To find Xiao Mo, one must defeat the water spiders.
Xiao Bai spat out a cluster of fox fire. The primordial fox fire of a nine-tailed fox could incinerate all impurities in the world. Water spiders feared fire. Though large, they were agile. They spat silk onto the top of their web and hoisted themselves up. The fox fire landed on the web.
Flames spread along the web, and within moments, the entire web became a blazing inferno. The water spiders had nowhere to escape. As the fox fire was about to scorch them, they desperately begged for mercy.
"Divine beast, please spare my life... Immortal, spare us!" their voices were shrill and trembled slightly.
"Did you capture an electric eel? Release it at once."
"No, this humble creature did not capture it. It was too powerful, we merely confined it."
"Xiao Bai, extinguish the fox fire!"
"Take us to Xiao Mo, or you will face the consequences. Cultivating for a thousand years is not easy. If you do evil deeds, the Heavenly Dao will not spare you! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Call out your companions. Don't hide sneakily, or I'll let you experience my newly created Ice Seal technique... once sealed in ice, a single blow would shatter you... of course, you wouldn't feel any pain." Ye Ju's voice was icy, laced with killing intent!
The water spiders trembled in fear. After a millennium of slumber, were cultivators after this era so powerful? They had been awakened by that Heavenly Tribulation. Upon waking, they bathed in spiritual dew and rain, their cultivation breaking through to demon emperor. Filled with arrogance, they believed themselves invincible. Shortly after emerging, they encountered Xiao Mo, and now, a nine-tailed fox divine beast. Had divine beasts become commonplace?
Another, smaller water spider emerged from the shadows. This one was female. She had been severely injured after Ye Ju destroyed her dream weaving space.
The two water spiders prostrated themselves on the water's surface, signifying their surrender. They claimed to have done no great harm, only preying on fish at the lake's bottom.
Ye Ju activated the formation of the Purple Bamboo Boat, allowing it to glide forward, following the water spiders. The spiders stepped on the water's surface as if treading on solid ground, their gliding speed no slower than the boat. Had they not encountered Ye Ju and her companions, they would have been the undisputed rulers of the waters.
A day had been lost, and it was now nearing evening. After another fifteen minutes, they arrived at the foot of a cliff. A waterfall cascaded from the summit, its spray catching the setting sun, revealing a faint rainbow. Ye Ju had no mood to appreciate the scenery; finding Xiao Mo was the priority.
According to the water spiders' directions, Xiao Mo was trapped beneath the waterfall.
Ye Ju released her divine sense to scan the base of the cliff. The underwater terrain was rugged with strange rocks. Xiao Mo favored such an environment. She discovered Xiao Mo in a cave, the entrance sealed with spider silk, Xiao Mo in a deep slumber. Ye Ju instructed Xiao Bai to enter the water and burn away the silk, and then ordered the water spiders to dissolve the dream illusion. Xiao Mo was rescued. Xiao Mo's form had shrunk to five to six meters, and the horn on its head seemed to have grown considerably.
As soon as Xiao Mo woke up and saw its enemies, before Ye Ju could react, a whitish electric current surged towards the water spiders.
In an instant, the water spiders were electrocuted and flipped onto the water's surface, their legs pointing skyward. Their fur kept them afloat, preventing them from sinking.
Ye Ju quickly intervened and explained the situation to Xiao Mo. "Xiao Mo, how are you? For now, spare these two beasts' lives. I still have questions for them."
"Understood, Master." Xiao Mo's clear, cold voice rang out. Xiao Mo had spoken human language.
"Oh, Xiao Mo can talk now." Their previous communication had been through divine sense, allowing Ye Ju to hear Xiao Mo's voice in her mind.
"Yes, Master. During your tribulation, I benefited from your Heavenly Dao bestowed grace and advanced. I was ambushed by these water spiders at a critical moment and had to hide in the cave!"
So that was the reason. No wonder Xiao Mo's aura felt off, and its horns had grown, yet its cultivation remained at its previous level. After examining Xiao Mo, Ye Ju found no injuries, only some weakness.
The dream illusion worked by gradually weakening the dreamer to death in their sleep. Ye Ju gave Xiao Mo some spiritual spring water and a few spiritual fruits, then sent it into the spiritual pet bag to cultivate.
Suddenly, the scent of roasted meat wafted through the air. It was coming from the water spiders. They had been scorched by the electricity from Xiao Mo's attack. Were they dead?
"Are they dead? The meat smells so good!" Xiao Bai's nose twitched, and it looked greedy.
"No... no... we're not dead..." two weak voices came, fearing they might be eaten by Xiao Bai if they were too slow to respond. Xiao Bai was already pawing at them, and seeing they were indeed not dead, it looked regretful.
"Sister, they're really not dead!"
Ye Ju couldn't help but chuckle. It was likely for this reason they couldn't defeat Xiao Mo. Even in their sleep, when encountering danger, Xiao Mo's body would instinctively emit electricity.
Seeing the two water spiders were near death, Ye Ju, fearing they might actually perish, cast a healing spell to mend their injuries. She still had questions for them.
Ye Ju simply stopped the bleeding on their superficial wounds.
"Do you have names? How should I address you?"
"Immortal, we are mates. This humble one is called Chi Zu." The larger water spider spoke first.
"Immortal, this humble one is called Zhi Meng!"
"So, you're a pair. Your names are quite elegant. Zhi Meng, truly living up to your name."
Ye Ju's voice was cold, carrying a hint of authority.
"I ask you, what was that dream of mine? Did you fabricate it?"
"No, dreams are woven from the most profound memories of events that have occurred and been experienced. This causes the dreamer to become deeply engrossed," Zhi Meng said quickly.
"Lies, I never experienced what happened in that dream in reality." Ye Ju did not believe it.
"Immortal, Zhi Meng would not dare to lie to you. There is also another possibility: events that will happen in the future."
Zhi Meng dared not mention that while reading Ye Ju's memories, it had discovered a seal. However, those under the dream weaving technique would only experience memories according to the dreamer's own recollections. At this point, Zhi Meng had no control.
Ye Ju was half-believing. Events she had never experienced were appearing in the dream. Could she truly meet these people in the future?
The sky had darkened. Ye Ju looked at the two water spiders, her head aching. They offered to become Ye Ju's spiritual pets. Ye Ju found them too ugly.
"Sister, let me play with them, let them be my subordinates," Xiao Bai excitedly said.
Ye Ju readily agreed. If she left them unchecked, she feared the water spiders might harm others again. Out of caution, she had Xiao Bai imprint a soul mark on them. This technique was recorded in a book given by Chao Xiang Zi. To subdue a demonic beast without a contract, one could imprint a soul mark. If they betrayed her, their souls could be extracted. Crushing the mark would cause their souls to scatter and perish!
Ye Ju's heart was calm. In this cultivation world, it was a matter of the strong preying on the weak. Indecisiveness would sooner or later lead to becoming another's soul beneath the blade, or that of a beast!
After Xiao Bai imprinted the soul mark, it generously took out spiritual spring water from its spiritual essence space for them to heal. Although her sister had given them a superficial healing, they still carried the scent of meat, and Xiao Bai feared it might not be able to resist devouring the two spiders. After all, the higher the level of a demonic beast, the more delicious its meat...
Chi Zu and Zhi Meng were overjoyed to become subordinates of a nine-tailed fox divine beast. These two spiders were arrogant and looked down on humans, but in the face of the immensely powerful Ye Ju, they had no choice but to submit. Internally, they resisted, which was why Ye Ju was unwilling to take them as spiritual pets.