Chapter Thirty-Four: Aiding the Serpent-Dragon

In the mountain’s heart, at the water’s edge— A silver, venomous spiderweb fell from the sky. At that instant, the serpent-jiao, whose strength had been waning, erupted with a terrifying aura worthy of a third-rank demon beast; it surged through the valley like a raging storm, its massive body—hundreds of yards in length—rising upright.

The whole valley quaked beneath that dreadful pressure. Even Luo Hao, perched in the ancient trees, felt his heart tremble at the fierce and savage presence. A third-rank demon beast was a match for a master of the Celestial Firmament—a force that could massacre ten dragon apes with ease!

The towering serpent-jiao’s black scales gleamed coldly. In the sacred sunlight, white mist rose and drifted, shrouding the beast so that it seemed a black dragon had descended upon the world. Seeing the spiderweb sweeping down, the serpent-jiao’s coppery eyes burst with murderous light. Its maw opened, spewing forth a ball of azure flame.

Sizzling erupted as the beastfire’s appearance sent the temperature soaring. The once-still air warped and twisted under its searing breath. Before the silver, venomous web could even touch the serpent-jiao, it was reduced to ashes. The beastfire burned through the air, leaving a blazing trail of azure that did not fade. The void itself was set alight.

Terrifying! Luo Hao’s whole body shuddered at the sight of the burning void. Was this the power that surpassed the Blood Condensation Stage? A force so overwhelming that even the fabric of space yielded before it—destructive and tyrannical.

With a thunderous crash, the azure flame—trailing a tail of fire—swept forward with unstoppable force. The blue-eyed demon spider, over ten yards long, was engulfed in a sea of azure fire. The explosion echoed through the mountains, a colossal mushroom cloud mushroomed upward. Luo Hao, fleeing the ancient tree at speed, was nonetheless blown away by the shockwave and light.

When the firelight faded, Luo Hao was stunned to find not a trace of the valley’s former appearance. The primeval forest had been reduced to ashes; the land was blackened and charred, and the blue-eyed demon spider was nowhere in sight.

“Close call! This serpent-jiao is truly cunning.” Luo Hao couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. The jiao had indeed held something back, feigning labor to lure out hidden demon beasts lying in wait. Luo Hao felt fortunate he hadn’t acted.

The serpent-jiao’s frigid gaze—colder than ice—swept the surroundings, ensuring the blue-eyed demon spider had been incinerated. Then, the bulge beneath its belly began to writhe again, and agonized roars issued from its throat. The terrifying aura of a third-rank demon beast receded like a tide. This time, it truly was about to give birth.

For half an hour, Luo Hao listened silently to the serpent-jiao’s pain-filled howls. Hidden in the shadows, his expression remained calm as he watched the still-smoldering ground.

“So much for the vaunted descendant of the Ancient Five Poisons. That spider must have turtle blood in its veins—it’s exceptionally resilient!” The azure flames had swept away all before them, yet Luo Hao had clearly seen the blue-eyed demon spider burrow deep into the earth as the firestorm raged.

The serpent-jiao’s anguished roars continued. Its once-massive body shrank as its strength drained, dwindling from hundreds of yards to a mere few dozen. Its aura was visibly weaker. It writhed and ground its body against the earth, low, guttural groans echoing without end.

Another half-hour passed. Suddenly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth trembled. Above the serpent-jiao’s head, the energy gathered into a massive whirling vortex—over a hundred yards across—dense and potent, so that a single breath left Luo Hao feeling invigorated.

A dull thud sounded. At some point, the serpent-jiao’s cries had ceased, and beneath its belly now lay a jade-white egg, its shell glimmering with tiny flecks of gold. In the next instant, the vortex of spiritual energy poured down from the heavens, madly surging into the jiao’s egg. Even at a distance, Luo Hao could feel the egg’s surging vitality and the deep, resonant heartbeat within.

Half an hour later, the vortex faded from the sky. The serpent-jiao’s remaining strength dissipated all at once—having just channeled all its power to infuse the egg with spiritual energy, it was now utterly exhausted, powerless to resist.

At that moment, the scorched earth erupted with a thunderous blast. A blue-eyed demon spider, dozens of yards in size, burst forth with a roar. Its eight legs flailed madly as it charged the serpent-jiao.

“It finally makes its move!” Green, fetid vapor billowed from the blue-eyed demon spider’s body. Its six green eyes flashed, and its blade-like claws drove straight for the serpent-jiao’s egg beneath its belly.

With a hiss, those claws tore the air, reaching the serpent-jiao in an instant. Under normal circumstances, a third-rank serpent-jiao would never have allowed the spider to approach, but now, weakened by childbirth, it could only endure.

With a whistle, the serpent-jiao fought through its weakness. Its long, black-scaled tail coiled protectively around the egg, shoving it behind. Then, its iron-hard claws, strong enough to shatter mountains, crashed against the blue-eyed demon spider with brutal force.

The jiao roared, blocking the spider’s onslaught. Luo Hao, watching from the branches, was chilled—it had only the strength of a first-rank demon beast now, yet managed to withstand the ferocious attack of a second-rank blue-eyed demon spider.

The spider’s six green eyes blazed with killing intent. Another claw swept horizontally at the serpent-jiao’s head. The difference between first and second rank was like that between Spirit Condensation and Blood Condensation in humans. Black scales shattered from the jiao’s skull, blood welling forth. The massive body retreated step by step, its claws’ black scales also fracturing.

The blue-eyed demon spider let out a raspy, windmill-like screech. Silver webbing shot forth, filling the sky, draping over the serpent-jiao. Where the venomous silk touched its wounds, it sizzled.

The poison bit deep, making the jiao thrash and howl in agony, rolling across the ground as the spider lashed its huge body aside with a single blow.

With a crash, the serpent-jiao’s body was flung away like a broken sack, smashing into the pond and sending waves dozens of yards high. Bound in webs, bleeding, it looked on hopelessly as the blue-eyed demon spider drew closer to its precious egg.

A mournful wail escaped the serpent-jiao’s throat. Hidden in the shadows, Luo Hao felt a pang of sympathy as he saw the desperate gleam in the jiao’s eyes.

In that moment, a golden demon core shot from the serpent-jiao’s body like a second sun. Wherever it passed, azure fire blazed, raging like a thousand beasts as it surged at the blue-eyed demon spider.

“Burning its core—the serpent-jiao is sacrificing itself.” Luo Hao understood the jiao’s madness; it was a mother’s love. Even a cold-blooded serpent-jiao would give up all its cultivation for the faintest hope of its child’s survival. The blue-eyed demon spider, however, refused to abandon its prize.

Its eyes flared with fury. Its body swelled like an inflated bladder, spewing green, toxic vapor in all directions, blotting out the sky with a poisonous domain to counter the burning demon core.

The azure flames burned with a relentless roar, clashing with the poisonous mists. The serpent-jiao’s aura weakened with every moment, and finally, the azure core was forced back into its body by a torrent of green venom. As the demon core was wounded, the jiao’s black-scaled body split open—demon cores were the second life of such beasts, and now, with its core wounded, the serpent-jiao was all but finished.

The blue-eyed demon spider’s claws, sharp as blades, ripped through the void. The sky was shrouded in poisonous mist. The serpent-jiao, seeing its egg about to fall into the spider’s grasp, let bloody tears stream from its eyes.

“To hell with it—open for me!” With a long, resounding cry, a golden light shot toward the heart of the poisonous mist. The ancient, echoing dragon’s roar became the only sound in heaven and earth.

Golden dragon force soared like a living dragon. Luo Hao, as if transformed into a primordial god or demon, raised his hand and, with a sweep of golden fist shadows, scattered the toxic mist.

Surrounded by a wash of gold, the serpent-jiao—once despairing—looked on in awe. In its fierce eyes, a glimmer of reverence flickered for that golden radiance.