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

"ah--!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell. Even the eight elite guards, despite their excellent training, couldn't help but gasp, their scythes trembling slightly.

This is……

Unlike the Shadow Queen's mystery and gloom, Arachne gives people a sense of sacredness that is as all-encompassing as a woven web!

Pandra and several of his accompanying warriors had already bowed their heads deeply, their bodies trembling slightly with awe.

It was their second time seeing it, and they were still deeply moved.

Esmeralda, sitting on the throne, was struck dumb!

She covered her mouth with all four arms at the same time, her violet eyes widened to their limit, filled with unparalleled shock and a trace of instinctive fear!

She could clearly feel the divine spark emanating from the being before her!

Although faint, far less than the vastness of the Shadow Spider Queen in her memory, its inherent height and purity held a fatal attraction and oppressive feeling for spider-elves, especially for a former priest like herself.

"This...this is impossible..." Esmeralda murmured in disbelief, "A god walking among mortals?"

Her faith was crumbling, but her deep-rooted memories of serving over the centuries, along with the pain and obsession of being abandoned, plunged her into intense inner conflict.

Arachne looked down at the distraught queen, her voice ethereal yet majestic, carrying a power to cleanse the soul:

"I am Arachne, the weaver of webs and seeker of mysteries."

She extended her slender finger, pointing to Esmeralda, then to the hall, and then to the entire city of exile:

"My Lord gives you the opportunity to submit to Me and believe in Me. I will guide you to regain your strength and weave a new web of destiny. I have seen your struggles and your desires."

Arachne's words were incredibly seductive.

However, after the initial shock, Esmeralda's eyes gradually became complex and painful, eventually transforming into an almost obsessive determination.

She slowly lowered her hand from her mouth, straightened her back, though her face remained as pale as paper.

"No..." Her voice was hoarse, yet filled with a desperate stubbornness. "I am the priestess of the Shadow Spider Queen... Even if I am banished, even if I am stripped of my title, my soul has already been branded with her mark... I cannot... I cannot betray my former faith to serve another unfamiliar deity!"

Her gaze toward Arachne was filled with awe, but even more so with resistance.

"Thank you for your and your master's...favor." Esmeralda's voice carried a sorrowful resolve, "But the Shadowmoon Clan...at least I cannot accept it. For a priest, a change of faith is a betrayal and annihilation more complete than death. Great being...please return."

She actually refused!

The scene froze. Pandora and the others were extremely anxious, but dared not utter a sound.

The guards gripped their weapons tightly, creating a tense atmosphere.

Arachne frowned slightly; she hadn't expected the former priestess's obsession to run so deep. And besides… wasn't the price of her betrayal far too high?

But is the entire Shadowmoon race destined to perish along with you?

Would the other spider-like spirits agree?

She looked at Liu Nian, awaiting her master's decision.

Looking at the unwavering determination in Esmeralda's eyes, a mixture of fear, stubbornness, and sorrow, Liu Nian sighed softly.

"I understand." Liu Nian's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "For you, faith is a shackle, but also everything. You would rather selfishly drag your people down with you because of this shackle than break it and seek a new life."

He raised his eyes, his gaze as still as a deep well, and looked at Esmeralda:

"Then, I'm sorry to say, you've blocked your people's path to a new life."

The moment the words left his mouth, Liu Nian moved.

Without any earth-shattering display of power, he simply took a step forward.

But this step seemed to shrink the distance to an inch, covering ten meters in an instant! His figure blurred for a moment, and he had already appeared below the stone platform, his nose almost touching the back of Esmeralda's head!

"Protect the Queen!" The eight guards reacted swiftly, letting out a sharp whistle as their scythes slashed at Liu Nian from eight tricky angles simultaneously!

They were as fast as lightning and their teamwork was seamless.

However, Liu Nian didn't even glance at them.

He simply stamped his foot slightly.

"The earth roared."

-794 million!

A shockwave instantly spread out from Liu Nian's feet!

"boom!!!"

The eight guards were frozen in place, their waving postures frozen in place.

"Snap!" "Pfft!"

The sound of bones shattering and the sound of vomiting blood rang out almost simultaneously!

Eight figures were sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when they arrived, crashing heavily into the rock walls surrounding the hall!

The sturdy bone armor and metal trim shattered like paper, and the battle scythe in his hand twisted and flew out of his grasp.

They collapsed against the wall, instantly losing all fighting ability, their fate unknown.

The entire process took less than 1 seconds.

Before Esmeralda could even react, her most trusted guards had been wiped out!

If it weren't for the equipment she was wearing that protected her from the damage, she probably would have died too!

The dark purple light on her four arms surged instantly, a mixture of terror and determination. She let out a shriek, and her four hands simultaneously formed a complex and ancient sacrificial hand seal—[Shadow Spider Bind]!

A dense surge of shadow energy erupted from her body, transforming into countless jet-black spider silks imbued with blasphemous and binding power, which blanketed Liu Nian behind her!

These spider silks are not only physically incredibly tough, but also possess a terrifying effect of corroding the soul and imprisoning energy; they are one of her trump cards as a former priestess.

Liu Nian's expression remained unchanged as he watched the shadowy spiderweb rushing towards him.

The shield generated by the [Steel Cells] flows naturally.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

-113339! -113339! -113339!

The shield is being depleted, but a shield with a mere 1268 million shield points is simply too thick...

The shadow energy frantically eroded, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree, appearing pale and powerless.

Esmeralda produced daggers again in her four hands and frantically stabbed Liu Nian, but amidst the dazzling stabbing, a look of horror appeared on her face.

She knew there was a gap between them, but she didn't expect it to be this big! Her divine magic and her attacks couldn't even break through the opponent's defenses!

No wonder he was able to subdue a deity as his subordinate!

But she didn't intend to give up. She instantly moved backward, and then powerful shadow energy erupted again. A semi-transparent giant spider leaped out above her head and swallowed Liu Nian in one gulp!

This Shadow Spider Queen priestess summoned a divine projection at the cost of exhausting all her remaining divine power!

Liu Nian was swallowed by the giant spider, but he could still be seen through the spider's translucent body.

At that moment, the shield on his body was instantly torn apart by this powerful divine magic!

Esmeralda's face lit up with a hint of joy, but before she could even feel happy, a powerful shockwave erupted from Liu Nian once more!

The shield exploded, and the powerful divine projection was torn to shreds by the shockwave in an instant!

The shockwave then continued to spread, penetrating Esmeralda's body without any obstruction.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The next moment, Esmeralda's four arms fell limply to her sides, and her magnificent dark purple dress, starting from her chest, silently turned into the finest dust.

Her eyes were wide open, still holding disbelief, pain, and a hint of relief. The violet light in her eyes quickly dimmed.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately made no sound.

Liu Nian's eyes widened.

Damn, if you're going to die, why did your clothes have to be ripped off?

Could it be some kind of special effect that comes with this skill?

If this move were triggered on the battlefield... the scene would be too beautiful, wouldn't it?

Happy New Year everyone!