"Insect Soul Beasts have low intelligence. Even thousand-year or ten-thousand-year cultivation Insect Soul Beasts possess minimal intellect. Why would they enslave Wolf Raiders?" Tang San turned and used Soul Power Voice Transmission, speaking with utmost seriousness: "You stay here with this. Remember, don't be discovered, and don't leave this spot. That's an order."
"Y-y-y-young Master San?!" Liang Yao was dumbfounded. You're leaving me alone here!
"I need to investigate what they're really doing. These Insect Soul Beasts seem far too unusual." Without further explanation, Tang San tossed a Soul Guidance Device to Liang Yao before disappearing into the forest.
If some unknown change had truly occurred in the Spirit Beast world, causing Insect Soul Beasts to undergo special evolution, the consequences wouldn't just threaten Soul Masters—it would pose an enormous danger to all of humanity. He couldn't simply tuck his tail and retreat to the Clear Sky Sect without taking action.
This wasn't Tang San's first solo expedition into Spirit Beast Territory. On the Douluo Continent where development was rapid, twelve years old was already considered adulthood, with many marrying and having children by fourteen.
Navigating through the forested mountains, Tang San took a wide detour to avoid detection by Wolf Raiders and Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts, finally reaching the base of the basin.
Pressing close to the mountain wall, Tang San peered cautiously into the distance: "The basin's terrain is too open with no obvious cover. Approaching would mean certain discovery—what a troublesome location."
"What exactly are those Wolf Raiders transporting?"
Narrowing his eyes, Tang San realized the items being moved might reveal the purpose behind these bizarre Insect Soul Beasts. Picking up a small stone, he activated the Rakshasa tattoo on his left hand, temporarily enhancing his physical strength.
With a flick of his finger, the stone shot forward like a living thing, skimming the ground until—smack—it struck precisely beneath a Wolf Raider's foot. The sudden pain shot through the creature's body, making it stumble forward with a howl. The wooden crate it carried crashed open, spilling its contents.
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply at the sight—the crate was filled with special ores.
"These Insect Soul Beasts are mining veins?!"
Mining was no foreign concept to Tang San; the Clear Sky Sect operated its own mines. Soul Masters who awakened shovel or pickaxe Martial Souls were assigned to extract ores, which disciples possessing the Clear Sky Hammer Spirit would then forge into weapons, armor, or even the Hidden Weapons whose designs he'd obtained from the Lotus Soul Guidance Device.
Yet when seeing those ores, Tang San's first thought wasn't weapon forging. Instead, his mind immediately jumped to Soul Guidance Devices.
Although he'd acquired blueprints for Hidden Weapons from the Lotus Soul Guidance Device, Tang San considered ordinary Hidden Weapons underwhelming—requiring rare materials and extensive forging time without sufficient payoff. He'd only crafted a few for personal research, never mass-producing them.
Because Tang San believed that the hidden weapons of the Tang Sect might be related to ancient Soul Guidance Devices, investigating this angle could potentially uncover the truth behind the disappearance of these artifacts from the ancient era.
"Regardless, even if it's just for forging weapons, this is an extraordinary discovery. The fact that the lowest-intelligence Insect Soul Beasts can actually forge is truly unbelievable."
After a moment of contemplation, Tang San's eyes hardened with determination. With a hum, the Clear Sky Hammer materialized in his right hand.
If he couldn't sneak in, then he would fight his way in!
"Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique!" Tang San inwardly roared as the Clear Sky Hammer spun rapidly in his hand with a unique technique.
Whoosh— The hammer cut through the air with a sharp whistle, tracing a graceful arc under the centrifugal force. In an instant, blood sprayed as the heads of five Wolf Raiders turned to pulp.
The sudden assault shocked the remaining Wolf Raiders, but before they could react, a figure charged from behind.
Tang San pivoted and swung the hammer for the thirty-sixth time, the resulting gust of wind sending shattered skull fragments flying. His Purple Demon Eyes pierced through the dust-filled mine, his pupils contracting sharply as he spotted a massive entrance on the other side of the basin. Within the passageway, the faint glow of Soul Guidance Devices flickered.
"Tch, worst-case scenario."
"Screech!" Five Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts let out furious insectoid shrieks as they dove from the ceiling, their serrated forelimbs slashing out a web of molten blades.
Instead of retreating, Tang San advanced, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer to meet the blades head-on. The moment hammer and blade collided, a resonant hum filled the air as his first Soul Ring activated.
"Crrack!" The sound of shattered carapace mixed with the explosion of fluids as the unique shockwave of his First Soul Skill, Mountain Shattering Tremor, penetrated the blades. Even the four locusts behind were thrown off balance, their wing casings knocked askew by the residual force. Seizing the momentum, Tang San spun, stacking the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique to its forty-ninth rotation. The hammer's afterimages merged into a black-and-red whirlwind.
From just one clash and the resulting Soul Power fluctuations, Tang San deduced that these Insect Soul Beasts were no pushovers—each had reached a cultivation level of two thousand years.
"Two thousand years is indeed impressive, but it's not enough."
"Boom!" A deafening explosion erupted as the Clear Sky Hammer shattered the carapace and continued unimpeded, smashing into the locust's head. The sheer destructive force reduced the two-thousand-year Spirit Beast to a pulpy mess in a single strike.
Insect Soul Beasts possessed incredible vitality; even without their heads, they could fight for a while. Thus, their entire bodies had to be obliterated.
Hiss! Witnessing their comrade's demise, the remaining four Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts violently flapped their wings, soaring high into the air as their mouthparts glowed red.
"Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts can spew high-temperature acid from their mouths," Tang San recalled from his studies, realizing they intended to leverage their aerial advantage for a bombing run.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Fist-sized globs of scorching acid rained down like meteors. Each sulfuric projectile exploded upon impact, releasing corrosive toxic fumes. Tang San dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding each attack at the last possible moment.
The Wolf Raiders, unable to evade in time, suffered the worst—not only were they caught in the crossfire, but some were even used by Tang San as human shields.
"Second Soul Skill, Mountain Moving."
Seizing the perfect moment, Tang San channeled his Soul Power. The ground beneath him writhed as he bent his knees slightly. With a thunderous rumble, a stone pillar erupted beneath his feet, launching him skyward.
Several Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts looked on in astonishment—humans could actually fly?!
This aerial capability was undoubtedly beyond the expectations of these Insect Soul Beasts. They had assumed humans couldn't possibly attack at such heights, after all, the rule was that humans couldn't fly.
"Mountainous Clear Sky Hammer!" Empowered by the second Soul Skill, the Clear Sky Hammer absorbed the earth's energy and swelled violently in the storm, crashing forward like a mountain.
The Mountainous Clear Sky Hammer hurtled horizontally, unstoppable even by the basin's mountainous terrain. It swept through the air, an unstoppable force that neither man nor object could withstand.