Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

His fingers moved down.

[Steel-Toothed Spider, HP 15000, Attack 45-95, Defense 10-25, Magic Resistance 30-50. Ranged attacker; its range is slightly shorter than the casting range of mages and Taoists. Prioritize eliminating it upon discovery.]

Old Xue nodded without interrupting.

[Flower Kiss Spider, HP 20000, Attack 40-100, Defense 15-25, Magic Defense 20-30. Extremely high attack, can attack from a distance, and poisons the target. Easily overlooked in a beast horde, but its damage is significantly higher than the Sky Wolf Spider; it cannot withstand close combat for long.]

[Moon Demon Spider, HP 15000, Attack 50-50, Defense 15-25, Magic Defense 20-50. Magic attack, extremely fast attack speed, can petrify targets.]

His finger paused on the line for "Moon Demon Spider": "These are the most troublesome. Once petrified, they can't move. We have to take them down before they get close."

Old Xue was silent for a while, then spoke in a very calm voice: "These things were all explained by the Heavenly Venerable when he was alive, and the brothers all know them. It's just that these things are much more recent and more numerous now than before."

As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced outside the city. Lin Mu followed his gaze.

A thin layer of light shimmered faintly at the breach in the city wall, as if a barrier was maintaining the gap. The grayish-white outlines moved slowly outside the light membrane, neither approaching nor dissipating, like a group of spectators waiting for something, quietly watching the city from a distance.

I wonder how long this barrier can last.

He recalled the scene he saw on the aircraft the day he arrived: the wilderness of Bai Ri Men was teeming with all kinds of spiders, which made his scalp tingle again, as he was already afraid of spiders in his previous life.

Hopefully, this barrier can last a while.

Lin Mu didn't reply, and turned to another page:

【Phantom Spider, HP 10000, Attack 0-0, Defense 10-15, Magic Defense 20-40. It has no offensive capabilities. Upon discovering a target, it will continuously hatch explosive spiderlings. When the spiderlings touch the target, they will explode, causing high area damage. The clustered explosions can easily leave the target with very low health instantly.】

"This thing is even more sinister than the Moon Demon Spider when it's mixed in with the beast tide."

His gaze moved down one line.

[Exploding Spider, HP 100, Attack 80-80, Defense 0-0, Magic Defense 0-0. Note that the Exploding Spider is a self-destructing spiderling hatched from the Phantom Spider. Its damage ignores defense and magic defense; it deals true damage. The Exploding Spider has a small target size and is easily overlooked when mixed in with other monsters.]

Lin Mu mentally reviewed the two sets of data, said nothing, and continued reading:

[Black-edged Spider, HP 50000, Attack 70-100, Defense 15-25, Magic Defense 20-30.] He glanced at it; apart from the high stats, there was nothing special about it.

He turned another page, his finger hovering over two lines of text side by side:

[Blood Zombie, 800000 HP, Attack 60-120, Defense 20-30, Magic Defense 15-25. Mini-boss, can drop high-level mage weapons, Blood Drinker.]

After he finished reading, just as he was about to continue flipping through the pages, Old Xue next to him added, "But these are zombies. Like those in the mining area, they can get back up after dying, and they won't drop anything if you kill them again."

Lin Mu nodded: "Yeah, a zombie with 80 HP, the monsters in Bai Ri Men are too strong."

After saying that, he continued to flip through the pages, until he reached the page that recorded the Two-Headed King Kong and the Two-Headed Blood Demon.

The handwriting on the page looks newer than the other parts, and the ink is also slightly darker, as if it was added later.

[Two-Headed King Kong, HP 4000000, Attack 80-220, Defense 10-30, Magic Resistance 50-100]

[Two-Headed Blood Demon, HP 4000000, Attack 80-220, Defense 50-100, Magic Resistance 10-30]

Old Xue glanced at the two lines of numbers, his brows furrowing slightly, and then said, "Both of these monsters only appear deep within the Demon Altar, where monsters congregate and no one dares to go in. The reason this atlas contains their data is because they have already escaped from the altar and were spotted by the Celestial Venerable, who then recorded these numbers and added them to the book."

"Both of these are bosses, with 400 million HP. The Vajra has extremely low physical defense but extremely high magic defense. Mages can barely scratch it; warriors have to use melee attacks. The Blood Demon is the opposite: extremely high physical defense but extremely low magic defense. Warriors can't cut it; mages have to use lightning or warriors have to use ranged attacks to kill it. Fortunately, they are both melee."

After saying that, Old Xue fell silent. He understood better than Lin Mu what those two lines of numbers meant. No matter which one charged to the foot of the city wall, it would be enough to give the defenders a hard time.

Lin Mu continued turning the diagram to the last page, which contained only one line of text, printed alone in the center of the page:

[Red Moon Demon, HP: ???, Attack: ???, Defense: ???, Magic Resistance: ???]

Chapter 277 Low Morale

He was not surprised by the result.

From the moment he opened the first page of the atlas, he had no expectation of finding any specific data about the Crimson Moon Demon.

Even a thousand-year-old tree demon, which relies solely on instinct for defense, has accumulated nearly 1200 million HP after countless years of growth. Apart from its ability to merge with other entities, its ability to teleport far and fast, and its capacity to cheat, no one else can get close to the tree demon, so naturally, no one can obtain specific data about it.

The Crimson Moon Demon hides in its lair deep within the jungle maze, surrounded by layers upon layers of spiders and blood zombies. Let alone being able to defeat it and obtain its data, just traversing the path paved by those monsters is something most people could never do in their entire lives.

How much health does that thing have? 50 million? 100 million? Or more?

Lin Mu didn't think any further.

The monster is too powerful.

The previous speech alone had a negligible effect.

Although everyone showed grief when bidding farewell to the Celestial Venerable, that grief seemed to have taken away even the last bit of spirit.

Lin Mu and Old Xue took a stroll around the city. Some people sat by the wall in a daze, some squatted under the eaves and looked through the last of their dry rations, and some were arguing loudly in an open space, as if they were arguing over a small bag of rice and flour. Their voices were so loud that the whole street could hear them.

Some people were so drunk that they collapsed in the roadside hay, with empty wine jars lying next to them, muttering something incoherently, whether they were cursing monsters or themselves.

The entire city seemed to have been hollowed out from the inside, leaving only the outer shell barely standing; the inside had long since collapsed.

Old Xue walked alongside, offering no comment, only occasionally stopping to glance at the people sitting in the corners before continuing on his way. After completing a circle, he remarked, "Morale is something that can't be maintained overnight with just one speech."

Lin Mu didn't reply. He stood in the middle of the street, watching a few people playing drinking games at the alley entrance. After a moment of silence, he said to Old Xue, "Have everyone who can move come to the East Gate."

The open space at the East Gate was a bit more spacious than the area at the foot of the city wall. People came over one after another. Some leaned against the wall, some sat on the stone steps, and some stood behind the crowd, clutching half a piece of dry food in their hands.

Lin Mu stood at the front of the crowd, standing quietly for a moment, his gaze slowly sweeping over each of the downcast, numb faces in front of him.

After confirming that all the remaining warriors in the city had arrived, he slowly spoke, his voice not loud, just like his usual casual conversation, but each word was as heavy as a falling stone, crashing in the dead silence of the wind.

"I looked around, and most of the people in this city have already accepted that we can't win."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

No one refuted, no one responded. Some stared intently at the tips of their shoes, afraid to look up; others turned their faces away, deliberately avoiding his gaze, as if this despair wouldn't come true unless they admitted it. Everyone carried a sense of inescapable defeat deep within their hearts.

Lin Mu looked quietly at the indifferent and dejected appearance of the crowd, and said in a colder tone: "But you must remember, the monsters will never stop their siege just because you don't want to fight or dare not fight."

He paused briefly, letting the wind sweep through the empty streets and alleys, dispersing the faint sobs of the crowd, before speaking again, his words resounding:

"As the old saying goes, 'Heaven's movement is ever vigorous; so should a gentleman constantly strive for self-improvement.' This saying never teaches us that we must win every battle, but rather that we should never stop and never give up. If you stop, the wheel of heaven will not stop turning, the demonic tide outside the city will not stop, and the relentlessly approaching spider monsters will not stop either. If you cower and avoid battle today, refusing to raise your sword, they will still be entrenched outside the city tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow as well. When you run out of food and your hands and feet are too weak to even hold a sword, these demons will still be there."

He took a step forward, his aura imposing, and his gaze swept over the bowed crowd as he spoke sternly:

"You think you are outnumbered and powerless to resist. But no matter how many monsters there are, we must kill them one by one and eliminate them one by one until the day comes. Killing one today reduces the threat; eliminating two tomorrow increases the chance of survival. They will not disappear into thin air, and the desperate situation will not reverse itself. If you are complacent and shrink back today, you will only be more desperate and helpless tomorrow, because you have wasted the present and owed the chance to fight for survival that you should have fought for."

"You now cower within the city, fearing battle and avoiding the enemy, but you have no idea what a tremendous protection you have failed! In his lifetime, the Celestial Venerable possessed a teleportation ring, a supreme treasure capable of breaking through any encirclement and instantly escaping thousands of miles. In this chaotic and desperate situation, he could have left alone, living a carefree life and protecting himself, without having to stay here and risk his life. But he did not flee! He abandoned his only path to survival, melting his personal treasure into his body and condensing it into a barrier covering the entire city, using his own Dao foundation as a lock to firmly protect the stability of the White Sun Gate, and shielding us from countless Crimson Moon Demon Tides!"

"He gave his life for our peace, he sacrificed himself for our survival. And what about you now? You dare not leave the city to slay demons, dare not take up arms to defend yourselves, instead you are trapped in the city, fighting amongst yourselves for the last remaining food and resources, bullying your own kind, and living a life of ignominy!"

"You are so cowardly and afraid of death, so eager to live in peace, that you don't even have the courage to face the demons. You are not even as good as a half-orc, the Rake Cat, outside Bichon City! Your cowardice and selfishness today have wasted half a lifetime of effort and the original intention of martyrdom of the Celestial Venerable, and betrayed the life that he gave his life to save the city! You are all cowards!"

Lin Mu didn't look at the dejected look on their faces any longer, and without waiting for anyone to speak up or explain, he turned around and left.

Facing the swirling demonic fog outside the city and the blood-red moon, he strode towards the collapsed breach in the city wall.

Old Xue called out from behind, "Where are you going?"

Lin Mu didn't even turn his head: "Clear the monster."

He walked to the breach in the city wall and looked out through the thin beam of light from the barrier. The monsters outside were still slowly wandering around.

Fortunately, he was followed by about 60 Flying Eagle Guards, all of whom were Lin Mu's direct subordinates who had followed him since Bichon.

Whether they genuinely trusted Lin Mu or had never witnessed the power of the Crimson Moon monster, these people showed no signs of the dejection of the Bai Ri Men people; they were all full of energy and spirit.

More than 60 Flying Eagle Guards lined up quietly and followed behind Lin Mu.

The crowd also noticed that a beautiful girl had appeared behind Lin Mu at some point. She was carrying a dragon-slaying sword and her dark purple armor gleamed coldly under the crimson moon.

She walked at a steady pace, following closely behind Lin Mu, even more closely than the Flying Eagle Guards, never missing a step.

The breach was located in a secluded corner of the city wall.

Chapter 278 Leading by Example, the Poison of the Y-10

The barrier that the Celestial Venerable erected after he was exhausted did not completely cover all the corners of the city wall, leaving several sections exposed.

The spiders haven't been idle these days either; they've gnawed away at every exposed corner of the wall, and this gap was caused by their gnawing.

Fortunately, the gap wasn't large; the narrowest part was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, making it a narrow, life-or-death pass.

The news of Lin Mu's arrival in the city had already spread. The demons outside the city were very sensitive to auras, and their hissing echoed one after another. A dark swarm of spiders slowly surrounded the gap, and the stench poured into the city through the breach.

But these creatures didn't rush forward. They stopped neatly at a distance, just out of reach of the Taoist talismans and sorcerers' spells. They just squatted there, patiently waiting for the people in the city to step out of the barrier on their own, or for the barrier that annoyed the spiders to dissipate on its own.

In short, they didn't give the city's defenders any opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Lin Mu didn't keep the monsters waiting for long.

He stood at the edge of the gap and stepped out of the barrier.

The moment he stepped out, Lin Mu felt a gust of foul wind hit him in the face, making his chest feel tight.

The smell was particularly pungent, a mixture of the fishy stench of spider glands, the musty smell of rotting earth, and thick, red moon demonic energy. It was as if countless filth had been fermenting for a long time in the high-temperature miasma, pungent and oppressive, making it feel like your breath was being covered by something.

At the same moment, countless blood-red compound eyes turned in unison, locking onto Lin Mu, who had walked out alone. The massive swarm of spiders slowly moved their bodies, steadily approaching the gap, as if they had finally waited for the moment when their prey would voluntarily leave the city wall.

Inside the breach, the Flying Eagle Guards and the people of Bai Ri Men held their breath, their palms sweating profusely.

Suddenly, several sharp whooshing sounds rang out. Several steel-fanged spiders gave Lin Mu almost no time to react, launching a volley of fire at him as he stepped out of the barrier. Their steel fangs shot out, fast and ruthless, aiming straight for his face.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and before they could even shout, the female warrior behind Lin Mu, carrying the Dragon Slayer sword, vanished from her spot in a flash of white light.

In the next instant, she flashed in front of Lin Mu, held the thick Dragon Slayer Blade horizontally, and blocked it with the blade. With a few crisp clangs, the steel teeth that were shot at her were all knocked away and embedded in the broken walls on both sides, penetrating deep into the stone.

A collective gasp filled the gap.

People are familiar with this "whoosh" sound, just like when the Celestial Venerable uses the teleportation ring.

In everyone's eyes, this female warrior must also be wearing a teleportation ring. With just a thought, she could escape and return to Bichon or the safe Mengzhong.

But instead of leaving, she flashed to the front, using herself to block the sea of ​​monsters and Lin Mu.

Inside the gap, the original members of Bai Ri Men all lowered their heads.

Old Xue stood at the front of the crowd, his gaze slowly sweeping across their faces. Each face was flushed with shame, and no one dared to raise their head.

He said nothing, but that silence was more powerful than any words.

Lin Mu did not hesitate for a moment.

Taking advantage of the gap in the skull blocking the steel teeth, he had already grabbed two bags of powder in his hands and threw them at the wolf spider closest to the opening.

There lay a giant, millstone-sized spider, its dark golden carapace covered with fine, sharp spines. Its eight thick, bony legs had hooks at their tips that gleamed coldly. As it moved, it crunched over the gravel.