Wu Yuan’s eyes snapped open, blazing with cold intent. He surged his Demon Power to its limit, unleashing a technique straight at the unsuspecting Spider Demon.

“[Dark Spirit Thorn]!”

The moment the technique left him, Wu Yuan dove headfirst into a pre-dug rat hole, vanishing from sight.

The Spider Demon reacted instantly. Shedding its facade of near-death weakness, it raised its bladed legs to block the incoming attack. It had been feigning helplessness, waiting for a counter-attack, but it hadn’t expected Wu Yuan to strike with such decisive power from range.

Its weakened, battered body was too slow.

The black spike of energy bypassed its defense and slammed into its chest. The already cracked carapace shattered completely, blasting open a gaping hole. Green ichor sprayed across the cavern floor like a fountain.

Its disguise ruined and its vitals struck, the Spider Demon realized the situation was hopeless. It didn’t hesitate. Scrambling upright on its remaining legs, it turned and limped frantically toward the tunnel exit.

Wu Yuan emerged from his hole and followed at a leisurely pace, a cruel, cunning grin stretching his whiskers. He didn’t even try to stop it.

Naive.

The Spider Demon skidded to a halt. The tunnel ahead was completely blocked with pile upon pile of heavy stones and earth. It turned back, trembling, trapped between the blockage and the two predators stalking toward it.

Big Old Black scurried up beside him, wearing an ingratiating grin. “Boss is truly wise! You knew this wretch would try to run, so you sealed its grave ahead of time!”

Wu Yuan didn’t look at him. He simply jerked his chin toward the cornered beast. “Go kill it.”

“?”

Big Old Black froze. He pointed a claw at his own nose, then at the massive, dripping monstrosity. His voice trembled. “Me? Kill… that?”

Wu Yuan knew Big Old Black couldn’t win alone, but the rat needed to be useful. “Just distract it.”

Hearing the steel in Wu Yuan’s tone, Big Old Black realized he had no choice. Trembling like a leaf in the wind, he crept toward the Spider Demon.

The Spider Demon barely spared the fat rat a glance. Its compound eyes remained locked on Wu Yuan. It knew who the real executioner was.

A flash of savage desperation lit up the monster’s gaze. It ignored the minion and charged straight for the Rat King. Dragging its broken body forward, it raised its single remaining front claw, aiming to skewer Wu Yuan in a final, suicidal strike. It was a gamble for survival—kill the leader, and the pack might scatter.

Seeing an opening, Big Old Black’s greed overcame his fear. “I will avenge my sons and grandsons!”

He lunged, his claws glowing with a sharp yellow light—an earth-element reinforcement. He raked his claws across the spider’s flank.

The Spider Demon roared in annoyance. It couldn’t ignore the pest entirely. It opened its mandibles, preparing to spit its [Poison Orb] at the fat rat.

But in that split second of distraction, Wu Yuan moved.

He exploded forward, a blur of grey fur.

The Spider Demon panicked. It jerked its head back, redirecting the [Poison Orb] toward the incoming threat. But the orb’s heavy green light was too slow to track Wu Yuan’s supernatural speed.

Desperate, the Spider Demon treated its precious cultivation core like a rock, spitting it out physically to smash Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan didn’t flinch. He channeled Demon Power into all four limbs, his claws tearing up the stone floor as he accelerated. With a powerful leap, he twisted in mid-air, letting the [Poison Orb] sail harmlessly beneath him.

He landed directly in front of the beast’s face.

The Spider Demon opened its maw wide, revealing dripping fangs capable of swallowing Wu Yuan whole. It bit down.

Wu Yuan stared into the abyss of the monster’s throat without a hint of panic. He opened his own mouth.

Now.

A third [Dark Spirit Thorn]—one he had been charging in secret—shot out.

At point-blank range, there was no missing.

The streak of black light flew down the spider’s throat and punched out the back of its skull.

Thud!

The massive arachnid swayed for a second, then collapsed heavily. Brain matter oozed from the exit wound. The chaotic energy around it dissipated. It was dead.

Behind them, the [Poison Orb] that had missed Wu Yuan clattered to the ground, its menacing green glow fading into a dull, lifeless grey.

Wu Yuan slumped to the floor, gasping for air. His chest heaved. He convulsed once and spat a small, glowing stone from his stomach pouch.

A Spirit Stone.

“Finally…” Wu Yuan wheezed. “If I hadn’t kept that Spirit Stone in my mouth to constantly replenish my Demon Power, I never would have been able to fire that third shot.”

He glanced toward the exit of the cave, thinking of his other subordinate. “Little Yellow, mark this as a contribution.”

Meanwhile, back at the nest.

Little Yellow, sound asleep in a pile of dry grass, twitched his ears. He jolted awake, blinking groggily. He looked around the empty burrow, scratched his head, and realizing the Boss was still out on business, flopped back down to continue his nap.

Back in the cave, Big Old Black rushed over, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Boss! You’re invincible! Truly the number one Rat King of Little Green Mountain!”

Wu Yuan stood up and swatted the sycophant aside. He walked over to the corpse to inspect his loot.

The Spider Demon was a mess—shattered carapace, missing legs, holes in its body—but the residual Demon Power rolling off it was undeniable.

“At its peak, this thing must have had over 40 strands of Demon Power,” Wu Yuan estimated. “If it hadn’t tried a fanciful attempt to nurture a [Poison Orb] before it was ready, leaving it with less than a tenth of its strength, I would be the one dead right now.”

He kicked the carcass. “Don’t undertake a porcelain job without a diamond drill. You think a mere insect like you can control a Poison Orb? I don’t even dare to condense a Demon Core yet!”

Normally, a spirit beast needed to be in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Condensation to attempt creating a spell organ like a Poison Orb. It was a high-risk, high-reward path to breakthrough. This spider had been greedy, and it paid the price.

After assessing the value, Wu Yuan turned to Big Old Black.

“Harvest the two venom fangs and the remaining spider legs. Bring them to my quarters.” He paused, glancing at the dull green sphere on the floor. “I’m taking the Poison Orb as well. It’s too dangerous for you to touch.”

“The rest,” Wu Yuan waved a paw magnanimously, “you and the swarm can divide amongst yourselves.”

Big Old Black’s eyes welled up with tears. “Boss… you are too benevolent! I will go through fire and water for you!”

Wu Yuan looked at the rat’s ecstatic expression and felt a strange realization settle in.

In the animal kingdom, the Rat King was supreme. He owned the colony. He owned their lives. Technically, all the loot was already his. He didn’t have to share anything.

No wonder Big Old Black obeys my orders, no matter how terrified he is, Wu Yuan thought. I’m a tyrant.

His subconscious habit of distributing loot—a remnant of his human morality—was viewed here as divine generosity. It bought him absolute loyalty.

Fine. If it makes them work harder, I’ll keep doing it. I can’t eat the nasty internal organs anyway.

He looked over the remnants of his army.

The battle had been brutal. The swarm was down to just over a hundred rats. But those that remained were changed. They were scarred, bleeding, and larger than average. Their eyes held a fierce, bloodthirsty glint. They lay on the ground not in fear, but like soldiers resting after a conquest.

Wu Yuan nodded in approval. “Not bad. Only through bloody battles does a species evolve. The tempering between life and death is the only way to purge the inherent cowardice of the rat race.”

He pointed to the dismembered carcass. “Go. Feast.”

The swarm erupted.

They charged the corpse with Big Old Black leading the pack. The fat rat immediately claimed the chest cavity—the area richest in residual Demon Power—and hissed at anyone who came close.

But the hunger for power emboldened others.

A single rat pushed through the perimeter. It was smaller than the others, missing one ear, with fresh blood dripping from a gash on its flank. But its eyes were a burning, frantic red. It ignored Big Old Black’s threatening growls and lunged for a piece of meat.

Big Old Black swiped at it, leaving deep claw marks, but the one-eared rat didn’t retreat. It took the hit, grabbed a chunk of flesh, and began eating while bleeding.

Big Old Black, wary of causing too much internal damage in front of the King, grunted and allowed the crazy one to eat.

Wu Yuan watched this unfold with interest. “That one… keep an eye on him. He’s ruthless. He has the potential to cultivate Demon Power.”

Within minutes, the Spider Demon was gone. The swarm devoured everything—flesh, organs, and cartilage—leaving only the hardest pieces of shell.

“Alright, playtime is over,” Wu Yuan commanded. “Big Old Black, take point. Scout the tunnel ahead!”