Solar Blood Masters (168)

Chapter 168 - Runic Spider Lords

BLINK!

Raphael’s eyes slowly opened. He was in darkness, suspended upside down and bound in sticky cobwebs. He thrashed frantically.

“What… What happened?!”

He looked around. He was in a large cavern, a nesting area sort of, for countless spider eggs, nestled within soft webs, lined the walls and ceiling.

A few eggs began to crack. Tiny amethyst spiders emerged.

Raphael shuddered. ‘Are they going to attack me?’ His breath hitched. He strained against the webs. His Solar Essence flared, and with a powerful rip, he burst free and prepared for a fight.

However…

“Big Brother! You’re awake!”

Lu Jade slithered over while holding a crystal glass gripped in his tail. He noticed Raphael’s unease. “Big Brother, you’re safe. You’re not in danger.”

“Safe? What happened?” Raphael was confused.

“You fainted. Pi Muram brought you here to recover. Those webs and this nesting area… it has special healing properties. And this…” Lu Jade offered the glass. “It’s a restorative cocktail. Pi Muram brewed it himself. It’ll help replenish your Solar Essence. I tried some earlier. It works wonders.”

Raphael took the glass and gulped down the sweet, slightly tangy liquid. A warmth spread through him. His Solar Essence rejuvenated, and he attracted the attention of the newly hatched spiders. They scurried towards him.

While observing the spiders, Lu Jade commented, “They’re born at the early Saint Ruler stage, Big Brother. Remarkable, isn’t it? It took me thousands of years to reach that level, but these spiders have a massive head start on their journey of cultivation.”

Getting back on track, Raphael questioned, “What happened after I fainted? Where’s Pi Muram?”

“He entered the Marble World with a few others. They’re searching for treasures.”

“And the Amethyst Silk Scriptures?”

“He hasn’t given them to us yet.”

Raphael’s eyes narrowed. “That bastard… He’s going back on our deal. Come on, Little Lu. We’re going in after him.”

“Going where, Big Brother?”

“Into that Marble World. I’ll drag Pi Muram out myself if I have to.”

Lu Jade’s scales vibrated with excitement. ‘Big Brother’s serious.’

They exited the nesting area and returned to the Skybridge Dais.

“Halt! No one may enter without Pi Muram’s permission!” A spider guard blocked their path.

“Bullshit!”

Raphael unleashed his Solar Pressure. The guards were blasted aside like farts. He and Lu Jade dashed through the portal.

“That damn bull! I’ll kill him when he gets back!” one disgruntled guard muttered, picking himself up.

“If he even survives…” another added ominously.

…

THUD!

Raphael stumbled as he was ejected from the portal. He landed on soft, grey dirt.

Two spider guards approached. “What are you doing here, bull? This area is restricted.”

Raphael glared at them and asked, “Where is Pi Muram?”

Feeling intimidated, the guards pointed towards a distant peak.

“Rabbit Ear Mountain. But… be warned, bull. This world is filled with dangers.”

Raphael spread his wings. But as he ascended, invisible webs slammed into him with shocking force that had even his enhanced strength wavering!

He crashed back down to earth. Lu Jade tumbled off his horns onto a nearby rock.

“What the hell was THAT?!”

“Phantom Webs, bull. Only spiders can traverse the skies here,” one of the guards explained. “Turn back now. This world is not for the likes of you.”

Raphael scoffed. “Only spiders, my ass. Let’s go, Little Lu.”

Lu Jade slithered back onto Raphael's horn, and they set off towards Rabbit Ear Mountain at low altitude.

The landscape was desolate and eerie. The sky was a hazy purple. The ground was barren, covered in grey dirt and withered plants. The very atmosphere was dreary. Occasional rustle of wind passed through the dead branches and the distant clicking of unseen creatures.

…

Deep within a cavern of Pi Muram’s ancestral Marble World, a small unit of Amethyst Spiders busied themselves with their mining operation.  Glowing crystals embedded in the cavern walls reflected in their eyes.

Purple Circular Spell Diagrams hovered above their heads, channeling potent energy into the drills that bit into the rock face.

“This ‘Starlight Ore’ is quite potent. It’ll fetch a high price in the market,” one spider remarked, carefully placing a chunk of glittering ore into a woven silk pouch.

“Indeed. And with Pi Muram’s new refinement techniques, we’ll be swimming in Solar Essence. Imagine the power!” Another spider laughed with greed pinching his face.

“Quiet! You’re wasting precious time with idle chatter! Work faster! Our quota is three thousand pounds of Starlight Ore! And we’re not leaving until it’s met!”

Pi Rong who was the unit commander barked with a vociferous authority. She surveyed their progress while her sixteen legs tapped impatiently against the cavern floor.

“You, Zhin! That ore is impure! Discard it! And you, Wenxun! Your webbing is too loose! Reinforce it! We don't want those precious ores tumbling out during transport!”

Her sharp gaze swept across the cavern and settled upon a group of spiders drilling into a new section of the rock face. “And you lot! Hurry up! The eastern sector is where the purest Starlight Ore is located! We must milk this cavern dry before Father returns. He has entrusted me with this operation, and I will not disappoint him!”

Just then, a trembling spider scurried over to Pi Rong. “Commander… we’ve encountered… a problem.”

“A problem? What kind of problem could possibly hinder the mighty Amethyst Spider Clan’s mining operation?!” Pi Rong scoffed in annoyance.

“We’ve hit… a dead end, Commander. There’s… a door. And it’s… sealed.”

“Sealed? By what? A flimsy rock formation? A child’s plaything? Lead the way.”

Pi Rong followed the spider to the eastern sector. There, blocking a narrow passage, was a massive stone door. And upon its surface, a Six-Pointed Star Tetrahedron Circular Spell Diagram glowed ominously. It was shifting between purple, red, and blue, with an ancient aura that had the surrounding spiders recoiling slightly.

Pi Rong approached the diagram cautiously. “Hmmm, a three-color spectral formation… I've seen this before… It’s a… a…”

She materialized a tome woven from spider silk and flipped through its pages.

“Ah, yes… the ‘Prismatic Seal’. An ancient barrier used to protect sacred spaces. But… this sequence… It’s incomplete. There's a hidden layer.”

She manipulated light runes and began chanting.

“Om Mani Padmi Om…”

The diagram flickered under her magic.

“YES! I’ve broken the seal!” Pi Rong grinned triumphantly.

“As expected of our brilliant commander!”

“Your wisdom is unmatched!”

“All hail Pi Rong!”

The other spiders showered her with praise. She basked in their admiration for a moment, savoring the taste of victory, so fleeting.

Then, the diagram flared back to life. Its light intensified with renewed power. And from its center, strange symbols erupted!

They twisted, shifted, coalescing into monstrous spider-like creatures, larger than any Amethyst Spider present. Their bodies were comprised entirely of those potent symbols, and their eyes, swirling vortexes of purple, red and blue energy, glared menacingly.

“Everyone, be careful! A defensive formation has been triggered! These are Runic Spider Lords! Their power is nothing to scoff at!” Pi Rong’s earlier bravado vanished. ‘Damn it! I thought I’d dispelled the seal. This is more complex than I anticipated.’

The Runic Spider Lords attacked.

WHOOSH! CRACK!

Their symbol-formed limbs lashed out, shattering rock and sending spiders flying.

BOOM!

“KYAAH!”

“Retreat!”

The cavern echoed with the sounds of battle: the clatter of claws, the hiss of energy blasts, the screams of injured spiders.

Using her magical tome, Pi Rong summoned waves of light that bolstered her unit's defenses, amplified their Solar Essences, and erected barriers around them. She healed the wounded with green energy.

But the Runic Spider Lords were relentless. They pressed their advantage. Even though there were just five of them, they tore through the spiders’ defenses, shattering their armor, ripping their limbs, and those whose Solar Essences paled in comparison were simply devoured in a blink.

Pi Rong and her unit were forced to retreat. They stumbled back towards the main mining area, where the other spiders, alerted by the commotion, looked up from their work.

“Commander! What’s happening?!”

Pi Rong yelled, “Runic Spider Lords! They’ve breached the seal! Evacuate the cavern! Now!”

The spiders didn't need to be told twice. They abandoned their tools, their pouches of Starlight Ore, and scrambled towards the cavern entrance in a panicked frenzy.

…

WHOOSH!

Raphael dashed up a web-stairway leading to Rabbit Ear Mountain. The steps, spun from amethyst silk, were more like interconnected webs than solid surfaces, yet they held his weight with ease.

Suddenly, a flash of light and a series of explosions echoed from nearby and this disturbance had them pausing.

Raphael zoomed in with his Lingshi Eye. He saw a group of spiders fleeing a mound opening, pursued by monstrous figures.

“Is that… Pi Rong?”

Pi Rong, wielding her web-tome, unleashed a torrent of purple energy.

“You’re nothing but symbols and Solar Intent! Don’t belittle me!” she screamed and exploded her 3rd Layer Nightmare Calamity Solar Essence.

From the tome’s pages, a wave of purple, spectral water erupted, washing over the pursuing Runic Spider Lords. They were momentarily trapped, which dimmed their forms, but then they tore through the water effortlessly with their claws.

“Commander! We’re here!” One of her subordinates called out.

Pi Rong joined them below.

“Those Runic Spider Lords are relentless! We have to find a way to stop them.”

“Should we seek Father’s assistance, Senior Pi Rong?” one of the younger spiders suggested.

But before Pi Rong could respond, the Runic Spider Lords descended and blocked their path with a terrifying and synchronized motion.

“Those bastards! They traveled across the Phantom Webs!” Pi Rong was shocked.

“Senior, they’ve cut off our escape! What do we do?!”

“Shut up! I’m thinking!” Pi Rong frantically flipped through her tome, searching for a suitable spell that could entrap those monsters.

But before she could find it,

The Runic Spider Lords attacked.

BOOM!

“AAAH!”

Several spiders screamed as their limbs were severed and blood splattered the webs. One Runic Spider Lord lunged towards Pi Rong.

Just as its claws were about to rip her apart…

“GOLD PRESS!”

A bellow shook the very air.

Burning golden spectral hooves materialized above the Runic Spider Lords, pressing them into the ground with unimaginable force.

Pi Rong and her unit, seizing the opportunity, retreated while dragging their injured companions with them.

“Who…?” Pi Rong gasped, looking around for their savior.

A snort came from nearby. She turned.

Raphael and Lu Jade stood there.

“You… bull! You did this?”

“It was nothing,” Raphael shrugged.

“It won’t last. Those creatures are merely extensions of a larger formation. The Six-Pointed Star Tetrahedron Circular Spell Diagram… it’s in that mound. You’ve proven yourself… resourceful with the Skybridge Dais. Deactivate the formation. I believe you can succeed where I’ve failed. Now go! We’ll hold them off.”

Raphael was taken aback. This spider… ordering him around? But her tone was so desperate…

“Fine.”

He dashed towards the mound.

“Senior! You’re trusting that bull? With such a complex spell? What if…”

“It doesn’t matter. The moment he engages with the formation, the Runic Spider Lords will sense it and converge on him. It’ll buy us time.”

“So you’re using him as bait? Brilliant, Senior! You truly are a genius.”

Pi Rong smiled thinly. ‘If I was such a genius… I would have broken that damn seal myself. I bet if father was here, he could have done it.’

CRACKLE!

Suddenly, Pi Rong was dragged from her thoughts to face the situation before them.

The golden hooves pressing down on the Runic Spider Lords flickered, then vanished. The Runic Spider Lords were free.

“Attack!” Pi Rong commanded her unit.

They fought bravely. They unleashed their Solar Essences, webbing, stinging, biting. But it was a losing battle. They were outmatched.

Just as the Lords were about to finish them off, they paused. They turned towards the mound opening. Then, with a chilling, synchronized movement…

They dashed towards the cave.

“That bull has already engaged with the formation? That was fast!” Pi Rong was stunned.

“Tend to your wounds! Once we’ve recovered, we’ll join him. Every treasure in this Marble World belongs to the Amethyst Spider Clan! That bull… He won’t steal our prize!”

“Yes!” Her underlings agreed.