Ji Xia watched as several Da Fu soldiers passed by them. Their vigilant eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for anything suspicious.
Yet, they failed to notice Ji Xia standing mere steps away. They didn't see the half-bodied man. Even more astonishingly, they missed the enormous spider whose razor-sharp legs skimmed past overhead.
"This Zhongjing Long Street must house countless formidable figures, perhaps even Spirit-Taming level generals of Da Fu!"
"But none of them seem to sense what is happening here!"
Ji Xia's thoughts raced as his gaze swept over the ink-like domain.
"It must be some spell by the Dark Priest that isolates this area."
"Do you see it now?" The Dark Priest's voice broke Ji Xia's musings, laden with fervor.
"Do you see it? This is the perfect body granted by the deity!"
"Within it lies boundless spiritual power and a lifespan of three hundred years!"
"And isn't it utterly enchanting?"
The Dark Priest's tone grew increasingly infatuated. The massive spider emitted a shrill hiss, seemingly responding to his praise.
Ji Xia looked at the colossal creature before him, thinking,
"This so-called deity is undoubtedly an evil god. His followers are steeped in aberration and horror. If this eight-legged spider appeared in Taicang, it would surely frighten children into silence."
"Hmm? An eight-legged spider?"
A sudden realization struck Ji Xia.
"Long ago, the Zhouqing Kingdom was devastated by Da Fu, with half its people slaughtered and its grand cities reduced to rubble. A scout reported seeing an eight-legged spider under the cover of night, feasting on the flesh and blood of its citizens…"
Ji Xia glanced at the spider that had emerged from Shi Yu.
"Could it really be the same creature?"
Seeing Ji Xia remain silent, the Dark Priest pressed further, "Young man, you've seen it. This is the power of the deity! Will you serve him?"
After a moment's contemplation, Ji Xia asked, "What if I refuse? What would happen then?"
The Dark Priest's grotesque smile widened as he gestured toward the crawling, ink-black droplets with tiny hands. "Do you know what these are?"
Ji Xia looked at the eerie droplets and shook his head.
"These are the bodies bestowed by the deity!" The Dark Priest explained.
"At first, I had only a head. Then, I killed countless powerful beings, using their corpses and fragmented souls to refine these droplets of black corpse oil to expand my form. If you refuse to serve the deity, you will become part of me, and I will serve him in your stead!"
Ji Xia's expression faltered, his instinct urging him to summon the Sunlit Soul Furnace to devour the two monsters before him. Yet, he hesitated, recalling the furnace's initial reaction to the Dark Priest—it wasn't just excitement; it was fear.
"What exactly is the difference between this Dark Priest and the Sacrificial Spirits? Can the furnace truly devour him?"
"And if it fails, what then?"
Weighing his options, Ji Xia decided to stall.
"Very well," he said to the Dark Priest. "I am willing to serve the deity."
The Dark Priest nodded in satisfaction, his form dissolving once more into droplets of black ink. These droplets flowed onto the massive spider, merging into its grotesque body.
A rasping voice echoed, "Climb on! I will take you to the Shrine of the Deity."
Suppressing his revulsion, Ji Xia leaped onto the spider's back. The eight-legged creature bent its limbs and launched itself skyward with explosive force. The ground beneath it shattered into fragments as it soared a thousand meters through the air.
When the spider landed, it immediately resumed its rapid stride, skittering through alleyways and rooftops with lightning speed.
Ji Xia noticed a thin, translucent bubble enveloping the spider, muffling all sound and impact from its movements. From the outside, the spider was likely undetectable.
"This Dark Priest is incredibly mysterious and powerful," Ji Xia mused. "But he's not invincible. If he were, he wouldn't act so cautiously, casting an isolating field on Zhongjing Street to blind the Spirit-Taming experts. Even now, moving through these deserted night markets, he remains wary."
Ji Xia glanced toward the central palace of Shuyang Shanggong.
There resided the King of Da Fu, Fu Sheng, a Spirit Palace master who had ruled for nearly two centuries.
"Perhaps it's the presence of King Fu Sheng that makes the Dark Priest tread so carefully."
The eight-legged spider finally halted at a shadowy alleyway, which opened into a vacant expanse lined with numerous black potted plants. The flowers in these pots were ink-black, their tightly closed buds clustered together. Their thorny stems resembled tightly bound roses.
The spider stopped amidst the eerie flora. The Dark Priest's body once again liquefied into ink droplets, flowing down the spider's legs to the ground. The droplets dispersed, crawling toward the black flowers and climbing onto their buds. As the buds unfurled, rows of sharp teeth were revealed, devouring the droplets.
The flowers then emitted a strange light, activating a bizarre formation beneath the spider and Ji Xia. The ground sank, revealing a vast tunnel.
The ink droplets reformed into the Dark Priest's half-bodied form.
"This is the Shrine of the Deity," he said, crawling forward. The spider carried Ji Xia down the tunnel.
The passageway was vast, easily accommodating the enormous spider. Ji Xia sat upon its back, descending deeper and deeper until a grand palace emerged at the end of the tunnel.
It was a pitch-black structure, foreboding and ominous.
Before the palace stood dozens of robed figures, their postures solemn.
Their appearances varied—some bore the natural rune markings of the Da Fu people, while others were of unfamiliar species: four-armed beings, creatures with six eyes (three open, three closed), and even a bipedal panther.
Around twenty such figures stood before the palace, as if awaiting something.
As the Dark Priest, the spider, and Ji Xia approached, the robed figures touched their foreheads with their right hands and bowed deeply.
"By the grace of the Deity Yinjun, another has joined us as a vessel."
The Dark Priest's body swelled, levitating in the air.
He gazed down at the crowd and declared, "This is a pure vessel. Because of him, the Deity's descent will hasten."
Behind Ji Xia, the eight-legged spider dissolved into black smoke, reforming into Shi Yu's body. Black mist coiled around her, concealing her form.
Her face bore a crazed grin. Ji Xia glanced at the other robed figures—their expressions were identical to Shi Yu's.
"The Deity Yinjun shall descend!" they chanted in unison.
"We are but instruments of his will. His blessings shall grant us immortality!"