Scarlet flames danced in Leng Yaozhu's palm. They were no ordinary fire, but Heavenly Phoenix True Fire carrying a trace of the divine phoenix's pressure. The scorching heat warped the air, producing faint crackling sounds. The little girl's usual arrogance had been replaced by intense fighting spirit, and a flame that only ignited before formidable enemies burned in her beautiful eyes.
The Man Faced Demon Spider had clearly been thoroughly enraged. Its human-faced abdomen twisted hideously as it let out piercing hisses. Its eight compound eyes locked firmly onto the two "little snacks" who dared challenge its authority. As a killer of soul beasts, its pride would not allow prey to act so arrogantly before it.
"Xiao Cheng, let's go together!" Leng Yaozhu spoke rapidly, her tone carrying an innate desire to command. With a wave of her little hand, several fist-sized fireballs shot out. Yet their targets were not the Man Faced Demon Spider, but the remaining white spider silk around Xiao Cheng, which gave off a fishy stench.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireballs exploded, and blazing flames surged forth. Yet strangely, instead of instantly burning away the spider silk, the flames seemed to have found the perfect fuel. They clung to the silk and burned fiercely, forming a brief, scorching wall of fire.
"Good idea!" Xiao Cheng instantly understood her intention. What a clever move! It could clear the battlefield and prevent sneak attacks from the spider silk, while also using the lingering might of the flames to intimidate and hinder the Man Faced Demon Spider, limiting its movement. Leng Yaozhu's control over her element and her instinct for battle were truly exceptional.
The Man Faced Demon Spider moved! Rather than retreating because of the wall of fire, its eight long legs moved like a high-speed loom, dragging a black afterimage behind it.
It did not charge straight ahead. Instead, it moved sideways in an eerie pattern, using the thick trees as cover, appearing and disappearing as it searched for the best blind spot from which to attack.
At the same time, its back suddenly arched. Several jet-black spider legs covered in hard bristles shot toward the two of them in alternation like a barrage of crossbow bolts!
"Careful!" Xiao Cheng shouted lowly. The Azure Sky Divine Spear flickered, and layers of spear shadows drifted like willow catkins in the wind, knocking aside every spider leg aimed at him. Each time he deflected one, his arm went numb and sore. The immense strength contained within those spider legs was beyond imagination. Yet his footwork never stopped. He pushed Dragon Roaming Steps to the limit, his figure flickering unpredictably as he used the recoil to charge directly at the Man Faced Demon Spider.
He had to get close! The Man Faced Demon Spider possessed extremely powerful battlefield control and ranged abilities. Though it was not weak in strength either, its weakness lay in the eight small eyes beneath its abdomen, which glimmered with faint purple light. However, the Man Faced Demon Spider protected its eyes with extreme care, so he could only look for a chance to close in and attack its abdomen.
"Don't even think about it!" Leng Yaozhu saw through Xiao Cheng's intentions at a glance. Pouting, she made the flames in her palm surge. No longer scattered fireballs, they became a scorching stream of fire, like a nimble fire serpent and a burning whip, lashing precisely toward the Man Faced Demon Spider's inevitable path.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's fear of fire was ingrained in its bones. It had no choice but to forcibly change direction. Its eight legs stomped heavily against the ground, abruptly halting its forward momentum and sending dust flying everywhere.
"Now!" A sharp light flashed in Xiao Cheng's eyes as the Power of Empty Green erupted at full force. Wind and spatial power fused perfectly, propelling his body until he seemed to merge with the Azure Sky Divine Spear in his hand. He transformed into a streak of azure lightning and stabbed toward the Man Faced Demon Spider's relatively fragile abdomen, which lacked the protection of thick armor aside from its eyes!
"Hiss—!" The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a piercing shriek. Its huge abdomen suddenly contracted as it opened its mouthparts and spat out a large mouthful of thick green venom with a pungent odor! The venom scattered through the air, raining down upon Xiao Cheng like a storm.
Xiao Cheng had been prepared. He executed Dragon Roaming Steps within that tiny space, twisting strangely in midair like a slippery green fish and narrowly dodging most of the venom. A few droplets splashed onto the corner of his clothes, instantly corroding several holes through the fabric. Startled, he hurriedly circulated the Power of Empty Green to isolate them.
"This ugly spider is really troublesome!" Leng Yaozhu cried indignantly. Her hands waved repeatedly as several streams of fire intertwined into an enormous flaming net that descended upon the Man Faced Demon Spider, forcing it to divide its attention and deal with the threat from above rather than focus solely on Xiao Cheng's attack.
Xiao Cheng seized that fleeting opportunity and accelerated again! The Azure Sky Divine Spear shot forth like a venomous dragon leaving its lair. A dazzling point of cold light condensed at its tip—the perfect fusion of his strength, speed, and technique, pursuing ultimate piercing power!
Just as the spear tip was about to pierce the Man Faced Demon Spider's soft abdomen—
A sudden change occurred!
The human-like section of the Man Faced Demon Spider suddenly opened a mouthpart full of sharp teeth. A white web shot toward Xiao Cheng at several times the speed of all its previous attacks!
It was its most powerful killing move—Web Bind! This web was extraordinarily tough and carried deadly poison. Once entangled by it, even a stronger soul beast would struggle to break free in a short time and could only become its meal in the end!
The strike was far too sudden, and its angle was far too vicious! Xiao Cheng's old momentum had just run out while his new momentum had yet to form. He was suspended in midair with nowhere to borrow force from, and the deadly white strand was about to hit him!
"Hmph!" Leng Yaozhu had been watching the Man Faced Demon Spider's movements closely the entire time. Seeing this, she gave a sharp cry without hesitation. Her hands slammed together, and the flames in her palms instantly gathered. No longer scattered sparks, they transformed into a lifelike phantom of a fire phoenix no larger than her palm!
Though tiny, this fire phoenix radiated a terrifying scorching aura, as though it contained the true meaning of a phoenix's rebirth from the flames!
"First Soul Skill, Heavenly Phoenix Flowing Fire!"
The fire phoenix gave a clear, resounding cry. Though launched later, it arrived first, turning into a brilliant streak of light that struck the deadly white strand with unmatched precision!
Sizzle—!
Flames and the white web collided violently, producing a harsh sound of dissolution. The fire phoenix phantom lasted only an instant before dispersing, but it successfully burned away the deadly white strand. Only a trace of residual force remained, grazing past Xiao Cheng's collar and silently slicing through a small tree as thick as a bowl behind him. The cut was smooth as a mirror.
Xiao Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, and his back felt icy. That had truly been a close call! But the danger had not passed; instead, it stirred the ruthlessness buried deep in him. Using the sliver of life-and-death opportunity Leng Yaozhu had created, the Azure Sky Divine Spear finally pierced the Man Faced Demon Spider's soft abdomen!
Pfft!
The spear tip entered flesh with a dull sound. The Man Faced Demon Spider let out an incomparably miserable howl as its huge body convulsed violently. Green blood gushed out, releasing a thick, nauseating stench.
Yet it did not die immediately. Instead, the agonizing pain drove it completely mad. Its eight spider legs flailed wildly as it tried to make one last struggle with the determination to perish together. But several clusters of Heavenly Phoenix True Fire struck the joints of its eight legs, interrupting its struggle.
"It's over!" Xiao Cheng's expression was terrifyingly calm. The Power of Empty Green surged madly through the spear shaft and into the Man Faced Demon Spider's body, like countless tiny blades wantonly destroying its organs and life force. At the same time, he violently twisted the spear shaft in an incomparably brutal stirring motion!
The Man Faced Demon Spider's struggle came to an abrupt halt. Its huge body collapsed limply to the ground, completely losing its life.
A ball of white spiritual light far denser than that of any previous soul beast rose from the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse. It then split into two, drifting separately toward Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu.
After the Azure Sky Divine Spear in Xiao Cheng's hand absorbed that pure ball of spiritual light, the azure glow along its shaft visibly became more solid, even gaining a faint sharpness that was difficult to detect.
He could clearly feel the joyous emotions transmitted by Lueqing. Its cultivation age had clearly increased by far more than a little. The spiritual power feedback gained from killing a soul beast as powerful as the Man Faced Demon Spider was enormous, enough to rival dozens of ordinary hundred-year soul beasts.
On Leng Yaozhu's side, she stretched out her little hand and caught the ball of white spiritual power. A satisfied smile appeared on her face, like a cat that had successfully stolen a taste of fish. "As expected, killing powerful soul beasts brings the greatest rewards. It's much more satisfying than bullying those little ones."
The two looked at each other and saw excitement in the other's eyes. Without the other's timely assistance, neither of them could claim they would have defeated this soul beast killer so smoothly alone. Their teamwork this time was perfect!
"Yaozhu, thanks." Xiao Cheng put away the Azure Sky Divine Spear and thanked her sincerely. That Heavenly Phoenix Flowing Fire had been far too crucial. It had saved his life. If Web Bind had struck him, he likely would not have had time to press the survival button before being forcibly sent out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, and his mind might even have suffered a shock.
"Hmph, it was nothing." Leng Yaozhu raised her chin and turned away with feigned arrogance, but the slight curve of her lips betrayed her good mood. "Be more careful next time. Don't make such a low-level mistake again..."
"Don't worry. There won't be a next time." Xiao Cheng smiled, though a ripple rose in his heart. Had Leng Yaozhu's timely arrival and precise rescue truly been nothing more than coincidence?
Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform's control room, before a massive holographic screen.
Xiao Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on the two children whose battle had just ended on the screen. A trace of gratification appeared on his face. After all, his son had performed exceptionally well, remaining composed in danger and demonstrating strong combat awareness. Yet his brows were slightly furrowed, and a barely noticeable doubt lurked in the depths of his eyes.
Leng Yaozhu's appearance had been too coincidental.
So coincidental that he could not help becoming wary. As one of the Spirit Pagoda's four Spirit Envoys, he had personally participated in the internal maintenance and spatial stabilization work of the Spirit Ascension Platform. He knew this system's operating mechanisms like the back of his hand. The internal space of the Spirit Ascension Platform was vast, and its random teleportation mechanism was extremely complex. The odds of two particular children meeting were like finding a needle in the sea.
"Could it really have been coincidence?" Xiao Ran murmured, then gently shook his head and threw those dark suspicions from his mind. He trusted Leng Zhaoran's character, and he trusted his own judgment even more. He carefully reviewed every detail of the battle just now, especially the location and timing of Leng Yaozhu's appearance.
He could tell that Xiao Cheng had encountered the Man Faced Demon Spider purely because of his own bad luck. He had wandered into the Man Faced Demon Spider's territory, and the system had not interfered with Xiao Cheng in any additional way.
In other words, Leng Zhaoran might have tampered with something, but at most, he had merely "sent" his daughter near Xiao Cheng. The battle afterward had relied entirely on the two children's own abilities.
"Vice Tower Master Leng, Vice Tower Master Leng, you really do dote on your daughter. Did you want her to earn Xiao Cheng's gratitude?" A barely noticeable curve formed at Xiao Ran's lips. "Still, as long as it was an aboveboard method, it was harmless."
At the same time, inside another more secretive and luxuriously furnished observation room.
Leng Zhaoran, the Spirit Pagoda's Vice Tower Master, sat comfortably on a broad soul-device sofa. He held a crystal goblet containing an amber liquid that swayed gently inside. His eyes were also on the screen, watching the entire process of his daughter and Xiao Cheng joining forces to defeat the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Seeing his daughter's skilled control of flames and her tacit coordination with Xiao Cheng, Leng Zhaoran wore a satisfied smile.
"Not bad. That girl Yaozhu really hasn't disappointed me." He took a sip of wine and chuckled softly.
He had indeed tampered with things. At the instant Leng Yaozhu entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, he had used his authority to slightly adjust her initial teleportation coordinates, allowing her to appear near the area where Xiao Cheng was located. That was all. Leng Yaozhu's choice to help Xiao Cheng had been entirely her own.
"That boy Xiao Ran is very shrewd. If I made it too obvious, it would only provoke his displeasure, and that would be more trouble than it was worth." Leng Zhaoran set down his wineglass, his gaze deep. "Let the children handle things themselves. Whether she can win over Xiao Cheng will depend on Yaozhu's own abilities. They will still have to walk their future path on their own."
Only the flickering light of the screen remained in the observation room, illuminating the profound face of this Limit Douluo.
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