With the decision made, it was time for action. Su Ming locked onto the ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast with his spiritual power, activating his first and fourth spirit rings. The Bag Sealing Technique instantly bound the creature, capturing it effortlessly.
Dugu Bo was surprised by the sheer power of Su Ming's control-type spirit skill, especially with its instant activation.
The spirit beast struggled against the restraint, revealing its true form: a dark lizard-like creature with a black body covered in dark purple stripes and thick skin.
Xiao Wu gasped, "It's a Shadow Demon Lizard!"
Su Ming wasn't surprised. Xiao Wu, having lived in the Star Dou Forest for so long, would likely know about rare spirit beasts like this.
The others looked puzzled. "Xiao Wu, you know this type of beast?"
Xiao Wu nodded solemnly, "I haven't seen one personally, but I've heard about them. Shadow Demon Lizards are extremely cunning and have an innate skill called Camouflage, which allows them to blend perfectly with their surroundings. They're incredibly patient, stalking prey until it lets its guard down before striking with lethal speed. If they miss, they retreat quickly. It's why they're known as the assassins of spirit beasts; few who encounter them survive."
Turning to Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu added worriedly, "Zhuqing, this spirit beast fits Su Ming's description, but ten-thousand-year-old Shadow Demon Lizards excel not just in speed but also in vicious attacks. What's more, their resentment upon death is exceptionally strong, even higher than typical ten-thousand-year spirit beasts."
Hearing this, Su Ming realized he had underestimated the beast. He had only considered its dark and camouflage abilities, not knowing it was such an ideal specimen.
Despite its camouflage abilities, the Shadow Demon Lizard's disguise was useless against Su Ming's spiritual senses and sharp perception. The creature's resemblance to a chameleon, both in appearance and ability, struck Su Ming.
With a light step, Su Ming summoned dozens of wooden spikes that shot toward the lizard, skewering it but avoiding vital points to keep it alive for Zhu Zhuqing to deliver the final blow.
"Zhuqing, now! Finish it off!"
Zhu Zhuqing, initially stunned by how easily Su Ming had subdued the formidable spirit beast, snapped out of it when Xiao Wu nudged her. Activating her third spirit skill, Nether Slash, Zhu Zhuqing attacked, delivering several swift slashes until the creature lay still. A dark spirit ring floated up from its body.
It was her first close encounter with a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, and the natural pressure it emitted far exceeded that of a thousand-year ring.
"Zhuqing," Su Ming said gravely, "I'm asking one last time—are you sure? Absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring is a life-or-death challenge for you right now. I can help, but there's still great danger."
Zhu Zhuqing steadied herself and nodded with determination, "I'm sure!"
Su Ming nodded firmly. "Then start the absorption. I'll handle the resentment attack when it comes."
"Old Monster," he called to Dugu Bo, "please keep an eye out for any nearby spirit beasts."
"Got it," Dugu Bo replied, scanning the surroundings.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate, sitting cross-legged as she began to guide the spirit ring's energy into her body.
Within seconds, her body was drenched. Su Ming knew this wasn't just sweat—small beads of blood had begun to seep from her skin under the strain of the ten-thousand-year spirit ring. The dark clothing hid it, but her body was showing signs of breaking under the pressure.
Without intervention, Zhu Zhuqing would be crushed before the resentment attack even hit.
Without hesitation, Su Ming activated his second, third, and fourth spirit rings, enhancing her soul power, recovery speed, and stamina, while also boosting her life force to keep her in a heightened state, better prepared to withstand the pressure.
After finishing, Su Ming centered himself in his spiritual space, where Ah Yin's cultivation had grown to over sixty thousand years.
"Ah Yin, I need your help. My life energy alone isn't enough. I need you to assist."
Ah Yin, aware of the urgency, responded, "I understand. Though she can't sense me, I've watched over her for a while. She's a strong girl."
"Blue Silver Domain, activate!"
With Ah Yin taking control, the Blue Silver Domain enhanced Zhu Zhuqing's body, allowing her to meet the physical demands of absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring. Su Ming knew this absorption process might take far longer than Dugu Yan's had, and he wasn't certain how long he and Ah Yin could sustain the full-power boost.
Dugu Bo was astonished. "Is that...a domain?!"
He hadn't expected Su Ming to possess a domain at the Soul Elder level. Mistaking it as Su Ming's own ability due to the domain's similarity to his spirit skills, Dugu Bo didn't realize that it was actually Ah Yin controlling the domain from within Su Ming's spiritual sea.
Meanwhile, as Zhu Zhuqing continued to absorb the spirit ring, she felt her body stabilizing from the previous agony to a state she could barely endure. Su Ming's enhancements were strengthening her constitution, and her self-healing was keeping up with the injuries.
However, she worried about the prolonged process. Absorbing at her current rate would take at least a day—could Su Ming's spirit power last that long? She resolved to persevere, knowing that the best she could do was to fortify her own resolve.
Suddenly, in her spiritual sea, a shadowy figure of the Shadow Demon Lizard materialized—its residual resentment embodied. The creature looked vicious, with a sneering expression and hate-filled eyes.
Once the predator, it was furious to have been defeated, especially after having been so well hidden. This time, it had failed in its ambush and was determined to drag someone down with it in death.
Zhu Zhuqing felt a wave of dread; the Shadow Demon Lizard's resentment was powerful, and her current mental strength alone was insufficient to confront it. She steeled herself, knowing she'd have to try anyway.
But after just a minute, her spiritual form was already battered, 'bleeding profusely,' barely hanging on. The resentment seemed to relish her suffering, tormenting her bit by bit rather than attacking in full force.
Externally, Su Ming noticed Zhu Zhuqing's face turning pale again and knew the resentment attack had begun.
"Little monster," Dugu Bo said, "this is getting dangerous. At this rate, she'll be mentally overwhelmed within minutes! Any ideas?"
Su Ming pulled out three Nine-Turn Spirit Converters from his storage. "Old Monster, when my spirit power starts to run low, take turns using these converters to channel energy to me. This absorption process will be lengthy, and I doubt my reserves alone will be enough."
With four people available to help, the three converters would be enough to rotate through, allowing at least one person to recover at all times.
Su Ming estimated that this absorption process would take at least a full day. He would need to output a significant amount of spirit power continuously to help Zhuqing withstand the ring's pressure. He hoped his nearing-vast mental strength would last.
Without hesitation, Su Ming knelt in front of Zhu Zhuqing, gently pressing his forehead to hers and whispering, "Zhuqing, open your mind. I'm going to channel my mental power into you. The rest is up to you!"
The gesture left Xiao Wu and the others puzzled. "Senior Dugu Bo, what is Su Ming doing?" they asked.
After a moment's thought, Dugu Bo replied, "The little monster's mental power is exceptionally high, surpassing his spirit rank. He's likely attempting to transfer his mental power to her. Normally, this is incredibly difficult without a mental-sharing spirit skill. It requires a very high level of mental strength and mutual trust between both parties."
"Even with that, the burden on Su Ming will be immense. He'll have to supplement her mental sea directly, similar to how you'd guide someone in a physical space. Without an external method to replenish his own mental strength, Su Ming will also be in danger if she loses control."
Dugu Bo could have kept this information to himself, but seeing Su Ming's willingness to take such a risk, he decided to support him. Although Su Ming's actions were risky, Dugu Bo couldn't help but admire his dedication.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong watched with concern, hoping that both Su Ming and Zhuqing would emerge safely from the ordeal.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, felt a mix of emotions. Su Ming's actions left a strong impression on her; this was truly a display of courage and loyalty.
In her spiritual sea, Zhu Zhuqing could faintly hear Su Ming's voice and sensed a wave of mental power merging with her own. She soon realized that her wounds were healing, and her strength had increased. Was this Su Ming's doing?
She guessed that he might not be able to sustain this for long, so she needed to destroy the resentment quickly. Her spiritual strength had now reached a level comparable to that of a Spirit King.
Su Ming had enhanced her strength only to the limit she could bear. Pushing further would have caused her spiritual form to collapse.
Summoning all her power, Zhu Zhuqing's claws lengthened and sharpened, now incorporating the energy of the Nine Yin Bone Claw to deliver continuous damage to the Shadow Demon Lizard's resentment.
After an hour of fierce combat, Zhu Zhuqing, though battered, managed to obliterate the resentment entirely, stabilizing her spiritual sea. Now, as long as her physical body could hold up, absorbing the ten-thousand-year spirit ring would proceed without further issues.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT