"The same parasitic skill… but this one's traits suit me better. Poison, I don't need. What I need is toughness and durability."
As Yang Yunhai thought, he crouched behind the undergrowth.
There wasn't much Blue Silver Grass around the massive stone ahead, and the stone was tall. That meant he couldn't rely on the shared sight of Blue Silver Grass to examine the details on its surface.
In this case, he had no choice but to rely on his own eyes.
Thirty meters. That was close enough to see clearly.
And he didn't need much time.
After a few breaths, his eyes widened slightly, and excitement welled up inside him. "No ant nests, no withering marks! Which means… it's alive! It really is a Vessel Vine! My luck!"
Words couldn't describe the joy in his heart. If he had to pick one word, it would be simple — absolute ecstasy.
The Vessel Vine, known in the soul master world as the "Land Barnacle," was named for its resemblance to barnacles. It was a plant-type soul beast famed for its defense, and it also carried a parasitic ability.
Though it was known for defense, in reality its tenacity was just as impressive. It had the habit of storing energy, making it a living granary for certain natural predators—complete with its own fortress wall.
Its surface was pale, hardened like keratin, with barnacle-like shells covering its body. Inside, seed pods grew. When mature, the pods would secrete a fragrant liquid from small openings, attracting animals to lick it. The liquid had mild hypnotic properties, not particularly toxic.
When soul beasts came into contact with the pods, the shells cracked, releasing spores. The spores parasitized the beast, slowly draining energy. Combined with the sedative effect, the prey would grow weaker and weaker—like a frog in warm water—until it collapsed on the spot. Then the spores would burst forth, feeding the Vessel Vine with blood and fluids.
Over time, the vine retracted its juice, absorbed energy from its own spores, and strengthened itself. Those lucky beasts that escaped carried spores elsewhere, becoming both host and nutrient source.
The Vessel Vine grew in two phases.
The first phase was parasitic settlement: it would latch onto hosts or rocks, coiling like a snake, its force strong enough to break trees and stone.
The second phase was fixed habitation: it disguised itself as a pale boulder, hardening as it grew stronger. From its keratinous shells it repeatedly lured prey with its juice, then fed.
Its energy was stored in its root system, which grew deep but lacked offensive ability. Its vines, once coiled, had limited range and lacked the reach for long-distance combat.
Nature always balanced itself.
In the end, the Vessel Vine was little more than a fortress—minimal offensive ability, relying on stored energy and traps. And because ants and other small insect soul beasts were so common, few Vessel Vines survived long enough to reach high age.
A 1000-year Vessel Vine was already rare.
"Hard skin, defense like iron, vines full of resilience, and even parasitic spores. Plus, it stores energy—it has to have incredible vitality! Its devouring isn't strong, but if I inherit it, combined with the second ring's ability, it'll definitely improve. The poison doesn't matter."
"Ghost Vines may be more toxic and flexible, but they can't compare in toughness. The Vessel Vine has qualities the Ghost Vine doesn't."
"This is perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Yang Yunhai grew more satisfied the longer he thought. Vessel Vines were hardy and could grow quickly under normal conditions. Even in the Soul Hunting Forest, records existed. The only reason they rarely thrived was the overwhelming presence of natural enemies.
He had read about it in Changgong Ao's soul beast compendium—almost all the ones in the Soul Hunting Forest were wiped out. Ants were too many, too strong, impossible to guard against.
The surviving ones barely made it past 100 years.
A tragic story indeed.
He gave a moment of silent respect to the Vessel Vine race, and to the one before him. Then, without hesitation, he summoned his martial soul and lashed out several vines.
With a sharp thwip thwip, his Blue Silver Grass struck true, spreading rapidly over the Vessel Vine's surface. At the same time, his second skill activated. Golden lightning crackled over his vines, surging into the Vessel Vine.
The giant vine shuddered. It twisted violently, squeezing the stone within its coils until it shattered to gravel.
"That strength—just one move and it's terrifying! The toughness is real. A 3000-year Vessel Vine… I can't match it head-on!"
Yang Yunhai swore under his breath.
'Doesn't matter. As long as I can touch it, I can drain it. I'll suck it dry, shock it until it fries!'
He released his vines just enough to reduce the strain, then resumed draining and shocking.
The Vessel Vine struggled instinctively, summoning its stored energy to heal and lash back. A massive vine shot toward Yang Yunhai like a whip.
He triggered his soul bone's flying skill, lifting into the air while extending his Blue Silver Grass to keep shocking.
With a deafening boom, the Vine's attack smashed the earth below, missing him entirely.
Then came its next move. From its keratinous shells, white mist poured out, spreading in all directions—millions of spores.
"Are you kidding me!? The records said its range was under 100 meters—this is way more! Who wrote that damn bestiary!?"
Yang Yunhai cursed as he fled, retracting his martial soul and flying away from the cloud.
"You wait for me. I'll be back!"
From above, he saw the Vessel Vine's body weaken after its spore release. Its vines slumped; its movements slowed.
"It's exhausting itself. That mist costs too much energy. And my lightning is hurting it."
Two quarters of an hour later, he returned, resumed his attacks from a safe height, and provoked another spore burst.
Again, the vine weakened.
And again.
On and on, until half an hour later, the mighty Vessel Vine collapsed, unmoving, its vines slack like a dead plant.
Finally, a purple ring rose from its body.
Yang Yunhai descended cautiously. "You squeezed yourself dry. Died so miserably. At least leave me a soul bone?"
Shaking his head, he dug a pit beneath the shattered stone. Better to hide underground, shielded by earth and stone, than risk being ambushed during absorption.
Once everything was prepared—leaves for padding, insect-repelling powder scattered—he sat inside, pulled the stone slab over him, and summoned his martial soul.
The purple ring drifted through the cracks and sank into his body.
Agony followed. His whole frame trembled, as if splitting apart. Yet compared to when he swallowed the Blue Silver Emperor and endured lightning strikes, this pain was almost mild.
He clenched his teeth, held firm, and began the absorption.
Time passed slowly…
(End of Chapter)
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