The Ten Thousand Year Fourth Ring

The ground suddenly collapsed.

Standing on the outermost edge, Ma Hongjun's foot slipped, and he fell into the pit. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his waist, pulling him back. At the same time, a dark purple spider leg pierced the ground, grazing the sole of Ma Hongjun's shoe.

"My shoes!"

"Take care of the feet first!"

Zhao Wuji slammed his palm into the ground, his Soul Power shaking away the surface soil. Large spider webs sprang up from the ground, sticking to his arms and legs. Then, a giant spider with a body length of over four meters burst out of the ground.

Its entire body is dark purple, with a thick carapace on its abdomen and barbs at the tips of its eight spider legs. The most striking feature is the ring of silver-gray patterns on its underside, which has formed a complete circle.

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly. "More than ten thousand years."

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider gave everyone no time to observe. It opened its mouth and spewed out three spider webs, one each targeting Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Tang San —all of whom were the weakest members of the group in terms of defense.

Yuan Yu's Sixth Spirit Ring lit up, and the Sun Wheel Blade slashed repeatedly.

"The Mist Scattering: Flying Spray!"

The fine blade energy struck the spider web, slicing large gaps in the first two layers. The third layer of the web was ignited by the Phoenix Fire Line, and a pungent odor immediately spread.

"It's poisonous, don't inhale it!" Tang San warned.

Oscar quickly separated the Antidote Sausage. As everyone retreated, the Earth Cavern Demon Spider had already burrowed back underground. The vibrations from the soil split into several streams, making it impossible to tell which side it would emerge from.

Yuan Yu tapped the scabbard on the ground, and the Rock Pattern spread outwards along the soil layers.

"Six zhang to the left rear."

Without hesitation, Tang San sent all the Blue Silver Grass to his left rear. The Earth Cavern Demon Spider had just poked its head out of the ground when its legs were entangled by more than a dozen Blue Silver Grass, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Meteor Shower followed closely behind.

A white sphere of light covered the ground.

The explosion ripped up a large patch of soil, forcing the Earth Cavern Demon Spider to emerge from the ground. It only had a few cracks on its carapace, but its eight legs simultaneously retracted, protecting its vital abdomen.

"The defense is very high," Dai Mubai said.

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider tumbled up from the explosion, its eight legs simultaneously piercing the ground. The soil bulged up, and more than a dozen sharp spikes formed from the earth shot out from beneath the Shrek Devils' feet.

"Spread!"

Tang San flung his Blue Silver Grass to both sides, pulling Ning Rongrong and Oscar out of attack range. Xiao Wu used the tops of the earth spikes for leverage, crossing half the battlefield in the blink of an eye, and kicked the Demon Spider in the side of the face. The Demon Spider was kicked to the side, and its other leg immediately swept back.

Yuan Yu inserted it from the middle, holding the Sun Wheel Blade upright in front of him.

The spider's leg struck the back of the blade, and the Rock Pattern dissipated the force along the ground, but three large trees nearby were still shaken to shed large leaves. He twisted his wrist, and the water flowed along the spider's leg joints, while Lightning Flash poured in.

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider froze. Zhu Zhuqing seized the opportunity, and her Nether Hundred Claws struck the same joint repeatedly, tearing open its carapace.

A purplish-black liquid splashed out, corroding everything in its path and creating a cloud of white smoke as soon as it hit the ground.

"Blood is poisonous too, don't touch it." Yuan Yu's feet created Wind Pattern, carrying all the liquid away.

Tang San had already released the Eight Spider Lances: "Its weak point is under its abdomen. I'll handle it."

"You want to use it as the fourth ring?" Liu Erlong asked.

"Right."

Zhao Wuji's face darkened. "The difference between ten thousand years and nine thousand years is not just the number of years. The soul impact of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast after death will directly enter its brain, and no matter how strong its body is, it will be useless."

Tang San looked at the Earth Cavern Demon Spider and said steadily, "The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew' strengthened my Spiritual Power, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass' and 'Infernal Delicate Apricot my body, and the Eight Spider Lances can absorb some of its energy. I've been preparing for three months."

"I'm not 100% sure," Liu Erlong said.

"There's never a 100% success rate in hunting for Spirit Ring."

Yuan Yu stood by, offering no advice. "Little Three, if you choose it, we'll make sure it lies down. No one can help you with the absorption process."

"I see."

Liu Erlong stared at Tang San for a moment, then raised her hand and ordered, "Make your move. Save the final blow for him."

She did not leave the battlefield. The Fire Dragon Martial Soul rose from behind her, and its blazing Dragon Claw claws struck the Earth Cavern Demon Spider's carapace head-on, forcing its body, which was about to burrow into the ground, back out.

"If you want to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, first prove you can kill it."

Tang San wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Okay."

The Shrek members scattered at the same time.

Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasures Amplification landed on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Dai Mubai attracted the attention of the Earth Cavern Demon Spider head-on, while Zhu Zhuqing kept slashing at the spider's leg joints. Xiao Wu used the Blue Silver Grass to leap to the top and repeatedly kicked the same spot on the spider's carapace.

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider emitted a sharp hiss, and sprayed out swathes of webs.

Yuan Yu's Sea of Misty Clouds enveloped the battlefield, and the spider webs lost their target in the fog, mostly falling into empty spaces. Tang San used the Mist to stay close to the ground, and his Eight Spider Lances took turns piercing the soil, increasing in speed.

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider spotted him and swept across with all four of its legs at once.

Tang San used two of his Eight Spider Lances to support his body, while the other six collided head-on with the spider legs. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out rapidly, and he was shaken so badly that he slid back two zhang, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Just as the Earth Cavern Demon Spider was about to give chase, the Spider Web Binding its feet suddenly tightened.

Tang San had already left the Blue Silver Grass seeds under its belly.

"Now!"

Dai Mubai's White Tiger Fierce Light Wave struck the spider's carapace, causing a crack. Xiao Wu kicked the spider's body from the side, and Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Hundred Claws sliced through two of the spider's legs in succession. The Earth Cavern Demon Spider lost its balance, and its abdomen was briefly exposed.

Tang San charged in from the front.

The eight Spider Spear closed simultaneously, piercing the silver-gray patterns on the abdomen.

The Earth Cavern Demon Spider struggled frantically, venom and webs splattering everywhere. Yuan Yu's Wind Pattern surged, sending all the venom towards the deserted earthen slope. Moments later, the giant spider's body landed heavily, and a black Spirit Ring slowly rose up.

Tang San sat down on the spot and pulled the Spirit Ring toward himself.

The moment the black light entered his body, he shuddered violently, and blood quickly trickled from under his nose. The consciousness left behind by the ancient Earth Cavern Demon Spider rushed into his mind, its sharp hiss constantly assaulting his spirit.

Xiao Wu squatted not far away, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

Yuan Yu and Liu Erlong guarded the two sides respectively, without touching Tang San. The Spirit Ring had already entered his body, and external intervention would only make the impact more chaotic.

Time passed little by little.

A quarter of an hour later, Tang San's skin began to bleed. With each rotation of the black Spirit Ring, his meridians bulged, and the Eight Spider Lances on his back opened and closed uncontrollably. The outermost Spider Spear snapped a small tree next to them, forcing everyone to retreat a few more steps.

Xiao Wu's eyes were red, but she didn't move forward. Before they set off, Tang San had reminded her that no matter what happened during the absorption process, she couldn't touch him.

Yuan Yu sat cross-legged opposite Tang San, his Sun Wheel Blade resting horizontally on his lap. He didn't send his Soul Power over, but instead used Water Pattern to sense the changes in Tang San's blood and qi.

"Your pulse is normal."

Xiao Wu immediately looked at him.

"It hurts, but I'm perfectly lucid," Yuan Yu said. "Wait."

Tang San couldn't hear anything outside. His consciousness was trapped in a dark purple spider web, and the lingering hisses of the Earth Cavern Demon Spider squeezed in from all sides. The Spiritual Power brought by the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew condensed into a point of clear light, Purple Demon Eyes activated accordingly. The patterns of the impenetrable spider web in front of him gradually became visible.

He didn't confront the screech head-on; instead, he focused on the thinnest spider silk, channeling all of his Mysterious Heaven Skill towards it.

When the first strand breaks, the entire spider web loosens.

The Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back trembled violently at first, then gradually stabilized. The Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated through his meridians again and again, and the clarity brought by the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew suppressed the roaring in his mind.

Two hours later, the black Spirit Ring stabilized completely.

Tang San opened his eyes, four Spirit Ring surrounding him.

Two yellow, one purple, and one black.

He raised his hand and pressed it to the ground.

"Fourth Spirit Skill, Blue Silver Cage"

Dozens of Blue Silver Grass rose simultaneously from beneath everyone's feet, forming individual cages around each person. The release speed was extremely fast, and the range far exceeded that of the Spider Web Binding.

Zhao Wuji raised his hand and tapped the Blue Silver Grass in front of him. "A fourth ring after ten thousand years, worth it."

Tang San's Soul Power reached level forty-one.

Just as Ma Hongjun was about to go over and offer his congratulations, his nose suddenly twitched.

A sweet, cloying fragrance wafted from the woods.

Pink mist drifted through the shadows of the trees, and countless soft footsteps echoed from all directions.

Tang San's expression changed slightly. "Pink Lady Group, everyone eat the Antidote Sausage!"