After the Immortal Disappeared

The cave was embedded abruptly into the hillside. It was irregularly shaped, its widest point at least forty feet in diameter. From the group’s vantage point, looking up at a slight angle, they could see that the cave wasn’t dark at all; in fact, light was emanating from within.

This meant there were even more Fluorescent Fire Spores inside.

Someone couldn’t help but ask, "What is this place? What’s that covering the cave? Is it satin?"

The cave entrance looked as if it were covered by a massive bolt of brocade woven from gold, red, silver, and black threads. The pattern was highly abstract, yet even under the fluorescent light, it shimmered with a brilliant luster, like the colors of a sunset.

Liu Tong said hoarsely, "It’s not satin. It’s a spiderweb. And there are spiders crawling on it."

Only by staring intently could one make out that it was, in fact, layer upon layer of spiderwebs.

The weaver was clearly a master of light.

For the first time, Hee Lingchuan thought, ’A spiderweb can look more exquisite than silk.’

"Well, that’s obvious!" Skinny said, his eyes glued to the sight. "This must be the Spider Demon’s nest. It hasn’t been burned."

Indeed, spiders were crawling in and out of the giant cave in an endless stream.

Hee Lingchuan, never one to shy away from a question, asked, "I thought only bees and ants lived in colonies and acted in an organized fashion. Spiders are mostly solitary. Why are the Spider Demons in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest all in groups?"

From a distance, the spiders truly resembled ants, bustling about as if each had its own specific job.

"You’re talking about the habits of ordinary species. It’s different once they become demons," Willow answered. "We have an old saying, ’When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.’ It’s a bit of an exaggeration—even if a person attained the Dao, there’s nowhere else for them to go, and the chickens and dogs would have no idea where to fly. But the principle is sound, and it’s the same for demons. After they achieve enlightenment, large numbers of their kind will quickly gather around them seeking protection. Furthermore, a demon’s offspring will also find it easier to begin cultivation."

Hee Lingchuan immediately thought of the Sand Leopards west of Black Water City. Leopards were typically solitary hunters, but that pack of Leopard Demons lived, hunted, and fought off enemies together, effectively becoming a social group.

If leopards could do it, it wasn’t strange for spiders to do the same.

"But on the other hand, the number of Earth Cave Spiders in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest is absurdly large, which can only mean—" Willow’s expression soured. "There’s very likely a Great Demon inside the nest!"

"Of course there is." The guide stared blankly at the massive cavern on the slope, his face pale. "This is Second Madam Zhu’s home! We’re finished, we’re finished! We’ve actually walked right into Second Madam Zhu’s lair!"

Hee Lingchuan shot a sideways glance. ’This Great Demon is actually called Second Madam Zhu?’ A Great Demon living in a spider nest—what else could it be but an old Spider Demon? ’No wonder its surname is Zhu,’ he mused, noting the homophone for "spider."

’But what’s with "Second Madam"?’ he wondered. ’I thought that was a title reserved for village wives.’

A Spider Demon that could weave brocade and had taken on a human-like name...

"Yes, she’s the master of the Stone Forest, the Mother of Ten Thousand Spiders." The guide was trembling. "A long time ago, these spiders used to eat people. The cultivators who charged into the Ghost Needle Stone Forest to eliminate demons never came out. Back then, the name Second Madam Zhu was enough to stop a baby from crying in Puxi Gully!"

"Let’s go, quickly!" His voice was shaking. "We can’t stay here!"

So, their decision to extinguish the torches and travel in the dark had been a wise one. It was best not to disturb the nest’s boss.

The group tread even more lightly and made a point to soothe their horses to keep them from making any noise.

The spiders on the bank gathered around, no longer hissing and posturing as before. Instead, they lay quietly on the ground, as if they too didn’t dare to make a sound.

After another dozen steps, the group suddenly noticed several large boulders lying on the slope above the giant cave. The largest and most prominent one was also illuminated by the fluorescent light, and on it were three large characters!

Skinny asked Door Panel, "What’s written on the stone tablet?"

"How would I know?" Door Panel shot him a look. "Do I look like some old scholar to you?"

The script looked somewhat familiar, but in truth, none of them could read it.

Skinny chuckled. "Maybe it just says ’Second Madam Zhu.’"

But Hee Lingchuan was even more surprised than they were.

’This script... I’ve seen it before! In the Immortal Cave Mansion by Immortal Spirit Lake!’

He still hadn’t found a way to decipher the rubbing he’d made of the Immortal’s Legacy, and now the same script had appeared here in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest.

This raised the question: why was there an ancient inscription at the entrance to an Earth Cave Spider’s lair?

Hee Lingchuan also noticed that under the fluorescent light, the inscription was as crimson as fresh blood. Since this place was so remote, who was periodically retracing the characters in red? Otherwise, after so much time exposed to the elements, the color should have long since faded.

"The longer we stay in this Ghost Needle Stone Forest, the creepier it gets," Willow whispered. "We shouldn’t linger. Let’s go."

Safety first. She was not a particularly curious woman.

Just as the group was about to turn away, the "soft satin" of the cave entrance suddenly stirred without any wind, and a beautiful, wave-like pattern of light nearly blinded them.

Immediately after, a massive figure emerged from the cave.

It was the size of a small house, with a brown-and-white-striped back, eight long legs, and a body covered in stiff bristles...

It was a giant spider, dozens of times larger than its smaller kin crawling all over the ground.

A common trait of colossal creatures is the oppressive sense of weight they project. Even a devil-may-care woman like Willow couldn’t help but turn her head away.

However, the Giant Spider then flipped onto its back with an agility that defied its size. When the fluorescent light shone on its abdomen, everyone watching from a distance stared with wide eyes.

The Spider Demon’s abdomen was breathtakingly beautiful.

Its base color was as azure as the sky, and countless shimmering, fading white dots formed constellations. A few larger points of light, yellowish-red, looked exactly like the primary stars of a zodiac sign.

The night sky on a summer evening was no more spectacular.

But the giant Spider Demon immediately landed on its eight feet, hiding the Star Map on its abdomen. Its menacing appearance once again outweighed its beauty.

Countless smaller spiders gathered around it, as if making reports.

Then, the giant Spider Demon began to move, heading northeast.

It looked enormous, but it moved with surprising silence.

The spiders filling the valley swarmed around it, escorting it from the center like stars attending the moon.

The formless pressure they all felt only faded after the giant Spider Demon’s silhouette crossed the long slope and disappeared into the woods.

Eighty percent of the spiders had left with it, leaving only twenty percent of the guards outside the cave.

Only then did the group dare to speak. "Was that Second Madam Zhu?"

The guide wiped sweat from his brow. "That was her. That must have been her!" He had never seen her in person, but he was certain in his heart. ’Could there be a second demon that terrifying in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest? The legends were true after all.’

"It’s heading northeast," Door Panel said, his face hesitant. "What do we do now?"

"We’ll circle around the hill and then head north," Liu Tong whispered. "Second Madam Zhu is heading for our main force."

The guide looked worried. "Can the Panlong City Army defeat it? It’s the overlord of this place!"

Hee Lingchuan said only two words:

"Of course." ’Of course we’re not sure!’

The timing, the terrain, the spider-harmony—General Nanke’s troops had none of these advantages. So what if they were the elite Panlong City Army? So what if they were enhanced by Primordial Power?

Seeing the stiff expressions on everyone’s faces, Hee Lingchuan offered some encouragement. "We don’t need to win. We just need to fight a retreating battle and get out of the Ghost Needle Stone Forest."

’He’s... right.’ Liu Tong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Exactly! Let’s go."

Unfortunately, the merchant’s horse was suddenly spooked by a bird in the woods and let out a sharp NEIGH.

Although its master immediately yanked the reins, the sound carried far in the night. The spiders at the cave entrance heard it instantly and began scurrying in their direction.

"Damn it, let’s go!" If those things caught up to them, they’d be in big trouble.

A subordinate reported, "General, the spiders attacking the gap have gotten bigger! They’re even harder to deal with."

General Nanke rushed over to see. Sure enough, the spiders, originally the size of cats, had grown a full size larger, now comparable to yellow dogs. Although they weren’t as agile as before, the Spider Silk they spat was stickier, and they were much stronger.

Just then, another soldier reported, "The spiders are moving the fire wall!"

"How is that possible?" General Nanke was astonished. Inspecting the middle section of the fire wall, he discovered that the webs spat by some Spider Demons were somehow fire-resistant and could attach to the burning logs. Then, other spiders would swarm forward to help pull them back.

These Spider Demons themselves were likely not afraid of ordinary fire, but they had no intention of crossing the wall to engage the warriors in close combat. Their enemies were protected by Primordial Power; any direct confrontation would be a losing battle for the spiders.

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

General Nanke was startled to see a hundred-foot-long log being dragged by tens of thousands of spiders. He ordered his archers into the trees to pick off the Spider Demons specifically. After all, the fire-resistant ones were limited in number; every one they killed was one less to deal with.

The men barely had a moment’s rest before they had to get busy felling new trees to fill the gap.

’How did these things suddenly get stronger and smarter?’

General Nanke was pensive. "It seems their leader has arrived."

He gathered his energy in his Dantian, and his resonant voice boomed over the fire wall, echoing throughout the River Valley. "Is Second Madam Zhu present? Please come out for a word!"

He always did his homework before deploying his troops, so of course he knew that the master of the Ghost Needle Stone Forest was the Spider Demon, Second Madam Zhu.

As expected, the tide-like assault of the spiders slowed. In the darkness, a massive figure appeared on a small hill about two hundred feet away.

"Are you Second Madam Zhu? I am General Nanke, Chu Xuan, of Panlong City. I am escorting a merchant caravan through the Ghost Needle Stone Forest, yet we have been attacked by the Earth Cave Spider Swarm. May I ask the reason for this?"

"Hmph." A low voice resounded in everyone’s minds. "You killed my people and burned my caves. You were the ones who broke faith first, and now you dare to accuse me of harming you? A blood debt must be paid in blood."

’So that’s what this is about.’ General Nanke raised his voice. "The ones who burned your nests were the Baling People, not the soldiers and people of Panlong! Every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. You should be taking your trouble to them."

The moment he finished speaking, two spiders moved to stand in a gap in the fire wall.

The soldiers readied their spears, but the creatures just stood there motionlessly.

Second Madam Zhu spoke again. "Let me ask you, can you tell these two spiders apart?"

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

General Nanke fell silent.

He understood Second Madam Zhu’s meaning. To humans, all spiders look like they were cast from the same mold. The reverse was also true.

This Great Demon couldn’t be bothered to distinguish between the Baling People and the people of Panlong City. As far as she was concerned, humans had harmed the Earth Cave Spiders, so her vengeance against all humans was justified.