Bibi Dong's Fourth Soul Skill 4

"So that's what happened."

In the tent, Bibi Dong sat up and wrapped her arms around her long, slender legs, resting her chin on her knees as she quietly listened to Hals recount what had happened. Beside her, Hals knelt with his entire body concealed beneath his robe.

They sat facing each other in silence for a long while.

At last, Bibi Dong turned toward Hals and lowered her head. "Hals, do we still need to keep looking for Soul Rings?" There was a hint of weariness in her voice.

"Yes, Master. Of course, if you're too tired, I can capture the Soul Beast and bring it to you to kill." Hals bowed respectfully as he replied.

Bibi Dong shook her head. "No, Hals. Let's go together. It's my Soul Ring, after all, and I want to obtain it with my own hands."

"As you command, Master."

"Hals?"

"Yes, Master."

Bibi Dong suddenly remembered something. "How are Xiong Yiyi and the others? Did they obtain their Soul Rings?"

"Xiong Yiyi is unharmed. Jiabulin's Martial Soul shattered, and he passed out. He should be almost recovered by now. Neither of them has obtained a Soul Ring."

"Mm. Get ready, Hals. We'll set out to find a Soul Ring tomorrow." Bibi Dong nodded.

"Yes, Master."

Watching Hals lift the tent flap and slowly disappear into the shadows, Bibi Dong murmured to herself.

"Hals, what kind of person are you, really?"

The next day

Bibi Dong and the others had recovered and set out once more to find Soul Rings. Only Jiabulin still seemed a little weak. This time, though, their group had grown from three to four, with Hals joining them and staying close by Bibi Dong's side.

Jiabulin had probably heard about Hals's killing spree from Xiong Yiyi. He kept glancing at Hals with a mixture of fear and admiration.

The group was far less lively than before. Perhaps Hals's presence made them uneasy, or perhaps the recent events had left them shaken.

"Boom!"

A deep rumble rang out. Hals promptly grabbed Bibi Dong and pulled her aside. The moment they moved, a huge, spiked, armored spider Soul Beast burst from beneath the road they had almost crossed. Unlike an ordinary spider, it had only six legs, but they were extremely thick. Two or three metallic-looking spikes, five or six centimeters long, grew from each joint, their bases thick and their tips sharp. It looked ferocious.

"It's a Thorn Demon Spider, Master. Judging by its appearance, it's already a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but no more than twelve thousand years old. It should be quite suitable for you." A cold glint shone in Hals's eyes. "Master, shall I capture it for you?" As he spoke, his right hand had already settled on the hook at his waist.

"No, Hals." Bibi Dong looked both excited and wary. "This is my prey. I'll capture it myself. Just cover me."

"Yes, Master." Hals stepped back three paces, but kept his hand on the hook, ready to act at any moment.

"Martial Soul Possession!" Bibi Dong cried. Dark purple armor covered her right arm and the right side of her body, while pale purple carapace covered her face. Only her eyes remained visible: two large ones and four small ones, evenly arranged, each covered by a layer of transparent red crystal. Three Soul Rings—yellow, purple, and purple—pulsed around her. Hals couldn't say how she looked to anyone else, but to him she seemed every bit the valiant warrior.

The boost from Martial Soul Possession restored Bibi Dong's confidence. She curved her lips in a slight smile. "Hals, don't underestimate me."

This was Bibi Dong's First Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor, an exceptionally powerful Power Attack System Beast Martial Soul that greatly enhanced the human body.

A cloud of dust billowed up. The spot where Bibi Dong had stood was left with nothing but a huge crater and cracks radiating outward from it. She had already shot above the Thorn Demon Spider and slammed her fist into the part of its shell that wasn't covered in spikes.

"Boom!"

The enormous spider was knocked to the ground by the heavy blow, kicking up another cloud of dust.

"So hard..." Bibi Dong's strike landed, and she darted aside to put some distance between them. Her right fist, held behind her back, trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied it. Looking at the Thorn Demon Spider as it rose again, she examined the spot she had struck and saw that it was completely unscathed.

Bibi Dong's expression hardened. She bit her lip. "If one blow can't break you, then I'll hit you dozens of times."

Relying on her smaller size and greater agility, she narrowly dodged each swing of the Thorn Demon Spider's legs, then struck its hard shell again and again.

The Thorn Demon Spider's thick, spiked legs swept toward her with a fierce gust. A single mistimed dodge would mean certain death, but Bibi Dong felt no fear at all. Instead, she was filled with excitement.

She hadn't noticed that with Hals nearby, she had unconsciously relaxed. Deep down, she was certain she wouldn't get hurt while he was there.

The Thorn Demon Spider couldn't hit Bibi Dong, and Bibi Dong couldn't break through its shell.

Bibi Dong's First Soul Skill came from a Hundred-Year Soul Ring: Spider Emperor Consciousness. It was a passive skill that heightened her awareness of danger and an active skill that increased her body's reaction speed. It was useful only for dodging attacks, so it didn't help much here.

Her Third Soul Skill was a Thousand-Year Soul Skill, Spider Web. It could shoot out two poisonous webs, but unfortunately, the webs weren't very strong, and their poison wasn't potent. On top of that, the Thorn Demon Spider's hard carapace made it difficult for the poison to penetrate.

Her Second Soul Skill, however, was the Thousand-Year Soul Skill Soul-Crossing Spider Spear, and it could be far more useful.

Bibi Dong had clearly thought of this. She raised her right hand to waist level, and her Second Soul Ring shone with a dazzling, eerie purple light. A long spear appeared in her hand, black and deep, with a metallic sheen.

Bibi Dong continued to circle the Thorn Demon Spider, searching for a better angle of attack.

One towering ancient tree after another fell, destroyed by the aftermath of the battle between the girl and the beast.

Suddenly, Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. She fixed her gaze like a sword on the joint connecting the Thorn Demon Spider's second leg on its left side to its body, exposed as it swung its legs.

"There!" Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened, and she let out a cry.

"Ha!"

She bent her knees and launched herself forward. Like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, she reached the Thorn Demon Spider's left side in the blink of an eye. Summoning all her strength, she drove the Spider Spear deep into it, reaching its brain and grinding it to mush.

The Thorn Demon Spider froze. Its enormous body crashed to the ground like a small mountain, but Bibi Dong had just spent all her strength and hadn't yet recovered. She seemed utterly unconcerned, however, and cried out:

"Hals!"

At the critical moment, the Third Soul Ring behind Hals flared with a strange, bright yet shadowy light, its outer edge tinged with faint green.

A smaller version of the Soul-Guiding Lantern appeared beside Bibi Dong as if it had crossed through space.

"Grab the Lantern!" Hals's voice was more urgent than it had ever been.

At his shout, Bibi Dong instinctively slapped the Lantern. Green light blazed from it, and it pulled her beside Hals in an instant.

After experiencing that space-warping sensation for the first time, Bibi Dong felt a little dizzy. She shook her head and looked at Hals in surprise.

"Hals, you really do know how to surprise me." Even Bibi Dong didn't notice how relaxed and lively her voice had become. Before, she had seen Hals as a detestable subordinate. Now, he seemed more like a trusted servant—or even a friend.

"At your service, Master." Hals showed no sign of pride. He simply placed a hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.

"You..." Bibi Dong began, but stopped herself. In the end, she only shook her head and looked at the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast she had killed.

A black Soul Ring rose from the corpse. In Hals's eyes, a green Thorn Demon Spider soul rose alongside it. The Soul-Guiding Lantern at his waist seemed to sense the soul's presence. It flickered, then unleashed a tremendous suction force, forcibly drawing the newborn soul inside.

When Hals came back to himself, he saw that Bibi Dong had already sat cross-legged and drawn the Thorn Demon Spider's Soul Ring toward her. She had begun absorbing it.

Hals let out a slight breath of relief. He had already captured the Thorn Demon Spider's soul intact, so Bibi Dong wouldn't encounter any resistance while absorbing the Soul Ring.

Relaxing, Hals looked around and suddenly noticed Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin, whom he had all but forgotten. They were quietly huddled to one side.

"You..." Hals hid his face beneath his hood and considered the matter. Green mist drifted out, then faded away.

"You have two choices. First, wait until Master has finished absorbing her Soul Ring, then set out together to find yours. I don't recommend that, though. Jiabulin hasn't fully recovered, and it's best to absorb a Soul Ring at full strength. So I suggest you either go find yours first, or wait until he has recovered and come back to me. If Master agrees, I can take you to obtain your Soul Rings." After speaking so much in his hoarse voice, Hals felt he had shown them enough consideration. After all, they were the Master's friends.

"Thank you, Lord Hals." Xiong Yiyi looked at him gratefully. "We'll wait until Jiabulin is better. Then we'll come back and look for Soul Rings together."

Jiabulin was about to say something, but Xiong Yiyi held him back firmly. The boy scratched his head in confusion, not understanding, but he still went along with her decision.

Hals nodded, then turned his head back toward Bibi Dong's delicate face.

After a long while, Bibi Dong opened her eyes. With no resistance to overcome, she had finished absorbing the Soul Ring quickly. She clenched her fist, and four Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, and black—appeared behind her. Looking at the new Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, she couldn't help feeling a little pleased with herself. But then she remembered that an even more outrageous monster was standing beside her, and the little spark of pride in her heart was promptly extinguished.

She pouted, stood up, and closed her eyes to sense her new Soul Skill—Thorn Spider Armor.

A moment later, the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring behind Bibi Dong shone. A hard, purple-black suit of armor, covered in short but sharp, sturdy spikes, enveloped her from head to toe. It looked utterly menacing.

After admiring it for a while, Bibi Dong happily dispelled the Soul Skill, withdrew her Soul Rings, and recalled her Martial Soul.

"Let's go. We've been out for too long. We should head back." Bibi Dong's expression had relaxed as she spoke.

Hals naturally followed Bibi Dong's lead. The other two also obeyed the Spirit Hall Holy Maiden's instructions. The four of them headed toward the forest entrance, walking at an unhurried pace while remaining vigilant.