Volume One

Chapter 31: The Disabled Grandmaster

"No! Teacher." Willow Leaf Blade, Flying Locust Stone, Coin Dart, Bone Piercing Nail—all sorts of hidden weapons blossomed from Tang San's hands. Some flew in straight lines, others in slanted arcs, but their ultimate destination was the roots of the Ghost Vine. The eyes are one of the few vital points on a soul beast. Seeing the Grandmaster's right shoulder and arm bleeding incessantly, Tang San hurriedly used a strip of cloth to bind it tightly, slowing the bleeding significantly. Even so, the Grandmaster had already fainted from the pain.

"Chi chi chi chi chi chi..." A series of spring-loaded sounds erupted from Tang San's right hand, and immediately, a barrage of silver bolts shot out, heading straight for the Thunder Leopard's eyes. A shrill cry rang out clearly through the Soul Hunting Forest. Evidently, the Ghost Vine had just activated its Parasite ability. More than a dozen thorny, black-purple vines surged out from the grass simultaneously, sweeping toward Tang San and Su Xing in a swirling formation.

Su Xing chanted a spell, and a yellow soul ring lit up on his body. His eyes suddenly turned golden-yellow, and immediately after, the Ghost Vine wrapped around him began to swell. "You mongrel!" Seeing the Grandmaster in this state, Su Xing felt a slight chill. He thought to himself that this guy's martial soul was already incapable of cultivation, his soul power forever stuck below level thirty, and now that he had become a cripple, he was truly a bit pathetic.

Next, the Thunder Leopard shook its head and rolled, and in just a few seconds, it had torn off the Grandmaster's right arm. The Grandmaster's mangled, blood-drenched shoulder was instantly exposed. But what was most terrifying was the Parasite ability of the Ghost Vine. When it attacks, it releases countless tiny seeds that directly parasitize the enemy. As long as the Ghost Vine can provide enough energy, or these seeds absorb enough nutrients, they will grow on the host, and neurotoxins will spread accordingly.

"Bang!" The Grandmaster gradually regained consciousness, a look of pain appearing on his face as groans began to escape his lips. Bodhi Heart Method, one of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts; the heart is like a clear mirror, repelling all evil, and possesses the miraculous effect of neutralizing toxins. Su Xing let out a cold shout, his yellow soul ring lit up again, and he swung the purple-black sickle in his hand violently. A Startling Goose Blade Aura swept out, directly severing all the incoming vines.

After firing a dozen cold-light throwing knives, Tang San did not pause for a second. Stepping on the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he retreated rapidly. At this moment, Tang San's heart had sunk to the bottom; naturally, he could no longer hold anything back. "Thank goodness there's still a pulse." Seeing that the Grandmaster had fainted, Tang San hurriedly checked the pulse on the Grandmaster's left hand, feeling a secret sense of relief.

Tang San pressed one hand against the Grandmaster's chest, channeling his Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy, while his right hand struck out repeatedly, sealing the blood vessels around the Grandmaster's right shoulder to prevent excessive blood loss in the short term. "Awoo!" Switching to Su Xing's side, he discovered that the surface of his skin felt tingly and had already begun to go numb.

Although the thorns on the vines were only an inch long, they were constantly tightening around Su Xing, causing his entire body to ache intensely. At the same time, he realized his body was beginning to go numb. Hearing this, Su Xing nodded slightly and said, "Mm, it's fine. You guys go back first; I can handle the soul beast hunting on my own."

"Teacher, how are you?" Tang San was frantic, hurriedly helping the Grandmaster up from the ground. After the Thunder Leopard broke free from the Blue Silver Grass's binding, its speed became incredibly fast. In an instant, it reached the Grandmaster's side and lunged to bite him. "Brother Su, the teacher's condition is very critical. I must take him back to Nuoding City for treatment immediately." Tang San lifted the Grandmaster and carried him on his back.

Ghost Vine, a terrifying plant-type soul beast. It possesses extremely potent neurotoxins; once pierced by the thorns on its vines, the toxin spreads immediately, continuing until the victim dissolves into a pool of liquid to become nutrients for the Ghost Vine. "Ah!" The Grandmaster let out a miserable scream. "This seems to be... a Ghost Vine?" Su Xing and Tang San were both slightly startled, speaking in unison.

Therefore, this terrifying plant-type soul beast craves fresh blood and feeds on humans or animals, somewhat similar to a man-eating flower. Tang San turned his body, throwing out another dozen cold-light hidden weapons. However, while the pathetic have their pitiable side, they also have their hateful side, so it wasn't worth sympathizing with. The Ghost Vine's attack range was extremely wide, leaving almost no possibility of dodging.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch." Over a dozen cold-light throwing knives were launched by the flick of Tang San's fingers, shooting toward the roots of the Ghost Vine. Tang San's goal was clear; he knew the roots were the lifeblood of the Ghost Vine. Next, the Thunder Leopard's body suddenly stiffened, and it collapsed to the ground, rolling violently. As the Thunder Leopard's life slowly ebbed away, a yellow soul ring slowly condensed and formed above its body.

"Ah~" This also prevented the Ghost Vine from using its Parasite ability on him. There were twelve short arrows fired in total. Under Tang San's instantaneous, precise control, four of the twelve arrows shot into the Thunder Leopard's eyes, and the remaining eight pierced its brain. Tang San raised his hand to brush over the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist, taking out the Tang Sect hidden weapon, the Godly Zhuge Crossbow.

As if it weren't enough, just as Tang San was preparing to take the Grandmaster away, black-purple thorny vines suddenly slithered out from the grass, quickly blocking Tang San's path. Looking at Tang San, he first released his Blue Silver Grass to entangle the incoming Ghost Vine, then suddenly looked up, the purple light in his eyes flaring intensely.

The reason a plant-type soul beast like the Ghost Vine would appear in this place was likely because the Grandmaster's arm was severed and bleeding, which had attracted it. A moment later, all the Ghost Vines wrapped around Su Xing, including the Ghost Vine seeds parasitizing him, were shattered into fine powder. Immediately after, Tang San's lowered hands lifted gracefully from his waist.

Seeing the Grandmaster's arm torn off by the Thunder Leopard, Tang San's eyes turned red. He stomped his feet on the ground, his entire body leaping up and dashing toward the direction of the Grandmaster. "Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts, Bodhi Heart Method!" "These vines actually dare to carry poison? But what can this pathetic bit of poison do to me?"

Seeing this, the Grandmaster was scared pale. Instinctively, he raised his right hand to block the Thunder Leopard's biting attack, but the very next second, a fierce glint flashed in the Thunder Leopard's eyes, and it bit down hard on his arm. By the time Tang San reached the Grandmaster, he found the Grandmaster's shoulder bleeding incessantly, and half of his body had already gone slightly stiff. The next second, Su Xing's body suddenly stiffened, and a layer of dense, thorny vines appeared on him out of nowhere.