Chapter 34: Ten Months Later, Green Edge Mantis
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten months had passed.
Now, under the meticulous arrangement of Ci Xue, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was surrounded by a toxic miasma mixed with various deadly poisons; anyone below the rank of Soul Douluo who dared to trespass would face a nine-in-ten chance of death.
He reinforced the poison formation every so often to ensure there was no risk of failure.
Every so often, Gui Mei would also quietly travel to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, partly to catch up with Chrysanthemum Pass, and partly to bring back mature, rare medicinal herbs to Spirit City.
During this time, Su Mo gave the Shadow Leopard Left Arm Bone he had previously obtained to Gui Mei.
Although it was only over six thousand years old, its attributes had an extremely high compatibility with Gui Mei's Martial Soul, and in his hands, its effect was no less than that of a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone.
When Gui Mei received the Soul Bone, his hands trembled slightly, and he was deeply moved.
He had worked conscientiously in Spirit Hall for many years but had never been rewarded with a Soul Bone.
Yet Su Mo, having known him for only a short time, had not only gifted him an Immortal Herb but now also gave him a Soul Bone; how could he not be moved?
Moreover, according to the Pope's words at the meeting, he had already regarded Su Mo as the successor to the next Pope.
If he did not show his loyalty now, when would he?
He immediately knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, from now on, Gui Mei's life belongs to you."
Meanwhile, after ten months of arduous cultivation, Su Mo had completely refined the medicinal power of the Immortal Herb within his body, gaining immunity to poison and immunity to ice and fire, and his physical fitness had also greatly improved.
Subsequently, he refined the Wangchuan Qiushui Dew, and his mental force surged significantly.
Now, absorbing a Soul Ring of over ten thousand years was no problem for him.
Bibi Dong's progress was equally astonishing.
Her Soul Power had long since broken through to level forty, and with the help of Golden Crocodile Douluo, she had obtained her fourth Soul Ring in the Sunset Forest.
It came from an eight-thousand-two-hundred-year-old Amethyst devil spider. Her Soul skills, Thorns Spider Armor, could condense a layer of purple-gold armor on her body surface when activated. The armor was covered in barbs and laced with toxins, allowing it to both defend and reflect damage.
Having consumed the Yearning Heartbroken Red, her cultivation speed had greatly increased, and her Soul Power had now reached level forty-four, not far from level forty-five.
Star Dou Great Forest, deep in the mixed zone.
Five figures were moving slowly through the forest.
They were Su Mo, Bibi Dong, Golden Crocodile Douluo, and the two, Chrysanthemum and Gui Mei.
After Su Mo came out of seclusion, the group went straight to the Star Dou Great Forest.
At this moment, Bibi Dong was tightly clutching Su Mo's arm, two mounds of softness pressing against his arm. The two were chatting and laughing, their posture intimate and natural.
Su Mo and Bibi Dong now looked increasingly mature, and both had grown significantly taller.
Su Mo had black hair reaching his shoulders and a handsome face.
Bibi Dong's cascading long hair fell to her waist, and her figure's curves were becoming more pronounced.
Just then, Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal.
The four of them paused in unison, and Su Mo and Bibi Dong stopped their conversation.
They saw a Soul Beast lying quietly about fifty meters ahead.
It was a mantis-shaped Soul Beast with a body that was entirely emerald green. It was massive, nearly three meters long, and entirely covered in a layer of dark green carapace.
Most striking were its pair of dark green blade arms; the outer edges were extremely sharp, shimmering with a cold light, and adorned with several dark red patterns, while the inner sides were covered in dense, saw-like barbs.
On its back were two pairs of folded, translucent wings, which granted it astonishing speed during short-distance bursts and charges.
It sensed the human Soul Masters suddenly appearing in its territory, and a violent glint flashed in its eyes.
Its massive body instantly lowered, assuming a perfect combat stance; its pair of blade arms crossed in the air, and the two pairs of wings on its back vibrated continuously.
"Green Edge Mantis," Golden Crocodile Douluo said calmly, "It is twelve thousand years old, known for its speed and attack power. Its blade arms are incredibly sharp, said to be able to break metal and stone. Its weakness is its abdomen."
Su Mo locked his gaze onto the Green Edge Mantis.
"Not bad, this is the one," he said, his voice calm.
He gently patted the hand Bibi Dong had resting on his arm, signaling her to let go.
Bibi Dong's hand slowly withdrew.
Su Mo stepped forward and released his Martial Soul, the Asura Demon Sword, with one yellow and two purple Soul Rings circling beneath his feet.
He saw his first Soul Ring and second Soul Ring light up in succession, the yellow and purple lights reflecting off each other.
A layer of faint, blood-colored energy armor covered the surface of his body.
His speed, strength, and defense surged instantly, and the attack power of his Asura Demon Sword Martial Soul also skyrocketed.
He transformed into a blood-colored afterimage, trailing a long streak, and in the blink of an eye, he swooped in front of the Green Edge Mantis, thrusting the Asura Demon Sword straight out.
The Green Edge Mantis was, after all, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, and its reaction was astonishingly fast.
At the critical moment, its pair of blade arms had already crossed to parry, and the blade arms collided with the sword tip with a boom.
The Green Edge Mantis slid back several meters, carving deep furrows into the ground, before barely steadying itself.
Su Mo's forward charge also came to an abrupt halt.
Although the Green Edge Mantis lacked defense, its strength, attack, and speed were terrifying.
Now, Su Mo, with the augmentation of two Martial Soul abilities, although his Soul Power was only at level forty, his overall strength was already comparable to an ordinary Spirit King.
The fact that this attack was blocked head-on showed the resilience of its blade arms and the ferocity of its strength.
Having failed to land the blow, Su Mo used the force to retreat, widening the distance.
However, the Green Edge Mantis had been thoroughly enraged.
The two pairs of wings on its back suddenly vibrated at high frequency, emitting a shrill buzzing sound, and its massive body turned into a streak of green light, chasing straight after Su Mo.
Its speed was astonishingly fast, no less than Su Mo's, and it caught up in an instant.
With a flash of cold light, the two blade arms slashed down crosswise towards Su Mo.
Su Mo raised his sword to parry, the sound of metal clashing deafening.
A terrifying force came from the sword, and Su Mo felt a numbness in the web of his hand.
Seeing its blade arms blocked, the Green Edge Mantis's offensive became even more fierce.
Its twin blades struck down repeatedly like a violent storm, each blow accompanied by a sharp whistle that tore through the air.
Su Mo fought while retreating; the blood-colored afterimage and the green streak of light constantly crossed and collided in the forest, each clash sparking blinding embers.
In just a few breaths, the two had exchanged over a dozen blows.
The blood-colored armor on Su Mo's body had been scratched with several cracks by the Green Edge Mantis's terrifying blade arms, showing faint signs of shattering.
Just after another parry, with a soft click, a pair of black-gold sword wings suddenly unfolded from Su Mo's back.
Countless sword feathers detached from the sword wings, turning into a dark, oppressive rain of swords that skimmed the ground and shot towards the Green Edge Mantis's abdomen.
The Green Edge Mantis hurriedly retreated, waving its twin blades frantically, attempting to block this sudden sword-feather assault.
However, those black sword feathers seemed to have a life of their own, tracing strange arcs in the air, bypassing its blade arms, and shooting towards its abdomen from all sorts of tricky angles.
The Green Edge Mantis had to divert more energy to deal with these sword feathers that were as persistent as maggots on tarsal bones.
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