Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 524: A Spider's Lair

As he stepped into the cave, Zhang Lie caught a glimpse of the spider-type lifeforms within.

Given his strength, however, most of them seemed to be pitifully weak. They were largely mutated-grade lifeforms, with a few superior-grade ones scattered among them. Zhang Lie would easily be able to take them all down.

As he strode deeper into the cave, Zhang Lie eventually came across stronger spider-type lifeforms. A speckled red-and-black spider approached. It was peak-grade, and barely small enough to fit within the depths of the tunnels.

Zhang Lie's eyes brightened.

Perhaps a peak-grade lifeform would be threatening to others, but it was hardly anything worth worrying about for Zhang Lie himself. Zhang Lie punched forward casually with his right arm.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Quake]!" The entire cave shook. Before the peak-grade spider could retaliate, it had disintegrated into nothing but powder. That was the extent of Zhang Lie's current strength, after all. He encountered three more peak-grade spiders after this one, but they were all dealt with as easily.

Very quickly, Zhang Lie ended up before a gigantic chasm. As he approached, a frightening screech rang out from the lair deep within, like the cries of a demon from the abyss.

Purple fog wafted out of the air like flames. It swallowed Zhang Lie up, corroding the rocks all around him and causing them to hiss and smoke.

Zhang Lie shielded himself with his genetic energy as he smiled. Surely this was a disaster-grade lifeform? It had to be! He was sure he could sense the primordial aura that was gathering all around him.

Two gigantic scorpion-like pincers emerged from the depths of the lair, crystalline, unbelievably sharp, and wickedly beautiful.

Zhang Lie's smile grew even larger. "A disaster-grade lifeform—finally, another disaster-grade lifeform!"

Four pairs of blood-red eyes lit up like flames in the darkness, bringing not light and warmth, but despair and horror. The eight eyes stared pointedly at Zhang Lie; he had clearly been slated as prey.

A screech emerged from the depths of the lair.

Following the spider's cry, countless spider-type lifeforms began to scuttle toward Zhang Lie from all throughout the cave.

The densely packed spiders scurried around Zhang Lie, as though the purple fog that surrounded him was perfectly harmless to them. Their eyes were blood-red, and their legs clicked against the rock with a sound that made Zhang Lie shudder.

From deep within its lair emerged a double-headed spider with a crystalline carapace. Its pincers were like glaives, its teeth like battleaxes.

It was so humongous Zhang Lie wondered at how it had managed to ever make its way within the cave. Zhang Lie was barely the size of one of its leg hairs.

The purple fog in the air thickened, and it began sapping away at Zhang Lie's genetic energy.

Thankfully, Zhang Lie himself possessed two soulshards that were strongly resistant to poison, and the effect of the purple fog could be neglected for the moment.

As he glanced at the spider in front of him, Zhang Lie beamed. "That's more like it!"

He had finally found his first disaster-grade lifeform.

The disaster-grade spider waved its legs, parting the fog as though it were the surface of the sea. The ground of the cave began to crack, causing a huge wave of energy to spread toward Zhang Lie.

A disaster was taking form!

It waved its legs madly, sending out torrents of energy toward Zhang Lie and carving out grooves in the cave floor. The scythes of wind smashed apart everything in their way, even its fellow kin.

The entire cave began to shake. Zhang Lie dodged the attack, sliding between the spider's legs.

"[Rune: Seal]!" The image of a dragonturtle appeared before him as Zhang Lie raised his hand. As the tablets smashed down on the spider's head, ripples spread out from the two tablets, sealing its will and power.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" Zhang Lie sent a fist smashing down on the spider's brain. A black serpent shot forward with the punch, biting down on one of the spider's exposed eyes and breaking off a small chunk of crystal.

The spider screeched in pain, echoes of sound reverberating throughout the cave. The pressure from the sound waves was so intense that Zhang Lie felt it as a physical force.

The spider's screeches spurred the superior-grade lifeforms into action. All the spiders within the cave went crazy as they began to rampage, their eyes burning with red light as they leapt into the air and toward Zhang Lie.

"Die!" Within the sea of spiders, a black sun appeared behind Zhang Lie's back, and a bloody moon beneath his feet.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" Large swathes of spiders fell to the ground, immobilized by the aura of [Eclipse]. As Zhang Lie punched forward with a fist, distorting space, more and more spiders began to fall.

Those spiders below peak-grade were completely unable to defend against [Eclipse]'s aura, and even the peak-grade spiders were hard-pressed to guard against the force of Zhang Lie's fists.

However, all the spiders in the cave had entered a rampaging state, and they continued to attack Zhang Lie regardless of the danger to their bodies.

Even as their carapaces cracked, even as their bodies burst open, they continued swarming him.

The disaster-grade spider slammed down with its legs. As it did so, dozens of peak-grade and superior-grade spiders pounced on Zhang Lie at once, preventing him from escaping.

Just as the spider's legs were about to land, Zhang Lie unsheathed his twin blades and defended against the blow. The force of Zhang Lie's attack was sufficient to tear the spider's two front legs off its body. Shards of jade-green crystal fell to the ground.

Gripping the twin blades Guicang and Hanguang, Zhang Lie sent arcs of sword energy into the air, slicing apart the superior--grade spiders that came leaping at him. The peak-grade spiders deflected the attack and continued to scuttle toward him.

A pillar of genetic energy rose from Zhang Lie's body.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!" A dragon's howl shook the skies. Before the superior-grade lifeforms could make a move, Zhang Lie struck. An array of blood-red dragons cleared the ground all around Zhang Lie.