The Great Master knew
With his experience, as long as Tang San could describe the appearance of the Soul Beasts, he would be able to identify which species they had encountered, making them far easier to deal with.
Tang San replied, "Let me try." Activating his
The immortal-grade herb "Tears of Longing" had caused a mutation in Tang San's Purple Extreme Demon Eye, not only granting him sharper vision but also vastly improved penetrating power.
He could even use it as a mental shock.
Now, at full power, his gaze pierced through layer upon layer of fog, gradually making out the Soul Beasts that were closing in on them.
When he saw them clearly, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. The individual strength of these Soul Beasts wasn't what made them terrifying — what was terrifying was their sheer numbers.
"Teacher, they're Soul Beasts called 'Pink Ladies.'"
The Great Master was momentarily stunned. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? 'Pink Ladies' are indeed venomous, but even at the ten-thousand-year level, they wouldn't be capable of producing a poison fog of this scale to attack us."
Tang San's expression grew grave. "I'm certain, Teacher. And I know exactly why the poison fog is so dense. There are no fewer than a thousand Pink Ladies out there. Most are only at the hundred-year level, but such a massive number of them can absolutely release enough poison to reach this degree by drawing on the morning mist."
"A thousand? How is that possible?" Horror flickered across the Great Master's eyes, and his stiff features immediately turned solemn.
"What are you talking about? What 'Pink Ladies'?"
The Great Master said in a low voice, "Pink Ladies are a species of Soul Beast. They resemble scorpions in appearance, though far inferior to the Earth King. They're a social species with a relatively docile temperament. Their bodies are semi-transparent and pink, quite striking to look at, which is how they earned the name 'Pink Lady.' Normally, they rarely attack humans on their own initiative — when they spot a Soul Master, they typically keep their distance."
"A single colony might contain anywhere from several dozen to over a hundred individuals, led by the strongest among them. To prevent any colony member from surpassing the leader, the alpha will kill any individual that evolves too quickly. This has resulted in the species very rarely producing ten-thousand-year specimens. Even thousand-year ones are uncommon."
Flandre furrowed his brow. "So what's their actual offensive capability? Just poison?"
The Great Master nodded. "Yes, and their poison isn't particularly potent. The Man-Faced Demon Spider that Tang San once hunted was one of their natural enemies. A single Man-Faced Demon Spider could easily destroy a colony of a hundred Pink Ladies. Among all the poison-based Soul Beasts, they're considered quite low-tier. Their poison is rather special — it's a stimulant-type toxin. In small doses, it's not only harmless but actually causes the affected organism to become hyperactive. However, if too much is inhaled, the target gradually becomes overstimulated, and once that overstimulation reaches a critical point, it drains their life force until they die. Because of their weakness, they have difficulty evolving and have become food for many higher-level Soul Beasts. If Xiao San is right and what we're facing is a colony of a thousand Pink Ladies, then I can say with certainty that a 'Pink Lady Queen' must have appeared among them."
"A Pink Lady Queen is a mutation of the Pink Lady — the most powerful form they can take. For this mutation to occur, the individual must first possess at least three thousand years of cultivation, and secondly, must have devoured over a hundred of its own kind. Once a Pink Lady Queen emerges, she will gather her colony over a wide area, using them as food. Because her strength is vastly superior to ordinary Pink Ladies, most of them are willing to follow her despite the risk of being consumed."
"A single ordinary Pink Lady can't even harm a Soul Master around rank ten. But the toxin secreted by a single Pink Lady Queen is enough to stimulate a rank-fifty Soul Master to death. This particular toxin is almost impossible to guard against — it can even enter the body through the skin. With over a thousand Pink Ladies gathered here releasing poison fog, their goal is to poison us all to death. What I don't understand is why normally docile Pink Ladies would harbor such intense hostility toward us. It almost seems like they're lying in wait for us."
While the Great Master had been explaining the characteristics of the Pink Ladies, Tang San had been silently contemplating the situation. Now, hearing the Great Master finish, he said, "Teacher, do you think this might be because of the Earth King from last night? The Earth King and the Pink Lady are both scorpion-type magical beasts — could they be connected?"
A gleam of light flashed in the Great Master's eyes. "It's possible. Could the Pink Lady Queen of this colony actually be the mate of yesterday's Earth King? That's very likely. Soul Beasts' intelligence increases with their cultivation, and even a Pink Lady Queen is considered relatively fragile among Soul Beasts. The Earth King, on the other hand, was an apex specimen of its kind — its Magma Earth Splitting Strike was even somewhat effective against the Man-Faced Demon Spider. If the Pink Lady Queen offered herself in exchange for its protection, that would be entirely plausible. That Earth King was probably considered fairly strong in this Sunset Forest. Combined with this enormous Pink Lady colony, they could have easily carved out a territory for themselves."
Flandre glanced at Liu Erlong beside him and chuckled. "You beat up her husband, and now she's come for revenge."
Liu Erlong's eyes glinted coldly. "Revenge? Fine then! I'll fight my way out and make them a pair of matching corpses."
The Great Master said solemnly, "The poison fog concentrated by over a thousand Pink Ladies is no trivial matter — we must not take it lightly. We've all inhaled at least a small amount of the toxin already. If not for Xiao San's extraordinary poison-resistant herb, the situation would be grim. There are a few options available to us. One is to charge through using the herb's poison-resistant properties. The more cautious approach would be for Flandre to carry us out of this area one by one using his flight ability — once we're out of the zone, there's no longer a problem. But that would also leave us vulnerable to ambushes from other species of Soul Beasts. Xiao San, you have the most knowledge about poisons. What's your recommendation?"
Tang San replied, "Pink Ladies fundamentally lack offensive power. With our strength, I think we're better off charging through. We just need to maintain a tight formation. Ideally, that Pink Lady Queen will lose patience and come out to attack us herself. If we can eliminate her, these Soul Beasts will lose their leader and retreat on their own. As long as everyone stays within a ten-meter radius centered on me, I can guarantee you won't be affected by the toxin."
Flandre nodded. "Good, it's decided. No time to waste — Xiao San, since you can see the situation outside, you'll guide us. Wuji, bring up the rear. Erlong and the Great Master, you take point. Mubai, you and the others stay in the middle and support us. Watch out for Xiao San, Xiao Ao, and Rongrong. Especially Xiao San's Fragrant Cloud Lily immortal herb. Let's move."
With an accurate assessment of the situation, the fog of confusion lifted, and everyone's fighting spirit rekindled. Each of them, the Great Master included, released their Martial Soul.
Having obtained his third Soul Ring, the Great Master's Martial Soul Luo Sanpao had undergone some changes as well — not only had it grown a size larger, but traces of gold now shimmered through its deep purple fur. Looking at it, if the Great Master truly managed to obtain nine rings, perhaps it really could evolve into a Golden Holy Dragon.
Under Tang San's guidance, using the Fragrant Cloud Lily to ward off the poison, the group advanced cautiously.
The Great Master and Tang San's assessment proved entirely correct. The leader of this Pink Lady colony was indeed a Pink Lady Queen — and she was the mate of yesterday's unfortunate Earth King.
Soul Beasts had their own means of communication. When the Earth King died, it had naturally emitted a particular scent that alerted the Pink Lady Queen. Combined with the residual Earth King aura still clinging to
The encirclement formed by the Pink Ladies wasn't particularly large, but Tang San quickly noticed something wrong.
As they moved, the entire encirclement moved with them.
Though the morning mist was gradually dispersing under the sunlight, a hazy red shroud of poison gas still lingered around them — slightly thinner than before, but still omnipresent.
Tang San halted. "This won't work. The Pink Ladies are moving with us. Visibility is poor and we're in a forest, so our speed is limited. If this goes on, we'll stay trapped in their circle indefinitely. Even with the Fragrant Cloud Lily, we can't keep this up forever. Xiao Ao, prepare some mushroom sausages."
After the advancement of his Soul Power, Oscar could now produce twelve Speed Mushroom Sausages at full capacity — exactly enough for everyone's needs.
Though his own effectiveness with the flight sausage was halved, with two extra to spare (Flandre's own Martial Soul granted him flight, so he didn't need one), Oscar could still fly alongside the others for one full minute.