As Wang Chong used his Psychic Energy to scan the cavern, he saw that there were several hundred such cocoons on the ancient tree.
Hisss!
Suddenly, an almost inaudible hiss of warning resounded in Wang Chong’s ears.
And from beneath that ancient tree, Wang Chong sensed a powerful wave of Psychic Energy.
Whoa!
Even though he had already heard about it from Young Master Qingyang, when he saw that massive creature lurking under the tree, Wang Chong was still greatly alarmed. This extremely repulsive spider was four to five meters tall, and actually had sixteen pairs of eyes on its head.
Its body was constantly exuding a dark green mist. The spider was the source of the poison permeating the cavern.
And when Wang Chong had sent out his Psychic Energy to inspect the area, that Darkshadow Spider had been observing while at the same time spinning a giant cocoon around a martial artist on the ground.
Sword Dragon!
Wang Chong instantly understood who this was. The person in front of the Darkshadow Spider was none other than Young Master Qingyang’s ever-present guard.
I’ll save him!
Wang Chong flicked his wrists, sending out Sword Qi from his left palm and using the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art with his right palm, focusing its power on Young Master Qingyang’s guard.
But that spider reacted much more quickly than Wang Chong had expected.
Swish!
With a sharp whistle, one of the thin and translucent spider threads shot out from the depths of the cavern toward Wang Chong.
“Danger!”
Wang Chong instantly felt intense danger.
Wang Chong changed his plan, and with a wave of his sleeve, he sent Stellar Energy howling at the spider thread. At the same time, Wang Chong pulled with his right hand, grabbing Young Master Qingyang by the shoulder and pulling him back.
Boom!
As Wang Chong fell back, ten-some white threads shot out of the cave and blasted into the cave wall behind Wang Chong.
The spider threads easily shattered this stone that was even harder than Xuanwu Steel, causing bits of gravel and dust to fall from the walls.
But what shocked Wang Chong the most was what had happened to the Stellar Energy he had sent out.
That wave of Stellar Energy seemed to divide like a piece of paper as it collided with the poison thread, even making an audible ‘sssst’.
What a sharp spider thread!
Wang Chong was stunned. His Stellar Energy was as tough as steel and powerful enough to turn steel into scrap metal.
But a thread as thin as a hair had been enough to cut it apart. This was the first time he had ever seen this situation.
At this moment, Young Master Qingyang opened his eyes and said, “It’s useless. The thread of Darkshadow Spiders is tougher and denser than steel, and sharper than even precious swords. In the narrow confines of this passage, it’s impossible for us to beat it.”
“Is that so?”
Wang Chong’s brow creased, but his eyes were unperturbed. To concede before he had even properly fought was impossible. He had to at least try.
“Watch out! The spider is coming out!” Young Master Qingyang suddenly said.
As the two were speaking, the distant white threads began to tremble and the two soon heard a chorus of clicking and hissing. In the blink of an eye, that massive Darkshadow Spider, taller than two adult men, was moving with incredible speed along the white threads.
It had barely emerged before several dozen translucent threads were once more shooting toward Wang Chong.
The cave passage was narrow and the threads moved with incredible speed. It seemed like the threads would strike the pair, but a moment later, boom! The threads shot into the wall, partially collapsing the passage.
Meanwhile, Wang Chong had pulled Young Master Qingyang back, narrowly dodging the threads and rushing into a side cavern.
Bang!
At the same time, several large stones wrapped in Stellar Energy howled through the air like meteors toward that Darkshadow Spider amidst its white spider web.
There were thirty to forty of these slabs of various sizes, hurtling through the air at astonishing speed.
But these stones only managed to get a few dozen feet before they were shot down and shattered by the spider threads.
However, mere moments after the Darkshadow Spider had dealt with these stones, a broadsword more than four feet long was shooting out from behind them like a thunderbolt.
Not only that, with a shrill whistle, Wang Chong had his sharp and vicious Sword Qi join this sword in assailing the Darkshadow Spider.
The threads of the Darkshadow Spider were incredibly sharp, and it seemed capable of shooting an endless supply of this thread from its back. In this situation, close combat was out of the question.
But Wang Chong felt that there was no need to go through all that trouble. Since the spider threads were difficult to deal with, he would just ignore them and kill the Darkshadow Spider.
Sixty feet, forty feet, thirty feet… With his powerful calculation abilities, Wang Chong was able to successfully avoid the Darkshadow Spider’s countermeasures, but when his attack was just twenty feet from the Darkshadow Spider, it opened its mouth and spat out ten-some threads which quickly congregated on the Sword Qi and the broadsword.
Ding!
With a crisp crack, the broadsword was obliterated and the Sword Qi was neutralized in mid-air.
“How could this be!?”
Wang Chong couldn’t help but grimace at his sight.
He knew that this spider was no ordinary creature, but he had never imagined that it would be capable of shattering tempered steel and Sword Qi alike, and seemingly with no effort at all.
“It’s pointless. In a direct confrontation, we’re no match for it,” Young Master Qingyang said, his voice tinged with helplessness. “Back in the ancient era, this spider could already produce thread that could crush steel. Its thread has only gotten stronger and tougher over the thousands of years. Not even I know if there’s anything in the world that can stop this thread.”
It was obvious that he had already clashed with this spider once and had developed some understanding of it.
Wang Chong’s brow creased, but just when he wanted to retort, he paled, grabbed Young Master Qingyang, and jumped away.
Swoosh! Swoosh! As he leapt away, he heard something rushing through the air.
Thirty to forty sharp threads burst out from the wall, piercing into the area formerly occupied by Wang Chong and Young Master Qingyang. If not for Wang Chong’s fast reaction, they would have been cut into pieces.
“Shameless!”
Even though Young Master Qingyang had already accepted his death, seeing the Darkshadow Spider attempt to surprise them by attacking through the wall still left him feeling angry and alarmed.
“This spider is intelligent!” Wang Chong suddenly said as he stared at those threads.
This Darkshadow Spider clearly wasn’t restricted to just spitting out threads. It could calculate and attack from hiding. This indicated that it might be able to think like a human. It was precisely intelligent creatures like this that were the most difficult to deal with.
“Just hurry and go! We’re no match for that spider! And if my guess is right, the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art that you cultivate is already showing signs of cultivation defect, causing your strength to suddenly plunge!” Young Master Qingyang suddenly said. His eyes were closed and he appeared utterly drained of strength, but he was still doing his best to remain calm.
“If not for this, the Demonic Emperor probably wouldn’t have brought you to the northwest, nor would he have remained so stubborn even when surrounded and assaulted by all the other martial artists. From this, I can guess that your condition demands immediate treatment.”
Wang Chong was greatly surprised by Young Master Qingyang’s words, and he couldn’t help but stare at this Young Mas
ter Qingyang who was renowned for his erudition and intelligence. Although he had said only a few sentences, from his expression, he was clearly well aware of the situation in Wang Chong’s body.
“You’re correct, which means that I have even less reason to leave. Only by killing this spider can I get past here and continue searching for the Origin Immortal Art.”
Wang Chong smiled, not at all denying what had just been said.
In front of an intelligent person like Young Master Qingyang, he couldn’t hide anything, nor was there a need to hide anything.
Young Master Qingyang’s eyes flew open in shock, but Wang Chong merely grinned.
Unlike Young Master Qingyang, who might have gotten used to living life as a normal person, and who would be dead in this kind of environment without his guard at his side, Wang Chong was the sort of person who would stroll around a mountain while clearly aware that a tiger lived there.
Whether during the crisis of Mengshe Zhao in the southwest or the Battle of Talas in the northwest, Wang Chong had always been this way.
Waiting for death had never been his style.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”
After taking care of Young Master Qingyang, Wang Chong rushed forward. However, the only things left in the cave passage were a few spider threads. That massive spider itself had returned to its cavern.
All he could see was that the various spider threads were constantly trembling. Young Master Qingyang had been correct. This spider would usually only leave its nest when threatened.
Chapter 1469 - Fierce Battle with the Darkshadow Spider (I)
Chapter 1469: Fierce Battle with the Darkshadow Spider (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Swish!
Wang Chong silently made his way to the entrance of the cavern.
Good—it didn’t seal the cave! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
The cavern was still pervaded by the dark green poison mist that obscured vision. However, with his Psychic Energy, Wang Chong could clearly make out that after pushing back Wang Chong and Young Master Qingyang, the spider had returned to the base of the ancient tree where it continued to tie up its prey.
Its front legs grabbed its prey as it began to make its way up to a tree branch along the white threads.
It seems that this beast can control the toughness and sharpness of its threads at will. Otherwise, the sharpness of those threads would have cut its prey into pieces long ago, Wang Chong noted.
After thinking for a few moments, Wang Chong had an idea.
Buzz!
He lunged forward into the dark green mist, toward the Darkshadow Spider within.
As he advanced, he performed many calculations that allowed him to narrowly avoid the sharp and poisoned threads around him. In just a few moments, he was within one hundred feet of the spider.
Hisss!
The massive spider immediately raised its head and let out a warning hiss. At the same time, it opened its mandibles and unleashed numerous thin threads at Wang Chong that covered every possible angle of attack.
Wang Chong reacted quickly, swiftly dodging these ten-some threads and attempting to attack the Darkshadow Spider from another angle.
But after getting just five or six meters, boom! Ten-some sharp threads pierced through his chest.
Yet there was no gush of blood. After being pierced by the threads, Wang Chong’s body vanished in a puff of smoke, a mere illusion.
Alarm bells began to go off in the spider’s head, and it anxiously hissed. Although it was not very intelligent, it knew that the human it had attacked just now was not real.
Swish! As the first Wang Chong was pierced through by threads, an identical Wang Chong came rushing out from another direction, sword in hand and a chill in his eyes.
The Darkshadow Spider was clearly concerned, because it could not differentiate this human before it from the real one, could not tell if it was a fake as well.
Swish!
The Darkshadow Spider stretched its body, and soon more than seventy threads were whistling their way toward the second Wang Chong.
Fwoosh!
This large-scale attack succeeded, as the second Wang Chong wasn’t able to get very far before the threads honeycombed him with holes.
“An excellent chance!”
At this moment, a delighted Wang Chong attacked the Darkshadow Spider from behind.
The cloning art allowed Wang Chong to divide himself into three, and these clones could be used to distract his enemy while also concealing the aura of the actual body. This was one of Wang Chong’s time-tested moves.
Wang Chong had used the same move to trick the men in black during their attack on the Righteous Alliance, and he had also used it to deceive the Dragonbeasts.
Hissss!
The Darkshadow Spider felt an immense threat, its sixteen pairs of eyes showing a hint of panic. As its mouth issued warning hisses, it began to twist its massive body in an attempt to face Wang Chong.
As it was turning, poison threads shot out from its back toward Wang Chong. However, after spitting out so many threads the first two times, the spider could not spit as many out this third time.
Even so, the poison threads of the Darkshadow Spider were just as sharp and unstoppable as ever.
Clang! A moment later, Wang Chong began to swing a small dagger through the air. Dingdingding! This dagger swiftly struck at those terrifying threads.
Those sharp threads which could cut through steel had finally met their match.
In this chorus of clangs, all the threads that had been shot toward Wang Chong were blocked and fell to the ground.
The Wootz Steel dagger!
The weapon that Wang Chong used with such skill and precision was none other than the Wootz Steel dagger he carried with him.
Wootz Steel was considered the most valuable, rare, and excellent material for forging weapons. During the forging process, it would produce flowing magical patterns, and it could easily cut through metal. Its sharpness was unsurpassed in the world.
Only Wootz Steel weapons were capable of contending against the poison threads of the Darkshadow Spider.
Bang!
Wang Chong stomped a foot against the ground, using this chance to lunge at the Darkshadow Spider. At the same time, Wang Chong flicked his fingers repeatedly, sending bolts of Sword Qi hurtling at the spider’s massive body.
The spider panicked. As it sharply hissed and shrieked, it shot one thread after another at Wang Chong. At the same time, its eight legs began to rapidly ascend the web to gain a higher vantage point.
It was obvious that the situation had taken it by complete surprise. It was more skilled in attacking prey from a distance, and having someone get so close was clearly a great shock.
“Hmph, think you can run?”
Wang Chong sneered. Although the threads of the Darkshadow Spider were formidable, its actual body wasn’t as impressive. This was also why he had used his clones to deceive it so that he could get up close. If he allowed the Darkshadow Spider to escape to the top of the tree, it would become even more difficult to deal with.
Dingdingding! The Wootz Steel dagger moved with incredible speed, blocking all the white threads regardless of how fast they were or which direction they came from.
The Darkshadow Spider’s terrifying threads were completely incapable of exerting their power in front of the Wootz Steel dagger, but a moment later, there was a clink of cracking metal.
His heart chilling, Wang Chong saw that his Wootz Steel dagger, after suffering from the attacks of more than one hundred white threads, had started to show cracks.
And one section, after suffering too many attacks, had even lost a large chunk.
“This… but how!?”
Wang Chong’s eyes widened. He had personally forged the Wootz Steel weapons, and no one knew more than him just how terrifying they were.
In Wang Chong’s un
derstanding, these weapons were essentially invincible.
Although the Darkshadow Spider’s threads seemed unable to cope with the Wootz Steel dagger, in the end, they were still too sharp and too numerous. After taking so many attacks, the Wootz Steel dagger had sustained irreversible damage.
These thoughts blazed through Wang Chong’s mind, but Wang Chong did not slow down at all.
Buzz!
Even though he felt an ache at his abdomen and disorder in his Stellar Energy, Wang Chong acted without hesitation. Using the Void Movement Technique he had learned from the men in black, Wang Chong vanished into the darkness.
Keekee!
The Darkshadow Spider was now so panicked that it was even making different sounds, chirping rather than hissing. Wang Chong’s disappearance made it feel an unprecedented danger and unease, particularly as he was so close that it would be very difficult to dodge an attack.
Swish!
Under the stimulation of danger, the Darkshadow Spider released vast amounts of thread from its mouth and abdomen, hundreds of threads hissing as they shot off in every direction.
The Darkshadow Spider’s body began to visibly shrivel up.
It was obvious that Wang Chong’s attack had forced it into stimulating its potential. Spitting out so much thread had clearly dealt significant harm to it.
Even Wang Chong couldn’t help but be alarmed as he saw this vast sea of white thread spreading outward.
The Void Movement Technique might have been so fast that it was hard for the eye to keep up, but the Darkshadow Spider had spat out so much thread and with such density that not even a cat could get through the openings left, much less a human.
Even worse was that while Wang Chong could use Stellar Energy to create openings in normal situations, the Darkshadow Spider’s thread could cut through Stellar Energy and even block Sword Qi. Trying to force his way through would just end with his body being butchered.
But even so, Wang Chong reacted quickly. As a top-class Imperial Great General, he possessed abundant combat experience.
Dingding!
Wang Chong threw out the Wootz Steel dagger, which shot like a lightning bolt at the Darkshadow Spider.
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