Demon Spider Ambush, First Display of Prowess

The thicket was exceptionally dense, its tangled branches and leaves forming an almost solid wall of dark green that completely concealed whatever lay within. Light became miserly here; only a few stubborn golden rays struggled through the gaps in the leaves, casting scattered patches of light across the dim ground. This only made the surrounding shadows seem deeper, as though countless ill-intentioned eyes lurked within them.

The cold, violent aura in the air grew clearer and clearer. Like invisible tentacles, it carried a malice that made their skin sting as it spread in wisps. Bing'er and Yan'er unconsciously held their breath. They could feel that, within the darkness, an exceedingly dangerous hunter had already fixed its icy gaze upon them.

Qin Mo stood where he was, as steady as a boulder. His Spiritual Power was intensely focused, like the most precise radar, piercing through layers of obstruction to clearly "see" the lurking creature in its entirety—a spider the size of a millstone, its entire body covered in glossy black armor! Its eight simple eyes glimmered with cruel, bloodthirsty light in the darkness, while its barbed legs, like sharp black spears, curled slightly as it prepared to pounce. On its abdomen, savage white markings vaguely formed the image of a distorted human face, making it seem all the more sinister.

A Hundred-Year Human-Faced Demon Spider! And judging by the density of its aura, it was far from having only just entered the hundred-year level. It had at least three or four hundred years of cultivation! What made it most feared were its lightning-fast speed, incomparably tough shell, and neurotoxin that sealed one's throat at the sight of blood!

"It... it's a Human-Faced Demon Spider!" Bing'er's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor. She had clearly recognized this soul beast, infamous throughout the Spirit Master World. It was far more dangerous than other soul beasts of the same level.

The moment her words fell!

Whoosh—!

A black shadow, so fast that it left only an afterimage, suddenly tore through the dense thicket and lunged out on a gust of foul wind! Its target was not Qin Mo, who stood at the forefront, but Yan'er, who appeared easiest to take down and whose aura was comparatively "gentle"! Cunning and vicious, it struck straight for the vital points!

Its speed was beyond imagination. Its eight spider legs were like Death's scythes, screeching as they tore through the air and stabbed toward Yan'er's vital points!

"Yan'er, watch out!" Bing'er cried out, almost instinctively about to summon her Martial Soul and rush forward to block it.

However, someone reacted even faster than she did!

Just before the demon spider's claws touched Yan'er's fiery red dress, Qin Mo moved!

There was not the slightest warning in his movements, as if he had long anticipated every action the demon spider would take. His feet shifted seemingly casually, his figure blurring like a ghost. Though he moved later, he arrived first, inserting himself with perfect precision between the demon spider and Yan'er!

Facing the savage demon spider and its overwhelming ferocity, Qin Mo's deep eyes held neither fear nor panic. There was only an almost cruel calmness and precise calculation. To him, this was not a life-or-death battle, but an experiment that needed to be executed flawlessly.

He did not immediately summon his mysterious Nine-Story Demon Pagoda Martial Soul.

Instead, he instantly concentrated the vast Level 20 Innate Soul Power within him—far surpassing that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster—into his right fist! A faint jade-colored glow appeared over his knuckles, proof of Soul Power compressed to an extreme degree!

He twisted sideways, turned his waist, and threw a punch! The motion flowed flawlessly, as natural as breathing!

He did not choose to clash head-on with the blade-sharp spider legs. Instead, he precisely seized upon the relatively vulnerable joint exposed during the demon spider's lunge—the point where its second left walking leg connected to its body!

Bang!

A dull, teeth-grinding impact rang out!

The heavy punch, containing Level 20 Innate Soul Power, struck the target squarely!

Screee—!

The Human-Faced Demon Spider let out a sharp, ear-piercing shriek of pain. Its charge came to an abrupt halt, its massive body freezing in midair! The armor at the base of the struck spider leg visibly caved in, and fine cracks even spread across it as green slime seeped from the fissures! One of its legs had nearly been blasted apart by Qin Mo's seemingly simple punch!

Pure suppression through Soul Power! The foundation brought by Level 20 Innate Soul Power revealed itself in full at this moment!

"What terrifying strength! What precise control!" Qin Yuan, who had been watching with his hands behind his back and an abyss-deep aura about him, could not help but reveal a flash of admiration in his eyes. He could tell that Qin Mo's grasp of timing, concentration of force, and choice of angle had all been exquisite to the utmost. He did not resemble a six-year-old child in his first real battle at all, but rather a seasoned battle Soul Master!

The demon spider's viciousness was fully stirred by this heavy injury! Its eight simple eyes instantly turned blood-red. It violently twisted its body, abandoning Yan'er and pouring all its fury onto Qin Mo, who stood so close! Its abdomen contracted, and a sticky spiderweb flashing with sickly green poisonous light spewed forth like a net cast from heaven, covering Qin Mo from head to toe. At the same time, another intact forelimb stabbed at Qin Mo's face like a venomous spear!

Before the web even arrived, its nauseating stench and nerve-paralyzing toxic gas had already spread through the air!

"Bing'er!" Qin Mo shouted in a low voice, his tone as steady as ever, without the slightest fluctuation.

Bing'er, who had long been poised to act, immediately understood!

"First Soul Skill, Ice Thorn!"

With a sharp cry, the phantom of an Ice Phoenix behind her let out a clear call. An ice spike as thick as an arm, its tip gleaming with extreme frost, instantly condensed and tore through the air, shooting with bone-piercing cold toward the enormous poisonous spiderweb with perfect accuracy!

Sizzle—!

Ultimate Ice collided violently with the poisonous spiderweb! The expected stalemate never came. The sticky, resilient web, capable of trapping powerful soul beasts, was rapidly frozen and made brittle the instant it touched the Ice Thorn by that terrifying chill! The ice spike did not slow in the slightest as it pierced straight through, ripping the entire web into countless frozen fragments that fluttered down from above!

Meanwhile, the demon spider's venomous spear-like forelimb had already reached Qin Mo!

In that instant of lightning speed, Qin Mo once again displayed astonishing combat instinct. Rather than retreating, he used the momentum from his earlier punch to lean his body back at an unbelievable angle. The venomous spear nearly grazed the tip of his nose as it swept past! The gust it created stirred the black hair hanging over his forehead.

At the same time, he brought his fingers together like a blade. Soul Power compressed at his fingertips and shone with sharp radiance. Following the motion, he chopped precisely at the joint of the spider leg that had just passed him!

Crack!

Another chillingly crisp sound rang out!

That intact forelimb was actually bent and deformed by his Soul Power-infused hand strike, nearly severed!

"Screech! Screech!" The demon spider let out an even more miserable cry of agony. Its huge body lost balance after its two forelimbs were injured in succession, staggering backward. Its eight blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Qin Mo, filled with fury, pain, and a trace of... incredulous terror?

This tiny human's Soul Power fluctuations were clearly not earth-shattering. Why was his strength so terrifying? Why were his movements so precise and tricky? It was as though he could see through every one of its actions!

"Yan'er!" Qin Mo's voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable command.

"Coming! First Soul Skill, Fire Feather Arrow!"

Yan'er, who had already been holding back a bellyful of frustration, gave a sharp shout. Her Fire Phoenix Martial Soul spread its wings with a long cry, and several blazing arrows formed entirely from Ultimate Fire appeared out of thin air. Carrying heat that could burn everything to ashes, they howled toward the Human-Faced Demon Spider's comparatively soft compound-eye region on its abdomen, now exposed by pain and imbalance!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Fire Feather Arrows exploded one after another, flames surging as they swallowed over half the demon spider's body! Even the Human-Faced Demon Spider's hard shell could not fully withstand the terrifying heat of Ultimate Fire. Its abdomen was blasted black and charred, giving off a foul burnt smell as green blood splattered everywhere!

The demon spider let out a desperate, crazed shriek as it struggled violently within the sea of flames.

Qin Mo seized the opportunity, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

Now!

He suddenly pushed off with his feet, his body shooting out like an arrow released from its bow. In an instant, he closed in on the demon spider as it rolled and struggled in the flames! Level 20 Soul Power poured into his right fist without reserve, making his entire arm seem to swell slightly as the jade-colored glow blazed brilliantly!

"Break!"

He let out a low roar, his heavy fist shooting out like a cannonball and smashing brutally, solidly, into the center of the Human-Faced Demon Spider's relatively fragile head!

Bang!!!

A thunderous boom exploded across the field!

All of the Human-Faced Demon Spider's shrieks and struggles came to an abrupt halt beneath that punch! Its cranial shell cracked like porcelain struck by a heavy blow, instantly filling with spiderweb-like fractures before bursting apart with a crash! Red and white matter mixed with green blood sprayed everywhere!

The massive, grotesque body twitched violently a few times before collapsing heavily to the ground, its eight legs sprawled limply outward, never to move again.

From beginning to end, the battle had lasted only a dozen or so breaths.

A Human-Faced Demon Spider three to four hundred years old, notorious for its ferocity, had perished just like that.

For a moment, the field fell silent. Only the crackling of flames consuming the corpse remained, along with Bing'er and Yan'er's slightly hurried breathing.

The two girls looked at the fallen Demon Spider, then at the black-clad figure ahead slowly withdrawing his fist, his clothes not even bearing many wrinkles. Their beautiful eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

They had taken part in the battle, but they knew perfectly well that the one who had truly controlled the fight and ended this Fierce Beast so swiftly in an almost overwhelming fashion was the Young Sect Master, who was only six years old. His strength, his calmness, his grasp of battle opportunities, his decisiveness in issuing commands... were simply terrifying!

Qin Yuan stood there stroking his beard, an immensely satisfied smile on his face. His grandson's performance had far exceeded his expectations! This level of practical combat ability was nothing short of monstrous!

Yet Qin Mo did not look at the Demon Spider's corpse. His gaze fell upon his left palm, which glimmered faintly with Nine-Colored Radiance.

There, the phantom image of the Nine-Story Demon Pagoda was trembling faintly, conveying an incomparably clear, ravenous... desire to devour.