Chapter 69: The Evil Assassin, the Hybrid Devil Spider
"So many drained corpses. These wounds… could they have been made by some kind of sharp limb with a devouring attribute?"
Chen Ming stopped in front of a group of Spirit Beast mummies that had lost all moisture, their bodies dried into desiccated husks. He squatted down and examined them closely.
This group of Spirit Beasts consisted of Storm Devil Wolves. That was not strange. These creatures could be found in almost any forest.
However, judging from the visible traces on the wolf bones, Chen Ming estimated that the leader of this pack had at least five thousand years of cultivation. There were also several thousand year Storm Devil Wolves in the pack, while the smaller corpses around them were at the hundred year level.
This meant it had been a fairly powerful wolf pack, one capable of facing even a ten thousand year Spirit Beast head-on.
Their deaths were extremely gruesome. Their bodies were covered in puncture wounds and marks that looked as though they had been sliced open by sharp blades. Even after drying into mummy-like husks, Chen Ming could still sense the fear and agony lingering on the corpses.
The lead wolf had the fewest injuries among all the Storm Devil Wolves present. One blade-like object had pierced its heart, while another had pierced its abdomen, eventually draining the wolf dry from the inside out.
To Chen Ming, the injuries on the several thousand year Storm Devil Wolves did not seem like simple attempts to kill them. They looked more like deliberate torture, forcing the pack to die in agony.
"Could there be another Evil Soul Master here?"
Chen Ming examined the wounds carefully before dismissing the thought.
By conservative estimate, the objects that pierced the wolves were massive awl-like blades at least two meters long. Judging by their size, they were more likely to be the limbs of some Spirit Beast rather than part of a Spirit.
Although a Beast Spirit Master could cause such damage after activating their Spirit Avatar, who would use a Spirit Avatar against a pack of thousand year Spirit Beasts?
Combining all these traces with the faint toxins left inside the dried corpses, Chen Ming gradually formed a general impression of the killer.
"Devouring ability, able to absorb energy through its limbs. Venomous. Powerful attack. Extremely vile temperament, with obvious sadistic behavior toward its prey."
"If it isn't a Spirit Master with a corresponding Spirit, or some particularly unique Tool Spirit Master, then the culprit is most likely the Spider Emperor. There's a high chance these traces were left by a powerful Man Faced Demon Spider. Otherwise, even an Evil Soul Master would have cleaned up the scene."
Ten thousand years ago, the Man Faced Demon Spider had been a top-tier spider-type Spirit Beast. It was known for its violent nature and innate bloodlust, killing indiscriminately even when it was already full. It was called the nightmare of small Spirit Beasts. Because of its excellent quality and terrifying strength, it was also known as the Spider Emperor.
There were very few spider-type Spirit Beasts stronger than the Man Faced Demon Spider. Those more numerous than it were neither as strong nor as terrifying.
Thus, although it was not the absolute strongest spider-type Spirit Beast, its title of Spider Emperor was well deserved.
However, ten thousand years ago, Tang San had gone on a killing spree in the Star Dou Great Forest for revenge, using his Eight Spider Lances to devour Man Faced Demon Spiders, nearly driving them to extinction there. Combined with the celebrity effect after Tang San attained godhood and the legend of the Eight Spider Lances, the Man Faced Demon Spider became an extremely sought-after hunting target.
It was already rare, and under the influence of various factors, the Spider Emperor had now become an exceptionally scarce Spirit Beast, constantly hovering on the brink of extinction, only half a step away from disappearing forever.
Chen Ming had not expected to find traces of such a Spirit Beast in this primeval forest.
"But with such a powerful devouring ability, this must be a Man Faced Demon Spider of at least the ten thousand year level. It may even be around twenty thousand years. A Spirit Beast like that can already rival human Spirit Emperors and some Spirit Saint level Spirit Masters."
"Setting aside whether I can hunt it, its age doesn't seem to match my spirit ring requirements. Should I wait until my fourth ring?"
As Chen Ming was thinking, a pebble struck the top of his head. He looked up and saw another pebble land in the direction he had just been observing.
"Does Teacher want me to pursue it?"
"I don't understand why, but Teacher would never harm me."
Chen Ming shook his head and continued tracking the traces forward.
Along the way, he saw more Spirit Beast corpses that had been drained into mummies. Aside from the necessary fatal wounds, these corpses bore many signs of torture, making Chen Ming even more certain that these were traces left by a Man Faced Demon Spider.
After all, only the Man Faced Demon Spider would kill and torture every Spirit Beast it encountered, regardless of species or age. Even if an Evil Soul Master wanted to perform soul refining or devouring, they would choose a more efficient method. Unless their mind was completely soaked in evil Qi, no one would kill indiscriminately like this.
Because of its constant slaughter along the way, the suspected Man Faced Demon Spider moved rather slowly. After tracking it for several hours, Chen Ming finally caught up.
However, that Spirit Beast was somewhat different from what Chen Ming had imagined.
It was a giant spider as tall as a building. Its eight massive legs had no hair, instead reflecting a metallic purple-black luster under the sunlight.
Sparse fuzz grew on the spider's huge abdomen, forming a distorted human face. This was the most obvious feature of a Man Faced Demon Spider.
But besides that, the giant spider's carapace had purple patterns like the hem of a skirt. Its shell felt like armor, and thorn-like structures grew from some of its joints.
On its head, the carapace protruded upward, while fine fuzz formed a crown-like structure. Its eight compound eyes radiated the light of death and a cruel, cold emotion.
Those were clearly characteristics that only the legendary Death Demon Spider possessed!
This was not a Man Faced Demon Spider, nor was it a Death Demon Spider. This was an unprecedented hybrid of a Man Faced Demon Spider and a Death Demon Spider. It was even rarer than either of those two species.
Based on its spirit power fluctuations, Chen Ming estimated that its cultivation was between eight and nine thousand years. It was definitely not at the ten thousand year level.
But such a Spirit Beast…
Even though the ten thousand year threshold brought a qualitative transformation, a normal ten thousand year Spirit Beast would likely be nothing more than a thin-skinned, meat-filled bun in front of this Hybrid Devil Spider. Unless it was a top-tier Spirit Beast with over twenty thousand years of cultivation, it would be impossible to stand against this devil spider.
At the same level, its combat power was probably only slightly inferior to super Spirit Beasts like the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python.
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