Devouring Ability

As Shi Yi and Zhao Wuji ventured deeper, they occasionally found spiderwebs hanging from the surrounding trees. Clearly, Little Ant had not led them to the wrong place.

Suddenly, an unusual sound drew their attention.

The rustling sounded like someone changing clothes, yet also like leaves rubbing together. Both of them grew alert, and even Little Ant showed human-like unease.

Then, they saw what had made the sound.

A black spider, its body more than one and a half meters in diameter, with eight spear-like legs over three meters long. Its entire body was covered in glossy black armor, while the tips of its long legs were slender and silently pierced the ground with every step, showing just how sharp they were.

Judging by its size, it had just barely surpassed two thousand years. It was precisely the Man Faced Demon Spider Shi Yi had long dreamed of.

"Teacher Zhao, it's up to you. This thing can fire three webs ten times larger than its own body, and they carry poison. It's troublesome. Try to suppress it directly with Gravity Control," Shi Yi whispered to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly as golden light spread around him. With the fifth ring lighting up, immense gravity instantly suppressed the Man Faced Demon Spider, pinning it firmly to the ground.

Sensing Zhao Wuji's strength, the suppressed Man Faced Demon Spider immediately spat a massive web at them. However, under suppression, its aim was poor. Moreover, they were in a forest. The instant it spat the web, Zhao Wuji grabbed Shi Yi by the shoulder and flashed behind a large tree. At the same moment, Shi Yi recalled Little Ant into his body.

Watching the tree gradually corrode, Zhao Wuji was somewhat surprised. The Man Faced Demon Spider's venom seemed excessively corrosive, and its extraordinary intelligence also astonished him.

"This beast is quite clever. It wants to force us back with its web, increasing the distance between us so it can try to break free of its restraints," Zhao Wuji said in surprise.

Shi Yi nodded in agreement, thinking, Just as I expected. Even Soul Beasts possess their own innate gifts. This Man Faced Demon Spider's bloodline power is exceptionally strong.

The Man Faced Demon Spider had never been an ordinary Soul Beast. Not only did it possess the extremely advanced ability Life Devouring, but ten-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spiders also possessed the special skill Concealment. During cultivation, they would awaken an exceptionally powerful innate ability: Spider God Possession, a simple, all-around instant enhancement that consumed one year of cultivation for every second maintained.

These three remarkable abilities all demonstrated the extraordinary bloodline inherited by the Man Faced Demon Spider.

"Teacher Zhao, how about coming from above?" Shi Yi chuckled and handed Zhao Wuji a Mushroom Sausage.

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up at those words. Speed was Old Zhao's greatest weakness. If he acted rashly, he would certainly still be intercepted by spiderwebs. He could use his Martial Soul Avatar to deal with it, but that would feel like overkill.

Compared to attack skills, he had added more control skills to his arsenal. There was no other reason: in battle, for a Soul Master like him, landing a hit on the opponent was what mattered most.

"You brat really came prepared. You even thought of this." Zhao Wuji could not help marveling at Shi Yi's sharp mind. Shi Yi had only seen him fight a few times, yet he already understood the shortcomings of his abilities.

As a Soul Saint, he could fly, but his speed was naturally far inferior to Oscar's mushrooms.

As Zhao Wuji shot into the air at high speed, the suppressed Man Faced Demon Spider noticed it as well. It struggled to raise its head, intending to fire another web, but Zhao Wuji raised a hand and lightly tapped the air. In an instant, the golden light suppressing the Man Faced Demon Spider intensified even further.

"You still want to raise your head?" Zhao Wuji said casually. Golden light gathered in his hand, and Shi Yi saw that golden radiance descend from the sky. It was Zhao Wuji's second soul skill, Great Vajra Palm.

"You've turned it into a cross-world version of Buddha's Palm." Shi Yi smiled and slowly walked toward the Man Faced Demon Spider.

"Hiss..." A miserable cry rang out, piercingly sharp and especially clear.

With a tremendous crash, the Man Faced Demon Spider, having taken the full-force blow of a Soul Saint outside his Martial Soul Avatar state, had only a breath left. Within the gravitational field Zhao Wuji had released, it could no longer move at all. It did not even have the strength to open its mouth and spit another web. Most of the armor on its back had been shattered by Zhao Wuji's strike. Its eight eyes flickered with human-like venom and hatred, leaving even Zhao Wuji clicking his tongue in amazement.

"You really know how to pick them, kid. Other than your Martial Soul, I've only seen intelligence like this in ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts," Zhao Wuji said to Shi Yi.

Shi Yi merely smiled without speaking and summoned his Martial Soul.

"Little Ant, eat." Shi Yi spoke softly to Little Ant.

When Little Ant appeared, the hatred in the Man Faced Demon Spider's eyes seemed to deepen. Perhaps it had never imagined that one day it would die at the hands of a Thousand Jun Ant it had once slaughtered at will.

As the Man Faced Demon Spider's emotions shifted, intense Soul Power fluctuations erupted from its body.

"Oh? It can still breathe?" Zhao Wuji said in surprise.

Shi Yi understood, however, that this was power from its bloodline. Dying at Little Ant's hands might have been even more humiliating to it than dying at Tang San's hands.

Little Ant also sensed the terrifying pressure within the bloodline of its natural enemy and immediately did not dare approach.

"Little Ant, go. Trust me, it's fine." Shi Yi soothed it gently, lightly stroking the exoskeletal armor on Little Ant's body. Human-like mockery appeared in the Man Faced Demon Spider's eyes.

Reassured by Shi Yi, Little Ant began gnawing on the Man Faced Demon Spider.

The process was long. The Man Faced Demon Spider could even clearly feel it happening. Its shrieks and venomous gaze were accompanied by violent Soul Power fluctuations. As Little Ant continued feeding, it sensed that powerful bloodline force, and its speed of devouring steadily increased. Shi Yi could also feel Little Ant's thirst for that bloodline power.

That bloodline power was gradually transforming into nourishment and entering Little Ant's body.

As Little Ant fed, Shi Yi discovered in astonishment that the Soul Power in his body was gradually increasing.

"What is this?" Shi Yi immediately fixed his gaze on Little Ant. Little Ant was also beginning to change. Its Sword Teeth forelimbs seemed to grow sharper, and dark purple coloration appeared within its armor.

Shi Yi suppressed the shock in his heart. Clearly, through this continual feeding, Little Ant had begun to awaken the ability Life Devouring. That power was also nourishing Shi Yi, its brother.

"It seems this went smoothly. We even made a new discovery."

Soul Beasts cultivated in a much simpler and more brutal manner than humans. First came the environment. Just as humans needed a Simulated Training Environment, Soul Beasts also needed places brimming with natural energy, such as the Lake of Life at the core of the Star Dou Great Forest. Next came feeding. Bloodlines had always followed the survival of the fittest.

As its bloodline power drained away, the Man Faced Demon Spider had long since stopped breathing. Yet unlike when Shi Yi and other humans killed Soul Beasts, Little Ant's feeding did not produce a Soul Ring.

So these are the rules set by a god. Bloodline power humans cannot directly absorb transforms into Soul Rings and Soul Bones, but Little Ant can change through the same feeding methods as Soul Beasts, and no Soul Ring is produced, Shi Yi thought.

Suddenly, many terrifying speculations emerged in Shi Yi's mind. Why were some Beast Soul Masters' Martial Souls identical to existing Soul Beasts?

Why could Soul Rings bring such significant changes to Martial Souls? Could this be considered mutual adaptation between different bloodlines?

Or perhaps Beast Martial Souls originally came from... Soul Beasts? If Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts rebuilt their cultivation as humans and produced descendants, would those descendants not be Beast Soul Masters?

"What are you thinking about, kid?" Zhao Wuji's voice pulled Shi Yi back to reality.

Shi Yi slowly came back to himself and saw that Little Ant had already devoured every scrap of the Man Faced Demon Spider's flesh and blood. His own Soul Power had unexpectedly reached level twenty-nine, only one step away from becoming a Soul Elder.

"Nothing, Teacher Zhao. I just thought of an interesting question." Shi Yi shook his head slightly. There was little meaning in exploring questions that went back to the essence of things. Shi Yi understood that once he reached that level, the answers would naturally appear before him.

"You people really can't stay idle for even a moment. Your minds are always thinking about this and that," Zhao Wuji said helplessly.

As expected, a Soul Beast capable of producing an External Soul Bone not only brought enormous changes to Little Ant, but even gave me one and a half levels of cultivation. Such an increase in Soul Power is not much worse than absorbing a Soul Ring. And the External Soul Bone's ability must have manifested in Little Ant as well, Shi Yi thought.

"Let's go, Teacher Zhao. We'll continue," Shi Yi said with a smile.

Zhao Wuji smiled at Shi Yi. "How are you going to thank Old Zhao? I could feel it just now—the Soul Power fluctuations around you increased. You broke through again, didn't you?"

Shi Yi smiled and nodded. "Not much, just one and a half levels. I'm only one step from level thirty now. I'll give you a treasure in a few days."

Zhao Wuji looked unconvinced. "What treasure could you possibly produce?"

"I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Let's go. This time, we're raiding a Thousand Jun Ant nest. Your task is to dig out the Ant Queen for me, then help me catch an eighteen-hundred-year soldier ant. I want to break through level thirty this time," Shi Yi said with a chuckle.

"Then Old Zhao will look forward to it," Zhao Wuji said expectantly.

"Little Ant, let's go." Shi Yi gave Little Ant the order. Having heard Shi Yi's words, Little Ant revealed human-like delight.

Shi Yi had long wanted to raid a Thousand Jun Ant nest, but he had never had someone powerful to back him up. A Thousand Jun Ant nest was no joke. Although Thousand Jun Ants had no offensive soul skills aside from their immense strength, a nest represented an entire colony. Enough ants could bite an elephant to death. At the very least, Shi Yi did not dare raid a nest alone. Killing a Thousand Jun Ant one-on-one was effortless for him, but he could not fight a hundred by himself.

Soon, a Golden Giant Bear appeared in one part of the forest, constantly digging into the ground. Behind it lay a large number of Thousand Jun Ant corpses. After an unknown amount of time, the enormous Martial Soul Avatar finally dug a huge Thousand Jun Ant out of the hole.

This Thousand Jun Ant was clearly extraordinary. A faint golden thread pattern ran across its exoskeletal armor. Such Golden Thread Patterns represented royal bloodlines on any Soul Beast. This was precisely the Thousand Jun Ant Queen Shi Yi had been seeking.

In his Martial Soul Avatar state, Zhao Wuji lightly flicked the Thousand Jun Ant Queen with his enormous bear paw, knocking it unconscious. He then tossed the Ant Queen before Shi Yi.

Before Shi Yi could speak, Little Ant happily ran over on its own.

Before long, Little Ant had eaten the Ant Queen until not even scraps remained. Shi Yi also reassessed the devouring ability inherited from the Man Faced Demon Spider.

This feeding only allowed Shi Yi to barely cross the threshold into level thirty, yet the Thousand Jun Ant Queen was nearly a four-thousand-year Soul Beast. Clearly, the feedback brought by Little Ant's devouring ability depended on the strength of the target's bloodline. Although this Thousand Jun Ant had greater cultivation than the Man Faced Demon Spider, the power contained within its bloodline was plainly too weak.

If the Man Faced Demon Spider was regarded as a genius like Tang San, then this Ant Queen could at best be considered a direct descendant who had awakened the Clear Sky Hammer but possessed only average talent. As for the pile of Thousand Jun Ant corpses nearby, Little Ant did not even spare them a glance.

Sure enough, once you have eaten the good stuff, you naturally lose interest in coarse meals. No wonder San Pao would not even eat thousand-year sub-dragons. The bloodline of the Golden Holy Dragon cannot be awakened just by eating a few sub-dragons. Even if it could, it probably would not be useful. It would be better to eat carrots and fire bullets, Shi Yi thought.

Yu Xiaogang's problem was not improving his bloodline, but awakening it. In short, his bloodline potential was too high while his talent as a Soul Master was too poor, preventing the bloodline from awakening.

A single Nine-Rank Purple Ganoderma from Tang San had improved Yu Xiaogang's personal talent to a certain degree. Once the bloodline power erupted, it naturally broke through its former limitations.

After Little Ant finished eating, Zhao Wuji helped Shi Yi find a Thousand Jun Ant of suitable age for him to absorb. Everything proceeded extremely smoothly according to Shi Yi's plan.

After absorbing the Soul Ring, Shi Yi reached level thirty-one. Thus, to Zhao Wuji's astonishment, Shi Yi accomplished the feat of advancing four levels in a single day. Zhao Wuji had never seen anyone cultivate like Shi Yi. So-called Innate Soul Power seemed like a joke before him.

"You've been thinking about these things for a long time, haven't you?" Zhao Wuji asked Shi Yi.

Shi Yi nodded. "Of course. The purpose of Soul Master theory is to guide one's own cultivation, continuously optimize that cultivation with one's own theories, and make reasonable plans for one's Martial Soul. That is the meaning of theory."

At that moment, Zhao Wuji gained a profound understanding of Shi Yi. Shi Yi was unlike those theory masters Zhao Wuji had seen before. He was someone who dared to explore and take action for it.

This kid was born to be a teacher, Zhao Wuji thought with a sigh.

"Let's go. It's about time we returned," Shi Yi said to Zhao Wuji.

"You don't want to raid a few more nests, kid? Once we leave this place, there won't be another opportunity," Zhao Wuji said meaningfully.

"Teacher Zhao, Little Ant is ultimately a Martial Soul, not a Soul Beast. A Martial Soul and its Soul Master need balanced development. If I relied only on Little Ant devouring endlessly, I might grow quickly in the short term, but the road ahead would become much harder. However, if I cultivate to the appropriate level each time like I have now, then find suitable targets for Little Ant to devour, overcoming bottlenecks will be much easier for me than for ordinary Soul Masters. That is the right way for us to promote each other's growth," Shi Yi said with a smile.

Zhao Wuji grinned at those words. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of increased Soul Power. Looks like Old Zhao was overthinking it."

The two exchanged smiles and headed toward the town.