Liu Feng stood before the remains of the Earth Net Spirit Root, leaning forward slightly, his eyes flashing with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
He took a deep breath and slowly extended both hands, pressing them onto the body of the Earth Net Spirit Root.
Instantly, a weak yet majestic surge of energy rippled from his palms.
From the corpse of the Earth Net Spirit Root, wisps of yellow light flickered like fireflies, gradually gathering and condensing.
Eventually, they formed a yellow Soul Ring emitting a soft halo, floating quietly in mid-air as if summoning a new master.
Liu Qing looked around vigilantly before nodding firmly.
“It’s safe here.
Xiao Feng, hurry and absorb the Soul Ring.
The rest of us will stand guard; we won’t let anything disturb you.”
Zhang Niu and Zhang Ma moved quickly, taking positions on either side of the camp.
They gripped their weapons tightly, their sharp gazes scanning every blade of grass and tree around them.
Sun Lao San let out a low shout, releasing his “Gold Devouring Rat” Martial Soul.
His body radiated gray Soul Power as he used his keen senses to monitor any movement underground.
Liu Qing stayed by Liu Feng’s side, his muscles tensed and ready to respond to any sudden situation.
Liu Feng took a deep breath and sat cross-legged before the remains of the Earth Net Spirit Root.
He slowly closed his eyes and began to circulate the Soul Power within his body.
In an instant, a familiar warmth surged from his energy center like a rushing river, flowing rapidly through his meridians to his entire body.
As Soul Power gathered continuously, a faint blue light gradually emanated from Liu Feng, as if he were shrouded in a mysterious curtain of light.
Suddenly, Liu Feng snapped his eyes open.
“Blue Silver Grass!”
In that moment, a soft yet resilient Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul manifested before him.
Like a nimble living creature, it quickly coiled around the floating yellow Soul Ring, wrapping it tightly.
The blue-green light of the Blue Silver Grass and the radiance of the yellow Soul Ring intertwined and merged, as if conducting a conversation across the boundaries of life.
Liu Feng’s Soul Power acted like countless invisible threads, guiding the growth and spread of the Blue Silver Grass.
The light of the Blue Silver Grass grew more dazzling, its leaves trembling slightly as if greedily sensing the energy fluctuations of the Soul Ring.
Liu Feng’s face was full of focus.
He continuously output Soul Power, striving to guide the Blue Silver Grass to establish a subtle and close connection with the Soul Ring.
As time quietly passed, the light of the Blue Silver Grass and the glow of the Soul Ring gradually fused, forming waves of soft yellow halos that enveloped Liu Feng.
Liu Feng clearly felt the energy within the Soul Ring being drawn by the Blue Silver Grass, flowing slowly toward it like a trickling stream.
Thus, his Soul Power poured into the Blue Silver Grass like a surging tide.
Driven by the Soul Power, the Blue Silver Grass shimmered brightly.
Countless slender stalks, like sharp needles, pierced into the energy core of the Soul Ring, breaking down and absorbing its energy bit by bit.
However, as the absorption deepened, a look of pain gradually appeared on Liu Feng’s face, and his body began to tremble slightly.
Yet his eyes remained exceptionally firm, showing unyielding perseverance.
He could clearly feel the energy within the Soul Ring fighting back desperately, with powerful counter-shocks hitting his body like heavy hammers.
But Liu Feng did not retreat in the slightest.
He gritted his teeth as pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, constantly adjusting the output frequency of his Soul Power to suppress the violent energy within the Soul Ring.
Minute by minute, the light of the Soul Ring gradually dimmed, while Liu Feng’s Blue Silver Grass grew brighter.
Under the guidance of the Blue Silver Grass, the energy in the Soul Ring was broken down into small fragments, which flowed slowly into Liu Feng’s body along the veins of the grass.
Liu Feng’s meridians felt as if they were being scorched by a raging fire, and sharp pain struck repeatedly.
However, his Soul Power became increasingly concentrated as he focused on refining the incoming energy and integrating it into his own Soul Power.
Around Liu Feng’s body, yellow halos flickered continuously, as if cheering for his success.
Finally, with a low muffled sound, the last trace of the Soul Ring’s energy was completely refined and integrated into Liu Feng’s Martial Soul.
Liu Feng’s body jolted.
The light of the yellow Soul Ring vanished instantly, turning into countless tiny energy fragments that sank into his Martial Soul.
However, just as Liu Feng was about to complete the absorption, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from the distant bushes.
Sun Lao San’s ears twitched, and his eyes instantly became sharp as an eagle’s, but everything happened too suddenly.
A small, agile Soul Beast—a Numbing-tooth Weasel—shot out from the bushes like black lightning, heading straight for Liu Feng.
This Numbing-tooth Weasel was covered in a layer of fine gray fur that shimmered with a cold luster in the dim light.
Blood-red eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty glint.
It was incredibly fast, reaching the space behind Liu Feng almost in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Ma, Zhang Niu, and Sun Lao San reacted almost simultaneously, but the Numbing-tooth Weasel’s movements were too swift; they could only do their best to intercept it.
Zhang Ma roared and instantly activated his Second Soul Skill, “Raging Horse Gallop.” His leg muscles swelled, his speed increased abruptly, and he became a black phantom.
His short blade carved out arcs of cold light as he stabbed at the Numbing-tooth Weasel.
However, the Numbing-tooth Weasel was extremely nimble.
It twisted its body skillfully in mid-air, easily avoiding Zhang Ma’s attack, and then shot toward Zhang Niu like a bullet from a gun.
Seeing this, Zhang Niu immediately activated his First Soul Skill, “Vajra Fist.” A layer of dazzling white light lit up around his right fist, and his arm thickened as his muscles bulged.
He let out a loud shout and punched toward the Numbing-tooth Weasel with an indomitable aura.
The power of this punch was staggering, causing explosions in the air, but the Numbing-tooth Weasel leaped nimbly off the ground.
It traced an arc through the air to avoid the attack, then circled around Zhang Niu’s side to charge at Liu Feng again.
Seeing this, Sun Lao San immediately activated his First Soul Skill, “Swift Claw,” and his body turned into a blurry shadow as his speed increased significantly.
However, the Numbing-tooth Weasel was simply too fast.
It made a sharp turn in mid-air and actually managed to dash past Sun Lao San’s side.
Zhang Ma, Zhang Niu, and Sun Lao San attacked almost simultaneously, but the Numbing-tooth Weasel used its incredible speed and agility to weave through them like a ghost, constantly seeking an opportunity to attack Liu Feng.
Anxious, Zhang Ma immediately activated his First Soul Skill, “Raging Horse Gallop.” Combining the two buffing skills, his speed increased even further.
His short blade stabbed at the Numbing-tooth Weasel like a violent storm.
Meanwhile, Zhang Niu activated his Second Soul Skill, “Qi Rushing Mountain.” A powerful aura surged around him, significantly increasing his strength and defense.
He moved quickly to the front of Liu Feng, using his own body to build a solid line of defense, his long-handled double-sided axe ready for action.
Sun Lao San continued to use “Swift Claw,” trying to catch the cunning Numbing-tooth Weasel with his metal claws.
In the heat of the battle, Sun Lao San became even more versatile thanks to his Third Soul Skill, “Gale Step,” but the Numbing-tooth Weasel was just too fast.
During one rapid dash, it suddenly attacked from Sun Lao San’s side and bit down hard on his left arm.
“Argh!” Sun Lao San cried out in pain, his body swaying slightly.
A deep wound appeared on his left arm, and blood gushed out, staining his sleeve red.
But Sun Lao San’s gaze remained firm without a hint of retreat.
He endured the intense pain and continued to fight.
Seeing this, Zhang Ma grew even more frantic and increased his attack speed.
He activated his Third Soul Skill, “Raging Horse Charge.” Powerful force erupted from his legs, and he charged at the Numbing-tooth Weasel like a maddened horse.
Under the powerful combined attacks of the two, the Numbing-tooth Weasel finally failed to dodge.
It was struck by Zhang Ma’s “Raging Horse Charge” and sent flying like a broken kite, crashing heavily onto the ground.
It let out a shrill scream, and its body began to emit a layer of eerie black light.
Its eyes turned blood-red, and cold light glinted from its teeth and claws; it had clearly entered a berserk state.
“Careful, it’s going berserk!” Liu Qing warned loudly, a flash of vigilance in his eyes.
Just as the Numbing-tooth Weasel was about to launch a berserk attack, Liu Qing shouted to the others while suddenly rushing out from the side.
He held a longbow in his hand, an arrow already notched on the string.
He gave a low shout and pulled the short bow back sharply until the string was in a full-moon shape.
The arrow shot toward the Numbing-tooth Weasel like a bolt of lightning.
Whoosh!
With a sharp whistle, the arrow accurately entered the Numbing-tooth Weasel’s left eye and pierced through its brain.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, the Numbing-tooth Weasel’s body stiffened instantly, then slowly slumped to the ground, motionless.