Not sure if it was Wang Wu's prayers to the celestial gods finally working, or if they simply had great luck this time.

Regardless, it was already midday, the sky was clear and cloudless, yet the White Fox Captain, armed with the Eighth-Grade Mountain Patrol Seal, still couldn't locate the position of the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle.

In desperation, it had no choice but to return to its true form and used a rather strange and mysterious talisman fiercely.

"Plants and trees in the mountains, this captain is here by the king's command, asking you to lend a hand to find this object swiftly, as the law dictates!"

As soon as the talisman was unleashed, it transformed into streams of black smoke, with sounds resembling ghostly wailing, extremely fierce, even attempting to backfire against the White Fox Captain. But when shone upon by the Mountain Patrol Seal in its hand, it immediately began to wail again, and in the blink of an eye, more than a hundred thumb-sized strange creatures emerged from the black smoke.

Once released, these creatures darted towards the surrounding trees, and once inside, the trees withered immediately, crumbling into ash blown away by the wind. However, from this ash emerged ginseng children resembling wild ginseng roots.

These ginseng children, however, were very malevolent; they first cast a venomous glare at the White Fox Captain before being prompted by the Mountain Patrol Seal to burrow into the ground and scuttle in all directions.

One of the ginseng children even flew over Wang Wu's head.

Yet, even so, it couldn't detect him—testament to the effectiveness of the Level 10 Passive Concealment.

Of course, Wang Wu reckoned another reason was that these eerie ginseng children were programmed to chase after that Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle, so he did not fit their target criteria.

"Could these things be the spirit monsters?"

This thought flashed in Wang Wu's mind; they were indeed bizarre and truly troublesome.

At this time, he carefully recollected that his biggest flaw now was the tree hole he had dug out; as for the warmth he had sent away then, it had already been washed away by accumulated water and soaked for over ten hours by the backflow of river water; now, even that extraordinary Gray Fox would probably be helpless.

Besides that, no Little Demon had seen him in three days.

He had already been captured by Lady Spider three days ago and turned into a Daughter's Red.

This was a major premise, and so far, even the Black Spider Captain hadn't suspected this.

After all, as a powerful demon, the Black Spider Race hunts a large number of prey daily and turns them into various types of Daughter's Red spirits. Who would doubt this?

However, they might follow the clue of the Flame Crystal and investigate further.

Uncertain whether the Fire Ant Race could withstand it, if not, the fact that he traded three pieces of Flame Crystal might be exposed.

Additionally, would the traces of the dug-out tree hole be examined by an experienced demon akin to Sherlock Holmes?

For a moment, Wang Wu was also distressed.

After a while, the White Fox Captain suddenly shouted.

"Retract!"

Instantly, there were chilling winds and wails everywhere, and the multitude of black smoke rapidly swept back from all directions, re-converging into an eerie talisman guided by the Mountain Patrol Seal. Upon closer inspection, this talisman now showed a few more cracks than before.

Undoubtedly, this talisman could be reused, consuming only a small amount of durability each time; truly a mysterious and miraculous treasure.

Yet, the White Fox Captain was still frowning, his gaze heavy, looking at the anticipating Black Spider Captain, eventually shaking his head.

"Strange indeed; within fifty miles, wherever there are trees and forests, there is no trace of the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle. That rogue is exceedingly cunning, undoubtedly a malevolent devil with thorough planning. Black Spider Captain, I think, you'll likely need to consult a higher expert; until now, relying solely on me and Mountain Eagle Captain makes it virtually impossible to find the real culprit."

"Conversely, though, my little plant demons did find the scent of the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle inside this big tree, proving that the object was indeed taken by the villain, which leaves me utterly perplexed."

"Since the villain took the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle, they naturally know its value. As long as they carry it, before completing its refinement, there's no escaping the pursuit of the little plant demons, making this whole thing perplexing."

At this point, the White Fox Captain looked into the direction of the Xijiang River, not voicing their speculation, but the matter seemed clearer.

And upon hearing this, the Black Spider Captain also stirred, with its eerie eyes also gazing toward the direction of Xijiang.

However, it remained silent.

This matter is not only odd but also difficult to handle.

Since the scent of the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle couldn't be detected where there are trees and forests, only two possibilities remain.

One is that the villain escaped by air, but the four kings were drinking and merrying in the air at the time; what villain could fly across the sky without being noticed?

The other is that the villain escaped through the water, which even the little plant demons can't deal with or detect.

After a few seconds of silence, the Black Spider Captain quickly crawled away to the territories of three other demon powerhouses, and promptly returned, though now with an aura that felt particularly dangerous and oppressive.

"Black Spider Captain, how was it?"

"It's true; early this morning, just when I sensed my offspring's demise, a group of River Patrol Water Demons indeed came to seek benefits. They are the most suspicious."

The Black Spider Captain ground its teeth in anger.

"Get some benefits? Alas, the King of Xijiang has always been lax with his subordinates, this, this, this, what kind of system is this!" The White Fox Captain clicked his tongue, also feeling somewhat helpless. It knew the matter concluded, but there was no way to seek justice.

Because the King of Xijiang hadn't ordered any benefits to be taken, it was clear that this group of River Patrol Water Demons believed they would soon follow the King of Xijiang in the transformation from a flood dragon to a dragon. If they survived the long journey, they would naturally become trusted subjects; if not, then everything was in vain. In such circumstances, seeking some benefits was reckless.

Could the Black Spider Captain really chase after them in anger?

Putting aside the question of whether it dared, even if it did, it couldn't catch up. The process of transforming from a flood dragon to a dragon, known to all as the leap over the Dragon Gate, requires finding the source of a great river, then rushing downstream with all one's might, carrying endless floods, countless creatures, and shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Any obstruction along the way would weaken the momentum and possibly lead to failure in dragon transformation.

So who dares to obstruct at this moment? Even the Celestial Emperor would be shown no mercy!

In short, just two words: "Die pointlessly!"

"White Fox, my dear brother, you've worked hard this time. In the future, if you need anything from me, just say the word."

At length, the Black Spider Captain sighed heavily, took Lady Spider's corpse from the tree hollow, and devoured it with loud smacks.

It wasn't grieving over the loss of a bloodline descendant, but the fact that decades or a century worth of family enterprise was destroyed in an instant.

How long would it take to start over again?

"Where does the Black Spider brother speak such words? We are old friends of the family."

The White Fox chuckled and bid farewell, and shortly after it left, large and small black spiders crawled back from all directions, but all watched from afar, not daring to approach, including the only two remaining black spiders the size of round tables.

"A bunch of useless creatures! Why don't you all go die!"

The Black Spider Captain cursed, grabbed a large spider seemingly intending to question it, but eventually tossed it aside. These descendants lacked complete intelligence, and even if they could piece together some information, of what use would it be? Better to nurture and cultivate some more outstanding direct descendants.

With that, the Black Spider Captain swiftly departed, never caring about the small tree hollow excavated within the tree hollow or any other details.

Not even some other suspicions about the case, which it and the White Fox Captain might very well guess.

But does it matter?

As long as it is confirmed that the Ninth-Grade Bone-Transforming Soul-Devouring Needle was indeed taken by a River Patrol Water Demon, then the case shouldn't even continue to be pursued.

Even more so, it should not be leaked or publicized.

The reason is simple: provoking them would be catastrophic.

If the King of Xijiang transforms into a dragon and successfully returns, existing like a Celestial Realm Great Cultivator of the Human Race, such an existence could not be offended by mere little demons like them.

Perhaps at that time, even their own kings might bind them to atone for their sins.

Alas!

This matter seems to have ended just like that, everything beginning to return to normal, except for the massive silt brought by the overflowing river waters, subjecting the plants in the fertile riverbank to catastrophic destruction.

The Black Mountain Sparrow and Armed Wild Bee Races fared better, still able to fly further afield to gather food.

The Black Beetle Race's berry fields were almost completely destroyed.

Not to mention the Black Spider Race.

The trees they lived in turned to ash.

They have no choice but to scatter and migrate to the eastern valleys, where they may become the new Black Spider Race in the future.

Meanwhile, Wang Wu lay low for about seven or eight days, full of anxiety, before sneaking away under cover of darkness, circling towards the riverbank.

This direction was a decision he made after careful consideration.

Because he truly could not appear in this region again. If the Black Beetle Race or Black Mountain Sparrow Race discovered he was alive, the case of Lady Spider's death would see major developments.

The Black Spider Captain dared not seek revenge under the King of Xijiang, but would certainly be eager to flay him, pull his tendons, and brew him into a fine wine.

In short, he wouldn't dare return until a year or half a year had passed.

And besides, another reason was that as the King of Xijiang undergoes dragon transformation, many main Water Demons will certainly be taken along, so the West River Region at this time will lack a Great Demon overseeing it. Even if some small Water Demons appear, they wouldn't pose much threat to him.

Just right for his current growth and development.

Of course, this period will not last long.

If the King of Xijiang succeeds at dragon transformation, a Water Demon general can be dispatched back to oversee Xijiang.

If the dragon transformation fails, the South Mountain King and North Mountain King might just support a new King of Xijiang.

In summary, Wang Wu's plan was to take a month as a limit, adjusting and leaving accordingly.

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