Following his rough memory, Lordi Payne fled the nest cave. Just as he paused to catch his breath, the hill behind him trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. A piercing shriek tore through the air, sending a wave of dread through him.
Before he could react, the sound wave hit him like a physical force. It felt as though a boulder had slammed into his chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Dizziness washed over him, and the metallic tang of blood welled up in his throat.
The Man-Faced Spider was back.
No time to think. Lordi Payne yelled at the top of his lungs, "Lady Willow! I've mastered the Blood Lothgar Footwork Art! Please show yourself!"
The wilderness remained silent—no response came, no matter how long he waited.
Willow really wasn't here.
His heart sank. Abandoning any hope that the phantom maid would save him, he quickly located his position, picked a direction, and bolted toward Lothgar City. Where else could he go? This was a Foundation Stage demon beast—even Jarl Drainwood wouldn't dare face it head-on. The city was his only chance.
He had barely run a stretch when the ground behind him began to shake violently, the tremors growing closer with each passing second. Furious screeches echoed through the cave, sending chills down his spine. Glancing back while running, Lordi Payne's hair stood on end in sheer horror. The cave entrance was shaking violently, and then, in the next moment, the entire hill cracked and was ripped apart.
A thick, curved, oak-like trunk extended through the crack. Then another. Within moments, a vast black wall rose, tearing the hill open. On the wall was a pale, sleeping face, as if a man had been embedded into it. Then, the man's eyes snapped open—malice burning in its gaze.
Lordi Payne's blood ran cold. He realized in an instant that this was no wall or trunk. It was a giant spider, larger than an entire pavilion, with a grotesque human face embedded in its bulbous abdomen. Its body gleamed like polished ebony, and its legs, thick as tree trunks, dripped with fresh gore—evidence of a recent hunt. It had returned only to find its brood wiped out.
Fury boiled within the beast. It scanned the area, its hellish eyes locking onto Lordi Payne's fleeing figure. Sniffing the lingering scent of its destroyed nest, it let out another ear-splitting shriek. Its four pairs of legs propelled it forward, smashing through trees and bushes as it charged after him.
Lordi Payne's soul nearly fled his body. He pushed the Blood Lothgar Footwork Art to its absolute limit, desperate to widen the gap between himself and the monstrous spider. Thankfully, the technique was a gift from Fairy Lith, and Lordi Payne had practiced it with the AllFullOS system. His speed was unmatched. The distance between him and the demon beast visibly grew as he raced through the forest.
The spider rampaged behind him, spitting webs in rage, but it couldn't catch up. Lordi Payne's figure grew smaller and smaller, eventually vanishing into the woods as a distant dot.
"The Blood Lothgar Footwork Art is unreal!" Lordi Payne exhaled in awe as he outpaced the spider. "I wonder if Fairy Lith has more martial arts for me to train in the future?"
Such a powerful, free-of-charge martial art technique? He'd take them all!
Daydreaming briefly, he quickly shifted his thoughts. "How am I going to explain this to Jarl Drainwood once I reach Lothgar City?"
Drainwood didn't want trouble with this spider either...
"Whatever. A Foundation Stage Man-Faced Spider might have some intelligence, but it can't talk," Lordi Payne reasoned. "I'll just say it came after me first."
After all, he was just a mere Fourth Layer Qi Refinement Stage outer disciple of the Abyss Pit Sect—a newbie. Who would believe he had the audacity, let alone the ability, to provoke a Foundation Stage demon beast? If anything, he'd look like the victim, not the instigator.
With this thought, a wave of relief washed over him. But it didn't last long. A brutal truth hit him like a hammer: his spiritual energy was running dangerously low.
The Blood Lothgar Footwork Art was insanely fast, but it guzzled spiritual energy just as quickly. In his desperate focus on fleeing, he hadn't noticed—half of his reserves were already gone. If he kept up this speed, he wouldn't make it to Lothgar City. He'd collapse in the woods, an easy meal for the spider.
"Fuck me..." Lordi Payne's face turned grim as his mind raced. He veered sharply, changing direction and bolting toward the slot canyon where he'd been trapped earlier.
You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
The only reason he'd tangled with this spider in the first place was because Chen Haunt's crew had cornered him. Why should they sit pretty while he bore the brunt of the danger?
If he didn't have enough time or spiritual energy to flee back to Lothgar City, fine. He'd make Chen Haunt's squad buy him some time instead.
While Lordi Payne bolted toward the canyon, miles away, an open patch of ground outside it bore a complex array drawn in cinnabar and human blood. At its center stood a Summon Soul Banner.
At first glance, the banner seemed unremarkable—a tattered, somber funeral banner, the kind one might find fluttering mournfully outside a village shrine or draped over a forgotten grave. Its fabric was a faded, ashen gray, frayed at the edges as though clawed by time itself. It hung limply from a crooked pole of blackened wood that gleamed faintly with an unnatural, oily sheen.
But the surface of the Summon Soul Banner writhed. It was no illusion, no trick of the wind—something lived within the fabric, something tormented and alive. Over a dozen souls, their forms faint yet horribly distinct, twisted like shadows trapped in a storm. Their faces, warped and grotesque, pressed outward against the cloth as if straining to break free.
"Chen Haunt!" one soul howled, its spectral face twisting into a mask of fury as it pressed against the banner's surface. "You'll die a death so wretched!"
"Hwong Hyun!" another wailed, the voice cracking with raw despair. "I treated you like a brother bound by trust—and you plunged the knife in deep! You'll get yours, you treacherous cur—I'll see your soul shredded before I rest!"
"Mave-chan... Mave-chan!" came a softer, more broken sob. "Why won't you even look at me? You swore your heart was mine, whispered sweet lies to lure me into that trap—then slit my throat, stole my cultivation strength, my blood, my very soul, all for Chen Haunt's filthy tool! Do you feel no guilt? Why?"
"Gum Torin, you motherfucker!" roared a deeper voice, thick with fury. "I saved your miserable life—dragged you from death's jaws when you were nothing but a bleeding husk! And this is my reward? Betrayal? You're a damn monster, a soulless fiend—I curse you to drown in the blood you've spilled!"
"Wretch cunt Sil Deshah!" shrieked a soul, her tone shrill with outrage as hands clawed at the fabric. "Blood cousins, we were, and you sold me out to Chen Haunt! You'll rot, you spineless traitor! How will you face our ancestors in the afterlife, with my screams ringing in your ears? May your soul fester forever!"
"My dear, stop it," Sil Deshah teased the soul from a makeshift earthen altar. She stepped through the Seven Stars of the complex array, casting various seals and spells. Biting her tongue, she spat a mist of blood, and the array flared to life, glowing faintly red.
Pale and blood trickling from her lips, Sil Deshah nonetheless thrilled with excitement. Brushing off the soul's curses, she said, "Dear cousin, you pursued the Great Dao wholeheartedly, but you were dull in talent. Now that you've been devoured by the Summon Soul Banner, when Senior Brother Chen's cultivation level improves and he ascends to the pinnacle of the Great Dao with the banner, you'll rise with him. Isn't that equivalent to fulfilling your wish? Why are you scolding me? You should thank me."
She then ignored the female soul's curses and turned to Chen Haunt, her eyes sparkling warmly. "Senior Brother Chen, mission accomplished! The mother formation has been set. Just wait till midnight."
Chen Haunt, Hwong Hyen, Gum Torin, and Chen Mave stood in formation, each clutching a glowing Dao Fulu, their wrists bloody. All looked drained—especially Chen Mave, the weakest among them, who crumpled to her knees at the news.
Glancing at the floating Dao Fulu, fear flickered in her eyes. "We made it... finally. Although Senior Sister Sil deployed this cross-tier array formation using Dao Fulu, the fulu itself almost drained all our essence blood and spiritual energy."
She felt like she might faint at any moment!
"Great appreciation to you, Deshah-chan," Chen Haunt said. He was the strongest among his crew, and though he, too, was badly drained, his spirits remained high. Ignoring his sister's complaints, he stepped forward to support Sil Deshah. After asking about her well-being, he turned to Chen Mave. "Go check on Lordi Payne below."
Chen Mave, still reeling, griped, "Lordi Payne? He's stuck. What's there to check?"
She summoned her Tracer Bee from her sleeve. To her surprise, instead of darting into the canyon, the bee zipped south without pause!