The Death Spider Emperor spoke in human language, staring greedily at Bibi Dong as drool poured from its mouth.
Ye Tian was shocked to hear the Death Spider Emperor speak.
Good grief.
This was a top-tier hundred-thousand-year soul beast whose cultivation approached that of a two-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast.
But on second thought, it made sense. A Death Spider Emperor that could provide Bibi Dong with two hundred-thousand-year arm bones, one left and one right, certainly wasn't ordinary. He had underestimated it.
It seemed he would have to lend a hand.
"Heavens, this soul beast can actually speak! Is this what a hundred-thousand-year soul beast is like?"
"It's so powerful!"
Hu Liena and the other two had never encountered anything like this before. Their faces were filled with shock and terror.
Were they going to meet their end here?
"Nana, don't be afraid. It's just a hundred-thousand-year soul beast with slightly higher cultivation."
Sensing Hu Liena's fear, Ye Tian squeezed her little hand to reassure her.
"Mm!"
Feeling Ye Tian's reassuring gesture, Hu Liena immediately stopped being afraid and nodded firmly, as though he were her harbor from the storm.
As long as he was there, no danger could threaten her.
"Little Tiantian, we still can't let our guard down. This Death Spider Emperor is very powerful."
"If only Ghost Elder and Elder Ju were here."
"With their Two Extremes Stillness Domain, killing it would be much easier."
"But if I have to face it alone, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to kill."
Bibi Dong had encountered the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python before, so she knew something about the strength of soul beasts.
Although this Death Spider Emperor's bloodline fell short of theirs, its cultivation was formidable.
If she could obtain her ninth soul ring, she would be able to kill it with her own strength.
But right now, she truly had no confidence.
"Big Sister Dong'er, don't worry. I'll help restrain it. Just go all out and kill it as quickly as you can."
Knowing Bibi Dong's concerns, Ye Tian willed a multicolored Qilin phantom to appear behind him.
This was a phantom clone he had condensed from his qilin origin, capable of unleashing only fifty percent of his combat strength.
Although that fifty percent might not be enough to kill the Death Spider Emperor, it could do so with Bibi Dong's help.
"It's an elder auspicious beast qilin!"
"To think I'd encounter such a rare Auspicious Beast!"
"Once I devour all of you, I'll be the strongest soul beast in the world!"
"Minions, attack!"
Sensing Ye Tian's bloodline, the Death Spider Emperor's eyes gleamed brilliantly.
In its eyes, Bibi Dong was nowhere near as important as Ye Tian.
"Heh, you want to kill me? You don't have what it takes."
"Go. Kill it!"
Ye Tian smiled disdainfully and waved at the Qilin phantom behind him.
At his command, the Qilin phantom lunged at the Death Spider Emperor, multicolored flames burning over its body and multicolored lightning lashing around it.
Bibi Dong also struck at that moment, launching a surprise attack from the side.
Meanwhile, Ye Tian casually found somewhere to sit and settled into Ah Yin's arms to rest.
Outside the multicolored protective barrier, the spider soul beasts kept charging into it.
Not only did they fail to break it, they injured themselves instead.
Multicolored lightning lashed across the protective barrier, striking any soul beast that approached.
Although the multicolored lightning's power was limited, it was still enough to kill any soul beast over ten thousand years old.
Before long, all the spiders stopped attacking.
Corpses lay everywhere around the multicolored protective barrier. How were they supposed to keep charging?
How was that any different from suicide?
At that moment, Hu Liena and the other two were once again dumbstruck.
Ye Tian was so powerful that his strength left them breathless.
Just what level of strength was this?
And what was that elder auspicious beast qilin the Death Spider Emperor had mentioned?
Was it Ye Tian's martial soul?
The three had wanted to ask, but they held back when they remembered what Ye Tian had said earlier.
They shouldn't ask about things they weren't supposed to know and invite trouble upon themselves. It was better to remain silent and keep his secrets.
"Not bad. Being able to hold back your questions shows you've grown."
"You're not yet qualified to ask about my secrets."
"Once you become pillars of Spirit Hall's younger generation, you'll learn everything."
"I'm going to sleep for a while. Take your time watching."
Ye Tian stretched lazily and fell asleep in Ah Yin's gentle embrace.
Hu Liena and the other two exchanged wide-eyed looks.
Was Ye Tian really so confident that he wasn't worried Bibi Dong and that multicolored phantom might lose?
While the three were puzzling over this, Bibi Dong gradually suppressed the Death Spider Emperor's fierce attacks with the Qilin phantom clone's help.
In truth, the Death Spider Emperor was merely a control-type soul beast with limited offensive power, relying on its sharp spider legs and deadly venom.
But neither worked against the Qilin phantom clone or Bibi Dong, leaving the Death Spider Emperor unable to bring its strength to bear.
Before long, the Death Spider Emperor was severely wounded.
Seeing that it couldn't win and was about to lose its life here, the Death Spider Emperor steeled itself and made a crazed decision.
"Damn you! I won't let you succeed!"
"My children, I need your strength!"
The Death Spider Emperor roared furiously, and dazzling black light erupted from its body.
Hearing its call, the spiders converged on the Death Spider Emperor, releasing surging soul power.
At that moment, the Death Spider Emperor devoured the cultivation and bloodlines of all the spiders, steadily increasing its own cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, the Death Spider Emperor broke through the two-hundred-thousand-year threshold, temporarily gaining the combat strength of a two-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast.
"Oh? It actually has a secret art like this!"
"It seems this Death Spider Emperor really does have some tricks up its sleeve."
"In the original story, Bibi Dong must have relied on Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's Two Extremes Stillness Domain to immobilize the Death Spider Emperor before killing it."
Sensing the Death Spider Emperor's transformation, Ye Tian suddenly woke and decided to act personally to cripple it.
He feared that delaying any longer might lead to an unexpected turn of events.
"Big Sister Dong'er, come back. Leave this Death Spider Emperor to me."
Ye Tian called to Bibi Dong, then soared into the air and merged with the Qilin phantom clone.
In an instant, a multicolored Qilin dozens of meters tall appeared in Death Canyon, radiating an auspicious aura that illuminated the dark, gloomy canyon.
Bibi Dong swiftly returned to Ah Yin, Ah Rou, and Hu Liena's group to protect them.
"Death Spider Emperor, it is your honor to fall beneath my claws."
"In the name of the elder auspicious beast qilin, I grant you death."
"Heaven's will cannot be defied. Cease your resistance."
After calling out to the Death Spider Emperor, Ye Tian gathered all his soul power, poured it into his right claw, and struck through the air.
In an instant, the energy of heaven and earth within hundreds of miles converged, forming an enormous multicolored Qilin dragon claw that slammed down through the air.
"No..."
"I refuse..."
Watching the enormous claw descend, the Death Spider Emperor tried to flee, only to discover that several powerful domain forces had restrained it. There was no escape.
Boom!
The enormous claw descended and smashed viciously into the Death Spider Emperor, unleashing a terrifying force that severely damaged its origin and left it utterly incapable of resisting.
"All right, mission accomplished!"
"Big Sister Dong'er, this soul ring is yours."