As for developing the surface? Greem had never considered that part of his plans, at least not within the short term.
He hadn't spent so much effort constructing and defending the tower just to expand territory for the Sarubo Clan. This endeavor was all for his future development. Based on information he had collected and gathered from various sources, spirit elementiumization was an unavoidable stage for Greem if he wanted to advance to Second Grade.
If he wanted to refine his Spirit and make it compatible with his future path of development, he needed an excellent environment to train in. The Plaguewood adept's tower was the most suitable place for his cultivation!
Gargamel sent a magical message to Greem's mind as he was contemplating his future.
Greem paused for a moment before walking to the Room of Bindings on the third level.
The moment he walked in, Greem narrowed his eyes and looked at the shivering figures suspended in midair.
The magical flowing lights on the walls illuminated everything in the room. One could vaguely make out the elegant patterns and lines glowing beneath the smooth surface of the stone wall. Everything connected to form a vast yet complex runic array.
It wasn't a regular pentagon or hexagon array. All sorts of complicated symbols and runes laid upon each other and connected to form the elaborate spread of stars that you would usually see on a halo array. The various magical creatures were all bound in different silver halos; none of them could move a single finger.
"How is it? Are these fellows willing to surrender?" Greem asked.
"Of course, of course, of course." Surprisingly, the first to reply wasn't Gargamel. Rather, it was the three-headed demon hound crouching in the circle of light. Unguja spoke with a fawning smile on his face, "Sir, please heal me quick! If I'm not healed soon, I might even regress, and my grade will fall. My injuries are so severe that even my spirit origin has been damaged."
Greem looked at Gargamel, who nodded silently. It was only then that he believed Unguja's words.
Once they planted a manipulation rune in the demon hound, the beast would be one their own. It wouldn't be beneficial for either of them if his strength regressed.
"If that's the case, then open up your mental space to me!" Greem extended a hand and started to draw in the air. Soon, a soul brand containing his magical aura materialized, "As long as you obey me properly, I will immediately have Gargamel treat all your injuries."
Unguja gritted his teeth and growled in agony. A soul projection emerged from the leading head in the middle. It bowed respectfully before Greem.
Greem was just about to send the manipulation rune into the silver halo when a voice called out.
"Teacher, don't be tricked by it!" Meryl quickly walked into the room from outside, "Sister Alice just told me something earlier. There's no point in gaining control over the main head of a three-headed demon hound like this one. You need to control all three heads at once. Otherwise, it can break free of the soul brand by forcefully devouring its own main head!"
Greem eyes sharpened, and a crimson light glowed in the depths of his black eyes.
"I forgot… I really did just forget earlier," The three-headed demon hound was terrified out of its wits. It had no choice but to grimace and force out the soul projections of the other two heads, "Master, I won't dare to do it again!"
Greem blew out. The manipulation shook within the hot air current and split into three. They whizzed through the air and quickly sank into Unguja's three soul projections.
The sudden change to his soul and the terrifying heat Greem had intentionally attached to the rune caused intense pain to Unguja. His whole body crouched against the ground. Hundreds of wounds and scars cracked and split apart as he coped from the pain in his soul. Purple and black blood flowed all over its body. It wasn't a pretty sight to see.
"Very well, you can treat it now!"
Greem closed his eyes and confirmed that the manipulation runes had safely merged with the demon hound's soul. He then waved his arm and dispersed the binding array to allow Gargamel to treat the demon hound.
Simple external wounds would not kill Unguja; however, they would have to extract the horrifying fire poison deep within his body as soon as possible. Otherwise, it might affect Ungaja's spirit origin.
"What about the two of you?" Greem turned his eyes towards the bird demon and the snake fiend.
These two spineless creatures naturally chose to surrender, just like Unguja.
They were also released after Greem carefully planted a manipulation rune within them.
Having dealt with the three cowards, Greem moved on to the last silver halo. The large and mighty Giant Berserk Gelada was confined within. However, its spirit seemed to have withered.
"Are you willing to surrender?"
Greem had just spoken when the gelada opened its mouth and roared as it punched at the transparent halo of light. Apart from some muffled banging, the silver circle of light didn't even tremble. Electricity suddenly flashed within the array.
Electricity flickered across the gelada's body amidst the sound of crackling and sizzling. Its massive body started trembling uncontrollably.
However, even in its disabled state, the gelada bared its fangs and roared at Greem.
"It seems it's a tough nut to crack!" Greem shook his head in pity. He turned and ordered Meryl, "No need to break in a fellow like this. Invite Adept Keoghan from the headquarters and have him wipe away the gelada's spirit and turn it into a voodoo beast!"
"Yes, teacher!" Meryl nodded.
"You shouted for me to come over earlier and said there were other spoils. What is it?" Greem turned to look at Gargamel.
Gargamel, who had been rubbing his hands together all this while, couldn't help but betray a look full of greed, "Master, all these fellows have their own dens!"
"Oh, so you mean...?"
"Of course we will want to take a visit to the dens of the three-headed demon hound and the other two. More importantly, they know the exact locations of the other survivors' dens! Master, you should know that all those creatures were alone when they escaped." Gargamel couldn't hide the greedy glint in his eyes when he spoke. He licked his lips and waited for a reply.
Greem's eyes brightened when he heard this.
Chapter 419 Spider Forest
The forest around Plaguewood appeared to be unnaturally quiet under the faint light of the stars.
There were no signs of large carnivores. Even the chirping of birds and the calls of cicadas had vanished. The entire Black Forest was like a graveyard, so deathly silent it was eerie.
The hill upon which Plaguewood stood had disappeared. The large crater from the collapsed ground had swallowed the hundreds of tons of dirt and trees. This place was no more than a messy pile of rocks now.
A strange scratching sound was coming out from a corner of this pile of rubble. The noise was as soft as a mole digging through the ground at first. However, it gradually became louder and louder.
Boom.
There was a massive explosion as a strange magical creature with a short neck and tail emerged from underground. It was a peculiar beast that looked like both a dragon and a griffin. It had a muscular body, immense strength, and sharp teeth and claws. However, despite its apparent power, it had some horrifying wounds on its tough gray hide.
It shook off the dirt on its body when it emerged from the hole it had dug. It then raised its neck and screeched. Its massive hind legs kicked against the ground and it took to the skies.
The Wyvern King let out a sorrowful cry as it circled above the pile of rocks. It then turned and flew east towards the cliff it lived on.
Not long after it disappeared, a black silhouette appeared beside the hole.
The Dark Tentacular's soft and flexible body couldn't easily be seen under the curtain of night. One could barely make out a mass of black shadow.
The Dark Tentacular hesitated for a moment before taking advantage of the cover of night and
escaping into the distance.
It had been a solitary being from the very start. The death and extermination of the horde had little to no impact on it. However, considering the potential revenge by the human adepts, the Dark Tentacular knew that this place was no longer safe.
It was time to consider moving!
The Dark Tentacular wove through the vast darkness as it contemplated its options. Its outline quickly shrunk as it went further and further.
Soon after the two magical creature leaders had left, a blast tore through another spot of the pile of rocks. Demon-Hunting Spider Tula climbed out from beneath with a massive cocoon on his back. He vanished into the forest without looking back.
Nothing happened until a whole hour later.
Rumbling sounded out from below and a layer of dirt suddenly collapsed to reveal a winding tunnel. Several figures walked out from within and lined up at the entrance of the cave like they were waiting for an important individual.
The last to emerge was naturally Greem.
Greem was exhausted from the bloody battle earlier, but the desire for even more spoils fueled his body and provided him with the will to continue fighting.
Greem's two-meters of height might not have been the tallest in the group, but everyone bowed to him in respect the moment he appeared.
Greem's eyes slowly swept across this group of individuals. There were no more than twenty of them: a party that included his disciples, his subordinates, and his slaves.
"Meryl, you bring Kodar, the bird demon, the manticore leader, and two manticores to the Giant Berserk Gelada's den in the Twin Tower Mountain. If things go well, you can go pay a visit to the bird demon's home along the way back."
"Understood! Leave it to me, teacher!"
"Gargamel, you bring Sabrina and the snake fiend, as well as three manticores to the Medusa's den at Crimson Rock. Remember to bring back as much as you can from the snake fiend's den on the way back."
"Leave it to me, master!" Gargamel once again uttered his signature sinister laugh.
"Very well. The rest of you follow me to Tula's spider cave. I want to see if that fellow has returned to his old den!"
"Understood!" The Three-Headed Demon Hound replied without much enthusiasm.
It had just been enslaved, and its wounds hadn't completely healed. Yet they already had to go on a march to Magical Creature Lord Tula's den. Of course, he wasn't happy. Still, he had no choice; his very life was in the hands of that human adept!
It was a simple organization of manpower. The three human adepts were each accompanied by three pseudo-adepts, a magical creature, and a couple of manticores. In doing so, they would at least be able to hold their own if they ran into the escapees. It wouldn't be easy to beat any one of the adepts. After all, those magical creature leaders knew each other very well. They probably had a much better idea of what their companions had left behind in their death. It wasn't unlikely for them to go searching around in the dens left behind.
Thus, after considering the risks and benefits, Greem decisively split up the members of the tower to maximize their efficiency at scouring for useful resources.
Of course, the tower itself could not be left unguarded. That was why Greem had left Eva the Forest Spirit behind. When aided by Am and the other apprentice adepts, they could defend the tower against any survivors as long as they stayed inside.
After saying his farewells, Greem hopped onto an adolescent manticore and brought Unguja along as they hurried towards Tula's spider den.
…………
Tula's spider den was a massive cave.
It was located in a valley a hundred kilometers to the north of Plaguewood.
Greem sat on the manticore's back and looked down at the forest along the way. The number of life signatures within the radius of his spiritual senses had drastically decreased.
The battle of Plaguewood had killed hundreds of thousands of woodland creatures. It would bring about a massive and unprecedented impact to this stretch of the Black Forest. Even though the movement of population in the Black Forest was extraordinarily high, and this vacuum of life would quickly be filled in by creatures from nearby areas, the number and quality of the animals were going to be inferior.
The density of the woodland creatures also determined the number of magical creatures that this land could sustain.
While the adept's tower would be much more secure if there were less magical creatures, there would also be fewer resources harvested from them.
Unguja, who had been running on the ground, finally stopped in front of a cave while Greem was thinking about various issues.
The manticore circled in the sky once, then blew up a gale as it dove down and landed beside Unguja.
Greem leaped off the manticore and took a good look at this menacing forest before him.
Compared to the Black Forest, this place should have been called the 'White Forest.'
Towering, ancient trees filled this mountain valley that Tula had picked for his home. However, one couldn't see the green canopy, the undergrowth, or the vines and bushes. All of these had been replaced with one thing– haunting white webs.
They covered the canopy, were between the branches, between the trees…
White and sticky webs were everywhere. There were small white cocoons littered here and there as well.
These cocoons hung between the branches. Some hid in the hollows of trees, and others hung on either side of the path. They swayed in midair as the night breeze blew past.
Greem could sense weak life auras from within some of the white cocoons. Most others already had all the liquid extracted from their bodies. Only mummies remained in those cocoons.
Strangely enough, Greem and Unguja didn't find any spiders, even after walking for several hundred of meters!
Did they all die in the sea of lava?
Greem immediately dismissed the idea the moment it crossed his mind.
Tula was a sly magical creature lord. There was no way he would ever commit to such a resolute act of war. There had to be enough spider subordinates to defend his home hidden in this den. Tula had most likely run back home to treat his wound right after he escaped.
If Greem wasn't mistaken, abducting the medusa was probably part of Tula's plan to hasten his recovery. The only thing Greem wasn't sure about was how Tula was going to consume the medusa. Would he eat her alive? Steam her, or even fry her?
Greem couldn't help but feel a sense of pity when he thought of the medusa's pretty face and slender body. Eating a 'beauty' like that was such a waste!
Blue light flashed in Greem's eyes as he slowly scanned the spider forest before him. A solemn expression quickly overtook his face.
His elementium sight was picking up slight flows of energy in the webs every time he scanned them. Warnings continually popped up in his mind.
"Warning. Warning. Detecting unknown defensive forcefield. Said forcefield can absorb Spirit and obscure spiritual senses."
Hmm? A spiderweb that could obstruct spiritual senses?
Greem promptly walked towards a tall tree. He extended a hand and grabbed the thick cobwebs that enveloped and covered the branches. He pulled and tore at the webs.
It was sticky, tough, and had a trace of numbness to it. A numbness that could paralyze a person's spirit.
If Greem were an ordinary animal, all his spirit would have been quickly drained away from him when he bumped into a web like this. He would then find himself in one of the many cocoons.
Greem used all his strength, yet even his three points of Strength couldn't rip this ordinary-looking web. It was important to note how much three points was. A grown black bear in the Black Forest had no more than three points of Strength. Three points of Strength would allow Greem to become a human monster in these woods. He wouldn't need to use any magic. His bare hands would let him defeat most carnivores.
Of course, that was not taking into consideration magical beasts like Earth Maulers and Iron Rhinocero
ses!
Greem snapped his finger, and his right hand that gripped the web quickly burned with fire. The elastic webbing immediately sizzled and vanished under the application of magic.
It seemed fire was the weakness of these webs!
Greem put his blazing palms forward, and the layers of webs on the tree melted like snow splashed with boiling water.
Soon, the black and wrinkled bark of the tree was revealed.
Greem punched ahead without any hesitation. His flaming iron fists instantly smashed the bark and went right into the tree.
The tree was hollow!
When Greem pulled out his fist from the tree, purple and black blood oozed out from within the hole. Countless spiderites surged outwards. Greem could see the pile of bones and fur left in the hollow of the tree.
His discovery seemed to have triggered the entire spider forest. Those mummies that were hanging in between the branches suddenly started moving strangely. They started tearing away the webs on their bodies with dull and stiff motions.
Yet the moment they broke free of their constraints, they were able to leap along the tall trees with the agility of leopards. They howled as they lunged at Greem and the three-headed demon hound.
The entire spider forest erupted into a riot!
Chapter 420 Spider Cave
Whoosh.
Wicked winds blew wildly.
A skinny and withered figure jumped down from the canopy, only to have its head grabbed by Greem's burning hand.
Greem took a look at the creature by the light from the flickering flames. He instantly understood the nature of the being.
It was a semi-undead!
It was a mummy that had been lying dormant within a cocoon for numerous years. Its body was desiccated and withered, its abdomen caved inwards and what hair it had left was the color of straw. Spiders climbed in and out of its empty eye sockets, nose, and mouth.
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