Chapter 224: Injury from the Evil Fire and the Thunder Tribulation of Soul Ring Advancement
After a long struggle, Qin Ming finally led everyone to suppress the rampaging evil fire on Ma Hongjun's body.
Ma Hongjun's entire body was charred black, his hair completely burned off, and he had fallen into a deep coma.
His breathing was faint, clearly indicating serious injuries, but his life was no longer in danger.
Although the soul ring was successfully absorbed in the end, the backlash of the evil fire had caused immense damage to his body.
Even if cured, it would inevitably leave sequelae.
Qin Ming's expression was extremely grim.
He had brought the students out to hunt soul beasts, and Ma Hongjun was Flender's most beloved disciple.
Now that something this serious had happened, he had no way to explain it to Flender.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and looked at Tang San, who had just climbed up from the ground, his tone icy as he asked, "Tang San, what exactly happened just now? Where did that bolt of lightning come from?"
"..."
Tang San looked as miserable as could be.
His clothes were torn to shreds, his hair blown into a wild mess, and his face was smeared with black ash.
His expression was so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.
Through gritted teeth, he said in a low voice, "Someone set me up."
"Set you up?"
Oscar's voice rang out. He crossed his arms and said in a mocking tone, "Tang San, we're out in the middle of nowhere. Who would have nothing better to do than come here just to set you up?"
"We've been here for so long and haven't even seen a single person."
"If you ask me, you just had bad luck and got struck by lightning for no reason. Don't go blaming others."
"Exactly."
Dai Mubai also walked over, looking at Tang San with eyes full of ridicule and disdain.
"Maybe you did something shameful and got punished by the heavens. That's why you were struck by lightning."
"Last time Oscar was absorbing a soul ring, you almost interfered with him."
"And now look, you've directly caused Fatty to end up like this. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Among the Shrek group, no one disliked Tang San more than Dai Mubai.
Naturally, he wouldn't miss this chance to kick someone while they were down.
Yu Tianheng frowned as well, his tone carrying a trace of dissatisfaction. "Tang San, whether or not someone set you up, Fatty ended up like this because of you."
"If you hadn't been struck by lightning and caused such a huge disturbance, Fatty wouldn't have been interfered with, nor would he have suffered the backlash of the evil fire."
Shi Mo, Shi Mo, and Osler also nodded in agreement.
They weren't familiar with Tang San to begin with.
They had only come along this time out of respect for Qin Ming and Yu Tianheng.
For a moment, everyone's gaze fell on Tang San.
Dissatisfaction, doubt, ridicule, anger…
Not a single person stood up to speak for him.
Tang San stood there blankly.
Feeling everyone's gaze, hatred grew wildly in his heart, like weeds sprouting uncontrollably.
He hated the person who had set him up.
He hated these people who kicked him while he was down.
He hated himself even more for not having enough strength to uncover the truth and refute them.
But he had no evidence and no idea who had set him up.
These people wouldn't believe him anyway.
In the end, Tang San could only grit his teeth and swallow all that hatred.
His expression dark, he said nothing.
The atmosphere remained tense.
Qin Ming shouted impatiently, "Enough! What's the point of arguing about this now?"
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The most important thing right now is to immediately take Hongjun back to Shrek and find a healing-type soul master to treat him."
"If we delay treatment, Hongjun's life might be ruined!"
Ma Hongjun's evil fire problem had always been severe.
If this backlash weren't handled properly, it wouldn't just affect his future cultivation; it could even threaten his life.
Flender had entrusted Ma Hongjun to him. He absolutely could not let anything happen to him.
Everyone understood the seriousness of the situation and stopped arguing.
Dai Mubai stepped forward and carried the unconscious Ma Hongjun on his back.
The group hurriedly left the valley and rushed toward the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
...
After the Shrek group had gone far away, Lin Qingmo stepped out from behind a tree, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Not bad. This result is even better than expected."
Not only had Tang San suffered a big loss, but it had also created such a huge rift between him and the Shrek group.
Ma Hongjun had been seriously injured because of Tang San this time.
Even if he woke up, he would definitely not forgive Tang San.
If nothing unexpected happened, the grudge between Tang San and Ma Hongjun was now firmly set.
The relationships among the Shrek Seven Devils were never as solid as they appeared on the surface.
With this incident, the cracks would only grow larger.
"I wonder how things will develop between Tang San and the Shrek group after this. It's quite something to look forward to."
Lin Qingmo was in a very good mood and turned to go look for Xiao Wu.
But just at that moment, his expression suddenly changed.
The previously clear sky abruptly turned gloomy.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A vast black mass pressed down as if it were about to collapse.
"Rumble—"
From within the clouds came deep, muffled thunder.
Purple lightning flickered continuously inside the dark clouds.
A terrifying heavenly pressure descended from the sky and firmly locked onto Lin Qingmo.
Lin Qingmo's pupils contracted slightly.
"Hiss… a thunder tribulation at a time like this?!"
He was already certain that he had been locked onto by heavenly lightning.
This was the thunder tribulation brought about by his fourth Thunder Hell Prison Vine soul ring.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine was one of the top-tier plant-type soul beasts on the Douluo Continent.
It used lightning to promote growth.
And each time his fourth soul ring advanced, it would attract a thunder tribulation.
As long as he could withstand the tribulation, the age of the soul ring would increase by ten thousand years.
He hadn't expected the thunder tribulation to arrive at this moment.
Lin Qingmo showed no panic at all. Instead, a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.
As long as he endured this tribulation, the age of his fourth soul ring would increase again, and his soul power would definitely surge along with it.
For him, this wasn't a crisis but an opportunity.
He immediately turned and rushed toward where Xiao Wu was hiding.
Xiao Wu had already sensed the abnormality in the sky.
Seeing him approach, she quickly jumped down from the tree, her face full of worry.
"Ah Qing, what's going on? Why did the sky suddenly become so overcast?"
"Xiao Wu, this is the thunder tribulation, caused by my soul ring advancement."
Lin Qingmo looked at her with a serious expression. "You need to go hide in the cave ahead right now. The farther away from here, the better."
"The power of tribulation is too great. It might hurt you."
"After I get through the tribulation, I'll come find you."
"Thunder tribulation?"
Xiao Wu's face instantly turned pale, fear and worry filling her heart.
"Ah Qing, thunder tribulations are very dangerous, right? Should we go find Teacher Erlong?"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Lin Qingmo remained calm.
He had experience in undergoing thunder tribulations, and with the Eight Spider Lances and the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
"This tribulation is something I have to face on my own. No one else can help me."
"Hurry and hide. Don't let me be distracted."
Xiao Wu knew there was nothing she could do.
She bit her lip and nodded firmly.
"Then you must be careful, Ah Qing! You have to stay safe!"
"Silly girl, what are you saying?"
Lin Qingmo smiled. "I'll definitely be fine. Go on now."
Xiao Wu glanced at him once more before turning and running toward the distant cave.
End of Chapter
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