At first, Meng Shu still harbored some doubts about Cheng Ying's identity as the Great Sage. But after his worldview was shattered not just shattered but tossed into a blender and pulverized he finally stopped doubting.
After all, aside from the now-renowned Great Sage, who else could possibly possess such vast and incredible knowledge?
Even though the apprenticeship was a bit rushed, Cheng Ying remained very responsible. His new disciple had also come to hunt soul beasts, though he was also catching a few century-level ones to sell and help support his family.
Since that was the case, Cheng Ying helped him search for suitable soul beasts as well. Compared to beast-type martial souls, tool-type martial souls were actually easier to match with soul rings. They didn't have to be the same species just need to be compatible in terms of attributes.
That said, the first person to actually find a suitable soul beast was Dugu Bo. Two days later, after Cheng Ying had drawn a large number of soul beast sketches, his spirit detection finally picked up a suitable one within range a Man-Faced Demon Spider with a cultivation of ten thousand years.
Yes, ten thousand years. Though it appeared to be around eight or nine thousand at a glance, the Ice Empress suddenly emerged before Cheng Ying attacked and warned him: this one had genuinely reached ten thousand years.
"Xiao Bo, have you really thought this through? While absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring as your fourth ring isn't completely impossible, and you've indeed exceeded the average soul master's physique thanks to consuming two types of immortal herbs, based on my judgment you'll need to fuse with a soul bone first to be completely safe when absorbing a ring of this level."
Cheng Ying gave his final warning. In his memory, Tang San's fourth ring was fifteen thousand years, and he had consumed two immortal herbs and fused with an external soul bone.
Dugu Bo, by contrast, had only taken one-third portions of two types of immortal herbs, and couldn't be compared to Tang San at that time.
Fortunately, this Man-Faced Demon Spider had just broken into the ten-thousand-year level. For normal soul masters, the fourth ring limit ranged from 5,000 to 8,000 years. This one slightly exceeded the range, but with strong enough willpower, Dugu Bo might still be able to absorb it.
"Teacher, I've made up my mind. This is the most suitable fourth ring for me! I've already lost out in terms of talent—if I don't go all in now, I won't have another chance!" Dugu Bo looked up at Cheng Ying, his expression full of determination.
"If this is your decision, then go for it! As your teacher, I'll support you with all my strength. Whether you succeed or not, I'll be proud of you! Now move—ten o'clock direction, two hundred meters away. Go get it!" Cheng Ying stepped forward as he spoke.
"Uh… wasn't teacher bad at fighting? Didn't he scream at the sight of spiders before?" Meng Shu, now getting along well with the group, had also picked up the habit of teasing Cheng Ying.
"Shut up! Can't you see Teacher's legs are shaking? He's using his actions to motivate senior brother!" Tang Chen clamped a hand over Meng Shu's mouth and whispered in his ear.
"I see! I didn't expect Teacher to be so responsible. I shouldn't have made fun of him. He must be heartbroken… let's apologize later!" Meng Shu was visibly moved.
Not far away…
Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Six consecutive gunshots rang out, followed by Cheng Ying's shrill scream: "Help! Disciple, save me!!" He was sprinting at full speed while a Man-Faced Demon Spider, now with twelve bullet holes in its body, chased him in a blind rage…
"Cough, cough… Is it too late to take back what I just said?" Meng Shu asked awkwardly at the sight.
"It's not. I didn't hear anything," Tang Chen replied with a blank face as he summoned his Clear Sky Hammer and shouted, "Don't fear, Master! Your disciple is coming!" The scene was reminiscent of Monkey King rescuing his master.
To be fair, the black ebony and white ivory bullets had worked twelve clean holes had left the Man-Faced Demon Spider severely injured, which explained its current rage.
Tang Chen easily caught up, swinging his hammer like a baseball bat. With one mighty blow, he hit the two-meter-tall spider like a home run, sending it flying.
Its eight blade-like legs—metallic and razor-sharp—were no match for the Clear Sky Hammer. Two snapped off upon impact.
Stunned by the heavy blow, the spider curled its eight legs around itself into a ball and rolled right in front of Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo wouldn't waste such an opportunity. From his sleeves, numerous tiny snakes slithered out—modified and enhanced by his soul power.
There were at least fifty of them, all slithering into the spider's transparent bullet holes. Controlled directly by Dugu Bo, the snakes gnawed at the beast's flesh. The spider's venom had no effect on them—they'd had their brains removed and were mere puppets now.
The pain from within drove the spider into madness. It let out a piercing scream and lashed out with its eight legs like a reaper's scythes, unleashing a storm of death around itself.
Trees and even boulders were shredded instantly but Dugu Bo had already backed away when he released his snakes. The spider charged at him wildly, but he simply clenched his right fist, face calm.
"Snake Detonation Technique!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The snakes, filled with high-powered explosives not just gunpowder but true modern explosives detonated in unison. Even a bottle of wind oil containing this stuff packed the punch of a grenade.
Over fifty snakes filled with this material blew up inside the spider. The internal explosions made it bloat grotesquely as it absorbed the full brunt of the damage.
Even a ten-thousand-year soul beast couldn't take this unscathed, and a soul ring began forming above its corpse.
Had it been a human instead, they'd be nothing but scattered bits now.
Dugu Bo exhaled deeply. The pressure from a ten-thousand-year soul beast was immense, even though it had been severely injured by both his teacher and junior brother. Finishing the job still required precision.
But just as he relaxed, the Man-Faced Demon Spider had one final burst of strength. Gathering all its soul power, it launched a desperate, once-in-a-lifetime attack with its last remaining leg.
The leg spun like a drill and shot out at terrifying speed—so fast and close that Dugu Bo had no time to dodge.
Just as he braced for a serious injury, a large hand appeared before his eyes, catching the leg. The sound of flesh being pierced was accompanied by a familiar voice:
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Cheng Ying had grabbed the spider's leg, blood dripping from his hand—but the deadly limb could go no further.
"Your teacher may not be much… but I can still take a hit," Cheng Ying smiled, then collapsed. A purple-black toxin began spreading from his wound toward his heart.
"Teacher!" Three voices shouted in unison.
But none were faster than a flash of emerald green light.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix