Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
The corpse of the Abyssal Demon Spider had completely shriveled. Every last drop of nutrients had been drained, leaving behind only an incomplete husk. In some places, its bleached bones were even exposed.
The Abyssal Demon Spider, already terrifying in appearance, now looked even more gruesome and horrifying. If an ordinary person saw such a gory and chilling sight, they would probably wet their pants on the spot.
Dai Weisi glanced down at Anna. As expected, the little girl's knees were trembling. While her face didn't show much, it was clear she was deeply frightened.
If it were possible, Dai Weisi would have preferred to do what he always did—heavily injure the Demon-Eyed Tree himself and let Anna absorb the soul ring afterward.
But now, Anna was already a quasi-Soul Sect. It was time to temper her actual combat skills.
Dai Weisi smiled, crouched down, gently ruffled her hair, and encouraged, "Nana, go for it. This time, I'll let you use firearms. Find a way to take down that Demon-Eyed Tree—go, go, go! If you can defeat it, your big brother has a surprise waiting for you!"
"Oh? A surprise?" Anna's expression brightened with curiosity. She asked timidly, "What kind of surprise?"
"That's a secret!" Dai Weisi pinched her blushing cheeks, then clenched his fist and added encouragingly, "Do your best, Nana. I believe in you! But don't be scared—if you're ever in real danger, I'll definitely protect you!"
"Mhm! I believe in you, big brother!"
With renewed resolve, Anna activated her Obsidian Jadegrass Martial Soul. In one hand, she held a repeating flintlock, with grenades and a dagger strapped around her waist. She assumed a combat stance, ready to engage.
Sensing the aura of the Obsidian Jadegrass, the Demon-Eyed Tree's previously slumbering demonic eye slowly opened and locked onto Anna.
After absorbing part of the Blue Silver Emperor's origin, the Obsidian Jadegrass had developed a regal aura. Against a plant-type soul beast like the Demon-Eyed Tree, it naturally had a suppressive effect.
"Let's go!"
With a spirited cry, Anna dashed forward like a steel rose, bold and fearless as she charged the Demon-Eyed Tree.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As a ten-thousand-year soul beast, the Demon-Eyed Tree was not to be underestimated. It activated its skill—Thousand Tendrils. Countless willow-like vines suddenly extended dozens of meters, lunging toward Anna's small and delicate figure.
Whoosh—
A sharp gust split the air as one vine whipped toward her. Anna reacted instantly, leaping into the air and flipping mid-flight to gracefully dodge the strike. The vine struck a tree trunk thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around.
Whip!
Instead of a heavy thud, the impact produced a sharp slicing sound. Following the noise, Anna saw the massive tree cleanly severed at the middle—like a scythe through wheat, swift and precise!
That thin vine wasn't just a branch—it was more like a razor-sharp blade!
"That was fast! If I get hit by one of those, I'm done for!" Anna muttered gravely. More vines were already lashing toward her.
"First Soul Skill: Bloodthirsty Entwine!" Anna's first soul ring lit up, and she launched tendrils of Obsidian Jadegrass to intertwine with the Demon-Eyed Tree's vines, attempting to siphon its soul power.
The dark Obsidian Jadegrass slithered like venomous snakes, winding and curving. Rather than clash head-on, they tightly coiled around the sharp vines.
However, Anna underestimated just how sharp the Demon-Eyed Tree's tendrils were. Even after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor's origin and gaining toughness, the Obsidian Jadegrass was still no match—fragile in the face of these blade-like branches.
Shhhkk, shhhkk, shhhkk—
The sound of slicing filled the air as the Obsidian Jadegrass vines were torn apart, shredded as if fed into a meat grinder.
"No wonder it's one of the top-tier plant-type soul beasts—it's truly powerful!" Anna remarked inwardly. She quickly retreated, widening the distance between herself and the Demon-Eyed Tree while gathering her soul power.
"Third Soul Skill: Tenacity!"
In an instant, the durability of her Obsidian Jadegrass greatly increased. Drawing on the principle that "one chopstick breaks easily, but ten together are strong as steel," Anna twisted ten vines together into a single rope to further reinforce their resilience.
She then launched this braided Obsidian Jadegrass at the Demon-Eyed Tree's tendrils, binding them tightly before activating her soul skills again.
"First Soul Skill: Bloodthirsty Entwine!"
"Second Soul Skill: Parasitic Seed!"
The Obsidian Jadegrass bound the Demon-Eyed Tree's vines firmly, planting seeds onto the branches. These seeds rapidly absorbed the beast's soul power and sprouted more Obsidian Jadegrass, intensifying the entanglement.
Meanwhile, Anna's own soul power was replenished by the energy drained from the Demon-Eyed Tree.
"Hehehe, looks like your vines are useless now!" Anna taunted.
As if provoked by her mockery, the Demon-Eyed Tree suddenly exerted its strength, lifting its entangled vines into the air. Because they were so tightly wound together, Anna didn't notice in time—and was lifted right off the ground.
Simultaneously, the countless vines began secreting large amounts of corrosive venom, dissolving the Obsidian Jadegrass. Then, more venom sprayed forth from the tendrils, surging toward Anna!
"Wait, seriously? It can attack from a distance too?"
Anna was startled and cried out in surprise, though her hands didn't stop moving. She muttered to herself,
"Self-Created Soul Skill: Obsidian Jade Armor!"
Countless strands of Obsidian Jadegrass wrapped tightly around her delicate body, transforming into armor that encased her completely.
Thanks to Dai Weisi's guidance, Anna had developed her own soul skills. In addition to the Obsidian Jade Dragon, she had now mastered the Obsidian Jade Armor. This armor's defensive power was on par with that of defense-type soul masters of the same level and could even grow stronger by absorbing plant essence.
When the dark green venom splashed against the armor, it immediately let out a corrosive sizzle, but Anna herself remained completely unharmed.
"It's time to end this! Self-Created Soul Skill: Obsidian Jade Dragon!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, a wooden dragon coiled around her, rising into the air. In that moment, she looked every bit like a forest dragon maiden.
She placed five grenades into the dragon's mouth, then immediately directed the Obsidian Jade Dragon to shoot forth, charging toward the Demon-Eyed Tree.
The Demon-Eyed Tree continued to spew corrosive venom, trying to melt the wooden dragon's body, but this didn't slow the dragon's advance in the slightest.
Finally, the dragon tightly wrapped around the Demon-Eyed Tree's trunk, and at the same time, Anna raised her gun and pulled the trigger—aimed at the dragon's open mouth.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the air and struck the grenades precisely. A violent explosion followed. The powerful shockwave sent the Demon-Eyed Tree flying, while the ensuing flames scorched its branches and roots, setting it ablaze.
The fire consumed the Demon-Eyed Tree entirely, reducing it to blackened charcoal. It let out a final shriek before dying on the spot. A surge of black soul power burst from its body and condensed into a pitch-black soul ring.
Seeing this, Dai Weisi nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "Nana, that was amazing! Hurry and absorb the soul ring!"
"Okay!"
Anna beamed, her heart swelling with joy. This was the first time she had ever defeated a soul beast by herself—and a ten-thousand-year one, at that.
Suppressing her excitement, Anna walked up to the Demon-Eyed Tree's charred remains and began quietly absorbing its soul ring.
(End of Chapter)