Chapter 1011: The Second Form of Mu Su Zhenjun

The Northern Demon Kingdom is home to a diverse array of demons, including those that originated from plants. While the Tree Treasure King is the most renowned in the current era, two or three millennia ago, Madam Zhu Er had already heard of "Wood Constellation True Lord."

That was also a demon immortal, and a very difficult one to deal with.

Apparently, this entity also survived and has now allied with Bega.

Although the spiritual energy of the world has diminished, if a demon like Madam Zhu Er could survive, it's not surprising that the Nine-Death Resurrection Grass, known for its tenacity, also endured.

However, for well-known reasons, the Bega people didn't bring its true form, but rather the bone buds from the Nine-Death Resurrection Grass. Once these buds absorb water and touch the ground, they can transform into temporary avatars of the Wood Constellation True Lord, possessing a fraction of his combat power.

Naturally, this combat method consumes a significant amount of spiritual energy.

At this moment, the Spider Demon sisters were bickering over their communication channel: "Go! Why are you two holding out? There's no treasure behind you to protect. The Wood Constellation True Lord's avatar must have a time limit!"

"How do you know that?"

"Just drag him along! Once the time limit is up, you'll win!"

"Are *you* the one who knows how to fight, or *am I*? Bega's tactics are tailor-made for you; they know you'll definitely run, Zhu Er! Run!" This was the elder sister. "I'm not running!"

Ye Qing was fighting on the move, and casually called out, "Hou Er, bee venom!"

Their mission remained unchanged: to capture Madam Zhu Er. Although an unexpected giant ape had appeared and disrupted their plans, with the help of the Wood Constellation True Lord, the mission still seemed achievable.

Hou Er and he were old comrades, usually working seamlessly together on the battlefield. But this time, despite calling twice, Hou Er gave no response.

Ye Qing immediately sensed something was wrong. He looked back, but Hou Er was nowhere to be seen.

Where could Hou Er have gone amidst such intense fighting?

Ye Qing's heart sank. A quick glance revealed that the number of his teammates was off!

Yu Zecheng's group of fifteen had arrived at the Yangshan Islands. He himself, along with two guards, remained temporarily at Nuanxiang Study. Bai Niao had been killed by He Lingchuan. Therefore, eleven members should have been present for the battle in eastern Suoding Island.

This included six humans and five demons.

But when Ye Qing looked closely, only five of his companions remained!

Five others had vanished without a trace, and the comrade who had been knocked off the cliff earlier had also not reappeared.

He immediately shouted, "Everyone be careful, there's still..."

Before he could utter "an ambush," his nape felt light and sticky again, having been sprayed with spider silk.

Again? These little spiders just wouldn't learn!

Ye Qing swung his blade backward reflexively, intending to cut the silk.

However, it was like cutting into malt—astringent and viscous, and he couldn't pull his blade free.

He turned his head and saw a round, robust figure, eight long, spiny legs, and a beautiful star map on its abdomen...

Again, and again, and again?

This Mirage Demon truly has a barren imagination. Are there no other templates it can imitate?

Just as he was about to speak, another burst of spider silk sprayed out, precisely sealing his mouth.

The plump Spider Queen lunged forward and, in a matter of moments, skillfully wrapped him into a large cocoon.

Then, all he could see was an expanse of white...

Had his companions also disappeared like this?

Ye Qing finally realized something was truly wrong.

The way this creature sprayed its web was unlike other burrowing spiders, and the web's strength was completely different. Could it be...?

Could this Spider Queen be real?

How many Spider Queens were actually on the Yangshan Islands?

Such a powerful demon, stooping to ambush from the sidelines despite its status?

Dishonorable!

The Spider Queen bound him into a white cocoon, then tossed him back. Other burrowing spiders caught him and swiftly carried him away.

The other Bega operatives finally sensed something was wrong. They turned and gave chase, shouting, "Captain Ye!"

Two of them charged too aggressively, crashing into something soft as soon as they entered the jungle and bouncing back.

It was a spiderweb.

The web was incredibly fine and elusive, nearly invisible to the naked eye amidst the dark jungle and tangled branches.

As it was the Spider Queen's work, the two who ran into it couldn't break free, like moths caught in a net.

Hmm, three left.

Of course, no Bega operative knew that it was Madam Zhu Da who was fighting alongside the Ghost Ape, and Madam Zhu Er who was hiding and ambushing from the side.

The remaining three Bega operatives looked at the three powerful demons in the arena, then exchanged glances, realizing their mission for the night had completely failed.

They turned and ran, all at once.

Madam Zhu Er set off in pursuit.

The Wood Constellation True Lord disregarded these new developments. After all, its mission was simply to subdue the spider demon and the giant ape.

The three small wooden figures grew larger and larger, already reaching the height of ordinary humans. With burrowing spiders and Bega team members littering the ground, the wooden figures could absorb nutrients from anywhere.

After transforming into a demon, the Nine-Death Resurrection Grass could feed on biological flesh and blood to replenish itself.

However, once the wooden figures grew larger, the Ghost Ape was pleased, as its staff now had more room to maneuver. After Dong Rui's enhancements, its agility had significantly improved, and with eyes that could see behind it, it was less susceptible to surprise attacks from the wooden figures.

The wooden figures also knew Madam Zhu Da was tough, so they focused their attacks solely on her large eyeballs.

The smaller spiders frantically swarmed onto the elder ancestress's forehead, completely shielding this vulnerability.

As the number of Bega operatives dwindled, the numerical advantage of the spider army began to become apparent.

One of the wooden figures suddenly stopped and tilted its head.

The movement was like a person thinking.

Then it stood on a large rock and burst open with a *pop*, releasing a massive quantity of spores!

These spores were as fine as millet, feathered, and once released, they drifted downwind towards the two targets.

The wooden figure disintegrated on its own, but the spore rain floated down like a sudden yellow snowstorm, countless in number.

They were unaffected by the weight of the rain.

Some spores first touched the dead burrowing spiders and Bega corpses on the ground. They immediately burrowed in, gorged themselves on flesh and blood, then grew stems, sprouted, and branched out...

The Ghost Ape also had wounds, and countless spores surged in, adhering to them, and even attempting to burrow into its nose and mouth.

These things sucked blood more ferociously than anything else, causing the Ghost Ape to howl. Madam Zhu Da lifted her spinneret and precisely applied a thick bandage of spider silk to its wounds, isolating the spores from the injuries.

At the same time, she swiftly wove several large nets and hung them in front of herself and the Ghost Ape. Most of the drifting spores became entangled in them.

The burrowing Spider Queen's tightly woven nets could even temporarily block flowing water, so stopping most of the spores was no problem.

However, these spores surprisingly flew upwards, attempting to bypass the spiderwebs and attack the two.

Meanwhile, on the ground, in just a few breaths, nearly a thousand wooden figures rose up—as agile and deadly as their predecessors, and equally capable of explosive reproduction.

Realizing the danger, the Ghost Ape spat out several bursts of green flame, incinerating a large number of spores.

However, the sheer number of spores was overwhelming. Even after spitting fire more than a dozen times, the Ghost Ape was exhausted, and relatively little of the total mass had been destroyed.

The wooden figures on the ground, meanwhile, were locked in combat with the spider army, growing rapidly by absorbing flesh and blood.

This new batch of wooden figures simultaneously attacked Madam Zhu Da and the Ghost Ape while clinging to each other, rooting themselves freely into each other's bodies.

Soon, hundreds of wooden figures grew into two colossal entities, thirty feet tall, yet remarkably agile. The Ghost Ape, inadvertently caught by one leg, swung its staff back and struck the wooden giant's arm. The blow only produced a thudding sound, snapping a few wooden sinews, but the wooden giant's arm remained largely undamaged.

When it spat two bursts of green flame, the wooden giant did catch fire, but its wounds quickly secreted an amber-like liquid that prevented the flames from spreading further.

Both sides were locked in a struggle, a stalemate that was difficult to break.

But if this entity were allowed to continue growing, the Ghost Ape's strength wouldn't be able to match it.

This was the troublesome aspect of the Wood Constellation True Lord: whether in a one-on-one fight or a group battle, there was always a form suitable for dealing with any opponent.

Just then, Madam Zhu Er, who had been chasing the Bega operatives, pushed aside the bushes and returned, intending to rejoin the battle.

Madam Zhu Da stopped her: "Don't come over! You'll break the barrier!"

Madam Zhu Er paused, startled. "What barrier?"

"The wind-proof barrier!" Madam Zhu Da, entangled by the wood demon and unable to break free, could only instruct her sister verbally, "It's right under your feet, hurry!"

Madam Zhu Er used her eight legs to feel around and located a large rock by the roadside.

"This one?"

"No, no! The other direction!"

The Wood Constellation True Lord's avatar seemed to sense a threat and turned to walk towards Madam Zhu Er.

Madam Zhu Da vigorously sprayed several bursts of acid, and the giant ape slammed its staff onto the back of the wood demon's head. Presumably, its head was ringing from the blow, as the wood demon finally turned its attention elsewhere again.

Fortunately, this thing was only an avatar; its wooden mind was far less perceptive than the original entity.

At this point, Madam Zhu Er found another large rock. "This one?"

The roadside was full of large rocks, making it truly difficult to find the right one.

"It should be!"

As Madam Zhu Er dug around, she asked, "What do you mean 'should be'? Are you sure?"

This rock was twice as large as the previous one, deeply embedded in the mud.

The small spiders also swarmed forward, carrying away the mud.

Madam Zhu Da quickly said, "Definitely, definitely, just lift it!"

The giant rock loosened, and with a powerful heave, Madam Zhu Er flipped it over.

Whoosh—

A Category 16 gale suddenly swept across the entire mountaintop.

The four massive creatures engaged in combat were caught off guard, even swaying back and forth due to the strong winds.

If their massive weights could be shaken by the storm, there was no need to mention the lightweight spores, which were instantly swept high into the sky by the gale, disappearing in a flash.

Even the small wooden figures scurrying around were swept away without a trace.

What Madam Zhu Er had dislodged was a Wind Lion Deity, which had been guarding this mountaintop.

He Lingchuan had previously brought back several Wind Lion Deities from the Misty Sect. Some time ago, he ordered craftsmen to replicate the ancient formations onto the bottoms of ordinary large stones, then had disciples from Rong Mountain refine them further.

For over two millennia, the Misty Sect's Wind Lion Deities had been able to withstand the subterranean Meridian Divine Wind, attesting to the miraculous nature of their formations. However, He Lingchuan also understood that the primary reason the Meridian Divine Wind didn't breach the Wind Lion Deity barriers was an agreement signed long ago between the sect's guardian beast, the Great Wind Demon, and the Misty Sect, ensuring the sect's safety.

He Lingchuan, however, had signed no such protective agreement. Therefore, the high-imitation Wind Lion Deities on the Yangshan Islands couldn't block gales of that magnitude and also required Profound Crystals to activate.

But it didn't matter. Even the most powerful hurricanes at sea were qualitatively inferior to the Meridian Divine Wind. Furthermore, the Misty Sect's wind-proofing formations, having been verified and modified by several masters in Panlong City, were remarkably energy-efficient. Although they still required Profound Crystals, the amount needed was only about one-tenth of that for ordinary wind-stabilizing barriers.

A single Profound Crystal the size of a mung bean could sustain the barrier for twenty-six hours.