Chapter 2323: Enhanced Version of Grandma

It had always suspected He Lingchuan and his companion were responsible but lacked evidence. The spider shell had been swallowed by the Divine Bone Necklace, leaving no trace.

Later, with the upheaval in Tiangang and unpredictable events, Zhu Erniang ended up living a peaceful farming life under He Lingchuan's protection. Being a clever spider, it simply never inquired about the whereabouts of the exuviae. Both parties maintained an unspoken understanding, acting as if the matter had never occurred.

It wasn't that He Lingchuan didn't want to return it; rather, the spider shell had been swallowed by the Divine Bone Necklace, and he wasn't sure if it still existed.

Until two days ago, he suddenly felt a strong intuition. Then, the Divine Bone Necklace, which had been dormant for years, surprisingly regurgitated the shell.

He Lingchuan guessed that its original intention in taking the shell was primarily to study the star map on its abdomen. The Spider Queen's star map corresponded in real-time to celestial changes; studying it meant understanding the natural principles altered by the Tianluo Star. The Heavenly Palace had also used Zhu Erniang's shell as the core for the Xushan Great Formation to activate successfully. After He Lingchuan broke the formation, the Xuan Turtle shell produced by the Xushan Great Formation, though also containing diagrams, was far less effective than Zhu Erniang's exuviae.

After all these years, the Grand Square Gourd had consumed countless natural treasures, powerful demons, immortals, and devils, advancing its understanding of principles by leaps and bounds. The spider demon's star map had likely been fully studied, and it was finally being returned to its owner.

"I consulted Erniang," He Lingchuan said. "She told me she now lives a reclusive life and already possesses the immortal exuviae brought back from Xushan. So, this spider exuviae is for you."

"Good, good, excellent!" Zhu Daniang exclaimed, excitedly spinning around twice in place.

This was one of Zhu Erniang's two most important spider exuviae. Once worn, it would naturally be more powerful than Zhu Daniang's current shell. The present spiritual energy environment had not yet recovered to ancient times, making immortal exuviae inconvenient to use and possibly requiring intermittent dormancy. In contrast, this spider exuviae was best suited for the prevailing external conditions.

It circled the spider shell, examining it repeatedly with great fondness, when suddenly, it let out a sound of surprise.

"The star map on the abdomen is a bit different?" it wondered.

The original star map was already impressive if it could accommodate the Big Dipper, given its limited area. However, this one encompassed several other Heavenly Palaces, appearing much more intricate and profound. This was different from the star map on Zhu Daniang's own body, but she was too excited and only noticed after spinning around twice.

"Some expansions and adjustments were made," He Lingchuan replied. Of course, He Lingchuan lacked the ability to modify and upgrade the spider shell; only the Grand Square Gourd could. But since the gourd couldn't speak, he took all the credit. "Try it on?" he suggested.

Zhu Daniang was straightforward and didn't bother with formalities, immediately crawling under the spider exuviae.

The mountain-like spider exuviae was originally perfectly sealed, but as Zhu Daniang approached, it surprisingly inverted itself, and a large opening split along its abdominal side. This was the tear left when Zhu Erniang had shed her shell previously. Then, it enveloped Zhu Daniang, and the opening closed. Afterward, the Spider Queen remained motionless.

Dong Rui explained from the side, "Once it crawls back inside, its original outer shell needs to merge with the exuviae, allowing its flesh and blood to fully fill it. Only after successful integration can Daniang use the new body."

Dong Rui's experimental subjects included cave spiders, so he was quite familiar with this molting characteristic.

He Lingchuan understood. "So, it's the exact opposite process of molting?" he asked.

"Precisely," Dong Rui confirmed. "It will be slower."

As Dong Rui had predicted, the Spider Queen remained motionless for over half an hour, as if it had turned into a statue.

After a long while, it finally lifted a front leg.

"How is it?" Dong Rui asked impatiently.

"It's much better than my previous shell," Zhu Daniang exclaimed. She had been using her sister's shell for a long time without changing, and despite her diligent cultivation, there were still some deficiencies. "The power it contains is incredibly strong!"

The cultivation path of the Spider Queen sisters was unique among demons. While others focused their magic power in an internal elixir, their cultivation was condensed within their shells. Thus, changing to a more powerful shell was equivalent to increasing their cultivation, which was incredibly convenient. This was also their unique talent.

"What's special about it?" Dong Rui asked, itching with curiosity, wishing he could ask Zhu Daniang to step down so he could examine the shell himself.

"How to put it?" Zhu Daniang said, still adapting to the new shell and trying to formulate her words. "The toughness of this body has increased by more than two grades compared to my original one. It's almost as good as my sister's immortal exuviae, but it's more flexible and less strenuous in the current spiritual energy environment. And I can feel that its potential for improvement is still vast. The star map on the abdomen is also very profound, hmm, it will keep me studying for a long time."

"Also, I can now see invisible and intangible things," she continued. "For instance, I can easily see the flowing path of the wind passing through the garden, no longer needing to feel it with my bristles." (Spider vision is already fundamentally different from human vision.) "If I were to fight Qionglong now, I wouldn't need True Person Jieshui's sparks for assistance; I could see its every move clearly!" "There are many more improvements; I need to explore them further!" she added.

In short, this was a comprehensive enhancement.

Zhu Daniang thanked He Lingchuan with great joy. It didn't ask He Lingchuan how he managed it; that man was mysterious and kept too many secrets.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror hummed in He Lingchuan's arms, "It really isn't asking about the origin, is it? I don't know whether to call this big spider clever or naive."

He Lingchuan smiled slightly, "Why not say both?"

Zhu Daniang, not understanding, asked, "What?"

"Nothing," He Lingchuan replied, casually summoning the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. "We should get going."

Stepping through the mirror, he brought his two companions to Xiangwang Peak, behind the Chixiao Golden Palace.

This was a delicate small mountain. Its name, "Xiangwang" (mutual forgetting), dated back to the Upside-Down Sea era, signifying not romantic love, but the Illusionary Sect's teaching that once a cultivator entered the Dao, it was like a deep sea, and they must sever all worldly ties. Few palace attendants came here; leaves formed a carpet, and birdsong and floral fragrances filled the air everywhere. It was actually a habitat for rare birds and exotic beasts.

He Lingchuan took out a long flute and began to play. The flute's melody was as melodious and graceful as a skylark's song, riding the wind deep into the mountain forest. Before long, a few clear cries responded from afar.

A few of the white specks soaring in the sky descended, becoming increasingly massive as they approached the peak. These were several white cranes with vermilion crowns, black necks, iron talons, and steel wings. Their wingspans could reach over four *zhang* (approximately 13 meters), and when they landed, two flaps of their wings stirred up sand and stones.

In recent years, the size of these avian demons had grown rapidly. They all mastered wind manipulation techniques, and in an environment with ample spiritual energy, their massive size was not a burden for flight.

After they landed, they followed the leading giant crane and bowed respectfully to He Lingchuan, showing extreme reverence.

"Go on up," He Lingchuan instructed.

The two people and one spider each climbed onto a crane's back. Zhu Daniang curled herself into a ball, retracting her steel bristles close to her body to avoid damaging the cranes' backs.

The giant cranes let out a clear cry, flapped their wings, and took flight. Soon, they were among the clouds.

From here to Shaocheng, located northwest in Shen Nation, was a long journey. These giant cranes were masters of long-distance flight, and with the augmentation of wind manipulation and aerial dancing techniques, their flight speed was many times faster than that of avian demons a decade ago. A single flap of their wings covered seventy *zhang* (approximately 230 meters).