Douluo Dalu: The Legend of The Spider Emperor

At that moment, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor seemed to sense someone's arrival. It twisted its massive body and shot a purple web straight at Ye Hao.

Without hesitation, Ye Hao's first soul ring lit up beneath his feet. His arms transformed into long, pitch-black spider spears, slicing the incoming web into fragments. Some of the shredded web landed on a tree trunk, and the robust tree instantly withered. The areas covered by the web corroded into an unrecognizable mess.

Immediately after, Ye Hao exited his Death Spider Emperor Possession and activated his second martial soul: Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor.

The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor manifested behind Ye Hao, exuding an overwhelming pressure that instantly crushed the spirit of the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor before him. Its multiple small eyes widened in terror, frozen in place.

Dark green spider web patterns spread across Ye Hao's forehead, and a crystalline dark green glow radiated from his body. Behind him, three pairs of dark green spider spears emerged, and both arms transformed into similar elongated spears. His lower body was entirely enveloped in a layer of dark green light.

Ye Hao had completed his Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor Possession in an instant.

Meanwhile, far behind the tree trunk, Xiao Hong suddenly shuddered. Its eyes met those of Spidey.

"Spidey, did you sense that?" Xiao Hong asked seriously.

The Death Spider Emperor nodded. "Mhm! A being of about the same age as me has arrived. There's no mistaking this aura."

Xiao Hong stepped out from behind the tree on two legs, while the Death Spider Emperor obediently followed behind.

At the same time, Ye Hao spread open his six-winged purple light wings, turning into a purple flash that shot toward the back of the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor like a lightning bolt.

The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor's exoskeleton was incredibly tough, but its only weakness lay in its lower abdomen—the thinnest and most vulnerable part of its body.

Standing on the spider's back, Ye Hao acted before it could react. His eyes turned sharp as he swung both spear-like arms downward, plunging them directly into the creature's back. At that moment, an endless stream of energy surged into Ye Hao, which he greedily absorbed.

With the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor Martial Soul, Ye Hao could use either his webbing or his spider spears to pierce his opponent and devour their life force and soul power.

Back then, Bibi Dong had devoured Qian Xunji in the same manner.

At this moment, Ye Hao, who was wildly absorbing energy, was completely unaware of the looming danger behind him.

At the critical moment, Xiao Hong suddenly spewed out a stream of blazing Infernal Flames, dissolving the imminent threat behind Ye Hao.

What appeared before them was a colossal spider over ten meters long, with eight thick, shaggy, dark green legs firmly planted into the ground. The force of its stance had carved deep gorges into the earth.

This massive creature bore a striking resemblance to the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor beneath Ye Hao's feet. The only difference lay in its aura—one that was almost identical to the Death Spider Emperor.

The moment the Death Spider Emperor laid eyes on the behemoth, it was stunned. Its eight tiny eyes gleamed with heart-shaped pupils, and the entire spider appeared love-struck.

Meanwhile, Ye Hao completed his hunt. The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor beneath him was dead, and its body was rapidly gathering black specks of light. Soon, those lights condensed into a pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring.

At the same time, a chill ran down Ye Hao's spine, making him break into a cold sweat. Slowly, he turned his head.

"Good grief!" Ye Hao exclaimed in shock.

"Soul-Devouring… Spider Emperor?!"

He then glanced at Xiao Hong and the utterly smitten Death Spider Emperor.

"Damn you, human! How dare you kill my offspring? Your death is imminent!"

The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor spoke, its voice melodious like a spring breeze, yet carrying an eerie chill. Beneath that coldness, an overwhelming killing intent was unmistakable.

Ye Hao's heart sank. Not good!

This Spider Emperor could talk—which meant…

Crap!

As the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor lifted one of its thick, dark green, fur-covered legs, preparing to stomp Ye Hao into the ground—

Ye Hao refused to sit idly by. The Death God's Heart, tied to his hair, suddenly flew out and began spinning rapidly in his palm.

Ye Hao's lips curled into a smile. Without hesitation, he hurled the Death God's Heart straight at the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor!

The Death God's Heart expanded rapidly as it caught the wind, soon splitting into six mirrored surfaces. Just like the day it had trapped the Death Spider Emperor, six smooth mirrors shot out six black-purple lightning-infused chains, sealing the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor tightly in place.

The massive creature struggled, attempting to break free, but no matter how much it twisted its colossal body, the chains held firm. The black lightning coursing through them filled it with an instinctual fear, rendering it completely immobile.

As Ye Hao prepared to imprint the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, a sudden voice interrupted him.

"Haozi, please… show mercy."

Ye Hao hesitated for a moment before shifting his gaze to Xiao Hong, who was deep in thought.

Seeing this, Xiao Hong sighed and turned to Ye Hao.

"Let me handle this. Your luck is truly ridiculous. First, you subdue a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor, and now, another hundred-thousand-year Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor comes along."

Ye Hao shrugged helplessly. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if he truly was the Chosen One.

Without hesitation, Ye Hao retracted the Death God's Heart, causing the chains to vanish one by one. The artifact shrank back to its original ten-centimeter form and flew into his palm.

Now freed, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor eyed Ye Hao warily. A mere human, yet by his side stood a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor, following him like a loyal servant.

What kind of charm did this human possess to make the Death Spider Emperor pledge allegiance so willingly?

And then, there was that small dog—one whose cultivation level it couldn't even fathom. Despite its size, the oppressive aura it radiated was far more terrifying than anything else.

"Alright, Hong, I'll leave it to you."

Ye Hao sat down cross-legged, shifting his focus to the corpse of the slain Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor. Under his soul power's influence, the ten-thousand-year black soul ring slowly encircled his body. One by one, the rest of his four rings emerged as well.

Watching Ye Hao absorb the soul ring of its fallen kin, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor clenched its mandibles, a deep resentment growing in its heart.

"Ahem."

Xiao Hong cleared its throat, snapping the spider out of its thoughts.

"You two are a disgrace to soul beasts, siding with such a lowly human." The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor spat venomously.

The Death Spider Emperor sweatdropped in embarrassment.

Xiao Hong snorted coldly. A terrifying aura descended upon the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, pinning it down like an ice-cold mountain. Its entire body trembled in fear.

"You have two choices," Xiao Hong said, voice frigid. "Submit—or die."

At that moment, Xiao Hong's gaze turned ice-cold, sending chills through the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, as if it had been cast into a bottomless abyss.

Watching from the side, the Death Spider Emperor grew anxious. It knew Xiao Hong all too well—Xiao Hong never made empty threats.

Meanwhile, in a Dense Jungle...

Qian Renxue, accompanied by Snake Spear Douluo and Blood Thorn Douluo, had finally tracked down a fifty-thousand-year Light Heavenly Horned Horse—a perfect match for her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

After an intense battle, Qian Renxue slayed the divine beast with her sword. Under the protection of the two Titled Douluos, she began absorbing her seventh soul ring.

As time ticked by…

Back to Ye Hao

When Ye Hao's fifth soul ring fully fused with him, his soul power broke through to Rank 52. His newly acquired soul skill suited him perfectly—it was incredibly powerful.

As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was…

A grinning dog face staring at him.

"Holy—!"

Ye Hao clutched his chest, startled, and scrambled to his feet. Glaring at Xiao Hong's awkwardly grinning face, he grumbled:

"Can you not scare me like that?! Where's the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor?"

Xiao Hong raised an eyebrow and smirked mischievously.

"Handled it beautifully, of course."

Ye Hao felt a chill run down his spine. He hesitated before cautiously asking:

"…You didn't kill it, did you?"

Xiao Hong's dog face twitched in exasperation. It rolled its eyes and deadpanned:

"Do I look like that kind of dog?"

"…Don't you?"

Xiao Hong: "…"

"Relax. That Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor is now part of your team. Right now, Spidey is working on persuading it. Good thing we didn't waste a Death God's Heart slot—dealing with two Emperor-tier soul beasts at once would've been a nightmare.

I also have a feeling we're close to the core region of the Star Dou Forest.

I can sense two incredibly powerful presences ahead… stronger than both Spidey and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor combined."

"Let's go."

Ye Hao brushed back his long wine-red hair, tying the Death God's Heart back into his hair bun.

This time, he chose to travel on foot.

As they ventured deeper into the dense jungle, Ye Hao and Xiao Hong remained completely hidden under the Death God's Heart's protection. Their presence was so thoroughly masked that even the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape wouldn't be able to detect them.

After a while, Xiao Hong broke the silence.

"I'm curious… Why are you so determined to capture those two Emperor-tier soul beasts?"

Ye Hao smirked and gazed toward their destination, which was getting closer.

"Remember that hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit from Shrek Academy?"

Xiao Hong's ears perked up.

"Of course! You still owe me an all-rabbit feast."

Ye Hao chuckled. "You still remember that? Don't worry, I won't forget."

"But back to the point—that Soft Bone Rabbit knows both of those Emperor soul beasts. They grew up together."

Xiao Hong's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh? Never took that mother rabbit to have such powerful connections."

"So your plan is to use them as bait?" Xiao Hong asked, testing the waters.

Ye Hao laughed heartily.

"Not just bait—more like… a well-laid trap.

That rabbit knows I'm from Spirit Hall. And guess what? The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament Finals are being held at Spirit Hall's headquarters.

If that Soft Bone Rabbit doesn't attend, we won't be able to eliminate them all at once."

"So… you want to capture either the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape before the tournament begins?"

Ye Hao nodded.

"I can have Sister Xue leak a message that one of them is being held captive in Spirit Hall.

With their deep bond, the Soft Bone Rabbit will definitely come to rescue them.

That's when we strike—eliminating them all at once.

As long as nothing major goes wrong, this plan is foolproof."

Xiao Hong grinned mischievously.

"Wow, who would've thought? You, with that plain-looking face, actually have such a devious mind.

Layer after layer of traps…

I gotta say, I like it. Hehehe…"

Suddenly—

"Shh—"

Ye Hao's expression turned serious as they reached their destination.

"Stay alert. We've arrived."