The Netherworld Wolf King was struck by Ye Yin's curse once again, and its limbs went soft, sending it crashing to the ground. It knew it was in a life-or-death battle, but its own body refused to obey its commands. The debilitating effects of the curse grew stronger with each application, making it increasingly difficult for the powerful beast to control its own muscles.
With a furious roar, the Netherworld Wolf King summoned its spirit ability. Two identical copies of itself shimmered into existence, emerging from its flanks. This was the Netherworld Clone, a skill that created two phantom duplicates. These clones were not affected by the curse plaguing the main body and immediately lunged toward Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
While the clones' strength couldn't compare to the original, the Netherworld Wolf King was a five-thousand-year Spirit Beast. The power of its duplicates was still more than enough to challenge Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
The two girls exchanged a knowing glance. In a flash of movement, they dodged past the pouncing clones, their attacks aimed squarely at the real Netherworld Wolf King. They completely ignored the duplicates, understanding that the main body was the only target that mattered.
"Awoo!" the wolf king howled in desperation, ordering the other Netherwolves to protect it. Over a dozen thousand-year wolves charged forward, throwing themselves recklessly in the path of Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
"You two be careful," Ye Yin called out as another wave of his curse landed on the wolf king, locking it down with a powerful control effect.
"Awoo!" The wolf king's body was wracked with pain and involuntary spasms from the curse, a feeling made worse by the relentless attacks from Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. It had roamed the Sunset Forest for thousands of years and had never encountered such a violation—a power that seized control of its very nerves.
"Fatty, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu!" Ye Yin's voice cut through the chaos. "Use your long-range area attacks! Zhuqing, fall back!"
Ma Hongjun's Hellfire Burst, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Light Wave, and Xiao Wu's Jade Rabbit Charge erupted simultaneously. The three powerful attacks bombarded the Netherwolf pack as if their spirit power was limitless. In truth, thanks to Oscar's enhanced Big Recovery Sausages, their spirit power consumption was temporarily zero.
As his friends unleashed their barrage, Ye Yin calmly retrieved his Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow. He took aim at a Netherwolf's head and gently pulled the trigger.
"Bang!" The crossbow let out a loud crack, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. A specially crafted steel bolt shot out and accurately pierced the Netherwolf's skull.
"Puff!" The thousand-year Spirit Beast collapsed to the ground, its life extinguished instantly.
Ning Rongrong stared, stunned by the scene. What was that thing? A thousand-year Netherwolf had been killed so easily, without even a chance to react. Was its attack power really that strong? If she had a weapon like that, she wouldn't be a defenseless support master anymore.
One by one, Ye Yin picked off the wolves with deadly precision. The number of Netherwolves he eliminated single-handedly quickly surpassed the total killed by everyone else combined. Soon, all the lesser wolves were dead, leaving only the severely injured Netherworld Wolf King. It was already a bloody mess from Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Thousand Claws.
With one final attack, Zhu Zhuqing ended its life. The mighty beast fell silent, and a deep purple spirit ring, shimmering with the power of over five thousand years of cultivation, slowly rose from its body.
"Good work," Ye Yin said, satisfied. The area was finally secure. "Zhuqing, go absorb the spirit ring quickly. Be careful, there are a lot of thousand-year spirit rings on the ground. Don't let your spirit power get drawn to the wrong one."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She sat cross-legged beside the Netherworld Wolf King's corpse, and under the guidance of her spirit power, the purple ring swiftly enveloped her body. Waves of intense energy began to wash over her as she started the absorption process.
While Zhu Zhuqing was occupied, the others gathered around Ye Yin, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Flender was the first to speak. "Yin Ge, what was that weapon you just used? How could it have so much attack power? A thousand-year Spirit Beast couldn't even withstand a single shot!"
Ye Yin smiled, looking down at the intricate crossbow in his hand. "I call it the Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow!"
Grandmaster's mind immediately latched onto the name. "Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow? Since it's an upgraded version, does that mean there's a regular Godly Zhuge Crossbow as well?"
Ye Yin nodded. "Little San has something similar called the Godly Zhuge Crossbow. It's just that its attack power is less than a quarter of mine."
[Resentment from Tang San +30!]
Tang San silently produced a heavy iron box from his storage tool. "This is the Godly Zhuge Crossbow," he said, his expression unreadable.
Grandmaster was momentarily stunned. He hadn't realized the weapon belonged to Tang San. It seemed he had inadvertently embarrassed his disciple, but he quickly brushed it off. It wasn't the first time, after all.
Ning Rongrong looked at Ye Yin with hopeful eyes. "Yin Ge, can you sell one of those to me? Name your price. You know I'm a support-type Spirit Master, and I don't have much ability to protect myself. If I had that crossbow, I could finally have some real offensive power."
Dai Mubai gave a wry laugh. "You call that 'some' offensive power? That thing has an insanely high attack! It took down a thousand-year Netherwolf in one shot. Who among us can do that? No one's attack power is as high as that Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow."
"Yin Ge, I want one too," Oscar chimed in with a grin.
Ye Yin smiled at their enthusiasm. "Wanting one is fine. I can make them for you, but you should use them sparingly. Focus on strengthening your own abilities first."
Everyone's faces lit up. The power of the crossbow was undeniable. Facing an enemy who could pull out such a devastating weapon would intimidate any opponent.
Ning Rongrong then mysteriously pulled Ye Yin aside. "Yin Ge," she began in a lower voice, "I have another matter to discuss with you. As you know, I'm from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Although we're one of the Seven Great Sects, our direct disciples are all support-type Spirit Masters. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support ability is very strong, but it's not enough to protect us. If everyone in my clan had an Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow, their ability to defend themselves would greatly increase. I just want my clansmen to be safe."
Ye Yin spread his hands. "If you only need a small number, then of course it's possible. But if you want me to make a lot of them, I won't be able to keep up. The manufacturing process for this thing is very complex."
Though he said that, in reality, Ye Yin could probably make one a day. The main issue was that repeatedly doing such tedious, mechanical work was incredibly boring.
Ning Rongrong sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Alas, I should have thought of that."
Suddenly, an idea struck Ye Yin. He had a System Shop. He could just buy the crossbows from there, as long as the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School provided him with enough resentment points.
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