However, the Dragon Serpent Duo had no idea that the strength of this human-faced demon spider before them was even greater than they had imagined.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary spirit master could only absorb a spirit ring with a cultivation of around 1,700 years at most.
But this human-faced demon spider's spirit power had already exceeded 2,000 years. Although it was just slightly over 2,000 years, it was still beyond Meng Yiran's capacity to absorb.
*Crackle, crackle…*
A series of crisp sounds suddenly erupted from Meng Yiran's body. Her pretty face twisted in pain, and she let out a muffled groan.
"Oh no!"
The Dragon Serpent Duo's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this.
Given their experience, they could immediately tell that Meng Yiran was suffering from a spirit ring backlash.
Faced with such a situation, the Dragon Serpent Duo had no better solution. They could only pray that Meng Yiran could endure it by sheer will.
If Meng Yiran truly couldn't hold on any longer, the Dragon Serpent Duo would have no choice but to risk interrupting her absorption process.
As time passed, Meng Yiran's condition worsened. Not only did her face turn deathly pale, but two streams of blood also trickled from her delicate nose.
"No! Old man, we can't let this continue. Yiran can't take it anymore. We must—"
Just as Grandma Snake was about to intervene, a figure suddenly appeared behind Meng Yiran out of thin air.
!!!
Seeing the nine red spirit rings swirling around the figure, the Dragon Serpent Duo's pupils contracted sharply, their faces filled with disbelief.
Those were 100,000-year spirit rings!
Even for Title Douluo-level experts, obtaining a single 100,000-year spirit ring was an incredible stroke of luck, let alone nine of them!
Before the Dragon Serpent Duo could recover from their shock, several Blue Silver Emperor vines emerged from Xiao Feng's feet, coiling around Meng Yiran's limbs and slender waist.
Meng Yiran, who was on the verge of collapse, suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of vitality pouring into her body, forcibly suppressing the backlash from the human-faced demon spider's spirit ring.
With Xiao Feng's help, Meng Yiran narrowly avoided disaster and successfully absorbed the spirit ring.
Grandpa Dragon was the first to snap out of his daze. He quickly bowed to Xiao Feng and said, "Thank you for saving her, Your Excellency. This old man, Meng Shu, is eternally grateful. If there's anything we can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
"No need for formalities. You were just lucky that I happened to pass by. Don't be so reckless next time."
Grandma Snake smiled apologetically. "Your Excellency is absolutely right. Next time we help Yiran absorb a spirit ring, we'll make sure to verify its age first."
*Poof, poof, poof…*
As soon as Grandma Snake finished speaking, eight bulging lumps suddenly appeared on Meng Yiran's back. Then, eight three-meter-long, purple-black spider legs sprouted from her body, piercing through the clothes on her back.
???
The Dragon Serpent Duo couldn't help but show expressions of confusion and concern at this sight.
Xiao Feng, however, wasn't too surprised. Instead, he smiled and said, "It seems this girl's luck is quite good. She actually obtained an external spirit bone from this human-faced demon spider."
Although it might seem random to outsiders whether a spirit beast drops a spirit bone or not, there are actually rules governing it.
For a spirit beast to drop a spirit bone, it must first possess a spirit core within its body.
A spirit core is an extremely special existence, typically formed when a Title Douluo-level expert compresses their liquid spirit power into a solid state, resulting in a crystalline spirit power nucleus.
The reason 100,000-year spirit beasts always drop spirit bones is that they have condensed spirit cores within their bodies.
However, exceptions exist. Some spirit beasts below the 100,000-year level may also form spirit cores by chance, so they, too, can drop spirit bones upon death.
In the original storyline, the first spirit bone Tang San obtained was the Eight Spider Lances, dropped by a human-faced demon spider.
And that thousand-year human-faced demon spider was none other than the one Meng Yiran had just killed, so it was guaranteed to drop the Eight Spider Lances.
"An external spirit bone!"
The Dragon Serpent Duo couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
Given their experience, they naturally knew the reputation of external spirit bones—they were treasures second only to 100,000-year spirit bones.
"Your Excellency, if not for your timely intervention, Yiran might have already lost her life."
Grandpa Dragon suddenly thought of something and cupped his hands toward Xiao Feng. "Why don't you take this external spirit bone as our token of gratitude?"
"…"
Grandma Snake was momentarily stunned but quickly understood Grandpa Dragon's concerns and chose to remain silent.
After all, Xiao Feng was a super powerhouse with nine 100,000-year spirit rings. If he wanted to kill them and take the treasure, the Dragon Serpent Duo wouldn't stand a chance. It was better to offer the external spirit bone willingly and consider it a way to avert disaster.
"No need!"
Xiao Feng waved his hand dismissively. "Do I look like someone who lacks spirit bones to you?"
"Uh…"
The Dragon Serpent Duo froze, realizing that Xiao Feng truly had no shortage of spirit bones.
After all, 100,000-year spirit beasts always dropped spirit bones. Since Xiao Feng had absorbed nine 100,000-year spirit rings, it meant he possessed at least nine 100,000-year spirit bones. He really had no reason to kill for an external spirit bone.
"Alright, I have other matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now."
"We bid you farewell, Your Excellency!"
Watching Xiao Feng's retreating figure, the Dragon Serpent Duo couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Although Xiao Feng had been friendly, facing a super powerhouse who could annihilate them at any moment still left them under immense pressure.
Meanwhile, Meng Yiran felt a pang of loss, staring blankly in the direction Xiao Feng had left, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
At this moment, Meng Yiran suddenly understood what it meant to fall in love at first sight.
Indeed, one should never meet someone too dazzling in their youth, or the rest of their life would be spent in restless longing.
This was the first time Meng Yiran had encountered someone as outstanding as Xiao Feng, who was also around her age. Combined with the fact that he had saved her life, her fondness for him had skyrocketed.
If she couldn't marry Xiao Feng in the future, Meng Yiran would rather remain unmarried for life.
Of course, Xiao Feng had no idea that he had inadvertently captured another young girl's heart. But even if he knew, he likely wouldn't pay it much mind.
There were far too many women who coveted him—Meng Yiran was just one of many, and Xiao Feng had long grown accustomed to it.
After parting ways with Meng Yiran and the others, Xiao Feng soon arrived at the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, where he encountered the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python residing there.
"Human, leave at once. This is not a place you should tread!"
Sensing the arrival of this uninvited guest, the Sky Azure Bull Python slowly emerged from the Star Lake, its voice deep and resonant.
(End of Chapter)