Tang San: Unless You Step Over My Corpse!

Two Soul Rings rose and fell around Li Ren's feet, both yellow, indicating that he possessed two century-level Soul Rings, and not merely the lowest-grade hundred-year ones.

Lowering his head to glance at the exquisitely crafted hidden weapons, a trace of surprise flashed through Li Ren's eyes. His affable, Maitreya-like round face was immediately clouded over, turning as savage as a blue-faced, fanged demon as he snarled:

"Brat, give you an inch and you take a mile. Is your skin itching for a beating?"

Li Ren took a step forward and charged at Tang San.

However, compared to Li Ren's formidable defense, his speed was a truly miserable sight—slow as death.

After his ambush failed, Tang San's heart churned. This man was actually a Great Spirit Master above level twenty!

How was that possible?

When had Yang Ming provoked such a powerful enemy?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind. Tang San knew full well that he was not a freak capable of creating miracles like Yang Ming. A level-ten Soul Scholar fighting a Great Spirit Master was simply a fantasy to him.

Without hesitation, he used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and immediately retreated toward the dense woods behind him.

At the same time, he tucked his left thumb inward, turned his palm down, and extended his other four fingers together. The movement was simple and efficient. One meticulously crafted hidden weapon after another streaked through the air as indistinct shadows, nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye, silently flying toward the approaching tall, tattooed man.

This hidden-weapon technique was considered entry-level in the Tang Sect and was known among martial artists as the Whirling-Hand Arrow.

Using the inertia from swinging one's arm to launch hidden weapons was the most straightforward method. Though it could not be called exquisite, it was extremely effective. Combined with the diamond-shaped hidden weapons Tang San had painstakingly crafted, he was confident that even against a weaker century-old Soul Beast, he would have the strength to fight.

Unfortunately, the enemy he faced was far stronger than he had imagined!

The diamond-shaped hidden weapons grazed the tall tattooed man's face, throwing off sparks and producing a harsh sound like an eraser scraping across a blackboard.

Yet they failed to leave even the slightest mark on his face.

Tang San had thought the hidden weapons could halt the enemy's charge, but they had failed. Seeing that Li Ren was relatively slow, he did not hesitate and hurriedly fled deeper into the forest.

Unfortunately, Tang San had overlooked one thing!

The tattooed duo consisted of two people!

The short tattooed man was called Wang Zhong. Two Soul Rings likewise rose and fell beneath his feet, both yellow, showing that, like Li Ren, he was also a Great Spirit Master above level twenty!

A faint green glow emerged from Wang Zhong's hands, like countless fireflies gathering in his palms beneath the night sky, dreamlike and illusory.

However, there was not the slightest sense of beauty in Wang Zhong's sharp, monkey-like face. Coldness shone from his eyes as he pressed both palms to the ground and said icily:

"Thorns! Entwine!"

The moment his words fell, Tang San's heart skipped a beat as he sensed trouble.

Yet before he could react, one thorn, two thorns, three thorns... a total of ninety-nine thorns suddenly burst from beneath the soil layered with fallen leaves!

The thorns tore through the leaf litter and covered an area two hundred meters wide, sealing off every route Tang San could use to evade. No matter how exquisite the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was, he could not escape!

Even Tang San's hidden weapons could not sever the thorns!

Each thorn was like a python, as thick as an iron pipe and covered in nail-length barbs, binding Tang San's limbs.

Tang San was suspended in midair.

Looking at the approaching tattooed pair—one tall and fat, the other short and thin—Tang San gave a bitter smile.

One was a Battle Spirit Master specializing in defense, while the other was a Weapon Soul Master specializing in control.

Moreover, both were Great Spirit Masters above level twenty.

At that moment, Tang San had something he did not know whether he should say.

The tall Li Ren stepped forward and viciously twisted Tang San's ear. The force was so brutal that Tang San nearly suspected his ear would be torn clean off.

Li Ren raised his chin slightly and sneered:

"Brat, weren't you good at running? Run for me again now!"

Tang San pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing.

Only when truly facing a Great Spirit Master did Tang San profoundly understand the weakness of a level-ten Soul Scholar. Only then did he realize just how powerful Yang Ming had been when he defeated Su Yuntao!

A Soul Scholar advanced to a Spirit Master, and a Spirit Master advanced to a Great Spirit Master.

Each advancement in rank was not merely a change in title; it also brought changes as soul power reshaped the body.

Just like the tall tattooed man before him, even without the enhancement of his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, his physical body was exceptionally powerful, with astonishing defensive strength.

Li Ren brought his Maitreya-like fat face close to Tang San's, and their eyes met.

"Brat, tell me, where is that boy who was walking with you earlier?"

Tang San kept his lips tightly pressed together, his gaze resolute. He had made up his mind not to tell Li Ren and Wang Zhong anything.

Yang Ming treated me like a younger brother; I treated Yang Ming like an elder brother!

"Damn it!"

Two puffs of smoke seemed to shoot from Li Ren's nostrils. He swung his fan-sized palm and slapped Tang San across the face. He did not hold back at all, immediately swelling Tang San's cheek red.

"Brat, you really need a beating! Are you going to talk or not?"

Tang San glared at him, his teeth clenched so tightly that his jaw muscles bulged. Because he used too much force, a trickle of blood even seeped from between his lips.

"Good. Very good!"

Li Ren's fat face was filled with gloom as he backhanded Tang San across the other cheek.

A faint crack sounded. Tang San's mouth fell slightly open as one of his inner teeth was shattered, and he spat it out with blood.

Both sides of Tang San's face were red and swollen, making his originally handsome features unrecognizable. He looked like a miniature boiled pig's head, and even his eyes had narrowed into slits from the swelling.

"Li Ren, who interrogates people as brutally as you do?"

The short Wang Zhong stopped Li Ren from continuing his assault. However, it was not out of kindness; he was merely afraid that Li Ren might accidentally beat Tang San to death.

In the vast forest, finding someone was no easy task.

If Yang Ming hid inside the Junior Soul Master Academy and refused to come out, they would have a hard time making a move in Notting City.

Neither of their Martial Souls possessed the ability to search for people, so naturally they could not let go of Tang San, who might know Yang Ming's whereabouts.

Wang Zhong forced a smile onto his sharp, monkey-like face, but it looked even uglier than a grimace and inspired no goodwill.

"Kid, just tell Uncle where that boy who was with you went, and I'll let you go."

Tang San naturally would not naively believe that the other man would keep his word.

A cold glint shone through the slits of his eyes. He opened his mouth and spat, sending a spray of blood onto Wang Zhong's face, making the latter fly into a rage.

Tang San snorted inwardly. His swollen face and missing tooth made his speech unclear, but he enunciated each word:

"If you want to find Yang Ming, you'll have to step over my corpse!"

(Third update)

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