An Unusual Mercenary Group | Absorbing a Spirit Ring

"The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine's primary means of attack are its branches. Destroy them all, and the mission is complete!"

Hu Yue introduced the situation of the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine to her teammates, then said:

"We'll stick to our usual strategy."

"Nie Sheng, you're responsible for protecting our little boss. Everyone else, with me!"

Lin Jing's mouth twitched. Boss was boss, but what was with the "little boss" nonsense?

"Second Spirit Skill, Golden Eagle Slash!"

High above, Ding Hao received the order, and the two eagle wings on his back shone with brilliant light.

With cold light flickering along the edges, two golden slashes were unleashed toward the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.

The two golden beams streaked across, and with a "squelch," they directly severed two of the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine's branches.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine had fourteen branches in total. If all fourteen were severed, it would be no different from a lone bamboo.

Aside from its hollow spikes, it would have no other means of attack.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine hadn't noticed the human above, leading to it being ambushed by Ding Hao and losing two branches.

Immediately, it locked onto Ding Hao, and one branch extended infinitely, stabbing toward him.

Ding Hao flapped his right wing, dodging it by a hair's breadth.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine's attention was entirely on Ding Hao overhead, completely unaware of Hu Yue and the others in the distance.

In other words, they could launch one more surprise attack.

But they were too far from the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine; getting close without it noticing was impossible.

Hu Yue looked toward Liu Yun, who understood instantly.

She held her Willow Leaf Sword vertically in front of her and whispered:

"First Spirit Skill, Sharp."

"Second Spirit Skill, Instant."

As her voice fell, her eyes became sharp, and the two yellow Spirit Rings at her feet lit up simultaneously.

She teleported forward, her Willow Leaf Sword blooming with a biting, cold radiance.

In the blink of an eye, she crossed a hundred meters, appeared before the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, and slashed down.

Another branch was severed.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine's body glowed with intense red light, and two branches stabbed toward Liu Yun at extreme speed.

Liu Yun remained calm, shifting her feet to dodge one, but the spikes of the other branch grazed her arm.

She was wearing a tight-fitting leather outfit, so the tear in the fabric widened. Seeing this, Liu Yun frowned and tore the sleeve off entirely.

Her smooth, fair arm was revealed, with a two-centimeter-long bloodstain clearly visible.

Fortunately, the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine was not poisonous.

"First Spirit Skill, Sonic Oscillation!"

In the distance, Hu Yue and the others had entered the range where the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine was defenseless.

Behind Hou Zhi, a giant ape holding a club flickered in and out of existence, and a Spirit Ring at his feet lit up.

The club in the giant ape's hand struck the ground repeatedly, emitting dull "thud! thud! thud!" sounds.

Waves of sound spread out with the thuds. When they passed over Hu Yue and the others, they caused no effect.

But when they passed through the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, it clearly startled the creature, causing even the branches attacking Liu Yun and Ding Hao to pause.

"First Spirit Skill, Bloodthirst!"

Behind Hu Yue, the phantom of a blood wolf let out a long howl toward the sky. Her physique instantly expanded, and her aura surged as she lunged toward the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.

The group had a clear division of labor.

Ding Hao was responsible for harassment from the air, while Hu Yue and Liu Yun handled the main melee attacks.

Hou Zhi provided crowd control from the rear, and as for Nie Sheng, he was responsible for Lin Jing's safety.

His one white and one yellow Spirit Ring shone brightly as he remained vigilant of their surroundings.

"Can he trigger a control effect every ten strikes?"

Lin Jing observed Hou Zhi's sound waves, lost in thought.

That made sense.

If every sound wave were as effective as the first, it wouldn't be the effect of a hundred-year Spirit Ring.

Under the close coordination of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, several more of the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine's branches were severed.

It had no power to fight back and could only take a beating.

Every time it attacked, someone would be left behind, leading to a surprise counter-attack.

As its branches were continuously severed, its disadvantage became increasingly obvious.

Now, only four branches remained.

This was the result of it stopping its attacks to focus entirely on defense.

Although a hundred-year spirit beast had not yet gained sentience, after such a long time, it had summarized some experience.

Whenever it attacked, someone would sever its branches.

Thus, it stopped attacking, but this only invited even more ferocious offensives from the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group.

"Second Spirit Skill, Blood Wolf Howling at the Moon!"

The blood wolf behind Hu Yue became almost solid. After a roar, a red full moon condensed behind the wolf.

Her aura climbed once more, no longer weaker than a Spirit Grandmaster.

Lin Jing was slightly surprised; both of Hu Yue's spirit skills were augmentation types!

Coupled with her martial spirit, she definitely wasn't from a commoner background.

"Little brother, come over. Once you finish absorbing the Spirit Ring, our mission will be complete."

Hu Yue had already finished off the remaining four branches of the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine and called out toward Lin Jing.

Hearing this, Lin Jing quickened his pace and walked over.

Nie Sheng followed behind him, saying nothing.

"Here."

Liu Yun took out a dagger and handed it to Lin Jing.

Lin Jing nodded, took it, and looked at the lonely Bloodthirsty Demon Vine.

He channeled his Spirit Power into the dagger and thrust it hard into the base of the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, where there were no spikes.

That was the most vulnerable part of its entire body.

The dagger pierced in easily, and Lin Jing twisted it a few times before the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine collapsed.

It emitted tiny yellow light particles, which condensed into a deep yellow hundred-year Spirit Ring above it.

"I'm starting the absorption."

Lin Jing said to those behind him before sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Absorb with peace of mind; we will guard you."

Hu Yue smiled faintly.

Lin Jing's Blue Silver Grass martial spirit appeared in his hand, its leaves swaying gently.

He closed his eyes and circulated his Spirit Power, guiding the seven-hundred-year-old Spirit Ring toward himself.

"He... he only has one Spirit Ring!"

Ding Hao sat on the ground, pointing at the Spirit Ring Lin Jing had just pulled toward himself, his face full of shock.

"We should have confirmed his Spirit Power level first!"

Hou Zhi frowned.

"Should we... interrupt him?"

"He just started absorbing; if we interrupt now, it shouldn't cause too much damage."

Liu Yun suggested.

They all looked at Hu Yue, waiting for her decision.

Hu Yue was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "Leave it be. Let him absorb it."

She had a premonition that Lin Jing would succeed.

The moment the Spirit Ring settled onto his body, Lin Jing's face twisted in pain.

The members of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group felt their hearts tighten at the sight.

But not long after, the look of pain subsided.

"The first hurdle has passed. If it were a normal-year Spirit Ring, he would basically be successful by now."

"But he is absorbing one beyond his level. What is an adaptation period for others has become a period of agony for him."

Hu Yue explained.

"Then... can he succeed?"

Liu Yun asked worriedly.

Such a handsome little brother—if he were to explode and die because he was too ambitious and tried to absorb a Spirit Ring beyond his level, it would be a real pity.

"I don't know."

Hu Yue shook her head.

Hu Yue was not wrong. When absorbing a Spirit Ring, if you withstand the first wave of impact, the subsequent waves are simply your body adapting.

If one is absorbing a ring beyond their level, every wave is a difficult trial.

What they didn't know was that Lin Jing had consumed Whale Glue, and his physical constitution could withstand a seven-hundred-year Spirit Ring.