The light struck the demons. They quivered in fear at his penetrating gaze. Some of them, the stronger ones, simply brought their skeletal limbs closer. He figured it was the spider equivalent of turning over and revealing its belly or neck. Only the largest spider was unaffected. He soon ended the technique, blinking away tears of blood that appeared there. His vision blurred slightly, but only for a half second before returning to normal.
Perhaps you do have the qualifications to speak with someone, the spider said. I know not what this thing is, though it seems related to these crystals we harvest. But know this: We do not give away treasures, and some treasures are too precious to trade.
“Please take me to your leader,” Cha Ming said. The spider bowed its large combination of a torso and a head and scuttled away, motioning with one of his legs for Cha Ming to follow. He did so, taking care to avoid crushing the many smaller spiders that skittered all about. The skeletal spiders that had been harvesting the crystals before his interruption continued their arduous task of dissolving the ore one bit at a time.
The spider moved swiftly, using its large legs to pull itself along the walls as the network of fissures expanded the deeper they went. He realized they were also constantly twisting and turning. The fissure network was like a spiral staircase that led to the ground below the massive crystal that jutted out from the ground in the chamber above them.
Thousands of feet turned into miles. The temperature even began to rise, something he found surprising since the Ling Nan Plane wasn’t spherical but flat. They passed by groups of larger spiders that lay huddled in other fissures to make way for Cha Ming and his spider escort.
Finally, they entered a massive chamber ten times larger than the one before. Here, large spiders crawled everywhere. The lethality in their movements was smooth and practiced. They’d evidently gone through hundreds of battles, whether amongst humans, demons, or themselves.
At the center of the massive chamber was a large gash in the ground. It resembled a vein, for it pulsed with golden energy that rushed through it on its journey to heavens knew where. Next to the vein, on the ground, many metallic crystals were forming. They spread out in a network that expanded to the walls of the chamber and beyond. With every pulse, the crystals grew, and with their growth, the walls shifted slightly. They were held up by large metallic limbs that resembled spider legs.
No, they were spider legs. Strong bones covered in metallic hairs dug into the earth. They were assembled into arches that prevented the chamber’s collapse. These legs were each almost as large as those belonging to the massive spider that rested near the vein, its large, bulbous backside heaving as it breathed, its countless eyes glaring at him with contempt, despite the deference its subordinate paid him.
My queen, the spider who’d led Cha Ming down here said. I’ve brought the intruder here as you requested.
Very good, the giant spider said. Now leave us. All of you.
Cha Ming’s escort and the spiders guarding the queen froze. They blinked in confusion and hesitated.
You cannot fight him, and if we come to blows, you will die a meaningless death. There is no point in you remaining, she said.
We can buy you time if it comes to that, my queen, one of the larger spiders said, scuttling up to her and glaring at Cha Ming.
When did this queen’s orders become suggestions? the giant spider asked. You will leave.
The spider who’d objected pulled its legs back in in a sign of deference, then one by one, they left, leaving only Cha Ming, the spider, and the golden vein behind.
“Many thanks for meeting with me, Great Monarch,” Cha Ming said. “My name is Cha Ming. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” Demons were skilled in spotting deception. Keeping up his act as Pai Xiao here would likely backfire.
Monarch Cha Ming, the spider said, I am known as the Life-Leaching Monarch. Why have you come to these broken lands devoid of life? You are skilled; I can tell as much from your ability to shield yourself from my powers. Why would one such as you, who should care so little for mundane riches, come here of all places?
“Two reasons,” Cha Ming said honestly. “The first reason is I was trapped while journeying above. I entered a fissure with some companions while searching for ore, and the tunnel collapsed.”
A common occurrence, the Life-Leaching Monarch said. It is foolish to journey down here with so little knowledge of the fissure’s web.
“As I now know,” Cha Ming said. “The second reason is that I am searching for something: a stone and its contents.” He summoned an image of the sphere like he’d done before. The golden image spun above his hand, its fluid core flowing independently of the outer sphere’s movement. “This is a Gold Essence Core, and it contains Gold Source Marrow.”
The spider, seeing the orb, shivered. Not with excitement, not with fear, but with anger. You should leave now, it said. I do not wish to discuss this treasure. It motioned with a leg to one of the many exits where the spiders had gone. That tunnel leads all the way to the surface. You need not return to this place, as I will not change my mind.
Cha Ming frowned. He didn’t want to go back empty-handed. “In the lands up above,” Cha Ming said, “I’m considered unsurpassed on the plane in formation arts, alchemical arts, and talisman arts. I’m also all right at spiritual blacksmithing, though less so than my
