Chapter 190: The Impending Explosion of Tang San

At the same time, Dai Mubai slightly lifted his head, his gaze turning toward Tang San. He saw Tang San, relying on his bizarre footwork and strange palm technique, barely holding his own against Zhu Zhuqing.

Seeing the scene, Dai Mubai disdainfully curled his lip. In his view, Zhu Zhuqing might indeed be a bit stronger than himself, but only to a limited degree, certainly not as strong as Yang Ruolin. He was confident that if Tang San faced Yang Ruolin, he would, like himself, be killed with a single move.

Yet disdainful as he was, when he looked at Tang San's figure, a trace of greed silently appeared in his eyes.

"If only I could master Tang San's self‑created soul skills, how great. Hmph! Lan Yin Cao? What a trash martial soul. If those self‑created soul skills were wielded by my White Tiger martial soul, they'd be ten thousand times stronger than Tang San's."

Regarding Tang San's mysterious self‑created soul skills, Dai Mubai was extremely envious, his jealousy barely concealed. After two years of interaction, he knew those abilities were self‑created soul skills, unrelated to any martial soul, and capable of being passed down.

Although Dai Mubai did not want to admit it, Tang San truly was the strongest fighter among them. He naturally attributed everything to Tang San's self‑created soul skills, plus Tang San's bizarre hidden weapons. He concluded that Tang San's identity was far from ordinary; a common person could never possess such a legacy.

Dai Mubai had also subtly expressed to Tang San his desire to learn those self‑created soul skills; if he could master them, his combat power would greatly increase, and he would no longer fear his elder brother, possibly even inheriting the throne.

However, Tang San mercilessly refused his request, his attitude resolute.

This made Dai Mubai extremely angry, yet helpless. He was merely a powerless prince, and he couldn't defeat Tang San. Moreover, they were all under the watchful eyes of Fland, Zhao Wuji and others, so he dared not act out, and could only stare hungrily.

On the other side, Tang San furrowed his brows; although he had deployed the Mysterious Jade Hand, his palm still throbbed faintly, and the pressure he endured was far from as easy as it seemed.

Zhu Zhuyun's attack was extremely fierce and sharp, far stronger than Dai Mubai, with whom she had fought many times. Though the cat claw was several times smaller than Dai Mubai's tiger claw, its penetration power was astonishing.

It should be noted that Dai Mubai had never broken through his Mysterious Jade Hand's defense. Tang San was also confident in his own Mysterious Jade Hand, believing its defensive power would never be weaker than the turtle shells of the Shi Mo brothers, and that the hand would grow stronger as he matured.

Yet at this moment, under Zhu Zhuqing's cat‑claw attack, his Mysterious Jade Hand bore numerous scars, faint blood threads appearing, how could he not be alarmed?

In fact, this was mainly due to the penetration effect attached to Zhu Zhuqing's third soul skill, which could last half an hour, enough for her to finish the match.

"What's going on? Why haven't Dai Mubai, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo returned? And what are Xiao Wu, Yu Feng and Ao Si Luo doing?" After a few breaths of fighting Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San's teammates should have come to aid him, yet he saw no sign of them—unscientific! But Zhu Zhuqing's pressure was so great that he dared not divert his attention to check on his teammates. A control‑type Soul Master forced into a state where he cannot monitor his team's situation is obviously deadly for the team.

Tang San only heard a huge boom just now, and a bad feeling instantly surged in his heart.

"Ah~" "Ah~" At that moment, two cries followed one after another, and Tang San's ominous premonition grew stronger.

"Second soul skill—Parasitism!"

"Third soul skill—Blue Silver Snake Bind!"

Tang San no longer spared his soul power; he activated the second and third soul skills simultaneously.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing's body stiffened briefly, and a massive amount of fine Lan Yin Cao sprouted around her, covering her entire body in an instant.

Then, a large number of black‑purple Lan Yin Cao, as thick as a bowl's rim, burst from the ground, winding around the original fine Lan Yin Cao and forming a complete outer layer, resembling a black‑purple oval cocoon.

Tang San's second Soul Ring was taken from a 600‑plus‑year‑old plant‑type Soul Beast called Ghost Vine. Though it hadn't reached the famed 764 years, it was still one of the few highly practical soul skills Tang San possessed.

Ghost Vine is a terrifying plant‑type Soul Beast, possessing a potent neurotoxin; once its spines pierce a target, the toxin activates instantly, turning the host into thick fluid to serve as its nourishment.

But that isn't its most annoying trait, as there are many Soul Beasts with more dreadful toxins; its most frightening aspect is its parasitic ability.

When it attacks, it releases countless tiny seeds that directly parasitize the enemy.

As long as Ghost Vine supplies enough energy, or the seeds absorb sufficient nutrients, they will grow on the host, spreading the neurotoxin throughout the host.

After Tang San absorbed Ghost Vine's Soul Ring, the primary inherited ability was parasitism; once soul power is infused, the seeds released into the air instantly sprout, achieving entanglement, making defense impossible. It can be called an extremely insidious and poisonous soul skill.

Furthermore, his Lan Yin Cao martial soul also inherited Ghost Vine's neurotoxin, but because Ghost Vine's and his Lan Yin Cao's life attributes conflict, the toxin passed to his Lan Yin Cao martial soul is weak, only causing paralysis, far less terrifying than Ghost Vine's toxin.

However, with the two Mandrake Snake Soul Rings Tang San had added, the toxin on his Lan Yin Cao is quite considerable.

At this moment, a faint sweet tea scent emanated from outside the black‑purple cocoon, clearly the toxin aura of his Lan Yin Cao martial soul; if an ordinary person inhaled it, they would be poisoned to death, and it also heavily affects low‑level Soul Masters.

Glancing at the Zhu Zhuqing wrapped in a giant cocoon, Tang San finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to check his teammates.

【3】 The first sight was Dai Mubai, Ao Si Luo, and Yu Feng. Unaware at first, then shocked: the match had barely lasted a minute, and the three were already sprawled flat on the ground.

Especially Dai Mubai, his whole body was spurting fresh blood, soaking the surrounding ground, lying at the edge of the arena, faintly about to fall off; at first glance, it seemed as if he were about to run out of breath.

Especially Dai Mubai, his whole body drenched in spurting fresh blood, soaking the surrounding ground; lying at the edge of the arena, he was barely hanging on, and at first glance seemed on the brink of death.

But Tang San's eyesight was razor‑sharp; he instantly saw through Dai Mubai's condition, realizing it was mainly over‑exertion and the injuries were not fatal. Noticing Dai Mubai's slight attempt to crawl out of the arena, Tang San's eye twitched and he muttered, "What a wimp!"

Not far from Dai Mubai were Yu Feng and Ao Si Luo; their conditions seemed much better than Dai Mubai's, but as a poison expert, Tang San naturally understood the various injuries.

These two had suffered even more severe damage than Dai Mubai; they spat fresh blood, their chests were covered with horrific claw marks that pierced muscles and bones, and both had already fallen unconscious. Though they bled less than Dai Mubai, Tang San couldn't help muttering, "Two useless pieces!"

Tang San suddenly felt exhausted, thinking he was the lowest‑level Soul Master in the arena yet facing Zhu Zhuqing, who was a realm higher, and still not at a disadvantage. But his teammates, though numerically superior, fell first, making him lament his untimely circumstances.

Yet these thoughts vanished in an instant; the dire situation left no time for melancholy, and he immediately turned his gaze toward other teammates.

He saw that in front of him, the Shi Mo brothers were being pressed by Yang Ruolin alone. Yang Ruolin wielded a domineering Break Soul Gun, her attacks ferocious, the gun's tip flashing with cold light, each swing accompanied by a fierce gust.

Even though Shi Mo and Shi Mo's martial soul was the top‑tier defensive Xuanwu Turtle, they could only barely endure, and it was still the result of their combined effort.

Their faces were grim, sweat dotted their foreheads, backs pressed together, cooperating to repel Yang Ruolin's tide‑like onslaught; the defensive turtle shell emitted dull thuds under her attacks.

Behind Yang Ruolin were Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling sweeping the formation, both relaxed. Bai Chenxiang only guarded Ye Lingling, showing no intention to help. She clasped her hands to her chest, eyes confident and composed, as if the match's outcome was already decided. Ye Lingling was slightly more attentive, eyes scanning the battlefield, already prepared with healing soul power for any emergency.

Seeing this, Tang San's expression turned terribly sour. The numerical advantage was gone, and a surprise attack on the enemy rear was now impossible.

At the same time, Yang Ruolin's aura gave him a feeling reminiscent of the legendary "Heaven‑Human Unity" realm from his past life, startling him greatly.

Tang San knew little about the Heaven‑Human Unity realm, having only heard fragments, but from what he knew, even if Yang Ruolin hadn't fully reached it, she was likely touching it.

This made him understand why Dai Mubai was quickly battered; even if he went forward, it wouldn't be any better.

Tang San felt increasingly helpless, bitterness rising, "Looks like we'll lose this first match."

"No, I won't give up until the very end." Tang San clenched his teeth, still unwilling to accept defeat, and shifted his gaze again.

This time, Tang San saw Xiao Wu scrambling with her head in Zhu Zhuyun's grasp. Xiao Wu looked extremely disheveled, not only bearing claw marks but also missing the carefully tended scorpion‑braid at her calves, as if cut in half, her tangled hair hanging down her back.

Time returned to the moment the competition had just begun.

Time reverted to the start of the match.

When Zhu Zhuyun let Zhu Zhuqing entangle Tang San, her target shifted to Ao Si Luo and Yu Feng.

Zhu Zhuyun's figure flashed as she appeared beside Ao Si Luo.

In an instant, Zhu Zhuyun's sharp cat claws left deep claw marks on Osro's body, the marks like ferocious gullies, blood instantly gushed out; then a whip kick struck Osro's abdomen.

In an instant, Zhu Zhuyun's sharp cat claw left deep claw marks on Ao Si Luo's body, the wounds gaping like snarling ravines, blood gushing instantly, followed by a whipping kick to his abdomen.

Ao Si Luo's body arched like a shrimp, soaring into the air before crashing toward the arena's edge.

He let out a wail mid‑air, spitting a large mouthful of blood before fainting and slamming heavily onto the ground.

However, Zhu Zhuyun's strike was precisely measured, merely stripping Ao Si Luo of combat ability without causing fatal danger.

The reason Zhu Zhuyun could dispatch Ao Si Luo so cleanly, even more easily than Yang Ruolin's instant kill of Dai Mubai, was that both were swift‑attack type Soul Masters.

Especially among the agile attack types, because they are all fragile, the side with higher soul power moves faster, so the outcome is decided very quickly.

If it is a battle between two defensive Soul Masters, the side with higher soul power still needs considerable time to deal with the lower‑soul‑power side; after all, a meat‑shield killing another meat‑shield is basically impossible unless the gap is huge.

In Zhu Zhuyun's eyes, Ao Si Luo and Yu Feng are like two little Karami. In speed she crushes both; they can't dodge Zhu Zhuyun's attacks at all.

Thus, Zhu Zhuyun only used the first soul skill, and while Yu Feng hadn't reacted, she easily took down Ao Si Luo.

Yu Feng, flying in mid‑air, witnessed everything, cold sweat streaming, froze for a moment before reacting to help, but it was already too late.

On the other side, Xiao Wu also quickly analyzed the situation; originally she intended to support Tang San, but seeing Zhu Zhuyun pursuing Ao Si Luo and Yu Feng, she thought that the three of them might eliminate the seemingly strongest Soul King contestant, so she chased after them as well.

But Zhu Zhuyun's speed was truly overwhelming; by the time Xiao Wu caught up, Ao Si Luo had already been eliminated.

Zhu Zhuyun naturally also noticed Xiao Wu coming, but she merely glanced at her peripherally and ignored her.

Yu Feng, looking at the already fainted Ao Si Luo, couldn't help feeling fortunate to be able to fly; otherwise he would have also fallen to an instant‑kill move.

"Do you think just because you can fly, I can't hit you?" Zhu Zhuyun said, looking at Yu Feng's silhouette, and sneered.

Yu Feng heard this, didn't understand why, but instinctively rose a bit higher.

"Fourth soul skill, Nether Spring Fall!" Immediately, Zhu Zhuyun's fourth Soul Ring lit up.

A dark‑purple light burst from Zhu Zhuyun, shining onto Yu Feng.

"Hmm? What's happening? Why is Yu Feng falling?" Xiao Wu, rushing over, was startled.

She saw Yu Feng, who had been flying fine in the air, suddenly have his wings freeze uncontrollably, and Xiao Wu could clearly see his eyes grow hazy, pupils dilating, as if under an illusion.

Immediately, just before Xiao Wu arrived, Zhu Zhuyun leapt, her first Soul Ring flashing again, and a fierce cat claw brutally struck Yu Feng.

At this moment, under the intense pain, Yu Feng finally regained consciousness.

But it was already too late; like Ao Si Luo's fate, Yu Feng also took a whipping kick.

Because his body was even more fragile than Ao Si Luo's, under Zhu Zhuyun's kick his eyes bulged slightly, nearly vomiting the overnight rice.

After a chilling scream, Yu Feng followed in Ao Si Luo's footsteps.

But then Xiao Wu also leapt into the air, landing behind Zhu Zhuyun…

(End of chapter)