Chapter 18: The Shadow Sky Demon Spider

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Zhang Lexuan was using a secret technique that instantly ignited the power of her martial soul. It was somewhat similar to soul skills such as berserk transformation or bloodlust, though far less frenzied and extreme. If soul power were likened to water, then her current state was like making that water boil.

The dramatic increase in the rate at which her soul power was consumed brought with it an even greater might from her martial soul.

As the crescent moon in the sky transformed into a full moon, the area shrouded in moonlight expanded accordingly. Ye Xixuan and Zhang Lexuan finally discovered the culprit behind the silver threads in the air.

More precisely, those silver threads were webs, though they differed from the webs of ordinary demonic spider-type soul beasts. They bore no trace of venom or mucilage. Fine and translucent, they seemed to exist somewhere between illusion and reality, concealed within the void.

Had Zhang Lexuan not employed her secret technique, they would have been almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. Even their aura could not be sensed.

Countless silver webs linked the tree trunks throughout the area, together forming a gigantic spiderweb.

At its center crouched a silver spider whose body alone exceeded three meters in diameter. Its ten spear-like legs were more than six meters long. Its entire body gleamed brilliantly, its lines elegant and graceful, utterly lacking the sinister ferocity normally associated with spider-type soul beasts.

The only truly chilling feature was the dense pattern of black markings across its carapace. The combination of silver and black instead created an even greater sense of psychological pressure.

Zhang Lexuan’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.

“Is that a Heaven Demon Spider?”

“A Heaven Demon Spider?” Ye Xixuan was equally surprised. He had learned about all kinds of soul beasts from a young age, yet he had never heard of the creature Zhang Lexuan had named.

According to everything he had previously known, the most exalted demonic spider-type soul beasts were no more than the Soul-Devouring Demon Spider, the Death Demon Spider, the Man-Faced Demon Spider, and the Earth-Cave Demon Spider.

The first two had once been the twin martial souls of the fallen God of Rakshasa from ten thousand years ago, while the latter two were deeply connected to a certain selfless and impartial God King.

The silver spider stepped upon its web. Its equally silver legs were long and razor-sharp, making it appear to float in midair. A sinister, chilling light flickered in its eight small eyes. The two foremost legs moved slightly, and the thousand-year Scale-armored Beast from earlier was suddenly dragged up and suspended in the air.

Both sides had noticed each other’s presence. They faced one another warily, yet neither acted rashly.

“According to the academy’s records, Heaven Demon Spiders had already been on the verge of extinction in ancient times. At least during the past several thousand years, no soul master has ever discovered one in a habitat inhabited by wild soul beasts. Of course, it is also possible that the soul masters who encountered them remained forever within the soul beast forest.” Zhang Lexuan explained solemnly to Ye Xixuan.

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“Heaven Demon Spiders do not possess the deadly venom found in other demonic spider-type soul beasts. They are exceedingly rare nonvenomous demon spiders, because they themselves are already powerful enough. They possess a mysterious spatial attribute, and their status among demonic spider-type soul beasts is almost equivalent to that of the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear among bear-type soul beasts. For that reason, they are also known as Heaven Spiders.”

The silver radiance in Zhang Lexuan’s eyes grew increasingly brilliant. Then she made her decision without hesitation.

“Judging from the black markings on its carapace and its aura, this Heaven Demon Spider has probably mutated to possess an affinity with darkness. Calling it a Shadow Heaven Demon Spider would perhaps be more accurate. Its cultivation is roughly three thousand years, which is exactly what we need. Xixuan, choose it for your second soul ring.”

“Good!” Ye Xixuan’s eyes immediately lit up. A soul beast of this caliber far exceeded his expectations, so naturally he would not reject his senior sister’s suggestion.

A Shadow Heaven Demon Spider with both dark and spatial attributes?

Bound from head to toe by the Shadow Heaven Demon Spider’s webs, the thousand-year Scale-armored Beast repeatedly let out shrill, anguished roars, yet it could not move even an inch. The brute strength it had always been so proud of was completely useless at this moment.

The beast’s howls conveniently concealed the faint sound of the webs contracting. At some unknown point, the enormous silver web had already shrunk several times over, silently sealing off every avenue of retreat for Ye Xixuan and Zhang Lexuan.

At that very moment, a deep black radiance ignited within the Shadow Heaven Demon Spider’s eight small eyes. Its ten dazzling legs instantly shifted from silver to a black filled with icy menace, and the web in the sky changed to the same color.

Its legs moved with astonishing speed. The interwoven black webs suddenly contracted far more rapidly, and everything they passed through was torn into fragments.

Thick tree trunks and branches were sliced apart by the dense webs without the slightest resistance. Not even the sound of cutting could be heard. For an instant, the entire world seemed to sink into a deathly silence.

Zhang Lexuan swept Ye Xixuan into her arms and leapt into the air. The seventh black soul ring in her sequence blossomed with dense light. Immediately afterward, the full moon overhead began to grow.

Seventh Soul Skill: Silver Moon Avatar!

Now that she had locked onto her target, she had no intention of holding anything back from the outset. Before an absolute disparity in cultivation, even the most powerful innate abilities seemed no more than hollow illusions.

Ye Xixuan clearly saw Zhang Lexuan’s body turn completely silver-white. Blazing light descended from the heavens, illuminating every detail of the surrounding area. The full moon above her head expanded at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, its diameter had exceeded a hundred meters, as though a true silver moon had descended into the mortal world.

Its radiance covered a terrifying area spanning several thousand meters in every direction, transforming the world into a ghastly white expanse.

Not only were the branches and fragments of wood falling from above rendered silver-white; even the Shadow Heaven Demon Spider’s webs were dyed the same color. Everything silently dissolved beneath the light.

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At the edge of the Mingdou Great Forest, a circular clearing appeared in the midst of the wilderness, as though it were the reflection of the silver moon in the sky.

The Shadow Heaven Demon Spider fell stiffly to the ground. With the surrounding tree trunks and dense foliage no longer shielding it, it seemed to have nowhere left to flee.

“Hisss—!”

A shrill screech rang out. The Shadow Heaven Demon Spider first cast a terrified glance at the graceful figure beneath the silver moon. Then the ten black legs surrounding its carapace plunged sharply downward. The ground, blanketed in withered leaves and other plant debris, was instantly covered by a mass of black shadow, which began to expand as it twisted.

Beginning with its ten legs, the spider’s body rapidly sank. It was just about to merge completely into the mass of shadow.

Zhang Lexuan first used her left hand to hold Ye Xixuan firmly against her chest. Then she raised her right hand toward the silver moon behind her, and her first and third soul rings lit up in succession.

First, a beam of moonlight descended upon her, surrounding her entire body in radiance. Then another beam of moonlight illuminated the Shadow Heaven Demon Spider.

The shadow beneath the spider dissolved in an instant, and its descent faltered for a moment.

As the chosen successor of the Sea God Pavilion’s master several generations removed, Zhang Lexuan’s talent was beyond question. How could she possibly let such an opportunity pass?

The radiance of the seventh soul ring gradually dimmed. In its place, the fifth soul ring within the sequence began to shine. Before she could voluntarily dispel the secret technique and the Silver Moon Avatar, ten golden-yellow crescent moons descended from the sky in an instant.

Fifth Soul Skill: Moonfall!

Wherever the moonlight passed, the Shadow Heaven Demon Spider’s ten legs were severed at their roots. Under the illumination of the moonlight, its aura was suppressed until it became feeble and listless.

Zhang Lexuan and Ye Xixuan drifted down from the sky and landed steadily upon the ground.

Ye Xixuan did not hurry to examine the soul beast he had chosen for his second soul ring. Instead, he turned back in a daze, his gaze fixed upon Zhang Lexuan’s breathtakingly beautiful face, illuminated by the splendor of the moon.