Hunting the Death Spider Emperor

It really was a deathtrap, Bibi Xu thought.

No wonder the Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor had chosen to dwell here. The environment suited it perfectly, and it kept most human Soul Masters away.

Bibi Dong closed her eyes and focused her senses.

The Death Spider Emperor shared the same origin as her martial soul, so their auras naturally resonated with each other.

Her spiritual power spread through the canyon, sweeping over every inch of land like a tide.

Before long, she suddenly opened her eyes and pointed toward the deepest part of the canyon. "It's inside. Its nest is in an underground cavern at the very bottom. It has already noticed us and is coming this way."

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts possessed extremely high intelligence and a powerful awareness of their territory. It was impossible for it not to notice humans entering its domain.

"Since it has come to us, that saves us the trouble of looking for it." Yue Guan sneered. "Gui Mei, get ready."

Gui Mei nodded, and his figure immediately became even more ethereal, blending into the surrounding shadows.

"Ling Yuan, take Ah Xu to that high ground behind us." Bibi Dong turned and instructed her. "No matter what happens, you are not to come over."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Ling Yuan nodded and leaped with Bibi Xu onto a protruding rock behind them. The ground there was high, the view was clear, and it was far from the center of the battlefield, making it relatively safe.

Bibi Xu lay at the edge of the rock, staring unblinkingly into the depths of the canyon.

It was coming.

The ground began to tremble faintly. Heavy crawling sounds drew closer, carrying a suffocating pressure. Then, a massive black shadow slowly emerged from the depths of the miasma.

It was an astonishingly enormous spider.

Its body was over ten meters long, and its eight thick spider legs resembled black pillars. Each was as thick as a man's embrace, their tips sharp as spears. With every step on the rocks, they easily punched deep holes into them.

Its entire body was covered in heavy black carapace, streaked with strange dark-red patterns that gleamed with a metallic chill.

Its fangs were as thick as two giant axes. The venom dripping from them struck the ground and immediately corroded deep pits that emitted black smoke, capable of melting even rock.

Most terrifying of all was its aura.

Ancient, savage, and carrying the decayed stench of death, it was like a ferocious beast that had slumbered for ten thousand years awakening.

The mere spread of its aura made the surrounding miasma boil, and even the air became thick and viscous.

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor.

Even though Bibi Xu had seen countless pictures in his previous life, seeing such a colossal creature with his own eyes still made his heart race. This oppressive force was more than a hundred times greater than that of a thousand-year soul beast.

"Humans..."

A low, hoarse voice, like two pieces of rotten wood grinding together, rang directly inside everyone's minds.

The Death Spider Emperor stopped, its scarlet compound eyes fixed on Bibi Dong with undisguised killing intent. "You trespassed into my territory. You seek death."

It could sense that the human woman before it carried an aura with the same origin as its own.

That made it both furious and instinctively wary.

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast really does possess some intelligence." Bibi Dong sneered as her soul power erupted around her.

Her Twin Martial Souls were unleashed at once. The phantoms of the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor overlapped behind her, eight spider lances extending outward as black and dark-green soul power soared into the sky. "I'll be taking your soul ring."

"You?" The Death Spider Emperor let out a shrill screech and abruptly raised its forelegs before smashing them viciously into the ground.

Boom!

The ground instantly split with countless cracks, and black venomous spikes erupted from beneath the earth like a dense forest of spears, sweeping toward the three of them.

"Move." Bibi Dong shouted.

Two Extremes Static Domain.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei shouted at the same time. One stood to the left and the other to the right, golden and black soul power intertwining to form a strange force field.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The erupting venomous spikes stopped in midair, and the Death Spider Emperor's massive body stiffened instantly, unable even to move its eyes.

The Two Extremes Static Domain was complete.

"Perfect!"

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened, and her figure instantly became a streak of black light as she charged at the Death Spider Emperor.

"First Soul Skill, Demon Spider Slash."

"Second Soul Skill, Myriad Spider Soul Threads."

"Third Soul Skill, Death Binding."

"..."

"Sixth Soul Skill, Vampiric Spider Spikes."

Soul skills were hurled out one after another as though they cost nothing.

Black blades of light, dense spider threads, corrosive poison mist, violent energy blasts... every soul skill bombarded it in succession, all striking precisely at the junction between the Death Spider Emperor's head and chest carapace—the weakest point of spider soul beasts.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out without pause as dust and smoke filled the air and shattered stones flew everywhere. Cracks immediately spread across the Death Spider Emperor's carapace, and dark-green blood gushed out, splattering all around.

Yet even after being immobilized and taking the full barrage head-on, its aura remained powerful. Though its carapace had cracked, it had not been completely pierced through.

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast really is thick-skinned." Yue Guan gritted his teeth. Maintaining the domain consumed an immense amount of soul power, and cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead. "Gui Mei, hold on."

"Don't worry... I can hold on a little longer." Gui Mei's voice was somewhat weak as well.

The Two Extremes Static Domain could only suppress a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for a limited time—at most ten breaths. They had to severely injure it within those ten breaths, or things would become troublesome once it broke free.

Naturally, Bibi Dong understood that as well. She took a deep breath and drove all her soul power to its limit.

"Death Spider Emperor Eighth Soul Skill, Spider Sovereign Clone!"

Amid her low shout, a soul-power clone identical to her appeared. Together with her true body, the two figures raised their palms at the same time.

"True World."

"Six-Winged Violet Light."

Two enormous black phantom spider heads opened their mouths at once. Two terrifying devouring forces merged into a black beam of light that struck viciously into the crack in the Death Spider Emperor's chest.

Splat!

This time, the hard carapace was finally completely pierced through. The black beam plunged into its body, wildly destroying its internal organs and soul core.

Just then, Roaaar!

The Death Spider Emperor unleashed an earth-shaking roar.

The light of the Two Extremes Static Domain flickered violently several times before shattering with a bang.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both groaned and flew backward, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

The domain had been forcibly broken, and they suffered backlash.

"Humans, you deserve to die!"

The Death Spider Emperor was enraged. Dark-green blood flowed from the enormous wound in its chest, making it appear even more vicious.

It suddenly raised its two forelegs and smashed them viciously toward Bibi Dong with world-destroying force. Space itself twisted beneath that strike, and the poisonous mist around them began to boil.

"Your Majesty, watch out!" Yue Guan cried in alarm. He wanted to rush forward to save her, but it was already too late.

Bibi Dong, however, remained calm and crossed her spider lances before her.

"Death Spider Emperor Seventh Soul Skill, Spider Sovereign True Form."

Buzz—

The massive phantom of the Death Spider Emperor overlapped with her body, and her aura surged severalfold. Her crossed spider lances met the blow head-on.