"Xiao Wu brought Tang San back," Flender said grimly, "but his condition is terrible."
Without another word, he darted into the forest.
Moments later, he returned, carrying the unconscious Tang San in his arms, with Xiao Wu following close behind.
She had really done it, somehow she had rescued Tang San.
At that moment, even Ning Rongrong and the others looked at Xiao Wu with a sense of awe and mystery.
Even Flender and Zhao Wuji, two veteran Soul Sages, had been powerless against the enemy and yet Xiao Wu, after disappearing for only a short while, came back with Tang San safe in her arms.
Zhao Wuji stole a glance at her, unease flickering in his eyes. Back when school started, he'd knocked this girl unconscious… What if her background was even scarier than Tang San's?
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. His eyes turned back to Tang San and his heart clenched.
Tang San's body looked intact, save for some blood on his back. But his face was so pale it looked drained of all life, as though he'd been sucked dry.
"The Seven Treasures are famous—first, they grant strength!"
"Second, they grant speed!"
Ning Rongrong's clear voice rang out, two rays of light shooting from her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, landing on Tang San's body.
Her pagoda was known for amplification, enhancing attributes—but in extreme weakness, that amplification also acted as healing, bolstering vitality.
A Soul Saint like Ning Fengzhi could heal wounds more effectively than most healing-type Soul Masters. Ning Rongrong wasn't at that level yet, but her boost still helped Tang San's weak body regain a bit of energy.
Oscar crushed his recovery sausage into water and gently fed it to Tang San.
Flender approached and pressed a hand to Tang San's chest, infusing soul power and spreading his spiritual sense through the boy's body.
A frown deepened across his face.
Tang San's life force was faint...fragile and shallow, no stronger than a man consumed by vice.Every so often, his body twitched.
Even unconscious, he was trapped in a nightmare.
"Who did this… what kind of monster could use such a cruel technique?" Flender growled, eyes cold.
"Flender, how's Little San?" Zhao Wuji asked quickly.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing all turned anxiously toward them.
"I've heard," Flender said heavily, "of a kind of evil Soul Master...one that cultivates by devouring others' life force and soul power. I suspect Little San encountered someone like that. He's been drained and part of his life force was stolen."
The atmosphere went cold.
"Will… will San-ge die?" Xiao Wu asked in a trembling voice, her eyes already glistening.
"Don't panic," Flender said quickly. "His life isn't in danger. Thanks to Oscar and Rongrong's healing, he'll wake soon. His Blue Silver Grass is full of vitality and once he regains consciousness and starts circulating his soul power, he'll recover quickly."
He straightened and began giving orders.
"Rongrong, Oscar...heal him every hour. Everyone else, take turns resting. Dai Mubai, Fatty, go find a big tree and pitch the tents on it. I don't want us touching the ground again. Zhao Wuji, you're on watch!"
Zhao Wuji twitched a muscle. So I'm bait now?
Still, he didn't object. That sneaky Soul Master had only succeeded because of an ambush and in face-to-face, he wouldn't stand a chance against him or Flender.
Inside the tent, Oscar gently laid Tang San down, feeding him another potion Flender had concocted for restoring vitality.
After some time, Tang San's face regained a faint flush of color.
His shivering stopped.
His eyelids trembled and then slowly opened.
His eyes were unfocused, his spirit hazy.
He didn't recognize where he was.
Fragments of memory flooded back—He remembered absorbing the Man-Faced Demon Spider's ring, the mutation, the eight purple spider legs that had burst from his back looking sharp, venomous and powerful beyond imagination.
Then—just as he retracted them—
Yes. He'd heard Xiao Wu's cry. The dean's shout.
Then—darkness.
Where… am I?
"San-ge!"
"Little San, how do you feel?"
His vision cleared. He saw Xiao Wu, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Flender surrounding him.
He instinctively turned his focus inward.
The Xuantian Skill was circulating slowly, repairing his damaged body, restoring a trace of strength.
He tried to push himself upright but the instant his back strained, a stabbing pain ripped through him.
"Ahh—!"
He cried out and slumped back down.
"Don't move," Flender said quickly. "Your ribs are fragile and right now, they can't support your weight."
"What… what happened?" Tang San rasped.
No one spoke. The others turned toward Flender.
Flender sighed. "You were attacked by an evil Soul Master. Part of your life force was drained, and your back bones have been weakened. You'll recover in time—but it'll take months. Don't rush."
He spoke plainly...Tang San was mature enough to handle the truth.
But the boy's eyes hardened. He focused his inner power on his back and yes, the bones were fragile, but that wasn't the worst of it.
The energy from the Eight Spider Lances was gone.
"The spider legs… they're gone."
His face went pale as death.
Those spider legs weren't just a gift—they were his greatest weapon, a trump card born of mutation.
He had felt their strength, their venom, their terrifying sharpness.
And now all gone. Without a trace.
He reached inward again and again, searching for any residual energy. Nothing. nly eight small scabbed punctures on his back—like something had been ripped straight from him.
Did that evil Soul Master… pull my Eight Spider Lances right out of me?
Rage exploded in his chest.
"Why?! Why would someone do this to me?!"
"Who was it, Dean? Tell me who it was!"
His voice was icy.
Tang San of the Tang Sect, he was a expert in hidden weapons, poisons, and assassination.
He was always the hunter and never the prey.
And now, someone had ambushed him.
The memory of that nightmare...the suffocating darkness, the endless torment, everything flashed in his mind. He shuddered violently.
Flender could only give a bitter smile. He repeated everything they knew, how the enemy struck unseen, vanishing into the ground.
The only clue: a tunneling ability.
Nothing else.
Tang San's survival was expected. If he had died so easily, that would've been far too merciful.
No, his true torment had only just begun.
And as for what comes next…the slow, deliberate breaking of Tang San has only begun.