Beibei: Tang Ya, you're an Evil Soul Master!!!

Beibei felt the hand on his shoulder, its weight light, yet it carried a pressure that left him unable to muster even a shred of resistance.

Beibei retreated a step, almost instinctively.

Tang An raised his left hand, his palm aimed at the Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine.

Second Soul Skill, Life Manipulation, activate.

A vast, sea-like surge of spiritual power poured out like an invisible tide, instantly invading the consciousness core of the Demon Vine.

Tang An was slightly more serious this time, but instead of directly crushing the vine's spirit, he precisely wove three layers of illusions, nested one within the other.

The first layer: The Arrival of Natural Enemies.

In the vine's perception, the enemies before it vanished, replaced by an endless swarm of Spirit-Devouring Bee. They blotted out the sky, each one rushing toward it with a stinger flashing with paralyzing toxins specifically designed to counter it.

The second layer: A Boundless Sea of Fire.

The ground beneath the vine turned into scorching magma. Crimson flames swept in from all directions; it could feel its vines charring and curling in the inferno, its scales bursting under the intense heat, and its sap turning into white steam as it evaporated.

The third layer: The Wails of Kin.

The shrieks of countless Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine being torn apart by Spirit-Devouring Bee echoed in its ears. The sounds were sharp and wretched, one after another, like thousands of steel needles piercing its consciousness.

Yet, in the eyes of Beibei and Tang Ya, the scene was entirely different.

The Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine suddenly froze, then began to twitch in place like a madman. Its vines lashed out wildly, and beams of devouring black light shot everywhere, none of which landed on the group.

Then, something even more bizarre occurred.

Wounds began to appear out of thin air on the vine's body. Scales shattered, the vine's skin cracked, and dark purple sap seeped from the fissures.

Three of the vines shuddered violently and snapped clean in the middle, the edges jagged as if gnawed by countless tiny, sharp teeth.

The petals of that black flower began to wither and fall one by one, the black mist at its center thinning rapidly. The entire vine was withering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This was the true terror of Life Manipulation.

It was not merely creating hallucinations, but completely distorting the target's senses until they could no longer distinguish reality from illusion.

The Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine believed it was being devoured by Spirit-Devouring Bee, so its body truly believed it, causing scales to shatter, vines to snap, and its life essence to drain away frantically.

It was its own body responding to non-existent damage; every ounce of pain suffered in the illusion was manifested in reality upon its physical form.

Beibei stood frozen, his eyes wide as copper bells.

He had been unable to take it down for so long and had even been wounded, yet Tang An had raised his hand and brought this nearly three-thousand-year-old Spirit-Devouring Demon Vine to the brink of death.

Moreover, he had seen it clearly just now: the wounds on the vine were not caused by external forces, but by the creature's own body self-mutilating.

The gap was so vast that he couldn't even feel jealousy, only a blank, overwhelming shock.

"Xiao Ya, do it." Tang An withdrew his palm.

Hearing the name "Xiao Ya," Tang Ya felt a sweetness in her heart. She immediately condensed her soul power, and a Dark Blue Silver Grass spear pierced through the core of the Demon Vine.

A deep purple soul ring rose slowly, and Tang Ya sat cross-legged to begin the absorption.

The Dark Blue Silver Grass stretched out excitedly the moment it touched the soul ring, hungrily rushing toward that source of devouring power.

However, Tang Ya's expression changed quickly. The power of a two-thousand-eight-hundred-year soul ring was too tyrannical, far exceeding the limits her level thirty soul power could withstand.

The black devouring power rampaged through her meridians like an out-of-control beast, causing needle-like pain wherever it passed and making her veins bulge.

Tang Ya's forehead throbbed with veins, sweat rolled down like rain, and her entire body trembled so violently she could barely stay kneeling.

A hand suddenly pressed against Tang Ya's back.

The palm was scorching hot, carrying an extremely domineering aura of destruction—it was Tang An's right hand, the Crimson Annihilation Hammer martial soul.

The destructive power Tang An channeled in was not vast, merely a faint, thin wisp.

But that single wisp was enough; wherever it passed, the violent devouring power in Tang Ya's meridians acted as if its throat had been gripped, not daring to move an inch.

They huddled and trembled, clinging tightly to the walls of her meridians, as if terrified of being grazed by even a fraction of that destructive aura.

Tang Ya could clearly feel that the devouring power which had been torturing her to the brink of death was now as obedient as a stray dog meeting a wolf king in the presence of the Sect Master's destructive essence.

It wasn't just suppressed; it was an instinctual fear.

Tang An's voice sounded in Tang Ya's ear, unhurried: "Steady your mind and follow my guidance."

Tang An's destructive essence moved slowly through Tang Ya's meridians, herding the shivering devouring power like a flock of sheep toward the core of her Dark Blue Silver Grass martial soul.

Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver Grass grew layers of small black scales at a speed visible to the naked eye, dark purple patterns curled along the edges of its leaves, and the aura of her martial soul climbed steadily.

Under the deterrence of the destructive essence, the absorption process was faster than imaginable. In less than half an hour, Tang Ya snapped her eyes open.

The moment Tang Ya stood up, the surrounding light dimmed for an instant.

She raised her hand, and a jet-black Blue Silver vine emerged from her palm. The vine was a full size larger than the previous grass, and the black scales covering its surface pulsed rhythmically as if breathing. As the vine danced, the surrounding air seemed to distort slightly.

"Third Soul Skill—Spirit-Devouring Cage!"

The blackened Blue Silver Grass lunged forward, weaving into a massive black vine cage centered around that bowl-thick tree.

Every scale on the inner wall of the cage devoured frantically. The tree withered and shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just five or six breaths, the lush tree turned into a charred, withered log, its trunk riddled with shocking, corroded pits.

Meanwhile, the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Ya's hand looked even more vibrant, a single drop of black liquid condensing at the tip of the vine.

"Spirit-Devouring Cage has three effects: trapping, devouring, and corrosion." Tang Ya's voice carried an irrepressible excitement.

"An opponent trapped inside will have their life force and soul power continuously drained, with a conversion efficiency of about forty percent. At the same time, the scales on the inner walls of the cage release a corrosive mist, eroding the enemy's defenses and physical body from within, and what's more..."

Tang Ya flicked her mind, and the black vine cage suddenly contracted inward. All the vines tightened simultaneously, like a giant hand clenching into a fist.

The dead tree completely collapsed under the dual force of the corrosive power and physical compression, turning into a pile of black debris.

"I can also control its contraction. The longer they are trapped, the smaller the cage becomes, the higher the devouring density, and the stronger the corrosive effect."

Beibei watched as the tree before him was drained dry and turned to ash, then looked at the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Ya's hand that radiated a cold, dark aura. His brows knitted into a tight knot.

This was clearly the method of an Evil Soul Master.

"Tang Ya," Beibei's voice was filled with suppressed displeasure.

"Your soul skill... why is it so inclined toward an Evil Soul Master? Devouring life force, corroding the body—this is clearly the method of an Evil Soul Master. Is there really no problem with this soul ring?"

Beibei turned his head to look at Tang An again, his gaze no longer holding the simple awe and shock from before, but instead carrying a clear sense of interrogation.

The strength Tang An had displayed was indeed shocking, but one thing was one thing; he could not stand by and watch Tang Ya walk down a path that could lead to eternal damnation.

"Tang An, what kind of soul beast did you choose for Tang Ya? With a soul skill like this, what if it backfires in the future?"

"What if Tang Ya loses control and her mind is eroded by the desire to devour? Have you considered these things?"