To be honest, Shangguan Hong admired the bond between Tang San and Xiao Wu somewhat.
One was willing to risk his life for the other, and the other was willing to sacrifice herself to give her beloved a chance to live. How great!
Shangguan Hong sighed inwardly, but that sentiment suddenly changed!
Great? How foolish!
For some reason, a powerful sense of mockery suddenly rose in Shangguan Hong's heart! He disdained these so-called feelings, but when a delicate-featured face appeared in his mind, he suddenly fell silent, remaining that way for a long time.
By the time he came back to himself, Tang San had already eaten the Mushroom Sausage Oscar had given him. Amid everyone's startled cries, a pair of translucent wings sprouted from Tang San's back! The wings flapped, lifting Tang San into the sky.
Shangguan Hong shook his head, casting aside that face he could never see again, and slipped back into actor mode with an utterly seamless transition.
"Little San, you-what are you doing?!"
Shangguan Hong opened his eyes and looked at Tang San in midair, his face filled with panic.
"You brat, get down here!"
"Third Brother, don't do anything stupid!"
Behind him came the protests of Zhao Wuji and the others from Shrek, but Tang San's gaze rested solely on Shangguan Hong.
"Little San, I know you're suffering, but in your current condition, going there would just be throwing your life away. Come down first. Once we're back at the academy, we can discuss a long-term plan..."
Looking at Shangguan Hong's panicked face, Tang San revealed a pure smile. Shangguan Hong, however, had no intention of fighting fair. He rapidly chanted the Soul Incantation for his Second Soul Skill, and the Desert Emperor Azir appeared once more. Four sand soldiers lunged at Tang San in the sky, but Tang San flicked his wrist and threw four hidden weapons. After briefly delaying the four sand soldiers, he spoke softly to Shangguan Hong, and to everyone else as well:
"Sorry, Brother Shangguan. I have to find Xiao Wu!"
What a resolute gaze!
Without any hesitation, Tang San beat his wings and flew in the direction the Titan Giant Ape had fled! His speed was astonishing-the true speed of a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent! Whether by coincidence or not, among the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples Ning Rongrong had summoned, only one Soul Ancestor could fly. That Soul Ancestor, however, was a pure Power Attack System Soul Master and did not specialize in speed...
"Mad! You're all mad! One after another, rushing off to your deaths!"
Zhao Wuji roared. Dai Mubai and the others remained silent. They wanted to call Tang San a fool, but simply could not bring themselves to say it.
"Little Ao! Sausage!"
At some point, Shangguan Hong's eyes had turned bloodshot as well. He stared fixedly at Oscar, his tone urgent. Oscar froze briefly, but his body instinctively produced a Mushroom Sausage.
Shangguan Hong took the sausage and bit into it. The same wings appeared behind him, and without any hesitation, he quickly followed.
"Everyone, I'll bring Little San back!"
Love and friendship that disregarded life and death shook not only everyone from Shrek, but also filled the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples with emotion. Shangguan Hong's actions spurred the others from Shrek into their own frenzy. Moments later, figure after figure flew into the sky, including the young miss, Ning Rongrong. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples would never allow Ning Rongrong's life to be endangered. Unable to stop her, they could only race through the forest on the ground, though before leaving, they left three disciples behind to protect Zhao Wuji.
"Little Monsters, you must come back alive!"
Zhao Wuji clenched his teeth. All he could do was pray.
The flight granted by Oscar's Third Soul Skill was heaven-defying, but it could only last a minute. Shangguan Hong knew this. He flew at full speed in the direction Tang San had gone, slowly descending to the ground as the minute drew to a close.
It should be somewhere around here, right? But I need to move quickly. Those guys from Shrek will probably catch up soon...
Shangguan Hong searched the dense forest. Before long, he found a branch that had been forcibly snapped! From the look of it, the frantic Tang San had probably crashed through it after losing his ability to fly! After proceeding several dozen more steps, Shangguan Hong suddenly heard faint hissing, seemingly accompanied by the sound of bolts being fired.
Shangguan Hong quickened his pace, hurrying toward the sounds. Parting the bushes before him, he saw an enormous Man Faced Demon Spider bound up like a rice dumpling in thick Blue Silver Grass, its abdomen-its only weakness-left exposed. Tang San looked like a man possessed. Holding the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, he cursed and pulled the trigger again and again, until the crossbow in his hands gave a crisp mechanical click.
Looks like I arrived at just the right time! Tang San has already dealt with the Man Faced Demon Spider, but...
Hidden in the shadows, Shangguan Hong sneered. He suddenly summoned his Martial Soul, and the first soul ring beneath his feet flashed. A small amount of the Void's corrosive power silently entered the dying Man Faced Demon Spider. The Man Faced Demon Spider possessed a certain evil attribute, making it perfectly suited to the Void's corruption. Under that small amount of corruption, a savage gleam suddenly flashed in its nearly faded eyes!
Tang San lay on the ground, gasping for breath. By his reckoning, a Man Faced Demon Spider struck by the Godly Zhuge Crossbow could not possibly survive, and that was indeed the case. But he could never have dreamed that something as bug-like as the Power of the Void existed. The Man Faced Demon Spider's remaining vitality was squeezed out completely. It let out an urgent hiss and forcibly broke free of the Blue Silver Grass!
At such close range, dodging was almost impossible for Tang San. Just as the Man Faced Demon Spider's Spider Spear was about to pierce his head...
"Windblown sand buries palace towers and locks away the lingering sunset; after a thousand years of slumber, the emperor rises anew!"
"Second Soul Skill, Glory of Shurima!"
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
Tang San watched a sand soldier dart in front of him at tremendous speed, only to be impaled by the Man Faced Demon Spider. Yet even in death, the soldier's hands held the Man Faced Demon Spider in a death grip, buying time for the attacks that followed!
The Sun Disc radiated a dazzling light. The sand soldier, which had been at death's door and died, received ascension and came back to life, while the other three soldiers swarmed forward as well.
Joy appeared on Tang San's face after his narrow escape. He turned to look, and sure enough, Shangguan Hong was walking toward him step by step, carrying a huge golden carpet over his shoulder.
"Brother Shangguan!"
Slap!
Tang San spoke joyfully, but what greeted him was a slap from Shangguan Hong.
"Have you gone mad? This is the slaughterer, the Man Faced Demon Spider! Don't you know how terrifying a Soul Beast's dying counterattack can be? If I'd been one step later, I'd probably only have been able to collect your corpse!"
Shangguan Hong reprimanded Tang San without the slightest courtesy, and shame appeared on the latter's face. Yet this was merely a diversion. What Tang San failed to notice was that, as the four soldiers attacked the Man Faced Demon Spider, their sharp spears simultaneously pierced its back! Its hard carapace shattered, and one soldier silently concealed a peculiar bone shimmering with light in a gap in his armor.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on obtaining the Man Faced Demon Spider External Soul Bone! Mission complete!] [Reward: Buff · Void Dominance (permanent)]