The wind howled ominously, the gloomy sky tinged with a faint red, like blood dissolving in murky water.
An ancient demon lurked within the clouds, pulling the strings of the spider-woman’s corpse like a puppet.
Eerie, sinister, and suffocating with malice.
Luo Luo stared at the wound under Pretty Boy’s shoulder, blood seeping relentlessly, and quickly warned him, "This thing is poisonous—it causes hallucinations, makes people see spiders."
He flicked his fingers in acknowledgment.
Luo Luo nodded, lifting her hand to catch the fresh soul-blood dripping from his body.
In a flash, he vanished from the bronze platform.
The next instant, his lean figure appeared diagonally above the spider-woman.
A swift kick, a spinning twist—his leg descended like a blade, striking with brutal force.
Boom!
With that single kick, he sent the spider-woman crashing from midair, embedding her into the celestial corridor.
A brief pause—then the corridor groaned under the strain.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, and within a breath, the structure collapsed. The spider-woman’s body plummeted, smashing into the lower level dozens of feet below.
The silk threads controlling her head, torso, and eight legs tensed with a sharp hum, trying to yank her back up.
But they couldn’t—Pretty Boy pursued, stomping down hard on her body.
In the struggle, the spider-woman was stretched into a grotesque shape.
Snap.
One of her hind legs bent unnaturally, breaking with a sound like a snapped string. A crimson thread lashed out, aiming straight for Pretty Boy’s back.
He smirked coldly, flicking a sealing thread from his hand to intercept it, halting its advance.
He continued kicking the spider-woman’s corpse.
Limbs shattered, black blood splattered, and eerie noises filled the air.
His lips curled in delight, his expression more demonic than the demons themselves.
Luo Luo sat at the edge of the bronze platform, watching his ruthless slaughter. She dipped her fingers into the soul-blood and smeared it across her left wrist.
A familiar sensation made her heart tremble.
She wasn’t surprised it was Li Zhaoye. What startled her was that the soul-blood carried not just his essence—but hers too. Intertwined, inseparable.
So the scattered soul-blood really had fed the fish.
A gentle rain began to fall in Luo Luo’s heart.
Warm, moist, and overflowing emotion flooded her chest, spreading a lazy warmth through her body.
Li Zhaoye. Li Zhaoye.
She knew now—she would never have to doubt again.
Every wisp of longing had finally found its place.
Below, the battle escalated.
Crimson threads rained from the sky like serpents, lashing toward him.
He countered with his own sealing threads, the two forces locked in a deadly stalemate.
Both masters of threads, they wove a lethal web across the heavens.
Despite the danger, Luo Luo couldn’t resist mimicking his sarcasm:
"...Is this thing your relative?"
After observing, she noticed something peculiar—the demon hidden in the clouds seemed obsessed with the spider-woman’s corpse, feinting attacks just to reclaim it.
Li Zhaoye had noticed too.
A battle fanatic like him might overlook other things, but in a fight, his mind was razor-sharp.
At first, he’d been stomping the corpse out of sheer spite, venting for someone’s sake.
Now, realizing the demon’s intent, his lips curled into a vicious grin.
He began systematically destroying the corpse.
A deafening roar erupted from the clouds.
Instantly, thousands of crimson threads descended like a storm.
Li Zhaoye swept his sleeve, unleashing a torrent of sealing threads and violent energy to meet them.
The wind stilled for a heartbeat.
Then—BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from the collision, warping the air.
The nearest structures—celestial corridors, bronze trees—twisted and melted like metal in a furnace, shattering into fragments that exploded outward.
Amid the chaos, Pretty Boy’s hands moved like blades, carving apart the spider-woman’s remains.
The clouds trembled with the demon’s howls.
Then—a massive, pillar-like spider leg burst through the gloom, glowing like molten lava against the ashen world.
Luo Luo’s pupils constricted.
This demon was even larger than the one she’d faced at Blackwater River.
But it was too late.
As the leg descended, Pretty Boy smirked, plunging his hand into the mangled corpse and pulling out a heart pulsing with bloody light, wrapped in sacrificial sigils.
He held it up, taunting the sky:
"Congratulations. Your ritual failed."
Squelch. Crunch.
His fingers crushed the heart without mercy.
The massive leg spasmed midair.
The demon’s shriek shook the clouds apart, revealing its full form—not floating, but crouched atop the colossal branches of the celestial tree.
Black miasma wreathed its body.
The failed ritual had backfired.
As it convulsed, the entire tree trembled. The corridors swayed like chains, clanging wildly.
Pretty Boy threw his head back and laughed, utterly shameless.
"Hey!" He smirked up at the demon. "Why stop now? Keep going—unless you’re scared, grandson."
Luo Luo knew that tone.
If he could still fight, he wouldn’t be trash-talking.
His injuries hadn’t healed, and that last clash had worsened them.
The demon, though wounded, wasn’t dead yet.
If brute force wouldn’t work, deception would. Luo Luo decided to redirect its rage.
"Hey—!" She cupped her hands, shouting at the demon. "If you want the truth exposed, killing people is the hard way! Yue Ranchen’s the culprit—catch him and make him talk!"
The demon’s screech sent shockwaves through the bronze tree.
It seemed tempted—but it couldn’t breach the boundary between realms. Only the spider-woman, through soul sacrifice, could cross.
Pretty Boy acted in perfect sync.
His sealing threads gathered in his palm, and with a flick, he destabilized the barrier.
He’d broken through the heavenly seals before—and left himself a backdoor.
A resonant hum echoed as the barrier flickered.
Light flared in the distant realm where the great cultivators resided.
Figures materialized in an instant.
True Lord Pangyue’s gasp was loud enough to shake the heavens.
Master Lingxue appeared in battle stance, the air frosting around her.
"An ancient Nether Maiden?" Her icy eyes narrowed. "No—this thing was sealed in the Central Hall. How did it escape the Divine Prison?"
The Stellar Sect’s elder teleported in mid-yawn, his half-lidded eyes gleaming with constellations.
"I witnessed the collapse of the Divine Ascension Hall."
The elders and powerful cultivators who arrived a step too late heard these words and collectively sucked in a breath, their gazes turning toward True Lord Pangyue.
True Lord Pangyue was utterly wronged: "I merely opened a competition arena—how could I possibly have disturbed the Divine Ascension Hall? Why would I risk my life destroying it for no reason? What would I gain?"
He was left speechless, unable to defend himself.
"Enough," Master Lingxue said coldly. "Gentlemen, let us join forces to slay this creature. If we cannot kill it, we will at least drive it back or reseal it."
The others nodded in agreement.
Just as they prepared to strike, a startled cry rang out from midair.
Everyone looked up to see the Spider Demoness silently lowering a strand of silk, snatching Yue Ranchen, who had just been dragged into the Netherworld.
"Clang!"
Another strand shot toward Yue Wugou, but he blocked it with his Crescent Moon Halberd.
"Second Brother!"
Though they were not far apart, rescue was already impossible. Yue Ranchen was hauled into the air, tightly bound and suspended before the Spider Demoness.
It leaned in, multiple pairs of compound eyes peering down at him.
Yue Ranchen, abruptly awakened from sleep, opened his eyes to the grotesque, unearthly visage of the demon—its hideous spider-head mere inches away, each enormous eye reflecting his own terrified, twisted face.
He was so horrified he lost his voice.
With the sect leader’s son in enemy hands, the others hesitated, fearing collateral harm.
"Shhht!"
A strand of black-tinged spider silk pierced Yue Ranchen’s forehead.
"My son!" True Lord Pangyue cried out, lunging forward—only to be intercepted by another silk strand, trapping him in place.
Yue Ranchen’s eyes rolled back.
Agony wracked his body, his throat emitting inhuman shrieks as he writhed like a maggot within the silk cocoon.
"I didn’t—it wasn’t me… It was all my brother… all him… aghh!"
"Stop… stop… stop digging through my mind… ahh!"
"Ji Chunhong… I didn’t kill her… it wasn’t me…"
At that name, Yue Wugou stiffened, his eyes widening in shock.
Luo Luo flew to Master Lingxue’s side on her sword and announced loudly, "This demon accepted a sacrifice from Yue Wugou’s mother-in-law! She wanted to expose his true nature for her daughter’s sake, so she killed someone and left the body on his bed!"
True Lord Pangyue clutched his forehead. "Ah, my in-law… what was the point?"
Seeking justice for her daughter, she had instead doomed another family’s child.
Yue Ranchen’s moans grew weaker.
Suddenly, the Spider Demoness spewed a cloud of venomous mist, and a memory illusion materialized before the crowd.
In it, Yue Ranchen crouched atop a wall, secretly watching his sister-in-law, Ji Chunhong.
Ji Chunhong was speaking to a young man: "Thank you for delivering this, Senior Brother. I’m sorry to trouble you again."
The young man shook his head. "Not at all. Young Master Yue traveled thousands of miles to find this medicine for our master’s wife. A mere trip to fetch it is nothing—I’d climb a mountain of blades if needed!"
Ji Chunhong smiled. "My husband said he’ll accompany me to visit Mother in a few days."
The young man brightened. "That’s wonderful! Once she takes the medicine, she’ll recover, and we disciples will toast Young Master Yue properly! Ah—this is from Mother. She forbade me from peeking."
He pulled a small parcel from his qiankun pouch and handed it to her.
"I won’t linger. Take care, Junior Sister. Farewell!"
After finishing his tea, he hurried off—it wouldn’t be proper to stay alone with her for long.
Now alone, Ji Chunhong sat by the window.
Yue Ranchen smirked strangely, then closed his eyes.
Moments later, "Yue Wugou" teleported back. His expression dark, he swept Ji Chunhong into his arms without a word and pushed her onto the bed.
"Husband?"
Blushing at his intent, Ji Chunhong nestled against him obediently.
He loosened her robes, kissed her lips.
"Mmm!"
She gasped, shy yet puzzled. "Husband, today you’re…"
"More intense, aren’t I?" "Yue Wugou" grinned, thrusting roughly.
Ji Chunhong flushed, too embarrassed to speak.
His movements grew wilder, frenzied, as if drunk on stolen pleasure.
"Tell me!" He pinched her chin, demanding eagerly, "Am I better than usual? Say it!"
Ji Chunhong couldn’t possibly voice it.
The real Yue Wugou was always restrained, even in intimacy—never this unrestrained.
The more she hesitated, the more he lost himself.
His face flushed with excitement, his motions rougher.
Then came the vulgarities: "This body of yours… so fing tight! Can’t get enough! A damn masterpiece—better than any woman I’ve had!"
Ji Chunhong stared at him, stunned.
His eyes half-rolled back, lips twisted in a grotesque leer.
Unaware of her shock, he kept ranting: "So fing good… gonna suck me dry!"
She shoved at him, shrieking, "You’re not my husband! Who are you?!"
Lost in his frenzy, he panted, "Of course I’m your husband!"
Then, in his delirium—"I’m your brother-in-law!"
She froze. Then screamed, a sound of utter devastation.
Realizing his slip, he clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shh! Shh! Sister-in-law, you don’t want my brother knowing you slept with me, do you? Keep quiet! Stay quiet!"
Her face burned as she thrashed.
"You think anyone will believe you weren’t willing?" he hissed. "Today stays between us. Obey me, and I won’t tell a soul."
She glared, eyes blazing with fury.
He smirked. "You enjoyed it, didn’t you? Bet my brother’s a bore in bed. Visit me when he’s away… or I might let it slip…"
She wrenched free, grabbed a dagger from her qiankun pouch, and lunged.
"I’ll kill you!" she raged. "I don’t care who knows! I’ll tell Father-in-Law! I’ll tell my husband!"
They grappled—until the blade plunged into her abdomen.
"Ghk—"
Not a fatal wound. She staggered toward the door, clutching her stomach.
"You’d run out naked?" His voice turned icy. "Throw away your dignity just to ruin me?"
As she crossed the threshold, he teleported, seized her hair, and yanked her back.
He slammed her down, yanked the dagger free, and stabbed again.
And again.
"Bitch! Whore! Ungrateful slut!"
When she lay still, he stumbled back, panting.
"It’s over… No. No, there’s still a way."
He cleaned the blood from himself, then tore open the parcel the young man had delivered.
Inside—a set of undergarments.
The stitches were delicate, a garment the ailing mother had sewn for her daughter.
He smeared blood on the little dress and flung it beside her lifeless body.
"It was this man who killed her—yes, I told you I saw blood on him as he fled. My brother will believe me, he will..." Yue Ranchen's murmurs intertwined with his agonized moans, echoing in the ears of all present.
"Gah!"
A spray of blood arced through the air.
Following the sound, they saw Yue Wugou—eyes bloodshot, veins bulging—vomiting mouthful after mouthful of heart's blood, wrung from him by grief and fury.
"I... always... trusted you." His pupils trembled in disbelief, one hand clutching his chest. "Since we were children, I believed every word you spoke."
Several elders of the Heavenly Dao Sect shook their heads and sighed.
"Brother...!" Yue Ranchen wailed in torment. "I never meant to kill her—she forced me, she drove me to it! Save me! Please, save me...!"
True Lord Pangyue roared, "You wretched fool! Even now, you refuse to repent?"
"Brother, it hurts... it hurts so much... help me!"
Yue Ranchen knew all too well that his father saw him as a burden, so he pleaded only with Yue Wugou.
A thick, pale-pink fluid began oozing from his nostrils.
"His brains are scrambled. Beyond saving," one blunt elder muttered grimly.
True Lord Pangyue's brows knotted. "End it. This existence is nothing but suffering." He shot a glare at his eldest son. "Now do you see his true nature? Will you still shield him?"
Yue Wugou whispered, "I'll send him off myself."
The group surged forward.
Facing a primordial demon whose power neared the Great Dao, none dared hold back.
Treasures blazed to life, their radiance piercing the gloom of the Netherworld.
The arachnid demon crouched in the treetops, a massive, unmoving target.
Struck repeatedly, it shrieked in pain until—finally—it flung Yue Ranchen's half-dead body aside, no longer able to cling to him.
Gasping, Yue Ranchen raised a hand toward Yue Wugou as he approached. "I'm alive! I'm saved—!"
Thunk.
A crescent blade buried itself in his gut.
The wound wasn't fatal—just excruciating.
"Ghh—ah!"
His eyes bulged, locked onto Yue Wugou in stunned betrayal, trapped between life and death.
Yue Wugou gazed down, voice soft. "I remember how gently you treated butterflies and songbirds. I thought your rakish charm hid a tender heart. How wrong I was. So terribly wrong."
He watched his brother's organs spill from the sky.
"Ji Chunhong died like this," Yue Wugou murmured. "We both owe her."
Yue Ranchen's body hollowed out.
His screams faded swiftly into the wind.
Then Yue Wugou reversed his blade—and plunged it into his own chest.
Thunk.
Flesh parted. A faint, bloodied smile touched his lips.
"This wound... will never heal."
