Slaying the Demon Spider

Crimson 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 The little girl's usual arrogance had been replaced by intense fighting spirit, and her beautiful eyes burned with a flame that only ignited when facing a powerful enemy.

The Man Faced Demon Spider had clearly been thoroughly enraged. Its human-like abdomen twisted grotesquely as it let out shrill hissing sounds, its eight compound eyes fixed tightly on the two "little snacks" who dared challenge its authority. As a soul beast killer, its pride would not allow prey to act so arrogantly before it.

"Xiao Cheng, let's attack together!" Leng Yaozhu spoke rapidly, her voice carrying an innate desire to command. With a wave of her small 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, reeking of blood and decay.

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, searing wall of fire.

"Good idea!" Xiao Cheng instantly understood her intent. What a clever move! It could clear the battlefield and prevent sneak attacks from the spider silk, while also using the lingering flames to threaten and hinder the Man Faced Demon Spider, restricting its movement. Leng Yaozhu's control over her element and instinct for the flow of 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, leaving behind a black afterimage.

It did not charge in a straight line. Instead, it moved sideways in an eerie pattern, using the thick trees as cover, appearing and vanishing as it searched for the best blind spot from which to attack.

At the same time, its back suddenly arched. Several pitch-black spider legs covered in stiff bristles shot alternately toward them like a rapid barrage of crossbow bolts!

"Watch out!" Xiao Cheng shouted in a low voice. The Azure Sky Divine Spear shook, producing layered spear shadows like willow catkins blown by the wind, knocking away every spider leg thrust at him. Each one sent a wave of numb soreness through his arm, the tremendous force contained within those legs beyond imagination. Yet his feet never stopped moving. Dragon Roaming Steps was pushed to the limit, his figure flickering unpredictably as he used the recoil to rush straight toward the Man Faced Demon Spider.

He had to get close! The Man Faced Demon Spider possessed extremely powerful battlefield control and ranged attacks. Though it was not weak in strength either, its weakness was the eight small eyes glowing faintly purple beneath its abdomen. However, it guarded those eyes carefully, so he had to find an opportunity to close in and strike its abdomen.

"Not a chance!" Leng Yaozhu saw through Xiao Cheng's intentions at once. Pouting, she made the flames in her palm surge. No longer scattered fireballs, they became a blazing stream of fire, like a nimble fire serpent or a scorching whip, lashing precisely at the Man Faced Demon Spider's inevitable path.

The Man Faced Demon Spider's fear of fire was etched into its bones. It had no choice but to forcefully change direction, its eight legs kicking violently against the ground to halt its charge, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Now!" A sharp gleam flashed in Xiao Cheng's eyes as the Power of Empty Green erupted at full force. The powers of wind and space fused perfectly, propelling his body as though he and the Azure Sky Divine Spear had become one. He turned into a streak of azure lightning and thrust directly toward the Man Faced Demon Spider's relatively vulnerable abdomen, which lacked the protection of heavy armor apart from its eyes!

"His—!" The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a piercing shriek. Its huge abdomen suddenly contracted as it opened its mouthparts and sprayed out a massive mouthful of thick green venom with a pungent stench! The venom spread through the air like a rainstorm, pouring down on Xiao Cheng.

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 avoiding 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 it.

"This ugly spider is really troublesome!" Leng Yaozhu cried angrily. Her hands waved repeatedly, several streams of fire weaving into a huge flaming net that descended upon the Man Faced Demon Spider. It could no longer focus entirely on Xiao Cheng's attack and had to divert its attention to the threat from above.

Xiao Cheng seized that fleeting opportunity and accelerated again, closing the distance! The Azure Sky Divine Spear shot forth like a venomous dragon leaving its lair. At its tip gathered a dazzling point of cold light, the perfect fusion of his strength, speed, and technique, pursuing the utmost penetrating power!

The spear tip was just about to pierce the Man Faced Demon Spider's soft abdomen—

A sudden change occurred!

The Man Faced Demon Spider's human-like section suddenly opened a mouth full of sharp teeth, firing a white spiderweb at Xiao Cheng from point-blank range at several times the speed of all its previous attacks!

It was its strongest killing move—Web Bind! This web was extremely tough and carried deadly poison. Once entangled, even stronger soul beasts would find it difficult to break free in a short time and could only end up as its meal!

The attack had come too suddenly, from an impossibly tricky angle! Xiao Cheng's old momentum had just faded before new strength could arise. He was suspended in midair with nowhere to brace himself, and the deadly white thread was about to strike him!

"Hmph!" Leng Yaozhu had been watching the Man Faced Demon Spider's movements closely. Seeing this, she gave a sharp cry without hesitation. Her hands slammed together, and the flames in her palms instantly converged. No longer scattered sparks, they formed the vivid phantom of a tiny fire phoenix no larger than her palm!

Though small, the fire phoenix radiated a searing aura that made one's heart tremble, as if it contained the true essence of a phoenix's rebirth from ashes!

"First soul skill, Heavenly Phoenix Flowing Fire!"

The fire phoenix released a clear, resounding cry. Though launched later, it arrived first, transforming into a gorgeous streak of light and striking the deadly white thread with flawless precision!

Sizzle—!

Flames and the white spiderweb collided violently, producing a piercing sound of dissolution. The fire phoenix phantom lasted only an instant before dispersing, but it successfully burned away the deadly white thread. Only a trace of residual force remained, brushing past Xiao Cheng's collar and silently slicing through a small tree as thick as a bowl behind him. Its cut surface was smooth as a mirror.

Xiao Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, his back turning icy. That had truly been a moment of Qian Jun! But the danger had not ended. Instead, it awakened the ruthlessness in his bones. Taking advantage of the life-or-death opening Leng Yaozhu had created, the Azure Sky Divine Spear finally pierced the Man Faced Demon Spider's soft abdomen as he had intended!

Pshht!

The spear tip pierced flesh with a dull sound. The Man Faced Demon Spider let out an incomparably miserable howl, its huge body convulsing violently as green blood sprayed forth, carrying an overpowering stench that made one want to vomit.

Yet it did not die immediately. The excruciating pain instead drove it completely mad. Its eight spider legs flailed wildly as it made one final desperate struggle with the intent to perish together, but Leng Yaozhu blasted several clusters of Heavenly Phoenix True Fire into the joints of its eight legs, cutting off its struggle.

"It's over!" Xiao Cheng's expression was frighteningly calm. The Power of Empty Green surged wildly 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 struggles stopped abruptly. Its massive body collapsed limply to the ground, utterly deprived of life.

A mass of white spiritual light, far denser than that of any soul beast they had encountered before, rose from the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse. It then split into two and drifted toward Xiao Cheng and Leng Yaozhu respectively.

After the Azure Sky Divine Spear in Xiao Cheng's hand absorbed that pure mass of spiritual light, the azure glow on its shaft clearly became more solid, even carrying a faint, barely perceptible sharpness.

He could clearly sense the joyous emotions Lueqing transmitted. Its age had evidently increased by far more than a little. A powerful soul beast like the Man Faced Demon Spider provided enormous spiritual power feedback after being slain, enough to equal dozens of ordinary hundred-year soul beasts.

As for Leng Yaozhu, she held out her small hand and caught the white spiritual energy. A satisfied smile appeared on her little face, like a cat that had successfully stolen a bite of fish. "As expected, the rewards for killing powerful soul beasts are much greater. It's far more satisfying than bullying those little ones."

The two looked at each other and saw the excitement in the other's eyes. Without the other's timely assistance, neither of them would have dared claim they could have dealt with 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 absolutely crucial. It had saved his life. If Web Bind had hit him, he probably would not have had time to press the survival button before being forcibly sent out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, and his spirit might even have suffered a shock.

"Hmph, it was nothing." Leng Yaozhu raised her chin and turned her head away with feigned pride, but the slight upward curl 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 stirred in his heart. Was Leng Yaozhu's timely appearance and precise rescue really just a coincidence?

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform's control room, before a massive holographic screen.

Xiao Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes intently fixed on the two children who had just finished their battle on the screen. There was a trace of gratification on his face. After all, his son had performed exceptionally well, remaining calm in danger and displaying extremely sharp combat awareness. Yet his brows were slightly furrowed, and a barely noticeable doubt lay hidden deep in 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 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 chances of two particular children encountering each other were like finding a needle in the ocean.

"Could it really have been a coincidence?" Xiao Ran murmured. Then he gently shook his head, casting 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, especially the location and timing of Leng Yaozhu's appearance.

He could tell that Xiao Cheng's encounter with the Man Faced Demon Spider had been entirely due to bad luck. He had wandered into its territory, and the system had not provided Xiao Cheng with any additional interference.

In other words, Leng Zhaoran might have tampered with things, but at most, he had merely "sent" his daughter near Xiao Cheng. The battle afterward had depended entirely on the two children's own abilities.

"Deputy Tower Master Leng, Deputy Tower Master Leng, you really do dote on your daughter. Did you want her to do Xiao Cheng a favor?" An imperceptible curve touched Xiao Ran's lips. "Still, as long as the methods are aboveboard, there's no harm in it."

Meanwhile, inside another more secretive and luxuriously decorated observation room.

Leng Zhaoran, Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, sat comfortably on a broad soul-conducting sofa. In his hand was a crystal-clear goblet filled with amber liquid that swayed gently within. His gaze was likewise fixed 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 seamless coordination with Xiao Cheng, a satisfied smile appeared on Leng Zhaoran's face.

"Not bad. Yaozhu truly hasn't disappointed me." He took a sip of the wine and chuckled softly.

He had indeed tampered with things. At the instant Leng Yaozhu entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, he 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 decision to help Xiao Cheng had been entirely her own.

"Xiao Ran is very shrewd. If I made it too obvious, it would only provoke his dislike, 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 Xiao Cheng over will depend on Yaozhu's own abilities. As for the road ahead, they will have to walk it themselves."

Only the flickering glow of the screen remained in the observation room, illuminating the profound face of this Limit Douluo.