Chapter 57: External Spirit Bone

Meanwhile, the Serpent-婆 (Serpent grandmother) and Meng Yiran had already reunited with the Dragon-公 (Dragon grandfather).

"That Zao Wou-ki has got some nerve! How dare he snatch Yiran's prey!"

Upon hearing Meng Yiran's account, the Dragon grandfather's face twisted with rage. He slammed his walking staff heavily into the ground, creating a deep pit.

"Alright, alright! Let's just chalk it up to bad luck that we crossed paths with a ruthless character like Zao Wou-ki!" the Serpent grandmother sighed helplessly.

"Hmph! What kind of Unmovable Ming Wang is he? Just a mere Soul Saint. The next time I cross paths with him, I will certainly teach him a lesson!" the Dragon grandfather said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Sigh, I suppose we can only find another spirit beast for Yiran now," the Dragon grandfather said, shaking his head.

Just as the group was about to set off to search, a sound echoed from the nearby forest, instantly putting the three of them on high alert.

"What is that?"

The Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother instantly summoned their martial souls and spirit rings, pulling Meng Yiran tightly behind them.

After a moment, a massive and ominous figure emerged.

"This is a Man-Faced Demon Spider!" the Dragon grandfather cried out in disbelief as he looked at the spirit beast running toward them.

"Old man, look! This Man-Faced Demon Spider seems to be injured!"

At first, the Serpent grandmother had also looked grave upon seeing the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but upon noticing the wounds on its body, a bold idea suddenly formed in her mind.

"Old man, this Man-Faced Demon Spider is already injured, and judging by its age, it's around a thousand-plus years. How about we use it for Yiran's spirit ring?" the Serpent grandmother said, looking at the Dragon grandfather.

Hearing this, the Dragon grandfather frowned. The Man-Faced Demon Spider was an evil spirit beast, the kind that both spirit beasts and soul masters preferred never to encounter.

However, a spirit ring itself was blameless!

If they acquired its spirit ring, who knew what kind of pleasant surprises might follow?

Thus, the Dragon grandfather turned to Meng Yiran and asked, "Yiran, how about this Man-Faced Demon Spider as your third spirit ring?"

"Alright!" Meng Yiran thought for a moment and replied.

"Very well, old woman, let's move!" The Dragon grandfather took a deep breath and nodded.

The two of them charged toward the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Seeing people blocking its path, the Man-Faced Demon Spider roared and charged as well. However, it was only a millennium-tier spirit beast, and severely injured at that. How could it possibly resist a Soul Emperor, let alone a Contra?

Soon, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was beaten to the brink of death by the two experts, collapsing to the ground, unable to move.

"Yiran, come quickly and absorb the spirit ring!"

"Yes, coming!"

Meng Yiran took out a dagger and stabbed it straight into the vital spot of the Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Without any strength left to resist, the Man-Faced Demon Spider met its end.

Seeing the purple spirit ring rise from the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, Meng Yiran quickly calmed her mind and guided the spirit ring over.

The Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother watched anxiously as Meng Yiran absorbed the spirit ring. After some time passed without any issues, their tense hearts gradually began to settle.

However, just as the two of them thought the situation was safely resolved, Meng Yiran's brows suddenly furrowed tightly, and a piercing scream escaped her lips.

"Ah!"

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Meng Yiran's body suddenly convulsed violently. Her chest thrust forward sharply, and her entire upper body arched in a terrifying and horrifying manner.

"Yiran, what's wrong?" the Serpent grandmother screamed in alarm, while the Dragon grandfather grew deeply anxious as well.

"What is happening? She was doing just fine a moment ago!"

Just as the Dragon grandfather anxiously prepared to step forward and check on Meng Yiran's condition, a voice echoed from the side.

"Do not touch her. This is not a bad thing; on the contrary, it is a great fortune for her!"

"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Upon hearing this, the Dragon grandfather was stunned at first, then shouted sternly, scanning his surroundings with eyes full of tension.

Someone had been right beside them all this time, yet he hadn't noticed them at all. Such strength was at least that of a Contra.

"Do not worry, I harbor no ill intent."

The Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother looked toward the direction of the voice, where a figure draped in a black cloak had appeared.

"Who are you?"

The Dragon grandfather stared intently at the person completely shrouded in the black cloak, his grip tightening around his weapon.

"That young girl has encountered something extraordinary!" Ling Xuan said, looking at Meng Yiran.

Hearing this, the Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother wore puzzled expressions. What extraordinary thing?

Ling Xuan took a single step and instantly appeared right behind Meng Yiran.

This startled the Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother immensely, as they had completely failed to see how this person had moved over.

"You are not allowed to hurt Yiran!"

Despite their lingering fear, upon seeing the stranger reach out toward Meng Yiran, the Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother still lunged to attack him.

"If you want that young girl to remain safe and sound, do not move!" Ling Xuan uttered these words effortlessly, causing the two of them to abruptly halt their attacks, not daring to act rashly again.

"You... do you know what is happening to Yiran?" the Dragon grandfather asked anxiously.

"Of course. That young girl has struck gold!" Ling Xuan said, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"What do you mean?" the Dragon grandfather asked, somewhat puzzled, though he felt a wave of relief seeing that Meng Yiran, who had been screaming in agony just moments ago, was now gradually calming down.

"Do you know of things called spirit bones?" Ling Xuan withdrew his arm and said to the two of them.

"Naturally we do. Spirit bones are rare and priceless treasures for any soul master," the Dragon grandfather nodded and said, though he quickly snapped back to his senses, turning his gaze toward Meng Yiran with pleasant surprise.

"Could it be that Yiran has obtained a spirit bone?!"

Ling Xuan nodded. Just as the Dragon grandfather was overflowing with joy, Ling Xuan continued, "Moreover, what this young girl has obtained is no ordinary spirit bone."

"Not ordinary? Could it be a highly precious skull spirit bone or torso spirit bone?" the Dragon grandfather pondered aloud.

"No, even rarer and more precious than those!"

Just as Ling Xuan finished speaking, Meng Yiran, who had already returned to normal, felt a strange sensation throughout her body.

Suddenly, accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric, the clothing on Meng Yiran's back instantly ripped open, and four fist-sized bumps swelled up on each side of her spine.

Immediately following this, those eight bumps suddenly burst open. Strangely, the skin on Meng Yiran's back did not roll backward; instead, eight deep purple objects, roughly the thickness of a fist, emerged from the protrusion sites and began growing wildly at an astonishing speed.

Under the astonished gazes of the Dragon grandfather and the Serpent grandmother, those deep purple objects grew over a meter long in the blink of an eye, continuing to extend at a terrifying pace. When their length exceeded one and a half meters, they paused slightly, growing joint-like structures at their ends, and as the deep purple color continued to extend, it branched off in another direction from those joints.

The eight purple-black appendages grew past three meters before finally coming to a halt. Their entire bodies were deeply lustrous and exceptionally smooth on the surface, thickest near Meng Yiran's back and gradually tapering as they extended outward, becoming as sharp as awls at the very tips.

"What are these things?" Meng Yiran cried out in alarm, tightly clutching her exposed body. Her clothes had been completely torn into fragments and dropped to the ground just moments before.

"Yiran! This... this is..."

The Serpent grandmother hurriedly removed the Dragon grandfather's outer robe, intending to drape it over Meng Yiran, but those bizarre objects left her with no way to approach.

"Do not touch her. There is poison on those; if you are not careful, you will be poisoned. But you need not worry, these are the legs of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, and also the most special category of spirit bone," Ling Xuan said, looking at the Serpent grandmother.

"The most special spirit bone?"