Human-Faced Demon Spider

They had clearly spent four years together in the same body, day and night.

Yet Xu Tianming had never expected Columbina to remain just as she had been at the beginning—quiet, she was like an ethereal fairy untouched by the world, but whenever she opened her mouth, she still occasionally said something shocking.

"It was only a simple hug. Don't overthink it. If you really want to know what it feels like, then once you can condense a physical body someday, I'll let you hug me. Wouldn't that make everything clear?"

After replying casually, Xu Tianming saw that Columbina merely gave an "Mm" without any other response, so he shifted his attention back.

"That's enough. Don't forget why we came out here. If we don't hurry up and find a soul beast, it'll be dark soon."

Hearing this, Meng Hongchen also murmured an "Mm," then reluctantly loosened her arms and stepped out of Xu Tianming's embrace.

Just as the two were about to get into the vehicle and continue onward in search of soul beast tracks, Xu Tianming's eyes suddenly narrowed. He turned vigilantly toward the due south.

"Something seems to be coming. Stand behind me and be careful."

At those words, Meng Hongchen immediately put aside her other thoughts. She obediently followed Xu Tianming's instructions and hid behind him.

Looking at the tall, pine-straight back of the man she loved, Meng Hongchen felt utterly safe. It was as if, so long as Xu Tianming was there, she had nothing to fear.

Even as he remained on guard, Xu Tianming promptly communicated with Columbina in his spiritual sea, interrupting her thoughts.

"Columbina, help me see what's approaching from the south."

"Alright."

Though her thoughts had been interrupted, Columbina was not angry. She immediately used Moon-Matrix Power to probe in the direction Xu Tianming had indicated.

"Mm... It's a rather strange-looking giant spider. Judging by its aura, it should be a soul beast with roughly two thousand years of cultivation."

"A strange giant spider? How strange?"

"Its face looks somewhat like a human face, but it's also rather frightening..."

After hearing Columbina's description, Xu Tianming immediately knew the origin of the soul beast to the south.

A Human-Faced Demon Spider!

One of Tang San's greatest aids on his path to godhood!

Thinking of this soul beast's traits, Xu Tianming's eyes lit up. Before the Human-Faced Demon Spider arrived, he said to Meng Hongchen, "The soul beast rapidly approaching us is likely a Human-Faced Demon Spider with around two thousand years of cultivation. It possesses potent venom, and not only is it compatible with your martial soul, but after you absorb and refine it, you might even gain a binding-type skill. What do you think? Would you consider absorbing this soul ring?"

If anyone else had heard a youth with only rank twenty soul power being asked to absorb a two-thousand-year soul ring, they would have thought Xu Tianming was insane.

But Meng Hongchen was different.

She believed that Brother Tianming would never harm her!

"As long as Brother Tianming thinks that soul ring suits me, I'm willing to absorb it!"

"Good. Wait here for a moment. I'll bring that soul ring to you right away!"

As he spoke, Xu Tianming took an eighth-rank peak melee soul tool—the Judgment Sword—from his storage soul tool.

This greatsword had been forged by the genius soul engineers of the Hall of Virtue using extraterrestrial meteorite iron. Its blade was divided into black and white sides, capable of simultaneously containing the opposing attributes of light and darkness. Its overall power approached that of a ninth-rank soul tool, and it could be reused.

However, its drawback was equally obvious.

Activating the power of judgment contained within the sword required an enormous amount of soul power.

In the original story, during the semifinals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Ma Rulong, captain of the Sun Moon Team, had relied on the seventh-rank soul tool Chapter of Sacrifice to burn through his life force before he could barely activate this eighth-rank soul tool greatsword beyond his rank, severely wounding Ma Xiaotao and driving her evil fire to the brink of losing control, nearly causing her martial soul to become completely corrupted.

Even Ma Rulong, with his rank sixty-two soul power at the time, had struggled so greatly. That was even more true for Xu Tianming, whose soul power was currently only rank forty-three.

Perhaps, if his fighting spirit was strong enough, he could barely activate it once. But after successfully doing so, his own soul power would inevitably be exhausted as well.

Therefore, Xu Tianming would not activate the power of judgment sealed within the sword. He had taken it out only for the move he was about to use against his enemy.

During the years he had spent with Mavuika, aside from their daily chats, Xu Tianming had also learned most of her ultimate move, Sinking Sun Slash.

At first, he had needed Mavuika to possess him in order to use this move. But after practicing day after day, he had now mastered it to perfection.

Although using it alone still could not bring out its full power, it was more than enough to allow Xu Tianming to fight opponents above his rank.

He remembered that after his uncle, Kong Deming, had witnessed the might of this move, he had once sighed that its power and hidden potential were in no way inferior to a hundred-thousand-year soul skill that a soul master could possess!

At the beginning, Xu Tianming had only used a fourth-rank soul tool greatsword to perform Sinking Sun Slash. But as his soul power rank rose and the flames of his Radiant Sun Martial Soul grew hotter, that fourth-rank soul tool greatsword could no longer withstand the intense heat. During one battle, it had been directly melted by the flames.

After that, Xu Tianming had thought of this eighth-rank peak soul tool greatsword mentioned in the original story.

When he had first asked Jing Hongchen for it, he had not expected the old man to treasure it so dearly. Jing Hongchen had said that Xu Tianming was still too young and unsuitable to wield such a powerful soul tool.

But Xu Tianming did not care about any of that. After all, if he did not use this Judgment Sword himself, it would later end up benefiting those people from Shrek Academy.

Thus, Xu Tianming directly used his status to pressure him. With Meng Hongchen, the insider, fanning the flames as well, Jing Hongchen was caught between two sides and could only agree in the end. However, he made Xu Tianming promise not to lose or damage the Judgment Sword.

As he drew the Judgment Sword, Xu Tianming summoned his Radiant Sun Martial Soul and began gathering soul power. Yet before the soul power in his body had fully accumulated, the Human-Faced Demon Spider had already charged within a hundred meters.

Upon seeing the soul beast up close, Xu Tianming was somewhat surprised.

Just moments ago, he had been wondering why this Human-Faced Demon Spider was rapidly approaching his location. Now that he looked at it, it seemed the spider had been frightened and was fleeing for its life.

However, the situation was urgent, and Xu Tianming had no time to think further. When the Human-Faced Demon Spider entered within fifty meters of him, he activated his second soul skill. He linked Meng Hongchen with the Night Soul Domain and completed a Night Soul Transfer, increasing the soul power within his body by ten percent.

At the same time, he activated his fourth soul skill, Burning Radiance Ring.

A sun-like halo appeared behind Xu Tianming, and a heavenly flame descended from the sky, crashing directly toward the Human-Faced Demon Spider.

Because the attack came without warning, the Human-Faced Demon Spider could not dodge in time and was knocked straight to the ground. Blazing heat caused streams of white smoke to rise from its body, while the intense pain made it let out a miserable howl.

But more importantly, the soul power within the Human-Faced Demon Spider vanished by a full twenty percent in an instant!

Unfortunately, this strike was not enough to kill the Human-Faced Demon Spider outright. It even drove it into a frenzy.