Light and Darkness Twin-Born, the Devouring of Desire

As Tang San successfully absorbed the Eight Spider Lances, integrating them into his own body, Chen Jieqi, who had been reclining on his couch, sat bolt upright, his eyes suddenly regaining their focus.

Beneath his plain white martial arts attire, pale golden Holy Light surged wildly through his meridians, tracing ancient and sacred patterns beneath his skin.

It was the Heart of the Naaru responding to a distant and familiar aura—an aura carrying greed, bloodlust, and darkness, yet one that vaguely connected to the shattered illusion of Holy Light he had witnessed when he first transmigrated.

"It's the Eight Spider Lances... As expected, it has finally arrived."

He murmured, pressing his fingertips to the center of his brow as he felt the restless resonance.

"No, it's not just the Eight Spider Lances; there is... something even more ancient."

The brand of the Heart of the Naaru continued to burn, and a fragmented, blurry memory flooded into his mind uncontrollably.

Three deities draped in wings of light stood side by side, the holy radiance in their hands weaving into a barrier to hold back an infinite darkness.

The one on the left held a trident, where ocean waves and Holy Light merged; the one on the right had six wings unfurled behind her, the angelic anthem resonating with the Holy Light.

And the one in the center, surrounded by pure Naaru Holy Light, spoke in a voice like the whispering of stars, "As long as the light remains, darkness shall not be born."

Chen Jieqi desperately tried to see the face of the deity in the center, but the memory was too blurred, like a reflection in water. Chen Jieqi could not tell if this was a fragment of true history or an illusion captured by the Heart of the Naaru while drifting through the turbulence of time and space.

That was the final scene he had seen before his transmigration, and it was the initial memory of the Heart of the Naaru.

It turned out that this Holy Light martial soul from the World of Warcraft had not appeared out of thin air; it was itself a fragment of that ancient deity of Holy Light, having fallen into the Douluo Continent under some kind of 'guidance' through the turbulence of time and space, eventually becoming his martial soul.

And the Sea God whom Tang San would later inherit, and the Angel God of Qian Renxue, were the very allies who had stood side by side with him to fight the darkness back then.

"So that's how it is..."

A flash of realization crossed Chen Jieqi's eyes, only for them to sink again.

But if the Holy Light remains, will darkness truly not be born?

Chen Jieqi felt hesitant about this, ripples of doubt churning in his eyes.

As the saying goes, where the sunlight is most intense, the shadows are deepest; light and darkness are, by nature, twins that coexist and reflect one another.

Does the Holy Light I pursue also catalyze some form of darkness?

This suddenly reminded him of a secret he had glimpsed in the memory fragments: the Rakshasa God trials of Bibi Dong were hidden in the deepest part of the Pope's Palace in Martial Soul City, right beneath the feet of that statue of the Angel God, which symbolized the purest light.

Holy Light and evil, light and darkness—it has always been this way. The more extreme the light, the more it will give birth to an equal abyss.

A few days later, Tang San returned to Shrek Academy and went straight to his room.

The dull ache of the Eight Spider Lances piercing his flesh still lingered beneath the clothes on his back.

Though he could not see the appearance of the spider lances on his back, he could clearly perceive their tight connection to his own bones and spirit power meridians.

It was a strange yet powerful force, making him subconsciously feel that this could never be a bad thing.

However, a faint, lingering desire to devour stirred in the depths of his heart, like a dormant viper, always wanting to break free from its restraints.

If not for the internal energy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating slowly through his meridians, suppressing and tempering that greedy desire bit by bit, he feared he might truly be unable to stop himself from reaching out toward the plants, or even his own kind, nearby.

As twilight washed over the walls of Shrek Academy, the figure of Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang appeared at the academy gate. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Flender, his gaze bypassed the crowd and landed directly on the direction of Tang San's room.

His rugged face remained as steady as ever, yet his pace quickened involuntarily, unaware even of the light breeze stirred up by his robes.

When he pushed the door open, Tang San was sitting on the edge of the bed, the protruding outline visible beneath the clothes on his back.

Yu Xiaogang had no wasted words, his voice filled only with concern, "San, take off your clothes."

As he carefully parted the fabric on Tang San's back, the outline of the Eight Spider Lances shimmered with a blue-purple luster under the dim oil lamp, like a cluster of dormant spiders, carrying a soul-devouring magic, he listened to Tang San recount his encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Yu Xiaogang's slightly furrowed brows slowly smoothed out, a flash of unconcealable brilliance crossing his eyes as he spoke in a comforting tone, "San, this is an External Spirit Bone. It is a supreme treasure that spirit masters dream of, second only in value to a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring."

He paused, his rugged face softening slightly, his tone tinged with a mix of heartache and relief, "Moreover, it will continue to evolve as your cultivation grows. It is both the sharpest weapon for offense and the sturdiest barrier for defense—a heaven-sent opportunity that is hard to come by."

Tang San listened in a daze. That desire to devour seemed somewhat pacified by the recognition of it being a "supreme treasure," yet it still lay dormant in the depths of his soul, like a seed ready to break through the soil at any moment.

He looked at the concerned smile of Yu Xiaogang, his voice as low as a gnat's hum.

"Teacher, I always feel that it... wants to devour something."

Yu Xiaogang's movements came to an abrupt halt, and he stood stunned for a moment.

"Tang San, listen to me. An External Spirit Bone carries the instincts of the Soul Beast itself.

The Man Faced Demon Spider is inherently a predatory type of Soul Beast; this desire is merely its residual imprint."

He could feel the tension in Tang San's body.

"But you must remember, you are Tang San, the disciple of Yu Xiaogang.

You only need to use your spirit power to suppress it and your mental strength to control it. Once it completely fuses with your spirit power, this restlessness will gradually subside and become a part of your own strength."

Seeming to think of something else, his tone grew increasingly grave, carrying a cautionary edge.

"Remember, you must overcome this desire.

You must never let it consume your original heart. Once you surrender to this craving for devouring, you will lose control.

By then, every spirit master on the continent will view you as a heretic."

The last sentence struck Tang San's heart like a heavy hammer; he suddenly looked up.

"I understand, Teacher. I will control it; I will never become an Evil Soul Master!"

At dinner, the Shrek team sat around the wooden table, the aroma of steaming meat broth and wheat cakes filling the canteen.

The faint scent of his companions' spirit power lingered in Tang San's nostrils, and that dormant desire to devour suddenly surged upward.

He could even clearly smell the residual flame spirit power on Ma Hongjun's cuffs and the sweet fragrance of Oscar's food-type spirit skills on his fingertips.

Even the scent of sweat on Dai Mubai after training seemed to carry an alluring vitality.

He abruptly lowered his head, burying his face in his bowl, and stirred the broth fiercely with his spoon, forcing himself to focus on the food.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy circulated frantically through his meridians, pinning down the craving that was about to burst from his throat, while the veins on his neck bulged uncontrollably.

"Third Brother, what's wrong? Your complexion is so pale."

Xiao Wu tilted her head, poking his arm with concern.

"Is it because you haven't recovered from absorbing the spirit ring?"

Her eyes curved into crescents as she subconsciously leaned in to check his condition.

Tang San's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he managed to force out a smile, his voice raspy as he gritted his teeth through every word.

"It's nothing, just a bit tired... Eat quickly, and get some good rest afterward."

He deliberately avoided Xiao Wu's gaze, which also caused him to miss his usual focus.

No one noticed that a faint, eerie red light quietly flashed in the depths of Xiao Wu's slightly narrowed eyes.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, Xiao Wu's perception of life force and evil fluctuations was far superior to that of ordinary people.

Looking at Tang San's pale face, she felt an inexplicable panic in her heart.

That aura... although faint, instinctively reminded her of the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

It reminded her of that evil soul beast that even Da Ming and Er Ming feared immensely—

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!

It seemed that something that shouldn't be there had appeared on Third Brother.

She bit her lip, secretly deciding to keep a closer eye on Third Brother's condition over the next few days.