Big Black watched the lethal claws hover inches from his face. Seeing that Wu Yuan had no intention of striking the killing blow, the large rat immediately pressed its belly to the dirt, flashing a fawning, ingratiating grin.

Wu Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle. “At least you know how to read the situation.”

“From now on, your name is Big Old Black.”

Wu Yuan retracted his claws. “Your job is simple: breed. Produce as many strong offspring as you can. Expand the horde and keep them in line.”

He eyed Big Old Black’s sturdy physique with approval. The genetics were solid; the next generation would be robust soldiers.

“I can’t exactly go down there and birth a litter myself,” Wu Yuan muttered, shuddering at the mental image.

“Now, stop groveling. Take me to the Spirit Copper.”

Hearing the command, Big Old Black scrambled up, revitalized. He strutted over to the other rats, cuffing their ears and kicking them aside to vent his earlier humiliation.

However, he kept his blows non-lethal. He knew his place—he was just a lieutenant now. The true King was watching.

“Boss!” Big Old Black scurried back, his voice dropping to a nervous squeak. “There’s a main tunnel that leads directly to the core of the vein.”

He paused, a flicker of genuine terror crossing his face. “But… there’s a monster inside. A huge spider. It eats rats by the dozen and spits poison!”

Wu Yuan’s expression remained flat. “Of course. Nothing good ever comes free.”

“The intelligence never mentions the danger,” he thought wryly. “Lucky for me, I’m prepared.”

He stared into the pitch-black tunnel, analyzing the threat. A spider that had cultivated Demon Power.

I have to assume it has Awakened its bloodline. That means the venom is likely an innate spell. Webbing is a given.

“Fighting it inside a confined tunnel is suicide,” Wu Yuan concluded. “I need to drag it into the open.”

He turned slowly to Big Old Black.

“We need to lure it out,” Wu Yuan said smoothly. “Don’t you agree, Big Old Black?”

Big Old Black froze, then nodded frantically. “Boss is wise! Boss is brilliant!”

He immediately dashed into the huddled mass of rats and dragged out three of the plumpest specimens.

“Boss, look! These are fat and juicy. No spider could resist such a feast!”

The chosen sacrifices squealed and trembled under Big Old Black’s grip. Wu Yuan shook his head.

“You make a compelling argument…”

Wu Yuan paused, locking eyes with his new lieutenant.

“But isn’t the biggest, fattest rat here… you?”

Wu Yuan smiled, revealing his sharp teeth. “And you have Demon Power. That is a delicacy no predator can refuse.”

Big Old Black’s eyes bulged. He dug a claw into his ear, praying he had misheard. But the look in the King’s eyes was undeniable.

He was the bait.

In a split second, Big Old Black’s life flashed before his eyes. He considered running. He considered fighting. But the crushing pressure of the Rat King’s aura pinned him in place. Despair washed over him.

“I won’t let you do it for free,” Wu Yuan added, sensing the morale drop. “I reward merit.”

Big Old Black perked up slightly, ears twitching.

Wu Yuan knew empty promises—painting a big picture—wouldn’t work on a terrified animal. He needed cash on the table. He raised a paw, guiding a wisp of pure Lunar Essence from the air and injecting it into Big Old Black’s chest.

The effect was instantaneous. Big Old Black gasped as the cool, empowering energy flooded his meridians. The surrounding rats stared with undisguised envy, salivating at the sight.

“See?” Wu Yuan said softly. “I don’t lie. Kill the spider, and there is much more where that came from.”

Big Old Black’s eyes snapped open. The fear was gone, replaced by the fanatical gleam of greed. He kicked a jealous subordinate away and puffed out his chest.

“Boss! Leave this heavy burden to me! I will not fail you!”

Wu Yuan nodded with exaggerated approval. “Good! I like your spirit!”

Five minutes later, that spirit had evaporated.

Big Old Black stood at the mouth of the dark tunnel, his legs trembling. He took a step forward, then two back.

“Move it.”

Wu Yuan walked up behind him and delivered a solid kick to his rear, launching him into the darkness.

“Go!”

Wu Yuan wasn’t truly worried for the lieutenant’s life. Big Old Black had clearly tangled with this spider before—how else had he stolen enough Spirit Copper to cultivate? He was a veteran thief.

As Big Old Black vanished into the depths, Wu Yuan retreated to a strategic position. He activated a technique he’d discovered during his experiments with the [Spirit Awakening Art]. By coating his skin in a thin film of Demon Power, he could dampen his aura and vanish from spiritual perception.

He settled into a small crevice behind a large boulder, hidden in a visual blind spot but perfectly aligned with the tunnel entrance.

Silence stretched.

Then, a terrified scream echoed from the depths.

Wu Yuan tensed, suppressing his presence to absolute zero.

Whoosh!

Big Old Black exploded out of the tunnel like a cannonball. He was covered in sticky webbing and bleeding from shallow cuts, but his legs were a blur of motion. He didn’t stop, diving headfirst into a pile of loose rubble near the entrance.

A moment later, the nightmare emerged.

It was massive—easily four times Wu Yuan’s size. Its carapace was a sleek, polished black armor that shimmered with veins of crimson light. Eight cold, unblinking eyes scanned the valley.

A Black Jade Spider.

Wu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. An adult Black Jade Spider possesses strength equal to the late Qi Condensation stage.

The spider didn’t rush. It moved with terrifying elegance, its eight legs stepping silently over the stones. It radiated confidence. It knew the prey couldn’t escape.

Wu Yuan squinted. A single, nearly invisible thread of silk trailed from the spider’s mandibles, leading directly into the rubble pile where Big Old Black was hiding.

Big Old Black realized it too. He thrashed in the rocks, panic setting in.

“Boss! Where are you?! Help!”

Wu Yuan projected his voice using a low-frequency squeak only rats could hear.

“Calm down. The thread is attached to you. Find it. Pretend to struggle. Do not break it yet. Draw its attention.”

Big Old Black spotted the silk wrapped around his tail. Following orders, he bit down on it, putting on a frantic show of tugging and pulling while scrambling away.

Wu Yuan watched the performance from the shadows. “Look at him go. The acting is superb. A true ‘rat talent.’ I’ll have to give him more responsibility later.”

Big Old Black wasn’t acting. He genuinely couldn’t break the silk. Terror fueled his legs as he darted between boulders, trying to break the line of sight.

Seeing the prey struggle, the spider lost its patience. It yanked the thread.

With a sickening jerk, the spider launched itself forward, using the silk like a grappling hook to drift through the air. It closed the distance in seconds.

“Big Brother! NOW!” Big Old Black screamed, his bladder nearly letting go again.

The spider landed. It had walked right into the kill zone.

They were in a small, semi-circular clearing bordered by steep rock faces about 20 feet high. For a creature like the Black Jade Spider, scaling the wall was trivial, so it felt no danger.

It cornered Big Old Black against the sheer cliff.