God-Tier Awakening: The Dead Can Still Level Up

Chapter 32: Disturbing discoveries

The Panther ran through the glowing forest without slowing, crossing broken roots, narrow ridges, and uneven ground as Xingluo held tightly to its back.

Nearly a day passed like that, and the deeper they went, the heavier the fog became.

At first, it only floated between the trees in thin layers, but after they approached the inner area, it grew thick enough to blur even the luminescent plants around them.

Stronger beasts also began appearing more often.

Some watched from behind the trees and retreated after sensing the Panther’s aura, while others rushed out and were killed before they could block the path.

Even the Panther gradually slowed its pace, no longer running blindly through the fog.

Shen Wuxia floated beside Xingluo, his gaze moving across the trees. "We are close to the inner region."

Xingluo nodded, but her grip around the Panther tightened slightly, the air here felt different.

It was not only the fog but the mana around them had become heavier, and every sound seemed to travel strangely between the trees.

Just as they moved through a dense patch of glowing vines, a strong smell of blood suddenly hit Xingluo.

Her expression changed at once and the Panther also stopped without Wuxia giving a command, lowering its body as its red eyes stared ahead.

Shen Wuxia’s gaze sharpened. "Slowly."

Xingluo climbed down from the Panther’s back and drew her sword, they pushed through the vegetation carefully, and after pulling aside a layer of thick leaves, they reached a clearing.

The scene in front of them made Xingluo’s legs weaken for a moment, more than ten corpses were scattered across the ground.

They were not beasts but human corpses, their bodies had been torn open in several places, and broken equipment lay around them, covered in dried blood and dirt.

Xingluo’s face turned pale, while even Shen Wuxia’s expression became colder and more disgusted.

These people had not died cleanly, their armor, weapons, and storage gear all looked high-grade, which meant they were not ordinary students or weak hunters.

"There was another team here before us," Wuxia said quietly.

Xingluo swallowed once. "A strong team?"

"By the looks of their equipment, yes."

His gaze moved across the corpses, then toward the deep claw marks and web-like threads stuck to the nearby trees. "And they were killed badly."

Before Xingluo could answer, a series of light tapping sounds came from above them.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound was soft, but in that quiet clearing, it was clear enough to make both of them raise their heads at the same time.

What they saw made a chill run across Xingluo’s back, high above them between the tall trees, a massive spider was hanging upside down.

Its body was larger than a carriage, covered in thick black hair, and its long legs were hooked into several layers of web spread across the branches.

Around it, more than a dozen human bodies and hundreds of beast corpses hung upside down inside web bags.

Most of them had already been sucked dry, their bodies shriveled and twisted within the silk.

Xingluo’s face lost color almost instantly, the Panther let out a low growl and moved in front of her, Shen Wuxia’s expression also darkened as he looked at the creature above them.

The spider opened its mouth and released a sharp hissing sound and the next instant; it dropped from the trees.

Its huge body landed in the clearing with a heavy boom, and dust rose around it as all eight legs stabbed into the ground, leaving deep craters beneath each point.

Xingluo stared at its hairy legs and nearly forgot to breathe.

Damn it, anything but spiders.

She forced herself to scan it, and a panel appeared before her eyes.

[Mini-Boss: Nightweave Broodmother]

[Level: 90]

[Bloodline: Lord]

Seeing the panel, Xingluo’s expression darkened even more, another Lord Bloodline mini boss but this time neither of them suggested running.

They had already reached the inner area, and if they could not even defeat this thing, then facing the dungeon boss would be impossible.

Xingluo raised her new Platinum-grade longsword and forced her trembling fingers to steady, Wuxia also opened the soul mark on her forehead.

Dark streams rushed out one after another as Soul Soldiers appeared around the clearing.

The Black Stone Armored Bear, the bull-shaped Soul Soldier, several wolves, and other beasts quickly formed a rough circle around the Nightweave Broodmother.

At the front of them all stood the Moonless Blood Panther, its red body and blue stripes glowing faintly beneath the fog.

The Broodmother stared at the Soul Soldiers for a moment before releasing another sharp cry.

The sound pierced through the clearing and above them, the web bags hanging from the trees suddenly began falling one after another.

Human corpses and beast bodies wrapped in silk smashed into the ground, bursting open as a foul smell spread through the clearing.

For a breath, nothing happened and it only felt like the spider was trying to disgust them but then the corpses began to move.

Thin trembling legs burst out from the dead bodies, tearing through skin, silk, and dried flesh as small spiders crawled out one after another.

In only a few moments, hundreds of little spiders covered the clearing.

Xingluo felt a cold creep run up her spine. "I am seriously afraid of spiders. Should we run?"

Wuxia looked at the spreading spider swarm and swallowed lightly. "So am I."

Xingluo turned toward him with a stiff expression.

"But we have no choice," he said.

"Easy for you to say," Xingluo muttered. "You do not even have a body."

Before Wuxia could reply, the Nightweave Broodmother hissed again.

The spider swarm surged forward, the Soul Soldiers moved to intercept them and the fight began.

The spider swarm rushed first, spreading across the clearing like a moving black carpet.

The wolf-shaped Soul Soldiers met them at the front, crushing dozens under their claws, but more small spiders crawled over the broken bodies and kept coming.

Xingluo swung her sword in a wide arc, cutting through the first wave near her feet, but the sound of legs scraping against the ground made her face tighten.

The Brood mother moved behind the swarm, its eight legs stabbing into the ground as it rushed toward the Panther with terrifying speed.

The Moonless Blood Panther vanished from its position and appeared at the Broodmother’s side, its claws tearing open a deep wound across the spider’s abdomen.

Black-green blood spilled out, and the Broodmother hissed sharply before swinging two legs down like spears.

The Panther dodged one, but the second leg scraped across its shoulder and forced its soul body to flicker.

Wuxia controlled the bear and bull to charge from both sides, using their heavy bodies to pin the Broodmother’s movement.

Xingluo seized the gap and rushed in, stabbing her sword into one of its legs before twisting the blade hard.

The leg cracked halfway, and the Broodmother’s body tilted for a moment.

But before they could press the attack further, the Broodmother opened its mouth and sucked in several small spiders around it.

Their bodies dried instantly, turning into empty shells as the wound on its abdomen closed at a visible speed.

Xingluo’s expression changed. "It healed?"

Wuxia’s gaze darkened, but he did not answer because the Broodmother had already charged again.

The Panther tore another wound across its side, the bear crushed one leg under its paw, and Xingluo cut through the joint of another, but each time the damage became serious, the Broodmother consumed more small spiders.

Its wounds closed, cracked legs straightened again, and even the blood spilling from its body stopped within seconds.

The fight slowly turned into a deadlock as their attacks could injure it but the swarm kept feeding it.

Xingluo stepped back, breathing heavily as more little spiders crawled from the corpses around the clearing, her grip tightened around the sword. "What should we do now?"