The Trap and the Carnage

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After Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing parted ways, Tang San did not flee far away, but instead sneaked into the nearby Soul Beast Forest.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and death, yet it gave him a morbid sense of comfort. He sat cross-legged on the edge of a swamp covered in dark purple vines, his Soul Power surging around him, not for cultivation, but for absorption.

Countless jet-black, barbed Dark Blue Silver Grass sprouted from beneath him, like hungry venomous snakes, silently coiling around the weak or injured Soul Beast nearby.

Accompanied by barely audible groans, the life force and Soul Power of those Soul Beast transformed into wisps of black mist, which were frantically absorbed by the Blue Silver Grass and then flowed into Tang San's body. An abnormal flush appeared on his pale face, a brief satisfaction brought about by the forced infusion of life force.

"Cough..." He covered his mouth, dark blood foam seeping from between his fingers.

The price he paid for being forcibly pulled back from the brink of certain death by that mysterious person was far greater than he had imagined.

Not only did it burn a large amount of Soul Power, life force, and spiritual power, but it also made its Titled Douluo realm teeter on the brink of collapse, almost falling back to Soul Douluo.

With his foundation damaged and recovery as slow as a tortoise's crawl, he had no choice but to rely on this unorthodox method once again to maintain his condition and prolong his life.

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Tang San originally thought that getting close to Ning Rongrong, who was under the strict protection of the Spirit Hall Empire, would require a long wait and meticulous planning. Perhaps he would have to wait until she recovered some of her strength, or perhaps he would have to wait for the next turning point.

However, just half a month later, a secret communication reached him—from Zhu Zhuqing.

The information was simple, yet it was enough to make Tang San's heart pound.

"Ning Rongrong will secretly go out to undergo a divine test; this is the route and schedule." A simple yet clear map was also attached.

"Ha... hahahaha!" Tang San's fingers, gripping the intelligence, turned white from the force, and a suppressed, hoarse laugh erupted from his chest, his eyes flashing with long-lost excitement.

"Heaven is helping me! It really is heaven helping me!" he murmured, as if he could already see the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master falling into his control, as if another piece of the Shrek Seven Devils puzzle was completed, and as if his hope of turning the tide through this was greatly increased.

But the laughter stopped abruptly the next moment.

His numerous experiences of being surrounded, severely injured, and on the verge of death quickly calmed him down, and even instilled a sense of instinctive wariness.

"Zhu Zhuqing ..." he murmured to himself. He didn't believe that this girl, whom he remembered as "docile" and "dependent on Dai Mubai" in his previous life, had the courage or motive to betray him, and the reasons she gave were also logical.

But it went too smoothly. So smoothly that it felt unreal to someone like him who had struggled on the edge of life and death for so long.

He pondered for a moment, a sinister resolve flashing in his eyes.

He cautiously did not reply to Zhu Zhuqing, nor did he tell her his specific action plan.

He decided to abandon Zhu Zhuqing and act alone, only informing the mysterious person of the approximate time and direction of the operation, and requesting that he provide the necessary remote support and assistance.

He wanted to keep the initiative completely in his own hands, so that even if Zhu Zhuqing really had a problem, he could retreat smoothly.

A mysterious figure lurking in the shadows witnessed everything.

It didn't stop Tang San's decision, but the lingering sense of unease became increasingly clear.

"Smoothly... unusually." It seemed to be stating to the void, "Acquiring Oscar and Ma Hongjun was almost without any significant resistance. Zhu Zhuqing encountered some setbacks, but she didn't pose any real obstacle. Now, the most crucial one, Ning Rongrong, who should have been the most carefully protected, has deliberately exposed herself and revealed her weaknesses?"

He has witnessed too much, based on logical judgment accumulated from a vast amount of experience with conspiracies and betrayals.

The process of collecting these "Shrek Seven Devils" along the way was so smooth that it didn't feel like fighting against a unified, powerful, and vigilant empire; it felt more like being baited into a trap.

As for Ning Rongrong, a treasure of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a divine examiner, and an important asset of the Spirit Hall Empire, the timing of her departure to take the divine examination is suspiciously coincidental.

"Is it a trap? Or... a genuine oversight?" The mysterious figure silently calculated the various possibilities, but in the end, it did not forcibly intervene in Tang San's affairs.

In his past life's memories, the Shrek Seven Devils shared a very deep friendship...

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Inside the dark lair, Oscar and Ma Hongjun huddled in their respective corners. The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh and blood from Soul Beast, along with the uncontrollable, scorching, and frenzied fluctuations of Soul Power emanating from Ma Hongjun.

Tang San has just announced his action plan targeting Ning Rongrong.

Oscar's face appeared even paler in the dim light, his lips moved, but in the end it all turned into a barely audible sigh.

That's too risky!

He repeatedly considered the veracity of the intelligence, the protective forces around Ning Rongrong... Each thought increased the risk significantly.

He wanted to say something, but when his gaze swept over Ma Hongjun, who was breathing unsteadily beside him, and then caught sight of the silent figure watching them from the shadows, all his words stuck in his throat.

Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, was in much worse condition.

The forcefully injected power surged through his body like boiling magma, amplifying the negative effects of the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul to the extreme.

His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing was heavy, and the blood vessels under his skin faintly showed an abnormal dark red color. His whole body looked like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

What did Tang San just say about "action" and "Ning Rongrong"?

He didn't hear a single word. Raging evil thoughts and bestiality burned his reason, and everything in his vision was shrouded in a distorted color of desire. At this moment, even if a Soul Beast passed by, it would probably look "handsome" to him.

Oscar saw Ma Hongjun's miserable state, and his heart sank.

Is this the price of rapid "improvement"?

He was even more resistant to the "help" the mysterious man might offer him, but when he was weaker and had no choice in the matter, he had no room to struggle.

Despite refusing multiple times during this period, his strength was still forcibly raised to level 78 of Soul Saint.

Chapter 308 Trap and Tragedy

On the other side, after learning that Tang San had attacked Zhu Zhuqing, the city lord of Star Luo City, Bibi Dong immediately rushed there without stopping.

The message was transmitted via encrypted soul-guided communication; the cold, concise text appeared before Bibi Dong.

"Confirmed. Target Tang San appeared at the Star Luo City Lord's Mansion, attacked the Star Luo City Lord, and had a brief conflict with City Lord Zhu Zhuqing before fleeing. Zhu Zhuqing was injured but not in mortal danger. His trail has completely disappeared at the edge of the Soul Beast Forest near the Star Luo Empire, and conventional detection scans have found nothing."

Tang San! That beast who murdered his master actually dared to show himself, and even dared to attack Zhu Zhuqing at the Star Luo City Lord's Mansion!

Was he provoking her, mocking her incompetence in the pursuit?

Bibi Dong would get extremely excited every time she saw information about Tang San, her eyes brimming with killing intent.

"Ugh--!" Due to excessive emotional excitement, the Eight Spider Lances behind her involuntarily pierced through her clothes, appearing ferociously and terrifyingly behind Bibi Dong. The purplish-black Rakshasa Divine Power surged through her meridians like an out-of-control venomous snake, bringing pain that was almost like being crushed to pieces.

However, even more intense than the excruciating pain was the rage and murderous intent that almost burned away reason.

The image of Yu Xiaogang's withered and tragic death flashed wildly through her mind, along with the intelligence about the attack on Star Luo City. New and old grudges, like boiling lava, swept away the last trace of hesitation.

She suddenly stood up, a terrifying purplish-black aura erupting from her body. She wanted to drag that bastard out immediately, crush his bones inch by inch, extract his soul, and make him wail in purgatory for eternity!

Bibi Dong's figure transformed into a dark purple streak of light and hurtled away.

Behind Bibi Dong, a golden streak of light followed her across the sky; it was Qian Renxue, who was in charge of supervising her!

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Almost at the same moment Bibi Dong set off, the Rakshasa God, far away in the Divine Realm, sensed it.

Her dark purple eyes looked down at the world below.

"Finally, they've taken action. I thought Bibi Dong was just a useless piece of trash." She leaned lazily against her throne, but her thoughts had already pierced through layers of spatial barriers, instantly locking onto the approximate location of Star Luo City on Douluo Star.

However, this expedition also yielded nothing.

Her divine sense swept across Star Luo City, allowing her to clearly perceive everything within it... but she couldn't find Tang San.

She immediately thought of several possibilities, but the one that concerned her the most was the invisible yet real force that influences the course of all things—fortune.

At her level, she could vaguely perceive and understand the role and importance of "luck," this ethereal and intangible phenomenon.

That is a deviation in the world's will, and one of the fundamental reasons why some individuals can always turn danger into safety and survive desperate situations.

When Tang San was chosen as the divine examiner, besides his depravity and ruthlessness that perfectly matched her divine position, she had also secretly observed his "luck".

At that time, Tang San's luck had dissipated significantly due to the exposure of his background, which led to him being despised and wanted by the entire continent, making it complex and obscure. However, its core remained exceptionally strong, like a candle flickering in the wind. It seemed like it could go out at any moment, but it could always tremble and light up again, occasionally causing some commotion. Its tenacity was astonishing.

This is also one of the reasons why she was willing to choose Tang San over Bibi Dong, and even "invest" in Tang San – those with good fortune often bring more "surprises".

Although Bibi Dong was stronger than Tang San at that time, and her resentment and killing intent were extremely in line with her divine position, her luck was much worse than Tang San's.

She no longer tried to investigate Tang San directly, but instead focused more of her attention on Bibi Dong.

With his help, if Bibi Dong still fails, then Tang San's luck would be far too strange.

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Bibi Dong's dark purple streak of light suddenly stopped halfway through her journey. Qian Renxue, who was following closely behind, immediately became alert, and the Angel Holy Sword appeared in her hand.

Besides monitoring Bibi Dong, she also had the task of immediately executing Bibi Dong if she fell into depravity.

"New intelligence on the Spirit Hall Empire, deciphered." Bibi Dong's voice was dry and hoarse, filled with suppressed ferocity. "Tang San's next target... is Ning Rongrong. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the Nine-Colored Goddess Examiner."

This news added a touch of doubt to her already surging murderous intent.

What is Tang San looking for the Divine Examiner for?

Plunder the Divine Examination?

Because of Tang San's previous actions, this thought subconsciously surfaced in Bibi Dong's mind.

But afterwards, even she herself found it absurd.

How could the gods tolerate a fallen being seizing their inheritance through devouring and plundering?

But no matter what he wanted to do, Bibi Dong didn't care; she would never let Tang San go.

The purple light in her eyes intensified. She slightly adjusted her direction and increased her speed, rushing towards the approximate location of Ning Rongrong's divine test—the area called "Flowing Light Valley."

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Bibi Dong's figure was shrouded in a wide, purplish-black robe, which made her face appear unusually pale. The aura of depravity and hatred emanating from her seemed tangible, making her look less like a living person and more like a vengeful female ghost who had crawled back from hell to the human world.

Qian Renxue maintained a subtle distance from her at all times.

At this moment, Qian Renxue's golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her platinum battle dress outlined her beautiful figure. When her six wings spread out, they scattered golden light. She was as perfect as a battle angel from mythology, forming a dazzling contrast with Bibi Dong's gloomy and God of Evil aura.

As the supervisor, Qian Renxue bears the responsibility of executing Bibi Dong if she completely loses control and endangers the interests of the empire.

This supervisory task forced her to spend long periods of time, at close range Bibi Dong on the ground.

As time went by, Qian Renxue naturally pieced together that unbearable past from Bibi Dong's delirious ramblings when she lost control and the source of her unforgettable killing intent towards Tang San —about Yu Xiaogang, about betrayal, and about the reason for her death and resurrection.

Having been taught Qian Xunji Qian Renxue felt a sense of absurd incomprehension about this deep down.

For a former lover who had long abandoned him and was cowardly and incompetent, he became so obsessed with revenge that he even ventured deep into the forbidden core of the Star Dou Great Forest, only to be surrounded and killed by Ferocious Beast...

In her view, this was utterly foolish.

A qualified deacon of the Spirit Hall should know how to assess the situation, act within one's capabilities, seek support when one's strength is insufficient, and formulate a meticulous plan, rather than being blinded by hatred and needlessly throwing one's life away.