Chapter 696: The Lustflower Scepter Breaks the Heaven Seal

That settled it.

The Super Divine Beast Yin-Yang Giant Panda’s incredible performance left Marcus’s heart pounding with excitement. Fortunately, he’d had his recording feature running nearby the entire time, capturing every terrifying moment of the panda’s devastating ultimate attacks. He could hardly wait to watch the footage again with his girls once he returned. The sheer power on display had been fucking awesome!

As the four Millennial Spider Demonesses collapsed and their drops scattered across the ground, another system notification rang in his ears.

Ding!

[Congratulations player Stonehaven. Your level has increased. Current level: 58. HP increased by 10, MP increased by 10. You have 5 attribute points to allocate.]

The experience gained from killing four Level 68 Golden Boss Millennial Spider Demonesses had pushed Marcus straight to Level 58, bringing him 28% of the way toward the next level. Boss monsters really were the best. The rewards were incredible, and the experience they provided made all the effort worthwhile.

Still riding the excitement of his victory, Marcus immediately began collecting the spoils. The Ice-Fire Howling Wolf pet egg beside him was his first priority, but as soon as he picked it up, he noticed that the Venomous Sky Spider Silk had also become ownerless now that the four Millennial Spider Demonesses were dead. He quickly scooped it up as well, adding another valuable treasure to his inventory before checking its description.

—

Venomous Sky Spider Silk: A treasure refined by the Spider Demoness, handmaiden of the Lustful Demon Lord, one of the ten great Demon Lords of the Ancient Divine Era. Created using ten thousand years’ worth of sky-spider silk and venomous energy. Red Artifact. Effect: Unknown. Cannot be used.

—

A Red Artifact! No wonder the thing had been so deadly.

Unfortunately, Marcus didn’t have the luxury of admiring his new acquisition for long. Nearby, Lady Silvia had reached the most critical moment of her struggle with the Spider Demoness’s soul. The red light radiating from the Lustflower Scepter was growing increasingly intense, while the light surrounding Lady Silvia inside the white barrier was fading by the second. If Marcus wanted to save her, he couldn’t afford to waste another moment.

There was no time to inspect the Ice-Fire Howling Wolf pet egg properly, much less hatch it. Marcus urged Blackie forward, the mount’s hooves pounding against the ground as he quickly gathered the equipment and items dropped by the four Millennial Spider Demonesses. Once he’d collected everything within reach, he immediately charged toward the Spider Demoness’s soul and Lady Silvia, using Insight on the soul fragment to examine its exact attributes and abilities.

—

Spider Demoness’s Soul: One of the four handmaidens of the Lustful Demon Lord, one of the ten great Demon Lords of the Ancient Divine Era. A demoness refined from a ten-thousand-year Sky Maiden Spider. Lustful, venomous, and vicious. Her physical body was destroyed in the great war ten thousand years ago, leaving behind only a fragment of her soul.

After cultivating for over ten thousand years within the Shrine of the Spider Demoness, the soul fragment had gradually regained some of its strength. Once it had grown sufficiently powerful, it began searching for a suitable female body to possess so that it could revive itself.

A year ago, the Spider Demoness’s soul had successfully captured Lady Silvia, who possessed the Hundred-Beast Bloodline. Her intention was to devour Silvia’s soul and complete the process of Corpse Possession, taking over her body and using it as her own. However, Lady Silvia had been protected by the divine artifact Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring, which prevented the Spider Demoness from accomplishing her goal. The demoness had attempted to destroy the ring with the divine artifact Lustflower Scepter, but the two sides had become locked in a stalemate, leaving both unable to move.

Although the Spider Demoness’s soul fragment had originally been extremely weak, more than ten thousand years of cultivation had allowed it to recover a portion of its former power. Unfortunately for her, she’d focused almost exclusively on preparing for Corpse Possession, leaving her with very limited combat abilities.

HP: 1,000,000.

—

Her only two skills were Corpse Possession and Soul Venom, both designed to devour a woman’s soul and allow the Spider Demoness to revive herself through her victim’s body. Nevertheless, she could also use incantations and control techniques to manipulate two weapons: her personal treasure, the Venomous Sky Spider Silk, and the divine artifact left behind by the Lustful Demon Lord, the Lustflower Scepter. Apart from those abilities, she possessed no other attack methods or combat skills.

After reviewing the information, Marcus quickly pieced together the situation.

The Venomous Sky Spider Silk was already in his possession, which meant the Spider Demoness could no longer use it. Meanwhile, the Lustflower Scepter remained entangled in its struggle against Lady Silvia’s Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring, leaving the demoness’s soul effectively immobilized. Her two most important weapons were either beyond her reach or occupied, and her limited combat abilities left her with few options.

An immobilized boss with only one million HP and no way to fight back properly?

Marcus wasn’t about to waste an opportunity like that.

At his command, the two Yin-Yang Giant Pandas beat their Yin-Yang Divine Drums, unleashing their skill, Drumbeat Shakes Yin and Yang. Bang! Bang! The powerful drumbeats struck the Spider Demoness’s soul, which hovered three meters above the ground, inflicting 50,000 damage with each hit.

Goldie, Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, Vixen Queen Camillo, and the five Royal Sorcerers immediately followed up with their own powerful magical attacks. At the same time, Marcus and Pebble urged Blackie forward, activating Nightmare Charge to close the distance between them and their target as quickly as possible.

Sssss!

The Spider Demoness’s soul began to writhe in agitation. She had witnessed everything that had happened moments earlier, from Marcus effortlessly claiming the Divine Beast Ice-Fire Howling Wolf to the two Yin-Yang Giant Pandas slaughtering four Millennial Spider Demonesses with their terrifying attacks. Her frustration had already reached its limit, but now, for the first time, genuine fear began to creep into her heart.

Was she really going to be killed by some insignificant Knight simply because she couldn’t move?

’Damn it!’

She had no intention of accepting such a ridiculous fate. With no other choice, the Spider Demoness’s soul decided to go all out, even if it meant exhausting every last bit of power she’d accumulated over the past ten thousand years.

Her feminine face twisted into a vicious expression. Opening her mouth, she spewed out wave after wave of black venomous energy, activating her other skill, Soul Venom.

Whoosh!

The Spider Demoness’s soul ignored the magical attacks raining down on her from Marcus’s pets and poured every remaining drop of her cultivated Soul Venom into the skill. Black light instantly enveloped her body, and her power surged as the venomous energy spread around her. The damage inflicted by Marcus’s pets was immediately reduced by nearly two-thirds, significantly slowing their assault.

Within less than two seconds, the Soul Venom reached its peak.

"Lustflower Chain Strike!"

The Spider Demoness’s soul suddenly cried out, forcing the Lustflower Scepter to activate one of its ultimate skills. Under normal circumstances, her current strength wouldn’t have been sufficient to unleash such a powerful attack. However, with her very survival at stake, she was willing to pay any price. She burned through the Soul Venom she’d painstakingly cultivated over more than ten thousand years, forcibly drawing out enough power to activate the divine artifact’s ultimate skill.

In an instant, the black Lustflower Scepter began expanding at an astonishing rate, its length increasing seemingly without limit. It shot toward the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring with terrifying force, smashing directly at the divine artifact in an attempt to destroy it in a single blow.

Shit!

Was Lady Silvia about to be killed in one hit?

Marcus’s heart nearly stopped. Nightmare Charge was carrying him forward at full speed, but he was still fifteen meters away from the Spider Demoness’s soul. Even with the 10% attribute reduction inflicted by Nameless Fear, there was no way he could reach her in time.

Worse still, even if he managed to attack the Spider Demoness before the strike landed, he couldn’t be certain that doing so would interrupt her ultimate. Unless he could kill her in a single blow, which was practically impossible given her remaining HP, the Lustflower Chain Strike would continue toward Lady Silvia.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

Marcus’s mind raced as he desperately searched for a solution, but before he could act, Lady Silvia finally made her move.

He’d underestimated her.

Despite being trapped in the deadlock for so long, Lady Silvia hadn’t been sitting helplessly without a plan. The moment she realized the Spider Demoness was burning through her accumulated power to unleash a desperate attack, she immediately drew upon the Hundred-Beast Bloodline within her body and activated an ultimate ability she’d been saving for precisely such a critical moment.

"Hundred-Beast Bloodline!"

A burst of blood-red light erupted from Lady Silvia’s body, illuminating the area around her. At the same time, a strange, ancient red pattern appeared on her flawless forehead. As the Hundred-Beast Bloodline awakened, the white light she’d been emitting underwent a complete transformation, turning into a brilliant crimson radiance that pulsed with an overwhelming, ancient power.

"Heaven Seal Hundred-Beast Roar!"

Amid the blazing red light and the ancient pattern on her forehead, Lady Silvia activated the ultimate skill of her divine artifact, the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring. Responding to the power of her awakened bloodline, the ring, which had been projecting the white protective barrier above her head, suddenly released countless crimson beast heads.

ROAR!

The countless beast heads roared together, their combined cries merging into a massive, thunderous wave of sound that erupted outward. The crimson onslaught surged toward the infinitely expanding Lustflower Scepter, meeting its descending attack head-on.

Wave after wave of red beast heads crashed against the swelling scepter, each collision weakening the force behind the Lustflower Chain Strike. The red light radiating from the scepter, the white glow of the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring, and the countless crimson beast heads caught between them combined to create a dazzling spectacle before Marcus’s eyes.

Bang! Bang!

The collisions continued, each impact unleashing an increasingly brilliant burst of light. However, Marcus soon realized that Lady Silvia’s counterattack was gradually losing ground. The crimson beast heads simply couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force of the Lustflower Scepter. One after another, they were crushed beneath its relentless advance, their resistance weakening with every successive strike.

The white barrier surrounding Lady Silvia began to develop fine cracks. A moment later, those cracks spread rapidly across its surface, and pieces of the protective barrier started breaking away.

If Lady Silvia hadn’t been sitting on the ground, the force of each impact would have sent her stumbling backward several steps. Unfortunately, she had no room to retreat while maintaining the deadlock, and the repeated impacts continued to batter her from the front. Much of the tremendous force unleashed by the Lustflower Chain Strike was consequently transmitted through the failing barrier and into her body, leaving her already exhausted and struggling to endure the pain.

"Shit!"

"Fuck this!"

Marcus roared in frustration. He couldn’t stand by and watch Lady Silvia take any more punishment. With Nightmare Charge and Temple Cavalry boosting his momentum, he surged through the air toward the Spider Demoness’s soul, raising his divine artifact, the Adamant Shield, before bringing it down with all his might.

"Holy Shield Charge!"

Golden light exploded from the Adamant Shield as Marcus slammed into the Spider Demoness’s soul.

Bang! Bang!

Two critical hits landed in rapid succession. Marcus and Pebble’s Holy Shield Charge effects stacked together, unleashing enough force to knock the Spider Demoness’s soul backward through the air.

Yes!

The moment he saw the demoness sent flying, Marcus finally felt a measure of relief. At least he’d managed to interrupt her and buy Lady Silvia some breathing room. But that relief lasted only an instant before he noticed something horribly wrong.

The Spider Demoness’s soul was flying backward, but the Lustflower Scepter wasn’t moving with her.

Oh, no.

Marcus’s heart sank as he looked down toward Lady Silvia. The Spider Demoness had been barely maintaining control over the Lustflower Scepter while forcing it to execute its ultimate skill. When Marcus struck her, she’d lost control of the divine artifact, but the attack she’d already unleashed hadn’t stopped.

The Spider Demoness’s soul had been knocked away, yet the Lustflower Scepter continued its relentless descent toward Lady Silvia, still smashing through the crimson beast heads summoned by the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring. With each successive impact, the remaining white barrier shattered a little further, leaving Lady Silvia increasingly exposed.

Damn it!

Even on the verge of defeat, that vicious woman was still determined to drag Lady Silvia down with her. Marcus wanted nothing more than to rush over and stab the Spider Demoness’s soul a thousand times, but there was no time to deal with the enemy he’d just knocked away. His attention had to remain on Lady Silvia, whose life was still in immediate danger.

The crimson beast heads and the white protective barrier of the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring had finally reached their limit. Unable to withstand the relentless power of the Lustflower Chain Strike any longer, the barrier gave way with a sharp, crystalline explosion.

The protective barrier that had shielded Lady Silvia for over a year shattered completely.

The impact sent a fresh wave of pain through her body. Still seated on the ground, she gasped, her upper body pitching forward as she struggled to keep herself from collapsing face-first onto the floor. Her strength was already nearly exhausted, and the destruction of her barrier left her even more vulnerable to the attack that continued to bear down on her.

But the Lustflower Chain Strike still hadn’t exhausted its power.

By now, the expanding Lustflower Scepter had grown to the thickness of a water barrel, and its massive form continued straight toward the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring hovering above Lady Silvia’s head.

Marcus stared in disbelief.

Bang!

The residual force of the Lustflower Chain Strike swept through the remaining crimson beast heads, completely obliterating them before crashing into Lady Silvia’s divine artifact. The impact was so devastating that the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring couldn’t withstand it. A sharp crack rang through the air, and the divine artifact snapped cleanly in two.

At the same time, the Hundred-Beast Bloodline that had erupted from Lady Silvia’s body was forcibly dispersed. The crimson light surrounding her vanished almost instantly, and the ancient red pattern on her forehead gradually faded until nothing remained.

What a terrifying divine artifact!

Marcus could hardly believe what he’d just witnessed. The Lustflower Scepter was truly a treasure from the Ancient Divine Era, and its power was far beyond what he’d expected. Even an ultimate skill unleashed by another divine artifact, strengthened by the Hundred-Beast Bloodline, had ultimately failed to stop its attack.

As the shattered fragments of the Hundred-Beast Heaven Seal Ring fell away, the destructive shockwave swept through Lady Silvia’s body. Her flawless face contorted in agony, and a thin trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth. She swayed weakly where she sat, her consciousness slipping away as she struggled to remain awake.