He had heard of this Demon King who lived a secluded life deep in Beiliang Mountain and had once thought about recruiting him, but unfortunately, the Ghost Spider was too proud, and he never got to meet this powerful Demon King.

He had not expected that they would become opponents this time.

"Good, I was planning to find an opportunity to challenge you anyway," the One-Horned King said coldly.

After all, to become the true overlord here, one cannot prove oneself without defeating the Ghost Spider. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The Ghost Spider paid no attention to the words of the One-Horned King. To him, having seen the magnificent world, the so-called overlordship of the One-Horned King was merely a farcical play that could not arouse the slightest interest.

Sharp Sword Intent surrounded him, and with just a cold look at the One-Horned King, he made the Demon King who was determined to become a regional tyrant feel a trace of fear.

It was a warning from the soul.

The One-Horned King swallowed quietly; he knew that the Ghost Spider was strong, stronger than any opponent he had defeated before, but he hadn’t expected the other to be so overwhelming that he felt invincible.

A surge of anger suddenly appeared in his heart. He was someone destined to be a king; how could he feel fear?

Such a feeling made him very angry, and it was not directed at the Ghost Spider in front of him, but at himself.

He was angry at his own cowardice, angry at his own fear.

"Ah!" The Demon King roared loudly, trying to expel the fear from deep within his soul, but the fear clung to him like a shadow, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake it off.

"Pitiful man, you call yourself a Demon King, yet you can’t even understand your own heart; how can such a person as you aspire to reach the peak of the great Dao," sighed the Ghost Spider.

He saw fear and reluctance in the eyes of the One-Horned King, as well as the deeply buried rage.

A Demon King who only knew brute force was simply no match for a Sword Dao master like the Ghost Spider.

The figure of the Ghost Spider flashed by rapidly, so fast that those around him couldn’t catch a glimpse of him.

A sharp whiff in the air was gone in a flash, and the One-Horned King felt the approach of death at that moment. He fearfully widened his eyes, trying to make out the figure of the Ghost Spider.

But it was way too fast, his eyes couldn’t even track the movement.

A chill passed over him as the Ghost Spider’s figure flashed by, and the One-Horned King suddenly showed a radiant smile on his face—he was still alive.

He laughed and turned his head, only to find that he couldn’t do it. His head seemed to have its own will, and then he suddenly realized that he was falling downward, with his body above him.

It was only then that he realized he was already dead; the Ghost Spider’s sword had severed his neck, and a Demon King who dreamt of becoming a regional tyrant was killed effortlessly, without even a chance to resist.

No one expected such an outcome, those who knew of the Ghost Spider were aware of his might, but the One-Horned King was no ordinary individual; otherwise, how could he have unified this region in such a short time?

Everyone thought the fight between the two would be a head-to-head confrontation, a fierce battle, but it was over before they even had the chance to watch.

It was all so hasty that the monsters around felt an unreal sensation.

The first to snap out of it were the underlings of the One-Horned King, who, after overcoming their initial disbelief, were overwhelmed by endless fear.

In their eyes, their master was an invincible force; any opponent would tremble before his mighty power.

But now, this invincible king they held in their minds was killed just like that, as easily as if the victor had slaughtered a chicken.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the little demons chose to flee. They didn’t even dare to look back, afraid that a single glance might lead to their death at the hands of the Ghost Spider, as effortlessly as if they were being butchered like chickens.

In fact, these little monsters were worrying too much. The Ghost Spider had no interest in chasing after these minor demons, and as for Lin Fang and the others, they had even less interest.

They were no longer on the same level.

"My lord, my good friend is at the top of the mountain, but he’s a bit odd, so I hope you’ll forgive his manners," the Ghost Spider said softly, setting expectations in advance.

After all, he knew his old friend’s temperament well—he was someone who devoted his heart to forging, always indifferent to recruitment, and with his proud nature, he frequently angered others. If not for his reputation as a Blade-Smithing Master, he would have probably died many times over by now.

"Don’t worry, he’ll agree," Lin Fang said with a mysterious smile, exuding confidence.

They climbed the steps and soon felt a wave of heat. Not far away was a furnace burning with intense flames that scorched the air and heated the area.

A robust figure was standing next to the furnace, continuously hammering a weapon blank with a sledgehammer in his hand.

"I’ve told you, I won’t agree to your terms, now scram!"

Apparently sensing someone approaching, this figure immediately became impatient, bellowing furiously.

"It’s me!" the Ghost Spider said coldly.

Upon hearing a familiar voice, the Iron Demon turned his head and saw Lin Fang and his party. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes as he said, "What wind blew you here? Don’t you usually stick to your dilapidated temple and never leave?"

"I’ve had an opportunity and don’t plan to return to Beiliang Mountain anymore. I mainly came to see you today because someone wants to meet you," the Ghost Spider got straight to the point.

Fearing that his old friend might speak rudely, he quickly added another sentence, "By the way, the One-Horned Ghost King at the bottom of the mountain has been taken care of by us, so you don’t have to worry about him disturbing you."

Hearing this, the Iron Demon responded noncommittally, "Speak, what do you want? Are you looking to have a weapon forged?"

Bearing in mind the face of his old friend, the Iron Demon decided he would craft a weapon with care if they were indeed seeking one.

While saying so, his hands did not pause for a second, deftly quenching the steel, then beginning to engrave runes.

A small carving knife in his hands seemed to come to life as runes were slowly etched onto the blade. Due to a minor lapse, one rune began to fade, signaling an error.

"Your rune is wrong there; it doesn’t need to be so complicated," Lin Fang said softly.

He had already discerned the Iron Demon’s limitations. Due to not systematically learning about runes and being hindered by his level, his knowledge of runes was shallow. The runes he realized were also incomplete, which made the engraving of inscriptions particularly difficult.