Chapter 1508: Ghost Spider Evolution

If Wang Qingshan hadn't intervened promptly, Wang Yingjie would also have been taken by the Netherworld Spiders.

Just then, the main forces of the Three Flames Palace arrived. They unleashed a barrage of large-scale fire-element spells against the Netherworld Spiders. With constant roars, the leaderless spiders were no match for the cultivators.

A quarter of an hour later, there wasn't a single living Netherworld Spider on the plain. The ground was covered in dark green liquid, emitting a foul, fishy smell. Numerous magical artifacts and treasures lay strewn across the ground, mixed with the remains of Netherworld Spider corpses, creating a chaotic scene. Hundreds of thousands of Netherworld Spiders had attacked, but only a small portion escaped back to the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range.

Song Xiruo performed a hand seal, and the Taiyang Bottle's spiritual glow faded. It shrank back to its original size, then flew into her sleeve and vanished. Fan Ruoruo and the others flew towards them. They knew Song Xiruo's timely assistance had been crucial; without her, countless more cultivators might have been captured by the Netherworld Spiders.

"Fellow Daoist Song, we are grateful you arrived when you did; otherwise, we would have been in grave trouble," Fan Ruoruo expressed, explaining that while ordinary Netherworld Spiders were manageable, the mutated ones were exceptionally difficult to deal with.

"Fellow Daoist Fan, you flatter me. This is simply my duty. Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Fang, you traveled thousands of miles to the Northern Frontier to eliminate these pests. On behalf of the Three Flames Palace, I extend our heartfelt thanks." Song Xiruo bowed gracefully. Regardless of their reasons, Wang Qingshan and Fang Mu's journey to the Northern Frontier to exterminate the insects was a great boon to the cultivation world there.

"Fairy Song, you are too kind. Exterminating evil and upholding righteousness is the duty of cultivators like us. Though I have long resided in the South Sea, I felt compelled to contribute my humble strength when vicious insects plagued the Northern Frontier," Wang Qingshan spoke with righteous conviction and a sincere tone. His presence in the Northern Frontier, assisting with the pest extermination, was driven by both altruistic and personal motives.

"Now that I have a fourth-tier mutated Netherworld Spider, I won't linger. I wish you good luck," Fang Mu declared, putting away his refined corpse and preparing to return to the Eastern Barrens. Once he refines a dark-attribute Celestial Corpse, he'll be able to utilize seven Celestial Corpses to form a formidable array against enemies. His primary reason for coming to the Northern Frontier cultivation world was to acquire the corpse of a mutated Netherworld Spider, not out of any sense of grand righteousness.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, are you truly not interested in acquiring the corpse of a mid-grade fourth-tier mutated Netherworld Spider?" Fan Ruoruo's tone was enticing, knowing that only a corpse could sway Fang Mu, who was generally uninterested in most things.

"One must know their limits. You've witnessed how challenging mutated Netherworld Spiders are to confront. Even with Fellow Daoist Wang's assistance, we only managed to capture a low-grade fourth-tier mutated Netherworld Spider. I wouldn't dare to aspire to capture a mid-grade fourth-tier one." Fang Mu understood his own limits. This place was exceedingly dangerous; even a minor misstep could lead to death and the loss of his cultivation. His primary objective in coming to the Northern Frontier was to capture a mutated fourth-tier Netherworld Spider, and since that goal was accomplished, he naturally had no desire to remain.

He turned to Wang Qingshan and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, for your help in capturing this mutated fourth-tier Netherworld Spider, I owe you a favor. Should you ever require my assistance in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. I dislike being indebted to anyone." Had he not intervened to capture the fourth-tier Netherworld Spider, Wang Qingshan would undoubtedly have been capable of destroying it. In a strict sense, he had taken Wang Qingshan's quarry.

Wang Qingshan offered a slight smile and nodded in acceptance.

"As green mountains endure and green waters flow, farewell, fellow Daoists. May we meet again if destiny permits." Fang Mu transformed into a streak of black light, streaking through the air and vanishing into the distant sky shortly thereafter.

Wang Qingshan chuckled to himself. Fang Mu truly was an eccentric individual, immediately departing the Northern Frontier cultivation world the moment he acquired a mutated fourth-tier Netherworld Spider. Now that Fang Mu had obtained a dark-attribute refined corpse, Wang Qingshan speculated that by their next meeting, Fang Mu would have gathered nine different types of Celestial Corpses, leading to a qualitative leap in his strength.

"Fellow Daoist Fang is indeed peculiar. However, in comparison, Huang Fugui is much more agreeable," Wu Chang chuckled, remarking that Fang Mu, who always carried a coffin and spoke only of corpses, was difficult to get close to. In contrast, Huang Fugui was much more approachable.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, you know Huang Fugui too? He's currently at the market established by our Wang family!" Wang Qingshan said offhandedly.

Song Xiruo's expression subtly changed, and she asked nonchalantly, "Fellow Daoist Wang, is Huang Fugui in the South Sea?"

"Indeed! Why? Does Fairy Song also know Fellow Daoist Huang?" Wang Qingshan asked, somewhat surprised. Song Xiruo was a favored daughter of heaven, having grown up surrounded by acclaim, and her formation of a Nascent Soul had triggered unusual phenomena, making her a strong candidate for the next Palace Master of the Three Flames Palace. Huang Fugui, on the other hand, was notoriously cowardly, making it hard to imagine the two knowing each other.

"We've met a few times; you could say we're old acquaintances. Is Fellow Daoist Huang doing well?" Song Xiruo's tone was detached.

"He's doing exceptionally well, to the point where I feel I can't compare." Wang Qingshan gave a wry smile, jesting that Huang Fugui had located Zhou Sihong and amassed a substantial fortune, enough to cultivate to the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Who wouldn't be envious? Luck, too, is a component of strength. It simply means Huang Fugui was incredibly fortunate, stumbling upon Zhou Sihong's whereabouts by pure chance. Given Wang Qingshan's understanding of Huang Fugui, it was inconceivable that he would actively seek out Zhou Sihong; a man so terrified of death would never pursue a notorious fiend like Zhou Sihong.

Song Xiruo nodded upon hearing this, offering no further comment.

"Fellow Daoist Song, you've had a tiring journey. Let's head into the city to discuss matters." Fan Ruoruo made a polite inviting gesture.

Soon after, Wang Qingshan and the five others gathered in the council hall to discuss the next steps. This recent Netherworld Spider attack exposed three critical issues: First, the Netherworld Spiders are evolving. They demonstrated a surprising level of intelligence, deploying their forces and concentrating mutated spiders to target cultivators, a strategy that requires significant intellect. Second, the mutated Netherworld Spiders possess additional supernatural abilities, including soul attacks and sonic attacks, and their demonic flames have turned golden. Third, the Netherworld Spiders are specifically targeting living cultivators, though their precise motive for capturing them remains unknown.

A clear phoenix cry resonated as Song Xiruo produced a gleaming red jade plate. She injected a spell into it, her brow furrowing deeply as she made several gestures over its surface.

"Fairy Song, what's the matter?" Wu Chang asked out of curiosity, noting Song Xiruo's expression suggested ill tidings.

"The other four cities were attacked by Netherworld Spiders almost simultaneously. Just like here, the spiders are targeting cultivators, with high-tier cultivators being their primary capture targets. Two Nascent Soul cultivators have been captured, one of whom is a fellow Daoist from the Nine Nether Sect," Song Xiruo reported truthfully that the other four cities had endured even more severe attacks, with two Nascent Soul cultivators captured by fourth-tier Netherworld Spiders, leading to a significant blow to morale.

Fan Ruoruo's brows furrowed deeply. Since the Netherworld Spiders first appeared, the Nine Nether Sect had already lost two Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, with another one captured by the spiders, the losses were becoming catastrophic. Even if the Netherworld Spiders were eradicated, the Nine Nether Sect would be severely weakened, needing a long period of recovery. From the current assessment, the Netherworld Spiders proved exceptionally difficult to eliminate. Crucially, their exact numbers remained unknown, and no one dared to venture into the spider's nest to investigate.