The next moment, a black-clad assailant without visible soul rings charged directly toward Ye Wen's group.
Similarly, two other black-clad assailants without visible soul rings rushed toward Tang San's side.
Seeing the two charging at him, Tang San's originally bloodthirsty gaze narrowed. The smooth flow of his earlier rampage had been interrupted.
Tang San immediately realized these two were experts. As they drew closer, his acute sixth sense screamed in warning.
Without hesitation, and adhering to the Tang Sect's doctrine—once an opponent is identified as a significant threat, they must be eliminated mercilessly—Tang San unleashed his most devastating weapon.
Cluster Soul Chasing Ball
Ranked fifth among mechanical-type hidden weapons of the Tang Sect, this weapon combined both mechanical and hand-thrown designs. Upon impact, one ball released multiple poison needles, while the other emitted toxic gas. The higher the user's soul power, the greater its destructive force.
Though Tang San lacked the sponsorship of top-tier poisons due to the absence of support from figures like Dugu Bo or the Ice-Fire Dual Eye, and his current cultivation was only around level 40, he couldn't maximize the weapon's potential.
However, during the earlier battle, the attackers had already witnessed the devastating effects of Tang San's bizarre hidden weapons. Moreover, these Cluster Soul Chasing Ball were nothing more than two simple spheres!
Adhering to the principle that the stranger the design, the greater the power, the two attackers hesitated for a moment and instinctively raised their defenses.
At this point, Tang San finally discerned the attackers' strength—they were both Soul Sages with seven soul rings!
Recognizing this, Tang San smirked devilishly.
Since Ye Wen hadn't intervened to claim the Dragon Whisker Needles, they had fallen into Tang San's possession just as in the original storyline. Now, he had incorporated them into the Cluster Soul Chasing Ball, amplifying their power.
The Dragon Whisker Needles were specifically designed to penetrate protective soul barriers!
Though the two Soul Sages weren't defensive-type soul masters, they had activated their True Body Armor upon manifesting their martial souls. Unfortunately, whether it was their martial souls or their armor, their core composition relied on soul power—and the Dragon Whisker Needles were precisely tailored to counteract that.
Even Zhao Wuji, whose defense was nearly maxed out, couldn't withstand the Dragon Whisker Needles head-on—let alone these two Soul Sages.
The two attacking Soul Sages let out agonized screams, and Tang San used this opportunity to retreat behind the protection of two powerful Soul Sage elders: Flender and Liu Erlong.
Ye Wen caught sight of this scene out of the corner of his eye and felt a pang of pity for the two Soul Sages from the Spirit Hall. Without special techniques to remove them, the Dragon Whisker Needles would transform into spiraling springs once lodged in the body. The only way to extract them would involve cutting into the flesh.
This thought sent shivers down Ye Wen's spine. He inwardly regretted not spending more time intercepting the Dragon Whisker Needles earlier. From now on, he'd have to be wary of Tang San's underhanded tactics. Thankfully, he had never relied solely on True Body Armor for defense.
Meanwhile, things were also taking a turn for the worse on Ye Wen's side. As the attacker approached, they activated their soul rings—revealing themselves to be a Soul Douluo with eight soul rings!
This was absurd!
Seriously? With your level of cultivation, you're still stooping to such underhanded tactics? Is something wrong with you—or with me?
Before the Soul Douluo could make a move, Huo Yu'er said, "Their spiritual power is too high—they've seen through my first soul skill. Everyone, be careful."
Ye Wen and the others nodded, unsurprised. Everyone present came from esteemed lineages and understood the importance of spiritual power and its applications for high-level soul masters.
After all, not everyone with a prestigious lineage was as blind as Tang San, failing to recognize even a ten-thousand-year Titan Ape and foolishly attempting to fight it with less than level 30 soul power.
Tang San had pulled off countless absurd stunts like this. It was baffling where this protagonist got his unwavering confidence.
Faced with such a superpower, the standard response was…
Ye Wen first entered his martial soul state, summoning an Earth Wall to barely block the opponent for a second. Then, he shouted toward the carriage:
"Grandma, wake up! Someone's bullying us!"
The next instant, an overwhelmingly powerful surge of soul power erupted.
Before the attacking Soul Douluo could react after breaking through the Earth Wall, a blur shot out from the carriage. A resounding slap landed squarely on the attacker's face, sending them crashing to the ground.
Huo Rui's voice rang out angrily: "Damn it! So you're the bastard who dared to bully my grandson-in-law, huh?"
The attacking Soul Douluo…
'Umm, ma'am, I haven't even made a move yet. Who's bullying whom here?'
In the world of soul masters, those capable of defeating opponents one rank above them were considered top-tier geniuses. Those who could surpass two ranks were outright prodigies—like Tang San. Still, no matter how you looked at it, a Soul Elder challenging a Soul Sage was a losing proposition.
Any smart soul master would have fled at the first sign of trouble. If escape wasn't an option, they'd seek protection from a stronger ally. Tang San's reckless decision to engage in a direct confrontation was pure foolishness.
But Ye Wen knew Tang San wasn't truly unintelligent. Given Tang San's deep admiration for his father, Tang Hao, Ye Wen speculated that Tang San might have known about Tang Hao's true strength early on, which explained his blind loyalty. Later, knowing Tang Hao had his back, Tang San grew bolder, engaging in reckless, life-threatening challenges.
After all, in his previous life, Tang San's defining trait was caution—only resorting to desperate measures when absolutely necessary. He wasn't someone who acted recklessly without thought.
At this moment, Huo Rui gave the attacker no chance to explain. After grabbing them, she unleashed a series of fluid, brutal attacks. Each strike landed with bone-crushing force, making Ye Wen wince just from watching.
However, Xiao Wu, the violent little dancer, watched with great interest, muttering under her breath, "That's the way! That's the way! This kind of attack is much more satisfying than my Eight Stage Drop. In the future, I'll have to learn a few moves from Grandma Huo."
These words left Ye Wen with a headache. Her wrestling-loving violent loli persona was already strange enough, and now she wanted to switch to boxing? What was he supposed to do with that?
Before Ye Wen could ponder further, perhaps unwilling to lose such a valuable asset as a Soul Douluo, a hidden powerhouse decided to intervene.
The next instant, a streak of golden light shot toward Huo Rui from afar.
Huo Rui frowned, activating several enhancement-type soul skills in succession. She countered with a fierce palm strike, colliding with the sharp claw that emerged from the golden light.
Neither side held back, and though the impact wasn't directed at anyone else, Ye Wen and the others still felt a suffocating pressure in their chests.
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