It can be said that aura is the most distinctive feature of evil beings, and also the most important basis for identifying them. Precisely because the vast majority of evil beings cannot conceal their aura, they can only operate outside of human settlements.

If it were not so, if all the evil beings in the world could freely blend into cities, humanity would hardly enjoy such peace.

Henry Thompson could be certain that the scent he was smelling now was demonic energy.

And it was more intense than anything he had ever experienced before.

Out of caution, he did not intend to stir up trouble and quickened his pace, wanting to hurry back to Deyun Temple.

But trouble was unavoidable.

After taking three quick steps, his waist suddenly seemed to brush against a thin yet resilient thread, and a sudden elastic force bounced back at him.

He twisted his body and retreated swiftly, only to find that his white belt had already been corroded and turned black.

This thread was poisonous!

By the bright moonlight, he widened his eyes and carefully scanned his surroundings, only to discover that the threads ahead were arranged in a bagua pattern, like a giant spider web!

Not only was the main road blocked, but the woods on both sides were also densely woven with these black threads! Several animal corpses lay on the grass in the forest, apparently having died from the poison after touching the threads.

High and low, left and right—even birds in flight could not escape.

What was the purpose of this, hunting?

This was the first time Henry Thompson had encountered such a situation. He cautiously took two steps back, trying to find another way.

At that moment, a black figure darted out from the riverside pavilion by the road.

Hearing the movement, Henry Thompson immediately looked over.

He saw a bald man dressed in black, with tight sleeves and leggings, appear.

Henry Thompson didn’t know why he was wearing night-walking clothes, since it didn’t make much sense.

His bald head was simply too conspicuous at night! When the moonlight shone on it, it reflected like a halo around him. If Henry Thompson were a Buddhist, he would have knelt down and bowed to him.

And precisely because his head was so shiny, the shadows made it hard to see his facial features.

It was only on a second glance, thanks to that bald head, that Henry Thompson noticed the most astonishing thing about him was not his head, but his arms.

He had a full eight arms!

Each one looked strong and muscular, with bulging veins.

As his figure appeared, the surrounding demonic energy grew even thicker, rippling outward—it was clear he was the main culprit.

Henry Thompson stared at him in silence. He hadn’t encountered many demons before, and not knowing this one’s background, he didn’t know how to speak.

The eight-armed man also sized up Henry Thompson: young, with no sign of true energy—just an ordinary little Taoist priest.

So he let out a strange, mocking laugh.

Just as Henry Thompson was wondering what he was laughing at, the man suddenly attacked!

The eight-armed man quickly raised one of his right hands. In his palm, a pitch-black crack opened up, and with a hiss, a black beam shot out, nearly invisible in the night!

If not for Henry Thompson’s excellent eyesight, he would have barely seen the black beam. He hurriedly shifted sideways, narrowly dodging it.

A strange sizzling sound came from the ground. Henry Thompson then saw that the black beam was a stream of venom, which, upon hitting the road, instantly corroded a hole through the dirt! If it had landed on a person, it would have been fatal.

Henry Thompson frowned and looked at him. “I have no grudge or enmity with you. Why do you suddenly try to kill me?”

“Hehehehe.” The eight-armed man grinned cruelly. “Who told you to show up here tonight? Blame your own bad luck!”

The eight-armed man tilted his head back, and only then did Henry Thompson see that his face actually had two rows of eyes! It was truly horrifying!

He spread all eight arms under the moonlight, looking fierce and demonic, like an evil spirit!

Chapter 8: Who’s Really Unlucky?

The eight-armed man walked away peacefully.

……

When he bared his face with eight eyeballs at Henry Thompson in a vicious grin, Henry Thompson was genuinely startled.

“To die under the Thousand-Spider Demon Venom of your lord is a blessing for a little ant like you! Your soul will become part of my Thousand-Spider Demon Venom, and with me, continue the slaughter! Hehehe, while you’re still alive, savor your fear— the more you fear, the purer the soul poison I can refine!”

The eight-armed man shouted cruelly, his terrifying face, voice, and words enough to make anyone with a weaker mind go weak at the knees.

Perhaps that was exactly what he wanted—his prey’s fear.

And he did get his wish.

The more Henry Thompson listened, the more he realized this demon was no weakling. If he let him unleash another demonic spell, he might not be able to withstand it!

With this fear in mind, Henry Thompson decided to strike first.

Clang!

He drew his sword and struck in one fluid motion.

In that instant, the eight-armed man, whose lines weren’t even finished, suddenly saw the most dazzling sight of his life.

A line from the few poems he’d ever heard suddenly popped into his mind.

A sword’s light, cold as… how many provinces was it again?

Like a dragon soaring from the heavens, like a bolt of silk streaking across the sky—could such majestic sword energy truly exist in the human world?

His face, with its eight eyeballs, twisted wildly, all eight pupils dilating at once.

In that moment, a ridiculous thought suddenly arose in his heart.

I’m just a little spider demon with a hundred years of cultivation…

By what virtue or ability…

Do I deserve to die under such a sword…

Am I even worthy?