The demon spider fled the battlefield at top speed, occasionally glancing back at the sky behind.
The two fighter jets were following him in the high altitude, neither too far nor too near. Having witnessed the demon spider's divine powers, they seemed to be holding back, no longer daring to "lay eggs" on the moving meteorite fragment.
Bai Jie naturally understood the fighter jets wouldn't let him go easily.
So he dove straight into a forest, winding layer upon layer of spider silk to completely wrap the meteorite fragment, rendering it completely invisible as well.
At the same time, he merged his body temperature into the surroundings to avoid detection.
By the time Bai Jie slipped out of the forest and headed toward the city, the fighter jets were nowhere to be seen.
Only then did he feel safe weaving through the city buildings, carrying the meteorite fragment and rushing straight back to Xingchuan University's rear mountain without pause.
But as he approached the large tree, he sensed the aura of an uninvited guest.
"Big Sister Bai Zhi, you're back?"
Before he even climbed the tree, that soft, coy voice transmitted into his mind.
"Why is it you again?"
After hesitating in place for a moment, Bai Jie finally climbed onto his own spider nest's ground web.
He saw a beautiful golden-white little snake coiled into a ring, surrounding his five spider eggs.
The little snake raised its head and excitedly transmitted: "Where did Big Sister Bai Zhi go? I came here really, really early, but I didn't see Big Sister, I only found Big Sister's babies."
The demon spider dispelled its invisibility and transmitted helplessly: "So, why are you here?"
"It's definitely not because I wanted to smell Big Sister Bai Zhi's fragrance, nor because the ground web's elasticity is so fun to play with!"
"It's just because I wanted to take care of Big Sister Bai Zhi's babies!"
You clearly only discovered the spider eggs after you got here...
"Is that so?"
Bai Jie sneered. "Careful—they might eat you first the moment they hatch."
"Ah!?"
The little snake instantly jolted upright.
"..."
This idiot snake... with your abilities and Vitality, are you seriously worried about being eaten by baby spiders?
Bai Jie felt very helpless about Bai Huahua trespassing into his spider home.
Even though the spider nest had countless sky-nets and earth-webs, laced with Corrosive Venom...
None of it worked on Bai Huahua!
Because of her unique innate ability, plus the fact that this wasn't her first time entering the spider nest, the little snake was already quite familiar with the place.
The main reason was that the spider nest hadn't yet been upgraded with the "Ten Thousand Binding Threads" material, which allowed the little snake to exploit the gap.
After blanking out for a long while, Bai Huahua finally gritted her teeth and said: "N-No, it's fine! I... I'm not afraid of being bitten."
"So, you're pretty brave, huh?"
"Of, of course I am! I'm super good at swimming, okay!"
"...Go play somewhere else, you silly sweet thing. You're occupying my spot."
"Mmh..."
Bai Huahua reluctantly and grudgingly moved away from the reinforced "mattress"—this was Bai Jie's exclusive spot.
Bai Jie was about to drive the snake out, but reconsidered—it was daytime, so letting her stay wouldn't matter either way.
"Silly sweet thing, guard the ritual for me."
"What's guarding a ritual?"
"...It's, it's... protecting me," Bai Jie thought for a moment and said.
"Yay yay! I'll definitely take good care of Big Sister Bai Zhi." Bai Huahua agreed happily.
Then Bai Jie, not caring whether the little snake actually understood his meaning, fixed the meteorite fragment onto the spider nest's ground web and began absorbing the spirit essence.
Mysterious energy, reflecting a pink-purple glow, continuously seeped into Bai Jie's body.
His Vitality began to increase, and his body seemed to be stretching. Bai Jie almost moaned out loud from the comfort.
113, 114, 115...
In an instant, Bai Jie entered a state of self-forgetfulness, completely unaware that his entire body had gone limp, on the verge of collapse.
This was the first time the golden-white little snake had witnessed the demon spider absorbing spirit essence with her own eyes. Her bright scarlet eyes shimmered with curiosity, staring unblinkingly.
Vitality continued to climb. Pink-purple radiance flowed over the demon spider's body, reflected in the little snake's snake eyes...
120!
130!
140!
...
198!
In just half an hour, Bai Jie's Vitality had skyrocketed to a height of 198.
"Excellent. The spirit essence in this meteorite is abundant—worthy of its size."
"No wonder it could give birth to a monster like the flesh mountain."
Ding! The familiar notification chime rang out.
[Vitality has reached current species limit!]
Bai Jie immediately opened the Status Panel to check. Indeed.
[Name]: Bai Jie (Bai Zhi)
[Title]: Demon Spider Bai Zhi, Night Goddess Nyx
[Race/Species]: Poison-Devouring Demon Spider (Semi-Demonic-Evil Form)
[Vitality]: 199 (MAX)
[Skills]: ...
[Talents]: Poison-Refining Gu, Spirit-Devouring Body, Thunder Control
[Satiety]: 78%
[Body Length]: Leg Span 120cm
Bai Jie was slightly surprised: "Body length actually increased by 20 centimeters directly?"
The little snake's voice also entered his consciousness: "Big Sister Bai Zhi! How did you get bigger again?"
Bai Jie grumbled inwardly: If I weren't big, how could I deal with you?
Wait... it seemed he had flashed a thought with some ambiguous implication...
Suddenly, the meteorite turned dim and lusterless. The system's voice followed:
[Evolution conditions satisfied. Evolution will now begin.]
Body heat and drowsiness surged in simultaneously. But before sinking into slumber, Bai Jie persisted in reinforcing the area around the spider nest with Ten Thousand Binding Threads, then finally relaxed his body with peace of mind.
Faintly, he sensed a cool, icy sensation coming from his side...
...
Amidst a vast expanse of dark nebula, Bai Jie opened his eyes.
The sense of unreality in his heart told him he was dreaming.
As his gaze condensed into the dark nebula, at the center of the boundless river of stars, a faint pink-purple light suddenly flickered. This point of light continuously shifted, manifesting many colors that could not be described by words.
These colors did not exist in any color within human cognition, nor could they be absorbed or reflected by light.
The dim cosmic space began to brighten. Dazzling, crystalline stars emerged by the millions, adorning the darkness with multicolored brilliance. Then a long crimson band stretched across the universe, like a bloodstained Milky Way.
The blood-colored galaxy suddenly rippled with wave after wave of light, and a mass of constantly churning, festering black mist appeared.
The black mist gathered together, forming terrifying bodily organs. Countless slimy black tentacles extended from within, and putrid liquid continuously dripped down, covering even the resplendent stars with a layer of black fluid.
In that instant, an indescribable fear engulfed all of Bai Jie's senses.
Because he could perceive that the form condensed from this black mist was staring at him!
Even though the other party had no eyes.