Listening to Ye Yin's deadpan explanation, everyone present was completely stunned.
"That's it?" Ma Hongjun asked skeptically. "Yin Ge, if you don't want to tell us, that's fine. There's no need to lie to us."
Ye Yin rolled his eyes. "Lie to you? There's no need for that. This is the standard. It can't be too much or too little; it has to be just right. If you run even one millimeter more, it's useless. Anyway, that's what I do. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
Just as he finished speaking, a series of beast roars echoed through the forest, much closer this time.
"Everyone, get back in the poison array, quickly!" Flender shouted.
One thousand-year Spirit Beast after another rushed toward them, drawn by the lingering fragrance. Even a Titled Douluo would have trouble dealing with such a horde. Zhao Wuji and Flender quickly joined Liu Erlong, standing as a bulwark in front of the students. The three Spirit Saints didn't need to coordinate; they fought individually, blocking the fierce Spirit Beasts and preventing them from crossing the line.
"Quickly put away the herb!" Yu Xiaogang urged Ye Yin. If he didn't put it away soon, even more beasts would be attracted, and they would become even more frenzied.
At that moment, Ning Rongrong displayed the true power of her family's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The three halos on the pagoda lit up, transforming into three streams of light that shot into Flender, Liu Erlong, and Zhao Wuji. Her support was percentage-based, meaning the stronger the Spirit Master she boosted, the greater the effect.
The light around the three Spirit Saints surged, and they quickly pushed back the tide of Spirit Beasts. Ning Rongrong's assistance, however, only lasted for a few moments. The powerful effect came at the cost of a massive amount of her spirit power.
"Everyone, retreat into the poison array now!" Flender yelled.
The group quickly fell back into the safety of the array. The three Spirit Saints didn't linger; while they couldn't defeat the entire horde, the beasts couldn't stop them from running. Once everyone was inside the poison array, the pursuing Spirit Beasts immediately skidded to a halt. They had seen the power of the strange, green barrier and didn't dare to cross it.
"Ye Yin, the effect of your herb is a little too good," Flender said with lingering fear, looking at the ever-growing number of beasts outside. Among the twenty or so beasts that had gathered, at least six of them were at the ten-thousand-year level, and one was even close to thirty thousand years old.
"I've found one," Ye Yin said, pointing at the pack. "The ten-thousand-year Netherworld Wolf King. That Spirit Beast is the same type as the one from Zhuqing's third ring, so it will be a perfect fit and much easier for her to absorb."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. "Yin Ge, I'll listen to you."
Ye Yin took out his upgraded Flying God Claw. "Dean, Sister Erlong, Teacher Zhao, I'll grab the Netherwolf and pull her in. The three of you just need to subdue her."
The three of them nodded. "Okay, go ahead. We're ready!"
Just as Ye Yin was about to make his move, the Netherwolf's figure suddenly blurred into a black shadow. In the next instant, it passed straight through the poison array and appeared out of thin air right in the middle of their group.
"It has a spatial ability!" Yu Xiaogang yelled.
"Holy cow!" Ye Yin exclaimed. "Quick, move!"
Liu Erlong reacted instantly, unleashing a heavy punch on the Netherwolf's body. The wolf let out a strange cry as its figure flickered again, teleporting to another location.
"So annoying!" Liu Erlong cursed. This time, the wolf appeared directly beside Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong!" Ye Yin's upgraded Flying God Claw shot out, instantly wrapping around Ning Rongrong's waist.
"Ah!" she shrieked as she was pulled through the air to Ye Yin's side, landing on her feet and panting heavily.
"This thing is a real problem," Ye Yin muttered. His second spirit ring flashed. "Curse!"
A black light shot out and landed on the Netherwolf King. Its figure flashed as it tried to teleport again, but this time it landed heavily on the ground with a loud thud. The curse had greatly increased its spatial power, but it had also subjected the wolf to a gravitational pressure more than ten times its own weight. The Netherwolf panted heavily, trying to get up, but its body remained motionless, pinned down as if by an invisible mountain.
"Now let's see what you've got," Ye Yin said, kicking the wolf's body. "Where's that arrogance from before?"
"[Resentment from the ten-thousand-year Netherworld Wolf King +9!]"
"Zhuqing, finish it," Ye Yin ordered.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, and after activating her Spirit Possession, she used her second Spirit Ability, Nether Claw, to frantically attack the immobilized wolf's neck. Under her continuous attacks, the wolf finally let out one last painful cry and died. Zhu Zhuqing glanced gratefully at Ye Yin before taking the corpse aside to begin absorbing its ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
"Next up are Rongrong's and Fatty's third rings," Yu Xiaogang said. "Rongrong, your first two skills increase speed and strength, so your third should focus on defense. That four-thousand-year-old Scale Armor Beast is the most suitable."
He pointed to a crocodile-like Spirit Beast about five meters long, with thick, powerful limbs and a body covered in tough, black, palm-sized plates of armor.
Ye Yin nodded in agreement. Normally, Ning Rongrong would get a Scale Armor Beast for her fourth ring, but absorbing it as her third was perfectly fine. He flicked his wrist, and the upgraded Flying God Claw shot out, clamping firmly onto the beast's tail and forcibly dragging it into the poison array.
Seeing the beast flying toward them, Zhao Wuji acted decisively. The full force of his Gravity Amplification slammed down on the Scale Armor Beast, pressing it to the ground. It was completely immobilized, obediently waiting for death.
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