Tang San awkwardly put on the formal attire that Gu Chen handed him and said, "Brother Chen, I heard what you just said about External Spirit Bones. Thank you for telling me."
Gu Chen waved his hand dismissively, indicating that it was nothing.
At this moment, Ma Hongjun curiously stared at the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back and reached out to touch them. However, his hand was immediately slapped away by Gu Chen.
"Gu Chen, what was that for?" Ma Hongjun pouted, looking wronged.
Seeing his pitiful expression, Gu Chen felt a shiver down his spine and said grumpily, "If you want to be poisoned by the Man-Faced Demon Spider and die here, go ahead and touch it."
Ma Hongjun shuddered in fear and quickly took several steps back. "I won't touch it! Thank you for the warning, Brother Gu!"
Zhao Wuji smiled at the group of youngsters before him, feeling relieved. "Although we encountered quite a bit of trouble and faced several dangers, we finally made it through. Oscar, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Gu Chen, and Gu Yuena all successfully obtained their spirit rings and advanced to new levels. Our gains were quite significant. It's time to head back. Let's set off for Shrek Academy."
Even though some time had passed, Zhao Wuji had only recovered about fifty percent of his strength after using his Martial Spirit Avatar. Because of this, the group remained extremely cautious as they left the Star Dou Forest. Each person was equipped with one of Oscar's Mushroom Sausages and Recovery Sausages, while also maintaining an optimal defensive formation.
As they walked out of the Star Dou Forest, Xiao Wu repeated to Tang San everything Gu Chen had explained earlier, also telling him about her new third spirit ring.
Tang San asked curiously, "Xiao Wu, Brother Gu, Sister Na'er, what are your new spirit abilities?"
"That's a secret," the three of them answered in unison.
Suddenly, Tang San said, "Oh, I almost forgot something! Teacher Zhao, please wait a moment before we continue."
Zhao Wuji stopped and looked at Tang San. "What's the matter?"
Tang San ran his hand over his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges storage device and took out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. He had just remembered that the last time he cocked the crossbow, he hadn't fired it yet. If the mechanism remained tense for too long, it could damage the structure. Luckily, only a day had passed, so it wasn't too late to release the tension.
Once the Zhuge Divine Crossbow was cocked, it had to be fired to reset the mechanism—this was one of its design flaws.
Seeing the crossbow in Tang San's hands, Xiao Wu suddenly realized, "So this is what you used to kill the Man-Faced Demon Spider! No wonder—it's so powerful. The Man-Faced Demon Spider's eyes definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand that!"
Although she knew that the spider had been gravely injured beforehand, even a wounded Man-Faced Demon Spider wasn't something an ordinary Spirit Grandmaster could easily kill. Now that she saw the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, she finally understood what Tang San had relied on to land the killing blow.
The others overheard their conversation, and it dawned on them that they had never actually paid attention to how the Man-Faced Demon Spider had died. They had been too preoccupied with the tense situation and then focused on Tang San absorbing the spirit ring. Now, as they looked at the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, their gazes were filled with curiosity and awe.
Tang San decided to show them exactly what it could do. After all, following their ordeal in the Star Dou Forest, he had grown to trust these companions. Mechanized hidden weapons weren't the true secrets of the Tang Sect, so he had no reason to hide them.
Lifting his hand, Tang San aimed the Zhuge Divine Crossbow at a large tree nearby and pressed the trigger.
Click, click, click! A series of rapid mechanical sounds rang out. The next instant, the group barely caught a glimpse of the action before a succession of sharp thwip sounds followed.
The speed was so astonishing that even Zhao Wuji's face changed.
Even Gu Yuena's expression shifted slightly.
Only Gu Chen remained calm. Knowing the original storyline was one reason, but the real reason for his composure was that after unlocking his fourth seal, he had gained the Golden Dragon King's defensive ability.
This "defense" wasn't merely physical toughness—it was a property that counteracted penetration. His skin now acted like an external armor, shielding his body.
The first three seals he had unlocked had granted him the Golden Dragon King's Piercing Power, Tearing Attribute, and Shattering Attribute, while the fourth seal had granted Defense.
To be honest, before unlocking the fourth seal, even Gu Chen himself wouldn't have been able to withstand the Zhuge Divine Crossbow's attack.
Everyone's expressions changed, filled with shock.
Approaching the tree, they clearly saw two neat rows of sixteen small holes, each about the width of a finger. Sunlight streamed through them, revealing that they had penetrated straight through.
Zhao Wuji couldn't help but ask, "Tang San, what is this thing? How did you do that?"
Tang San held up the Zhuge Divine Crossbow for everyone to see. "I call it the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. It's an extremely potent mechanical hidden weapon that anyone can use. It holds forty-eight bolts, and once cocked, it can fire sixteen at a time in an instant. Just like what you saw just now. However, once cocked, it must be fired; otherwise, keeping it under tension for too long can damage the crossbow's structure. Because of the strong tension needed for this kind of repeating crossbow, metal components may become worn over time. That's one of its flaws."
Dai Mubai frowned in confusion. "Wait, you're saying those were crossbow bolts? But… where did they go?"
Tang San smiled and pointed at another tree a bit further away. "Over there."
Everyone turned their heads. The second tree was about ten meters behind the first. As they walked over, they saw that the Zhuge Divine Crossbow bolts had completely embedded themselves in its trunk.
Zhao Wuji glanced at the first tree, then at the second. "Xiao San… Are you saying that your crossbow bolts actually pierced straight through the first tree and embedded themselves into this one?"
Tang San nodded. "The Zhuge Divine Crossbow has immense power and is designed to pierce through spirit power defenses. If one's defense isn't incredibly strong, they could be instantly killed."
Hearing this, the group collectively took a sharp breath.
Such terrifying penetration! Among those present, aside from Zhao Wuji, everyone knew that they wouldn't be able to withstand such an attack.
Dai Mubai murmured to himself, "This thing is too powerful… Even if I used White Tiger Vajra Transformation, I'd probably be seriously injured."
Tang San then walked up to the tree and began extracting the bolts using Mysterious Heaven Skill combined with Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow's bolts were not easy to craft—he definitely didn't want to waste them. The ones embedded in the Man-Faced Demon Spider were already lost, but he wouldn't let these go to waste.
As he worked, he said to Dai Mubai, "The Zhuge Divine Crossbow is a nightmare for ordinary warriors. Its greatest advantage isn't just its power, but its hidden nature and element of surprise. Once cocked, it doesn't require spirit power to fire. Even ordinary people can use it. Based on my calculations, spirit masters below rank forty would have a very slim chance of survival if hit directly. It's extremely effective against non-defense-type spirit masters."
Ning Rongrong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Tang San, did you invent this?"
Tang San froze briefly, then forced a smile. "You could say that." He obviously couldn't tell them that this was a technique he had brought from another world.
Ning Rongrong then cautiously asked, "Could you… sell one to me? Name your price. You know I'm a support-type spirit master—I have almost no self-defense capability. When everyone is fighting for their lives, all I can do is stand aside and watch. If I had one of these, at least I'd have some attack power."
Tang San chuckled. "No need to buy it. I'll make one for you later. But the materials are expensive—you'll have to cover that cost yourself."
At that moment, he finished retrieving the bolts from the tree. Only now did the others get a clear look at them.
(End of Chapter)