Bloodvine

"Anyway, with me here, as long as you don't explode on the spot, you won't die," Jiang Chen said at the right moment.

Indeed, with the Glazed Green Lotus's nearly absurd restorative abilities, they could boldly attempt Soul Rings of higher age.

Besides, Tang San had the protagonist's plot armor. Absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would be easy for him.

If he were not worried that Tang San could not endure it, Jiang Chen would have wanted to give him a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

After all, the higher the age of the Soul Ring Tang San absorbed, the stronger the return Jiang Chen received—and it came without any drawbacks.

Of course, that was all assuming Jiang Chen could defeat it and Tang San's body could withstand it.

"What about me? What about me?"

Xiao Wu suddenly stepped forward, her face full of anticipation. "What type of soul beast do you think suits me?"

"You?"

Jiang Chen gave her a strange look.

You're a soul beast in human form. Once your level rises, you can automatically obtain Soul Rings. Why would you even ask something like that?

Xiao Wu glared at him. "Yeah! You prepared so much for Tang San. Didn't you prepare anything for me?"

"What do you need to prepare for?" Jiang Chen blurted out.

"You..."

Xiao Wu wanted to retort, but she realized Jiang Chen was right. She could only pout and stomp off to the side in anger.

She decided that she would not speak to this bad person for the rest of the day.

"How baffling."

Jiang Chen could not be bothered with her either. He simply walked ahead on his own, searching for nearby soul beasts.

Caught between them, Tang San felt a headache coming on.

He could not understand why Brother Chen and Xiao Wu always ended up arguing at the drop of a hat.

The three continued onward for about the time it took to burn an incense stick. The trees around them grew increasingly dense, and the light dimmed.

Jiang Chen suddenly stopped and raised a hand, signaling the two behind him to be quiet.

"There's something there," he said in a low voice.

Tang San and Xiao Wu immediately became alert and followed Jiang Chen's gaze.

In a small clearing not far ahead, several dark green vines were tightly wrapped around a blue-gray wolf-shaped soul beast.

The wolf beast was still struggling, yet it could no longer move. Its body was visibly withering at a rapid pace.

The vines originated from a strange plant about half a person tall. Its main stalk was thick and covered in dark red patterns.

Jiang Chen looked at Tang San. "Tang San, do you recognize this soul beast?"

Over the years, most of the materials they had gotten from Master had been read by Tang San.

A glint of purple flashed through Tang San's eyes as his Purple Demon Eyes silently activated, taking in every detail of the vines.

"Its branches have barbs, its entire body is dark red, and it feeds on flesh and blood. It should be a plant-type soul beast called Bloodvine. Judging by the thickness and color of these vines, it's probably over a thousand years old!"

"A thousand years?"

A flash of delight crossed Jiang Chen's face. "Isn't that perfect for you?"

Tang San's eyes also heated up. "Indeed. As one of the few plant-type soul beasts that feed on flesh and blood, Bloodvine not only possesses extremely powerful vitality, but its vines are also far tougher than those of soul beasts at the same level."

"This thing is perfect practice for you. Go deal with it," Jiang Chen said to Tang San, turning his head slightly.

"Me? By myself?" Tang San froze. "Brother Chen, that's a thousand-year soul beast..."

"The results you gain from fighting opponents at your own level are negligible. If you want to become stronger, you must fight above your level!"

Jiang Chen gave him an encouraging look.

"Brother Chen, I understand."

Tang San took a deep breath. Purple light flowed in his eyes as the Mysterious Heaven Skill began circulating within his body.

With a light tap of his foot, he silently approached the clearing.

Bloodvine was immersed in the pleasure of devouring the wolf beast's flesh and blood. Its vines trembled faintly, and its vigilance had clearly dropped.

"To maintain its powerful vitality, Bloodvine cannot have too many vines."

"To threaten the main stalk, I must first deal with the surrounding vines."

Tang San recalled the information about Bloodvine. Purple light flashed in his eyes as his hands moved swiftly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart rang out as several Bone-Piercing Nails shot forth, precisely pinning several vines firmly to the ground.

First Soul Skill, Soul-Devouring Entanglement!

He shouted softly. The yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and dark purple Blue Silver Grass suddenly surged forth, coiling around several of Bloodvine's main vines like agile serpents. Its barbs pierced in and began madly draining Soul Power.

The sudden attack made Bloodvine's main stalk shudder violently. The entangled vines began struggling fiercely, breaking free of the Blue Silver Grass almost instantly before lashing at him like venomous snakes.

"Such powerful strength!"

Tang San frowned and summoned more Blue Silver Grass to entangle it again.

He himself stepped directly onto the rapidly growing Blue Silver Grass and activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure weaving and dodging through the gaps between the vines like a swimming fish.

At the same time, his hands spun at high speed. Hidden weapons rained down one after another, pinning several vines until their juices splattered and temporarily robbing them of their ability to move.

Watching from afar, Xiao Wu's mouth fell slightly open. "Heavens, where did Tang San learn all these techniques?"

She had sparred with Tang San many times, yet she had never seen him use that strange footwork or those hidden weapon techniques.

"If this continues, Tang San should be able to win, right?"

"Not necessarily."

Jiang Chen said gravely, "Although Tang San has the upper hand right now, his hidden weapons are limited. If he cannot kill the soul beast before they are all used up, then he will be the one in danger."

After all, Tang San could not use the Clear Sky Hammer yet. Against a plant-type soul beast with such powerful vitality, the methods he had to inflict damage were still limited.

By now, Tang San had dealt with most of the vines using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and his hidden weapon techniques.

"I'm almost at the main stalk."

Just as Tang San relaxed, a sudden change occurred.

The dormant main stalk of Bloodvine suddenly shook. Its dark red patterns lit up, as though blood were rushing through its veins.

The pierced wounds healed at a visible rate, and new vines burst from the severed ends, each one a full size thicker than before!

"Not good!"

Tang San's pupils contracted as he hurriedly retreated.

However, the new vines had not only grown larger, but their speed had also soared.

Combined with Tang San's declining stamina, he was caught off guard, and a vine instantly wrapped around his left leg.

Barbs pierced his flesh. The intense pain made Tang San let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale.

Having tasted human blood, Bloodvine became even more frenzied. The remaining vines surrounded Tang San like giant pythons.

"It's over!"

With every direction completely sealed off, a trace of despair flashed through Tang San's eyes.

First Soul Skill—Green Lotus: Holy Radiance, Single-Target Amplification.

At the critical moment, the Glazed Green Lotus in Jiang Chen's palm bloomed with dazzling white light. Crossing a distance of dozens of meters, it precisely enveloped Tang San's entire body.

"Huh?!"

Tang San only felt a warm current explode through his limbs and bones. His Soul Power, which had been on the verge of depletion, instantly surged.

Strength, speed, perception, Soul Power recovery... every attribute rose sharply at once!

"Is this Brother Chen's Soul Skill?!"

Tang San felt power fill every inch of his body, as though every cell were trembling with excitement.

He instinctively struggled, and the thick vine around his left leg was forcibly torn apart!