Douluo Dragon King: Embarking on the Path to Godhood from the Start

The period of riots... didn't seem as terrible as the rumors suggested.

After each successful hunt, Zhang Yangzi's initial nervousness subsided considerably.

So far, the soul beasts they've encountered have been within their team's capabilities, which has boosted his confidence.

"Watch out! Gu Yue, directly ahead, build an earthen wall or stone pillar!"

Yu Chen, who was walking at the front of the group, suddenly shouted in a deep voice. At the same time, he picked up a pebble from the ground with lightning speed, flicked his wrist, and the pebble shot out like a bullet, aiming directly at the little black eagle circling in the air!

"Hey!"

The little black eagle let out a short cry of alarm as a pebble struck a non-critical part of its wing, causing it to lose its balance and plummet downwards at an angle.

"Little Black!"

Zhang Yangzi felt a tightness in his chest, but he immediately reacted and subconsciously pulled his soul back into his body to protect it.

Having fought side by side for so long, he knew that Yu Chen would never act without a reason; there must be an urgent cause for doing so.

Almost at the same moment Xiao Hei was shot down, the others suddenly looked up in the direction Yu Chen had warned them—

A thick, sticky net, over five meters in diameter and shimmering with an eerie yellow-green luster, was silently descending from the gaps in the dense canopy above!

The net was still covered with some withered leaves and the dead bodies of struggling insects, with long, sticky threads at the edges, emitting an unsettling sweet and fishy smell.

At the same time, they were horrified to see that below where Xiao Hei had just hovered, several spider legs, gleaming with a dark metallic luster and sharp as spears at their tips, were slowly retracting from the shadows.

If Yu Chen hadn't struck just now, knocking Xiao Hei down, it would probably have been pierced by that deadly spider spear by now!

If a soul is killed in the Ascension Platform, it will be a significant blow to the soul master's spirit and cultivation, and recovery will be extremely slow.

Gu Yue reacted with lightning speed. The moment she heard Yu Chen's command, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she pressed her hands down on the ground.

"Boom!"

Two thick stone pillars burst from the ground a few meters in front of her, crossing each other and pushing upwards, trying to support the falling giant net.

However, the yellowish-green spider web contains a highly corrosive and toxic substance!

The moment the stone pillar came into contact with the spider web, it emitted a piercing "hissing" sound. The hard rock surface was quickly corroded, creating pits, and stone chips flew everywhere, rapidly weakening its supporting force.

"retreat!"

Yu Chen's stern shout rang out, carrying an undeniable decisiveness.

At the same time, an invisible wave suddenly spread out from him—Time Zero!

The flow of time was instantly stretched and distorted. Under Yu Chen's precise control, the domain primarily enveloped Gu Yue and Tang Wulin, who needed to bring their companions.

He then lifted Xie Xie, who was standing next to him, with one hand.

Within the Zero Time Domain, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin felt that everything around them had become slow motion, but their thoughts remained exceptionally clear.

Tang Wulin immediately understood, and with a stretch of his arms, he grabbed Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi beside him.

"Wind!" Gu Yue shouted, and a gentle azure current instantly enveloped the group that Yu Chen had "accelerated".

The next moment, at the normal flow of time, several blurry shadows were seen retreating backward at an astonishing speed!

It narrowly escaped by skimming the edge of the corrosive spiderweb, landing in a relatively open area twenty meters away.

"Phew... Brother Chen, your soul skill is practically a life-saving miracle! It's so reliable!"

Xie Xie steadied himself and immediately patted his chest in admiration. The thrilling escape that had just occurred left him with lingering fear.

Yu Chen did not respond to Xie Xie's exclamation. His bright golden pupils were as sharp as an eagle's, locked onto the location where the attack was about to begin.

The dense foliage swayed, and a massive figure slowly descended.

It was a giant spider covered in strange black, white, and gray patterns, with an abdomen swollen like a millstone.

Its eight legs, each over two meters long, resembled metal spears with protruding spikes at the joints, gleaming with a cold luster in the dark forest.

What's most chilling is that on its spindle-shaped lower abdomen, there is a distorted, blurry, pale white face pattern that looks like it's both crying and laughing!

"Human-faced Demon Spider! And a thousand-year-old Human-faced Demon Spider at that!" Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi and the others shouted out this chilling name almost in unison.

A wave of lingering fear washed over them. If it hadn't been for Yu Chen's extraordinary perception and early warning, as well as his extremely decisive rescue, at least two members of the team would have instantly lost their fighting ability or even been eliminated from the fight when that venomous spider web enveloped them.

Wang Jinxi's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his face turned pale in an instant.

The terrifying memory of being devoured and "dying" by a similar human-faced spider in the Ascension Platform came flooding back like a tidal wave. The cold restraints, the pungent stench, the excruciating pain of being chewed... the nightmare seemed to replay itself.

He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Gu Yue launched the first counterattack, firing several compressed fireballs from different angles at the relatively vulnerable compound eyes and joints of the human-faced spider.

"Brother Chen, this guy doesn't look like someone to mess with. Should we retreat first?"

Xie Xie's voice was a little dry as he offered a conservative suggestion.

No wonder he was afraid before the battle even started; the thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider in front of him was already a top hunter in the forest!

Moreover, it is entirely poisonous; even a graze will cause injury, and contact will result in death. Fighting it head-on during a riot would be a risk-averse endeavor with no reward whatsoever.

In the brief few seconds of their exchange, the thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider had already displayed terrifying combat power commensurate with its fearsome reputation.

Faced with Gu Yue's tricky barrage of fireballs, it merely raised its two foremost, most agile and sharpest legs slightly, leaving a blurry afterimage in the air.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

The fireball was precisely struck and pierced by the tip of the foot, and before it could even fully explode, it turned into sparks and dissipated.

Its control over its own strength and attack angles is so exquisite that it sends chills down your spine.

The human-faced spider didn't seem to be in a hurry to launch a strong attack. It began to move its eight long legs, crawling sideways slowly with the six people in the center, while its tail continuously spewed out thick, yellowish-green spider silk.

Spider silk adheres to the surrounding trees and shrubs, and wherever it passes, the vegetation withers and turns black at a visible speed, demonstrating its terrible toxicity.

"Oh? It's weaving a net, building a hunting ground..."

Yu Chen narrowed his eyes, observing the movements of the human-faced demon spider. A bold, even somewhat crazy, plan quickly took shape in his mind.

"Using its poisonous web properties and the terrain... perhaps we can create a temporary 'mob spawner'? It seems we can't deal with it too quickly before its 'work' is complete."

"Fine, let him live a little longer."

Just as Yu Chen made up his mind, Tang Wulin's firm voice rang out.

"It's just a human-faced spider, kill it!"

The ferocity brought by his Golden Dragon King bloodline was aroused by the powerful enemy, which not only made him feel no fear, but also made him feel a burning fighting spirit burning in his chest.

He exuded a faint yet exceptionally pure dragon-like aura, a natural manifestation of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline when he was emotionally agitated.

"Yes, take it down!" Xie Xie, inspired by the two men's momentum, also gritted his teeth and shouted.

run away?

To wander aimlessly deep within the Ascension Platform during the riots is tantamount to exposing oneself to more unknown and potentially stronger soul beasts.

Once separated, apart from Yu Chen, Gu Yue, and Tang Wulin who might be able to protect themselves, the chances of survival for the others facing a predator of a thousand-year level are slim.

Zhang Yangzi immediately grasped the key point. He glanced at Wang Jinxi, who was pale and trembling beside him, patted him hard on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice:

"Jin Xi, last time was an accident! We're all here this time, Chen-ge and Wu-lin are both here, there's nothing to be afraid of! Let's attack together and wipe out this ugly monster!"

Wang Jinxi raised his head, his gaze meeting Zhang Yangzi's firm and encouraging eyes, before subconsciously looking ahead.

He saw Yu Chen's tall and straight back, his golden eyes that still shone brightly in the dark forest, and the scorching dragon energy on Tang Wulin's body that, though faint, resonated with the dark bone dragon king bloodline within him and dispelled the coldness.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside me. Fear remained, but more than that, there was a sense of resentment—resentment at being defeated by the same nightmare again, resentment at shrinking back out of fear while my companions were fighting hard.

The majestic aura emanating from Yu Chen and Tang Wulin, both belonging to the dragon family yet distinctly different, seemed to ignite some hidden power deep within his bloodline, dispelling some of the coldness.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the trembling in his body, and the fear in his eyes was gradually replaced by a resolute ruthlessness.

The pale light on the bone dragon's claws seemed to solidify slightly, and it growled hoarsely, "I...I want to fight too!"

"good!"

Yu Chen heard Wang Jinxi's voice, but didn't turn around; instead, his tone held a hint of approval.

"Then let's do it together. Remember, fear is the best helper of soul beasts. Overcome it, and you will become a stronger version of yourself."

At this moment, the human-faced spider had used the surrounding trees as leverage to quickly weave an irregular circle of yellow-green poisonous silk, subtly trapping the six people inside.

Gu Yue tried to tear the spider silk with fire, ice, and even strong winds, but the viscous venom covering the spider silk greatly weakened the elemental effects, making it difficult for the flames to burn continuously and the ice to be quickly corroded.

"It wants to trap us here, then slowly shrink the encirclement and defeat us one by one."

Xie Xie analyzed the situation with a serious expression.

"Don't stop it, let it continue."

Yu Chen's voice was unusually calm, even carrying a hint of amusement.

"Pay close attention to the pattern and weaknesses in its web weaving. Rest assured, everything is under control."

"Chen, what exactly are you planning?" Gu Yue transmitted a subtle mental fluctuation through the soul contract, filled with doubt.

"With your abilities, solving it shouldn't be difficult."

Yu Chen responded with a resolute spiritual message:

"Trust me. I need it to complete part of this 'trap.' Your elemental abilities may be needed for crucial guidance later."

A glint flashed in Gu Yue's eyes. He didn't ask any more questions, but silently adjusted his soul power output, shifting from a strong offensive to a more refined control and preparation state.

Since Yu Chen was so confident, she chose to trust him and was ready to cooperate with him to deliver that crucial blow.

The encirclement was gradually taking shape, and the poisonous fog began to spread from the withered plants and spider silk.