting up. My vice-captain and I will head to support each of you!"

"Share your live coordinates and move to converge with us!"

Two flashing green signals immediately appeared on their tactical visors, each pointing in a different direction.

"Star Martial 1723, move to waypoint A! ’Gray Rat,’ move to waypoint B! Go!" the Gale squad captain’s voice came again.

"Understood!" Zhao Qingwei replied immediately, glancing at Xu Wuyi.

Xu Wuyi swept his spear, forcing the Demon Spider to retreat from a pounce, and said in a low voice, "Change course for Point A! Luo Liang, Tana, you’re with me on rearguard! Li Hao, Ding Haichuan, clear the path ahead!"

The team immediately changed direction, rapidly retreating toward waypoint A.

Xu Wuyi, Luo Liang, and Tana formed a solid defensive line, fighting as they moved, desperately holding up the Demon Spider Commander to buy time for the rest of the team to withdraw.

The mine tunnels were winding. Although the straight-line distance wasn’t great, navigating the turns still took time.

Three minutes, normally just a brief moment, felt endlessly long in a high-intensity, life-or-death battle like this.

Finally, from around the corner of the tunnel ahead, two incomparably powerful waves of Qi and Blood swept toward them like a hurricane!

"Get clear!"

A low shout rang out as two figures, one azure and one crimson, shot past Xu Wuyi and the others like illusions, charging straight for the relentlessly pursuing Demon Spider Commander!

The azure figure was incredibly fast, seemingly wielding a pair of short blades that whipped up countless sharp wind blades, instantly enveloping the Demon Spider’s compound eyes.

The crimson figure, meanwhile, was powerful and imposing. They threw a punch, and their scorching Qi and Blood condensed into a fist imprint that viciously smashed into one of the Demon Spider’s main limbs!

BOOM!

Amidst the violent energy explosion, the Demon Spider Commander let out a pained shriek. Its enormous body was knocked back repeatedly by the two powerful attacks, and cracks appeared on its tough carapace.

The pressure on Xu Wuyi and his team vanished. They immediately seized the chance to retreat a safe distance and regulate their breathing, their eyes fixed on the battle unfolding before them.