Word Count: 2,838 Words
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"What? Us?"
Xu Jiujiu's face bore an expression of utter shock as if asking what kind of anticlimactic joke this was. The dignified demeanor she had cultivated over the years crumbled as she cried out shrilly:
"The Dark Emperor Demon Vine has a full 50,000 years of cultivation! Even ordinary 100,000-year spirit beasts can't kill that freak with the Death God's bloodline! Moreover, Medusa's petrification spirit skill is not to be underestimated. Even Uncle She Chong was helpless after being struck by it! If we go, we're clearly marching to our deaths!"
"No, no, no. On the contrary, this is a perfect opportunity for revenge!" Ling Bai wagged his finger and patiently persuaded her. "While the Dark Emperor Demon Vine and Medusa are strong, their strength lies in their death attribute and innate spirit skills. Their defensive capabilities are exceptionally weak compared to top-level spirit beasts of the same cultivation. Guard She's self-detonation as a Spirit Douluo must have inflicted severe injuries on her that are difficult to heal in a short time!
You don't need to worry about the Dark Emperor Demon Vine and the snake swarm. Leave them entirely to me. As for the Snake Queen Medusa... Miss Xu Jiu'er, I think you can at least hold off her greatly weakened self for a while, can't you?"
"I..."
Xu Jiujiu suddenly fell into deep contemplation, snapping out of her terrified state. Her clever mind once again reclaimed the high ground.
If what Ling Bai said was true, merely holding off a severely injured Medusa was indeed within her capabilities!
"You'll agree, won't you? After all, don't you want to avenge Guard She?"
Ling Bai added fuel to the fire. A flame called vengeance ignited in Xu Jiujiu's eyes at the mention of She Chong. She resolutely said:
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
In fact, she had no other choice. Without Ling Bai, she couldn't escape the encirclement of the snake swarm!
"Ning Bai, I'm entrusting... my life to you."
She gazed deeply at Ling Bai. Venturing into the spirit beast forest with an Evil Spirit Master to challenge opponents she previously thought unbeatable was the bravest thing she had done in her seventeen years of life.
She Chong's self-detonation had already greatly weakened the strength of the two powerful spirit beasts. Ling Bai felt even more confident after successfully convincing Xu Jiujiu to share the burden. In a playful mood, he added, "Correction—our lives are now in each other's hands."
"Mm... I only hope you won't let me down."
…
Eternal Night Region, Snake Swarm's Lair.
It was as if flowers blossomed both in the sky and on the ground, emitting a faint pink luminescence. The perpetually dark land of the Eternal Night region rarely witnessed such a source of light.
The sea of flowers swayed in the wind, their glow reflecting in Ling Bai and Xu Jiujiu's eyes. The blossoms seemed to come alive, their undulating movements resembling seductive women twisting their alluring waists. The dancing branches and leaves occasionally brushed against their faces, like countless soft, delicate hands gently caressing their cheeks.
Gazing upon this scene that resembled a paradise on earth, a sudden chill rose in Xu Jiujiu's heart. For she saw the writhing snake tails protruding from the centers of the closed flowers. Her stomach churned, and she nearly vomited on the spot!
Paradise?
This place was nothing short of... purgatory!
"Blood sacrifice..."
Ling Bai's expression was impassive as he quietly observed the sea of flowers before him, which now resembled a horde of frenzied demons dancing wildly. Due to its severe injuries, the Dark Emperor Demon Vine had initiated its millennial blood sacrifice ahead of schedule. However, he hadn't expected it to be so brutal as to devour the snake swarm under Medusa's command!
"No wonder the Dark Emperor Demon Vine is hunted by all the spirit beasts on the Douluo Continent. It deserves it!" Xu Jiujiu tightly pursed her red lips and exhaled softly. "Ning Bai, it's not too late to reconsider."
"Reconsider?"
Ling Bai tilted his head slightly. Unlike the brilliance of his golden pupils, the color of his eyes beneath the Silkworm Mask was rather pale, especially in the perpetually dark Eternal Night region. When he stared at someone in the darkness, there was an inorganic indifference in his gaze.
"I never regret the things I set out to do."
Eight hideous purple-black spider legs burst from his back the moment his words fell. The air instantly filled with a suffocating aura of death. At the same time, a massive scythe appeared in Ling Bai's left hand. The blade shaped like a crescent moon, its arc desolate and chilling. Xu Jiujiu caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye and was forced to tightly close her eyes due to the blade's astonishing sharpness.
Death Abyss Demon Scythe!
The Death Abyss Demon Scythe was not a transformation produced by the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's Martial Spirit Manifestation. Instead, it existed as an independent weapon alongside the Angel Sword, each residing in Ling Bai's left and right arms respectively. At this moment, Ling Bai needed its power!
As the Death Abyss Spider Emperor and the Death Abyss Demon Scythe both manifested, a dim yet eerie gray spirit ring rose, continuously pulsing around his body.
"Your spirit ring?!"
Xu Jiujiu covered her small mouth and forced herself not to cry out in shock. She wasn't some low-level spirit master who had never seen the world, but Ling Bai had truly astonished her!
You're so formidable, yet you only have one spirit ring, and it's an unprecedented gray color on the Douluo Continent!
"Calm down. It's reasonable for an Evil Spirit Master to have some sinister things. I'm sure you understand."
Xu Jiujiu averted her gaze and whispered, "Monster... an Evil Spirit Master among Evil Spirit Masters..."
Ling Bai ignored her muttering. He was like a large-scale reaping machine with the Death Abyss Demon Scythe as the main attack and the eight spider legs assisting. Entire swaths of the flower sea exploded and shattered, turning into specks of black dust drifting everywhere. Xu Jiujiu followed behind him, only able to see a blurry figure charging straight ahead.
In the center of the flower sea, the Dark Emperor Demon Vine's expression subtly changed as it sensed a lifeform destroying its blood sacrifice!
"Kekeke..."
Its human-like face stretched into a wide grin. The eye on its chest gleamed with overwhelming excitement, intense emotions surging uncontrollably in its heart!
A death attribute of the same source, one even surpassing its own!
Devouring ten thousand small snakes couldn't compare to consuming this uninvited guest!
A vine beneath the Dark Emperor Demon Vine swiftly extended, poking awake the nearby Medusa, who was resting to recover from her injuries. Medusa shook her bald head and let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech, summoning the few hundred remaining snake-type spirit beasts—those who had barely survived the slaughter by She Chong and the Dark Emperor Demon Vine—to prepare for battle!
The Dark Emperor Demon Vine spread its arms wide, as if embracing the entire dark sky. As its crimson lips moved, an eerie incantation resonated through the air. The sea of flowers began to sprout branches frantically, and countless pink and black intertwined blossoms burst into bloom. One figure after another emerged from the flower sea, gradually solidifying from their illusory state!
The Dark Emperor Demon Vine's Innate Domain, Land of the Undead!
Activating the Death God's bloodline, it summoned the souls of all lifeforms it had sacrificed over the past 50,000 years to fight on its behalf!
The blood sacrifice occurred once every millennium, each time slaughtering thousands of spirit beasts. The Dark Emperor Demon Vine had amassed an immense reservoir over 50,000 years. In an instant, the soul bodies of spirit beasts layered upon each other, filling the entire flower sea, continuously engulfing the outside world like tidal waves!
BOOM—
The expansion of the Land of the Undead suddenly halted because another Innate Domain erupted! The Land of the Undead charged forward relentlessly, only to crash into an enemy as unyielding as an iron wall, causing itself to suffer a devastating collision. The flower sea withered rapidly, and the agonized screams of the spirit beast souls resounded throughout the land. They felt as if the Grim Reaper had grasped their souls, and a bloodthirsty demon was breathing icy breaths down their necks!
The Death Abyss Spider Emperor's Innate Domain, Death Realm!
The Death Realm was suffused with the aura of Ultimate Death. Within it, the releaser's attributes increased by 50%, while the opponents' attributes were reduced by 30%. The weakening effect was doubled for undead creatures and soul bodies! Apart from maintaining the Death Realm, the releaser's spirit power consumption ceased. The three Ultimate Talents of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor underwent an evolution!
The Death Realm crushed and pressed down on the Land of the Undead, encompassing the entire forest space. The overwhelming dominance of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's Ultimate Death shrouded the land, with the Dark Emperor Demon Vine bearing the brunt of it!
For the first time, shock and rage flashed across the Dark Emperor Demon Vine's expression. Its gaze fiercely collided with Ling Bai's eyes, which had turned completely crimson under the Martial Spirit Manifestation of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor. It was the true descendant of the Death God's bloodline, the incomparably noble Monarch of Death!
Transgressors shall face the ultimate punishment!
Dark Emperor Demon Vine's Innate Spirit Skill, Execution!
The surging power of the Death God's bloodline infused the Dark Emperor Demon Vine. The writhing vines beneath it sprouted thorns and blades, instantly transforming from gorgeous flowers into deadly weapons of slaughter, embodying both violence and beauty!
The soul bodies parted way for the Dark Emperor Demon Vine. Those too slow to dodge were instantly shredded and pulverized by its sharp edges. The eye at the center of its chest became bloodshot. Under the overwhelming dual death aura of the Dark Emperor Demon Vine and the Death Abyss Spider Emperor, the spirit beast souls couldn't help but prostrate themselves on the ground!
The Dark Emperor Demon Vine's Execution pierced into Ling Bai's chest. The vines, like spinning drills, forcefully pushed against him. The death erosion attached to them could kill a vigorous 10,000-year spirit beast in a fraction of a second!
Blood sprayed from Ling Bai's body like shattered crimson silk, yet his movements were not hindered in the slightest. The dim light cast upon the pitch-black scythe seemed to reveal a hazy blood-red glow. Sparks flashed brilliantly in the Eternal Night region!
The sound of clashing metal reverberated through the air as the two storms of death repeatedly collided with each other. Soil and withered petals flew in all directions. Throughout the fierce battle, man and beast exchanged glances countless times, each viewing the other as a mortal enemy!
The Dark Emperor Demon Vine swung its previously invincible Execution vines, but its state of mind was gradually collapsing. Its defensive power was inherently weak, and She Chong's point-blank self-detonation earlier had left it with severe injuries that greatly diminished its strength. It had barely recovered half its combat power through the blood sacrifice of the snake swarm. Now, the accumulated injuries within its body were like a tightly stretched spring, ready to snap at any moment!
Having pushed its death attribute and power to the extreme, the Dark Emperor Demon Vine stared intently at the profusely bleeding human before it. If it could speak human language, it would definitely want to ask Ling Bai:
Are you not in pain yet?
Why... aren't you dead yet!
Ling Bai's response was simple and brutal. With a backhand strike, he plunged the Death Abyss Demon Scythe into the eye on the Dark Emperor Demon Vine's chest—its most vulnerable point!
The reason he dared to endure the Execution and trade injuries with the Dark Emperor Demon Vine was entirely due to another Ultimate Talent of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor: Undying Body!
In its normal state, pain sensation was greatly reduced, recovery power skyrocketed, and his body's strength and toughness far exceeded those of spirit masters at the same rank!
The talent evolved within the Death Realm. Pain was completely ignored, and unless struck by an attack capable of destroying his entire body in a single blow, he would not die!
With its weak point severely damaged, the Dark Emperor Demon Vine was forced back by the monstrous strength accompanying the demon scythe. Its vines gouged deep bloody furrows into the ground. Soil churned and flew, while withered petals fluttered through the air!
Medusa grew anxious when she saw her leader at a disadvantage. She commanded her few remaining snake swarm members to launch an encirclement attack. The third eye on her forehead quietly opened, and her Innate Spirit Skill, Medusa's Gaze, was ready to be unleashed!
Medusa's Gaze possessed extremely strong and persistent destructive power. Once it hit an enemy, the petrification force would disrupt their internal spirit power circulation until it completely dissipated, turning them into an oddly shaped stone.
At this moment, a magnificent starlight descended. Xu Jiujiu revealed herself, a splendid crown composed of countless gems materializing on her forehead!
The Star Luo Empire's imperial family's inherited Martial Spirit: Star Crown!
The fourth purple spirit ring shone brilliantly. A dazzling starlight burst forth, forming a radiant cage that descended from the sky and ensnared Medusa!
Star Crown's Fourth Spirit Skill: Star Barrier!
Medusa was taken aback. Her anger flared upon seeing Xu Jiujiu, and Medusa's Gaze instantly changed targets!
BOOM—
The gray-white petrification beam fiercely bombarded the barrier of the Star Barrier, causing a faint ripple like water!
Star Barrier's additional effect: Attribute Isolation!
Medusa's Gaze turned into a pure spirit power attack. With Medusa's current injuries, she was powerless against Xu Jiujiu's Star Barrier!
Ling Bai's insistence on dragging Xu Jiujiu onto the pirate ship was precisely because he valued the Star Crown's Attribute Isolation. Even though fully unleashing the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's talents allowed him to battle the heavily injured Dark Emperor Demon Vine, with Medusa lying in wait, ready to unleash her petrification beam at any moment, he wasn't confident in taking on both of them along with a large group of snake-type spirit beasts!
She Chong's self-sacrifice and Xu Jiujiu's Star Barrier restraint created the possibility for him to defeat the Dark Emperor Demon Vine despite the level gap!
Ling Bai was satisfied with Xu Jiujiu's timely intervention, while the latter was even more astounded in her heart!
She had never encountered an Ultimate Martial Spirit before but could sense something from the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's overwhelming might. There was also its Innate Domain, Death Realm, which suppressed the Dark Emperor Demon Vine's Land of the Undead. Xu Jiujiu marveled at how the heavens truly favored this Evil Spirit Master!
The only thing to be thankful for was that he was far from being truly evil. Otherwise, the continent would surely be plunged into misery and suffering...
With Xu Jiujiu blocking Medusa, the snake swarm had no one to stop them. They charged madly at Ling Bai like frenzied beasts, stirring up a thick, putrid wind across the ground!
Ling Bai's long hair danced wildly in the wind as he spun the Death Abyss Demon Scythe in his left hand, his crimson eyes filled with a thirst for blood as he watched the surging snake swarm!
The pitch-black scythe carved beautiful arcs through the air, like the Grim Reaper claiming lives. The heads of 10-year and 100-year snakes were severed at the root. Massive 1,000-year pythons crashed to the ground, their severed heads still attached by a thin layer of blood-red snake skin. The pythons' nerve reactions hadn't yet subsided as their bodies twitched in their final moments. White, yellow, and purple spirit rings scattered everywhere—the lives of spirit beasts were as insignificant as grass.
Kicking away the several-ton corpse of a 1,000-year Giant Tree Python that blocked his path, Ling Bai felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
His body and spirit power were reaching their limits.
He had to end this quickly!
With this thought, Ling Bai steeled his resolve. The terrifying illusory figure of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor suddenly appeared. Its eight crimson beast eyes revealed a satisfied smile before feeding. The hundreds of spirit rings from the snake swarm poured into the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's body, and Ling Bai's spirit power surged higher and higher!
Soul Devouring, one of the Three Ultimate Talents of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor!
Originating from the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor, it allowed the devouring of souls and spirit rings in exchange for power, a talent truly befitting an Evil Spirit Master!
Ultimate Death, Soul Devouring, Undying Body, Spider Emperor Sense, Death Abyss Demon Scythe, Innate Domain: Death Realm, and Rakshasa Evil Power—all these constituted his second Evil Martial Spirit, the Death Abyss Spider Emperor!