Chapter 30

But Xiao Wu's next attack had already arrived. She bent her legs and stamped hard against the ground, launching herself into the air level with the short-staff Soul Master. Twisting at the waist, she kicked at his face.

It was already too late for the short-staff Soul Master to switch hands and block. Watching Xiao Wu's foot draw closer, he thought of his teammates behind him. He could not lose! If he lost, their lives would be over!

This forced the short-staff Soul Master's fighting spirit to the surface. Rather than switch hands to block, he gripped the staff in his left hand and swung it hard at Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu had no choice but to change direction again. The foot aimed at his face instead stepped onto the short staff coming toward her, using its force to retreat. Her body spun several times in midair before she landed.

Seeing that his strike had worked, the short-staff Soul Master tried to break free faster so he could continue fighting the two of them.

But in the end, he was only one man with two hands. By then, Tang San had reached him, his dagger flashing swiftly and leaving the short-staff Soul Master no time to deal with the Blue Silver Grass gradually spreading over his body.

Just like that, the Blue Silver Grass climbed little by little to his lower waist. Its toughness filled him with fear.

The short-staff Soul Master knew this could not continue. He prepared to take Tang San and Xiao Wu's attacks head-on and first deal with the Blue Silver Grass on his body. But just as he swung his staff to break through it, Tang San's Blue Silver Dagger slashed across the back of his hand.

It instantly opened a cut, and the pain made him lose his grip on his Martial Soul. Under Tang San's control, the Blue Silver Grass rapidly spread upward, binding him inch by inch, layer by layer.

It continued until his entire body was wrapped like a rice dumpling, leaving him unable to break free.

Holding the Blue Silver Dagger, Tang San slowly crouched and aimed at the man's back, behind his heart. With a squelch, blood seeped through the gaps in the Blue Silver Grass, and the man beneath him gradually stopped moving.

Tang Hao approached, the reeds closing behind him as though nothing had happened.

He walked up to Tang San and crouched to meet his eyes.

Tang Hao reached out and patted Tang San's shoulder. "Well done, but you should think things through more before giving orders. You can't put your teammates in danger. What you did the second time was right. Against a Soul Master combining the Control System and Power Attack System, there's no need to rush into close combat.

"You could also have had the Blue Silver Grass bind him a little earlier, and a little more discreetly."

Tang San nodded. "It won't happen again." He also blamed himself for Xiao Wu getting injured just now.

Tang Hao looked in the direction they had come from. "I'd like to let you learn slowly too, but news of this squad's disappearance will soon get back to them. Whoever comes next won't be so easy to deal with. In the end, even she might come."

Tang San knew who the "she" his father mentioned was. She was someone who placed enormous pressure on them.

"Father, if she really comes..." Tang San's voice was filled with worry.

"That's why you have to grow stronger. Once she comes, I'll only be able to hold her off. I won't be able to do anything about the others."

"Should we contact Uncle?"

Tang Hao fell silent for a while. "Sigh, your uncle still has to look after your mother. Things probably aren't peaceful there either. Let's wait a little longer."

With that, he approached Grandmaster. "Grandmaster, we can't rest tonight. Take the two children and leave immediately. I'll deal with the other four and that corpse, then catch up with you."

"All right. It looks like we'll have to stick to small paths from now on." Yu Xiaogang nodded.

"Father, I know some disguise methods. Let's disguise ourselves before setting off." Tang San thought of the Tang Sect Disguise Technique from his previous life and knew this was no time to keep hiding it.

"Oh? When did you learn that? Never mind, this isn't the time to discuss it. Use it on them first."

Tang San nodded and took some things from his belt. Ever since learning the news, he had known the journey would not be peaceful, so he had prepared these things in advance. He had not expected to actually use them.

Before long, judging by their faces alone, the three of them hardly looked anything like their former selves. Only someone very familiar with them could recognize them, and even then, they would have to look closely. Recognizing them from Spirit Hall's portraits alone would still be very difficult.

Tang Hao nodded, memorized their current appearances, and went to deal with those people. Under Yu Xiaogang's lead, Tang San and Xiao Wu entered the bushes, preparing to continue along another small path.

Far away, in the direction of Spirit City, the doors of a magnificent palace remained tightly shut. Outside, people continually reported the latest developments to the person within, though none received a reply.

Then a report arrived. "Yesterday in Nuoding City, when Spirit Hall went to Nuoding Academy to arrest Tang San, an awakener of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, they learned that he had already left the academy. Two others left with him: a girl who was also a new student, named Xiao Wu, whose Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit, and Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang."

At those words, the palace doors boomed open. The hall was otherwise empty, with Bibi Dong seated on the throne, her right arm propped on its armrest. "Come in and explain this matter in detail."

"Yes." The person outside answered and hurried forward, stopping before the steps beneath the throne before continuing, "Tang San is an awakener of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power, so he received particular attention.

"Upon learning the news, the local Spirit Hall deacon immediately sent people after the three of them. A messenger Soul Master and a five-person squad disappeared to the south. After word came back, the local Spirit Hall felt this was beyond their ability to resolve and reported it to request reinforcements. Preparations have already been made to send a Soul King to arrest Tang San."

Bibi Dong remained silent for a long time. There were too many familiar things in this: Yu Xiaogang, the Soft Bone Rabbit, and the surname Tang. After learning that the child with Innate Full Soul Power was surnamed Tang, she had a strong feeling that this child was the person she was looking for.

"A Soul King won't be enough."

"Ah, Your Holiness, what did you say?" It was unclear whether the person truly had not heard or simply could not believe those words.

"A Soul King won't be enough. Even a Soul Saint, a Soul Douluo, or a Titled Douluo won't be enough! I'll go myself..." She wanted to see why Yu Xiaogang had gone against her wishes despite knowing that she had given the order.

She wanted to see whether that child was truly what she thought.

At that thought, she suddenly paused. If things really were as she imagined, then... "The Blue Silver Emperor, the Clear Sky Hammer, and an uncle whose depths are unfathomable..." Suddenly, she smiled, faintly and coldly. "Everything Qian Xunji pursued at the cost of his life back then has gathered in one place. How wonderful!"

Her expression grew colder and colder. Scarlet divine markings continually surfaced on her face, while spider patterns flickered behind her. "I have you to thank, Lan Changsheng. If not for you, I wouldn't have been able to resolve myself to take another step along the Rakshasa God’s Path. I hope you'll be there this time too!"

Meanwhile, far away on the other side, figures from Spirit Hall had also appeared in Sunset Forest, where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay.