The Crane and the Clam, the Fisherman Benefits, Man Faced Demon Spider

The roar still echoed through the forest, and the air had already turned scorching hot.

Yan Lingji restrained her aura, sliding silently through the underbrush as she approached the source of the sound.

Pushing through a thicket of thorns, the scene before her made Yan Lingji's pupils constrict.

It was a clearing in a valley, low-lying and surrounded by towering rocks.

The vegetation on the ground had been obliterated by the battle, leaving behind a charred expanse filled with the scent of sulfur and dust.

Two colossal beasts were locked in a life-or-death struggle in the center of the clearing.

On the left was a giant wolf, crimson from head to toe—

Three meters tall and six meters long, its entire body burned with nearly white flames, causing the air to distort from the intense heat.

The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf, a twenty-thousand-year spirit beast and a hegemon among fire-attribute wolves.

On the right was an even more massive monster—

A hybrid of a giant bear and a pangolin, its body covered in thick, earth-yellow scales, its limbs as sturdy as pillars.

The Earth Rock Armor Beast, a twenty-thousand-year spirit beast, purely earth-attribute with astonishing defense.

At this moment, the two spirit beasts were locked in an inseparable battle.

The flames of the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf could not burn through the scales of the Earth Rock Armor Beast, while the latter's claws were dodged time and again.

Both spirit beasts were suffering from significant injuries.

The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf had a deep gash on its left hind leg and deep claw marks across its abdomen.

The Earth Rock Armor Beast had its right eye clawed blind, and the scales on its left foreleg were cracked, causing it to move sluggishly.

Yan Lingji crouched behind the bushes, the corners of her mouth curling up: "Is this what Master meant by the snipe and the clam fighting?"

"Naturally, the fisherman will reap the benefits."

"Should we strike once they have worn each other out?"

"That suits me perfectly."

The two remained hidden in the shadows, quietly observing the life-and-death struggle.

However, they did not waste this time—

A tentacle extended toward Yan Lingji's lips.

She cast a charming glance at the tentacle, which resembled a Supreme Bone, and parted her red lips.

While being flirtatious, she continued to watch the battle.

It was just like watching a play while snacking on melon seeds.

As long as her master didn't unleash the Phantom Dragon Impact, she could still endure it.

The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf lunged again, a ball of scorching white fire condensing in its mouth before being blasted out.

The fireball slammed into the back of the Earth Rock Armor Beast, exploding in a dazzling flash of light.

The Earth Rock Armor Beast roared in agony as several scales on its back were blown away, exposing raw, crimson flesh.

It kicked off the ground with its hind legs, slamming its head into the abdomen of the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf.

The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying, rolling several times before coming to a stop, a shocking new wound appearing on its belly.

Both spirit beasts had reached the end of their strength.

The flames of the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf were dim, its body trembling;

The Earth Rock Armor Beast breathed heavily, spitting out blood-flecked foam.

"It's time," Jiang Ce whispered.

Yan Lingji nodded, a fighting spirit rising in her eyes.

She stepped out of the bushes without a sound, condensing two pitch-black Venom longswords in her hands.

Both spirit beasts discovered the uninvited guest almost simultaneously, but it was already too late.

Yan Lingji flashed forward like a ghost, a flicker of sword light—the head of the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf flew off, blood spraying into the air.

Following this with a spin, the Venom longswords flew from her hands, piercing precisely into the remaining eye of the Earth Rock Armor Beast and penetrating its brain.

The Earth Rock Armor Beast let out a muffled whine before crashing to the ground.

Two moves, two twenty-thousand-year spirit beasts dead.

Yan Lingji put away her Venom longswords and walked to the corpse of the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf.

Above the corpse, a black spirit ring slowly rose—a twenty-thousand-year-level ring.

Yan Lingji sat cross-legged, guiding the spirit ring to drift toward her.

As the black spirit ring descended, a massive, violent surge of energy poured into her body.

This was her first spirit ring since becoming a spirit master, and it was at the twenty-thousand-year level.

The energy of the spirit ring surged through her meridians, her bones, and every inch of her flesh.

Yan Lingji gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead as her complexion flickered between red and pale.

However, her body had been reinforced by venom, and in the end, she managed to tame this surge of energy.

Yan Lingji cultivated the Fire Charm Technique, which was inherently a method for tempering mental power; with Jiang Ce amplifying her by three times, her capacity, quality, and quantity were all boosted threefold.

In the end, the resentment of the Scarlet Sky Wolf could only obediently submit to being refined.

The soul ring merged completely into her.

Yan Lingji opened her eyes, a flash of crimson-gold light flickering within them.

She slowly raised her hand, and a ball of flame condensed in her palm, its color carrying a hint of golden-white luster, its temperature astonishing.

"First Soul Skill—Flame Spirit Possession."

All attributes increased by 200%, fire damage added by 100%, soul power consumption reduced by 20%, duration two hours.

Yan Lingji whispered, and the flames surged violently, wrapping her entire body within them.

She felt her strength, speed, defense, and mental power—every single attribute had received a massive boost.

"Comfortable." Yan Lingji retracted the flames and stood up, soul power surging within her.

She closed her eyes to sense her level—the previous threshold of level fifty-four had been shattered after absorbing this twenty-thousand-year soul beast, breaking through directly to level fifty-six, a jump of more than two full levels.

Jiang Ce did not delay, his black tentacles instantly wrapping around the corpses of the two soul beasts.

Devouring began.

Blazing Breath: Fires a high-temperature fireball, dealing 300% fire damage on hit.

Flame Core Body: Fire-type attacks increased by 30%, fire resistance increased by 60%.

Bloodline Wolf King Pressure: Suppresses all attributes of lower-level enemies by 15%.

Rock Armor Protection: Physical defense increased by 120%, energy defense increased by 80%.

Earth Vein Resonance: Strength increased by 40%, health regeneration speed increased by 300%.

Pulse Shockwave: 100% area-of-effect damage and knockback.

Jiang Ce tucked these skills into his pocket.

His devouring age grew in sync—

The two twenty-thousand-year soul beasts each contributed two thousand years, totaling four thousand years.

Jiang Ce's current age had reached fifteen thousand years.

Yan Lingji received a ten percent feedback—four hundred years of soul beast age.

Warm energy surged into her body once again.

Having just finished absorbing the soul ring, Yan Lingji was pushed forward by this new power—level fifty-seven.

"Hm?" Yan Lingji was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Master, you've fed me another mouthful."

"How does it feel?"

"Refreshing." Yan Lingji licked her lips. "Level fifty-seven. From fifty-two to fifty-seven, and it's only been two days."

"Keep moving," Jiang Ce said indifferently.

Yan Lingji nodded and was about to set off when her gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a large tree not far away.

On the trunk were several strands of silver-white spider silk, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

"Master, look."

Spider silk.

It carried a metallic luster and possessed extreme toughness.

According to the memories devoured from the mercenaries, this was the silk of a Man Faced Demon Spider.

The must-have item for every transmigrator: the External Soul Bone, Eight Spider Lances!

"Pursue," Jiang Ce said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.

Yan Lingji didn't ask questions; her figure flashed as she followed the trail of silk.

The silk grew denser, extending from the ground to the treetops before disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

A rustling sound came from ahead, mixed with low, hissing cries.

Yan Lingji silently parted the leaves—

In the clearing ahead, a massive black spider was crouching over the corpse of a soul beast, tearing at it.

Its body was nearly two meters tall, supported by eight long, sharp spider legs, each tip glinting with a cold light.

Its back was covered in a black carapace, upon which a human-face pattern vaguely emerged—

Twisted, hideous, like a face struggling in agony.

A two-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider.

Yan Lingji immediately swung her blade, slaying it completely.

"Go check its corpse and see if it truly has the Eight Spider Lances."

"Yes!"