Chapter 199: Zhu Erniang

The cave was abruptly nestled in the hillside, irregular in shape, and at its widest point, it was at least 13 meters in diameter. From their semi-upward perspective, the cave was not dark at all; instead, light emanated from within.

This meant there were even more glow-spores inside the cave.

Someone blurted out, "What is this place? What's covering the entrance, is it satin?"

The cave entrance appeared to be covered by a vast sheet of brocade, woven with gold, red, silver, and black threads. The patterns were highly abstract, yet even under the glow-spore illumination, it shimmered with iridescent colors, like an evening sky at dusk.

Liu Tong choked out, "It's not satin; it's a spiderweb, and there are spiders crawling on it."

Only by looking very closely could one discern that it was, in fact, layer upon layer of spiderwebs.

Its weavers must have been masters of light manipulation.

For the first time, He Lingchuan felt that spiderwebs looked more exquisite than silkworm silk.

"It's obvious!" the skinny man said, staring unblinking. "This must be the spider demon's nest, untouched by fire."

Indeed, spiders were constantly moving in and out of the enormous cave.

He Lingchuan, not understanding, asked, "I recall that bees and ants live in colonies and move in an orderly fashion, while spiders are mostly solitary. Why are the spider demons in Ghost Needle Stone Forest all in groups?"

"You're talking about the habits of ordinary species, but it's different once they become demons," Liutiao answered. "We have an old saying: 'When one achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' While a bit exaggerated—enlightened humans don't have anywhere else to go, and chickens and dogs wouldn't know where to fly—the underlying principle holds true for demons as well. Once they achieve demonhood, large numbers of their kin will quickly gather around them, seeking protection. Furthermore, the descendants of demons also find it easy to enter the path of cultivation."

He Lingchuan immediately recalled the sand leopards west of Blackwater City. Leopards are naturally solitary creatures, yet this den of leopard demons lived, hunted, and defended themselves together, truly becoming communal.

If it was true for leopards, then it was no surprise for spiders.

"But on the other hand, the ridiculously vast number of cave spiders in Ghost Needle Stone Forest indicates that—" Liutiao's expression darkened. "There's likely a powerful demon in the main nest!"

"Of course," the guide mumbled, his face paling as he stared blankly at the massive pit on the slope. "This is Mother Zhu's home! Oh no, oh no, we've stumbled right into Mother Zhu's lair!"

He Lingchuan glanced sideways. "This powerful demon is called Mother Zhu?" A powerful demon living in a spider's nest—what else could it be but an old spider demon? No wonder its name sounds like 'spider'.

But what does 'Mother' mean in this context? He thought it was a title reserved for village women.

A spider demon that can weave brocade, given a humanized name...

"Yes, it is the master of the Stone Forest, the mother of all spiders," the guide stammered nervously. "Long ago, these spiders would devour people, and cultivators who ventured into the Ghost Needle Stone Forest to exterminate demons never returned. Back then, the name Mother Zhu was enough to stop children from crying at night in Puxi Gully!"

"Let's go quickly!" he said, his voice trembling. "We can't stay here long!"

Putting out their torches and hurrying on was a wise decision; it was best not to alarm the main nest's boss.

Everyone lightened their steps. They also carefully calmed their horses, making sure they made as little noise as possible.

The spiders on the bank all gathered closer. Unlike before, they didn't hiss. Instead, they lay silently on the ground, as if daring not to make a sound.

After they walked another ten paces, they suddenly noticed several boulders resting on the slope above the large cave. The largest and most prominent one was also illuminated by the glow-spores, and to their surprise, it bore three large characters!

The skinny man asked Menban, "What's written on the stone tablet?"

"How should I know?" Menban shot him a sidelong glance. "Do I look like an old scholar to you?"

The script looked somewhat familiar, but in truth, no one could decipher it.

The skinny man chuckled. "Maybe it just says 'Mother Zhu'."

He Lingchuan was even more surprised than they were:

He had seen this kind of script before, in the Immortal's Dwelling by Spirit Lake!

He still hadn't found a place to decipher the immortal's last writings he had copied, and now, the same script had appeared in Ghost Needle Stone Forest.

Then the question arose: Why would an ancient inscription be at the entrance of a cave spider's den?

He Lingchuan also noticed that the inscription's color was blood-red under the fluorescent light. Since this place was rarely visited, who was regularly adding vermilion pigment to it? Otherwise, the characters would have faded long ago from wind and rain.

"This Ghost Needle Stone Forest is getting stranger the longer we stay," Liutiao whispered. "We shouldn't linger. Let's go."

Safety first; she was not a curious woman.

Just as everyone was about to turn around, the soft 'brocade' covering the cave entrance suddenly moved without a breeze. Its beautiful, wave-like patterns of light nearly blinded them.

Immediately after, a massive figure emerged from the cave.

It was roughly the size of a small house, with an alternately brown and white back, eight long legs, and a body covered in bristles.

This was a giant spider, dozens of times larger than its smaller kin crawling on the ground.

A common characteristic of such colossal creatures is their visually oppressive presence. Even Liutiao, usually so carefree, couldn't help but turn her head.

However, with an agility that defied its size, the giant spider then flipped onto its back. As the glow-spores illuminated its underside, everyone watching from a distance widened their eyes.

The spider demon's abdomen was incredibly beautiful.

Its cerulean base color resembled the sky; countless shimmering and fading white specks formed constellations; and several large, reddish-yellow bright spots perfectly mimicked the principal stars of constellations.

A summer night sky was no more stunning.

But the giant spider demon immediately landed on all eight legs. The celestial map on its abdomen was hidden, its appearance now more menacing than beautiful.

Countless smaller spiders gathered around it, as if reporting to it.

Then, the giant spider demon strode away, heading northeast.

Though it looked massive, its movements were surprisingly silent.

Spiders filled the pit and valley, surrounding it in the center like stars orbiting the moon.

Not until the giant spider demon's silhouette disappeared over the long slope and into the woods did its invisible oppressive presence fade.

As many as eighty percent of the spiders followed it. Only twenty percent remained outside the cave as guards.

Only then did the others dare to speak. "Was that Mother Zhu?"

The guide wiped sweat from his brow. "It was, it must have been!" He hadn't seen it in person, but he felt it in his heart. Could there be a second monster so terrifying in Ghost Needle Stone Forest? The legend was true after all.

"It went northeast," Menban said, a hesitant look on his face. "What do we do now?"

"We'll go around the slope and then north," Liu Tong whispered. "Mother Zhu is heading towards our main force."

The guide's face was filled with worry. "Can the Panlong City army defeat it? It's the overlord of this place!"

He Lingchuan only said two words:

"Of course." (But he wasn't at all sure!)

Neither the timing, the terrain, nor the spider demons were on General Nankē's side. What did it matter if the Panlong City army had superior combat power, or if they had elemental energy enhancements?

Seeing the stiffness in everyone's faces, He Lingchuan still tried to encourage them: "We don't need to defeat it; we just need to fight as we retreat and get out of Ghost Needle Stone Forest."

He was... very right. Liu Tong secretly sighed in relief. "That's precisely it! Let's go."

Unfortunately, the merchant's horse was suddenly startled by a forest bird and whinnied.

Although its rider immediately reined it in, the sound carried far in the night. The spiders at the cave entrance heard it instantly and began moving towards them.

"Damn it, quick!" If these things caught up to them, they would be in serious trouble.

A subordinate reported, "General, the spiders attacking the breach have grown larger and are even harder to deal with."

General Nankē rushed over to see. Indeed, the spiders, originally the size of cats, had grown a full size larger, now comparable to yellow dogs. Although their movements were less agile than before, the silk they spewed was stickier and stronger.

At that moment, another soldier reported, "The spiders are moving the fire wall!"

"How is that possible?" General Nankē was greatly surprised. He inspected the middle section of the fire wall and found that some spider demons' webs were immune to fire and could adhere to the burning logs. Other spiders then swarmed forward, helping to pull the logs back.

These spider demons themselves were probably not afraid of ordinary fire. However, they had no intention of crossing the fire wall to engage in close combat with the soldiers. The soldiers were protected by elemental energy; any direct confrontation would be a disadvantage for the spiders.

The best strategy was still to tear down the fire wall and let the spider army in.

General Nankē was startled to personally witness tens of thousands of spiders pulling at a ten-zhang (approximately 33-meter) long log. He ordered archers to climb trees and specifically target the spider demons with arrows. After all, there were only a limited number of fire-resistant spider demons; killing one meant one less.

Before everyone could catch their breath, they had to rush to cut new timber to fill the gaps.

How did these creatures suddenly become stronger and smarter?

General Nankē mused, "It seems the leader has arrived."

He channeled energy into his core, and his booming voice carried over the fire wall, echoing throughout the valley above. "Mother Zhu, if you are present, please come out for a meeting!"

He always did his research before leading troops. Of course, he knew that the lord of Ghost Needle Stone Forest was the spider demon Mother Zhu.

The spider's tide-like assault indeed slowed down. In the darkness, a massive figure appeared on a small hill about 66 meters away.

"Are you Mother Zhu? I am Chu Xuan, General Nankē of Panlong City. I am escorting a merchant caravan through Ghost Needle Stone Forest, but we have been attacked by your cave spiders. What is the meaning of this?"

"Heh," a deep voice resonated in everyone's minds. "You killed my subjects, burned my home, and acted treacherously first. How dare you accuse me of harming you? Blood for blood."

So it was. General Nankē said loudly, "The ones who burned your nest were the Baling people, not my Panlong army or citizens. There is a clear culprit and a clear victim; you should be seeking trouble with them."

As soon as he finished speaking, two spiders stood at the breach in the fire wall.

The soldiers stood ready with their halberds. But the spiders simply stood still.

Mother Zhu then said, "Let me ask you, can you tell these two spiders apart?"

Everyone looked. The two creatures were of similar size; both had twelve glistening eyes, plump, round bodies, and hairy, dark legs. Even the white spots on their legs were in the same positions.

General Nankē remained silent.

He understood Mother Zhu's meaning. To humans, all spiders looked alike, and the same was true in reverse.

This great demon couldn't be bothered to distinguish between Baling people and Panlong City people. As long as it was humans who had harmed the cave spiders, she was justified in seeking revenge against humanity.