Chapter Forty-Nine: Slaying the Spider King

The enormous spiderweb suddenly trembled, causing Li Pingyang’s body to sway; fortunately, he maintained his footing and wasn’t flung from above. The Spider King, which had been dozing on the web, had now awakened, and when it saw Li Pingyang break free from the cocoon, it was furious.

Its nine eyes opened simultaneously. With a mighty leap, it soared into the air and spat several sharp spikes downward. Li Pingyang reacted swiftly, leaping to another strand of the web just in time. Where he had just been standing, the spikes now bristled, making it look like a porcupine. Before he could catch his breath, another volley of venom was sprayed at him.

With the Fire Dragon coiling around his body, he felt lighter and much more agile. Performing a triple jump, Li Pingyang evaded the attack with ease and glanced behind him. The deep purple venom was astonishingly potent, corroding the tough web in an instant, turning it into a viscous liquid that dripped below.

The Spider King suspended itself with silk, then emitted a piercing, shrill cry. At the sound, countless small spiders were summoned, crawling in from all directions. Directly in front of Li Pingyang, a dense black tide of spiders surged across the web toward him—there must have been thousands.

Yet Li Pingyang remained unflustered; this was the perfect opportunity to practice. He gripped his sword tightly in his right hand, closed his eyes, and sought the sensation of channeling sword energy into the form of a dragon, slowly gathering his true energy into his short sword.

The swarm of spiders, like a black wave, was about to engulf him when Li Pingyang suddenly opened his eyes and, gathering his strength, unleashed a slash of sword energy at the advancing horde. The previously invisible sword energy suddenly took shape in the air—a majestic white dragon burst forth and instantly annihilated the entire swarm before him.

During his brief meditation, Li Pingyang had also sensed the Spider King’s weakness—a spot beneath its abdomen.

Witnessing the massacre of its brood, the Spider King was driven into a rage and plummeted from above, aiming to crush him. Seizing the moment, Li Pingyang struck at its vulnerable spot with his sword, then leapt back to the web to evade. The Spider King crashed down where he had just stood, making the giant web shudder violently.

The Spider King’s hide was thick and tough; it seemed unfazed by the attack. It opened its massive jaws and sprayed a wide cone of venom. Li Pingyang leaped from the wall, the venom passing just beneath him. He looked back, startled to see the venom corroding a deep pit into the wall—he realized with a chill that had he been hit, he would have been reduced to a bloody puddle.

The Spider King hoisted itself up with silk again, once more exposing its weak spot. Taking advantage, Li Pingyang dashed forward, slashing again, but was sent flying by the Spider King’s tail.

He had to admit, this creature’s defenses were formidable; the Violet-Eyed Giant Python had fallen to a single sword stroke, but with this Ghost Mother Spider King, Li Pingyang’s hand was numb from hacking away. Luckily, his training in the secret realm had taught him to sense weaknesses—otherwise, he might not have been able to kill this beast at all.

After several exchanges, Li Pingyang’s shoulder was wounded by the Spider King’s fangs, a chunk of flesh torn away. He’d also been battered several times, but it was worth it—the Spider King’s weak spot had been struck twice; another hit, and even its defenses couldn’t save it from serious injury.

Seizing the moment, seeing the Spider King growing fatigued and attempting to rise again, Li Pingyang pursued swiftly and, with a single stroke, severed three of its legs. The Spider King let out a bizarre cry, then went berserk, lashing at him wildly with its sharp tail. Li Pingyang blocked with his sword, but his waist was still grazed.

Gritting his teeth, he slashed a third time at its abdomen. This time, even the Spider King seemed in disbelief that it could be so grievously wounded by a human. Its belly split open, and with a thud, it collapsed, blood pouring from the gaping wound.

It could no longer move; the light faded from its eyes as it gazed at the terrifying young man before it. It couldn’t comprehend its defeat—how had a human breached the defense that even beasts of the same rank could not harm?

Li Pingyang walked toward it unhurriedly. The Spider King tried to lash out with its tail one last time, but Li Pingyang stepped on it, raised his short sword, and with a casual stroke, cleaved the Spider King’s colossal form in two.

The Spider King then dissolved into motes of light, leaving behind a card where it had fallen. Li Pingyang picked it up and discovered it was a seven-star card—the highest-level card he’d collected so far! It was wind attribute, with an effect that allowed duplication. What could be duplicated? How many times? The card didn’t specify.

No matter; he stowed the card away for now and prepared to leave. But a new problem arose: how would he get down from such a height?

“Uh… help! Is anyone there?”

Li Pingyang called out, even hoping a Ghost Mother Venom Spider might appear—it would at least give him something to ride out on. But after shouting for a long while, not a soul responded. Looking up, he saw the exit was far above him.

He decided to rely on himself. Taking out a dagger, he began climbing the wall, stabbing into the rock for handholds, gripping crevices, and slowly making his way up.

After exhausting effort, Li Pingyang finally reached below the exit. Just as he grabbed the edge, Li Hu, who was coming out of the cave, accidentally stepped on his hand. With a yelp of pain, he lost his grip and slid rapidly downward, cursing, “This is outrageous…”

Jamming his dagger into the wall, he slid all the way back to his original spot and finally came to a stop, gazing up at the distant exit, nearly in tears.

Above, Li Hu seemed to hear his voice but saw no one. Scratching his head, he asked Little Dragonfly if she’d heard anything. Sheepishly, Little Dragonfly pointed below, saying that just now, young master had been sent down by his foot…

Why were they here? The answer lay an hour earlier…

Li Hu and Little Dragonfly, midway in their descent, had felt something beneath their feet. Lighting a torch, they discovered they were standing on a Ghost Mother Venom Spider! Li Hu’s face turned ashen, but fortunately the creature was sound asleep. Carefully, he withdrew his foot, shifted his position to avoid the spider, and motioned for Little Dragonfly to follow him as they continued down.

A short while later, Li Hu finally touched down, his nerves relaxing at last. But a new dilemma presented itself: with so many white cocoons, which one held Li Goudan? Searching each one was impossible, and the cocoons were so tough, it would be equally impossible to break them all, especially without the proper tools.

Moreover, with Li Pingyang trapped inside, he could die at any moment—time was of the essence. After some thought, Li Hu made a daring decision.