“Oh, there’s a black sceptre!” Hu Yue pointed at the skeleton with a severed skull on the far end. With a flicker, she urged the Spirit Illusion Moon Robe and flew down towards it.
“Be careful!” Lin Xiao followed cautiously.
Before landing, Hu Yue gently struck out with a palm, sending a burst of vital qi at the sceptre. Seeing no reaction, she grabbed it.
“Hiss!” The moment she seized it, the sceptre trembled— a powerful ripple surged from it, as if trying to shake her off.
“Careful!” Lin Xiao worried, nearly intervening, but stopped as he saw Hu Yue grit her teeth and hold on.
The sceptre’s autonomous struggle suggested it was extraordinary— Hu Yue aimed to subdue it.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a red gleam flowed from the sceptre’s foot-long tip, tracing along the severed necks of the skeleton row, stopping at the last one.
Lin Xiao gaped— within the sceptre was a near-invisible wire, its true weapon, razor-sharp.
This row of skeletons had been sliced by it— one cut, one rank.
“Hiss!”
Then, Hu Yue’s hand seemed controlled, lifting upward involuntarily. A sharp, clanging sound rang out as the red-glowing wire whipped skyward, cutting through space, halting vertically towards the heavens.
“What’s happening?”
Lin Xiao frowned, watching Hu Yue persevere, hesitant to act rashly.
This standoff lasted a quarter-hour— sweat streamed down Hu Yue’s brow. With a grit of her teeth, she squeezed hard. Suddenly, a dazzling red light burst from the wire’s tip.
The bright red glow coalesced into a massive spider— dozens of metres tall— its glossy red body gleaming, eight spear-like legs tipped with sharp points, capable of piercing anything.
As the red spider formed, it radiated blinding light, illuminating the heavens in all directions, bathing a thousand miles in red— the sky turned blood-like.
A terrifying pressure rolled outward, overwhelming all. Facing it, Lin Xiao felt as if confronting the vast sky— his spirit trembled, urging him to kneel in awe.
“Heavens, it’s a Sky Spider! Sky Spider Demon Silk!” Lin Xiao’s mind reeled.
The Sky Spider— a fearsome primordial beast. Ancient texts ranked it among the continent’s top terrors. At nine transformations, it rivalled Martial Emperors— infamous, rarely seen, but earth-shaking when it appeared.
The red glow forming a spider matched its shape.
Its deadliest weapon was its blood-refined silk— capable of slaying countless foes, fine and impossibly sharp, snapping ordinary blades on contact.
High above, the glowing spider’s tail linked to the near-invisible wire, its red light flowing down to the sceptre.
Clearly, this was a Sky Spider’s demon silk, forged into the sceptre as a weapon.
Unimaginable— how strong must its maker have been to craft Sky Spider silk into a weapon?
Lin Xiao doubted this was merely a Martial Lord’s tomb— someone wielding Sky Spider silk likely surpassed that.
Sky Spiders vanished eons ago, legends placing them in primordial times. Who knew when this silk was forged?
With the strewn corpses and other signs, Lin Xiao felt this wasn’t a lord’s burial but an emperor’s— a Martial Emperor’s grave.
If true, it’d be world-shaking.
“Hiss! Hiss!”
Hu Yue, enveloped in red light, seemed in a trance— eyes shut, as if sensing something.
“Could it be… the Nine Transformations Heavenly Technique?” Lin Xiao jolted, guessing. It didn’t seem harmful— more like she was receiving a legacy.
If so, it was monumental.
The Nine Transformations Heavenly Technique was the Sky Spider’s divine ability— nine transformations like a nirvana, reaching the martial peak, claiming an emperor’s throne.
If Hu Yue gained it, it’d be a colossal opportunity.
Seeing her calm expression, Lin Xiao eased— it was likely a legacy transfer.
“Such a commotion!” But he frowned again— this was the biggest disturbance in the graveyard yet.
No booming noise, but the light spanned a thousand miles— sure to draw every强者 here.
Lin Xiao summoned the green puppet, warily scanning around— no one could disturb Hu Yue now.
A quarter-hour passed— Hu Yue’s state persisted. Then, a figure flew towards them— the first to arrive.
Lin Xiao’s gaze shifted— the familiar figure made his pupils shrink.
It was Liu Yan, the Liu family head— the first to reach them.
“Lin Xiao, it’s you!” Seeing him, Liu Yan’s face flared with rage, eyes nearly spitting fire.
A Martial Venerable first-tier强者, beaten and face-stomped by this junior— intolerable.
“Heh, quite the prize— perfect to send you to your graves!” Liu Yan laughed in fury, his voice chilling. He struck— a gust roared as a massive palm shot forth, its terrifying Martial Venerable pressure bearing down on Lin Xiao and Hu Yue.
Lin Xiao’s eyes iced over, killing intent surging— the puppet lunged forward.
“Now’s not the time!” A middle-aged voice cut in. A man and beast pierced the void, appearing before the glowing palm. The man’s left hand pushed lightly— the palm shattered.
“Tiger Legion Young Commander!” Liu Yan started, wariness flooding his face.
This commander, sixth-tier Martial Venerable, was ruthless— far stronger than him. Paired with his triple-striped golden tiger, his combat power was fearsome.
Lin Xiao jolted too, recalling the puppet to his side.
The commander’s intervention seemed purposeful— buying time was fine. Once Hu Yue’s legacy finished, Lin Xiao could flee with the wings.
“Why not strike?” A questioning voice sounded— another figure emerged from the void.
A grey-robed, black-haired elder, around sixty, thin and gaunt, with sharp eyes.
This was Guan Shuo, a sixth-tier Martial Venerable elder from the Guan family in the north— a brutal figure.
He eyed the Sky Spider’s glowing form and Hu Yue in her light mist, greed glinting in his eyes.
