A deep black Spirit Ring slowly rose from the corpse of the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Ning Chen lay in a pool of blood, gazing at the black Spirit Ring that represented thirty thousand years of cultivation. A strained smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He struggled to sit up, every movement pulling at his wounds and 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 was not something that would fade anytime soon.
More troublesome still was the potent venom contained within the spider lances.
Wave after wave of dizziness struck him, a sign that the poison had already begun eroding his body.
Ning Chen knew that if he could not quickly neutralize the Man Faced Demon Spider's innate venom, he might soon follow in the footsteps of the Man Faced Demon Spider he had killed.
Yet this poison, which would have been incomparably troublesome—or even impossible to cure—for an ordinary person, was not particularly difficult for Ning Chen to handle.
There was no other reason: he had already harvested nearly every precious herb from the medicinal garden surrounding the Icefire Yin-Yang Well.
The Fragrant Qiluo in his Storage Bag was a supreme immortal herb said to neutralize all poisons in the world. Naturally, dealing with the Man Faced Demon Spider's venom was no challenge for it.
Forcing himself to open his Storage Bag, he took out a pale pink immortal herb—the Aromatic Silk Beauty.
Its petals spread open, releasing a delicate fragrance that refreshed the mind. Merely catching a whiff of it made Ning Chen feel noticeably clearer-headed.
He held the Aromatic Silk Beauty in his hands, and its fragrance transformed into an invisible barrier that enveloped him.
The Man Faced Demon Spider venom raging within his body seemed to have encountered its natural nemesis beneath that fragrance, rapidly dissolving and breaking apart.
Ning Chen did not dare delay. He quickly sat cross-legged and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, working with the Aromatic Silk Beauty's detoxifying power to force the poison from his body inch by inch.
Nine Yang True Qi surged through his meridians, wrapping around the remaining poison and carrying it 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 poisonous blood.
The poisonous blood struck the ground with a sizzling sound. Its intense toxicity even burned a small pit into the earth.
After spitting out that mouthful of poisonous blood, Ning Chen immediately felt the tightness in his chest vanish, and his breathing became smooth again.
He let out a long breath, returned the Aromatic Silk Beauty to his Storage Bag, and took out two Dragon Ganoderma Leaves.
These leaves could strengthen one's foundation, replenish vitality, and heal injuries. They were perfect for his current condition.
He placed the two Dragon Ganoderma Leaves in his mouth and gently chewed them.
A cool, sweet juice slid down his throat and into his stomach, transforming into gentle 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 the spider lances were slowly closing.
Half an hour later, Ning Chen opened his eyes and stretched his limbs.
His injuries had not completely healed, but he had recovered seventy to eighty percent. At the very least, they would not interfere with absorbing the Spirit Ring.
He looked up at the black Spirit Ring still floating above the Man 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 Spirit Ring.
As if answering his summons, the black Spirit Ring slowly drifted toward Ning Chen and encircled his body.
A vast, violent energy surged from the Spirit Ring and crashed into his body like floodwaters bursting through a collapsed dam.
Ning Chen let out a muffled grunt, the veins on his forehead bulging.
The energy of a thirty-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider Spirit 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 Infernal Delicate Apricot 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 their meridians shattered by the first wave of energy.
He clenched his teeth and circulated the Nine Yang Divine Skill with all his strength, guiding that violent energy through his meridians and 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 coiled around him.
Time passed second by second.
After about an hour, that violent energy was finally completely tamed and integrated into his Soul Power system.
A brand-new black Spirit Ring condensed around him, shining alongside his other four Spirit Rings.
Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them.
Feeling the Soul Power rushing through his body, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips. Level fifty-five.
After absorbing this thirty-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider Spirit Ring, his Soul Power had leapt directly from level fifty to level fifty-five, rising five levels in one go.
Though the residual medicinal power of the four great immortal herbs had contributed, the boost brought by this thirty-thousand-year Spirit Ring was undoubtedly the greatest.
He stood up and stretched his limbs.
The wounds on his body had basically healed under the combined effects of the Dragon Ganoderma Leaves and Endless Life, leaving behind only a few faint marks.
He looked down at the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse. After some thought, he removed the remaining seven spider lances one by one and stored them, along with the severed limb he had cut off, in his Storage Bag.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's spider lances were excellent materials for crafting concealed weapons and magical artifacts. They could not be wasted.
Unfortunately, he had not obtained the External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
Still, the gains from this trip were already more than enough.
Moreover, his fifth Soul Skill seemed to have become quite different from the skills of ordinary Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters because he had absorbed the Man Faced Demon Spider's Spirit Ring.
With a thought from Ning Chen, the gorgeous phantom of a nine-tiered treasure pagoda appeared at his side once more.
Five Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet—yellow, purple, purple, black, black—the five halos flashing in alternation.
He activated the fifth black Spirit Ring. The fifth level of the pagoda suddenly lit up, and a stream of light flowed across its surface.
"Nine treasures turn forth glazed light. Nine treasures have their name: fifth, attack!"
A dense black radiance shot from the fifth level of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and accurately entered Ning Chen's body.
He felt a majestic force flood into every part of his body, and his attack power surged several levels in an instant.
But at the same time, he keenly noticed something strange. Beneath the enveloping enhancement power, the surface of his Soul Power had actually become covered in a deep black glow.
That black glow was not the ordinary color of Soul Power. It carried a cold, corrosive aura, as though something lay hidden within his Soul Power, ready to choose its prey and devour it at any moment.
Ning Chen froze for a moment, then raised a hand experimentally and struck at a withered tree in the distance.
A palm print of Soul Power flew from his hand and slammed into the trunk with a sharp crack.
The dead tree snapped at once. Green smoke actually rose from the break, which began to rot and blacken at a visible rate, as though it had been corroded by some powerful acid.
Ning Chen's pupils contracted, then his eyes filled with intense delight.
This was the Man Faced Demon Spider's deadly venom!
Although his fifth Soul Skill enhanced attack power, because he had absorbed the Man Faced Demon Spider's Spirit Ring, that enhancement had also integrated the spider's toxicity into his Soul Power.
As long as he used Soul Power to attack an enemy, his Soul Power would automatically carry the Man Faced Demon Spider's potent venom. 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!
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