176 - Douluo: Martial Spirit Blue Silver Grass

Chapter 176: Days and Nights Reborn as the Malevolent Senior Sister Within the cave of springs, the flames flickered, immediately illuminating the surroundings. Fu Ling lifted her gaze and looked ahead, spotting a tiny sprout bordered by golden light but slightly withered in the corner at the end of the silk cocoon. This must be the Dragon Heart Grass she was searching for. The silk cocoon was filled with the Mountain Spider's toxic breath. Ordinary plants wouldn't survive even a moment inside. Dragon Heart Grass, the lifeblood of the dragon spirit, naturally has a protective dragon aura. Yet, after enduring the toxic corrosion for several days, the golden gleam representing this aura had dimmed significantly, leaving only a thin layer under the firelight. Fu Ling exhaled slightly, gripping the knife in her hand, hesitant to take another step forward. At this very moment, the Mountain Spider lay in front of the Dragon Heart Grass, staring at her while fiddling with the tender leaves of the little plant with its forelegs. Clearly, this great demon had already noticed the existence of the Dragon Heart Grass. The atmosphere was tense, as human and demon faced each other, neither daring to act recklessly. The Mountain Spider feared Fu Ling's dragon-slaying knife, while Fu Ling worried the Mountain Spider would destroy the Dragon Heart Grass. The spiritual fire continued to burn, the stench in the air growing stronger, and the three outside the cave caught a whiff of the odor. "Jiu Ying, look—" Yu Ping covered her mouth and nose, eyes wide with disbelief. Jiu Ying frowned and followed her gaze to the sky, only to find that the cracks in the mountain wall had disappeared at some unknown point. The gray-black rocks stacked seamlessly, leaving no trace of the crack, so perfect and solid that it seemed as if the cracks had been an illusion. While the three were perplexed, the cave shook again, and Fu Ling's voice echoed in Jiu Ying's mind. "Senior Sister, take Yu Ping and the others and leave. The Mountain Spider is about to come out." With time running short, Fu Ling couldn't afford to explain further, urging them to depart quickly. Jiu Ying, already feeling uneasy, grew more anxious upon hearing the Mountain Spider was leaving the spring cave. She dared not leave anyone in such a dangerous place. Unwilling to let Fu Ling worry, she quickly responded. "Alright, take care." Fu Ling, hearing this reassurance, naturally assumed her beloved had left, allowing herself a moment to relax. Unbeknownst to her, her senior sister, after escorting Yu Ping and the others away, secretly turned back alone. Inside the cave, the young woman with the large knife slowly approached the terrifying Mountain Spider. With each step, the ring on the knife's handle chimed with a crisp 'ding-dong.' The great demon did not fear the human before it, truly intimidated by the curved knife in her hand. Seeing the girl approach closer, it could no longer maintain its composure. It extended a foreleg, grasping the golden little grass entirely. It seemed intent on taking the Dragon Heart Grass with it. Fu Ling watched this scene, her breath catching. There was no time to ponder; she had already cast aside Jiu Ying's advice from her mind. To prevent the demon from taking the Dragon Heart Grass, she planted her large knife into the side of the cocoon's silk. Battle was imminent, and no one would willingly discard their weapon. The Mountain Spider stood tall, its two eyes fixed on the girl not far away, thinking perhaps it was the one experiencing a hallucination. Maybe to test its theory, it loosened its forelegs and moved forward, seeing no response from the girl, then grimaced and exhaled a dense toxic gas in her direction. Fu Ling, shielded by spiritual energy, was unaffected by the toxic mist, though she pretended to be poisoned, covering her mouth and nose, stumbling back several steps. Her reaction made it appear as though she was about to collapse. Sure enough, the Mountain Spider bought the ruse. The moment the girl fell, it released the Dragon Heart Grass and darted towards the knife rapidly, like a gust of fierce wind. In no time, its sharp claws sliced through the cocoon wall, and the fearsome dragon-slaying knife was blown away by the toxic mist. Jiu Ying, guarding near the cave, watched as a large curved knife flew out in the blink of an eye. She didn't have a chance to catch the knife before it vanished hundreds of miles away, plummeting into the Nether Sea. Inside the cocoon, Fu Ling was unaware of anyone outside. Seizing the demon's distraction over the sacred knife, she reached the Dragon Heart Grass. But just as she was about to take the golden plant, the Mountain Spider halted behind her. Without the sacred knife for protection, the demon's courage swelled. No longer fearing the human before it, it even contemplated devouring her. However, even without a weapon, it wasn't her match. As soon as she entered the spring cave, Fu Ling had sprinkled spirit water, derived from immortal spirit energy, on every path she took. Facing the massive creature, her eyes showed no fear, instead provocatively gathering a thread of faint spirit fire at her fingertip. The Mountain Spider, without natural enemies, had only one fear: fire. This action infuriated the demon, and it reached out a foreleg to attack, only for its released toxic breath to scatter the spirit fire, turning into specks of flame that ignited the entire cocoon. When water meets fire, the flames wildly spread. Amidst overwhelming firelight, Jiu Ying saw only a massive eight-legged spider emerge from the flames. But Fu Ling did not appear as promised. The fire had ignited so quickly that the great demon had no time to react before its lair was destroyed. It wanted revenge, but its enemy was still within the flames. With its nest burnt away, it was both furious and anxious, the black bell-shaped abdomen heaving with each breath, emitting even more toxic gas, killing most of the flora outside in moments. As dusk approached, withering vegetation surrounded them, the waning sunlight casting a stark and desolate atmosphere. Jiu Ying, worried for Fu Ling's safety, kept her cold gaze fixed on the flames, entirely unaware that the demon had already spotted her and considered her a new target. When she finally realized, the Mountain Spider's eight legs had formed a large circle, ensnaring her tightly. Simultaneously, hundreds of webs descended from above, launching attacks from every direction. The Mountain Spider's silk was thin yet extraordinarily tough. Without the dragon-slaying knife or immortal spirit energy, Jiu Ying found herself helpless against the web. In desperation, she could only evade continuously. The Mountain Spider noticed this opponent wasn't as formidable as the previous girl and intensified its attack. Half-crouching, it suddenly extended three slender claws to strike at her neck, chest, and dantian. These were critical human regions, any wound here could be fatal. Jiu Ying's red lips pressed tight, reacting swiftly to dodge two claws with agile movements. Seeing the last claw poised to pierce her dantian, she instantly manifested dragon claws, severing it in one slash. With her spiritual energy already depleted, having transformed into dragon claws once on the bone ship to save Tian Ya, she could no longer maintain human form. Just having escaped the spider's claws, tiny dragon horns emerged on her forehead, and a breeze carried a faint dragon breath in the air, elusive and insubstantial. Continuing this way, the scent was bound to draw Si Ding Yun over. Jiu Ying's expression remained stoic despite her paleness. With the last of her spiritual energy, she reverted her right hand to a human form. Though the dragon claws returned to five fingers, a layer of tiny dragon scales covered the perfect jade-colored arm. Meanwhile, the dragon horns on her forehead became more pronounced. A faint dragon breath lingered in the air. As an embodiment of justice, the dragon spirit was an auspicious creature, especially with the celestial dragon's aura. Baulked by Jiu Ying's aura, the Mountain Spider dared not approach her again. It turned to flee, but from the blazing fire behind, a figure dashed forth, leaping onto its back in an instant. Thin and slender, the figure had been in the flames too long: a fair yet delicate face smudged with soot and grime, obscuring the clarity of her features. Jiu Ying’s expression didn't change, yet her heart trembled fiercely upon seeing the newcomer. Thankfully, thankfully—Fu Ling was still alive. At that moment, nothing could have brought her greater joy. She relaxed her lips, feeling an impulse to speak, yet unsure of what to say, her eyes unable to tear away from the young girl. Now that the Dragon Heart Grass was in hand, Fu Ling could focus solely on the Mountain Spider, swiftly using her spirit fire to drive the demon into the Nether Sea. The waters of the sea, tainted with eerie miasma, were inhospitable to any creature other than the Kun Beast. Thus, the Mountain Spider met its end in the sea. Jiu Ying watched from the side as Fu Ling approached, her dragon horns still visible on her forehead. "Didn't you leave, Senior Sister?" The girl's voice held a note of concern and a touch of worry, her round doe eyes fixated on the small dragon horns with undeniable affection. Her face—cold yet stunning—was adorned with dragon horns that might frighten anyone else to death. But not Fu Ling; she adored Jiu Ying, including her half-dragon, half-human appearance. Indeed, she even wished for those dragon horns to remain visible. While these thoughts simmered inside her, she merely dared to contemplate them. It had only been a brief moment since Jiu Ying revealed her draconic form, and already the surrounding air was saturated with the scent of dragon. Fu Ling bit her lip, dropping her gaze before awaiting a reply from her beloved. She brought her index finger to her lips, biting until the taste of blood emerged, then extended it towards the woman. Her fingertip was pallid and smooth, adorned with a single bead of crimson. Having been gently licked, the underside glistened with a sheen of moisture, striking an intensely suggestive and intimate note. Jiu Ying gazed at that exquisite finger, her eyelids lowering slightly. She declined the offered blood with tenderness, wiping away the wet red from Fu Ling’s finger. As for why, not even Jiu Ying could clearly articulate. "No need for blood. Just impart some spiritual energy." Rebuffed despite her offering of blood, Fu Ling felt somewhat disgruntled. She pouted, muttering under her breath in what seemed like a complaint. "Senior Sister finds my hand dirty even though I cleaned it." She thought her voice was quiet, yet Jiu Ying heard her. In the moment their fingers intertwined, a flood of spiritual energy flowed through their palms into Jiu Ying. As the dragon horns vanished, she turned her head away, her expression still cold, yet her ears quietly blushed a faint red— How could she tell Fu Ling that it was precisely because the finger was too clean that she dared not accept the drop of blood? Author's note: Fu Ling, my dear child, sob sob sob. Thank you to the angels who cast power votes or poured nourishment into me between 2021-05-01 01:02:10 and 2021-05-03 00:47:33~ Special thanks to the angels who left landmines: Ming, Gong Er, 1 each; Thank you to the angels for nourishing with bottles: This is a serious name, Xuejian with 20 bottles; Han Xu with 10 bottles; I am extremely grateful for your support. I will continue to work hard!