Tang Wu's voice was gentle, but the words that came out of his mouth were devilish.
The yellow Soul Ring at his feet flickered:
"First Soul Skill, Sky-Soaring Fire Chili!"
The Explosive Burning Chili seeds quickly sprouted, then grew and bore fruit.
A fiery red Explosive Burning Chili appeared right before them.
Tang San looked at the Explosive Burning Chili before him, then at Tang Wu, and asked in some confusion:
"It's nearly five hundred years old, and that's all the Soul Skill does? It just grows a chili..."
"Don't rush. This isn't over yet."
Tang Wu let out a cackling laugh, full of mischief.
With a flick of his control, the chili shot out at lightning speed, drawing a graceful arc through the air.
"Ah~~~"
Yu Xiaogang's face suddenly changed, and he let out a strange cry.
A foreign object suddenly plunged between his left and right buttocks. The burning sensation was both painful and pleasurable.
Sky-Soaring Fire Chili: Within a range of ten meters, the selected target is guaranteed to be hit. Every strike has a 100% hit rate.
No matter how strong an opponent was, they couldn't take that agony—like the pain of a thousand years—without changing expression.
This was simply...
Too underhanded!
"You think that's the end of it?" Tang Wu declared that this was far from over.
"My first Soul Skill has a second stage, too. Just watch."
Yu Xiaogang suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
His eyes flew open, his face filled with terror, and he shouted:
"Wait, yamete, you can't do this..."
Yu Xiaogang struggled frantically, but no matter what he did, he couldn't break free. All he could do was watch helplessly as it happened.
He was just like a powerless husband.
"What are you babbling about? Take it up with my Soul Skill!"
"Sky-Soaring Fire Chili..."
"Explode!"
Tang Wu snapped his fingers.
The next instant.
The Explosive Burning Chili beneath Gangzi burst, and a sky-piercing pillar of flame erupted.
The scene looked just like a rocket igniting.
Under the force of the blast, Yu Xiaogang slowly rose off the ground and shot more than thirty meters into the air.
But one Explosive Burning Chili didn't provide quite enough thrust.
In less than a minute, Gangzi fell from the sky and slammed down hard.
In an instant, a pained cry escaped his lips:
"Ugh~~~"
If he was hungry, he should go eat.
"Brother, look at my first Soul Skill. Isn't it freaking awesome?"
Tang Wu turned excitedly to Tang San.
However.
Faced with his gaze, Tang San instinctively took a step back in fear.
The excitement vanished from Tang Wu's face, replaced by suspicion.
No, were you seriously backing away?
"Um, Xiao Wu, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not scared of you."
"It's just, it's just..."
"Forget it. If you can't keep making excuses, don't bother. I get it."
Tang Wu rolled his eyes at Tang San.
He could tell at a glance that Tang San was trying to make excuses. After all, they'd lived together for so many years.
Tang San didn't reply, only gave an awkward smile.
"The Soul Hunting Operation was a complete success. We should head back to Notting Academy."
"Sure. So what do we do with this guy?"
"Let's wait for him to wake up, then leave together. With his combat strength, he'll probably die in the Soul Hunting Forest."
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang unconscious on the ground and spoke with open disdain.
A level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, and he called himself the Grandmaster.
This...
After all that, Gangzi felt a surge of fear whenever he faced Tang Wu.
Just seeing him made Gangzi's legs tremble uncontrollably.
Next.
Tang Wu and the others retraced their steps toward the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest.
But just then, a group of unwelcome visitors blocked their path.
Awooo—
A loud wolf howl rang from the Wolf King's throat. Right after, one wolf after another emerged from the shadows.
It was the very pack that had chased them into a panicked retreat earlier.
As the saying went,
When enemies met, their eyes turned red.
"Just in time, Brother. Let's go!" Tang Wu turned to Tang San beside him and said:
"Let's use these beasts for our first real fight since getting our Soul Rings."
"Sounds good. Let's fight side by side."
Tang San was just as eager for battle.
As he released his first Soul Skill, countless Blue Silver Needles flew out.
Combined with his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons techniques, they all aimed for the wolves' weakest spots. Each needle was deadly, and none missed.
The wolves Tang Wu faced had it even worse.
At least Tang San could give them a quick death. The explosive force tore them apart from behind.
"Awooo—"
The wolf's pupils shook as it let out a string of anguished howls.
Unable to endure the torment, it found the nearest tree and went head-to-head with it to see whose skull was harder.
With a thud, it passed out, thoroughly satisfied.
How awful!
Simply awful!
If it could talk, it would surely curse Tang Wu:
You dog.
You're such a dog.
Why are you acting like a dog?
The Wolf King, commanding the whole area from high ground, saw its pack dwindling before its very eyes and howled toward the depths of the forest.
The nearby packs answered its call.
Before long, they arrived and surrounded the three of them.
As far as the eye could see,
there were at least fifty wolves.
"Wait, they can summon reinforcements?" Tang Wu said, standing back-to-back with Tang San.
"I thought the wolf packs were rivals. How did they end up joining forces?"
"Maybe our presence threatened their lives, so they made an exception and joined together."
Seeing the situation before him, Tang San's heart sank.
This was bad.
If it really came to that, for Xiao Wu's safety and mine, I'll have no choice but to do it...
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, who had been slacking off and holding back the whole time. A cold glint flashed through his eyes as he made up his mind.
You're still hiding your strength at a time like this, Gangzi. You've chosen the Path of Certain Death.
But Tang San didn't know that even if Gangzi had put in effort, he couldn't have changed the situation at all.
"Hey, I've got an idea!"
Suddenly, Tang Wu turned toward Yu Xiaogang, the corners of his mouth curling into a malicious smile.
"Grandmaster, I heard your Soul Skill attacks over a wide area. If we combine it with my first Soul Skill..."
"Hehehe..."
He hadn't even finished speaking before he started laughing.
Yu Xiaogang stared at Tang Wu in terror after hearing him.
Was this guy a demon or what?
He could come up with an idea like that? Even Satan would have to listen to your bedtime stories to fall asleep as a child.
"Don't even think about it. Absolutely not," Yu Xiaogang flatly refused.
"That's not up to you."
Tang Wu ignored his refusal entirely.
An Explosive Burning Chili shot into position, and Yu Xiaogang's face instantly flushed red as cold sweat poured out.
Under that tremendous stimulus, before Luo Sanpao could even be summoned, he fused directly with Yu Xiaogang.
He entered the state of Martial Soul Possession.
Yu Xiaogang's mind went blank, and he involuntarily unleashed his Soul Skill:
"Thunderous Fart, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Pfft—
A cloud of shit-yellow smoke blasted from behind Yu Xiaogang in an instant.
The Explosive Burning Chili ignited it, making it even more powerful, until it became a towering pillar of flame.
Showing off?!
Show off and we'll send you flying—old folks and children first!
The scorching, foul-smelling flames surged toward them, blowing the wolves away one by one.
The smaller wolves soared through the air and drifted far away, their fates unknown.
But some of the stronger wolves managed to hold on.
"Take this!" Tang Wu shouted.
"This is... our blood-pumping combo skill!"
"No! Why did things turn out like this?!"
Yu Xiaogang's screams were drowned out by the stench filling the sky, so faint that no one could hear him.