Something tells me Xiao Mo's sense of propriety is about to shatter all over the ground once again...
**********************
The Spider Mother extended a warm invitation, and Yang Kai, showing no fear whatsoever, leapt down into the gorge and landed before the enormous spider statue.
"Hehe, little brother really does have guts." The Spider Mother's pleasant voice continued to echo in his mind.
The bull-calf-sized giant spiders all around quickly sprang into action, shaking their heads and wagging their bodies as they closed in on Yang Kai's position. In no time, they had surrounded him completely, pairs of small eyes glowing with a faint light fixed on him, white silk threads slipping from their mandibles as they exuded a foul, putrid stench.
These giant spiders were all Sixth-Order demon beasts. A rough count revealed that at least forty or fifty of them had gathered in the gorge, and the smaller ones numbered beyond counting.
Yang Kai had heard that the Spider Mother had allied with the Thunder Beast King, following his orders for the attack on Zhongdu. In return, she had gained quite a few benefits from the Thunder Beast King.
These Sixth-Order giant spiders must have been bred through the Thunder Beast King's methods.
The last time Yang Kai had found himself stranded here, he hadn't seen nearly this many giant spiders.
The ground trembled slightly, as though something colossal was emerging from within the spider statue.
A moment later, the Spider Mother finally revealed herself.
A massive spider's body, but the upper half was that of a stunningly beautiful woman—a flawless, exquisitely lovely face, elegantly curved shoulders, full, pert breasts exposed to the air. They were firm and upright, wonderfully elastic, pale and delicate, crowned with two cherry-red tips so exquisitely formed they seemed to stir the deepest desires in a man's heart, making one want to lean in and take a bite, to savor the wonder of those two cherries.
Seeing the Spider Mother's current appearance, Yang Kai couldn't help but be surprised. He sneered, "It looks like you benefited quite a lot from the battle at Zhongdu."
The last time he'd seen her, she'd only had the face of a beauty, with no woman's upper body. But now she actually possessed a graceful, alluring female figure that set the imagination running wild.
The Spider Mother giggled softly. "Indeed. I devoured the true essence and flesh of many powerful experts to evolve into my current form. The taste of their true essence and flesh was simply exquisite! But when the Cangyun Evil Lands suffered a crushing defeat, I had no choice but to flee back here. Thinking about it now, I really miss that taste."
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes gazed at Yang Kai, and her scarlet tongue traced along her lips. "Your flavor is also quite exquisite—I wonder how you'd taste."
"You want to eat me?" Yang Kai pointed at himself, bursting into laughter. He shook his head. "Spider Mother, that's a fine idea, but I'm afraid you don't have the ability."
The Spider Mother smiled faintly. "You're that confident?"
"No diamond drill, no porcelain work. I came here because I know I can handle you." Yang Kai's expression turned cold in an instant.
The Spider Mother's beautiful face grew solemn as well. Though she was half-human, half-demon beast, her intelligence was no less than any human expert's. She could naturally sense that Yang Kai had something to back up his confidence.
She didn't quite know what he was relying on, but it was enough to put her on guard.
"I also don't have to deal with you." Yang Kai smiled easily again, his demeanor calm. "I didn't come here to fight. As long as you lord it over this place and don't go causing trouble for the people of Zhongdu, it has absolutely nothing to do with me."
"Oh?" The Spider Mother looked surprised. "Then what brings you here, little brother?"
"I want to make a deal with you!" Yang Kai declared.
"What kind of deal?"
"Tell me how to solve the Poison Widow lineage's problem, and in return, I'll tell you how to take human form!" Yang Kai didn't mince words. Shan Qingluo was still waiting for him in Floating Fragrance City, and he needed to end this quickly.
"You know the secret of taking human form?" The Spider Mother's demeanor became suddenly agitated, and she shrieked the words.
Seeing her react so strongly, Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He'd guessed right—for all her formidable power, being the only Seventh-Order demon beast he'd ever encountered, for a creature of such high intelligence, her ultimate goal was still to take human form. And she was already working toward that end.
"Have you ever heard of the Transformation Pool?" Yang Kai smiled faintly, tossing out his bait.
"The Transformation Pool?" The Spider Mother's beautiful eyes sparkled, her lovely body trembled, and she asked with suspicion, "What is that?"
"A pool with miraculous power that can help you take human form!" Yang Kai explained.
"Where is it?" The Spider Mother grew even more agitated, quickly stepping forward several paces. Her oppressive aura bore down on him, growing more dangerous by the second.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head. "If you want to know where it is, you'll first have to tell me how to neutralize the deadly poison sealed within the Poison Widow lineage's bodies."
In truth, he didn't actually know what the Transformation Pool was either.