Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Arachne possessed divine sparks and resembled them in form; this was truly a godsend.

Arachne clearly understood Liu Nian's thoughts, and she was also very tempted. Her voice rang directly in Liu Nian's mind, carrying a rare hint of excitement: "Master, absorbing faith can nurture and strengthen my divine spark, and even give me the opportunity to condense divine authority, develop unique divine arts, and ascend to a higher level of life. This would be of immense benefit to me. However, receiving faith also means entanglement with responsibility and cause and effect, meaning I will be bound to them, and possibly offend a god as a result!"

"But this is a golden opportunity, isn't it?" Liu Nian smiled. "As for offending the gods, what's there to be afraid of? I'm here for you."

Liu Nian is a player, so Arachne, as his pet, has a unique advantage: as long as Liu Nian doesn't die, she can be resurrected even if she dies!

Therefore, there is absolutely no need to be afraid of offending any gods!

Arachne was silent for a moment, then a smile spread across her lips: "Master is absolutely right. This opportunity is indeed rare; it is my chance to seize the power of 'Web Weaving' and ascend to a higher dimension!"

Thus, Liu Nian's plan was set: to enter the City of the Dead and make Arachne the new faith of this group of spider-elves.

The spider-like elves, including Pendra, had no other choice but to offer their faith to Arachne and their loyalty to Liu Nian.

To reduce unnecessary conflicts and gain a more intuitive understanding of the situation inside the city of exile, Liu Nian disguised himself as a surface adventurer "captured" by Pendra, while Arachne was taken into his pet space.

Pandra will take Liu Nian to meet the current Spider Elf Queen.

Liu Nian was highly skilled and daring, and was not afraid of Pendra turning against him at all.

In fact, Pendra dares not betray her faith now, because she has given up her faith and the price of betraying it would be terrible.

The city of exile is located in a huge cave system adorned with countless luminous fungi. Most of the buildings are constructed on natural rock walls and large stalagmites. The style lacks the elegance and delicacy of elves, and everywhere exudes an atmosphere of struggling for survival.

The number of spider-like spirits in the city was more than Liu Nian had expected, exceeding three thousand.

Under Pandra's "escort," Liu Nian entered the city.

They passed through the entrance to the city of exile—a gate constructed of massive stalagmites and metal fragments, covered in moss that emitted a faint blue glow. Several sentries wielding bone spears stood on a high natural rock platform, vigilantly scanning the area below.

Upon entering the city, Liu Nian was immediately surrounded by a scene that blended decay with exotic beauty.

The city's skeleton is natural—the dome of the huge cave is about 100 meters high, with countless stalactites hanging down, many of which have been hollowed out and transformed into watchtowers or storage rooms.

The ground was uneven, covered with stalagmite bases of varying sizes, and the spider-like spirits built their dwellings on these natural "foundations".

The architectural style is rugged and practical, with almost no trace of the exquisite and ornate carvings or decorations found in elves.

The houses are mostly built with a mixture of mined schist, clay and a certain type of highly resilient mycelium, giving them a dark gray hue.

These structures do not pursue symmetrical beauty, but rather cling to stone walls, stalagmites, or even be built directly in mid-air—the spider-elves use thick, metallic-lustered spider silk to weave net-like platforms and passages in the air, connecting caves and dwellings at different heights.

Looking up, Liu Nian saw a network of interconnected passageways, about twenty meters above his head, resembling a three-dimensional street network.

The adult spider sprites moved nimbly above, their eight limbs traversing the silk as if walking on flat ground, while some of the younger spider sprites moved cautiously in the area closer to the ground.

The lighting system here is somewhat unique. The light sources in the city mainly come from three sources: First, bioluminescent fungi that grow on rock walls and building surfaces emit faint blue, purple, and green light, which, although weak, are widely distributed.

Secondly, there are the "fluorite cages" suspended at key passage nodes—these are glowing minerals encased in the transparent carapace of some kind of creature.

Thirdly, what caught Liu Nian's attention the most was that on the outer walls of some important buildings, such as the largest building in the center, which was built on a multi-story structure supported by a giant stalagmite, there were scattered fragments of arcane crystals that emitted a soft white light.

These fragments must be creations of a higher civilization, incongruous with their surrounding crude environment.

A somber atmosphere permeated the city, and the spider-elf inhabitants' condition, as described by Pendra, confirmed the city's somber atmosphere along the winding paths among the stalagmites.

Most of the adult warriors looked exhausted, with scratches from battles on their carapaces; those non-combatants who were responsible for weaving webs, cultivating fungi, processing prey, or caring for spiderlings appeared much thinner.

The scarcity of resources is evident in every detail: for example, most weapons are made of bone or stone, with very few metal weapons; in the few "market" areas we visited, the stalls were filled with underground fungi, processed insect meat, rough woven fabrics, and materials obtained from gem monitor lizards or other underground creatures, and the bargaining among traders conveyed a sense of tension.

The care area for spiderlings and egg sacs was located in a relatively inland, higher-lying area of ​​the city, where there were more bioluminescent fungi and the temperature seemed to be slightly higher.

Liu Nian glimpsed several nests paved with soft mycelium and feathers from some kind of underground bird. Inside, some young spider-like spirits, whose upper bodies were not yet fully transformed into human form, were moving around under the care of an elder.

Pendra whispered to his fellow tribesmen who cast curious or wary glances at him along the way, "A surface captive, I'm taking her to see the Queen."

Liu Nian noticed that she seemed a little nervous.

They had now arrived at the city center, where the complex structure built upon giant stalagmites was clearly the ruling center, and was called the Spider Palace.

It has about five floors, each with a spiderweb-like platform extending outwards, connecting to other important buildings. The building's surface is inlaid with even more arcane crystal fragments, and eight well-equipped guards stand at the entrance.

As Liu Nian was about to enter the main building, he passed through a circular plaza.

In the center of the square is a dried-up stone pool with blurry, spiderweb-like patterns carved on its bottom—clearly a former altar, now abandoned.

Several elderly spider-like elves sat at the edge of the plaza, staring blankly at the pool, their hands unconsciously stroking small pebbles engraved with symbols.

The emptiness left by the lack of faith permeates the area around this abandoned altar.

Pandra noticed Liu Nian's gaze. She pursed her lips and finally whispered, "That place... used to be where we communicated with the 'Shadow Queen.' Now, only stones remain."

Liu Nian didn't speak, but simply took it all in.

This city, and these spider-like spirits, are indeed as Pandra said—like plants that have lost their roots, struggling to stretch their branches and leaves in the dark underground, yearning for even a sliver of light and water to nourish their survival.

"Let's go," Pandra said to Liu Nian, his tone complicated. "Her Majesty the Queen usually stays in the 'Hall of Watch'."

They escorted Liu Nian into the Spider Palace.