This Neighborhood Relationship Isn't Great!

That spider queen was enormous—from head to abdomen alone, it measured nearly three meters.

Its eight sharp, spiny legs were even more terrifying, gouging deep holes into the ground and stone wherever they stepped.

As those spiny legs alternated, the massive spider queen seemed to drift like a leaf on the wind, showing no sign of heaviness.

Its body was covered in large patches of scorched marks, and its fury was so intense that the nine blood-red eyes on its head were twisted with rage. Its hideous maw opened and closed constantly, hissing and shrieking—who knew how many Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders Ji Ruo had burned to death? These monsters feared fire for a reason: their resistance to flames was pitifully weak.

Because their webs were extremely flammable. Once a single strand of silk caught fire, there was no stopping it—it would keep burning!

Moreover, unlike demonic beasts, which gained all-around physical enhancements and resistances upon reaching a certain rank, these monsters didn't work that way.

Their advancement did improve some corresponding resistances, but relatively speaking, the increase wasn't much.

Fear of fire was fear of fire. Not being able to withstand burning was just that.

Judging by the spider queen's battered state, it was clear she had forced her way out of a sea of flames.

And for a fire-fearing monster to willingly charge through a blaze to hunt down Ji Ruo and the others meant her offspring had suffered devastating losses—enough to drive this spider queen past the point of reason.

The cave had been thick with webs, and the fire had raged ferociously. The lower-ranked Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders had likely all perished in the flames, and as for the spider eggs, there probably weren't many left either.

Ji Ruo lay on his back in the mud, making a simple analysis.

The spider queen had already charged to the edge of the swamp, standing right beside Ji Ruo and the others.

But she still hadn't spotted them.

They were hidden too well, as if completely merged with their surroundings. Of course, that wasn't the only reason.

In the center of the swamp, those somewhat bewildered tentacles were still swaying, as if puzzled about where the fluctuations they had just sensed had gone.

Perhaps the demon spider's venom had invaded them, dulling their reactions.

And the furious spider queen, failing to find Ji Ruo and the others, instead detected the lingering aura of her own offspring on those tentacles.

Taking one look at the faint purple tint on those tentacles, how could she not realize that some of her young had already become another creature's meal?

Under normal circumstances, the spider queen might not have cared, but right now, with her offspring decimated and her rage at its peak...

Losing track of Ji Ruo and the others, then sensing the residual traces of her young on those tentacles—her blazing fury finally found an outlet.

"Hiss!"

She let out an enraged shriek, and Ji Ruo, lying right beside her, almost couldn't stop himself from covering his ears.

Fortunately, he held back.

The spider queen leaped high into the air, spinning her body as she sprayed a deep purple, web-like substance from her abdomen. In the blink of an eye, she had laid a massive web across the entire swamp.

Ji Ruo lay in the mud, eyes wide, grumbling inwardly: "Can't even tell if it's male or female."

The next instant, strands of highly elastic silk dropped down, precisely sticking to the several tentacles protruding from the swamp. Then, with the spider queen's shriek, the thick, deep purple threads contracted, yanking a fat catfish out of the mire by sheer force!

Those thick tentacles were the fat catfish's whiskers!

When it was dragged out, the fat catfish's eyes were still a bit hazy. It seemed to have deliberately poisoned itself—perhaps, to it, the Nine-Eyed Demon Spider's venom was like intoxicating wine.

And the spider queen, already past reason, didn't care about anything. With another shriek, she wrapped the fat catfish in her web, binding it midair, then opened her terrifying maw and bit down hard.

"Urk?"

The fat catfish's slightly dazed eyes looked at the spider queen, as if it had no idea what was happening.

Maybe because it was so fat, its thick layer of blubber kept it from feeling much pain.

The spider queen's nine scarlet eyes flashed with murderous intent. Venom, injected!

"Sss~ sss~ sss~"

A sound like opening a bottle of soda fizzed out, and the highly corrosive venom quickly dissolved a gaping hole in the fat catfish's body.

The searing pain finally snapped the fat catfish awake, and it roared, beginning to fight back.

And so, the two powerful monsters started battling on the web.

Forced into the air and away from its home turf, the fat catfish still held its own, even seeming a bit stronger than the spider queen.

Liang Shixian had already closed his eyes, ready to die, but the anticipated pain never came. Instead, he only heard furious hisses and muffled grunts.

Confused, he cautiously opened his eyes—and saw the two monsters locked in combat above him.

Liang Shixian was dumbfounded.

"Ji Ruo?"

He didn't dare move, unsure if his companions were still alive, and tentatively whispered.

"Shh! No talking during hide-and-seek!"

Ji Ruo said in a low voice.

Liang Shixian breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a profound sense of absurdity washed over him.

They had actually managed to hide right under the noses of two monsters!

He couldn't figure out how it had happened, so he could only chalk it up to an incredible stroke of luck.

And Ji Ruo's voice just now told Liang Shixian that he was lying right beside him. So, while keeping an eye on the two powerful monsters fighting above, he quietly turned his head to check if Ji Ruo was alright.

Then Liang Shixian froze.

Because Ji Ruo, though lying in the mud just like him and covered head to toe in filth, had somehow already tucked his hands behind his head and crossed his legs, lounging there in utter comfort!

"These monsters have terrible neighborly relations." Ji Ruo smacked his lips and muttered softly.

Liang Shixian: "..."

Are you seriously treating this like a damn picnic?!

When monsters fought, there was no such thing as pulling punches. Once a conflict broke out, it was always a fight to the death.

Higher-level monsters might have more intelligence and understand when to cut their losses.

But the Spider Queen was already burning with rage, and the Fat Catfish had been ambushed out of nowhere—neither side was in a good mood.

On top of that, injuries were inevitable in battle. Under the agony of pain, both sides had lost their tempers. Who cared about cutting losses anymore?

Both sides were completely tunnel-visioned.

But if you had to say, the Fat Catfish was probably feeling pretty wronged.

After all, it didn't know what was going on. It had just been yanked up and attacked by the Spider Queen out of nowhere.

Sure, it had eaten a few Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders, but was that really worth this?!

It usually snacked on its neighbor's offspring all the time, using the venom of low-level Nine-Eyed Demon Spiders as a nerve-numbing drink, and the Spider Queen had never gotten mad before!

The Fat Catfish was red-eyed and hot-headed too, but it was also a little aggrieved.

So it wouldn't—and couldn't—stop attacking.

It had been beaten right to its doorstep. Sure, it was in the wrong first, but was the Spider Queen really this furious?

If it won, fine. But if it lost, that would be way too embarrassing!

Liang Shixian winced and whispered, "Ji Ruo, we're not out of danger yet. Can you stop analyzing the psychological state of those two monsters on your own?!"

That's right—all of the Fat Catfish's inner thoughts above were Ji Ruo's imagination, narrated out loud.

Ji Ruo whispered back, displeased, "Then what else should we do? Just lie here? Besides, don't you know that in any high-level duel open to an audience, there's always a dedicated live commentator on-site to help the viewers analyze the situation?"

Liang Shixian: "..."

The hell do you mean 'high-level duel open to an audience'?! The hell do you mean 'live commentator'?!

Zhang Quan and Liu Neng listened to the two of them talking beside them, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Those two weren't bold enough to speak at a time like this, terrified that the monsters Ji Ruo had analyzed as being completely tunnel-visioned might notice them.