Deep inside a mountain was a fist size crystal which very much looked like glass. Stuck between the rocks, it didn’t look different from various quartz and precious stones like diamonds found there. The only factor which made it different from its much alike brethren was its shape, which wasn’t naturally formed, and was a perfect sphere.

The glass crystal had been trapped there for a whole century, while magma had slowly transformed around it, tightly clinging to it. Suddenly, one day the Crystal trembled as if trying to wake. The trembling was infrequent happening once a week. Gradually the frequency increased until it kept on trembling. The continuous vibrations had turned the surrounding rocks to dust until a whole meter wide area was empty.

Finally, the glass crystal burst out with radiance, as if announcing that it had woken and floated up. But immediately after it dimmed, until nothing but a slight flicker was left, while it floated in the middle of the chamber. Inside the crystal, the soul finally woke up. Although the crystal was supposed to be its body, the true soul or soul fire was locked inside it. It was shaped like a man, whose features were vague. His hands were wrapped around his leg. Slight cries could be heard from it, as it kept on repeating, “ Please don’t…Please don’t….it hurts…it hurts….please….please…I beg you…” as phantom pains struck him.

His eyes were hazy and unfocused, while he looked outside the crystal. He seemed to be seeing all but registering nothing. The crystal had become his shackles. His prison. His only shelter.

Meanwhile, a small spider found the empty chamber. Finding it safe, it decided to make it, its home. Shooting a string of web on the floating crystal, it started climbing. Halfway through, the string melted due to high energy radiation, and the spider fell down. But once again, it shot a web and started climbing and halfway through, the web broke and it fell. But the spider instead of giving up, kept on trying and failing again and again.

His antics slowly caught the soul’s attention. It was something new, in its lifeless existence. The soul kept on observing it and unknowingly, the spider had become an essential part of his life. Despite its failure, it kept on trying. This went on for days and days. In between the spider would take a break and leave the chamber, which the soul assumed was to catch food. It would return once again, and began its hopeless task. But this same hopeless task gave the soul a reason to live. It would unconsciously support the spider, cheering it on. A few days later, the soul realized that the web was melting solely due to the energy radiated by itself. And it struck him, that the spider was failing just because of him. Hesitantly, as if a newborn baby trying its hand, he prevented the energy from leaking. As if sensing it, the spider rapidly shot a web and climbed it, reaching the crystal. It looked at the crystal and shook it legs an if saying ‘ Thank You.’ The soul couldn’t help but smile. The smile was the first in past several years.

And the same smile shook him to its core. As if a dam was broken, memories came gushing out. He remembered how he was like the spider, trying to climb higher and higher. How he would fail sometimes. But instead of giving up, he would try harder and harder to reach the goal. Many times, it would become his obsession and he wouldn’t rest until it was achieved. Unknowingly, tears started dripping from its eyes, as he recalled more and more. Not long after, he started laughing. Laughing like a maniac, at his stupid life and his idiocy which landed him here. How his dreams were destroyed. How his life crumbled before him. How weak he was. So weak, that he couldn’t even protect itself from a rock.

The crystal turned brighten and brighter, as the soul slowly mended itself. Not perfect, but not broken. It was an experience, which tempered him into something new.Like a nirvana.

He slowly got up, and stretched himself, while looking around. And all he saw was darkness.

“ Motherfucker, am I dead?” he asked himself. If he was, he was expecting more from the Underworld, not utter darkness. Where was the gushing Death Yin Qi? Where were the hills and mountains made up of bones, or the river made up of souls? And he couldn’t find the long line, waiting to get their memories destroyed near some river. Fuck! He couldn’t even see a river. And what about his dream of fighting that three-headed dog Cerberus, which even those arrogant snakes feared….wait or was it arrogant lizards? Nevermind, both of them were stuck up bastards.

That could only mean, that this wasn’t The Underworld.

So he wasn’t in the underworld? That means he was alive!?!

But he did remember getting disintegrated, while his soul was being tortured. Or was it just a dream? Yes, it has to be a dream, or else he would be dead. Yes, it’s nothing but a stupid nightmare. A stupid scary nightmare, nothing more. A painfully stupid nightmare, which can be forgotten.Yes, the pain was nothing but an illusion.

But when did a nightmare hurt this much? Or it wasn’t a nightmare?!?

Was he cursed? Yes, he could be cursed. He had read somewhere about such curses, which would trap you into an illusion while slowly torturing you until you killed yourself. But when?

Was it in the cave? But he took all precautions. Plus, he never felt a negative karma tying on him or an imprint being attached to him. And he regularly cleaned the battlefield plus himself after every battle or run, so curses through body fluids or parts are also impossible. Even if it did attach to him, he should have felt something!

So not a curse.

A high-level illusion? Yes, yes, he had heard about such illusions, which melded reality and illusions into one. Real was fake, while fake was real. So it has to be an illusion. Quite a powerful one at that. But when did he get caught up one? The Estate didn’t have such complex illusions. So before the estate?

But where? Where could he get caught up in an illusion and never realize it?!? And who had the capability to produce such illusions? Of course The Builder Sect!! Yes…perfect. It has to be The Builder sect.

So he was caught up in some stupid illusion array produced by them. And knowing their nature, they would never share such a high-level array with another party. So somewhere on their base, which should definitely be that Spiritual Mine Planet. Indeed, he would have never realized another array among thousands of other. No wonder, he felt something odd, when he found so many arrays. It made no sense, in creating so many small and useless arrays, instead of a large powerful one.Plus the planet getting destroyed…how could a Builder Sect planet get destroyed so easily. So, in short, he was still on that crappy planet!?! It means all this was just a dream? So he didn’t find that stupid rock or die? Or were they manipulating his memory?

Shit!!! He got caught up in some stupid sect’s array and almost lost his dao heart. He could imagine other’s laughing at him, as he slowly killed himself. He really wanted to go and die…All those baldies, and juniors laughing at him…All his reputation turning into dust.

“YOU BASTARD SON OF THE BITCHES, let me get out of here, and wait until I make all of YOU RUN IN YOUR UNDERWEAR IN FRONT OF the Seven Pleasure Sects!!! Assholes! Cowards! Dipshits…” the soul screamed, as more colorful and biologically impossible expletives found themselves in a rant. Once he escaped, he was going to rip them apart! Piece by Piece! In FRONT OF THE WHOLE FUCKING UNIVERSE!

Finally, after hours of ranting, the soul felt fresh and free. All the accumulated pain and stress was finally relieved. His emotions which were smothering him found a way to release themselves. He once again felt something change in his soul. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. A comfortable way, as if some jigsaw piece finally found its right place.

“Now how to break it…” he wondered. All illusions, despite their complexity, had something in common. The main array flag or core. Typically, it would get represented in the illusion as some unique object or item. Their only problem being, that they would be the same object throughout the illusion, and would be present every time. So something unique?

His eyes went towards the spider which was climbing him. Wait a second? Climbing him? And for the first time since his arrival, he looked at himself.

“ A crystal? A damn piece of floating rock? Why couldn’t the illusion come up with something better!?!” he once again swore, cussing at Builder Sect’s ancestors and their Grandmas who somehow fucked pigs…

Once again he looked at the spider. This was the only unique thing he could see. And there was a high chance that this spider was present everywhere. He would never care to remember a spider. So this definitely gave the spider a high chance at being the core. So he should just kill it and get done with.

He moved his hand trying to grab the spider…but realized his physical form didn’t have one.

“Fuck!!! So now they could laugh at his incapability to kill a fucking spider!” he screamed inside. He a False immortal, who could easily destroy planets with a finger, turn armies into dust with a breath, was stuck as a rock. A rock, which couldn’t even kill a god damn spider. An Immortal, couldn’t kill a spider! He can imagine, this news spreading throughout the immortal realm. Now where in the three realms he was going to hide his face! He ha turned into a joker! His hard earned reputation, although it notorious was now worth nothing! He really was going the rip, those baldies apart. Then he was going to turn their sect into a brothel and their sacred grounds into a fucking…whatever. He will think about it later… Now back to topic. How was he going to kill a tiny thumb size spider?

When he suddenly recalled how the web melted due to high energy radiation. So maybe he could radiate the spider to death? He focused on increasing the energy towards the point where the spider was relaxing. Slowly the area started shimmering, as the air started heating. The spider trembled, and shrill shrieks could be heard as it spasmed. Hearing its shriek, the soul unknowingly stopped the energy. He couldn’t bring himself to kill it. The spider was one which made him break out of his shell. It was his only companion in this long darkness. But somewhere deep in his mind, another voice presented, “ Wouldn’t this make it the perfect Flag. A flag which the trapped knew of, but couldn’t kill due to his affection for it?”

The soul couldn’t help but agree. This definitely felt like something those sneaky bastards would do. But again, if it wasn't the flag, then?

Once again the voice argued,” But what if it is? Would you take the risk of leaving it? Killing one and being sure of it is better, than thinking and doing nothing about it!”

The soul shuts up. The voice, which he had now labeled as ‘The Subconscious’ was right. It was just a spider. Its death would mean nothing to him. A small spider shouldn’t affect an Immortal. Right? Deciding, he once again increased the energy on it, slowly frying and radiating it to death. The spider shrieked and spasmed, while black foul smoke started emitting from it. The soul watched coldly. In cultivation world, he had killed numerous beasts and even more humans, so he didn’t know why he felt a little pain watching the spider die. Was he getting soft? No, he still had a long way to go. Many people to kill.

After a minute or so, the spider was laying on its back, with its legs curled up. The black body was now burnt to an unrecognizable lump of charred chitin and black flesh.

The soul waited. Nothing happened. No twisting of illusion or shattering of air.

“Was I wron..

*BLING!*

NOTIFICATION

YOU HAVE KILLED A BLACK SILK SPIDER.

BODY ANATOMY AND FUNCTIONS SAVED IN ‘AVAILABLE MONSTERS' FOLDER.

The fuck?”