Within a hidden manor on the outskirts of Soto City.
Roughly seven or eight figures dressed in black robes were gathered together, idly passing the time.
"Why isn't the Captain back yet? The Young Master and the Vice Captain left so long ago to avoid unnecessary suspicion. How far behind are we going to be?"
A young man at the Soul Ancestor level played a card.
"That kid is a genius from Shrek, after all, and he has twin martial souls. His physical strength shouldn't be weak. The Captain will probably be a while longer. We'll just catch up then; it won't affect anything," a veteran middle-aged guard remarked nonchalantly.
"True..."
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking interrupted the youth, and the group sitting together immediately turned their gazes toward the door.
"Hmm? Is the Captain back?"
The veteran stood up to open the door. However, the next moment, the door was blown open. Dao Jie's tower-like frame stepped slowly into the villa, and beside him stood a youth with an incredibly grim expression.
Before anyone could speak, the youth spoke coldly:
"Kill them."
In an instant, Dao Jie charged out like a cannonball. Like a wolf among sheep, he began a frantic slaughter!
Beside him, watching the carnage, Tang San remained expressionless.
...
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Are you serious, bro?
Huh?
Huo Yuhao fell silent. He felt as though his eyes were being seared, and he quickly reached out to wash them with water from the nearby Frigid Spring.
It's not that I'm being nosy—I just ran out of research materials and came to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to gather more. I only took a casual peek to see how the "Tang Buddha" was doing, but why is it this hard to watch?!
Huo Yuhao swore he hadn't intentionally arranged any of this. Aside from his initial plan to let Tang San and the Duke's Mansion fight like dogs to provide some entertainment—hence setting up that "Godly Trial"—it was only that one trial!
But this series of events—including Tang San's first breakdown and now this even more explosive turn of events—truly refreshed Huo Yuhao's worldview.
Could it be...
Huo Yuhao looked up at the sky, a sense of realization dawning in his heart.
So, is the Planar Will making a move on Tang San? Although this Tang San was essentially a wisp of Divine Consciousness possessing a body, making his fundamental level extremely high, the Planar Will would have to pay a massive price to kill him outright.
However, making him suffer from constant bad luck and ensuring nothing went his way was certainly possible.
Furthermore, the Planar Will likely knew that the possessed Tang San left behind by Huo Yuhao was useful, so it hadn't gone too far—at least it hadn't caused his cultivation to deviate or turned him into a cripple.
All things considered, despite everything Tang San had endured, he should probably thank the Planar Will for its mercy in not killing him.
Insert: "Hurry up and say 'Thank you, Big Brother Planar Will'" .JPG
Watching Tang San allow Dao Jie to kill wantonly while he himself laughed maniacally, all while summoning the Dark Blue Silver King to devour the life force of those Soul Ancestors...
Huo Yuhao fell into silence.
This guy... why does he seem a bit unhinged? Did he snap?
But these were minor issues as long as the person remained alive.
As for whether Tang San would completely fall into becoming an evil soul master, Huo Yuhao didn't care. After all, the Dark Blue Silver King was a work crafted by Huo Yuhao's own hands.
Its life force devouring ability and the efficiency of converting that life force into soul power was roughly one-third of the original version—that of Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver King.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao had left a backup plan within Tang San's martial soul, allowing him to neutralize it at any time.
As for the small concern of a fallen evil soul master Tang San harming civilians, a simple "thought stamp" using emotional power to manipulate Tang San's subconscious would suffice.
If all else failed, he could just toss him to the Holy Spirit Cult. If he recalled correctly, in his previous life, Sister Xiao Ya had been captured by the Holy Spirit Cult. Replacing her with Tang San this time shouldn't be a problem.
They both had the Dark Blue Silver King, after all. Though Tang San's efficiency was lower, the effect was similar. He doubted Zhongli Wu would be picky.
Seeing Tang San's soul power skyrocketing as he took on the appearance of an evil soul master, Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze.
This "dog-eat-dog" drama was truly entertaining, significantly easing the fatigue of Huo Yuhao's research.
He truly is the "Tang Buddha"! Providing me with such entertainment every day—I really can't compare to such a self-sacrificing spirit!
...
On the other side, Tang San controlled Dao Jie to slaughter all seven Soul Ancestors and the one Soul King within the manor.
Afterward, he used the Dark Blue Silver King to devour all these Soul Masters.
What evil soul master? What physical limits? What Xiao Wu?! Quack! He wants power! Powerful power, god dammit!
Absorbing the life force of so many Soul Masters in succession would have likely been too much for Tang San's body to handle if the Eight Spider Lances—which were frantically regrowing from the absorbed energy—hadn't taken most of the pressure.
Without hesitation, Tang San sat cross-legged and began to fully absorb the devoured life force.
A day and a night later, Tang San suddenly snapped his eyes open. The eight spider lances had regrown behind him, radiating a sharp, piercing aura.
Perhaps due to carrying too many impurities, the tips of the deep blue spider lances showed a hint of blackish-red, giving the Eight Spider Lances a somewhat sinister appearance.
Tang San stood up, feeling his once-again skyrocketing soul power cultivation. He couldn't help but feel a sense of gratification and satisfaction.
Not only were the Eight Spider Lances fully repaired—their power seemingly even greater—but his cultivation had soared to Level 35! Another two-level jump!
Though the process was unsightly, the result remained: he had won! And he had become stronger!
Suppressing the urge to laugh out loud again, Tang San stood up slowly and began to walk toward the basement.
The Soul Masters stationed here had erased every possible trace of their identities. Even their personal belongings were clean, offering no clues.
As for Dao Jie, because it had been a critical moment, Tang San couldn't afford to be careful. When he destroyed Dao Jie's consciousness with his Divine Consciousness, he hadn't held back—there was nothing left of his mind.
If he hadn't tracked the scent of blood, Tang San might not have even found this place.
Pushing open the underground cell, Tang San saw the blood-stained figure bound by iron chains to a wooden board.
At that moment, Tang San's body trembled violently.
"Xiao Wu!!!"
Tang San rushed over, smashing all the chains on Xiao Wu's body, and then pulled Xiao Wu tightly into his embrace.
"Third Brother..."
Xiao Wu's voice was incredibly weak. After all, he was only a one-ring Soul Master. He had been tortured with various implements for over ten days, followed by a "straight to the point" trauma; to him, this was nothing short of internal and external agony.
Especially every time he was tortured, the Soul Master performing the act would smile and remind him:
"If you want to blame someone, blame your brother! Who told him to offend our Young Master?"
The seeds of resentment had been planted at that very moment. Right now, within Xiao Wu's weakened eyes, a sliver of invisible hatred flickered.
Everything I've suffered... is because of you!
If it weren't for you! I wouldn't have been treated like that! I wouldn't have gone through this!
At this moment, the seeds of resentment began to grow vigorously.