Surprise! A Fifth Soul Skill with Dual Poison and Attack Amplification

A deep black Soul Ring slowly rose from the Human-Faced Demon Spider's corpse.

Ning Chen lay in a pool of blood, staring at the black Soul Ring representing thirty thousand years of cultivation. A strained curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He struggled to sit up. Every movement pulled at his wounds, making him grimace in pain.

Although the wounds left by the two spider lances had begun to heal under Endless Life's passive recovery, the piercing pain could not be dispelled so quickly.

Even more troublesome was the potent venom contained within the spider lances.

Waves of dizziness washed over him, a sign that the venom had begun to invade his body.

Ning Chen knew that if he could not quickly neutralize the Human-Faced Demon Spider's potent venom, he might soon follow in the footsteps of the Human-Faced Demon Spider he had killed.

Yet this venom, which would have been incomparably troublesome—or even impossible to cure—for ordinary people, was not much of a problem for Ning Chen.

The reason was simple: he had already harvested nearly every precious herb from the medicinal garden surrounding the Icefire Yin-Yang Well.

The Fragrant Qiluo, renowned as an immortal herb, was also inside his storage pouch. It was a supreme immortal grass capable of neutralizing all poisons in the world, so dealing with the Human-Faced Demon Spider's venom was naturally no challenge.

He forced himself to open his storage pouch and took out a pale pink immortal herb: the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb.

Its petals unfurled, releasing a refreshing fragrance. Merely smelling it made Ning Chen feel considerably clearer-headed.

He held the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb in his hands, and its fragrance formed an invisible barrier that enveloped him.

Under the cover of that fragrance, the Human-Faced Demon Spider venom raging within his body seemed to encounter its natural enemy and began to dissolve and break apart rapidly.

Ning Chen did not dare delay. He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, working with the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb's detoxifying power to force the venom from his body inch by inch.

Nine Yang True Qi surged through his meridians, sweeping the remaining venom out of his body.

After roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of pitch-black poisoned blood.

The poisoned blood landed on the ground with a sizzling sound. Its violent toxicity even burned a small pit into the earth.

After spitting out that poisoned blood, Ning Chen immediately felt the suffocating pressure in his chest vanish, and his breathing became smooth once more.

He let out a long breath, returned the Serene Fragrance Qiluo Immortal Herb to his storage pouch, then took out two Dragon Ganoderma Leaves.

These leaves could strengthen one's foundation, replenish vitality, and heal injuries, making them perfect for his current condition.

He placed the two Dragon Ganoderma Leaves into his mouth and chewed gently.

Cool, sweet juice slid down his throat into his stomach, transforming into a mild medicinal power that spread outward, nourishing his damaged meridians and flesh.

Combined with Endless Life's passive recovery, the wounds on his body healed at a visible rate. Even the two wounds pierced through by spider lances were slowly closing.

Half an hour later, Ning Chen opened his eyes and stretched his body.

His injuries had not fully healed, but he had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his strength. At the very least, they would not interfere with absorbing the Soul Ring.

He raised his head toward the black Soul Ring still hovering above the Human-Faced Demon Spider's corpse. Without further hesitation, he sat cross-legged, circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and used his Soul Power to connect with the Soul Ring.

As though summoned, the black Soul Ring slowly floated toward Ning Chen and circled around his body.

A vast, violent energy surged from the Soul Ring and crashed into his body like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

Ning Chen gave a muffled groan, veins bulging across his forehead.

The energy of a thirty-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring was incredibly tyrannical, but it was not an insurmountable challenge for Ning Chen.

Not to mention that he had consumed four great immortal herbs in succession, and his body had been tempered by the Blazing Apricot Delicate and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

The Nine Yang Divine Skill protecting his body alone was beyond comparison with that of other Soul Masters.

Otherwise, an ordinary level-fifty Soul Master would likely have had his meridians shattered in the first wave of energy.

He clenched his teeth and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill with all his strength, guiding the violent energy through his meridians, refining and absorbing it cycle after cycle.

Sweat soaked through his clothes, only to be evaporated by the heat radiating from within his body, turning into white mist that swirled around him.

Time passed second by second.

After roughly an hour, that violent energy was finally completely tamed and integrated into his Soul Power system.

A brand-new black Soul Ring condensed around him, shining in tandem with his other four Soul Rings.

Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

Feeling the Soul Power rushing through his body, he smiled with satisfaction. Level fifty-five.

After absorbing this thirty-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring, his Soul Power had leaped directly from level fifty to level fifty-five, rising five levels in one go.

Though some of that was due to the residual medicinal effects of the four great immortal herbs, the boost provided by this thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring was undoubtedly the greatest.

He rose to his feet and loosened his body.

Under the combined effects of the Dragon Ganoderma Leaves and Endless Life, his wounds had mostly healed, leaving behind only a few shallow marks.

He looked down at the Human-Faced Demon Spider's corpse. After some thought, he removed its remaining seven spider lances one by one and stored them in his storage pouch, along with the severed limb he had cut off.

The Human-Faced Demon Spider's spider lances were excellent materials for crafting hidden weapons and magical artifacts. They could not be wasted.

Unfortunately, he had not been fated to obtain the external Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.

Still, the gains from this trip were already more than enough.

Moreover, because he had absorbed the Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring, his fifth Soul Skill seemed to differ greatly from the Soul Skills of ordinary Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters.

With a thought from Ning Chen, the phantom of a magnificent nine-tiered pagoda appeared beside him once more.

Five Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet—yellow, purple, purple, black, black—the five rings flashing in alternation.

He activated the fifth black Soul Ring. The fifth tier of the pagoda abruptly lit up, and a stream of light flowed across its body.

"Nine treasures turn forth with glazed light, nine treasures bear a name: fifth, attack!"

A dense black beam shot from the fifth tier of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and accurately entered Ning Chen's body.

He felt a majestic power surge into his limbs and bones, causing his attack power to soar several levels in an instant.

Yet at the same time, he keenly sensed something unusual. Beneath the enveloping amplification power, a deep black glow had actually covered the surface of his Soul Power.

That black glow was not the ordinary color of Soul Power. It carried a cold, corrosive aura, as if something lurked within his Soul Power, ready to devour its prey at any moment.

Ning Chen froze briefly, then raised a hand experimentally and struck at a dead tree in the distance.

A Soul Power palm imprint flew from his hand and slammed into the trunk with a smack.

The dead tree snapped in response. Green smoke sizzled from the fracture, which began to rot and blacken at a visible speed, as if it had been corroded by some powerful acid.

Ning Chen's pupils contracted, then his eyes filled with intense delight.

This was the Human-Faced Demon Spider's deadly venom!

Although his fifth Soul Skill was an attack amplification, because he had absorbed the Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring, that amplifying power had incorporated the Human-Faced Demon Spider's venom into his Soul Power as well.

Whenever he used Soul Power to attack an enemy, his Soul Power would automatically carry the Human-Faced Demon Spider's intense toxicity. On top of the attack boost, it added another layer of poison damage!

Most importantly, this toxicity would only manifest when his Soul Power left his body to attack an enemy. It had no effect on him whatsoever.

This was simply an unexpected delight!