Chapter 66: Ah Yin’s Display of Power
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Ning An'an's absorption of her third soul ring went smoothly, though the process was somewhat lengthy. She managed to absorb it without any major issues.
Summoning her pink Glazed Pagoda, Ning An'an gazed at the three soul rings adorning it with satisfaction. Though her seniority in the sect was high, among the younger generation, she was already considered a fast-growing auxiliary-type soul master.
The other soul masters in the group had also found their respective soul rings.
As the group prepared to return to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect, a sudden cry of alarm echoed from afar.
Looking toward the source, the members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect were instantly gripped by fear. In the distance, a massive spider-type spirit beast was charging toward them, followed closely by a dense swarm of other spirit beasts.
Though they couldn't determine the exact age of this spirit beast, its sheer size—over seven meters—indicated that it was at least ten thousand years old.
"Run! Run!"
With that, the leading soul master scooped up Ning An'an, while the others in the group carried the young masters and ladies of the sect.
As workers for the sect, they knew their fate would be sealed if they failed to escape the beast tide—or worse, if they failed to protect these important individuals. Their only hope now was to make a desperate attempt to flee.
Fortunately, the members of the hunting team were all highly skilled, and the weight of the young nobles didn't hinder their speed. However, the pursuing spirit beasts, especially those adept at running, were visibly closing the gap.
"Damn it! What kind of lunatics are causing trouble deep in the forest again!? How could they provoke such a rampage in the Sunset Forest?!"
The leader of the group clenched his teeth in frustration. As the strongest soul master present, he had reached the Soul Emperor level. But even his strength was useless against this overwhelming tide of beasts.
Relying on his profound cultivation, he managed to pull ahead of the beast tide as quickly as possible. However, the other soul masters carrying the young masters and ladies were left behind, and there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
Still, as long as he could ensure Ning An'an's safety, he might avoid severe punishment upon returning to the sect. After all, facing such a beast tide, even a Soul Emperor could do little.
Ning An'an, who had grown up sheltered and privileged, had never witnessed such a terrifying scene. She was frozen in fear, but as the beast tide gradually receded into the distance, she felt a slight sense of relief.
"We're alive—"
Just as she thought they had narrowly escaped, a web suddenly descended from the sky, threatening to envelop them.
The spider-type spirit beast, though only seven meters in size, emitted a faintly glowing yellow web that seemed to blot out the sky.
"No!!!"
Staring at the approaching web, Ning An'an's eyes filled with despair. If they were caught in the web, they would be immobilized, and within moments, the pursuing spirit beasts would tear them apart.
"Ah Yin, I'll leave this to you," a clear male voice suddenly rang out.
"Second Soul Skill: Blue Silver Frenzy Wave."
Suddenly, what had once been ordinary Blue Silver Grass began to grow wildly, intercepting the descending webs. Though the webs corroded the grass with a hissing sound, the brief reprieve was enough for the group to escape.
The survivors let out a collective sigh of relief and hurriedly fled the area. Curious about their savior, they turned to see who had saved them.
What they saw next left them stunned.
A wave—a massive wave composed of Blue Silver Grass—was holding back the ferocious tide of spirit beasts.
Ye Wen observed the surging tide of beasts and the red-eyed spirit beasts, his brow furrowing.
"Something's not right. These spirit beasts have been drugged to act so violently.
But who would stir up such a beast tide near the capital of the Tian Dou Empire? What is their purpose? Could they be trying to snatch the Ice and Fire Dual Eye from me?
But that doesn't make sense. In the original story, wasn't it Dugu Bo who coincidentally obtained the Ice and Fire Dual Eye as his medicinal garden? So who is orchestrating this chaos?
Or is this the butterfly effect caused by my presence, altering the original plot?"
Ye Wen's thoughts raced, but without sufficient information, he couldn't piece together the puzzle. Watching the increasingly fierce tide of beasts, he took a deep breath.
He couldn't allow this situation to worsen further. If the beast tide reached the Tian Dou Imperial City, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Though the Sunset Forest wasn't as vast or dangerous as the Star Dou Great Forest, it still housed some spirit beasts capable of rivaling Soul Douluo-level experts.
Earlier, Ye Wen had sensed the presence of the stronghold guarding the Sunset Forest. To his dismay, the strongest individual stationed there was only a Soul Sage. Under this onslaught, the Tian Dou Imperial City would undoubtedly be attacked, resulting in countless deaths and potentially destabilizing the entire continent.
"Ah Yin, weaken them."
"Mm, Fourth Soul Skill: Blue Silver Absorption."
With a graceful wave of her hand, A Yin released an endless stream of grass seeds from the ocean of Blue Silver Grass. The seeds landed on the frenzied spirit beasts.
Instantly, the seeds burst open, transforming into strands of Blue Silver Grass adorned with golden patterns that wrapped around the beasts.
If not for the influence of the drugs clouding their minds, even the dumbest spirit beasts would have realized they needed to tear off the encroaching grass. But now, they merely roared and thrashed wildly.
The Blue Silver Grass tightened around the beasts, drawing their soul power as nutrients to fuel its growth. The grass grew more vigorous by the second, eventually turning the beasts into immobile bundles of vegetation.
Unfortunately, Ah Yin's cultivation was still insufficient. Despite being completely entangled, some of the spirit beasts continued to struggle.
However, the largest spider-type spirit beast—the Earth Cavern Spider Emperor—managed to break free. It seemed to regain some semblance of rationality and stood silently, observing Ye Wen and Ah Yin.
"A Spider Emperor with over fifty thousand years of cultivation," Ye Wen muttered, studying the spirit beast that appeared frequently in the first part of the original story, much like the Human-Faced Demon Spider.
Unlike the Human-Faced Demon Spider, which was notorious for its bloodthirsty nature, the Earth Cavern Spider Emperor represented intelligence among spider-type spirit beasts. Its hunting methods often relied on traps.
Rather than engaging Ye Wen and Ah Yin in battle, the Spider Emperor observed them briefly before choosing to retreat.
Seeing this, Ye Wen let out a sigh of relief. While he wasn't afraid of the Spider Emperor's combat abilities, the priority now was dealing with the rampaging lower-level spirit beasts. The tide of beasts was growing larger by the second, and even Ah Yin's soul power was beginning to wane.
Reaching into his Spirit Space, Ye Wen retrieved a large pouch of medicinal powder and handed it to Ah Yin.
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