Fierce Battle with the Man Faced Demon Spider!

Long Yun stared gravely at the Man Faced Demon Spider in the distance, a trace of savagery on his face. Anyone would feel resentful after taking a blow like that. He had developed killing intent toward the Man Faced Demon Spider, and the fear in his heart had instead weakened.

The Man Faced Demon Spider was also fixedly watching Long Yun. Dissatisfied that its previous strike had failed to Seriously Injure him, it looked at Long Yun with the heated gaze and anger of a predator eyeing its prey.

That was far from the end of its attacks. After pausing briefly, it charged at Long Yun again. Its eight Spider Legs repeatedly plunged into the ground as it advanced, leaving deep gouges in the earth that showed just how sharp they were.

Watching the Man Faced Demon Spider rush toward him, Long Yun felt some panic in his heart. This time, however, he did not flee in a scramble. He took a deep breath and circulated the Soul Power in his hand. Soul Power from heaven and earth slowly began gathering around him, and a Divine Axe formed from Soul Power gradually appeared in his right hand. It swiftly solidified, until a Divine Axe with a black handle and a blood-red blade rested in Long Yun's grasp.

The moment the Divine Axe appeared in Long Yun's hand, his aura surged. A fierce, domineering presence radiated from around him, as if with an axe in hand, he could cleave apart heaven and earth. He carried the majesty of one standing between heaven and earth, looking down upon all living beings.

This time, Long Yun had not taken long to summon the Divine Axe. He had practically called it forth in an instant, and it had not consumed nearly as much Soul Power as before. Previously, merely summoning it had drained over half his Soul Power, but this time it had consumed only around a third. Perhaps this was related to the increased quality and quantity of Long Yun's Soul Power.

Once the Divine Axe was summoned, Long Yun's face turned somewhat pale, but his combat strength was not weakened in the slightest. Instead, it greatly increased. The appearance of the Divine Axe directly raised his combat strength by forty percent, and gave him this formidable means of attack—or rather, weapon.

Sensing the change in Long Yun's aura, the Man Faced Demon Spider slowed only slightly. It faintly felt uneasy, but quickly extinguished that unease. It refused to believe that such a weak human could hurt it. It charged toward Long Yun even faster, its swinging Spider Legs becoming fiercer. The surrounding trees were like paper before it; wherever it brushed them, deep slashes were carved into their trunks.

With the Divine Axe in hand, battle intent rose in Long Yun's eyes. His fear of Soul Beasts had long since vanished without a trace, leaving behind only intense fighting spirit. He gripped the Divine Axe tightly with both hands, kicked off the ground, and leaped into the air, leaving two shallow footprints behind as he swung the Divine Axe toward the Man Faced Demon Spider.

The slash appeared ordinary, yet it was filled with murderous intent. A bone-chilling, razor-sharp gleam radiated from the axe. The Man Faced Demon Spider also sensed that Long Yun's strike was unusual. The foremost Spider Leg it had raised swung with even greater force. Clearly, it did not fear this attack and intended to take it head-on.

Between spear and axe, which would prove superior?

"Clang!"

The two collided, and the sound of metal striking metal rang through the air. The energy shockwave from the impact spread outward, making the surrounding leaves tremble. Neither side gained an overwhelming advantage; instead, they fell into a deadlock. Axe and spear were evenly matched, locked in a clash where neither could gain the upper hand.

However, a closer look revealed that they were not truly equal. A shallow axe mark had appeared on the Man Faced Demon Spider's Spider Leg. Its hardness was clearly inferior to the Divine Axe's. Still, the Man Faced Demon Spider was a Soul Beast nearing two thousand years old, and its Spider Legs were among the hardest parts of its body. They would not be so easily shattered.

Of course, that was only because Long Yun had not yet obtained his Second Soul Ring. If he had acquired it and reached above level twenty, that strike would likely have done more than leave a shallow axe mark on its Spider Leg—it would have severed the leg outright. Obtaining a Soul Ring would bring explosive growth not only to Long Yun's strength and Soul Power, but also to the sharpness of the Divine Axe. At that point, cutting through this Spider Leg would not be difficult for him.

While the two remained deadlocked, the Man Faced Demon Spider was clearly enraged. Another of its Spider Legs slashed toward Long Yun's waist, intending to cut him in half.

Long Yun's expression changed slightly as he watched the attack, and a sense of crisis rose within him. At that moment, he seemed to have entered a battle state, instinctively reacting to danger. Soul Power circulated through his body, and tremendous force suddenly erupted from his hands. He instantly knocked away the Spider Leg locked against his Divine Axe, causing the Man Faced Demon Spider's body to tilt. Then Long Yun immediately swung the Giant Axe at the Spider Leg slashing toward him.

"Clang!"

Another metallic collision rang out, but it was far softer than the previous one. Clearly, both attacks were much weaker. This collision ended the instant it began. The Man Faced Demon Spider's Spider Leg was knocked away once more, while Long Yun used the recoil to retreat.

After landing, Long Yun staggered back several steps before steadying himself. Before he could make another move, he heard a "pfft" from the Man Faced Demon Spider's direction. The instant he heard it, every hair on his body stood on end. He immediately guessed what had happened, raised his head, and looked ahead. The sight made his pupils contract.

A massive Spider Web, five or six meters in diameter, was hurtling toward Long Yun. The web was snow-white, each strand as thick as an index finger. Sticky fluid clung to its surface like glue, giving it incredible adhesive power. This was the Man Faced Demon Spider's web-spitting ability. It could spit out three Spider Webs a day. Not only was this web exceptionally tough, but it also possessed extremely strong adhesion. Once trapped, even a Soul King-level Soul Master would struggle to break free. If Long Yun were caught in it, there would be only one way out: call for help!

"A Spider Web?" Long Yun murmured as he looked at the enormous web. Then he looked at the Divine Axe in his hand, drew it back behind him in a throwing stance, and poured Soul Power into his arm. A burst of tremendous force erupted from his hand, and his expression twisted slightly from exertion.

After gathering a little strength, Long Yun hurled the Divine Axe with all his might. The Divine Axe spun continuously through the air, producing the sound of tearing wind as it charged toward the Spider Web with immense weight and sharpness.

The Spider Web was tough and resilient, while the Divine Axe was fierce and incomparably sharp. Long Yun did not know whether the Divine Axe could tear through it. He kept his eyes fixed on the axe, hoping to see its power. The Man Faced Demon Spider made no further movements either, watching the center as it waited for the outcome of their collision.

The two soon met. Although the Divine Axe carried an overwhelming momentum, seemingly impossible to stop, the Spider Web was not as fragile as it appeared. How could a web capable of trapping a Soul King be so easily broken?

When the Divine Axe struck the Spider Web, it felt like a fist plunging into water—soft and yielding. Because of the web's resilience, the Divine Axe failed to break through it. Yet the immense force carried by the axe brought the web to a halt and sent it flying back toward the Man Faced Demon Spider. Though the web was hard and difficult to tear, its force was far weaker than that of the Divine Axe, and it was knocked back in an instant.

Seeing this, the already hideous human face of the Man Faced Demon Spider became even more grotesque. However, it reacted quickly, immediately dancing aside on its Spider Legs to evade the Divine Axe's attack.

Long Yun curled his lips into a smile at the sight. Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and shot forward like a cannonball. This time, he did not intend to wait for the Man Faced Demon Spider to attack him. It was time for him to strike back. You return a gift when one is given—now take one of my attacks!

Long Yun was incredibly fast. In less than half a breath, he closed the distance between himself and the Man Faced Demon Spider to six or seven meters. Then the only Soul Ring around his body suddenly lit up, blazing with dazzling light.

"First Soul Skill: Massacre in All Directions!" Long Yun shouted in a low voice.

As his words fell, the Martial Soul behind him instantly expanded five or six times. The Divine Axe in its hand grew to seven or eight meters long, making it look like a majestic deity from the heavens. An invisible Divine Axe also appeared in Long Yun's hands. Gripping it with both hands, Long Yun fiercely swung it at the Man Faced Demon Spider.

At that moment, the Soul Power around Long Yun became incomparably violent. A murderous aura spread from within his body, making the air around him feel utterly oppressive.

The Martial Soul phantom moved in perfect sync with Long Yun. As Long Yun slowly swung the invisible Divine Axe in his hands, the enormous Divine Axe held by the Martial Soul phantom also swept out. Its swing brought forth a blood-red radiance that slashed horizontally toward the Man Faced Demon Spider with astonishing momentum, carrying an unstoppable might.