e-booksonline Chapter 53: Core Devouring and Breakthrough
Chapter 53: Core Devouring and Breakthrough
He was found.
The eight dark golden compound eyes of the Purple-Striped Spider Queen did not suddenly turn, but rather, like cold stars in an ancient pool, they abruptly solidified within the eerie green phosphorescence, firmly gripping the shadow of the pile of decaying wood and silt where he was hiding. A cold, sticky aura, carrying endless greed and a furious rage at the violation of its authority, surged from the core of the nest like a damp tide, attempting to entangle, penetrate, and spy on this ant who dared to venture into this deadly place and covet its possessions.
There were no hisses, no defiant movements, and not even the bloated, massive body moved an inch.
However, this silent gaze was more unsettling than any roar. It was like a heavy lead ingot soaked in ice water, suddenly pressing down on Lin Yan's heart, making even the thick, polluted air around him seem to freeze.
The response to this deathly gaze was not from Lin Yan, but from three inconspicuous shadows surrounding the lair. The ground, previously indistinguishable from mud, bones, and rotting reeds, suddenly rippled almost imperceptibly. Several lying, pale animal bones were silently pushed aside, and patches of charred moss peeled away, revealing three enormous shadows, almost blending into the darkness, slowly rising from the filth.
It was a demon spider, but completely different from the ones they had encountered before. It was more than twice the size of a regular ghost-faced demon spider, almost the size of a small calf. Its carapace wasn't dark brown, but a deep, almost inky black color, which, under the eerie green phosphorescence of its nest, gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen, absorbing the already dim light around it. Its eight slender yet unusually thick limbs, like eight javelins forged from fine steel, were firmly planted in the filthy mud. When it moved, even the splashing sound of mud was barely audible; only the extremely faint "click" of its carapace joints rubbing together was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence.
Their compound eyes were slightly smaller, but their light was deeper, like eight frozen will-o'-the-wisps, firmly locking onto Lin Yan's hiding place without wavering. A thick, pungent stench of blood, mixed with the resentment left behind by the deaths of their kind and countless other creatures, emanated from them like an invisible miasma.
The demonic energy fluctuations of the early-stage Profound Realm were undisguised and rippled outwards. Although not as vast and terrifying as the Spider Queen's, it was still solid and grounded, carrying the ferocity accumulated from years of slaughter and devouring. Among them, the largest spider guard, whose third leg on the left was noticeably shorter—clearly a remnant of an old wound—had a small, not-yet-completely-corroded piece of human finger bone hanging beside its ferocious mandibles, still clinging to some dark red tendons!
A test? A warning? No, in the Spider Queen's territory, only the most direct and cruel annihilation exists.
The three-headed Profound Spider Guardians, like three streaks of black lightning skimming the ground, shot towards the pile of rotten wood where Lin Yan was hiding from three extremely tricky angles—front, left flank, and right rear! Their speed was so fast that they left blurry afterimages behind them, and the sharp whistling sound pierced the air a fraction of a second later. A foul stench preceded their arrival; the intense toxicity and blood stench of their aura were almost suffocating. Before they even truly got close, three streams of even darker, almost dark green venom, like poisoned arrows fired from a powerful crossbow, carrying a pungent, acrid stench, blocked most of the space where Lin Yan could possibly dodge, forming a triangular formation!
Lin Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and the gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence within his body was already surging like a raging river. His [Swiftness] talent was instantly pushed to its limit. His body did not move, but it was as if his feet were equipped with springs. His entire body was suddenly pulled backward as if by invisible threads, narrowly sliding several feet to the side and back. The breeze stirred by his clothes barely stirred a wisp of withered fungus.
"Hiss hiss hiss!"
Three dark green poisoned arrows grazed the edge of the rotten wood where he had been hiding. The poison struck the wood, immediately producing a tooth-grinding corrosive sound. The wood, which had been decaying for countless years and was as hard as stone, softened rapidly as if it had been splashed with scalding oil, collapsed, and emitted thick, pungent, grayish-white smoke. In the blink of an eye, it was corroded into three bowl-sized, bottomless, charred holes, the edges of which were charred and brittle as if they had been burned by a raging fire.
Almost simultaneously, the muddy ground where he had just been hiding exploded with a "poof!" The pair of sharp, sickle-like legs with a dark metallic luster at the very front of one of the spider guards, like two poisoned javelins, thrust upwards! Mud splattered everywhere, and the resulting gust of wind stung his face. If Lin Yan had reacted even a fraction slower, he would probably have had his feet pierced by these deadly weapons, knocked to the ground, and become a lamb to the slaughter.
The attacks of the other two spider guards came in quick succession, perfectly coordinated! One of them suddenly raised its forebody, its swollen abdomen contracting sharply, then spewing out a large glob of thick, milky-white liquid with a sweet, pungent odor. The liquid spread out of its body, instantly transforming into a large, sticky web the size of a tabletop, its edges covered with fine barbs, trembling slightly in mid-air. It carried a nauseating, damp aura, descending upon Lin Yan, completely sealing off the space above him. The other spider, using its companion's web as cover, pushed off the muddy ground with its eight legs, its massive body leaping into the air with surprising agility, crashing down from above like a small mountain. Its eight sharp, knife-like limbs stretched to their limit, forming a terrifying strangulation circle, aimed directly at Lin Yan's head and neck!
Surrounded on three sides, with no way to go up to the sky and no way to go down to the ground... the ground beneath our feet is a deadly swamp!
Ordinary cultivators who have just entered the Profound Realm would likely lose their composure and be captured and become food for the Spider Queen if they were suddenly attacked by such a well-trained, ruthless and cunning group. Even if they could barely parry a few blows, they would still be unable to escape being seriously injured, captured, and turned into food for the Spider Queen.
However, Lin Yan showed no panic. Instead, a faint, almost ruthless glint flashed in the depths of his deep, icy eyes. He had been waiting for this moment when his opponent would unleash his full power, channeling his energy and holding nothing back!
Just as the sticky spider web was about to touch his hair and the strangling shadow above him loomed, Lin Yan moved!
He didn't choose to break through any seemingly weak point, whether upwards or to the left or right—those were precisely the traps deliberately left by the Spider Guards, concealing even more deadly dangers. The surging gray-black true essence within his body suddenly sank, then erupted like a volcano, pouring into the meridians of his legs! Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight ahead—towards the Spider Guard that was spewing its web! His speed was so great that he left a faint, not yet completely dissipated afterimage in his wake.
"break!"
A low shout, suppressed yet clear, like the clash of metal. A long sword, seemingly drawn from its sheath at some point, was now in his hand. The blade wasn't gleaming; instead, it was enveloped in a layer of solid, misty, swirling, grayish-black true energy. This energy wasn't dazzling; rather, it possessed a dark, almost ethereal quality that seemed to devour light itself. Where the blade passed, the air itself seemed to be cleaved in an invisible, slightly distorted crack, carrying a resolute sharpness capable of cutting through any obstacle, directly slashing towards the oncoming giant spiderweb!
The moment the blade touched the sticky, supple spiderweb, there was no metallic clang, nor was it firmly stuck as before. The dark gray Devouring Spirit Essence seemed to possess some strange, corrosive, and disintegrating property, violently clashing, neutralizing, and annihilating the sinister demonic power contained within the spiderweb. A sharp, ear-piercing "ripping" sound, like tearing silk, rang out, and the resilient web, strong enough to trap an ordinary Transcendent cultivator, was forcibly ripped open, leaving a huge, charred, and curled gash over a foot wide!
Lin Yan's figure, like an eel entering water, slipped through the gap in the blink of an eye! The spider guard above, swooping down from the air, its eight sharp limbs forming a deathly strangulation circle, barely grazed his back as it landed, thudding deeply into the hard mud below with several muffled thuds, sending pebbles and mud flying everywhere.
He even had the leisure to lightly touch the edge of the web-spraying spider's cold, smooth, slimy carapace with the toe of his left foot as he passed through. The force was small, but it was exceptionally precise. Not only did it borrow the momentum of his forward thrust, but it also caused the spider's massive body to slightly lose its balance due to the sudden lateral force, slowing its movements for a moment.
Lin Yan, like an arrow released from a bow, used this momentum to accelerate once more, shooting towards the deeper part of the nest—towards the small hill made of bones and silt, on which life-saving spiritual herbs grew!
Our goal has never changed: Seven-leaf silver thread grass!
"squeak--!"
The spider guard, kicked and its web torn, let out a sharp, furious screech, its compound eyes gleaming with an eerie light. The other two spider guards immediately turned, their eight legs paddling through the mud, relentlessly pursuing them with a rage born of being mocked. The relentless pursuit of these three mystical demons seemed to suck the air out of the area, a heavy pressure looming over Lin Yan's back.
Lin Yan pushed his [Swiftness] talent to its limit, his figure weaving at high speed through mountains of bones, half-buried rotten wood, and strangely colored poisonous moss, leaving afterimages in his wake. His eyes were like lightning, rapidly scanning his surroundings, his brain calculating the path and timing at an unprecedented speed.
He charged suddenly toward a pile of bones haphazardly made up of the skulls and massive ribs of an unknown behemoth. Just before he was about to crash into it, his body twisted without warning, turning to the left into a relatively "open" area that was slightly higher and covered with thick, withered reeds and dry moss.
The three-headed spider guards were clearly quite intelligent, knowing how to coordinate an encirclement. Instead of chasing in a straight line, they tacitly dispersed slightly, forming a loose semi-circle, attempting to force Lin Yan into a corner again, or at least restrict his range of movement.
Eight deep, compound eyes were fixed on the swift, elusive, bluish-gray figure ahead. Demonic power gathered, and poison glands contracted, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a thunderous attack.
Just as they were completely focused, and their vital energy reached its peak—
Lin Yan didn't even turn his head. He simply swung his hand back, and his wide sleeves stirred up a gust of wind!
Three blood-red talismans, each only two fingers wide, were precisely launched as if by an invisible hand. Instead of shooting towards the spider guards chasing behind, they drew three low, flat arcs and shot towards the edge of that "open" area, towards several thick tree roots that were half-buried in the mud, already dry, cracked, and shaped like rotten charcoal!
On the talisman, the patterns drawn with cinnabar suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light in the darkness!
"burst!"
With a soft shout, true energy was activated!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three intensely blazing orange-red fireballs exploded violently almost simultaneously! These were no ordinary fires, but rather the [Blazing Sun Fire Talisman] meticulously crafted by Su Qingyao, imbued with pure Yang Fire essence! The power of Yang Fire has a natural effect of restraining and purifying Yin and evil. The shockwave from the explosions instantly uprooted and ignited the dry reeds and moss, the scorching flames like greedy beasts, frantically licking at the few long-dehydrated, oily, decaying tree roots!
In the blink of an eye, a towering wall of fire, ten feet high and radiating intense heat, suddenly rose from the ground behind Lin Yan! The flames leaped and tumbled, illuminating the pitch-black night sky with a bright crimson glow, and temporarily repelling the lingering, suffocating sweet and pungent poisonous miasma, which hissed and crackled as it burned.
The demon spider fears fire and the sun; this is an instinct etched into its blood!
"Squeak squeak—!!!"
The relentlessly pursuing three-headed spider guards abruptly halted as if they had crashed into an invisible wall! Faced with this suddenly rising wall of scorching yang fire, radiating an intense discomfort and deadly threat that made them instinctively uncomfortable, an uncontrollable fear, disgust, and a hint of hesitation flashed simultaneously in their eight compound eyes. The intense heat scorched their carapaces, and the yang fire burned their sensitive demonic energy perception, causing their advance to come to a fatal halt.
It was that moment of hesitation and retreat!
What Lin Yan needed was precisely this fleeting window of opportunity!
Without pausing, he even used the light and air currents from the burning wall of fire to accelerate to his peak speed, like a streak of azure lightning tearing through the darkness, heading straight for the nearby mound of white bones and mud! As the distance rapidly closed, the outlines of those seven-leaf silver thread grasses, which stood proudly amidst the filth and death, their leaves shimmering with silvery light and their flower stems pale purple, became crystal clear against the backdrop of the leaping firelight in the distance and the shroud of the eerie green phosphorescence nearby. Their pure and clear vitality appeared all the more precious and alluring.
Herbs are readily available!
However, the three blocked Profound Spider Guards were not the only ones who were startled by the sudden burst of intense fire and the aura of yang fire, guarding the Spider Queen's side. From the mud near the hill and the crevices of the bone piles, a dense "rustling" sound and the churning of mud came simultaneously. Four or five elite demon spiders, slightly smaller in size but with deep-colored carapaces, fierce compound eyes, and auras clearly at the **Perfected Body Tempering** level, emerged, emitting threatening hisses, and fearlessly pounced on Lin Yan, attempting to use their bodies and claws to block him from approaching the sacred spiritual herb.
Lin Yan's eyes flashed with a cold light like ice spikes. He couldn't afford to be entangled with these lackeys here! The wall of fire couldn't hold off the three Profound Spider Guards for long, and the Spider Queen's attack could come at any moment. He had to finish this quickly!
"Those who block my way shall die!"
A roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded in Lin Yan's chest, but he didn't utter a sound, only his eyes blazing with even greater killing intent. He held nothing back anymore, unleashing his full power at the Profound Realm. His dark gray Devouring Spirit True Essence surged like a burst dam, rushing wildly towards the longsword in his hand! The blade trembled violently, emitting a deep, excited hum. The previously swirling dark gray True Essence suddenly intensified, and a condensed, almost tangible blade aura detached from the edge, extending more than two feet! The blade aura was dark in color, yet its edges were incomparably sharp, as if it could even cut through light, radiating a chilling aura of devouring and destruction.
He no longer dodged or maneuvered, but instead chose the most ruthless, direct, and time-saving head-on crushing attack!
He swung his sword and charged straight ahead!
The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning across the sky, or a black dragon emerging from the sea, accompanied by a piercing shriek as it met the two attacking spiders. Where the blade passed, the air seemed to whistle as if it were being sliced. One spider raised its strongest forelimb to block, and with a crisp "crack," its steel-like leg snapped off. The blade's momentum didn't wane; it sliced into its breastplate, and dark green fluid and fragments of internal organs gushed out like a fountain. The other spider tried to spit venom to distract it, but the blade struck first, passing between its compound eyes. Its massive head detached from its body, tumbling into the mud.
Lin Yan's steps never faltered, like a tiger among sheep. His blade moved with him, his moves concise yet ruthless and precise. Chopping, slashing, parrying, slicing, flicking… each strike aimed directly at the spider's relatively weak or vital points—its joints, dense compound eyes, and open mouthparts. The gray-black Devouring Blade's aura seemed to possess an additional destructive and corrosive effect on the spider's carapace and demonic power, often achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Foul-smelling, viscous fluid splattered everywhere, and fragments of broken limbs and carapaces flew about, accompanied by a cacophony of agonizing screams. Lin Yan fought his way through the group of elite, fully-tempered demon spiders, carving a short path of flesh and carapace, and in just a few breaths, he reached the foot of the bone mound!
His left arm shot out swiftly, his fingers slightly curved into a claw, a thin, solid layer of gray-black true essence instantly enveloping his palm, serving both as protection and to isolate any possible residual toxins. His movements were swift yet exceptionally gentle, carefully digging out the several seven-leaf silver thread grasses, along with the small clump of moist soil around their roots that hadn't been completely contaminated! Upon touching them, a cool, refreshing, and pure vitality instantly flowed through the veins at his fingertips, like a spring of sweet water flowing through parched, cracked earth, clearing his mind, slightly agitated by the recent battles, and invigorating his spirit.
Herbs obtained!