Hidden Weapons, Hidden Killing Intent

Deep in the Soul Beast Forest, dense canopies blotted out the sun, casting mottled shadows over a floor of rotting leaves that exuded a sense of deathly stillness.

Tang San moved alone through the gloomy underbrush, his footsteps hurried yet silent. His aura was suppressed to the extreme, and his usually gentle face was now twisted by monstrous hatred and malice, the venom churning in his eyes nearly taking physical form.

Being publicly exposed for manipulating soul beasts to harm his companions, reduced to a traitor despised by all of Shrek, and then cast out of the team by Zhao Wuji to fend for himself in this perilous forest—this humiliation was a disgrace he had never suffered since his transmigration!

From the heaven-sent prodigy of the Tang Sect in his past life to the twin martial soul genius of the Douluo Continent in this one, he had always calculated every move with precision. How had he fallen into such a wretched state?

First, the bandit ambush was easily neutralized by Lin Chen, causing his entire plan to collapse. Then, his meticulously laid trap involving a thousand-year Datura Snake, intended to poison Lin Chen and cripple his cultivation, had backfired; the man's strength was so overwhelming that he crushed the thousand-year soul beast and saw through every one of his schemes, exposing his despicable nature to everyone.

The accusations and disgust of his companions, the harsh punishment from Zhao Wuji, and the cold, indifferent gaze of Lin Chen—as if looking at a clown—echoed in his mind repeatedly. Each time he recalled it, the hatred in his heart grew more intense.

"Lin Chen... it's all because of you!"

Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood without him even noticing. His soul power fluctuated violently, causing the surrounding vegetation to tremble. He hurried to a hidden cave, scanned his surroundings vigilantly to ensure no soul beasts or outsiders were nearby, and slipped inside, quickly blocking the entrance with stones and leaving only a tiny gap for ventilation.

The cave was dim and damp, the air thick with the smell of earth and mold. Tang San sat cross-legged on the cold ground, took a deep breath to force down his churning emotions, and slowly reached his right hand toward the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist.

As his fingertips touched the warm storage soul tool, his expression became incredibly solemn. He slowly channeled his soul power into it, and a moment later, several metal fragments—exquisitely crafted yet radiating a lethal, icy chill—floated slowly before him.

These were the semi-finished fragments of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus!

Ever since he arrived on the Douluo Continent, he had relied on his memories of the Tang Sect to forge this prototype, spending countless efforts to collect rare metals. The Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus was a peerless hidden weapon of the Tang Sect with world-shaking power. Even as a semi-finished product, once detonated, it was enough to kill a Soul Elder instantly, and even a Soul Ancestor would be severely injured if caught off guard!

Originally, he had intended to finish forging this weapon as his ultimate trump card, not to be used unless his life was on the line. But now, facing Lin Chen, whose strength was unfathomable and who rendered all his schemes useless, ordinary methods were futile. Only by using this ultimate weapon could he wash away his shame and erase Lin Chen completely!

"Lin Chen, aren't you powerful? Can't you easily see through my plans?" Tang San stared at the fragments, a savage smile curling his lips as his voice turned hoarse like a ghost's. "This Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus is the peerless killing weapon of my Tang Sect. No matter how great your abilities are, you have only one path before it: death!"

He bit his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of essence blood, and flicked it into the air, slowly merging the blood into each metal fragment. At the same time, he channeled his soul power and the life force of his Blue Silver Grass martial soul to nourish the fragments day and night.

As the essence blood entered, the cold metal fragments instantly glowed with a faint blood-red light. The compatibility between the pieces increased rapidly, showing signs of coalescing into a whole. A heart-stopping, lethal aura began to permeate the air; even as a semi-finished product, that destructive energy caused the temperature in the entire cave to plummet.

To ensure a one-hit kill, Tang San did not dare to slacken, pouring his heart and soul into the nourishment and refinement of the weapon. He could clearly feel that as time passed, the power of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus was constantly climbing. If he were given just a little more time to fuse the fragments completely, he would possess the absolute power to slay Lin Chen!

He had to wait—wait for the most opportune moment, the moment Lin Chen let his guard down, to deliver the fatal blow!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dense forest, Lin Chen was leading the Shrek group forward steadily. After the previous two incidents, the atmosphere of the team had changed completely.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar had completely abandoned their last shred of skepticism toward Lin Chen, replacing it with heartfelt awe and conviction. Whenever they acted, they would subconsciously follow Lin Chen's instructions. Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were even more reliant on him, staying by his side at all times and looking at him with eyes full of worship and admiration.

The entire Shrek team now possessed unprecedented cohesion, and their coordination was becoming increasingly seamless.

Lin Chen walked at the very front of the group, his ink-colored soul power swirling around him. While he appeared to be walking calmly, his divine sense was fully expanded, bringing every movement within a radius of several thousand meters into his perception.

He would naturally not lower his guard against Tang San.

As a fellow transmigrator, he knew better than anyone the endurance and ruthlessness of Tang San. Having failed twice and been cast out in disgrace, a person of Tang San's character would never let it go; he would inevitably be brewing an even more terrifying retaliation.

When Tang San left earlier, he had clearly sensed a deep-seated murderous intent in the man's eyes. That intent did not come from his martial soul or soul skills, but from an extremely obscure yet lethal aura—clearly, he had resorted to some unknown trump card.

"Brother Chen, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Wu hopped over to Lin Chen's side, tilting her head with curiosity. The lingering fear from the Datura Snake attack had long been dispelled by the sense of security Lin Chen provided, and she had returned to her usual lively self.

Ning Rongrong also hurried to catch up, the Seven-Colored Glazed Pagoda rotating gently in her palm as she spoke: "Lin Chen, are you still worried about Tang San? That guy is insidious and cunning; he surely won't give up after being kicked out. Should we be more on guard?"

Although Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, she also stopped and looked at Lin Chen with cold, clear eyes, clearly waiting for his response. The soul power of her Hell Spirit Cat surged slightly, keeping her alert.

Lin Chen stopped and turned to look at everyone, his expression calm but filled with absolute confidence. He spoke lightly: "Tang San is at the end of his rope and can't stir up any major trouble. However, it is better to be safe than sorry. During the rest of our training, everyone stay close to the team and do not act alone. If there is any anomaly, regroup with me immediately."

He paused, his soul power surging slightly as a steady, powerful aura radiated out, soothing everyone's nerves: "With me here, no matter what tricks he plays, I can easily break them. I could tear apart his schemes before, and I can turn all his future plots into nothingness again."

As his words fell, the last shred of worry in the hearts of the Shrek members vanished completely.

They had all witnessed Lin Chen's strength—killing a thousand-year Datura Snake in one move and seeing through Tang San's conspiracy at a glance. With such a powerful and reliable leader, they had no reason to fear any danger.

"Brother Chen is right! Even if that Tang San tries to pull some small tricks, I can swat him away with one claw!" Xiao Wu waved her pink, delicate fist, looking unconvinced.

"Exactly! With Lin Chen here, we have nothing to fear!" Ma Hongjun patted his chest, his Phoenix Fire Line flickering as he spoke with high spirits. "We can just focus on our training and improving our strength without being dragged down by that insidious villain!"

Dai Mubai nodded, his White Tiger martial soul gathering power as he said in a deep voice: "We will follow Lin Chen's arrangements. We will go all out to hunt suitable soul beasts and improve our team's strength. If Tang San dares to come and die, we will join forces to take him down and hand him over to Teacher Zhao!"

Oscar also gripped his sausages tightly and said earnestly: "I will always be ready with Recovery Sausages and Flight Sausages to ensure everyone's combat capability. I won't give Tang San any chance to exploit us!"

Watching the group united in purpose, Lin Chen nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

After enduring these trials, this Shrek team finally had the makings of a top-tier squad, and Tang San's existence was merely a stepping stone on their path to growth—nothing more.

"Let's keep moving deeper into the forest. The soul beasts in this area are too low-level for our training. Finding suitable soul beasts to improve our own strength is the top priority."

Lin Chen waved his hand and led the team forward again. The others followed closely, their steps firm and their soul power surging, showing their youthful vigor and fighting spirit.

Sunlight pierced through the layers of the canopy, bathing the group in warmth—a stark contrast to the cold, bone-chilling murderous intent in the distant cave.

A secret war concerning life and death was already quietly brewing.

Tang San was in the shadows, nourishing the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus day and night, his murderous intent growing ever thicker; meanwhile, Lin Chen led the Shrek group in steady training, their strength constantly rising as they awaited the villain's counterattack.

No one knew that their next encounter would be a head-on collision between an ultimate hidden weapon and absolute strength. This collision would surely settle the grievances between the two once and for all, bringing a world-shaking storm to the entire Soul Beast Forest!