Tang San's face was stiff as he spoke.
"I know you're angry. That's fine. I've changed my mind. Let's turn back—whether it's the Silverback Gorilla or the Cangming Swamp Bull, as long as it's a strength-type soul beast with enough years, I'll take it."
Hai-ge sneered at him. "You want one of those soul beasts as your soul ring now?" He glared mockingly. "With that pointy face and monkey cheeks? You think you deserve that? Hai-ge has changed his mind. Today, you're gonna kill this snot worm and absorb its soul ring for me."
Tang San tried to resist. "Hai-ge, don't forget. My martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer. Behind it stands the Clear Sky Sect."
Summoning his Clear Sky Hammer, he attempted to intimidate Hai-ge with the weapon's reputation.
"Oh? Ohhh?" Hai-ge snorted with scorn. "You trying to use the Clear Sky Sect to scare me, you little black rat?"
He sneered viciously, "That's a sect so scared of Spirit Hall they sealed their own mountain and won't show their faces. You think Hai-ge is scared of them? Today, this snot worm—you're not getting out of it. Absorb it."
Tang San's eyes went red, and his breath turned heavy. He roared, "Hai-ge! Are you trying to destroy my martial soul?!"
Hai-ge chuckled darkly. "You got it. After wandering around this forest with you for so long, I'm pissed off. I'm gonna destroy your precious Clear Sky Hammer today."
He picked his nose, dug out a large piece of snot, and flicked it onto Tang San's dark face.
"So kill that snot worm and absorb its soul ring. Now."
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west!" Tang San shouted, wiping the filth from his face. "You humiliate me like this—aren't you afraid that I, Tang San, will settle the score someday? Show some mercy today, and we can meet again in peace tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow is tomorrow," Hai-ge mocked. "Now is now. If you keep treating the future like it's already here, what—you think you'll become a god and smite me or something?" He grinned wickedly. "But right now, you're just a weakling. So be obedient. Understand?"
Tang San looked around. He knew he couldn't win against Hai-ge right now. And he absolutely didn't want to ruin his Clear Sky Hammer with this disgusting snot worm as a first soul ring.
The only path left was to run.
But Hai-ge coldly spoke again:
"Still don't get your situation? This forest is massive and complicated—like a maze. Without a guide, you could wander for months and still not get out. Not to mention the dangers deep in the Star Dou Forest."
Without you? Tang San snorted. In my last life, I walked in and out of the Star Dou Forest like it was my backyard.
But then a terrible realization hit him.
In his previous life, when he was weak, it was Zhao Wuji, Xiao Wu, and the others who led him in and out.
Later, when he became powerful, he could fly and find his bearings from the air.
After becoming a god, he once teleported straight into the Lake of Life in the forest's depths to secretly—ahem—retrieve the growing Tree of Life for his mother to possess. That marked the foundation of Shrek Academy's future.
Later, he visited the forest multiple times—for instance, the time he split his daughter's soul into three parts and planted one in a divine beast to manipulate the Star Dou Forest's fate. That was easy because he had god-sight from the Divine Realm and could see the entire forest layout.
But... he had never actually studied the Star Dou Forest's terrain in detail.
Now, at this weakened state, without Hai-ge—he really might get lost in this vast forest.
"So," Hai-ge grinned, "without me, you're not getting out."
"You want to leave? Then first absorb the soul ring from this snot worm."
Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot. "Does it really have to be this cruel?!"
Hai-ge looked him over with disdain. "You make me sick. That black charcoal face of yours, you think you deserve twin martial souls and even a Clear Sky Hammer? No way. Hai-ge's gonna destroy you today. Not even a god could stop me."
Tang San: "..."
All he could do now was silently pray that the Asura God up in the Divine Realm would help him. But no miracle came.
"From what I estimate," Hai-ge continued, "even if you don't run into any dangerous soul beasts and live off hunting, it'll take months for you to escape this forest. You're a participant in the Soul Master Tournament, right? In a few months, the group stage and finals will be over."
Tang San stayed quiet.
If no miracle happens, I'll be trapped in this forest the entire tournament.
Then my mother's soul bone... and Xiao Wu's mother's soul bone...
Hai-ge pressed on, voice dripping with malice:
"And I hear you've been chasing after a cute little girl, right? If you vanish for months, you think she'll stay loyal? Maybe she'll cozy up to someone else."
That sentence—
was the last straw that broke Tang San's mental defenses.
Everything suddenly clicked into place:
If he didn't absorb the snot worm's soul ring, Hai-ge would abandon him in the forest.
Without a miracle, he'd take months to escape.
By then, the tournament would be over.
Yu Tianheng would seize the opportunity to win over Xiao Wu, and perhaps even earn the approval of the Asura Demon Sword.
Then, Xiao Wu, the Asura God position, everything that should have belonged to Tang San—would be stolen.
Then the nightmare he saw in that illusion... would become real.
Tang San, overwhelmed, began absentmindedly pushing forward... then pulling back... then forward again... and back...
Suddenly, he pulled his hand away.
No. I can't let that happen.
His eyes turned blood-red as he snarled, "Fine! I'll absorb it!"
He stormed toward the snot worm, raised his knife, and ended its life with a slash.
A purple soul ring rose from the corpse.
Tang San stared blankly at the ring, hesitating.
Maybe I can stall... Maybe a miracle will happen...
Maybe Father will show up... Maybe the Asura God will strike Hai-ge down...
But the miracle never came.
"What are you waiting for? Absorb it!" Hai-ge barked. "I'm counting down. If you're not done when I hit one, you're staying here.
Five… four… three..."
"Wait! I'll do it!" Tang San cried and pulled the ring toward himself.
Thankfully, Tang San tried to console himself, the Clear Sky Hammer's strength comes mainly from techniques like the Nine Clear Sky Secrets and the Great Sumeru Hammer. It doesn't depend too heavily on ring attributes.
With a deep breath, Tang San drew the soul ring closer—
and began to absorb it.
More than ten minutes passed, and Tang San successfully absorbed the soul ring from the snot slug. His soul power also advanced by two levels, jumping from level 41 to level 43.
The smoother the absorption, the more it proved that this soul ring was still far from his upper limit. The last time, the process hadn't been this effortless.
Suppressing the hatred in his eyes, Tang San turned to Hai-ge, who was chewing on a blade of grass, and asked,
"Hai-ge, I've done as you instructed. I hunted and absorbed the soul ring of this soul beast."
"Let me check the goods first," Hai-ge replied. "Show me your first soul skill."
"Alright."
Tang San nodded. He was curious too—though his expectations weren't high.
Tang San summoned his Clear Sky Hammer, the first soul ring—a purple one—hovered around it and began to glow.
Tang San shouted,
"Clear Sky Hammer first soul skill: Snot Strike!"
With that, he slammed the hammer into the ground. Suddenly, the hammerhead softened like a sponge, and thick, sticky liquid began to ooze out. Following Tang San's will, it splattered toward a tree in front of him.
A moment later, the entire tree was coated in the gooey substance.
"Th-this is my Clear Sky Hammer's first soul skill?" Tang San was dumbfounded.
Hai-ge nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad at all. Maybe it won't kill enemies, but it'll definitely disgust them to death. I found you such a great soul ring—aren't you going to say thank you?"
Tang San's eyes turned red, his breath ragged, fists clenched tight—then slowly relaxed.
"…Thank you, Hai-ge. Hai-ge, can we leave the forest now?"
Right now, Tang San's only desire was to leave this forest. Whether or not he'd continue hunting for soul rings would come after. First, he had to ditch Hai-ge. For the remaining three soul rings, even hunting by himself would be more reliable than trusting this guy.
"No rush," Hai-ge said with a grin. "You still need three more soul rings, right? Hai-ge will take you to get them."
"N-no need, Hai-ge," Tang San quickly replied.
"Hey, that won't do," Hai-ge said. "I took your money—I have to finish the job. I promised to get you four soul rings between 5,000 and 10,000 years, and I'm a man of my word. The next three are on me."
Tang San finally lost it. He roared:
"You've already ruined one of my soul rings! Do you want to ruin the other three too? Leave some room for decency—so we can meet again someday. I'm telling you, I'm the son of the Clear Sky Douluo. If you keep messing with me, aren't you afraid my father will come for you one day?"
Hearing that, **Hai-ge froze.
Tang San thought the name of his father had struck fear into Hai-ge. But instead of retreating, Hai-ge grinned with brazen arrogance. He stepped up and slapped Tang San hard across the face.
The force of the slap sent Tang San flying, spinning 3 full revolutions (plus 0.65) in mid-air before crashing to the ground.
"I don't care what kind of punk you are or who stands behind you," Hai-ge sneered. "Let me make it clear—your Clear Sky Hammer? I'm going to ruin it. Today, unless you absorb the next three soul rings just as I say, you're not walking out of this forest. That's final."
He leaned closer, his voice low and threatening:
"I bet you wouldn't want to be trapped here while some other guy steals your little girlfriend, would you?"
Tang San's dark hand clutched his now-swollen face. He, Tang San, founder of the Tang Sect, one of the Shrek Seven Devils, one of the Three Gods of the Douluo Continent, Sea God and Asura God, the future symbol of worship across all generations of Douluo—had never suffered humiliation like this.
His eyes locked onto Hai-ge with burning hatred. But in the end—
He endured it. He had no choice but to endure.
Hai-ge, you've ruined my future. Just you wait. You're already on the path to death. For this insult today, one day I'll take your damn life.
Hai-ge then led Tang San on another winding journey. Eventually, they arrived at another swamp. When Tang San saw a familiar snot slug wriggling in the mire, his face turned green.
Another one? Another snot slug?!
Hai-ge summoned his martial soul for the first time—a massive halberd. This was Hai-ge's martial soul: the Reverse Sea Whale Halberd. Six soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—circled around him.
This was Tang San's first time seeing Hai-ge release his martial soul, and he was stunned. Just looking at the halberd, he could tell it was likely on par with his own Clear Sky Hammer—a top-tier tool-type martial soul.
Hai-ge swung the halberd, and a resonant whale cry echoed through the swamp, imbued with the aura of dominance. The sound immediately stunned the thousand-year-old snot slug.
"See that slug? Just right—5,000 years old. Be smart: kill it and absorb it."
Hai-ge casually tossed a dagger at Tang San.
Tang San hesitated for a moment, but eventually picked up the dagger, walked over to the snot slug, ended its life, and absorbed the second soul ring for his Clear Sky Hammer.
"Alright, time to inspect the goods again. What's your second soul skill?" Hai-ge asked.
Tang San summoned his hammer and smashed it downward. Once again, a thick stream of snot-like mucus oozed out like water from a sponge. Under Tang San's control, the sticky slime wrapped around a nearby tree.
His dark face grew even darker.
"Second soul skill: Snot Bind."
"A solid control-type soul skill," Hai-ge said approvingly.
When they reached the third swamp and found yet another snot slug, Tang San's face turned ashen.
He already had two snot-based soul skills. He absolutely didn't want a third.
Coldly, he said,
"If your plan is to ruin my Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, could you at least change things up? You can't expect me to keep absorbing snot slugs."
"Oh, you want a different soul beast?" Hai-ge raised an eyebrow. "Let's hope you don't regret it when you see the alternative."
Tang San's eyelid twitched.
Could there be something worse than absorbing a snot slug?
Hai-ge didn't force him to absorb the third slug. Instead, he led Tang San deeper into the forest. After more wandering, they arrived at a murky pool of acidic water.
The pool was eerie green, with bubbles rising and sticky fluid spurting out from time to time. Tang San saw the half-melted bones of a soul beast lying at the bottom.
Sensing intruders, something began to stir in the pool. Its owner emerged—a jiggling, lime-green blob of slime that looked like translucent jelly.
"A 5,000-year Acidic Slime," Hai-ge said. "Perfect for your third soul ring. Trust me, this one'll give you a soul skill with powerful corrosive acid."
Corrosive strong acid?
Hearing this, Tang San was completely dumbfounded.
He finally understood why Brother Hai said he would regret it.
Absorbing the Slug spirit ring only wasted two ring slots and gave him two trash skills. It didn't greatly affect the quality of his Clear Sky Hammer; his other rings could still be used.
But if his Clear Sky Hammer absorbed this acidic slime, it would be a disaster. Putting a piece of iron in a strong acid environment—before long, it would corrode completely.
The spirit skill provided by this slime would not merely waste a spirit ring slot; it would directly damage the very quality of his Clear Sky Hammer.
It was like Grandmaster forcing him to let the life-based Blue Silver Grass absorb a highly toxic beast.
No. He couldn't absorb this one. Absolutely not.
Tang San turned his head to Brother Hai, "Brother Hai, maybe we should go back and absorb that slug instead."
"You're missing that slug now? Too late—" Brother Hai sneered. "Now, either you absorb this acidic slime, or I'll take you to the next place. Trust me, when we get there, you'll miss this slime just as much as you miss that slug."
Tang San: "No, no! I'll absorb it, okay?"
Over the journey, Tang San had learned Brother Hai's temper—never oppose him. At this moment, he regretted deeply. If at first he hadn't sought out Titan Giant Ape, Sky Holding Demon Ape, and Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, and had just followed Brother Hai's instructions to absorb those initial Silverback Gorillas and Cangming Marsh Bulls, he wouldn't have angered Brother Hai and ended up with two slug spirit rings.
Now, refusal would only bring even worse outcomes.
Brother Hai nodded in satisfaction. Under his suppression, Tang San managed to kill the acidic slime and absorbed its spirit ring.
After the absorption, Tang San could clearly feel signs of corrosion on his Clear Sky Hammer; its quality had declined significantly. After all, who adds an acid-attribute ring to a weapon spirit?
"Show me your third skill," Brother Hai ordered.
Tang San activated it. His hammer slammed the ground, flattening like a sponge and releasing green acid that splattered and corroded everything it touched.
"Third spirit skill: Acid Splash," Tang San said with a dark expression.
"Not bad, pretty neat. Now you only have one last spirit ring slot left," Brother Hai said, stroking his chin. "I must treasure this chance and pick something truly exciting for you. What kind of ring should I find? Oh, what a delightful dilemma."
His blatant scheming filled Tang San's heart with unease.
Because of Brother Hai, he had already absorbed two slug rings and an acidic slime ring. Did Brother Hai have more horrors lined up? Was he truly planning to destroy Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer?
Of course, Tang San thought, he himself had shown hatred for Brother Hai many times.
If he were in Brother Hai's shoes, he would also want to kill or cripple himself.
Brother Hai was clearly up to no good. If Tang San continued with him, he feared…
No, I can't stay with him. I must escape.
But when he looked around the deep forest, Tang San realized he was lost. To escape, he might end up trapped in this labyrinthine forest, just as Brother Hai had said.
Still…
Tang San reminded himself—I am the Child of Destiny. In this era, destiny was tenfold, and the God of Shura had granted him elevenfold. Others could only watch helplessly; even Spirit Hall owed him a share of luck.
Didn't they understand what it meant to be the Child of Destiny?
He couldn't be sure if he could escape the forest, but he believed in his luck—misfortune would surely turn to fortune.
Thus, Tang San steeled his resolve to flee.