Chapter 73: The Pistol
Lightning crackled and flared around Bei Bei as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul erupted with full, unrestrained power. He clashed fiercely with the mutated Emerald Demonic Willow.
"First soul skill—Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Bei Bei let out a fierce roar, and the azure draconic claws, wreathed in blinding arcs of electricity, sheared through the oncoming willow branches in a single clean stroke. Yet what happened next was startling—the severed branches, upon hitting the ground, began to slowly writhe. First, fine, hair-like roots sprouted from them, and then, at a pace visible to the naked eye, they began to grow. In the span of mere breaths, fresh buds had already emerged from the cut ends.
"I have to end this fast!" Alarm bells sounded in Bei Bei's mind.
He understood with absolute clarity that if he dragged this out, this clearing would soon be overrun by newly spawned willow branches, and they would find themselves completely surrounded.
The Emerald Demonic Willow seemed to sense the threat before it as well. Its emerald-green tendrils lashed out in a frenzy like a nest of vipers, desperately attempting to ensnare and bind Bei Bei.
Yet under the precise auxiliary support of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, Bei Bei could clearly predict the attack trajectory of every last branch. Combined with the sixty percent speed boost and control-immunity granted by Furina's cakes, his figure darted and weaved through the dense onslaught like a phantom.
Even when the barbs on the willow branches occasionally grazed him, the paralytic toxin had no effect whatsoever under the protective immunity of the Fruit Cake. This allowed Bei Bei to maintain the initiative at all times, never once bogged down by follow-up strikes.
"Third soul skill—Thunder's Wrath! Second soul skill—Thunderbolt Barrage!"
Bei Bei held nothing back, unleashing everything he had. Under the amplification of Thunder's Wrath, the power of his second soul skill surged explosively. Raging, violent arcs of lightning shot toward the Demonic Willow's main trunk like an enraged dragon.
Blinding electric light detonated throughout the forest. The air filled with the acrid stench of char.
The Emerald Demonic Willow shuddered violently. Its once-vibrant emerald branches were now scorched black.
Yet shockingly, even these ravaged, damaged branches continued their relentless assault, forcing Bei Bei to retreat repeatedly. As a mutated plant-type soul beast, its vitality far exceeded that of ordinary soul beasts. Though grievously wounded, it was swiftly regenerating.
"Tch! What a tough bastard!" Bei Bei gritted his teeth, preparing to launch a second wave of attacks.
Just at that moment—three deafening explosions rang out in rapid succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bowl-sized holes instantly burst open in the Emerald Demonic Willow's main trunk, emerald-green sap spraying wildly. The once-frenzied willow branches wilted in an instant, their onslaught grinding to an abrupt halt.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao all turned in unison toward the source. There stood Furina, gripping a strangely shaped black weapon, wisps of smoke still curling from its barrel. This pistol, acquired from the system shop, had long since had its design blueprints handed over to the church's Research Department for study—and now, it had proven its worth.
Furina blew gently across the barrel with an air of casual elegance and remarked offhandedly, "Apologies. Watching you fight so slowly—I simply couldn't resist stepping in. You don't mind, do you?"
Huo Yuhao was entirely unsurprised. He'd long since witnessed the power of this strange weapon that required no soul power to unleash devastation. But Bei Bei and Tang Ya drew sharp, collective breaths, their faces masks of pure shock.
"My ears..." Tang Ya covered both ears. The gunfire had been so thunderously loud that it left her ears ringing for a moment.
Bei Bei, meanwhile, stared fixedly at the weapon in Furina's hand, his mind racing frantically—what kind of soul tool is that?! He had never before seen a compact soul tool with such terrifying power.
"Just what kind of soul tool is this?! Its destructive force is unbelievable!" Tang Ya leaned in curiously for a closer look.
Though she harbored a deep aversion to soul tools, at this moment, even she couldn't suppress the curiosity blazing up inside her.
Furina, however, waved a dismissive hand. "This isn't the time to study it. Do you still want your third soul ring or not? Hurry up and deliver the finishing blow to that Demonic Willow—otherwise, it'll recover before you know it."
Tang Ya snapped back to her senses. She quickly drew a hidden weapon and, with a flash of movement, charged toward the grievously wounded willow. Bei Bei coordinated with her seamlessly, using his lightning power to block the counterattacks of the willow's surviving tendrils.
Thwip—
A poison-laced dart sank deep into the Demonic Willow's main trunk with unerring precision. Accompanied by a violent, convulsive shudder, the willow at last ceased its struggling. A deep, violet soul ring slowly rose from its corpse.
Tang Ya immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing this hard-won third soul ring. Bei Bei stood guard at her side, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings. Furina and Huo Yuhao likewise each took a flank, protecting Tang Ya as she cultivated.
Roughly half a shichen later, Tang Ya slowly opened her eyes. Her face was alight with excitement. "I succeeded! And my soul power directly increased by two whole ranks!"
"What's the soul skill's effect?" Bei Bei asked with eager concern.
Tang Ya rose to her feet and released her Bluesilver Grass martial soul. The once-ordinary Bluesilver Grass was now covered in fine, densely packed barbs, and the toughness and color of its blades had markedly improved. "Third soul skill—'Spring Breeze Brings Renewal.' It allows severed Bluesilver Grass to regenerate rapidly, just like the Demonic Willow. The newly grown parts are somewhat fragile, but they consume almost no soul power, and there can be a great many of them."
She paused, a light of fervent excitement blazing in her eyes. "If my Bluesilver Grass could be made immune to fire, this soul skill would be absolutely invincible!"
Bei Bei nodded with deep satisfaction, genuinely delighted by Tang Ya's progress.
Furina smiled faintly. "Just as I expected. This soul skill is perfectly suited to your martial soul's developmental direction."
Tang Ya turned a grateful look toward Furina. "I truly have to thank you. Your advice was invaluable." As if suddenly recalling something, she asked with renewed curiosity, "By the way—what exactly was that weapon you just used?"
"It's not a soul tool. It's a firearm—specifically, a pistol," Furina explained patiently. "Like hidden weapons, it requires no soul power to use. But its power far surpasses them."
"Really?" Tang Ya was half-doubtful, half-amazed.
Bei Bei, however, felt his heart jolt with the force of an earthquake. If such a weapon could truly unleash this degree of power without any soul power... it would set off a revolutionary upheaval!
"Of course it's true." Furina produced a replica pistol from her storage soul tool and handed it to Tang Ya. "This is a prototype made by the Research Department. You can take it and study it. But be careful—whatever you do, don't point it at anyone. It can kill."
She knew full well that on this continent, where soul masters' passive defenses were generally low, even Tang San's Zhuge Divine Crossbow could pose a lethal threat to soul masters below rank forty. Its improved version could even breach the defenses of rank sixty soul masters.
The replica pistol she was giving Tang Ya was certainly no weaker than the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. A single shot to the head could probably take down several Soul Kings without much trouble—though, admittedly, she hadn't actually tested that.
Tang Ya accepted the pistol with the utmost care, cradling it as though it were a rare and priceless treasure. "I can't thank you enough!"
"No need for such formalities." Furina waved her hand. "Now—let's head to Shrek Academy. On the way, I can teach you in detail how to use this weapon."
The four of them gathered their belongings and set out on the road to Shrek Academy. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering flecks of golden light upon the path that stretched before them.