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The angry spirits around the altar felt Tang San's rage and started to scream loudly. Dark purple mist twisted around the bone altar like skinless snakes. Tang San sat in the middle of the altar, gripping the armrests so hard his knuckles turned white.
The image in the Soul Mirror showed Chen and Qian Renxue walking side by side outside Heaven Dou City. One was glowing with golden light, and the other was bathed in blue. One was the powerful Angel God, and the other held the Sea God Trident.
They were supposed to be sworn enemies. One represented the powerful Spirit Empire, while the other protected Heaven Dou City. Qian Renxue had just attacked the city, and Chen had just come back to stop the war. But now, they were actually working together.
Tang San could not accept this at all. What hurt him even more was the way Qian Renxue looked at Chen. She did not look at him like an enemy, nor did she look at him with simple fear. Her eyes were full of respect, deep emotion, and a strange feeling that Tang San hated to admit.
Tang San suddenly let out a low laugh. "Good, this is very good. Chen, no matter where you go, someone always stands by your side. The strong beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest trust you, the people of Heaven Dou trust you, and now even Qian Renxue wants to join you. Why? Why does everyone think you are the savior?"
He slammed his hand onto the bone armrest. The entire altar shook with a loud boom. Many weak spirits shattered instantly, but they quickly reformed inside the dark Rakshasa energy.
"Since you want to team up to kill me, I'll make you pay first!" Tang San raised his head slowly. Dark green fire burned inside his eyes.
The image inside the Soul Mirror changed and showed the deep parts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Di Tian... Qian Renxue... Chen..." Tang San smiled coldly. "The three of you want to hunt me down? Let's see who dies in the end!"
With a wave of his hand, Tang San smashed the Soul Mirror into pieces.
Seventeen Undead Titled Douluo stood around the altar in complete silence. The group included Xiao Wu, Bibi Dong, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Flender, Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, and Qin Ming. Tang Xiao and the Five Elders of the Clear Sky Sect were also standing there. Pale gray soul fire burned inside all of their cold eyes.
Looking at them, Tang San felt a small sense of relief return to his heart. These undead puppets would never question him. They would not talk back, and they could never betray him. They would only follow his orders, kill his enemies, and help him become the true Rakshasa God.
Tang San closed his eyes. The wound on his chest left by the Dragon God Claw still hurt badly. He knew he could not fight Chen, Qian Renxue, and Di Tian all at once right now. Di Tian's attack was too powerful. That single strike had destroyed his undead army and hurt his main body through their soul link. If he had not hidden his undead core inside the Rakshasa altar earlier, that attack would have destroyed his entire puppet army for good.
Now, he needed more souls. He needed more anger, hatred, and spirit power from strong fighters. Only by finishing the Rakshasa Ninth Trial and getting the Rakshasa Divine Suit could he defeat Chen, Qian Renxue, and Di Tian.
Tang San opened his eyes with a cold look. "Just wait a little longer. Since you want to join forces, you will definitely come after me. Chen, you think you are setting a trap to kill me, but a hunter can easily become the prey."
Meanwhile, deep inside the Star Dou Great Forest at the Great Fierce Land, the Lake of Life shook gently when Chen and Qian Renxue landed.
Pure life energy rose from the water. Green mist covered the old trees and slowly cleaned away the dark Rakshasa energy that had polluted the area before.
Bi Ji was busy healing the hurt Spirit Beasts near the water. Xiong Jun sat nearby, his dark golden fur still showing black burn marks from the Rakshasa Scythe. Chi Wang lay on the ground with all three heads closing their eyes, but fire still flickered around his body. Zi Ji stood quietly under the shadow of a big tree, watching the two gods land from the sky.
Di Tian stood right before the Lake of Life. He wore black clothes, and his golden eyes looked as deep as the sea. When Chen and Qian Renxue landed together, the air in the Great Fierce Land grew tense.
The beasts were fine with Chen. Most of the strong Vicious Beasts had met him before and knew he was a good friend to Di Tian and Bi Ji. But Qian Renxue was different. She was the Angel God of the Spirit Empire, and Spirit Hall had always been the main enemy of all Spirit Beasts. For many years, strong human masters from Spirit Hall had hunted high-level Spirit Beasts for their Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones. Because of this, the beasts hated Spirit Hall deeply.
When Xiong Jun saw Qian Renxue, he blew hot air out of his nose and said angrily, "Great, another human god! Chen, why did you bring her here? Are you trying to start another war in our forest?"
Qian Renxue's eyes turned cold, and golden light flared around her Angelic armor. "Xiong Jun, if I wanted to start a war, I wouldn't come here to talk to you."
Xiong Jun laughed angrily. He scratched his Dark Gold Terrorclaw on the ground, leaving five deep marks in the hard stone. "I hate everyone from Spirit Hall!"
Qian Renxue replied calmly, "I don't care if you like me or not."
The tension rose quickly. Chen took a step forward and stood right between them. "Stop it, both of you. This is not the time to fight each other."
Di Tian spoke up slowly, "Xiong Jun, step back now."
Xiong Jun let out a heavy snort. He did not say anything else, but he crossed his arms and stood to the side grumpily.
Di Tian looked directly at Qian Renxue with his golden dragon eyes. "Angel God."
Qian Renxue looked back at him without any fear. "Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King."
Their powerful pressure met in the air for a moment. One was a new human god who held the power of the Angel God. The other was the strongest Beast God of the forest, holding ancient dragon blood. If Tang San were not a giant threat to all of them, these two would never stand together peacefully on the same land.
Chen got straight to the point. "Tang San has already destroyed several human cities. He also turned the dead members of the Clear Sky Sect into his puppets. He now commands at least seventeen Undead Titled Douluo, and his Rakshasa altar is getting stronger every single minute."
Di Tian's eyes turned cold. "Seventeen Titled Douluo?"
Chen nodded. "Yes. Besides the old ones, he just added Tang Xiao and the Five Elders of the Clear Sky Sect."
Xiong Jun spat on the ground. "He turns his own family into puppets! That human is crazier than the wildest beasts!"
Bi Ji said softly, "My Lord's Dragon God Claw hurt him badly, so he should be weak right now. But if he keeps killing humans and taking their souls, his body will heal very quickly."
Qian Renxue added, "He has already healed a part of his wounds. When I chased him earlier, his power was much stronger than when he ran away from this forest. He used the city he stole from me to feed his dark altar."
Di Tian looked over at Chen. "How do you plan to kill him?"
Chen did not answer right away. He raised his hand, and the Blue Silver Emperor plant grew out from his palm. Its golden vines went into the soft soil near the lake, connecting his mind with all the plants in the forest.
After a short moment, Chen said, "Hunting Tang San is very hard. He has the Rakshasa Scythe, which lets him tear open space and escape anytime. He also has many undead puppets to stall us. If we just sit here and wait, he will keep killing people, eating souls, and growing stronger. We must take the action first."
Di Tian asked, "You want to set a trap for him?"
Chen nodded. "Tang San wants three main things right now. First, he wants the energy from Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beasts. Second, he wants thousands of dead souls from a big war. Third, he wants us to fight each other so he can finish off whoever survives."
Qian Renxue's eyes lit up. "So you want to trick him into thinking we are fighting, so he comes out to steal the reward?"
Chen looked at her and smiled. "Exactly."
Di Tian asked, "Tell us the plan. How do we do it?"
Chen pointed toward the outer area of the forest. "We start a fake Beast Tide."
All the Vicious Beasts were shocked by his words.
Xiong Jun frowned heavily. "A Beast Tide?"
Chi Wang raised all three of his heads. "You want our Spirit Beasts to attack human cities again?"
Chen shook his head quickly. "No, we are not giving Tang San real dead souls. We just need to make it look like humans and beasts are having a final war. Di Tian, order the low-level beasts on the outer edge to move toward the human border. Make a lot of noise so Tang San's spy spirits can see it. Qian Renxue, move a large force of your Spirit Master Legion to the border, as if you are preparing to stop the beasts. I will tell Heaven Dou and Star Luo to move all the innocent people away from the border towns into safe cities. We will pick an empty field for the fight. There will be no real casualties and no innocent people hurt, but it must look like a real war to the outside world."
Qian Renxue caught on very fast. "I see. You want Tang San to believe that the Spirit Empire and the Star Dou Great Forest are fighting to the death because of their old hatred."
Chen nodded. "Yes. But just a fake army battle isn't enough to trick him. He is very sneaky. We also need to show him that our top fighters are exhausted."
Di Tian said, "Tang San is very suspicious. A simple trick won't work on him easily."
Chen looked at them both. "That is why I need the two of you to fight for real out there."
Di Tian looked at Chen silently.
Chen explained, "You and Qian Renxue must fight on the outer border of the forest. You don't need to try to kill each other, but the energy of your fight must be huge. People need to see a God fighting a Beast God. They need to see god-level energy clashing, Vicious Beasts getting hurt, and human armies running away. As for me, I will hide my presence at first. Then I will show up, take a hit from your clashing power, and pretend to run away wounded. Tang San hates me more than anyone. If he sees that I am hurt and that both of you are weak from fighting each other, he will never pass up this chance."
Qian Renxue thought about it for a moment. "He loves to steal victories. If he sees the three of us weak and tired, he will definitely show up to swallow the souls on the battlefield. He might even try to absorb Di Tian or me."
Di Tian sneered cold, "He thinks he can swallow me?"
Qian Renxue said calmly, "He wouldn't dare fight you normally, but if you look half-dead, he will certainly try."
Chen said, "And that will be his final mistake. That is when we strike."
Bi Ji frowned with worry. "What if Tang San does not fall for it? What if he ignores the fight and goes to destroy other cities while we are busy setting up the trap?"
Chen raised his hand, and the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor glowed softly. "I will place my Blue Silver Life Net across the land beforehand. The main cities of Heaven Dou, Star Luo, and the Spirit Empire will be protected by my Blue Silver Grass and Sea God power. The moment Tang San shows up near any city, I will know immediately. Qian Renxue can also use her Angel Light to protect her cities, while Di Tian keeps the beasts gathered together. We won't give him any small targets to strike."
Di Tian nodded in agreement. "If all small targets are gone, he will have only one choice left. The fake war zone will look like a giant feast to his hungry eyes."
Chen said, "That's right. He will sense beast energy, human souls, and three weak gods. He won't be able to resist it."
Xiong Jun laughed wildly. "When that coward comes out, I will be the first one to tear him to pieces!"
Chen turned to him and shook his head. "No, you must stay patient."
Xiong Jun's smile disappeared. "You want me to stand around and watch again?"
Chen looked at him seriously. "Tang San knows your quick temper. He knows you will jump into the fight if you see other beasts getting hurt. That's why you must stay hidden this time."
Xiong Jun was surprised. "I have to hide?"
Chen nodded. "Yes. You, Chi Wang, Zi Ji, and the Ten Thousand Demon King will all hide around the outer edge of the battlefield. Bi Ji will stay here at the Lake of Life and keep quiet. Only Di Tian and Qian Renxue will fight in the open, while I set up the real trap.
Once Tang San enters the trap, all of you will block his escape routes from the outside. Di Tian will use his Dragon God Claw to break the connection between Tang San's altar and his undead puppets. Qian Renxue will use her Angel Light to burn away the dark spirits. I will use my Sea God Trident to lock down the space so he cannot run away."
Di Tian's eyes shone brightly. "So the main goal is not just hitting him hard, but cutting off his escape route first."
Chen said, "Exactly. The hardest part of fighting Tang San is not his strength, but his ability to run away into his dark space and bring back his undead army. If we break his link to the altar and lock the space around him, he will lose everything. Then we can kill him together."
Qian Renxue asked in a deep voice, "What about his Rakshasa Scythe? That is a real God Weapon."
Chen held up his Sea God Trident, which glowed with blue light. "I will handle his weapon. The Sea God Trident is strong enough to block his scythe."
Qian Renxue looked at him. "Are you sure you can hold him?"
Chen answered calmly, "Yes. My weapon will not lose to his."
Di Tian added, "I can use my Dragon God Claw to smash his dark altar phantom."
Chen nodded. "Everything depends on our timing. We must not let Tang San suspect anything before he steps into the trap. He has to believe that he found this golden chance all on his own."
Qian Renxue thought for a moment, then spoke up, "I can make the trick even better. I will act like I made a big mistake."
Chen looked at her with curiosity.
Qian Renxue said, "Tang San just attacked my city, trying to draw me out. If he sees that I am stuck dealing with both his mess and a sudden Beast Tide from the forest, he will think I am losing control of the situation. I will let my troops spread rumors that the Angel God was badly hurt fighting the Beast God Di Tian. Then my soldiers will act like they are retreating in fear. When Tang San hears this, he will be completely sure that it is the perfect time to strike."