The Kun Shark's thousand-zhang body clashed against the Celestial Moon Demon Spider, who was no smaller in stature. Two colossal beings unleashed their divine abilities against each other between heaven and earth, the battle blazing with ferocious intensity. The ground shattered, space itself trembled, and the spiritual energy for tens of thousands of li in every direction fell into complete chaos.
The two Sacred Spirits were closely matched in strength, and both had lived in the Grand Ruins for ages. They had surely crossed blades more than once before and knew each other's tricks inside out. Kill after kill came in relentless succession, leaving every onlooker watching with their hearts in their throats.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai noticed that the Kun Shadow was likely no match for the Celestial Moon Demon Spider. Just as she herself had said, the Kun Shark was a Sacred Spirit born of the sea — in the depths of the ocean, she might not have been his equal, but on land, she held the edge.
Strand after strand of spider silk wove across heaven and earth, gradually forming an inescapable net. Even with the Kun Shark's overwhelming power, he could not break free. And the moment that web took shape, his total defeat would be certain.
The Kun Shark evidently realized this as well. He shook his head, opened his enormous maw, and bit down on a weak point in the web, severing tens of thousands of silk strands in a single snap. He instantly shifted back into human form and burst through the gap, fleeing at full speed.
His voice drifted back from far away: "Zhu Jiuyin, I'll concede this round to you today. Don't get too full of yourself — we'll settle our score when the Spirit Seizure Battle begins. We'll see who's left laughing in the end."
Seeing him depart, the Celestial Moon Demon Spider did not give chase. Her massive spider body twisted and shifted, transforming back into the image of an innocent, unspoiled young girl. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, gazing into the distance for a moment.
Several hundred li away, within the confines of the web, Yang Kai and the others watched with pounding hearts.
The sheer force with which these two Sacred Spirits had clashed was beyond imagination. Even here in the Grand Ruins, they had wielded power that far surpassed the Open Heaven Stage. This might have had to do with the fact that they were native to this realm, or simply that their strength was immeasurably vast to begin with.
But regardless, the might of a Sacred Spirit was truly something no one could withstand!
The young girl turned, took a step, and in a few graceful bounds arrived before Yang Kai and his companions. She studied Yang Kai with a pleasant smile, a hint of scrutiny in her beautiful eyes — like a lovestruck maiden appraising her beloved, growing more satisfied the longer she looked.
Yang Kai felt his scalp go numb. In a strained voice, he asked: "Senior, what instruction would you have for me?"
The girl smiled softly. "Don't be afraid. I won't kill you, and I won't let anyone else kill you either. You're of great use to me. This isn't the place to talk — let's go back first."
She waved a hand, withdrawing the spider web. Yang Kai and the others were freed, but facing such an existence, not a single one of them harbored even the slightest thought of escape. They could only obediently follow behind her, making their way back toward Star City.
Tens of thousands of li away, the Kun Shark halted in his tracks, his face twisted with fury. "That wretched woman has ruined everything! Now that brat has caught Zhu Jiuyin's eye — I'm afraid I won't be able to snatch him back... Hm, I wonder if the other brat is dead yet."
As he spoke, he opened his mouth and spat something out.
It was none other than Lin Feng, whom he had swallowed earlier.
"Oh? Still alive, eh? Good, good, good — you've got some skill!" The Kun Shark's eyes lit up. Lin Feng's face was deathly pale, but his body was intact. The only damage was to a layer of pale golden protective light covering his skin, which had been corroded by the Kun Shark's stomach acid into a pitted, ragged mess that could break at any moment.
Lin Feng certainly didn't have the ability to resist the corrosive power of a Kun Shark's stomach acid on his own. He must have activated a treasure bestowed upon him by an elder to preserve his life.
Suddenly liberated, Lin Feng was overcome with shock and broke into violent coughing fits.
Before he could even collect himself, the Kun Shark's authoritative voice boomed: "Junior, you have passed my trial and are worthy of becoming my Vessel. Over the next several years, I will instruct you carefully. After that, you will carry out a task on my behalf. If you do it well, I'll spare your life. If you do it poorly — then you'll obediently become my rations."
Lin Feng looked up, staring blankly at him. The harrowing experience of dying and returning had left his mind in disarray, and he hadn't even clearly heard what the Kun Shark had said.
The Kun Shark paid him no further mind. He simply grabbed Lin Feng by the collar, lifted him, and shot toward the sea above.
Inside Yang Kai's residence, in the great hall, the young girl paced back and forth, touching this object and that, as though everything here was a novelty to her.
Yang Kai and the others stood below the hall, not daring to so much as breathe loudly.
Though the Celestial Moon Demon Spider had said she wouldn't kill him, who knew if such a woman might change her mind on a whim? If she truly decided to act, no one could withstand more than a few exchanges from her.
Suddenly, Chen Yue rushed in from outside and said in a low voice: "Lord, the bosses of Red Star are requesting an audience."
When the Celestial Moon Demon Spider had led Yang Kai and the others back to Star City, everyone had witnessed it. The appearance of such a terrifying being in the city had sent Chen Tianfei and the rest into a panic — of course they had hurried over to pay their respects.
Yang Kai looked up at the Celestial Moon Demon Spider.
The young girl waved her hand dismissively. "Tell them to get lost." Her expression was one of utter impatience.
Chen Yue shrank her neck, bowed respectfully, and withdrew.
The girl finally came to a stop and turned her head toward Yang Kai, smiling sweetly. "Where's Dalang's corpse?"
"Dalang?" Yang Kai was taken aback. What Dalang? Which Dalang?
"You killed him, didn't you?" she asked.
Only then did Yang Kai realize what she meant. He quickly raised his hand and tossed out a headless corpse — none other than the mantis-headed demon he had slain over two years ago in Sword Pavilion's Star City. The creature's head had been obliterated by the Azure Dragon Spear, leaving only the lower half of its body.
Because this demon had been fairly powerful and his twin arm-blades were tough and razor-sharp — excellent materials for forging Artifacts — Yang Kai had kept his corpse in storage all this time.