Venom Soul Demon Spider

The damp, fishy wind carried the stench of rotting leaves straight at them. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, slicing the daylight into fragments. The ground was covered in thick black humus, soft beneath their feet and creaking with an unpleasant squeak.

A faint moldy smell mingled with an intermittent sickly sweetness in the air. Mist drifted slowly through the forest, carrying a trace of poison that caused a slight numb itch when it touched the skin.

This was Demon Spider Canyon, one of the most notorious danger zones on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The terrain within the canyon was complex, dark, and damp—the paradise of spider-type soul beasts.

From tiny venomous spiders only a few years old to large demon spiders over a thousand years old, they were countless in number and fiercely poisonous. Ordinary soul masters did not dare venture deep even in teams, and most only hunted spider-type soul beasts under a hundred years old around the outskirts.

Bibi Dong spread a faint black soul power barrier around them, shielding both of them from the poisonous mist and dampness outside.

She walked ahead with light steps, making almost no sound as she trod upon the rotting leaves. Her dark fitted outfit blended into the dim forest like a mandrake roaming the darkness.

"Stay close to me. Don't touch anything here carelessly," Bibi Dong said in a low voice, yet her words reached Bibi Xu clearly.

"Most of the spider-type soul beasts in the canyon are poisonous. Some toxins can numb the nerves, while others can corrode soul power. Even a hundred-year-old one would be troublesome if it got on you."

"Mm, I understand, Mom." Bibi Xu nodded, his gaze sweeping vigilantly over the surroundings.

When they had first entered the canyon, they could still see quite a few tiny soul beasts only a few years old. Fist-sized gray venomous spiders crawled between the tree trunks, spinning thin strands of web. Upon sensing the two of them, they hurriedly hid in tree hollows and cracks between rocks.

The soul power fluctuations of these lowest-tier soul beasts were pitifully weak. With Bibi Xu's current innate level-twenty soul power, he could crush them to death with a casual squeeze using only his physical strength.

The deeper they went into the canyon, the harsher the environment became.

The ancient trees grew denser, the light dimmer, and the mist thicker.

Millstone-sized spider webs began appearing across the ground. Their threads glimmered with an eerie green sheen as they clung between branches, covered with the dried corpses of insects and even small soul beasts.

Occasionally, spider-type soul beasts as large as small dogs crawled past, radiating the distinctive soul power fluctuations of hundred-year soul beasts. The instant they sensed Bibi Dong's aura, they fled in panic without daring to linger for even a moment.

Outside, these hundred-year soul beasts would already make Great Soul Master-level soul masters treat them with caution. Yet before Bibi Dong, a Soul Douluo, they did not even have the courage to approach.

This was clearly not Bibi Dong's first time here. She knew the route well and led Bibi Xu along secluded paths, avoiding several nests of ferocious venomous spiders that lived in groups. After traveling deeper for half an hour, they finally stopped beside a cliff.

Below the cliff lay an open valley floor filled with caves of all sizes. Countless black spiders crawled in and out of them, their fangs scraping together with soft clicking sounds that made one's scalp tingle.

This was where the Venom Soul Demon Spiders gathered.

"This is the place." Bibi Dong brought Bibi Xu leaping onto the thickest ancient tree nearby, landing within its dense canopy. The branches and leaves conveniently concealed them from view.

With a tap of her fingertip, she spread a barrier that concealed soul power, completely hiding their auras. "Venom Soul Demon Spiders prefer darkness and live in groups at the bottom of the valley. Those above a hundred years old are mostly deep inside the caves. Let's wait and see if anything suitable appears first."

Bibi Xu nodded, held his breath, and looked down.

There were quite a few Venom Soul Demon Spiders at the valley floor, most around one or two hundred years old. They stood half the height of a person, their bodies entirely black and their fangs shining with an eerie blue light. As they crawled, pale blue venom dripped from their tails, corroding small pits into the ground and releasing hissing white smoke.

He observed them carefully for a while, then secretly shook his head.

Their cultivation was too low.

As far as the eye could see, the strongest among them was only around three hundred years old. Outside, that would be more than enough as a First Spirit Ring for an ordinary soul master—perhaps even considered top-tier.

But for him, it was still lacking. He had a body tempered by a year of Whale Glue and the foundation of innate level-twenty soul power. A three-hundred-year spirit ring simply could not bring out his potential.

"Their cultivation is all too low." Bibi Xu lowered his voice and said to Bibi Dong, "The strongest is only around three hundred years old. Absorbing one wouldn't improve me much."

Bibi Dong glanced at him, helplessness in her eyes. "Do you think Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spiders are weeds by the roadside, available whenever you want one? A thousand years is a hurdle for Venom Soul Demon Spiders. Those that survive beyond a thousand years have long developed territorial awareness and would not remain in this sort of outer area where they live in groups. Three hundred years isn't bad already. Isn't it better to proceed steadily?"

Though she said that, she showed no intention of making a move. She continued lying in wait with him in the canopy, clearly prepared to wait a little longer.

She had always been decisive and uncompromising in this life, but before this son, her bottom line kept dropping. As long as his requests were not too outrageous and remained within a safe range, she was always willing to indulge him.

Bibi Xu smiled but said nothing, continuing to patiently observe the valley floor.

He had a feeling that he would not leave empty-handed today. Whether it was a transmigrator's luck or the unseen guidance of the Three-Life Martial Soul, he simply felt that his First Spirit Ring would never stop at a mere three hundred years.

Time passed bit by bit. The light in the forest grew dimmer, and most of the Venom Soul Demon Spiders at the valley floor retreated into their caves, leaving only a scattered few wandering outside.

Just as even Bibi Dong felt they would likely not find one today and was about to persuade her son to choose a high-quality hundred-year soul beast first, a commotion suddenly rose from the valley floor.

Click, click—

The sound of hard fangs scraping against stone rang out, far deeper and heavier than the sounds made by ordinary Venom Soul Demon Spiders.

Then the ground began to tremble slightly. The Venom Soul Demon Spiders within the caves seemed to have been frightened by something and crawled out in droves, scattering in all directions in panic.

An exceptionally enormous Venom Soul Demon Spider slowly crawled out from the deepest cave.

It was twice the size of an ordinary Venom Soul Demon Spider, its body over a meter long. Its eight thick spider legs resembled black spears, and every step left shallow indentations in the rocky ground.

Its jet-black carapace was covered in eerie blue patterns like natural demonic runes. Its two fangs were astonishingly thick and gleamed coldly. The venom dripping from them struck the ground and instantly corroded fist-sized craters, sending white smoke soaring high.

Most importantly, the soul power fluctuations radiating from it were dense and cold, carrying the distinctive pressure of a thousand-year soul beast—far beyond the scope of a hundred-year soul beast.

Bibi Xu's eyes instantly lit up.

Eight or nine hundred years old!

This Venom Soul Demon Spider had cultivated for at least eight hundred years. It might even have touched the threshold of a thousand years.