Chapter 192: Burst Evolution Forcedly Interrupted!

"Your Majesty…," Ning Fengzhi looked toward the Snow Night Emperor, his lips barely moving as if whispering something. In an instant, the Snow Night Emperor's slightly angry expression returned to its usual calm.

In fact, Ning Fengzhi said nothing complicated, merely informing the Snow Night Emperor that Tang San's father was Tang Hao.

This was not because he wanted to protect Tang San, but due to deeper considerations. He knew Tang Hao was secretly watching Tang San; if they punished Tang San, it would inevitably cause conflict between the royal family and Tang San, depleting their strength and letting the Spirit Hall reap the benefits.

In his view, it was best for Tang Hao to confront the Spirit Hall directly, draining part of its power, which would align with their interests.

After hearing Ning Fengzhi's transmission, the Snow Night Emperor clearly considered this layer, even more. Though the Clear Sky Sect had sealed its mountain gate, its foundation remained, its strength barely diminished, still a force not to be underestimated.

If they could use Tang San and Tang Hao to drag the Clear Sky Sect into the water, the gap between them and the Spirit Hall would further narrow.

As for Tang San, the Snow Night Emperor had only felt a slight irritation before; to maintain his populist image, he hadn't planned any severe punishment, at most a few scoldings. Now that he knows Tang San's identity, he won't say much more.

Sitting opposite the Snow Night Emperor, Yu Yuanzhen's thoughts were not as complicated. He merely glanced disdainfully at Tang San, then withdrew his gaze, sighed softly, and silently wondered why his younger son had taken such a disciple.

As for Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect behind Tang San, Yu Yuanzhen didn't yet know these matters, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't be very interested.

Since breaking through to level 98, his confidence has swelled enormously, even becoming a bit arrogant, believing that even facing the Spirit Hall alone, he could protect himself.

He now has only two pursuits: to revitalize his sect and become the true number‑one sect leader; and to enjoy family happiness, watching his two grandsons grow, filling him with joy. His only regret is that his younger son is not by his side; if Yu Xiao Gang could return to him, he would feel no regrets in this life.

Actually, people of the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect and the Clear Sky Sect are quite similar in some ways, both straightforward, mostly muscle‑filled brains, with little subtlety.

The only difference is that Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect members are more fierce. They would never act like the Clear Sky Sect's cowardly turtles; even facing annihilation, they would never retreat.

In the original work, during the soul‑hunting operation, aside from those not in the sect like Yu Tianheng, Yu Tianxin, etc., everyone else died in battle, none chose to flee. In reality, if they wanted to run, some could have escaped. Like the Qi Bao Liu Li Sect, the direct disciples' losses were not huge; almost half escaped.

Thus, unexpectedly, the big‑shots on the VIP seats turned a blind eye to Tang San's "path of death" remarks.

Zhu Zhuyun looked at the slightly stunned Tang San, feeling an inexplicable chill. She thought Tang San seemed off, but couldn't pinpoint why.

Nevertheless, she didn't want to keep waiting; she knew delay could bring disaster, and she was never indecisive. So Zhu Zhuyun decided to act first and eliminate Tang San.

"First soul skill—Nether‑dark Thrust!" Zhu Zhuyun unhesitatingly unleashed her first soul skill.

This wasn't because she lacked enough soul power to use a higher‑level soul skill, but because she was unsure whether Tang San could withstand her stronger attack. Moreover, a first soul skill cast at Soul King cultivation should easily handle a Soul Elder.

Xiao Wu watched Tang San radiating cold, brutal, blood‑thirsty aura; although fear and worry filled her, she would never stand by as Zhu Zhuyun harmed Tang San.

However, at her speed she could not stop Zhu Zhuyun's attack. Thus, Xiao Wu's second soul ring flared, her eyes instantly turning blood‑red, staring straight at Zhu Zhuyun.

Zhu Zhuyun only felt a dizzy spell in her brain; startled, her sprint slowed involuntarily, and her soul power was halved. Yet in the next instant, dark‑purple light blossomed in her eyes: "You dare launch a mental attack on me without knowing life or death."

The red light in Xiao Wu's eyes met the purple light in Zhu Zhuyun's; instantly, Xiao Wu didn't even manage a hum, collapsing unconscious. Blood spurted from her mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.

At that moment, Tang San regained a bit of consciousness; the blood hue in his eyes faded slightly. Almost instinctively, he seized the brief lull, stepped with Ghost‑Shadow Stalking Steps, swiftly pulling Xiao Wu's body into his arms, moving her out of Zhu Zhuyun's attack range.

"Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu!" Tang San called anxiously, hurriedly channeling Xuan Tian Gong internal force into Xiao Wu's body. But Xiao Wu showed no sign of movement.

Zhu Zhuyun did not launch another attack; she stood still, sneering, and said, "Overconfident."

Then her gaze fell on Tang San, coldly saying, "She's fine; only her mental power was backfired. A night's sleep will revive her. Tang San, you should admit defeat! Your teammates have already fallen."

At this time, the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo, under Yang Ruolin's frantic assault, could no longer hold and were finally knocked off the arena.

Although the brothers' defense was strong, Yang Ruolin's attack intensity exceeded their limit. Moreover, Ye Lingling continuously restored Yang Ruolin from behind, so the brothers ultimately couldn't endure and were brutally knocked down.

At this point, among the Tian Dou Royal Academy team still standing on the field, only Tang San remained.

Cradling the soft, boneless Xiao Wu, Tang San slowly lifted his head; his pupils, stimulated by Xiao Wu, had fully returned to black, yet seemed utterly devoid of emotion, ice‑cold to the extreme.

His icy gaze fell on Zhu Zhuyun; he slowly raised his left hand, fingers splayed, his sight also shifting to his left hand.

A speck of black light surged from his palm, gradually expanding, as if to condense something. Simultaneously, a cold voice emerged from Tang San's mouth: "If you want me to admit defeat, you still haven't…"

Yet at that moment, accompanied by a fine cutting sound, Tang San's voice abruptly stopped; the three words left in his mouth—"Qualified enough"—could not be uttered.

Tang San's complexion suddenly turned pale, and he involuntarily spat a mouthful of fresh blood, staining his robe red. The black aura in his hand had not fully formed, but now dissipated completely. He turned his head back, his face full of resentment and regret.

He, like Xiao Wu, made a basic mistake. Xiao Wu forgot to use her second soul skill—Charm—during the Soul‑Rake entrance exam, resulting in Zhao Wuji's backlash; his mistake was even worse: he completely forgot Zhu Zhuqing.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing had shattered the blue‑silver cocoon that had trapped her; the broken blue‑silver grass turned into specks of blue‑black light, dissipating into the air.

A martial soul and its host are one, and when Tang San trapped Zhu Zhuqing, he did not withdraw his martial soul in order to maintain the blue‑silver grass cocoon he created.

When Zhu Zhuqing sliced the blue‑silver grass, Tang San naturally suffered a strong backlash. Worse, his yet‑unreleased second martial soul—Heavenly Hammer—was forcibly driven back into his body by this backlash.

The martial soul summons being interrupted naturally caused a second backlash, making it extremely difficult for him even to stand steady now.

Of course, there is a relatively better piece of news: his Heavenly Hammer martial soul was never truly summoned, so it remained hidden—a small consolation. Zhu Zhuqing's figure reappeared on the arena, though her school uniform was torn, looking rather disheveled.

At this moment she felt a bit annoyed with herself; like her sister, she had underestimated the opponent. She originally thought she had taken Tang San seriously enough, yet she was still controlled by him.

She learned from Ning Rongrong about Tang San's first two soul skills: first soul skill—Blue‑Silver Entanglement and second soul skill—Parasitism. Regarding his first soul skill, she didn't find it particularly powerful; the only thing she valued was his second soul skill.

For this, she spared no soul power, wrapping her entire body tightly, thinking this would prevent Tang San's success, yet she was still controlled by him in the end.

Now she finally understood the reason. She had sealed herself so tightly it was almost water‑repellent. However, when she fought Tang San up close, contact between his Mysterious Jade Hand and her cat claw was inevitable. At that instant, Tang San's blue‑silver grass martial soul scattered seeds in the air, and the moment the Mysterious Jade Hand met her cat claw, a brief flaw appeared, allowing the seeds to silently infiltrate Zhu Zhuqing's body.

Though not many blue‑silver grass seeds parasitized her, the brief restriction was enough for Tang San to unleash his third soul skill—Blue‑Silver Snake Bind—to successfully control her.

Nevertheless, the soul power Zhu Zhuqing used to wrap herself was not useless; it greatly hindered the blue‑silver grass toxin's erosion. Within that airtight cocoon, spikes filled the space, and the poison was ten‑plus times denser than outside. Had she not pre‑released soul power to encase herself, she would have been far worse.

One must never underestimate the toxin released by Tang San's blue‑silver grass martial soul. For a soul master of the same realm, the toxin is not lethal but will strip resistance; for a soul master one realm higher, it will heavily impede movement and reaction, affecting combat effectiveness.

Zhu Zhuqing at this moment was only slightly dizzy, with no serious injury, and her combat ability was hardly affected, thanks to her prior preparation.

Yet even so, Zhu Zhuqing was extremely dissatisfied with her performance, because she always holds herself to strict standards, allowing no mistakes. This may relate to her sister or her upbringing.

Zhu Zhuqing felt annoyed but quickly readjusted. The blue‑silver cocoon did not block soul power; she heard her sister's and Xiao Wu's and Tang San's conversation clearly, especially Tang San's line "path of death," which made her furious.

Her gaze was cold and sharp, staring at Tang San without a word, then she flashed like a black bolt, lunging toward him.

The two sisters' personalities differ greatly; Zhu Zhuqing is especially cold toward outsiders, especially those who oppose her, like an unmelted ice mountain. She speaks little, and like Yu Tianyun, acts without a word.

Tang San, severely wounded, endured the internal agony, knowing he could not wait for death. Using his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, he could clearly see Zhu Zhuqing charging. He mustered his remaining soul power, stepped with Ghost‑Shadow Stalking Steps, trying to maneuver against her.

However, his Ghost‑Shadow Stalking Steps had long lost their early agility, barely avoiding vital spots. Zhu Zhuqing's fierce cat claw clamped hard onto his arm.

"Sss!" Tang San felt the excruciating pain in his arm and the spine‑like soul power drilling into his body; he inhaled a sharp breath.

Yet Zhu Zhuqing's speed kept increasing, giving him no reaction time; her cat claw left shocking marks on Tang San's body.

In a short moment, Tang San's upper body was almost covered in bloodstains, turning him into a walking corpse; even his plain face bore three deep claw marks.

Finally, Tang San could no longer hold on; his body staggered as if about to collapse. Not only was the massive blood loss causing dizziness, his soul power was also exhausted.

More importantly, he saw no hope of victory or revenge; once hope is lost, the spirit wanes, and Tang San was exactly like that now.

Tang San's mouth twitched slightly, wanting to admit defeat, but at that moment Zhu Zhuqing turned her head slightly and shouted toward the back, "Sister Lingling!"

Ye Lingling instantly understood, and petal‑like white light burst from her hand, enveloping Tang San.

Tang San felt the warm glow, as if warm sunshine were shining on him; his body began to recover rapidly, and even the wounds on his face healed in the blink of an eye.

Tang San couldn't help but show a comfortable expression, but the next moment his face froze, turning into a look of confusion in an instant.

He didn't understand why they were healing him, and muttered to himself, "Could it be that they have realized their mistake? Hmph, even so, I won't let you off. If you dare hurt Xiao Wu, I'll make you pay ten times the price…"

(End of chapter)