"Of course, everyone should know their place. It would be wise for the guard not to overstep his bounds either."
Ling Bai's expression remained unchanged, but his words carried a hidden meaning that slightly irritated She Chong. He stared intently at Ling Bai's face and scoffed disdainfully:
"Hiding your head while showing your tail."
With that, he took the meal respectfully presented by the innkeeper and headed upstairs.
She Chong was an 8-ringed Spirit Douluo. As such, he naturally noticed that Ling Bai was wearing an Ice Silkworm Mask. However, he could only perceive that Ling Bai's appearance was somewhat strange. It was akin to seeing someone who had undergone cosmetic surgery in modern times: one could tell their face had been altered, but couldn't tell exactly what they originally looked like.
'What a pity...'
Ling Bai shook his head. Whether from a personal standpoint or for the benefit of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, fostering a good relationship with Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire was clearly more advantageous than detrimental. This would have been an excellent opportunity if not for She Chong's strict vigilance.
'Oh well, there will be plenty of chances in the future. Let's focus on completing the examination assignment first.'
...
Early the next morning, treading on the dawn's glow and facing the cold frost, Ling Bai officially stepped into the territory of the Luminous Mystic Forest. The fresh air mixed with the fragrance of plants was invigoratingly refreshing. He paused at the chaotic boundary line between light and darkness.
The most challenging part of the red-grade assignment was not Medusa's formidable strength, nor capturing her alive which was several times harder than killing her, but rather locating that 10,000-year Medusa within the vast expanse of the Luminous Mystic Forest.
This was also one of the reasons why Ling Bai decided to forgo the Seraphim and opt for the Death Abyss Spider Emperor instead.
"Demon Spider Summon."
As Ling Bai's spirit power surged, pairs of scarlet beastly eyes lit up the darkness. Numerous small demon spiders bared their fangs and gathered densely around him, awaiting his command.
"Go find Medusa and any petrified spirit beasts."
"Screech! Screech!"
The demon spiders accepted the order and dispersed in all directions. Ling Bai advanced along the chaotic boundary line. The scenery of the Luminous Mystic Forest was truly unique. Compared to the Star Dou Forest, it presented an entirely different landscape. One side was warm like a fairyland, while the other was dark and eerie like a demon's lair. Light and darkness opposed each other, neither side yielding.
He had read ancient texts describing the Luminous Mystic Forest. It was said that this place was originally a normal spirit beast forest until two Great Beasts surpassing the 100,000-year level were born. These two Great Beasts, one of light and one of darkness, regarded each other as mortal enemies. Due to the influence of their power, the spirit beast forest gradually transformed into the current Luminous Mystic Forest.
The Snake Queen Medusa naturally preferred darkness, so she was unlikely to reside in the Eternal Day region. Therefore, Ling Bai focused his search on the chaotic boundary line and the Eternal Night region. As a precaution, he left 10% of the demon spiders to explore the Eternal Day region.
The demon spiders in all directions continuously fed back information into his mind. The Spider Emperor Sense, one of the Three Ultimate Talents of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor, activated in synchronization. With each step he took, ripples like spider webs rapidly spread out, capturing every subtle change in the Luminous Mystic Forest.
By using the Spider Emperor Sense to anticipate danger, Ling Bai actively avoided most troublesome spirit beasts. Only when avoidance was impossible did he take action to resolve the situation. He maintained his spirit power at peak condition at all times and cautiously traversed a large portion of the Luminous Mystic Forest at a steady, even pace for most of the day.
"Sigh, Medusa..."
The Luminous Mystic Forest had no distinction between day and night. Ordinary people who stayed too long would gradually lose their sense of time. After an entire day with no results, Ling Bai couldn't help but feel a hint of anxiety rising in his heart. However, he knew that the more anxious one became, the more one should remain calm.
He stopped under a towering ancient tree and took out a meat bun made by Uncle Mo from the Shrek Inner Courtyard cafeteria. As he warmed it in his palm, the bun once again emitted a rich, enticing aroma.
Ling Bai had just taken a couple of bites when he suddenly kicked off the tree trunk and propelled himself into the air. In the next instant, sharp black spikes shot up from the ground. His figure flipped and dodged several times, but the black spikes clung to him like maggots on a bone, refusing to relent until he was dead!
An exceptionally large spider pounced toward him. Its body was much larger than an ordinary round table, over three meters in diameter. Its dark carapace was densely covered in gray patterns, and its massive, bulging abdomen stored an enormous amount of silk ready to be spat out.
This was the cunning assassin known as the Pit Demon Spider!
The Pit Demon Spider and the Man Faced Demon Spider were considered the cream of the crop among spider-type spirit beasts. However, the Pit Demon Spider's body was far less robust and tyrannical than the Man Faced Demon Spider's, and it also lacked the lethal neurotoxin that could seal throats upon contact with blood. Instead, it excelled in setting traps, sneak attacks, and ambushes!
Ling Bai couldn't help but chuckle wryly as he watched the Pit Demon Spider grow larger and larger in his field of vision. What kind of a world is this! Either the Death Spider Emperor or the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor alone could utterly crush this Pit Demon Spider. Yet, here was this 5,000-year Pit Demon Spider daring to ambush the Death Abyss Spider Emperor, the fusion of both Spider Emperors!
He simply landed directly on the ground, quietly waiting for the Pit Demon Spider to show off its tricks.
The Pit Demon Spider wouldn't miss this opportunity. The ground flashed with a dark light as countless spider silks surged out from underground, instantly enveloping Ling Bai's body. It formed a closed cage woven from spider webs, trapping him tightly inside.
This time, the spider silk released by the Pit Demon Spider was even thicker and more tenacious compared to the black spikes it had previously unleashed. The spider web was infused with a special mucus secreted from the Pit Demon Spider's body, solidifying upon contact with air. In an instant, the spider web became as hard as steel tempered a thousand times, truly forming an unbreakable prison!
Innate Spirit Skill: Spiderweb Prison!
The Pit Demon Spider would leave miniaturized spider webs around its body and could activate them at any time to form a prison. The Spiderweb Prison had no warning signs when triggered. Even the strongest Spirit Masters had a chance of falling victim to it if caught off guard!
With the Spiderweb Prison successfully ensnaring its prey, the eight azure eyes beneath the Pit Demon Spider's abdomen gleamed with a human-like bloodthirsty light. Its eight long legs contracted and extended a few times as it crawled menacingly toward Ling Bai. Suddenly, the Pit Demon Spider witnessed the most terrifying scene in its five thousand years of existence!
A majestic, sinister, and eerie demon spider illusory figure rose behind the human Spirit Master who had seemed as harmless as a little lamb. Its eight scarlet eyes seemed to contain mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Just a tiny bit of aura emanating from it made the Pit Demon Spider's body go limp. It felt an instinctive urge to bow its head in submission!
"Screech... Screech..."
The Pit Demon Spider collapsed like a puddle of mud, its spirit power and energy completely drained by the oppressive aura of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor. If it were human at this moment, it would probably be rolling its eyes and foaming at the mouth.
The Death Abyss Spider Emperor's terrifying poison surpassed even that of the Death Spider Emperor. Ling Bai lightly touched the prison, and the spider web that the Pit Demon Spider had prided itself on instantly dissolved into a puddle of foul-smelling poisonous liquid.
A surge of spirit power entered the Pit Demon Spider's body. After struggling and writhing for a few seconds, the demon spider became motionless. A spirit ring emitting a faint purple light floated around it. The eyes of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's illusory figure lit up. Flesh, soul, spirit rings—all were food to it. It seemed to desperately want to break free from Ling Bai's restraint and feast to its heart's content.
But times had changed. With Electrolux's soul presiding and after absorbing the power of the Golden Ancient Tree for three months, Ling Bai could now easily control the Death Abyss Spider Emperor. Despite its reluctance, he forcefully retracted it.
"Summoned when called, dismissed when not needed; now that's how a good Martial Spirit should be." Ling Bai smiled with satisfaction. Then his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Oh? Petrified spirit beasts!"
About eight thousand meters away in a straight line, a demon spider had discovered a large number of petrified spirit beast remains. It was very likely to be Medusa's lair!
At the same time, the demon spiders in the Eternal Day region made a discovery.
They had actually encountered Xu Jiujiu and She Chong. The two were hunting down a 10,000-year light-attribute spirit beast. Judging by the escape route of the spirit beast, they happened to be heading toward the location of the petrified spirit beasts!