Opposite the creature stood two figures.
One tall, one short, both wearing crimson robes with red bamboo hats perched atop their heads.
The hats were peculiar things—capable of blurring one's features—so their faces could not be made out.
"It seems you've been away from the underground world for quite some time."
"Is it because you took over that wolf demon's body?"
"So the wolf demon relied on you to make a name for itself in the Nine Souls Heavenly River?"
The tall red-robed figure spoke with a young man's voice.
"Since you've heard everything I just said, I see no point in hiding it. It's exactly as you described—the wolf demon achieved what it did only because of my guidance," the creature replied.
It had already sensed that these two red-robed figures possessed formidable strength, so its attitude was exceedingly courteous.
"Don't make it sound so pretty."
"I've observed it closely. The reason the wolf demon's soul power was able to become something it could cultivate with is because it underwent special tempering. But that shouldn't have been its own doing."
"From the very start, you had already taken over its body and controlled everything about it. It was nothing more than your puppet."
"And being your puppet doesn't just mean losing one's freedom—it comes at a devastating price: one's life."
"You need a puppet to walk freely in this cultivation world. If the puppet dies, you can only revert to your original body."
"So just before the wolf demon was about to die, you came here."
"Because this place possesses the essential conditions for ancient creatures to survive—that is why you chose to come here."
"And the rumors about the wolf demon being buried here—you were the one who spread them. All to lure people who met your requirements to come here and become your new puppet," the young red-robed figure said.
"I've never met you before. Why would you make such assumptions about me? We don't know each other—what gives you the right to judge me as a villain?"
"What evidence do you have?" the creature asked in a solemn voice.
"Heh…"
"I have no evidence. It's all conjecture. But I believe my conjecture," the young red-robed figure said.
"What is your purpose in coming here?" the creature asked.
"Since you asked, I might as well tell you. I came here to find you. As for my purpose…"
At this point, the young red-robed figure let out a soft chuckle before saying, "To take your life."
"You!!!"
Hearing this, the creature shot backward, and killing intent blazed in its eyes.
Whoosh—
But just at that moment, the short red-robed figure raised an arm, opened a palm, and crimson energy erupted forth.
The energy surged skyward, then spread outward, and in the blink of an eye, it formed a blood-red barrier that sealed off the entire domain.
The creature stared at the blood-red barrier, its brow furrowing once more.
"I have no grudge against you, and we've never even met before. Why would you want to kill me?"
The creature spoke again, its voice already tinged with something pitiful, even aggrieved—because what it said was true. It had genuinely never encountered these two red-robed figures before.
"If we want to kill, we kill. No reason needed. Accept your death quietly, and we'll let you go with some dignity," the young red-robed figure said.
"Hell no—you won't even take a polite refusal?"
Suddenly, a flash of green light appeared in the creature's eyes, followed by a torrent of black energy surging from within its body.
The energies merged and swirled, and soon the creature transformed into a colossal spider standing a thousand meters tall.
Though its size, compared to the massive beasts that routinely stood tens of thousands of meters tall, wasn't actually that impressive.
But before the two human figures, it was still terrifyingly enormous.
Most importantly, at this moment, its body radiated not only dense killing intent but also a powerful aura that surpassed the Martial Sovereign realm.
It was only the red barrier that sealed its aura within. Otherwise, if this aura had spread and been sensed by Chu Feng and the others, they would surely have been shocked—perhaps even terrified.
"Did you really think this sovereign was someone you could bully?"