Chapter 197 - 149: Mysterious Cave

Chapter 197: Chapter 149: Mysterious Cave

The two frequently fought together and had developed a solid rapport. Zhao Zuo used his Black Flame Saber to handle the fist-sized spiders, while his Sky-Breaking Saber picked off any stragglers that managed to escape Shen Yunjiao.

Despite their heavy losses, the spider swarm showed no signs of retreating. This confirmed Shen Yunjiao’s suspicion: a more powerful Demon Beast was controlling the ambush from behind the scenes.

Its goal was likely their flesh and blood, which was why it was trying to wear them down at any cost.

During the battle, Shen Yunjiao would also use the Taotie Secret Technique to absorb Spiritual Power and recover her stamina. Seeing this, Zhao Zuo had no choice but to take out a Spirit Revitalizing Pill and swallow it to quickly replenish his Mana. His physical exhaustion, however, wasn’t a major issue.

The surrounding dozens of meters of forest had become a veritable meat grinder. Some of the silver-gray spiders had tougher carapaces and limbs, but they were no match for Shen Yunjiao’s blade and were dispatched with ease.

It was a slaughter...

After about ten minutes, the number of spiders had thinned out, and the survivors began to retreat. The smaller ones scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives, while the larger, basin-sized spiders withdrew swiftly to the south.

"It’s trying to lure us into its territory for a final showdown," Shen Yunjiao said. She was inclined to charge straight in, but she wanted to hear Zhao Zuo’s opinion first.

"Let’s not. I’d rather avoid any surprises." Zhao Zuo shook his head. It was safe to assume the Demon Beast behind this was an even more powerful spider, one that almost certainly had poisonous abilities. If either of them were injured, it would jeopardize their plans.

"Alright." Shen Yunjiao used two Cleaning Talismans to clear the bloodstains from her body.

"We just need to slow our pace. It will most likely try to ambush us tonight."

Having dealt with the Demon Beasts of the Yunlan Mountain Range for years, Shen Jiao was intimately familiar with their nature. Most Demon Beasts would never give up on their chosen prey; it was a kind of primal obsession.

No matter how difficult, they would absolutely strike.

"Let’s take it slow today, then." Zhao Zuo no longer objected. He knew Shen Yunjiao had added the Demon Beast to her absorption list. Besides, he’d nearly lost an arm to the spider silk during the attack. ’As long as we can guarantee our safety... this score needs to be settled.’

The pair continued to follow the map, albeit at a much slower pace. Along the way, Zhao Zuo could clearly feel prying eyes on them from all sides.

Apparently, the creatures couldn’t perfectly conceal their presence and malice while on the move.

Just as Shen Yunjiao had said, the Demon Beast pulling the strings hadn’t given up on hunting them.

After walking for over an hour, they stopped to rest. Shen Yunjiao took out some dry rations, while Zhao Zuo consumed the remaining slices of the Thunder Bull’s heart. After sending his Fire Spirit Snake out to stand guard, he found a flat patch of ground and began practicing the Golden Body Technique.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power in the wild, unrefined by a Purification Array, was chaotic and volatile. Absorbing too much of it could easily damage one’s Meridians, which was why most Cultivators avoided meditating and cultivating out in the open.

Night gradually fell, and the surroundings grew dim.

Zhao Zuo emerged from his Cultivation. He felt his physical strength increase by another ten-odd pounds. After stretching his limbs, he leaned against a tree root and closed his eyes to rest.

The night breeze was gentle, but the atmosphere was fraught with tension. Zhao Zuo could sense the spying Demon Beast nearby. It was watching them intently, waiting for the one pulling the strings.

"My guess is it’s a Burrow Spider Mother," Shen Yunjiao whispered.

The Burrow Spider Mother is a very special type of Demon Beast, born from mutation.

They originate from Burrow Spiders, a type of Demon Beast that lives in subterranean caves and dislikes sunlight. Occasionally, one or two of these spiders will mutate into a special individual: a Burrow Spider Mother.

They possess intelligence on par with humans and reproduce once every eight years upon reaching maturity. During reproduction, they can absorb the traits of the male spider to produce offspring with completely different attributes.

For example: venom, durability, speed, attack power, and so on.

At the same time, the Burrow Spider Mother itself permanently inherits the abilities of its mate.

Its power is also related to the number of times it has reproduced. After three reproductions, it reaches the Intermediate First Tier. After six, it becomes a High Level First Tier. If it manages to reproduce ten times in its lifetime, it can advance to become a Second Tier Demon Beast.

However, very few Burrow Spider Mothers ever get the chance to advance to the Second Tier. This is because each act of reproduction requires them to hunt and kill their own mate. Those male spiders, naturally, are not keen on being devoured, so they do their best to stay far away from any Burrow Spider Mother’s territory.

Therefore, for every reproduction, a mother must battle and overpower multiple males of a similar level. Sometimes, other spiders will even band together to eliminate a mother prematurely, denying her the chance to grow stronger.

You could say that the Burrow Spider Mother is the public enemy of all male spiders.

Time ticked by, but Zhao Zuo and Shen Yunjiao weren’t overly concerned. Even if they couldn’t defeat the Demon Beast, they were confident they could make a clean getaway.

While waiting for the battle to begin, Zhao Zuo drank some cool water and began to center himself. He also took the opportunity to feed his Fire Spirit Snake.

The sated Fire Spirit Snake was clearly getting drowsy. It curled into a ball, quietly waiting for Zhao Zuo to recall it to its Spirit Beast pouch.

This time, however, Zhao Zuo didn’t recall him. As a Demon Beast, he needed to get used to combat. ’Tonight’s big battle will be the perfect opportunity for Xiaohei to get some practice.’

Zhao Zuo stroked the scales on Xiaohei’s neck, and the little snake wagged his tail contentedly.

"I’m going to have you get used to fighting tonight," Zhao Zuo said. "But your top priority is to stay alive." He had, after all, painstakingly raised this pet. He was fond of the creature and didn’t want to see him die in battle.

Xiaohei seemed to ponder for a moment before understanding Zhao Zuo’s command. He nodded his head... He felt little fear about the coming fight; Demon Beasts were a race born for combat.

Zhao Zuo was very pleased with his reaction and gave the snake’s warm scales a few more firm strokes.

Xiaohei straightened up slightly in contentment, puffing two thin streams of flame from his nostrils.

Half an hour later, their enemy finally made a move. It was more patient than they had expected. A rustling sound arose from all around them—the sound of limbs brushing against wild grass.

Clearly, it understood this would be a direct confrontation and launched its assault openly.

Fist-sized spiders swarmed out from all directions. To the Burrow Spider Mother, these offspring were merely cannon fodder for the hunt, and she wouldn’t feel the slightest pang no matter how many of them died.

"I’ll take it head-on," Shen Yunjiao said. She knew Zhao Zuo had only agreed to hunt the Burrow Spider Mother because of her insistence, so she volunteered for the more dangerous frontline role.

"No problem," Zhao Zuo replied.

He then plunged his Black Flame Saber into the ground. Black flames ignited the wild grass, and a burning ring of fire spread outward, incinerating the advancing smaller spiders.

Perhaps the Burrow Spider Mother behind the scenes never expected these smaller spiders to harm them at all, but was merely using them as pawns to drain their stamina and Mana.

Xiaohei straightened his body, his head rising to about five feet off the ground. His long tail whipped the earth in excitement, clearly anticipating his first real battle.

"Stay safe," Zhao Zuo said, patting Xiaohei with his free left hand. As if on command, the snake opened his maw and a pillar of orange-red fire erupted forth. As he moved, he became a living flamethrower, setting the surrounding spider swarm alight.

The Fire Spirit Snake was clearly exhilarated. Its scales flared open and closed slightly, the gaps between them seeming to burn with fire. The flames he spewed grew even more ferocious and explosive.

The firelight lit up the night sky, throwing the duo’s figures into sharp relief.

Shen Yunjiao gripped her longsword, her form blurring into a blood-red shadow as she charged into the spider swarm. She could already sense the aura of the Burrow Spider Mother. The hunt was on.

...