After the Immortal Disappeared

Apparently, after conquering Wei City, Hua Mucuo had intended to manage it as a proper bridgehead for a future move on the Panlong Wasteland. Who would have guessed that Shao Yingyang would lead his army in and, through his command, cause Wei City to fall right back into enemy hands. When Hua Mucuo finds out, he’ll almost certainly be angry enough to spit blood.

The Red General walked over to the Stone Puppet.

Stones of all sizes lay scattered across the ground. Among them, a fist-sized rock was surprisingly still trembling.

The Red General sliced it in half with his saber, revealing a red crystal hidden inside. Its surface was engraved with intricate runes.

A streak of gold lacquer was also inlaid on the crystal—a sealing spell.

On closer inspection, something like a wisp of light smoke could be seen drifting inside the crystal.

The Red General scraped off the gold lacquer with the tip of his saber, then squeezed hard, and the crystal split open. The wisp of smoke drifted out, surprisingly forming the spectral image of a bear before him.

"So they used a Bear Soul to drive the Puppet." The Red General waved his hand. "You are free. Go."

As he raised his hand, the smoke floated back four feet in fear before bowing to him twice and dissipating on the spot.

Materials like iron and stone are inherently lifeless. For Puppets made from such things to move and fight, they must be driven by the souls of living creatures. Furthermore, the more powerful the creature was in life, the more substantial its soul, and the greater the Puppet’s might.

The core of this Stone Puppet was the soul of a Violent Bear. It had lived for three hundred years, only to be killed, its soul trapped inside the Stone Puppet and commanded by its killer. A Puppet’s core can be reused, and if the Red General hadn’t broken the seal, the soul would never have been freed.

Only then did the Red General look at his left hand.

His palm was nearly pierced through, a charred mess.

It was a ruin of red and black. Aside from the back of his hand, there wasn’t a single patch of intact flesh. White bone was visible at the base of his fingers.

After all, it was nearly impossible for anyone in this world to take a direct hit from a Celestial Thunder without paying a price.

Shao Yingyang really did have a few tricks up his sleeve.

A sharp-eyed personal guard noticed. "General, you’re injured! Do you need..."

The Red General clenched his fist. "Unnecessary."

***

Hee Lingchuan was moving incredibly fast, but when he reached the end of the passage, he found his escape route had been sealed shut by thick layers of spiderwebs!

When he looked back, the spider was just a few dozen feet away.

Despite its bulging abdomen, its movements were still astonishingly fast.

The spider even spoke. "Little thing, where do you think you’re running?"

Hee Lingchuan swallowed hard. "Second Madam Zhu?"

"Who else did you think it was?" It didn’t just look like Second Madam Zhu—it *was* Second Madam Zhu!

The monster had silently returned to its nest. It had preemptively woven a web to block his escape before cornering him in the cavern.

’High Combat Power was one thing, but it was also more cunning than any human.’

"You’re the one who set the fire?"

Second Madam Zhu had received a report from her brood. When she rushed back, she saw her nest engulfed in raging flames and was absolutely livid.

Though she had used her Divine Techniques to extinguish the blaze, the Aphid Ranch she had cultivated for years was already at least one-third destroyed. With autumn and winter approaching, her grand army of spiders would likely face a shortage of rations.

"Only in this one cavern," Hee Lingchuan answered honestly. "The Baling People set the fires in the others."

"The damage they caused is nothing compared to yours!" Second Madam Zhu laughed, her fury peaking. "I will personally dissolve your muscles, your tendons, and your bones, turning you into a living waterskin. You will still be perfectly conscious when my children devour you!"

Second Madam Zhu slowly paced over. Countless spiders emerged behind her, covering the floor, the rock walls, and the ceiling. A rustling, scuttling sound filled the entire cavern, making one’s skin crawl.

’This is the end.’ Hee Lingchuan thought. He cupped his fist. "There’s no escape for me anyway. Before I die, could I ask you to answer a few questions for me?"

The boy was already in her clutches, with absolutely no hope of escape. Seeing his exceptionally sincere attitude, Second Madam Zhu paused. "Ask away."

She had seen many who were not afraid to die. She had eaten many, too. But it was rare to find someone who could still ask questions so calmly in the face of death.

She was a little curious.

Second Madam Zhu’s descendants in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest were seemingly endless; even she didn’t know exactly how many Earth Cave Spiders there were. But these dim-witted creatures had limited intelligence. The moment they saw her, they would prostrate themselves and not dare to rise. Who among them would dare to hold a conversation with her?

’Sigh, not a single one to talk to.’ She, after all, was a Second Madam who enjoyed a good chat.

Hee Lingchuan pointed to the rock wall. "What’s the deal with those seven Spider Demons, the ones arranged like nesting dolls? Are they your ancestors?"

’This place is like a museum.’ he thought. ’Do Spider Demons have a tradition of collecting the remains of their ancestors?’

The question clearly made Second Madam Zhu hesitate for a moment before she said, "Yes and no."

She stood next to the largest Giant Spider, the difference in their sizes immediately apparent. "These seven Relic Shells... are all my former bodies!"

The answer shook Hee Lingchuan to his core. "What did you say? All seven of them are you?"

"Ignorant human, did you think I was some nameless beast you’d find by the roadside?" Second Madam Zhu declared proudly. "In the Ancient Era, I roamed the Panlong Wasteland in this very body, back when it was called the Panlong Wilderness. This is my Cave Mansion, Qixia Residence!"

Hee Lingchuan finally understood what was carved on the large stone tablet outside the cavern.

"Then what about the other Relic Shells?" To Hee Lingchuan, the term "Relic Shell" meant a shed skin, a discarded husk.

"Later, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi began to decline rapidly and was no longer sufficient to support my original body—like a Giant Whale unable to live in shallow water." Second Madam Zhu’s voice was filled with resignation. "I had no choice but to abandon my original body and molt into a new self."

Hee Lingchuan was deeply shaken.

’So this Great Demon was saying her original body in ancient times was even more powerful? But because she couldn’t adapt to the drastic environmental changes, she had to willingly abandon it for a weaker one?’