Oscar Loses a Hand? Tang San Loses a Finger! Xiao Wu Weeps Bitterly: Third Brother! (Please Read On!)

If he hadn't known the original story and how sensitive the Titan Giant Ape was to Xiao Wu's scent,

Huang Yan would have taken this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit by force today, no matter what.

But under the circumstances, forget abducting her—even the slightest trace of Xiao Wu's scent on him

would bring the Titan Giant Ape down on him in a frenzied, all-out pursuit!

"Forget it. Taking care of business comes first."

Huang Yan stopped lingering. His wings beat fiercely, and he shot straight into the night, entering the Star Dou Great Forest.

His primary goal in coming here was to hunt for his third Spirit Ring.

Below, though, the members of Shrek reacted in very different ways to the "gift" Huang Yan had left behind as he departed.

"Get out of the way!

Whatever you do, don't touch that thing with Soul Power!"

Having just paid a terrible price and lost an arm, Zhao Wuji was now sharper than ever.

Zhao Wuji let out a furious roar.

With his only remaining hand, he snatched up a heavy solid-wood table nearby and hurled it straight at the ball of golden fire flying toward him.

"Boom!"

The table turned to ash the instant it touched the golden fire, but it managed to block the attack for Zhao Wuji.

On the other side, Oscar, an auxiliary-type Soul Master, was so terrified by the flames shooting toward him that his legs went weak.

Instinctively, he tried to hide behind Ning Rongrong.

"What are you doing?!"

Ning Rongrong was already deathly pale with fright. When she saw Oscar trying to use her as a shield, she screamed in terror.

At that very moment,

a cold glint flashed across Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful face. Her figure flickered like a ghost, and she appeared behind Oscar in an instant.

She raised her long, graceful leg and kicked him several yards away without the slightest hesitation!

"Ahhh!"

Oscar screamed as he rolled across the ground several times.

He'd managed to avoid a fatal blow, but the deadly golden flame still landed mercilessly on his left hand.

"Ssssss—"

The domineering Ultimate Fire flared up in an instant. Oscar let out a bloodcurdling, pig-like shriek and rolled frantically on the ground.

"My hand!

It hurts!

Help!

Boss Dai, save me!"

"Xiao Ao!"

Tang San and Dai Mu Bai, who had just narrowly dodged the flames, stared in horror. They were about to rush over and help.

"Don't touch him!"

Zhao Wuji bellowed, his eyes bloodshot, and charged in front of Oscar.

Watching the Ultimate Fire spread rapidly like a worm burrowing into bone, Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth. His left hand morphed into a sharp bear claw once more.

"Xiao Ao, I'm sorry!

Bear with it!"

"Teacher Zhao, what are you—ah!!!"

"Pfft!"

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Wuji brought his hand down like a blade and severed Oscar's left hand, which was burning with golden fire!

On the other side, Xiao Wu stared at the golden flame growing rapidly larger before her, her face just as deathly pale.

For a moment, she had no idea how to dodge.

"Why is there another one?!"

Tang San whipped his head around, his eyes wide with horror.

He'd never imagined there was another golden flame hidden in the darkness, only accelerating and striking at the very last moment!

"That bastard deliberately targeted Xiao Wu!"

Tang San was both furious and alarmed.

At that moment, the golden flame was already right in front of Xiao Wu, moving at tremendous speed.

Two possible solutions flashed through Tang San's mind.

Either he could do as he'd done when saving Zhao Wuji and injure Xiao Wu with a Sleeve Arrow,

relying on the body's instinctive flinch from pain to make her dodge the deadly attack.

Or he could step in front of it himself!

But how could he ever bring himself to hurt Xiao Wu?!

"Absolutely not!"

Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot. He gasped for breath and sprang into a strange set of steps.

"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"

Just as the golden flame was about to swallow Xiao Wu, Tang San seemed to teleport, throwing himself in front of her.

"Brother!

No!"

Xiao Wu screamed in terror.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here!"

Tang San growled and flipped both hands.

His flesh-colored palms turned instantly to a cool, jade-white, wisps of chill rising from them.

"Mystic Jade Hand!"

Tang San didn't retreat. Instead, he swung his jade-white hands

and fearlessly met the domineering Ultimate Fire head-on!

"Fsssh!"

The instant his palms touched the soybean-sized golden flame, Tang San's face changed drastically.

He'd thought that with the Tang Sect Secret Arts, the Mystic Jade Hand, which was impervious to poison and as hard as rock,

he could at least withstand the flame, even if he couldn't crush it.

But he'd been wrong!

Terribly wrong!

That seemingly feeble golden flame

had barely touched him before its terrifying heat, as if capable of burning away the soul, shattered the chill of the Mystic Jade Hand.

The index finger of his once-jade-white left hand turned red-hot in the blink of an eye, and his flesh charred instantly!

"Brother!"

Seeing Tang San's face twist in pain, Xiao Wu's eyes brimmed with tears. Instinctively, she reached out to grab him.

"Back off!

Don't touch me!!!"

Tang San let out a hoarse roar, his eyes bloodshot from the agony.

In that instant, he saw Zhao Wuji's right arm, severed clean off at the root,

and Oscar's freshly severed left hand, still burning on the ground.

Even the surging Soul Power of a Seven-Ring Soul Sage was nothing but fuel before this golden fire.

How could his Mystic Jade Hand possibly withstand it?!

If he hesitated for even half a second, the bizarre flame would spread from his finger up his entire arm—perhaps even over his whole body!

"There's only one way!"

Tang San was a man who could be ruthless even to himself. A fierce glint of resolve flashed in his eyes.

He swiped his right hand across the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist, and a sharp willow-leaf flying knife instantly landed in his palm.

"Pfft!"

A flash of cold light, and blood sprayed everywhere.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang San brought the knife down.

He severed the index finger of his left hand, the one that had just been touched by the golden flame, clean off at the root!

"Brother—!!!"

Xiao Wu let out a piercing scream. She watched the severed finger fall to the ground and turn to ash beneath the golden fire, and felt as if she'd been struck by lightning.

"Ugh..."

Tang San clutched his bleeding left hand and dropped to one knee.

He gasped in great, heaving breaths as cold sweat soaked through his back in an instant.

"Brother, your hand... your hand..."

Xiao Wu fell beside Tang San, trembling as she sobbed.

But remembering his warning, she held her hands suspended in midair, not daring to touch him.

"I... I'm fine..."

Tang San clenched his teeth, enduring the piercing pain of his severed finger.

His voice was weak, but threaded with the relief of having survived a catastrophe.

"Don't cry, Xiao Wu... It's only a finger. I saved my life... It was worth it."

Meanwhile,

Oscar, his left hand severed, was still rolling on the ground and screaming in agony.

Blood stained a wide patch of dirt.

"My hand... Ah!!!

It hurts so much!!!"

Nearby, Ning Rongrong's face remained deathly pale. She patted her chest hard and gasped for breath.

Her eyes were full of relief at having survived a catastrophe.