Tang San carefully felt the changes in his body.
"This... something isn't right!"
Tang San sensed that the soul power released by his original Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had changed from gentle and healing to domineering and greedy, as though determined to devour everything within its reach.
"Could it be because of this seventy-thousand-year Taotie Soul Ring?"
Tang San voiced his confusion.
"That must be it."
Ouyang Tianxin nodded.
Qian Fan, who had been cultivating nearby, slowly rose as well. He walked over to Tang San, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes as he sensed the fluctuations of soul power within him.
"Your soul power has become so domineering. If you can control this power, you might have a chance to become a God King or reach the transcendent god realm someday," Qian Fan said.
Tang San took a deep breath and tried hard to control the surging soul power within him. He knew that although this power was mighty, it was also extremely dangerous. If he failed to master it, it could very well turn on him.
"I'll work hard to master it," Tang San said firmly.
Just then, an earth-shaking roar suddenly rang out in the distance.
A Soul Beast loomed before them like a towering mountain.
"This... it's actually..." Tang San's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.
"Who was it?! Who?! Who dared to kill my poor child?!" Amid those furious roars, the Soul Beast that had come seeking vengeance gradually revealed its hideous appearance.
Its entire body was covered in hard, ink-black scales that gleamed with a chilling light. Its deep, dark pupils radiated boundless murderous intent and fury.
This was an ancient ferocious beast-a Taotie. Its mighty aura surged as though it could topple mountains and overturn seas. Its cultivation had already reached the human god king realm, far beyond anything Qian Fan and the others could contend with.
The Soul Beast Ouyang Tianxin had just hunted down had been this Taotie's own flesh and blood. Tang San's heart sank, and he groaned inwardly. He had never imagined that it would come knocking so quickly.
Seeing this, Qian Fan stepped in front of Tang San, his expression utterly grave as he stared fixedly at the Taotie before them.
"Hmph! So it really was you vile people who murdered my precious child!" The Taotie ground its teeth, its eyes bulging with fury. It opened its blood-basin maw and spewed a blazing jet of black fire.
Qian Fan dared not hesitate. He hurriedly stirred the tremendous soul power within him and unleashed his defensive measures with all his might, trying to withstand the ferocious onslaught of flames.
Yet the black fire was far too fierce and powerful. Even with every ounce of his strength, Qian Fan could not resist it and was forced to retreat step by step.
Tang San's eyes lit up. He felt the soul power within him stirring restlessly. He decided to try using his newly acquired power to see whether he could fight this mighty Taotie.
He focused his mind, mobilized that domineering soul power, and thrust both hands forward. A streak of red-and-blue light shot out and collided with the black flames.
Bang!
Ouyang Tianxin, with Qian Fan and Tang San in tow, attempted a high-difficulty flying-acrobat Guinness World Death Record.
The sight left Chen Sixue on the ground utterly dumbfounded. Her little mouth opened wide enough to fit an apple before she clapped both hands tightly over it.
"So this is a Taotie at the god king realm!" Everyone was shocked. That brief yet fierce collision of soul power had left them gaping.
With nothing more than a casual wave, the Taotie had effortlessly neutralized their powerful attack.
Had Ouyang Tianxin, who was in the divine god realm, not stepped forward to shield Qian Fan and Tang San, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Perhaps Qian Fan, wielding Fate's Name-Destroying Blade, could have survived by sheer luck, but Tang San would certainly have suffered grievous injuries and might even have been reduced to ashes in an instant.
By now, the Taotie had taken human form. He wore blood-red armor and looked imposing, like a war god who had stepped out of hell.
Razor-sharp claws extended from his hands, gleaming with a chilling light.
The Taotie sneered, "You two little brats who don't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is actually dared to barge into the perilous Taotie Forest! So you had someone in the divine god realm backing you. Hmph, even so, you still won't escape death!" Her voice thundered in their ears and resounded throughout the forest, carrying boundless majesty and dominance.
"Hmph, you're nothing but a beast. This old man would like to see just how you intend to kill Young Master Qian Fan with that strength of yours!"
Ouyang Tianxin roared angrily, and an immensely powerful aura erupted around him. The terrifying cultivation of the divine god realm swept outward like surging ocean waves.
At the same time, the phantom of a gigantic, fathomless hand suddenly appeared in midair. It was his Abyssal Giant Hand Martial Soul!
Meanwhile, Qian Fan also unleashed his own martial soul-the Abyss Angel.
An ink-black figure radiating a mysterious glow slowly appeared. Three black and five red Soul Rings encircled its back, their dazzling colors intertwined as they revolved at Qian Fan's feet like stars clustering around the moon.
"You! You! You hateful human! You dare call this divine beast a mere beast? You must be tired of living!"
The enraged Taotie's eyes widened, sparks of fury flashing within them.
It had already been filled with disdain and contempt for these weak humans before it. Now, Ouyang Tianxin's insulting words had thoroughly ignited its fury. After all, its cultivation stood a full minor level above Ouyang Tianxin's! How could it tolerate such unbridled abuse?
Then it moved, turning into a black shadow as it lunged toward Ouyang Tianxin with the speed of wind and lightning.
Ouyang Tianxin was startled, but he did not retreat. With a sweep of his giant hand, he met the humanoid Taotie head-on.
The two collided instantly with a tremendous crash. Ouyang Tianxin felt an immense force slam into him, sending him staggering backward against his will.
"Senior, watch out!"
Qian Fan tightly gripped the Heavenly Demon Star-Breaking Sword, which radiated endless demonic energy and oppressive might.
With an angry roar, he instantly channeled all his strength into the blade. A dazzling streak of sword light shot out like lightning, cleaving viciously toward the Taotie's enormous claws with the force to destroy heaven and earth.
Yet at that heart-stopping moment, a suffocatingly powerful backlash surged from the Taotie's claws.
Qian Fan felt as though an enormous mountain had slammed into him, and his body flew backward uncontrollably. He traced an arc through the air, smashing through several thick trees in succession. They snapped and collapsed under the impact, throwing up clouds of dust.
Finally, Qian Fan crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.
He lay there in excruciating pain, as though every inch of his bones had shattered.
Scarlet blood kept spilling from his mouth, staining the surrounding earth red. His face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was extremely unstable.
"Brother Fan!"
Chen Sixue ran over to check Qian Fan's injuries.
The Taotie was not in great shape either. Several claws on its hands had been severed.
"How is this possible?!"
Never in its wildest dreams had the Taotie imagined that a dignified divine beast like itself, half a step from the transcendent god realm, would have several claws chopped off by a human brat who had barely reached Titled Douluo.
"Wretched beast, you dared hurt Brother Fan!"
Tang San had only just regained consciousness.
Gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, he pointed furiously at the Taotie and spoke.
"Fine, fine, fine! Aren't you all something! Didn't your elders teach you what respect means?!"
The Taotie was furious.
Qian Fan cut in.
"I don't remember Xu Fangyuan ever teaching me to respect a Soul Beast."
The Taotie: "???????"
Before you continue