Watching the Soul Beast, Tang San could no longer contain his astonishment and blurted out:
"Vine Scale Turtle, and judging by its appearance, it's around three thousand years old."
His expression darkened instantly, and his guard shot to the highest level.
The Vine Scale Turtle was one of the extremely rare symbiotic Soul Beasts.
The Scale Vine on its back was alive. It was also a Plant-type Soul Beast with a trace of ancient bloodline, and possessed extremely strong defenses.
Its innate skill allowed it to distribute any damage it received, then halve it before it took effect.
In other words, if an attack could originally deal a hundred points of damage, after being distributed, the Vine Scale Turtle would only take fifty.
Halve that again, and it would be lucky to take twenty-five.
With such an outrageous mechanism, combined with its symbiotic nature, ordinary Soul Beasts were rarely willing to provoke it.
Moreover, the Scale Vine on its back could strike from medium to long range, making up for the Shell Turtle's short reach.
Together, they formed a combination of offense and defense, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
"What Vine Scale Turtle? I'd say it looks more like a garlic-clove tortoise."
Seeing the creature's body, Tang Wu couldn't help thinking of that and blurted out:
"Come to think of it, have I got a grudge against tortoises these past two days? Why have I run into so many?"
"Xiao Wu, don't let your guard down..."
Seeing that Tang Wu was taking it lightly, Tang San sternly warned him not to underestimate their opponent.
But before he could finish, the Vine Scale Turtle launched its attack.
The Scale Vines on its back lashed out, moving so fast they made a sharp whooshing sound. Tang Wu and Tang San hurriedly dodged to either side.
A moment after they moved, the Scale Vines shot between them and struck a boulder nearby.
The boulder, so huge that three people would have needed to link arms to encircle it, shattered into pieces with a single strike.
One whip had smashed it to bits...
Watching the scene unfold behind him, Tang San's expression turned exceptionally grave:
"The Vine Scale Turtle's attacks are strong. Be careful not to get hit."
Tang Wu said nothing. He simply wiped the playful grin from his face and nodded to show he understood.
Then,
the Vine Scale Turtle lashed out with its Scale Vines again. This time, there were dozens more than before, and it tried to use the same trick.
The vines whipped and stretched through the air, piling up in a dense mass.
"You think using the same move against me will work? Muda, muda, muda, muda..."
"Second Soul Skill—go!"
Martial Soul mode: change, Explosive Burning Chili.
Tang Wu summoned an equal number of Explosive Burning Chilis to entangle the Vine Scale Turtle's Scale Vines, and the two sides fought to a standstill.
Just then,
the ground suddenly split open, and a mass of Explosive Burning Chili vines burst out. They coiled tightly around the Vine Scale Turtle's body,
binding it completely.
Tang Wu said smugly:
"Didn't expect that, did you? I didn't just attack from the front. I also buried Explosive Burning Chili seeds underground."
"Attacking from both sides—now you're done for, you big tortoise..."
"Good job, Tang Wu. Leave the rest to me."
Seeing this, Tang San praised Tang Wu.
Then he took out the Zhuge Crossbow, aimed at the Vine Scale Turtle's head, and pulled the trigger with a click.
Xiuxiu---
Xiuxiuxiu----
Two volleys of bolts shot out in quick succession.
The first volley aimed for the Scale Vines on its back, while the second targeted the Shell Turtle's eyes.
Tang Wu wasn't about to be outdone. The main stalk of his vine extended, and a substitute took shape.
Clenching his fists, he unleashed a flurry of blows on the Vine Scale Turtle's rear:
"ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA..."
Success!
The bolts shot through the air, about to hit their target. Just as Tang San felt a little relief, something unexpected happened!
The Vine Scale Turtle seemed to fly into a frenzy.
The Scale Vines lashed wildly, their branches repeatedly striking its shell until they forcibly broke free of Tang Wu's restraints.
Then they even separated from the Shell Turtle's body.
Under the influence of outside forces, they had temporarily split in two, becoming separate individuals!
"What?!" ×2
Seeing this, Tang Wu and Tang San were both incredulous.
But even though they had split apart, their one-of-a-kind innate skill hadn't disappeared.
The Shell Turtle quickly flipped over, using the shell on its back to block every bolt.
The moment they struck, the bolts rang against it with a series of metallic clanks.
Under the effect of its innate skill, the damage was divided and halved. Not even a dent remained.
Faced with the Shell Turtle glaring at him, neither Tang San's Blue Silver Grass nor his Hidden Weapons had any effect.
Tang Wu was in the same predicament. His opponent shared most of his abilities, and now it was fighting as a separate being.
He couldn't think of a good solution and had no way to deal with the Scale Vine.
"Ah----!!!"
Suddenly,
Tang San was worried about Xiao Wu's safety. They had attacked for so long, yet the Shell Turtle hadn't suffered even the slightest injury, thanks to its bloodline talent.
His anxiety grew more and more, and in a moment of carelessness, he left himself open.
The Shell Turtle seized its chance, spun through two and a half full rotations, and put all its strength into sweeping its tail at him.
A tremendous force slammed into him.
Tang San was struck as if by a train. He was sent flying stiffly, his eyes rolling back as he passed out in midair.
"Damn it! I'll make you pay with your lives!"
Tang Wu rushed to Tang San's side and hurriedly checked his injuries.
When he realized Tang San had only passed out and wasn't seriously hurt, he felt a little relieved. At the same time, a surge of rage shot straight to his head.
In his extreme fury, the golden patterns on the Blue Silver Grass vines spread, growing from barely noticeable lines to a width as broad as a thumb.
The Blue Silver Grass compressed and stretched, finally transforming into a small blue-and-gold hammer.
One side of its head was flat, while the other jutted out in a jagged, fierce shape.
The instant Tang Wu gripped the Blue Emperor Hammer, its roots wound along his right arm, automatically forming pieces of armor such as a shoulder guard and a bracer.
After the Blue Silver Grass bloodline awakened, it became incredibly tough.
His enemies could no longer snap it with a casual tug.
In weapon form, its hardness rivaled refined steel, making it strong enough to clash with most weapon-type Martial Souls without being outmatched.
Tang Wu gripped the Blue Emperor Hammer in both hands and swung it savagely at the Scale Vine before him:
"Beast, die!"
As Tang San drifted in and out of consciousness, it seemed as if he had returned to the Bashu Tang Sect.
"Where is this... the Tang Sect?!"
"Could it be that Douluo Continent was only a dream? But why did it feel so real?"
His memories of Douluo Continent grew increasingly blurry. Tang San even began to think that his experiences there had all been nothing but a dream.
But as fragments of memory kept appearing before his eyes,
memories of Tang Hao, Tang Wu, and Xiao Wu surfaced.
There was friendship, family affection, and a love that had bloomed, still young and uncertain but utterly real.
Tang San's eyes shifted from bewilderment to growing conviction:
"No. Douluo Continent wasn't a dream, because everything I hold dear is there."
"Wake up! I have to go back...!!!"
Tang San's eyes flew open. The first thing he saw was Tang Wu fighting the Vine Scale Turtle in a fierce two-on-one battle.
The moment the Clear Sky Hammer appeared, he felt its weight drag down his hand, and he nearly dropped it.
"Don't be afraid, Tang Wu! Your big brother's here to help. Damn it, move already!"
Tang San squeezed out the last trace of Soul Power in his body and finally lifted the Clear Sky Hammer.
At the same time, as soon as he raised it, blue electric currents crackled across the hammer, sizzling and popping.