Tang Tianlin watched the scene unfold before him, a glint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
In the original story, the Shrek members had come together largely because Tang San had mediated between them.
Without Tang San, they would either have died from Evil Fire backlash, perished in the imperial family's struggles, or remained at level seventy-nine for life.
At most, Oscar might have made something of a name for himself with his decent talent.
But now, without Tang San, the bonds between these Shrek members were probably less solid than a wooden plank.
He only needed to give them a little nudge to split them apart from within.
Just then, Tang Tianlin suddenly noticed a burning gaze coming from beside him.
He turned to look, and the first thing he saw was a magnificent expanse wrapped in black, ample enough to hide her feet when she looked down.
Above it was a delicate, coldly beautiful, childlike face.
The owner of that gaze was none other than Zhu Zhuqing.
If Tang Tianlin remembered correctly, Zhu Zhuqing should have been twelve, about the same age as Tang San.
Tsk, tsk. Already that big at twelve. How spectacular would she be after a few more years of development?
For a moment, the dragon blood within Tang Tianlin actually showed faint signs of boiling.
Sigh, here we go again.
Everything about the Golden Dragon King was good, except that it was far too stifling.
Tang Tianlin was only admiring the view, while the Golden Dragon King's mind was filled with possession.
Helpless, he could only withdraw his gaze and silently suppress his blood qi.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun was still pleading desperately before Ning Rongrong, his voice trembling with sobs.
"Miss Ning, six thousand, just six thousand! I've never begged anyone in my life, but I'm begging you today!"
Ning Rongrong stood with her arms folded and her pretty face turned aside, refusing to speak.
"All right, time's up."
Tang Tianlin's voice drifted over.
At his words, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai both went deathly pale.
Bam!
Bam!
The next instant, everyone's vision blurred.
Then two dull impacts erupted almost simultaneously.
No one saw how Tang Tianlin had moved.
Not even Tang San.
He had pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit, yet all he caught was an extremely indistinct golden afterimage.
By the time he focused again, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were both lying on the ground.
One lay faceup, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes rolled back.
The other lay curled on his side, his fat body like a flattened toad, his limbs limp and motionless.
Neither made a sound; they simply dropped off to sleep.
Had Tang Tianlin not withdrawn most of his strength at the crucial moment, they would probably have become a mist of blood hanging in midair.
After all, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had merely been asking for trouble. Their offenses did not warrant death.
"Let this be a lesson. There won't be a next time."
With that, Tang Tianlin put all his spoils into his Storage Soul Tool, turned, and left.
Seeing this, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Dugu Yan hurried after him.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong remained where they were, watching their retreating figures, their thoughts unknown.
"All right, all right. Get them up first."
Zhao Wuji stood, clutching his chest, and directed those still standing.
At his words, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing looked at the two lying on the ground like dead dogs. Disgust flashed in their eyes, and with unspoken agreement, they stayed where they were.
Only Oscar scurried over, hoping to pull both of them up at once, but he lacked the strength and failed to get even one up after struggling for ages.
Watching this, Zhao Wuji sighed inwardly.
Their hearts had scattered. This team probably would not hold together much longer.
A day later, in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Tang Tianlin's group of three entered the forest and, thanks to the advantage of Child of Nature, soon discovered a familiar Soul Beast.
A spider two meters long suddenly appeared behind a tree trunk.
Its entire body was purplish-black, with eight long legs like curved blades. A distorted human face was embedded in the front of its abdomen, its features squeezed together.
It was the Soul Beast Realm's notorious ambusher, the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Tang Tianlin narrowed his eyes. A brief probe with his Soul Power told him what he needed to know.
Just over three thousand years old, no more, no less.
Barring any surprises, it could also drop an External Soul Bone.
This opportunity had originally belonged to Tang San.
But now, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass focused on life. Adding the Eight Spider Lances would probably make for a rather incongruous combination.
At that thought, Tang Tianlin said to Dugu Yan, "Dugu Yan, we've found your fourth Soul Ring."
Dugu Yan's breath caught, and a burning light lit up her eyes.
Although her Jade Phosphorus Flood Dragon Martial Soul had evolved, she had yet to find a suitable Soul Ring to stabilize its foundation.
A three-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider possessed both lethal venom and powerful offensive capabilities, perfectly matching her Martial Soul's traits.
"Thank you, Young Lord!"
"Don't thank me just yet."
Tang Tianlin stepped back twice and said with a chuckle, "The three of you, work together and take it down."
Tang San raised his brows. "Big brother, aren't you going to help?"
"You expect me to deal with a three-thousand-year-old spider?"
Tang Tianlin shot him a sidelong glance. "If the three of you together can't even handle this, don't come out with me and embarrass yourselves again."
"And you aren't allowed to use Soul Skills."
In his view, three level-forty Soul Masters should have had an easy time dealing with a Man Faced Demon Spider, even without using Soul Skills.
Tang San gave a slight nod.
Among the three of them, one specialized in control and two in power attacks. Their lineup was complete.
If they could not even take down a three-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, they really would have no excuse.
"San, I'll lead the attack. You control it, and Yanyan will pin it down from the flank."
Xiao Wu flexed her wrists, her toes touching the ground, her whole body like a fully drawn bow.
She might have gone softhearted against other Soul Beasts, but against a Man Faced Demon Spider, she had to strike hard.
After all, this creature was notorious for its bloodlust. Many of her kin had died at the hands of Man Faced Demon Spiders.
An ocean of hatred lay between the two sides!
Tang San nodded, golden-blue light quietly glowing in his right hand.
Dugu Yan said nothing more. The phantom of a Jade Phosphorus Flood Dragon appeared behind her, and a layer of fine jade-green scales already covered her arms.
"Go."
Tang San gave a low shout.
Three figures sprang into action almost simultaneously.
Xiao Wu was the fastest. Her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul granted her astonishing explosive power, and she flitted through the forest like a phantom, reaching the Man Faced Demon Spider's flank in the blink of an eye.
Sensing danger, the Man Faced Demon Spider suddenly swiveled the murky compound eyes on its human face.
All eight long legs pushed off at once, launching its massive body like a projectile straight at Xiao Wu's face.
Xiao Wu kicked off a tree trunk with her toes and twisted her body at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding the piercing spider legs.
At the same time, Tang San moved.
Dozens of strands of Dragon-Patterned Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground, winding toward the Man Faced Demon Spider's hind legs like nimble snakes.
Hiss!
The next instant, spider silk sprayed from the Man Faced Demon Spider's mouth, instantly corroding the surface of the Blue Silver Grass into a charred black patch.
But Tang San had anticipated this.
Tempered by the Golden Dragon King's blood qi, his Blue Silver Grass possessed toughness far beyond the ordinary.
Although the blackened blades were damaged, they did not break, still coiling tightly around the joints of the spider's legs.
The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a piercing shriek, the features on its human face twisting into an even more hideous expression.
It jerked its legs violently, only to find that it could not break free right away.
"Yanyan, now!"
This was precisely the moment Dugu Yan had been waiting for.
With her Jade Phosphorus Flood Dragon Martial Soul Possession activated, she cut in from the flank like a bolt of jade lightning.
Her hands transformed into flood dragon claws, striking straight at the distorted human face on the Man Faced Demon Spider's abdomen.
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