Chapter 41: The Devil’s Withering
Boom!
Boom, boom!!
Above the vast sea of crimson clouds, the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion pounded the monolith relentlessly with its massive jade pincers.
Each blow created a crater several meters wide, the air roaring and churning. Its ferocious and brutal movements resembled a giant excavator.
Within minutes, a deep tunnel had been carved into the monolith.
“At this rate, I should be able to completely shatter it within seven or eight tries!”
Gong Lianyue breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion’s talent, Five-Leaf Clover.
Although the high-rank talent pool seemed random, there were still patterns. For example, the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion’s possible talent types could be broadly categorized as ice, insect, poison, attack, durability, tail, and armor.
(③④②⑨⑥⑦④⑥⑤)
Gong Lianyue could instantly think of seven or eight types, and there were likely even more.
Each type contained at least several hundred talents, adding up to tens of thousands. No Spirit Master could possibly know them all.
Five-Leaf Clover was a talent Gong Lianyue had never heard of. She would have to look it up later.
Judging by the name, it seemed like a support skill. She would test its effects now.
“Scorpion, use your talent to hit this rock.”
“Whoosh—”
The Iron Jade Ice Scorpion exhaled fiercely, a faint blue light flickering within the cracks of its icy shell.
As it pulled back its pincers, a faint black aura enveloped them.
[Five-Leaf Clover]
Thud!!!!
The jade pincers slammed into the monolith, a powerful shockwave sending shards of rock flying, a clear fist mark imprinted on its surface.
Gong Lianyue observed carefully, but there seemed to be no difference from before. The power was exactly the same.
So it was a support-type technique?
However, unnoticed by her, the cracks on the surface of the monolith spread, rapidly reaching its core.
Whoosh~
The next second, the cracked areas of the monolith transformed into black snowflakes.
Black snow withered, the monolith melted.
Gong Lianyue blinked in shock. “Corrosive poison…?
The area struck by the scorpion, within a radius of several dozen meters, vanished completely, not even a speck of dust remaining.
What the hell? The name sounded so cute and innocent, but the effect was completely different!!
Seemingly dissatisfied with its attack, the scorpion raised its segmented, icy tail. The crystal at the tip was now completely dyed black.
It flicked its tail and lightly pierced the monolith, injecting poison like a syringe.
Swish, swish, swish—
Black lines spread rapidly. Within seconds, the front half of the monolith was covered in a thick layer of black snow.
The hard stone instantly corroded, dissolving into black dust, devoid of any life, as if carved away by the claws of a demon.
Gong Lianyue stared blankly, the sheer terror of Five-Leaf Clover’s effect overwhelming her surprise.
Had the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion randomly received some incredible talent?!
_”At this rate, it won’t take seven or eight tries. A few more hits, and I’ll clear this level…” _ The Saintess was shocked.
It seemed that Five-Leaf Clover was more compatible with the scorpion’s tail than its pincers, amplifying its power several times over.
Ten or so more uses, and the monolith would be completely destroyed.
Sensing Gong Lianyue’s thoughts, the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion suddenly shook its tail, as if shaking its head.
“Poo” (onomatopoeia for spirit beast communication)
“What’s wrong?”
“Poo”
“Out of poison?”
“Poo”
“So even the strongest abilities have their limits…”
After communicating with the scorpion, Gong Lianyue understood.
Such a terrifying poison couldn’t be used indefinitely, just as the little fox became exhausted after repeatedly using Deep Sea.
If it weren’t for her twin soul cores supporting it, Five-Leaf Clover wouldn’t be this powerful at the Dawn and Dusk Stage.
The scorpion’s poison reserves could be gauged by the color of its tail. The black mist had completely vanished, reverting back to its original shimmering crystal.
I’m completely drained.jpg
[Trial Ended]
Back in reality…
Although the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion couldn’t use Five-Leaf Clover continuously, Gong Lianyue was satisfied with its current strength.
The hidden battle technique it had developed, Jade Shatter, was far more powerful than the other techniques listed in the spirit beast space. It was definitely among the top tier of high-rank spirit beasts!
“Right, I need to look up Five-Leaf Clover!”
Gong Lianyue jumped out of bed and retrieved a dusty, thick book from the cupboard.
The [Spirit Beast Talent Compendium], a must-have for all Spirit Masters. But since Gong Lianyue hadn’t contracted a new spirit beast for a long time, and she already knew the Cloud Dream Flower’s talent, she hadn’t needed it.
Cultivation Amplification was a common talent among plant-type spirit beasts, its strength varying depending on the rank.
“Five-Leaf Clover, Five-Leaf Clover, Five-Leaf Clover…”
Gong Lianyue guessed that Five-Leaf Clover must be a poison-related talent, so she flipped directly to the poison section of the index.
Sure enough, three minutes later, she found the entry for Five-Leaf Clover.
[Five-Leaf Clover: A mixed talent of ice, poison, and insect attributes. Can corrode life force and spirit energy. Generally ineffective, only useful in prolonged battles of attrition.]
[Note: If the spirit beast only has the ice attribute, this talent cannot be activated.]
[Note: If the spirit beast possessing this talent is an insect type, using its special organ can amplify the poison’s power tenfold, an effect known as the Devil’s Withering.]
“Ah, this…”
“Useless for ice, mediocre for poison, overpowered for insects!?”
Gong Lianyue quickly realized she had stumbled upon a treasure. She felt both lucky and a little scared.
If her spirit beast had been ice-attribute and had randomly received this talent, it would have been completely useless!
She finally understood how terrible the high-rank talent pool could be. It was a giant cesspool, literally capable of poisoning someone to death.
She had heard that decades ago, when Sea Moon Peak was still open to ordinary members, Spirit Masters who randomly received useless talents would occasionally jump off the cliff in despair. How terrifying~~~
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