At this moment Lan Ling was truly extremely grateful to the transmigrator Dragon Emperor from several thousand years ago. If he had not transmigrated to this world and unified the realm, using Chinese characters as the common writing system for the entire world, today Lan Ling would have died here.
The Shadow Spider Queen was stunned. A bloodthirsty glint flashed in her blood red eyes. Then she laughed delicately: Wow, so our handsome man actually possesses such an outstanding brain. What I like to devour the most is this kind of brain pulp.
Then the Shadow Spider Queen licked her mouthparts and revealed a cruel smile towards Lan Ling: Little handsome boy, when dinner time comes I will still come for you. I said it before, I like sucking smart brains the most.
As soon as these words came out Lan Ling felt completely chilled to the bone.
After speaking the Shadow Spider Queen’s massive body drilled into one of the countless passages in the cave and instantly disappeared.
However even though she was gone everyone present still could not move at all and could not make any sound. The only thing they could do was watch.
Ye Jingyu was still unconscious at this time.
According to what this huge monster had said, in the next meal times Lan Ling would become the Shadow Spider Queen’s first target.
Of course she would still pretend to ask questions. If Lan Ling could not answer he would have his brain pulp sucked out.
Of course if he answered correctly what then? This Shadow Spider Queen could not possibly refrain from eating. So Lan Ling felt that even if he answered every question correctly he could at most live for another day or two. This monster could not possibly truly follow the rules and let herself go hungry.
He had to find a way to save himself.
Demon star, at this moment what methods do we have to save ourselves? Lan Ling asked in his heart.
None. The demon star answered straightforwardly and cleanly.
Are you not extremely heaven defying and extremely powerful? Lan Ling said.
The demon star said: That is correct. However the energy I have devoured is still too little. This Shadow Spider Queen is an incomparably powerful mental type monster. Her cultivation is more than a thousand times ours. What method could I have?
At this time he could not count on the demon star. Once the Shadow Spider Queen stabbed her fangs into his brain to suck the pulp, even with the demon star he would undoubtedly die.
In the next few hours Lan Ling racked his brains for a way to save himself but he was completely helpless.
In front of a power gap of tens of millions of times, nothing could make up for that difference. Or could he rely on his own wisdom? Or eloquence?
In this anxious time it felt like a day was like a year yet time also flew by.
Unknowingly six hours passed.
Hahaha! The terrifying Shadow Spider Queen appeared in front of everyone once again. The nightmare had returned.
Time really passes quickly. We meet again. My dinner time has arrived. The Shadow Spider Queen said delicately then crawled straight to Lan Ling. She extended her furry terrifying claws and gently stroked Lan Ling’s face.
Instantly his scalp almost exploded.
Little handsome boy, these past few hours I really missed you so much. You look so beautiful. I really look forward to how delicious your brain pulp will be. The Shadow Spider Queen was very close to Lan Ling’s face. The rotten stench from her mouth truly made Lan Ling wish he could die.
Next the Shadow Spider Queen got even closer to Lan Ling. She even pressed her massive belly against his face. That feeling almost made Lan Ling faint.
Listen, my belly is so hungry. It is rumbling. The Shadow Spider Queen said: So our riddle game is going to start again?
Lan Ling immediately pricked up his ears, afraid of missing even one word.
This time it is still a riddle. Not on top, not below. Guess a word. The Shadow Spider Queen said proudly.
This riddle was very similar to the one at noon. The Shadow Spider Queen felt proud of her own wisdom.
I am starting the countdown. Ten, nine, eight, seven…
Lan Ling pushed aside his nervousness and immediately thought. In just two seconds he had the answer.
One! Lan Ling shouted loudly: The answer is one!
Correct. Not on top, not below, it was exactly the character for one.
The Shadow Spider Queen’s expression changed. A ferocious light appeared in her eyes and her two fangs twitched with eagerness.
This handsome human had actually answered correctly again. Was she really going to go hungry like this?
Instantly she felt a strong impulse to stab her fangs into the eyes of the pretty boy in front of her, suck his brain pulp dry, then tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces.
But she still endured it. After all this was the rule she herself had set. She wanted to toy with human wisdom. Only then could she obtain spiritual pleasure.
Since you are so clever, how about I add one more question for you? The Shadow Spider Queen laughed delicately.
Lan Ling knew this thing would definitely cheat. If he answered one she would keep adding questions. Then he would undoubtedly die. There would always be one question he did not know.
No. He had to block this possibility.
So Lan Ling countered by saying: Add questions? No problem. For this meal you can add one question. For the next meal you can add two questions. For the meal after that you can add three questions.
This was also a form of reverse psychology to prevent the Shadow Spider Queen from adding questions infinitely right now until he could not answer.
What the Shadow Spider Queen could not stand the most was this. The high and mighty feeling of humans, as if only they were the intelligent race in the world and all others were ignorant livestock.
Lan Ling had guessed correctly. The Shadow Spider Queen had originally planned to keep adding questions until Lan Ling could not answer. Then she would directly suck his brain pulp dry, tear his corpse into ten thousand pieces, eat him piece by piece, or force the other humans present to eat him.
But now Lan Ling’s high and mighty sense of intellectual superiority stimulated her. She immediately said: Good, I will follow what you said. This meal answer two questions. The next meal three questions. I want to see exactly how long you can live.
Then the Shadow Spider Queen racked her brains recalling the memories she had once devoured, wanting to pick an even harder question.
Green in one place, purple in one place. What word is it? The Shadow Spider Queen said.
Plain! Lan Ling answered straightforwardly without even waiting for her countdown. These word riddles were really too childish.
Ah… The Shadow Spider Queen immediately let out a furious sharp hiss. She fiercely extended her fangs, about to suck Lan Ling to death.
Lan Ling sneered coldly: Of course you can suck my brain pulp dry right now. But in that case you would break your own rules. This would become a mental demon in your heart and spirit. It would tell you constantly that you are not clever at all. Then in the future your spiritual cultivation would forever be stuck at a certain place with no further progress.
The Shadow Spider Queen paused. She felt that what Lan Ling said made a lot of sense.
In the incomparably long years, why had she felt so happy and that time was not hard to endure? It was because of wisdom and because she was filled with confidence.
If she broke the rules today and directly ate the pretty boy in front of her, it would mean she was not wise. Then all her previous pride and confidence would be false.
In that case this shadow would become an eternal mental demon for her that she could never escape.
No. She could not break the rules. She must defeat humans in the way humans were best at. Only then could she prove that she was wiser, cleverer and more superior than humans.
She took a deep breath, endured the hunger in her belly, and smiled bewitchingly: Very good. It seems I will go hungry tonight. But it does not matter. In another eight hours it will be my breakfast time. Then there will be even harder three questions waiting for you. My little pretty boy, you can still live for eight more hours.
After speaking this terrifying Shadow Spider Queen disappeared without a trace.
Immediately all the prey hanging in the cave let out a long sigh of relief. This was the first time during the monster’s meal time that no one had died.
Then everyone’s gaze towards Lan Ling was filled with admiration and gratitude.
Because Lan Ling had not only saved himself but had also saved all of them.
At this time Lan Ling closed his eyes and began to sleep and rest. After all at this moment being anxious or afraid was useless. It was better to conserve energy and spirit to face the wisdom storm eight hours later.
…
Eight hours passed quickly.
Soon the terrifying Shadow Spider Queen charged fiercely in front of Lan Ling once again. Her eyes were blood red.
Moreover the rumbling sound from her belly was clearly audible. She no longer even pretended to smile.
Today you have three riddles to solve. The Shadow Spider Queen said: I ask you, on which day will the sun and the moon appear together.
As soon as this question came out everyone present immediately racked their brains. But no matter how long they thought there was simply no such day.
On Earth sometimes the sun and moon could appear at the same time, though the moon would appear very faint and almost invisible.
But in this world the sun and moon would never appear together.
Immediately everyone looked at Lan Ling with sympathetic eyes, feeling he was truly doomed.
The Shadow Spider Queen immediately revealed an incomparably proud smile. This pretty boy in front of her was dead for sure. She could finally eat delicious brain pulp.
Tomorrow. Lan Ling gave the answer straightforwardly.
In this world there would never be a day when the sun and moon appeared together. But when sun and moon combined it formed the character for bright, so it was tomorrow.
The Shadow Spider Queen’s expression changed. Everyone present suddenly understood and their gaze towards Lan Ling became even more astonished.
You are indeed very clever. Next I will ask the second question. The Shadow Spider Queen was almost losing her mind. She said through gritted teeth: What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?
Lan Ling was immediately speechless. This riddle had really been overused. He answered straightforwardly: It is a human. When small it crawls, as an adult it walks on two legs, and in old age it uses a cane.
Ah… Ah… Instantly the Shadow Spider Queen completely flew into a rage. Her originally seductive face became incomparably ferocious.
Gradually she calmed down and asked slowly: Next there is a new question. If you can answer it I will directly let you go. If you cannot answer you will die and your brain pulp will be sucked dry by me.
How many hairs do I have on my body? The Shadow Spider Queen asked.
Lan Ling frowned. Sure enough this Shadow Spider Queen was going to cheat. This was a question that was impossible to answer.
Hahaha… The Shadow Spider Queen immediately laughed proudly: You cannot answer, right? Then you shall die!
After speaking she fiercely extended her claws, tore off all the spider silk on Lan Ling, and lifted Lan Ling high with her terrifying claws.
Clever child, I want to see exactly how delicious your brain pulp is. The Shadow Spider Queen’s terrifying fangs were about to fiercely stab into Lan Ling’s head.
Lan Ling was about to die tragically!