Lin Ye: I slapped Tang San, and he still had to thank me.

"This is a Man Faced Demon Spider!"

It was another Man Faced Demon Spider—and this one was two thousand years old!

Unlike two days ago, he was now facing a thousand-year Soul Beast head-on, with no expert at his side to protect him.

Tang San watched it grimly. Without giving him any chance to react, it raised its spider legs and lunged at him.

"So fast!" Shocked as he was, Tang San immediately sprang into action, using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to narrowly evade the attack.

But the Man Faced Demon Spider had no intention of letting Tang San go and continued attacking him.

Tang San's expression hardened. Seeing that the Man Faced Demon Spider still refused to launch a web attack, he suddenly thought of a possibility:

This Man Faced Demon Spider might have already spat out its web earlier.

At that thought, Tang San grew bolder.

"Third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint!"

A mass of Blue Silver Grass swept toward the Man Faced Demon Spider like a web, binding it in an instant.

Seeing it entangled, Tang San wasted no time. He flipped into the air, a black box appearing in his hand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of streaks of white light shot out simultaneously, heading straight for the eyes on the Man Faced Demon Spider's lower abdomen.

Struck in its vital spot, the Man Faced Demon Spider let out a roar, venom spraying from its mouth.

Startled, Tang San immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dodge. As the venom hit the ground, it instantly corroded all the surrounding vegetation.

The Man Faced Demon Spider's venom really is potent. I can't drag this out any longer.

With that thought, Tang San immediately brought out his second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, and launched a fierce assault.

"Well, well. I just got here, and Chang Wei's already beating up Lai Fu."

While Tang San and the Man Faced Demon Spider battled fiercely, Lin Ye had quietly arrived atop a tall tree nearby.

The concealment effect of Sephira's secret technique was so powerful that even with his Purple Demon Eye active, Tang San could not detect his presence.

"Tang San's hidden weapons and Tang Sect Secret Arts don't look all that impressive."

Originally, Lin Ye had been interested in Tang San's Tang Sect Secret Arts, but after watching him fight, he was disappointed.

Tang San's Tang Sect Secret Arts were simply no match for the martial arts of the wuxia worlds Lin Ye had visited before.

Any renowned martial art picked at random from those worlds would have been stronger than Tang San's secret arts.

Several minutes later, Tang San and the Man Faced Demon Spider were still trading blows, neither gaining the upper hand. Lin Ye was getting bored watching them.

Glancing at several figures approaching from nearby, Lin Ye felt a surge of delight.

"Just about time. The real show's about to begin!"

Lin Ye smiled. As Tang San's heavy Clear Sky Hammer descended toward the Man Faced Demon Spider, he immediately activated the power of Manifestation, forming a tiny Pseudo Black Hole inside its body.

With a bang, the heavy hammer struck, and the Man Faced Demon Spider's body burst apart.

Startled by this sudden turn, Tang San hurriedly retreated, immediately raising Blue Silver Grass to block the flying chunks of flesh and venom.

Perfect opportunity.

Keeping himself concealed, Lin Ye immediately darted down, stowed the Eight Spider Lances released by the explosion in his Storage Soul Tool, and swiftly departed—all in one seamless motion, without making the slightest disturbance.

At the same time, three figures arrived. Their expressions changed drastically at the sight.

Leading them were two elderly people, a man and a woman, accompanied by a young woman in the bloom of youth.

These three were Snake Granny, Dragon Duke, and Meng Yiran.

They had just followed the Man Faced Demon Spider's trail here, only to see it die beneath Tang San's hammer and turn into a purple ring of light.

"No, how could this happen? Why? Why?" Meng Yiran stared at the purple ring of light, on the verge of breaking down.

After giving up on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, they had finally managed to find this Man Faced Demon Spider, a suitable source for her Soul Ring. Now it had actually been killed just like that.

Meng Yiran looked up and saw Tang San. Shocked, she exclaimed, "You! You killed my Soul Beast!"

The one who had killed the Soul Beast was actually another member of Shrek, which had won her Soul Ring away in that contest the other day.

Meng Yiran remembered him as the person who had wanted to take the place of the boy with the sausage Martial Soul in the challenge that day.

"Your... your Soul Beast?" Tang San was taken aback, suddenly recalling how the Man Faced Demon Spider had not spat out any webs during their fight.

Could it be...?

"I'm truly sorry. I was only passing through on urgent business, and this Man Faced Demon Spider blocked my way. I really didn't expect such a coincidence," Tang San said with a bitter smile.

Meng Yiran stared at Tang San, her pretty face flushed red with anger.

"You... you have to compensate me for my Soul Ring!"

Why should I?

Just as Tang San was about to blurt that out, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Oh? How would you like Tang San to compensate you?"

"Lin Ye? What are you doing here?" Tang San asked, puzzled.

Lin Ye walked over and came to Tang San's side.

At the sight of Lin Ye, Meng Yiran's anger instantly vanished. Her furious expression swiftly melted into bashfulness.

"Tang San, Teacher Zhao is very angry about your reckless behavior, so he sent me to bring you back."

Tang San immediately shook his head, his eyes bloodshot. "No, I have to find Xiao Wu!"

Smack!

Lin Ye slapped Tang San across the face.

"What are you doing...?"

"Xiao Wu this, Xiao Wu that! Are you throwing your fucking life away for her? Stop being so impulsive and get your ass back there! If we're going to search, we'll all search together!"

Lin Ye unleashed a barrage of scolding at Tang San, leaving him utterly dumbfounded. That slap instantly cooled his frenzied emotions.

Tang San held his cheek, a trace of clarity returning to his eyes.

Lin Ye was right. He had indeed acted impulsively without considering the consequences. That Titan Giant Ape was far beyond anything he could handle now.

"I'm sorry, Lin Ye. I made you all and Teacher Zhao worry."

"It's fine. Leave this to me."

Lin Ye waved a hand, secretly delighted.

See? I hit him, and he still has to thank me.

I have to say, that slap felt really good.

Nearby, Snake Granny frowned as she watched Lin Ye, then whispered a few words into Dragon Duke's ear.

"Oh?" Dragon Duke stared at Lin Ye with an interested expression.

Feeling Dragon Duke's gaze, Lin Ye immediately broke out in goosebumps.

This old man... could he be that way?

"You're Lin Ye?"

Hearing his question, Lin Ye replied, "Yes, that's me. Might you be Senior Dragon Duke?"

Pleased by Lin Ye's courteous response, Dragon Duke nodded.

"Indeed. I am Meng Shu, known as Dragon Duke, a rank eighty-three Control-type Battle Soul Douluo."

"My respects, Senior. I've come on my teacher's orders to take Tang San back. Would you be willing to forgive his transgression?" Lin Ye asked.

Meng Shu looked Lin Ye over, then said, "We can let him go, provided you agree to one condition."

"Oh? Please tell me, Senior, so long as it's something I can do."

Meng Shu cleared his throat and said, "I want you to join our family!"