Slaughterer and Sacrificer -- Necrotic Demon Spider

Dugu Bo added, "These eight spider legs are long, powerful, and extremely flexible. They should grant Yanyan immense jumping power while allowing her to traverse any terrain. Furthermore, the devouring effect shouldn't be limited to soul power; it should be able to absorb toxins as well."

"Moreover, the growth potential of an External Soul Bone makes it an infinite poison sac. Yanyan can hold off on absorbing that left-arm soul bone to avoid attracting unwanted attention; for now, she only needs to accelerate the fusion between the External Soul Bone and her own body."

Xing Tian chimed in, "Indeed. And with this External Soul Bone, cultivating the Ten Thousand Poisons Heart Sutra should be no problem at all."

"Then I must hurry and fuse with it. From now on, you shall be called the Eight Spider Lances!" Dugu Yan looked at the glowing purple Eight Spider Lances with admiration.

Dugu Yan had obtained her Soul Ring; the next task was to find a ten-thousand-year Dark Spirit Sacred Beast for Xing Tian, which promised to be a long and arduous project.

Xing Tian and Dugu Yan chatted as they moved forward. With Dugu Bo providing strict protection, they had little to worry about as long as they didn't encounter a massive swarm of ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

"Sister Yan, what level is your soul power now?"

Dugu Yan hugged Xing Tian's arm and laughed, "Level 38. Thanks to the medicinal power of the Nine Grade Dragon Mushroom, otherwise, how could I have jumped so many levels at once?"

Xing Tian remarked, "The Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring and soul bone likely provided about two levels. The Nine Grade Dragon Mushroom is primarily for strengthening one's foundation and stimulating the dragon blood to evolve into a true dragon; it is slightly less potent in terms of raw soul power elevation compared to other immortal herbs."

"I am already very satisfied."

Xing Tian continued, "Then what is your third soul skill?"

Dugu Yan replied, "My third soul skill is Jade Phosphorus Purple Poison. It possesses extreme corrosiveness and high adhesiveness; once it touches or enters the body, it is incredibly difficult to purge or force out."

"Jade Phosphorus Purple Poison can also drain the opponent's soul power to strengthen myself. Therefore, unless the soul master's cultivation exceeds mine by two major ranks, the more they resist with soul power, the faster the poison spreads and the more potent it becomes."

"If amplified by the Eight Spider Lances, this third soul skill can be enhanced by fifty percent. Thus, even a Soul King, if caught off guard, would end up without a corpse left intact."

Xing Tian praised, "A very powerful soul skill."

Dugu Yan said with a hint of disappointment, "Although it is strong, my third ring is merely the starting point of your first. Grandfather told me that your third ring could challenge a ten-thousand-year beast; I have already been left far behind by you."

"That remark you gave to Yu Tianheng actually applies perfectly to me as well. I can no longer even see your back."

Xing Tian gently stroked her hair and said, "You are not my enemy, so why compare yourself to me? Your achievements already far exceed those of your peers, and that is enough. Besides, who says you can't see me? Am I not right here by your side? I will always be here!"

The five words "I will always be here" completely moved Dugu Yan. She tightened her grip on Xing Tian's arm, looking every bit the young girl deeply in love.

Dugu Yan even found it strange; despite being three years his senior, she felt none of the typical dynamics of a relationship where the woman is older—it was entirely the other way around.

But none of that mattered; as long as she was happy, it was fine.

Although his granddaughter had found happiness, Dugu Bo still felt a sense of irritation, his clenched fists never relaxing. He had been the one pushing Xing Tian to marry Dugu Yan, but now that they were truly together, he felt nothing but annoyance.

Thinking about how he still had to hunt for Xing Tian's soul beast, that irritation multiplied several times over.

The trio maintained this state for a full seven days before a change finally occurred, though it was triggered by an external force.

Xing Tian seemed to catch the scent of something delicious; his entire being became exceptionally spirited and excited.

"This scent... familiar... it's there!" Xing Tian instantly pinpointed the source of his excitement and pointed toward it.

"Let's go!" The three moved immediately, arriving at the spot Xing Tian had indicated, and the scene before them made Dugu Yan shudder.

In the clearing ahead, a giant spider the size of a millstone was rampaging.

The spider's main body was as black as ink, but its face was covered by a thick layer of white, bone-like armor. Its four fangs were unlike those of ordinary spiders, shaped like scythes and saws.

Its eight spider legs were not long like those of the Man Faced Demon Spider, but they were exceptionally thick and powerful, covered in sharp barbs. Each one resembled a scythe, and the front two legs were more than twice the size of the other six.

Within the bone mask armor of the Necrotic Demon Spider were four hollows, where its four eyes glowed with a ghostly, pale, evil light. The upper two eyes were larger, while the lower two were only seventy percent the size of the upper ones, with a dimmer white glow.

The demon spider was currently slaughtering hundreds and thousands of years of soul beasts. With a flash of its pale, evil light, the other soul beasts seemed to be frozen in place, stiff and immobile.

Wherever its spider legs swept, the bodies of the soul beasts were instantly torn to pieces, blood spraying and blooming into patches of jarring red.

The corpses had already piled up into a small hill. There were all kinds of soul beasts, and not a single one was intact; the total exceeded three hundred. Most of them were group-dwelling soul beasts like the Pink Lady.

A thick, pungent corpse aura steamed up from the pile, which should have been foul and nauseating, but it was firmly masked by the grayish-white aura swirling around the demon spider.

A look of gravity flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes as he said, "This is a Necrotic Demon Spider. The aura it emits is the best form of control, and it can mask everything in its vicinity to a great degree. No wonder I didn't notice it. How did you discover it?"

Xing Tian said, "Although the Necrotic Demon Spider can mask the stench of corpses and blood, it cannot mask the resentment of the dead souls. My perception in this regard is exceptionally keen."

Dugu Bo continued, "In a sense, it loves slaughter even more than the Man Faced Demon Spider, because to break through its bottleneck, it needs to slaughter life on a massive scale like this, assimilating the corpse aura into death energy and devouring the souls of the dead."

"Therefore, the Necrotic Demon Spider is also known as—The Slaughterer and Sacrificer."

"Judging by its eyes, it is preparing to challenge the ten-thousand-year bottleneck and evolve into a Necrotic Spider King. It is also suitable for you. Shall we choose it for your third Soul Ring?"

Xing Tian nodded, feeling it was fine. In some ways, the Necrotic Spider King was even more suitable for him than the Dark Spirit Sacred Beast.

When the body of the last thousand-year Pink Matriarch was torn to shreds by the Necrotic Demon Spider's scythe-like front limbs, and the pale pink blood splashed onto the grayish-white armor and instantly solidified into black scabs, the Necrotic Demon Spider finally ceased its slaughter.

Its four eyes, glowing with ghostly, pale light, swept over the mountain of corpses. The two large upper eyes suddenly lit up with a blinding white light, and the grayish-white aura swirling around its body surged, flooding over the three hundred-plus soul beast corpses like a tidal wave.

The thick corpse aura no longer steamed upward but transformed into streams of gray energy, forcibly dragged and funneled into the Necrotic Demon Spider's mouth.

Even more chilling was the sight of twisted gray phantoms beginning to emerge from those shriveled corpses—the very souls of the soul beasts.