Tang San Dead???

Spirit Hunting Forest.

Yang Ming stepped onto layers of fallen leaves and realized he was lost. He looked around at the uniform towering trees; no matter which direction he walked, everything looked the same.

For a fledgling entering Spirit Hunting Forest for the first time, without an experienced guide, it was very likely they would lose their ability to move in the forest due to getting lost, food shortages, dwindling fresh water, and other reasons. Soon after, they would be killed by Soul Beasts and turned into their food.

Every time Yang Ming walked a certain distance, he took out the Mysterious Sword and left a mark on a tree trunk to avoid retracing his steps.

Looking at the unchanging scenery ahead, Yang Ming pursed his lips. It made him realize something: Martial Souls, Soul Rings, and soul skills needed more than just direct combat power—they also needed auxiliary abilities. Otherwise, if he encountered a situation like this again someday, he would be completely helpless.

Just then.

"Ah—"

An incomparably miserable scream suddenly came from thirty degrees to the left.

Yang Ming halted. The scream had sounded familiar. After thinking it over carefully, his expression changed.

That was Tang San's voice!

"Could he have run into some trouble?"

Yang Ming's eyes flickered. He knew Tang San's strength well. Even against weaker Spirit Masters, Tang San could handle them with ease using the Tang Sect's inheritance. Even if he faced a powerful Spirit Master, he could still escape with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

For someone to make Tang San scream like that, the enemy had to be extremely strong—at least a Great Spirit Master!

Should he save him?

Or not?

The question circled through Yang Ming's mind only once before he had his answer.

Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Yang Ming turned into a black shadow and raced toward Tang San.

Closer.

Even closer.

Along with the fresh scent of the forest, a faint smell of blood began to fill the air.

How much blood had been spilled for the smell to carry from so far away?

Yang Ming's pupils suddenly contracted. Terrifying blood-red light burst from his eyes as the Three-Tomoe spun rapidly, revealing his inner turmoil.

"Third brother, you mustn't let anything happen to you."

Yang Ming's speed increased severalfold. If Tang San had been there, he would surely have cried out in shock—this speed utterly surpassed his own.

After passing through layers of forest, the view suddenly opened up, and three figures appeared in Yang Ming's sight.

Two tattooed men stood with their hands on their hips, laughing and mocking a bloodied boy in front of them.

At that moment, Tang San was in an extremely perilous situation.

Ninety-nine Thorns bound Tang San's limbs and torso. Thumb-sized barbs pierced his skin, easily leaving dense bloody holes all over his body. As the Thorns continuously tightened inward and compressed his chest, he found it difficult to breathe. His swollen, battered face was flushed crimson like a blood-red tomato, a horrifying sight to behold.

The short Wang Zhong pointed at Tang San's nose and cursed, "You brat, your bones are really hard. Even after torturing you like this, you still won't tell us where that boy who was with you went. You're asking for death!"

As he spoke, the short Wang Zhong gripped a long thorn whip and instinctively prepared to lash Tang San again.

However,

The next instant, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from beside him.

"Watch out!"

The tall Li Ren cried out, raising his arm before the rapidly approaching black shadow and blocking the blow for his companion.

Clang!

A leaf drooped limply to the ground. Li Ren fixed his eyes on the direction from which the leaf projectile had flown and saw Yang Ming emerge from the depths of the forest, terrifying blood-red killing intent shining in his eyes.

From the two men's conversation, Yang Ming roughly guessed what had happened. They had previously tortured Tang San, trying to force him to reveal Yang Ming's whereabouts, but had failed every time. Otherwise, Tang San would not have been left with such horrifying injuries, already on the verge of death.

Looking at Li Ren and Wang Zhong's unfamiliar faces, Yang Ming's thoughts raced as he asked coldly, "Were you sent by Su Yuntao?"

After thinking it over, Yang Ming could only imagine that Su Yuntao, whom he had recently offended, had a motive to target him.

"Who the hell is Su Yuntao? What does he count for, that he could command us?"

The tall Li Ren flexed his wrist. His plump, Buddha-like face was filled with savage menace as he walked toward Yang Ming step by step.

"You're the descendant of that traitor to the organization, aren't you? We've had a hard time looking for you. Come over and die obediently, and we can at least let you have a peaceful death."

An organization?

A traitor's descendant?

Yang Ming's heart skipped a beat. He recalled his own origins. From the moment he was born, Old Jack had taken him in and raised him like a grandson. Yet whenever Yang Ming asked about his parents' whereabouts, Old Jack always evaded the question and never answered directly.

Could it be...

Yang Ming stared intently at the menacing Li Ren. Strange tattoos were branded on his bare arms, while two yellow Soul Rings rose and fell beneath his feet. Coupled with the fluctuations of soul power around him, it was clear that he was a level-thirty Great Spirit Master!

Yang Ming glanced at the short Wang Zhong, who was standing silently in the rear, and his heart sank.

Two level-thirty Great Spirit Masters!

As Li Ren charged over with a savage grin at a relatively slow pace, Yang Ming's eyes flashed. Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he slipped past Li Ren like a slick loach. Then he accelerated, becoming nothing more than a black shadow as he lunged toward Tang San.

"Brat, are you treating me like I'm invisible?"

Wang Zhong's sharp, monkey-like face twisted as he let out a piercing cry. The Thorns in his hand lashed toward Yang Ming like an iron whip.

Yang Ming swayed from side to side, intending to evade with his agile footwork.

But Wang Zhong's lips curled into a sneer. The Thorn in his hand seemed to come alive, turning in midair like a venomous snake and relentlessly pursuing Yang Ming.

Golden light gathered in Yang Ming's right palm. A cold gleam reflected in his eyes as the sharp edge of the Mysterious Sword sliced through the Thorn as easily as cutting vegetables.

The sneer on Wang Zhong's face froze. Before he could react, Yang Ming lunged at him with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, the strange weapon in his hand gleaming with cold light as it sought to cut him in two.

Wang Zhong had already witnessed the weapon's sharpness. A Thorn wrapped around his waist and yanked him backward, allowing him to narrowly evade the sword's edge.

Yang Ming held his sword and cut through the Thorns binding Tang San. Seeing Tang San's mangled body and nearly unrecognizable face, seeing him severely injured and barely clinging to life, Yang Ming felt as if a huge stone weighed down his chest.

"Third brother."

Yang Ming's call seemed to stir Tang San's will to survive.

Tang San laboriously lifted his heavy eyelids. Through his blurred vision, he saw Yang Ming's outline and faintly curled his lips.

"Yang... Yang Ming... I... I didn't betray you."

(Fourth update. An extra chapter for accumulated donations of 1,000 book coins. Thanks again to Ye for the donation.)

(I was browsing Qidian today and discovered that three readers had donated. Sorry—I didn't thank you earlier because this was a Chuangshi book, and it didn't show up in the backend. Many thanks to all three of you.)