"Don't worry, Xiao Wu is fine."
Tang Lan explained—
"She just went through a life-or-death experience and got a little homesick. She went back to visit for now."
"I'll bring her back after some time."
"No need to worry."
Even though he said this, everyone exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to believe it or not.
After all, she was a 100,000-year soul beast!
And not just any soul beast—she was a Titan Giant Ape, a true anomaly among them!
Tang San confirmed, "Brother is telling the truth."
"On the way, we were ambushed by two Man-Faced Demon Spiders. After a fierce battle, we absorbed their soul rings. Xiao Wu returned on her own in the middle of it."
"According to her, the Titan Giant Ape grabbed her and ran into the forest, but before it got far, a loud ox's bellow rang out."
"The Titan Giant Ape seemed extremely nervous and immediately tossed Xiao Wu aside before running off."
The group was left speechless.
That was... way too lucky, wasn't it?
Then came the real question.
"What kind of soul beast's cry could make a Titan Giant Ape flee in terror?" Zhao Wuji asked, puzzled.
Yu Xiaogang confidently stepped forward, just about to speak—
"It should be the Sky Azure Bull Python." Tang Lan said firmly. "In the Star Dou Great Forest, if the Titan Giant Ape is the King, then the Sky Azure Bull Python is the Emperor."
Yu Xiaogang froze, momentarily stunned!
What made it worse—
Zhao Wuji and the others didn't even question it. Instead, they nodded in realization.
This made Yu Xiaogang feel that something was off!
The intelligence on the Sky Azure Bull Python was something he had only read inside Spirit Hall records.
There was no way ordinary people would know about it.
Yet Tang Lan said one sentence, and they all just accepted it?
Something was very wrong!
And another thing—
How did Tang Lan know?
Just as he was about to ask, Tang Lan continued, "This time, Xiaosan and I actually turned misfortune into fortune—we gained quite a lot."
Yu Xiaogang was immediately distracted, turning his gaze to Tang San.
However, Tang San didn't seem too happy.
He released his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, and beneath his feet, three soul rings in white, yellow, and purple emerged.
"At that time, I was facing a 2,000-year Man-Faced Demon Spider alone. I had no choice but to consume a Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Spirit Ginseng to barely kill it."
"You know how rare Man-Faced Demon Spiders are, Teacher. They're practically impossible to come by."
"So, I didn't wait for whale glue to increase the year limit—I absorbed its soul ring by force."
"Teacher, you've heard of whale glue, right?"
"Fortunately, with Brother's help, nothing went wrong."
Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed deeply!
He had heard about whale glue from Flender.
But this…
He really didn't know about it himself.
So he chose to ignore it.
Man-Faced Demon Spiders were indeed precious, and Tang San's choice wasn't wrong.
But—
A third soul ring at 2,000 years?
And from a Man-Faced Demon Spider at that?
This completely shattered his theories! It exceeded the supposed third soul ring limit of 1,760 years!
And from the way Tang San spoke, Tang Lan played a part in this too?
Just as he was about to question it—
Flender suddenly asked, "Xiaosan, given your level, facing a 2,000-year Man-Faced Demon Spider was extremely dangerous. Tang Lan, were you just standing there watching?"
He was deliberately stirring the pot.
Yu Xiaogang fell for it immediately, turning to glare at Tang Lan.
As his older brother, he actually—
"It wasn't Brother's fault!" Tang San hurriedly explained. "At the time, Brother was fighting a 30,000-year Man-Faced Demon Spider!"
Flender: "…"
Yu Xiaogang: "…"
Everyone else: (●—●)●)●)
"Hiss—"
"Hiss—"
"Hiss—"
Good Heavens!
A 30,000-year Man-Faced Demon Spider?!
Comparing that to a Soul Master's level, that was equivalent to a Six-Ring Soul Emperor!
And on top of that—
The Man-Faced Demon Spider, just like the Titan Giant Ape, was a unique mutant species. A mere hundred-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider could already fight toe-to-toe with thousand-year soul beasts.
A 30,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider?
Even a Seven-Ring Soul Sage might not be able to kill it!
Yet Tang Lan, a Rank 40, Three-Ring Soul Elder, actually took it down?!
This was far more shocking than Tang San killing a 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider!
Flender pretended to drop dead and slouched back.
Yu Xiaogang's worldview shattered—his mind completely froze, entering a full system crash.
His brain was in utter chaos.
Tang Lan, however, remained humble. "I used a bit of trickery," he explained. "At the time, Xiaosan had already killed the smaller Man-Faced Demon Spider. The larger one, in a desperate attempt to save it, ignored the fact that I was about to strike and rushed back to help."
"I seized the opportunity, unleashed my full power, and landed a direct shot on its eye in its lower abdomen using the Barrett—finishing it off in one blow."
"Xiaosan is still the impressive one here."
Upon hearing this, the others found it a bit easier to accept.
But still—
For Tang Lan to hold his own against a 30,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider and find a chance to one-shot kill it…
Even Flender felt inferior.
——
"Then, Sect Master, what soul skill did you obtain?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
Tang Lan smiled mysteriously.
He beckoned Zhu Zhuqing to come closer.
She took a step forward.
Tang Lan's double pupils in his left eye glowed—but then, nothing else happened.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at Tang Lan. Tang Lan smiled back.
The two of them just… stared at each other.
Neither moved.
——
Half a minute later.
Ning Rongrong couldn't hold it in any longer. "So, Uncle Tang, what is your fourth soul skill?"
"I've already activated it," Tang Lan said mysteriously. "Zhuqing, you don't feel anything?"
Zhu Zhuqing frowned in confusion, just about to shake her head when—
Suddenly!
She felt her soul power drop sharply!
Her body tensed up instinctively!
Her soul power was still draining, as if her body had a hole in it.
No matter how hard Zhu Zhuqing searched for the cause, she couldn't find the source.
But one thing was certain—
This soul power-draining ability was identical to Tang San's Life Soul Blue Silver Emperor.
In fact—
Zhu Zhuqing had a gut feeling that if Tang Lan wanted to, he could devour her mental strength and even her life force!
——
"What a terrifying soul skill," Zhu Zhuqing commented. "I didn't even notice it activating—and I was already hit."
Their cryptic back-and-forth drove the rest of the group insane!
—— So what the hell is this fourth soul skill?!
"Curious?" Tang Lan chuckled. "Then why don't you all experience it for yourselves?"
His Life Soul Blue Silver Emperor martial soul manifested—
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple—four soul rings pulsating—all disguised.
The fourth soul ring, however, flickered like a broken lightbulb—
Yet… nothing seemed to happen.
Everyone widened their eyes—
Still no clue.
Still completely baffled.
—— Until.
Their soul power started draining away nonstop—
Only then did their expressions change dramatically!
When did we get hit?!
Their gazes toward Tang Lan turned increasingly strange!
——
Only Flender had a vague sense of unease.
That was his Seven-Ring Soul Sage instinct, warning him of danger!
——
"A parasitic-type soul skill?" Yu Xiaogang speculated. "But the Man-Faced Demon Spider doesn't seem to have that kind of ability—"
He couldn't figure it out!
——
"Teacher, could it be because of Spider God Possession?" Tang San suddenly said. "When Brother killed that Man-Faced Demon Spider, I saw red-gold light emanating from its body—it must have activated Spider God Possession, right?"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up!
"That's it! It must be!" Yu Xiaogang concluded. "This ability likely emerged under the effects of Spider God Possession!"
——
The master and disciple duo started playing their own little riddle game.
Zhao Wuji, annoyed, snapped, "Can you two just speak plainly?! What the hell is Spider God Possession?"
——
This time,
Tang Lan didn't steal Yu Xiaogang's moment.
He let him explain Spider God Possession and enjoy his moment of glory.
Silently Laughing to Himself
Yu Xiaogang really was a useful tool—he filled in all the blanks without Tang Lan even needing to explain anything.
——
"Oh, right, Teacher," Tang San suddenly said, "when Brother killed that Man-Faced Demon Spider, a soul bone dropped! And it was an external soul bone!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed brightly!
External soul bone?!
He had never seen one before!
He immediately said, "Xiaolan, take out that external soul bone and let me have a look!"
Tang Lan sneered internally—you think I'll just show it because you said so?
He tactfully replied, "The Eight Spider Lances would tear my clothes apart. I'll show you another time when there's an opportunity—"
"Aiya! Uncle Tang, what are you afraid of?" Ning Rongrong interrupted. "External soul bones! These are treasures second only to 100,000-year soul rings! Even my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect doesn't have one—hurry and show us!"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't say anything, but she was also staring at Tang Lan directly.
"Yes, Sect Master, let us see this legendary treasure!" Dai Mubai said enviously.
"Uhh…" Oscar weakly raised a hand. "Am I the only one who doesn't know what an external soul bone is?"
Yu Xiaogang was about to step in and act like a big shot.
But before he could, Dai Mubai stole his moment.
"External soul bones are ranked second on a Soul Master's dream list!"
"Regular soul bones come in six types—left leg bone, right leg bone, left arm bone, right arm bone, skull, and torso bone."
"But an external soul bone is the seventh type, far rarer than normal soul bones!"
"The entire Star Luo Empire has only one external soul bone in existence!"
A concise explanation of the insane rarity of external soul bones.
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly added—
"To absorb an external soul bone, the condition is that you must also absorb the soul ring of the soul beast that dropped it."
Tang Lan's brows twitched!
—— There's such a restriction?
That can't be right.
When he absorbed the Eight Spider Lances, he had no issues at all.
Hmm…
Probably just another one of Yu Xiaogang's incorrect theories.
——
Since they were all so eager, Tang Lan decided not to hold back.
He summoned the Eight Spider Lances—
Eight jet-black spider legs pierced through his back, tearing his clothes apart.
Their deep ink-black sheen shimmered in the night, and the sharp tips glowed dangerously, stabbing into their eyes just from looking!
Combined with the menacing, eerie design—
"So cool!" Oscar's eyes shone like stars. "My Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent left leg bone looks so pathetic compared to Sect Master's external soul bone!"
That one sentence stabbed Tang San straight in the lungs!
Both of these soul bones had been right next to him—
Yet neither ended up in his hands?!
Yu Xiaogang, at this moment, completely ignored Tang San.
His eyes burned with passion, admiring the Eight Spider Lances as if gazing upon a peerless beauty.
He was utterly entranced.
Only when Flender coughed did Yu Xiaogang snap out of it.
After another lingering glance at the Eight Spider Lances, he finally got serious—
"Xiaosan, return to Shrek Academy with me."
——
Instantly!
Tang Lan's expression darkened, and his eyes narrowed, locking onto Yu Xiaogang and Flender.
——
So that's it.
They had come here to steal his people.
——
Flender stared back unflinchingly—
Tang San is Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
Why shouldn't Shrek be the one to take him?!
——
The atmosphere grew tense—
A storm was about to break out!
——
(End of Chapter)