The Black Snake felt panicked in her retreat; she felt the gulf between her and the Giant Spider the moment it fixated on her.

  Titanoboa, you sly creature.

  Though she similarly intended to betray it, Sun Yuying underestimated the power of Spirit Beasts; her successful confrontation with the Nascent Spirit Giant Spider inflated her sense of strength.

  The Titanoboa seemed to lure me here the moment I mentioned the Spider's movements; it had a clear goal.

  Sun Yuying felt the pressure of evolution more than ever; a mortal animal couldn't compare to a Spirit Beast, and she felt vulnerable being between the Titanoboa and the Colossal Spider.

  I need power.

  The Black Snake slithered swiftly through the way she came, intent on escaping outside of the Colossal Spider's territory.

  Is it not in pursuit?

  Sun Yuying found that strange until she heard the hisses and creepy scuttling of a multitude of Giant Spiders.

  Numerous dog-sized spiders began aggressively pursuing her.

  The Black Snake exerted herself forcefully to move even swifter, yet being in the spider's territory put her at a disadvantage.

  Knowing the Giant Spiders neared her, she noticed the first of the spiders was about to reach her.

  Reflexively, she coiled and pounced at the first spider that leapt towards her.

  Her serpentine mouth crushed the Giant Spider's head with ease, as her trait, Robust Jaws, allowed her to kill it rapidly.

  Swallowing the Spider in quick, forceful chomps that would prove impossible for a regular Snake, Sun Yuying felt reinvigorated by the burst of Spiritual Energy.

  You have consumed Lesser Giant Forest Spider, gaining +6 Spiritual Energy.

  Your trait, Tough Skin, has slightly strengthened from Spiritual Energy nourishment.

  The Black Snake did not pause and continued to move, constantly harnessed by Giant Spiders. Sun Yuying slowly but efficiently made her way to the outskirts of the Spider's webbed territory, killing a dozen Spiders.

  You have consumed Lesser Giant Forest Spider, gaining +6 Spiritual Energy.

  You have consumed Lesser Giant Forest Spider, gaining +6 Spiritual Energy.

  You have consumed Lesser Giant Forest Spider, gaining +6 Spiritual Energy…

  Your trait, Tough Skin, has slightly strengthened from Spiritual Energy nourishment.

  The horde of Giang Spiders felt endless, and if not for her swift ability to recover using Spiritual Energy, she thought she would not make it, yet when she finally neared the outskirts, something felt off.

  Sun Yuying flicked her tongue as her serpentine head turned towards the giant Spider that began to chase.

  Bigger than any Giant Spider she seen apart from the Colossal Spider Spirit Beast, another Nascent Spirit Giant Forest Spider skittered towards her in hostility.

  I am so close!

  Sun Yuying felt the desire to devour the thing, if not for how time-consuming it may prove.

  However, just as she was about to get to the outskirts of the territory, she felt the familiar presence of something gigantic.

  Titanoboa!

  A titanic, bright-brown Snake with gleaming gold patterns moved like a freight train as it erupted into motion.

  The Nascent Spirit Giant Forest Spider barely moved before a lazy swing from the Titanoboa crushed it.

  She felt the Titanoboa's presence in her mind.

  A waste of effort to consume. Barely any energy, though, for you to make it here meant the old Spider must be vulnerable. It never leaves those who slay its precious brood lives.

  The Black Snake wanted to curse the Titanoboa, as she felt its disdain and arrogance in its very movements.

  I will devour you.

  Outwardly, she did not display such thoughts, yet the Titanoboa was already moving.

  I do not need you anymore. Little Snake, you have served your purpose; now be gone.

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  The Black Snake felt a deep pressure on her mind as it said this. The Titanoboa did not even need her to direct it towards the old Spider; it was just wary of it not being in the vulnerable state it desired.

  Seems the so-called Old Spider recognises those who kill its brood, and the Titanoboa sent her here to scope it out.

  Conniving, sneaky, sly big Snake!

  The Black Snake had all manner of curses for her so-called kin, though in reality, she was rather impressed and felt she would do the same.

  Sun Yuying found that the Titanoboa was already readied to leave; it did not even bother to consume the scattered flesh and body parts of the Spider.

  The Black Snake, on the other hand, was shameless and was already making her way to polish the remains down her gullet.

  Snakes were opportunistic by nature; who was she to deny a free meal?

  You have consumed Nascent Spirit Giant Forest Spider, gaining +40 Spiritual Energy.

  You have consumed Lesser Giant Forest Spider, gaining +6 Spiritual Energy…

  Your trait, Tough Skin, has slightly strengthened from Spiritual Energy nourishment.

  The Titanoboa left behind numerous Giant Spiders in its wake, and eventually, the Black Snake ate enough remains it had left behind to finally upgrade the trait.

  Your trait, Tough Skin, has broken its limit. The trait has evolved in grade from a mortal intermediate trait to a mortal upper trait.

  She instantly felt her scales and flesh become tougher, a warm feeling spreading through her serpentine body.

  Though it was not as transformative as the initial requisition of the trait, she felt the effects immediately and did not require hibernation to feel its effects.

  Her black scales shredded swiftly, revealing new, stronger, shinier ones.

  Furthermore, she now has the option to continue directing her Spiritual Energy to the same trait or another. With thought, she decided to direct her excess energy to Robust Jaws now.

  I'd better leave. I want to see the Titanoboa confrontation with the Colossal Spider, no matter how risky it may be.

  Swiftly, the Black Snake made her way back.

  It felt wild to dare venture near the Colossal Spider after her near-death experience, yet the desire for the Titanoboa core and to achieve the best possible evolution filled her.

  The Black Snake felt great pride. She wanted to be the strongest. Titanoboa was arrogant, yet it demonstrated what true power is.

  Sun Yuying felt a deep, familiar pressure the further she returned to the deeper parts of the Giant Spiders' territory.

  A deep rumbling, she felt intense, violent vibrations near.

  She knew two enormous, powerful creatures were in a life-or-death confrontation, and she was about to witness it.

  Knowing the risk, she climbed high in the tree and moved stealthily as she could.

  Though her peak mortal camouflage trait was not as effective as she hoped against a Spiritual Beast, she hoped they would be too concentrated on each other to notice the Black Snake quietly hiding.

  The Black Snake soon saw the Titanoboa and the Colossal Snake engaged in a fierce battle.

  Titanoboa was lofty and assured; Snakes are solitary predators by nature, driven by strong instincts. The Titanoboa controlled its legion of snakes as mere resource gatherers; it never considered utilising them in a conflict. It looked down on everything weaker than it, including its own kin.

  Sun Yuying found the Colossal Spider to be the opposite; it had a horde of Spiders, and though they seemed pitiful in comparison to the Titanoboa, they descended upon it with no fear and complete malice.

  The battle between the Serpent and Spider had already been underway; the dense web formation was ripped and torn by the brutal strength of the Titanoboa, and countless dead, crushed insect remains lay everywhere.

  The Black Snake found the Titanoboa, though seemingly weaker in cultivation, judging by the aura, was actually superior to the Colossal Spider.

  Numerous of the Spider's legs have been torn, and the Titanoboa, a constrictor Snake by nature, was immensely physically strong. Its dense flesh and armour-like scales made it difficult for the Spider to inflict meaningful damage.

  I had been looking for a reason to kill you for a long time. I always knew I would fare the best against you; the Dragon blood in my body makes your greatest strengths ineffective.

  The Colossal Spider shrieked as it felt the Titanoboa continue its menacing approach, responding harshly.

  Your flesh may be dense. Your scales are strong. Yet, that minuscule amount of Dragon blood does not make you invincible! We cannot sit around at the peak of the first realm forever; we must ascend! The pact binds and weakens us!

  The Titanoboa continued to snap and taunt at the Colossal Spider as it responded.

  I agreed to the pact because I was the youngest. Yet now, my bloodline is Superior. I agree on the need for ascension. It is I, the great Thalrax, who shall be the victor!

  The Titanoboa seemed to be brewing with power and vigour as it targeted the Colossal Spider's primary weapons and began to constrict and squeeze it. The Spider shrieked in pain as it began to face enormous pressure, yet despite being crushed, the powerful Serpent seemed to take over and dominate the battle; the Colossal Spider seemed undaunted.

  You… have fallen… victim to us…

  At that point, even the Titanoboa, Thalrax realised something was amiss. Yet the spider was on the brink of being crushed when the spooky giant human skull on the Colossal Spider head glowed with a ridiculously potent poisonous light as it condensed.

  A giant human skull appeared in the air as the mythical energy continued to form, and, to the enormous serpent's horror, it had no means to avoid it as it was wrapped around the spider's body.

  Almost a century of condensing a curse, a poison strong enough to bypass your blood. I have waited for you to fall for this trap.

  The Black Snake watched in horror as the Titanoboa, Thalrax, the serpent that had seemed awe-inspiring, was targeted by mythical powers she did not understand.

  Curse? Poison?

  It was then that she experienced the strange abilities of Spirit Beasts as the Spider effectively sent the Titanoboa reeling, its scales becoming weak, as it began to shrivel up, the human skull burnt and condensed a significant mark on its flesh, the Collosal Spider mark disappeared, revealing green fur, it seemed to lose a good deal of power, slackening, significantly weakened, yet the Serpent faced far worse.

  Facing a continuous attack of the most potent, hideous poison that targeted both soul and flesh, the Titanoboa experienced pure terror as it weakly slumped off the Collosal Spider, losing all strength.

  The Black Snake watched in shock, seeing both Spirit Beasts severely weakened and on the brink of death, a dangerous thought filled her.

  Is this my time to strike?