Shortly after Jing Shaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan teamed up, Gu Yue found them, and the three formed a team to proceed together.
After a while, they came across the area where Tang Wulin and his group had encountered the thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider. Signs of corrosion marked the grass and trees, and clumps of sticky webs hung from nearby branches, putting Jing Shaoyu's group on high alert.
"Whoosh—"
A sudden whooshing sound came from behind them. They turned just in time to see a large, white web flying toward Xu Xiaoyan. Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue quickly raised their hands, casting fireballs that hit the web simultaneously, reducing it to ash.
"Ah!" Xu Xiaoyan squealed, pointing to a nearby tree. "Spider!"
Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue looked over and saw a massive spider clinging to the trunk. Its body was over a meter wide, with eight legs that extended more than three meters. The creature was pitch black, but its abdomen bore an eerie, pale human-like face.
"A Man-Faced Demon Spider!" Jing Shaoyu recognized it immediately, surprise flashing across his face. This wasn't just any creature; it was one of the Tang family's greatest allies in legend!
"Judging by its size, it's over two thousand years old," Gu Yue said, her tone serious.
"Brother Shaoyu, what should we do? Should we fight it?" Xu Xiaoyan asked, clinging tightly to Jing Shaoyu's arm, clearly frightened and trembling.
Her reaction wasn't unwarranted. Man-Faced Demon Spiders were notoriously creepy creatures. Even many adults felt a chill when facing one, let alone a nine-year-old girl like Xu Xiaoyan.
In the control room, the instructors watching the feed couldn't help but tense up. Wang Jinxi and Xie Xie, who had been defeated by the same spider, were particularly pale, recalling their previous encounter with trepidation.
Director Long Hengxu's expression turned grave as he thought, Could Class Zero's first Spirit Ascension Platform experience really be ended by a single Man-Faced Demon Spider?
Wu Zhangkong's face remained stoic, though a slight glimmer in his eyes betrayed his internal reaction.
"Fight it? Why not?"
Back in the Spirit Ascension Platform, Jing Shaoyu's gaze fixed steadily on the spider as he replied calmly.
If they were in the real world, he might be more cautious. But here, in the Spirit Ascension Platform, there was no risk of death—only ejection if they failed. With that reassurance, he had no reason not to fight. After all, it was just a two-thousand-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider.
The three had already been in a standoff with the spider for a few moments. Slowly, it began moving down from the tree to the ground, its eight sharp legs stretching menacingly. Jing Shaoyu and his group stepped back slightly, adopting a battle formation with Jing Shaoyu in front, Gu Yue in the middle, and Xu Xiaoyan at the rear.
With a thought, a spear woven from vines appeared in Jing Shaoyu's hand. Thanks to his Prime Spirit's influence, the control room viewers couldn't discern that the spear was actually his second martial spirit.
However, Gu Yue, standing behind him, sensed a powerful, brutal aura emanating from the spear. Her mind filled with a mix of curiosity and unease.
But there was no time to dwell on it, as Jing Shaoyu charged the spider, his left hand moving in a fluid motion. In response, vines and branches from nearby trees whipped forward, surrounding the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
The spider's eight eyes glowed green as it raised its two front legs like spears, slicing through the vines with ease. It also spat a foul-smelling black liquid, which immediately corroded any plants it touched.
Undeterred, Jing Shaoyu leaped into the air, thrusting his spear toward the spider's head. But the creature reacted swiftly, raising two legs to block the strike. The collision produced a metallic clang, and Jing Shaoyu felt a powerful force push him back. He retracted his spear, retreating into the air.
The spider, however, fared worse; both of its blocking legs were now covered in cracks, oozing yellow-green blood.
Just then, an ice wheel from Xu Xiaoyan appeared beneath the spider. Though the face on its abdomen wasn't merely decorative—it sensed the danger and shrieked in alarm, backing away. But it was too late; the ice wheel froze one of its hind legs in place. Gu Yue seized the moment, summoning a blazing tornado that scorched the ground in its path as it sped toward the spider.
The flaming tornado grew larger and hotter as it advanced, and the spider's eyes reflected genuine fear. If it were caught in the fiery whirlwind, it would suffer severe damage, despite its own strength.
Demonstrating why it was considered one of the most vicious spirit beasts, the Man-Faced Demon Spider didn't hesitate to sacrifice its frozen leg. It severed the limb and dodged to the side, barely escaping the tornado.
How cunning, Jing Shaoyu thought with a trace of surprise as he saw the spider's clever escape. He seized the opportunity to strike, lunging forward and stabbing at the spider's exposed abdomen, just as it struggled to regain its balance.
"Hiss—"
Yellow-green blood spurted out as Jing Shaoyu quickly withdrew. The spear left in the spider's abdomen was merely a vine-woven replica, while his true spear, the Terminus God-Slaying Spear, had already been retracted. The spider's blood was highly toxic, instantly corroding any plants it touched.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider's eyes filled with rage and pain as it glared at Jing Shaoyu in the air. Its injury made it desperate to kill him and devour his body to heal itself.
But with Jing Shaoyu out of reach, the spider turned its attention to the two on the ground: Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan.
Without hesitation, it lunged at them, spraying noxious venom from its fangs. Poisonous liquid also gathered on its remaining legs as they aimed for Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan.
Gu Yue, unfazed, maintained a calm expression. With a flash of silver light, she vanished on the spot.
The spider saw Gu Yue disappear but didn't halt its attack, shifting its focus to Xu Xiaoyan.
Terrified, Xu Xiaoyan waved her Starwheel Ice Staff, summoning one ice spear after another that shot toward the spider.
However, each ice spear dissolved upon contact with the spider's acidic venom.
Panicking, Xu Xiaoyan took several steps back. Seeing this, Jing Shaoyu dove down to her aid, firing fireballs that hit the spider, yet it remained undeterred, fixated on Xu Xiaoyan.
Infuriated, Jing Shaoyu accelerated with his Prime Spirit Wings, rushing to shield Xu Xiaoyan. With a sweeping motion of his hands, he summoned a massive wave of water from seemingly nowhere. The crashing wave collided with the spider, forcing it back several meters and halting its assault.
The spider's frustration was evident. But before it could regroup, Gu Yue reappeared, standing on a tree behind it. With a series of swift hand movements, she summoned an array of ice spikes that rained down on the spider.
Now soaked from Jing Shaoyu's water wave, the spider's body was instantly coated with a layer of frost as the ice spikes struck, turning its black body white with frost.
The frost slowed its movements, giving Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue the chance they needed.
Gu Yue unleashed an ice storm, while Jing Shaoyu summoned his vine-covered Terminus God-Slaying Spear once more. They attacked from front and back, launching a final assault.
The outcome was certain. Jing Shaoyu's spear pierced through the spider's head, bringing the battle to an end.
A two-thousand-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider—defeated!
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