Just as Tang San successfully absorbed the Eight Spider Lances and fused them with himself,
Chen Jieqi, who had been leaning against the couch, abruptly sat upright. His eyes snapped back into focus.
Beneath his plain white martial outfit, pale golden holy light surged wildly along his meridians, tracing ancient, sacred patterns beneath his skin.
The Heart of the Naaru was responding to some distant yet familiar presence—a presence tinged with greed, bloodlust, and darkness,
yet somehow connected to the presence he had sensed in the shattered vision of holy light when he crossed over.
"The Eight Spider Lances... They really did come."
He murmured under his breath, pressing a fingertip to his brow as he felt the restless resonance,
"No, it's not just the Eight Spider Lances. There's also... something even more ancient."
The mark of the Heart of the Naaru continued to burn hot. A hazy fragment of memory surged uncontrollably into his mind.
Three deities clad in wings of light stood shoulder to shoulder, the holy radiance in their hands weaving into a barrier before an endless darkness.
The one on the left held a trident, sea waves mingling with holy light. The one on the right unfurled six wings, an angel's hymn resonating with holy light.
The one in the middle was surrounded by pure Naaru Holy Light. His voice was like the whisper of stars.
"Light cannot perish, and darkness cannot arise."
Chen Jieqi desperately tried to make out the face of the deity in the middle, but the memory was too vague.
Like a reflection in water, it was impossible to tell whether this was a real fragment of history or an illusion the Heart of the Naaru had seized from the temporal turbulence.
That was the last image he had seen before crossing over, and the Heart of the Naaru's very first memory.
So this holy-light Martial Soul from World of Warcraft hadn't appeared from nowhere. It was itself a fragment of that ancient deity of holy light,
guided by something through the temporal turbulence into Douluo Continent, where it had ultimately become his Martial Soul.
And the Sea God inherited by Tang San and the Angel God of Qian Renxue were the very allies who had once stood beside him against the darkness.
"So that's how it is..."
Realization flashed through Chen Jieqi's eyes, then faded into shadow.
But if holy light never perished, did that really mean darkness could never arise?
Chen Jieqi wasn't so sure. Doubt rippled through his eyes.
As the saying went, the brighter the sunlight, the deeper and darker the shadows. Light and darkness were twins, born together and reflecting one another.
Could the holy light he pursued also be giving rise to some kind of darkness?
He was abruptly reminded of the secret he had glimpsed in the memory fragment: Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God Trial lay hidden in the deepest part of the Pope's Palace in Spirit City,
right beneath the Angel God Statue, a symbol of the purest light.
Holy light and evil, light and darkness—it had always been this way. The more perfect the light, the more it gave rise to an equal abyss.
A few days later, after returning to Shrek Academy, Tang San headed straight to his room.
Beneath the clothes on his back, he could still feel the dull pain where the Eight Spider Lances had pierced his flesh.
Though he couldn't see the Spider Lances on his back, he could clearly sense how closely they were connected to his bones and Soul Power meridians.
It was an unfamiliar yet powerful force, and instinctively, he felt it couldn't be a bad thing.
Still, a faint, persistent urge to devour stirred within him, like a venomous snake lying in wait, always looking for a chance to break free.
If the Mysterious Heaven Skill's internal energy hadn't been slowly circulating through his meridians, suppressing and tempering that greedy desire bit by bit,
he feared he might truly have reached out to devour the plants around him—or even those like himself.
As dusk spread over the walls of Shrek Academy,
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang appeared at the academy gates. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Flender,
his gaze swept past the crowd and fixed directly on Tang San's room.
His rugged face was as composed as ever, but his steps quickened without his noticing. He didn't even realize the breeze stirring his robe's hem.
When he pushed the door open, Tang San was sitting on the edge of the bed, the outline of something beneath the clothes on his back.
Yu Xiaogang wasted no words. His voice was filled with concern.
"Xiao San, take off your clothes."
Carefully, he lifted the fabric on Tang San's back. The outline of the Eight Spider Lances gleamed blue-violet beneath the dim oil lamp, like a nest of lurking spiders radiating a murderous magic.
As he worked, he listened to Tang San describe what had happened in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Yu Xiaogang's slightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and a glint of excitement he could barely conceal flashed in his eyes. His voice was reassuring.
"Xiao San, this is an External Soul Bone, a treasure every Soul Master dreams of. Its value is second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."
He paused, his rugged face softening with emotion, his voice tinged with sympathy and relief.
"And it will continue to evolve as you grow stronger. It's both the sharpest weapon of attack and the strongest shield of defense—a heaven-sent opportunity that few ever encounter."
Tang San listened in a daze. The urge to devour seemed somewhat soothed by the thought that this was a "treasure," yet it still lurked in the depths of his soul, like a seed ready to sprout at any moment.
Looking at Grandmaster's concerned smile, he spoke so quietly he could barely be heard.
"Teacher, I keep feeling like it... wants to devour something."
Yu Xiaogang's movements stopped abruptly. He stared blankly for a moment.
"Xiao San, listen. An External Soul Bone carries the instincts of its Soul Beast.
"The Man Faced Demon Spider is a devouring-type Soul Beast. This urge is simply the remnant imprint it left behind."
He could feel how tense Tang San had become.
"But remember, you are Tang San, my Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
"You only need to suppress it with Soul Power and control it with your mind. Once it has completely fused with your Soul Power, this restlessness will gradually calm down and become part of your strength."
As if he had thought of something else, his tone grew grave, carrying a note of warning.
"Remember, you must overcome this desire.
"Never let it devour your true self. If you give in to this hunger, you'll lose control.
"And then, every Soul Master on the continent will see you as an outcast."
His final words struck Tang San like a heavy hammer. He looked up sharply.
"I understand, Teacher. I'll control it. I'll never become an Evil Soul Master!"
At dinner, the members of Shrek sat around a wooden table. The dining hall was filled with the aroma of steaming meat soup and flatbread.
The faint auras of Soul Power around his companions drifted past Tang San's nose, and the dormant urge to devour suddenly surged.
He could even smell the traces of flame Soul Power lingering on Ma Hongjun's sleeve and the sweet fragrance of the food Soul Skill at Oscar's fingertips.
Even the sweat on Dai Mubai after training seemed to carry an enticing vitality.
He abruptly lowered his head and buried his face in his bowl, stirring the soup fiercely with his spoon as he forced himself to focus on the food.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill's internal energy raced through his meridians, firmly suppressing the desire that was about to surge up his throat. The veins in his neck bulged uncontrollably.
"Third Brother, what's wrong? You look so pale."
Xiao Wu tilted her head and gave his arm a worried poke.
"Are you still recovering from absorbing your Soul Ring?"
Her eyes curved with concern, and she instinctively leaned closer to get a better look at him.
Tang San's Adam's apple bobbed sharply. He forced out a smile, his voice hoarse, every word dragged out through gritted teeth.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired... Hurry and eat. Then we can get some rest."
He deliberately avoided Xiao Wu's gaze, which made him miss the intensity usually in her eyes.
No one noticed the faint yet uncanny red glimmer that quietly flashed in Xiao Wu's slightly narrowed eyes.
As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, Xiao Wu's senses for life force and evil fluctuations far surpassed those of ordinary people.
Looking at Tang San's pale face, she felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease.
That aura... Though faint, it instinctively reminded her of the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest,
of the Evil Soul Beast that even Da Ming and Er Ming greatly feared—
the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
It seemed like there was something on Third Brother that shouldn't be there.
She bit her lip and secretly decided to keep a closer eye on Third Brother over the next few days.