Jade Phosphorous Serpent

The Ten-Thousand-Year Solitary Bamboo crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The surrounding bamboo was caught in the tremendous impact and toppled in a crackling cascade.

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils suddenly contracted, and waves of shock surged through her heart. "Could the thing in his hand... really be the Clear Sky Hammer?"

Otherwise, how could it unleash such horrifying power?

After smashing it down, Yao Yan planted the hammer heavily into the ground with a tremendous BOOM. Panting heavily, he felt both arms go numb and his whole body go limp.

"If only I'd learned the Cloak Hammer Technique. What a loss!" He shook out his hands and clicked his tongue.

Seeing the confusion in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, a sly glint flashed through Yao Yan's gaze. He leaned close to her. "Curious? Want to know?"

They were extremely close, their breaths nearly mingling as warm air brushed against their cheeks.

Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks reddened, but she could not suppress her curiosity. She softly hummed in acknowledgment and nodded.

"Then..." Yao Yan pointed to his cheek, the smile in his eyes deepening as his face nearly pressed against hers.

How could Zhu Zhuqing fail to understand what he meant? She had long since made up her mind about him. Closing her eyes, she rose onto her toes and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

The moment their lips touched, she pulled away. Her face was already red as a ripe fruit.

"Can... can you tell me now?"

"Of course." Yao Yan nodded in satisfaction. Having gotten his reward, he naturally had to satisfy her curiosity.

The Simulation Soul Ring lit up, and a Hell Spirit Cat appeared behind him, even its claws perfectly replicated.

"This is my soul skill, Simulation. It is used to interfere with other people's vision. As for the cat claws in my hands now, they were condensed from Blue Silver Grass."

As he spoke, he slashed at a nearby solitary bamboo, leaving three deep claw marks on its trunk.

"So that's how it is!" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly understood, but then another question arose. "Then how strong are the simulated attacks?"

"That depends on my Soul Power and the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass." He lifted the Clear Sky Hammer from the ground. "A hammer like this is probably about half as strong as the real Clear Sky Hammer."

"But as the Blue Silver Grass grows tougher, one day it will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the real Clear Sky Hammer!"

Zhu Zhuqing was deeply shaken. The mighty reputation of the Clear Sky Hammer was known across the continent, yet this imitation formed from Blue Silver Grass possessed such potential?

What terrifying growth potential!

Yao Yan was not boasting, either. Blue Silver Grass was naturally brimming with vitality. When condensed into a Clear Sky Hammer, it was slightly inferior in power, but its recovery speed was extremely fast.

Even if it fell short in a direct clash with the real Clear Sky Hammer, as long as it was not destroyed in a single blow, it could continue fighting. Its troublesome nature was easy to imagine.

"All right, guard me." Yao Yan rubbed her head, then turned and walked over to the Ten-Thousand-Year Solitary Bamboo before sitting cross-legged beside it.

He released Blue Silver Grass, which swiftly interwove into a dense cage that protected the two of them at its center, guarding against any unforeseen danger.

Yao Yan focused his mental power on his Martial Soul and guided the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring onto it. A vast surge of energy flooded into his body like a bursting torrent, accompanied by the mental shock unique to a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast.

A curve formed at Yao Yan's lips. "Trying to compete with me in death? You're still too green."

With a thought, his mental power, wrapped in dense deathly aura, charged directly at that mental shock. The two forces collided with a roar, and the lingering spiritual assault of the solitary bamboo vanished in an instant.

The rest of the process was much easier. He only needed to focus on absorbing the energy contained within the Soul Ring.

The solitary bamboo's Soul Ring was mild by nature, and Yao Yan's physique was already strong enough to withstand the burden of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. The absorption proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

A series of crackling sounds rang out from within his body as his physical strength improved once more.

His whole body suddenly shook, and his Soul Power broke through the level twenty-nine bottleneck, reaching level thirty-three.

Half an hour later, Yao Yan refined the remaining energy in his body and slowly opened his eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing, who had been standing guard beside him, was both shocked and delighted when she saw the deep black Soul Ring beneath his feet.

"He's really getting stronger and stronger..."

She could not help recalling the first time she met Yao Yan. Back then, he had subdued two Soul Elders with just one move. Now that he had absorbed a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, his strength would surely rise to another level.

Perhaps only a Soul Ancestor-level expert was qualified to fight him now!

"Zhu Zhuqing, you have to pick up the pace too. You can't let him leave you too far behind." She secretly clenched her hands, making up her mind.

She stepped forward and asked softly, "How did it feel to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

"Naturally, it felt incredibly refreshing." Yao Yan stood up and rubbed her head.

"Then what effect does your Third Soul Skill have?"

"I'll show you." As soon as Yao Yan finished speaking, his First Soul Ring lit up. Countless Blue Silver Grass seeds scattered in every direction, sprouting upon landing and rapidly growing into eight-meter-long vines.

Immediately afterward, the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring burst with black light. All the Blue Silver Vines crazily spread as though infused with life, climbing up the surrounding bamboo stalks as their length surpassed sixteen meters in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, the space before them had transformed into a dense blue forest of vines.

Yao Yan examined this Blue Silver Forest and thought of the move, "Wood Style: Tree World Arrival." It finally looked a little like a forest of towering trees.

Once he broke through level forty in the future, calling it Blue Silver: World of Trees Arrival would truly live up to its name.

Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at the forest. If Yao Yan were her opponent right now, then no matter how fast she was, she likely would not be able to escape this inescapable net.

"My Third Soul Skill increases the toughness of Blue Silver Grass by one hundred percent, its growth speed by one hundred percent, and its reproduction speed by eighty percent," Yao Yan turned and explained.

Zhu Zhuqing was utterly stunned. This was practically a doubling of all attributes!

What a terrifying enhancement!

"Don't be too surprised!" Yao Yan stepped forward, rubbed her head, and took her fair hand. "Let's head back!"

Now that he had obtained the ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, it was time to head to Heaven Dou City and meet that Qian Renxue.

"Mm." Feeling the warmth in his palm, Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks could not help but flush. Yet she did not pull away, allowing him to lead her toward the forest's outskirts.

After absorbing the Ten-Thousand-Year Solitary Bamboo, Yao Yan's control over the Blue Silver Grass in the forest had risen to another level. Even without deliberately releasing his spiritual power, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass would sway of its own accord in salute.

It seemed he was not far from the throne of the Blue Silver Grass!

Tang San, if you did not start working harder, you really would have no chance left!

Though he was probably at Nuoding Academy now, living a life of blacksmithing alongside some girl.

He shook his head with a soft laugh, cast aside those stray thoughts, tightened his grip on Zhu Zhuqing's hand, and carefully made his way toward the outskirts.

Just then, a faint tremor suddenly ran through the ground. Yao Yan's expression sharpened as he swiftly pulled Zhu Zhuqing over and flashed behind a boulder.

Through the images transmitted by the Blue Silver Grass, he saw a three-meter-tall Dark Gold Giant Bear appear twenty meters away.

"A Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?!" Yao Yan muttered inwardly.

The sensed image continued to shift, revealing that the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's Giant Palm was tightly clutching a ten-meter-long Jade Green Giant Serpent.

Its head was a sharp triangle, while a faint green poisonous mist curled around its body.

"This is... a Jade Phosphorous Serpent?" A gleam flashed through Yao Yan's eyes, and joy surged within him!

"I have to save this snake." His thoughts raced. "It will be of great use to me!"

"As for how to save it..." A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He turned to Zhu Zhuqing and whispered, "Zhuqing, wait here for me. I'll be back soon."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him. Though she did not know what he intended to do, she vaguely guessed it had something to do with the tremors. She shook her head. "Shouldn't I come with you?"

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. There won't be any danger." Yao Yan comforted her gently and lightly patted the back of her hand.

Then he sprang into the air and sped straight toward the source of the tremors.