Vanguard in Front, Protagonist Behind

"Mom, how about this one?" Bibi Xu lowered his voice, unable to hide the excitement in it. "It's over eight hundred years old, way stronger than a three-hundred-year one."

Bibi Dong frowned slightly and sensed it carefully for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Eight hundred and ninety years, just shy of nine hundred. Its age is indeed good, and it should be enough for you. I'll draw it over and cripple it with one blow. Then you can absorb it."

As she spoke, black soul power had already gathered at her fingertips, ready to strike.

An eight-hundred-year Venom Soul Demon Spider would be enough to make even a Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor team treat it with utmost caution out in the wild. But before her, an eighty-fifth-level Soul Douluo, it was no different from an ant.

But just then, Bibi Xu reached out and stopped her.

"Mom, wait a little longer."

Bibi Dong paused and turned to look at him, raising a brow. "Still waiting? Eight hundred years isn't enough? You really do have quite the appetite."

An eight-hundred-year first soul ring was already exceedingly rare across the entire Douluo Continent. Even core disciples of the Upper Three Sects might not have such an opportunity. Yet this boy was still not satisfied?

"I feel like something better is coming." Bibi Xu looked firmly toward the depths of the valley, his tone serious. "Let's wait one more incense stick's worth of time. If nothing comes, we'll take this one."

His intuition was growing stronger and stronger.

Though this eight- or nine-hundred-year Venom Soul Demon Spider was powerful, it gave him the feeling of being merely the "vanguard." The true "protagonist" was still waiting behind it.

Since it was called Demon Spider Canyon, there was no way it did not have at least one Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Bibi Dong sighed helplessly and finally nodded. "Fine, we'll do as you say. We'll wait another incense stick's worth of time. After that, whether something appears or not, we'll make our move."

Truthfully, she was not certain either, but she could not bear to disappoint her son. Besides, with her here, even if something truly went wrong, she could still protect him.

At worst, when the soul ring turned violent, she would help suppress it. It might damage his foundation somewhat, but that was still better than letting her son down.

Mother and son continued hiding in the treetops, holding their breaths as they waited.

The eight- or nine-hundred-year Venom Soul Demon Spider at the valley floor slowly crawled in a circle, as if patrolling its territory. Wherever it passed, the other Venom Soul Demon Spiders retreated, not daring to overstep in the slightest.

Time passed bit by bit, and the incense stick's worth of time was nearly up.

Bibi Dong was already preparing to act when the entire valley floor suddenly shook violently!

Rumble—

A muffled boom came from the cave in the depths, and shattered stones rained down. Immediately afterward, a cold, sinister aura several times stronger than before surged out from the depths of the cave, sweeping across everything.

The eight- or nine-hundred-year Venom Soul Demon Spider seemed to have encountered its natural predator. It froze on the spot, its eight legs trembling, without even the courage to flee.

The next second, an enormous creature slowly crawled out of the cave.

It was even larger than the previous one, nearly two meters long. Its eight spider legs were as thick as pillars, while its black carapace gleamed with a metallic chill. Dark-blue patterns covered its body like burning blue flames.

Most terrifying of all were its fangs, each a full half meter long and gleaming with a frigid light. Thick dark-blue venom flowed over them. When a single drop fell, it directly corroded a basin-sized hole into the ground, the poison even seeping several inches underground.

A thousand-year soul beast—a genuine Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider!

Bibi Xu held his breath, dazzling light bursting from his eyes.

He could clearly sense this Venom Soul Demon Spider's cultivation. It was around one thousand two hundred years old. It had just crossed the thousand-year threshold, yet was not so old that it would be completely impossible to control.

"That's the one, Mom. I want this one!" Bibi Xu's voice trembled with uncontrollable excitement.

Absorbing a twelve-hundred-year first soul ring would probably scare a whole crowd senseless if word got out.

But he had the confidence: a body tempered by Whale Glue, the foundation of innate twentieth-level soul power, and the life force of the Life Azure Lotus as a safeguard. He might just be able to endure it.

Bibi Dong was stunned as well.

She had waited only because her son wanted to, but she had not held much hope. Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spiders were extremely cunning and stayed deep within the canyon year-round, rarely showing themselves. She had not expected this boy to actually wait one out.

She helplessly rubbed her forehead, both annoyed and amused. "You brat, your luck is quite good. One thousand two hundred years... You really dare to dream. Do you know how violent a thousand-year soul ring is? If something goes wrong, severed meridians would be the least of your problems."

Though she said that, her movements did not slow in the slightest.

The instant her words fell, she drifted from the treetops like a bolt of black lightning, lunging straight at the Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider.

She did not release her martial soul or summon any soul rings. Her soul power pressure alone forced every Venom Soul Demon Spider in the valley to collapse onto the ground, unable to move.

The Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider sensed the fatal threat and let out a piercing hiss. It suddenly raised its head and sprayed out a vast cloud of dark-blue poisonous mist.

Wherever the poisonous mist passed, grass and trees instantly withered and blackened. Even the rocks sizzled as they were corroded.

Bibi Dong snorted coldly and flicked her sleeve.

A black soul power barrier appeared out of thin air. The poisonous mist struck it like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun, instantly melting away without stirring even the slightest ripple.

The next second, she flicked a slender strand of black spider silk from her fingertip. It flashed like lightning and instantly wrapped around all eight legs of the Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider.

The spider silk tightened, making the sturdy carapace crack under the strain.

The Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider struggled frantically, its enormous body sending rocks flying as it slammed against the ground. Yet that thin strand of spider silk remained as immovable as cast steel.

Bibi Dong drifted down and landed atop its back, lightly tapping down with the tip of her foot.

With a soft puff.

That seemingly weightless kick contained terrifying power. It directly shattered the carapace on its back, and violent soul power surged into its body, instantly destroying most of its meridians and soul core. Only the faintest trace of vital energy remained, enough to keep its soul ring from dissipating.

The entire process took no more than three breaths.

The Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider, which had dominated this area, had not even the slightest ability to resist. It was beaten into a critical state and collapsed on the ground. Only its fangs still opened and closed weakly, releasing faint hisses.

Bibi Dong clapped her hands as though she had done something insignificant, then called to Bibi Xu in the treetops, "Come down. It's already crippled. I left it with one breath; its vitality is still there."

Bibi Xu leaped down, landed on the ground, and quickly walked over to the Millennium Venom Soul Demon Spider.

At close range, the soul beast appeared even more enormous. Its savage form, pungent stench, and limbs twitching in death throes all delivered a powerful visual impact.

He stood there, staring at the dying Venom Soul Demon Spider, and for a moment, he was lost in thought.