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**
"Strange... how could a soul beast as ferocious as a Man-Faced Demon Spider appear in the Soul Hunting Forest? It shouldn't be possible," Ling Xiao muttered, his brow furrowing.
"Was this beast too cunning, managing to evade the branch hall deacons and bishops who conduct the periodic inspections? Or have they simply become derelict in their duties?"
Unable to reach a definitive conclusion, Ling Xiao shook his head and decided not to dwell on it further. The urgent priority was to eliminate this soul beast first; he could report the matter upon their return and see if an investigation yielded results.
However, before Ling Xiao could move, a surge of soul power erupted beside him.
Hu Liena had once again activated her Martial Soul possession and stepped forward. It seemed she intended to handle the Man-Faced Demon Spider on her own. Before she could take more than a few steps, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
It was Ling Xiao.
"Ling Xiao, don't stop me. Those Wind Baboons earlier were just a warm-up; I haven't even used half of my soul power."
"This Man-Faced Demon Spider came at the perfect time. Let me show you my strength again, and let me settle the score for that sneak attack just now," Hu Liena said, looking back at him.
Ling Xiao shook his head, his tone firm.
"Nana, stop playing around. If it were any other soul beast, I wouldn't stop you, but the Man-Faced Demon Spider is different. Not only is it a high-level soul beast, but its toxicity is incredibly violent."
"If you get poisoned, it's extremely troublesome. Even though I have enough pills to neutralize its venom, the cure isn't perfect; it still causes damage to the body and will leave you weakened for a while."
Hearing this, a slight frown appeared on Hu Liena's beautiful face. She looked ready to argue, but before she could speak, Ling Xiao interrupted her.
"Nana, it's not that I look down on you. I have never doubted your talent. However, your Charming Fox Martial Soul only truly reveals its true power in the later stages. Right now, you have only cultivated to the Three-Tail realm."
"Even though you have practiced mental cultivation techniques and your fusion with fire-attribute power hasn't hindered your mental growth—and both your mental and fire powers have reached the Three-Tail level—"
"You are still technically at the peak of a mid-tier Martial Soul. You cannot yet compare to a Man-Faced Demon Spider."
"Furthermore, this Man-Faced Demon Spider has significant cultivation. Neither of us can sense its exact level, but judging by its size, it's likely around two thousand years old—already at the peak of the Soul Elder realm."
"If you take it on, it will be a forced struggle, and it would be disastrous if you were poisoned. If your Martial Soul had reached the Four-Tail or Five-Tail realm, I wouldn't stand in your way."
"But for now, let me handle it. I'll settle your score for you."
"Wait for me here."
As he finished speaking, the Man-Faced Demon Spider seemed to lose its patience.
No longer wary, it slammed its eight spider legs into the ground and lunged forward. Its eight eyes flickered with murderous intent, and purple soul power pulsed erratically across its body.
"Hmph, bring it on!"
With a swing of the Profound Sky Axe, a massive crescent-shaped blade of energy tore through the air. Shimmering with a black-red glow, it flew straight toward the incoming Man-Faced Demon Spider.
Although the Man-Faced Demon Spider is a spider-type soul beast, unlike others of its kind that prefer using webs as traps to catch prey, they prefer to kill their opponents head-on before devouring them.
Consequently, their ferocity, physical defense, and attack power are among the strongest of all spider-type soul beasts. Facing Ling Xiao's attack, this thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider had no intention of dodging.
Accompanied by a soul-shaking screech, two purple shadows flashed as its two front legs crossed and swung like sabers, instantly striking the axe energy.
An ear-piercing crack echoed as the energy blade shattered.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider's forward momentum was halted, its body jolting to a stop. Ling Xiao looked closely and saw purple light swirling over the two front legs; there were no visible wounds on their surface.
Those seemingly slender legs were unexpectedly hard.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider truly lived up to its fearsome reputation in the soul beast world as the "Nightmare of Small Soul Beasts" and the "Forest Slayer."
A screech rang out again as the Man-Faced Demon Spider moved all eight legs in unison. Its speed was even faster than before, no longer charging in a simple straight line.
Its body darted left and right in a zigzag pattern, its agility increasing drastically, making it difficult for Ling Xiao to hit it with his energy strikes. The light dimmed before his eyes as the Man-Faced Demon Spider reached him.
It slammed its eight massive legs into the ground and leaped into the air, its entire body soaring up to crush Ling Xiao from above.
It appeared to have left itself wide open, exposing the weakness of its underbelly, but in reality, all eight of its long legs were thrusting toward Ling Xiao simultaneously.
From this vantage point, the spider's legs had turned into weapons, like eight spears attacking at once.
Faced with an overwhelming number of strikes, Ling Xiao's pupils constricted. He pushed off the ground, jumping back several meters. With a soft thud, the Man-Faced Demon Spider landed.
There was little sound because its legs were so sharp they pierced directly into the earth to stabilize its frame—one could imagine how silent it would be during an ambush, perfectly suited for hunting.
Soul power exploded beneath his feet.
Using the powerful momentum, Ling Xiao charged forward. He circulated his soul power to drive his Martial Soul; the Profound Sky Axe erupted with brilliant light and heightened sharpness.
Simultaneously, he activated his second soul skill, Dragon-Elephant Colossal Strength, and cleaved toward the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
With an ear-piercing shriek, the spider stabilized itself with its four rear legs while the four front legs thrust out like spears. Their tips were incredibly sharp and glowed with dense purple light, radiating terrifyingly toxic soul power like poisoned blades.
Purple shadows danced and flashed as the spider's striking speed reached startling levels.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of clashing metal rang out in rapid succession.
With the activation of his second soul skill, Ling Xiao's strength increased immensely. Even though the Profound Sky Axe was incredibly heavy, when combined with Ling Xiao's powerful physical body, he swung it into a storm of shadows.
Dark red light flickered as every strike landed squarely against the spider's legs.
Despite its staggering attack speed, Ling Xiao used his overwhelming strength and masterful control of the Profound Sky Axe to block the onslaught head-on, completely halting its advance.
Even more than that, as a top-tier Tool Martial Soul, the Profound Sky Axe was not only heavy but its edge was also exceptionally sharp. Even the incredibly hard legs of the Man-Faced Demon Spider couldn't withstand its bite.
After several clashes, deep axe marks began to appear on the spider's legs.
After fighting for a long time, Ling Xiao let out a low shout.
He gripped the axe handle with both hands, seized an opening, and turned the tide. He swung downward at an angle, and domineering dark red soul power surged into his Martial Soul, leaving a trail of light in the air.
Simultaneously, his first soul ring released its power, condensing the element of sharp metal onto the axe's edge.
A golden glint mixed in, causing the sharpness of the blade to skyrocket. Sensing that this strike was far more dangerous than the previous ones, the Man-Faced Demon Spider raised four of its legs together, lining them up to block.
**
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Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday