Guided by the precise, mental directions provided by the consciousness of the Sky Azure Bull Python, Tang Hao and Tang San traversed the treacherous landscapes of the northern bogs. The journey took them far away from the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, leading them into a desolate wasteland where the vibrant canopy gave way to a sky the color of bruised iron.
The air here was a cauldron of decay. A cloying, yellowish mist hung low to the ground, acting like a hungry phantom that wilted ordinary plants upon contact. The environment was a monument to perpetual rot and silent death, a place where the cycle of life had stagnated into a toxic puddle.
"The bug is near, Xiao San," Da Ming's voice echoed within the confines of Tang San's spiritual sea. The ancient serpent's tone was flat and observational, lacking the cunning depth of human scholars. "It sleeps under the mud. It spits poison that turns big trees into water. It will be a good ring for your grass."
"Smash big bug!" Er Ming's voice chimed in from the left arm bone, the Titan Giant Ape's consciousness behaving like an eager, aggressive child. "Make Xiao San strong! Then we smash the bad man!"
Tang San nodded silently, acknowledging the spirits residing within his bones. He relied heavily on the 'Toxic Endurance' ability granted by his Left Leg Spirit Bone, harvested from the Ironback Poison Beetle. A thin layer of noxious fumes wrapped around his body like a second skin, acting as a specialized filter against the bog's natural miasma. The yellow mist hissed as it touched his protective barrier, neutralizing the ambient poison before it could seep into his lungs.
"Keep your senses sharp, Xiao San," Tang Hao warned.
The veteran warrior walked a few paces behind his son, his weathered face an unreadable mask. His own formidable cultivation naturally repelled the toxic air. "A beast exceeding twenty thousand years in this specific environment is a shadow in the night. It is a master of ambush. Although it would be easy for me to strike this spirit beast down with a single swing of my hammer, it is a necessary trial for you. Consider it good practice to have a fight against this beast using only your own strength."
"I understand, Father," Tang San replied, his purple eyes scanning the bubbling surface of the mud. "I will not disappoint you."
They waded through the knee-deep, foul-smelling mud for hours. The silence of the bog was oppressive, broken only by the sickening sound of bursting gas bubbles. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Tang San's neck stood on end. He channeled spirit power into his eyes, activating the Purple Demon Eye. His vision pierced through the dense yellow fog, detecting a massive, elongated heat signature lurking just beneath the surface of the sludge ahead.
SQUELCH. SQUELCH.
Slithering out from beneath the hollowed-out remains of a massive, rotting tree trunk was a creature born from a nightmare. It was the Corpse-Breath Demon Centipede.
The spirit beast was over fifteen meters long, a serpentine train of armored segments. Its carapace was the color of a festering wound, a sickly shade of bruised purple that glinted wetly in the dim light. Dozens of scythe-like legs clicked against the damp earth, moving with a horrifying, synchronized rhythm.
HISS!
Its massive mandibles parted, dripping with a highly concentrated, bubbling venom. The toxic liquid fell from its jaws, hitting the mud with an audible hiss. The earth immediately dissolved into a black sludge, indicating a toxicity that could easily melt solid rock into liquid sorrow.
"A twenty-one-thousand-year specimen," Tang Hao observed, stopping his advance and crossing his arms over his chest. He evaluated the creature with the cold, detached gaze of a butcher inspecting meat. "Its venom causes a rapid spread of death. It breaks down living tissue in a matter of seconds. A perfect fit for your mutated grass. The stage is yours."
The Demon Centipede shrieked, a sound resembling grinding metal. It reared its upper body high into the air, looming over the human intruders. It locked its countless, unblinking compound eyes onto Tang San, its primitive instincts perceiving the youth as a fresh meal to drag into the depths of the bog.
Tang San didn't wait for his father's assistance. He stepped forward, his boots sinking slightly into the muck. His eyes burned with the desire to test his newfound, overwhelming strength against a worthy adversary. He didn't summon his Clear Sky Hammer. The heavy weapon was a tool of blunt annihilation, but he wished to rely entirely on his first martial spirit and his tactical acumen to secure this kill.
"First Spirit Ring Ability: Bind!" Tang San commanded, his first yellow spirit ring flaring to life.
Dozens of thick, dark purple vines erupted from the mud beneath the centipede. The Purple Spirit Grass shot upward like striking vipers, aiming to coil around the beast's numerous legs and anchor it to the earth.
The centipede did not attempt to dodge. It simply lowered its head and exhaled.
FWOOSH!
A cloud of corrosive green gas poured from its maw. The 'Corpse-Breath Mist' washed over the rising vines. The moment the gas touched the Purple Spirit Grass, Tang San's constructs sizzled and melted away like snow thrown into a furnace. The binding ability was neutralized before it could even secure a hold.
'The corrosiveness is far higher than I anticipated,' Tang San thought, his analytical mind breaking down the brief exchange. 'My first spirit ring originates from a weaker beast. The density of the vines cannot withstand the ambient toxicity of a twenty-thousand-year monster. I cannot fight a battle of attrition using simple restraints. I must bypass its external defenses.'
The Demon Centipede lunged forward, using its massive body weight to crush the human. Its dozens of scythe-like legs slashed at the air, creating a wall of moving blades.
Tang San's feet shifted in a complex, unpredictable pattern. He engaged the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his body becoming a blur of afterimages. He slid gracefully through the narrow gaps between the slashing legs, the sharp appendages missing his skin by mere millimeters.
As he glided past the beast's flank, his hands moved with blinding speed. He utilized the Hidden Weapon techniques of his past life, his wrists flicking outward.
SWISH! SWISH!
Three Bone-Piercing Needles, forged from dense iron and coated with the neurotoxin from his third spirit ring, shot toward the gaps in the centipede's purple carapace.
CLINK! CLANK!
The needles struck the armor but failed to penetrate deeply. The carapace was a fortress of hardened chitin, deflecting the iron projectiles away into the mud.
The centipede roared in irritation, twisting its long body with surprising agility. It whipped its heavy tail toward Tang San, a strike carrying the momentum of a swinging battering ram.
Tang San pushed off the ground, executing a backward somersault to evade the sweeping tail. As he hung in mid-air, his second yellow spirit ring illuminated the gloom.
"Second Spirit Ring Ability: Parasite!"
He did not launch vines. Instead, he fired a cluster of microscopic seeds directly at the shallow scratches his needles had left on the beast's armor. The seeds lodged themselves into the tiny fissures.
"Grow," Tang San whispered, snapping his fingers as his boots touched the mud.
The seeds rapidly germinated, feeding off Tang San's injected spirit power. Thick vines burst from the scratches, attempting to root themselves into the centipede's joints and paralyze its movements from the outside in.
However, the Demon Centipede possessed a terrifying, inherent defense mechanism. Its own blood was a boiling cauldron of acid. As the parasitic vines breached the inner layers of its shell, the beast's corrosive blood flooded the wounds.
HISS!
Tang San grunted, feeling the sudden, violent severing of his spiritual connection to the parasitic vines. The beast's internal toxicity had literally melted his spirit constructs from the inside out, turning his second ability into a puddle of useless sludge.
'Its internal defense is a river of acid,' Tang San deduced, his eyes narrowing. 'Physical penetration using my current grass is impossible. I must attack its nervous system directly and overwhelm its resistance.'
The centipede, enraged by the stinging sensation, reared up once more. Its mandibles clicked rapidly.
"It is spitting the melting water!" Da Ming's voice warned in his mind, the serpent recognizing the beast's posture.
"Corrosive Acid Spray!"
A high-pressure stream of bubbling, dark green acid shot from the centipede's mouth, sweeping across the battlefield like a liquid scythe. The acid melted the ground, creating a deep, smoking trench that raced directly toward Tang San.
"Torso Bone Ability: Toxic Tremor!" Tang San roared.
He channeled his spirit power into the Venomous Earthquake Bear torso bone hidden within his chest. He stomped his right foot heavily onto the ground.
BOOM!
A massive, venom-infused shockwave erupted from his position. The tremor violently disrupted the incoming stream of acid, blasting the liquid apart and scattering it harmlessly into the surrounding mist. The shockwave continued forward, slamming into the centipede's underside and throwing the massive beast off balance.
Seizing the momentary window of vulnerability, Tang San's third purple spirit ring pulsed with a deep, menacing light.
"Third Spirit Ring Ability: Miasma Pulse Root!"
Tang San slammed both palms into the mud. A network of thick, pulsating purple roots shot through the subterranean soil like torpedoes. They erupted directly beneath the staggered centipede, forming a dense minefield of toxic spikes.
The beast's numerous legs crashed down upon the roots. The moment the scythe-like appendages pierced the plant matter, the roots detonated.
POP! POP! POP!
Clouds of highly concentrated paralytic neurotoxin exploded upward, directly coating the centipede's underbelly. The beast shrieked, its movements suddenly becoming erratic and jerky. The neurotoxin was fighting a brutal war against the creature's own immune system, attempting to freeze the synapses controlling its legs.
"It is slowing down," Tang San noted, his breathing steady. "But it is not enough to stop a beast of this caliber."
The Demon Centipede, realizing it was losing its mobility, decided to unleash its most devastating close-quarters assault.
"Thousand-Legged Scythe Dance!"
The beast curled its massive body into a tight spiral. It began to spin rapidly, turning itself into a colossal, living meat grinder. Its dozens of legs acted like spinning saw blades, carving the air and the earth into ribbons. It hurled itself toward Tang San like a runaway wheel of death.
"Fourth Spirit Ring Ability: Purple Silk Bind!" Tang San shouted, his deep purple fourth ring illuminating the mist.
He thrust his hands forward. A massive web of resilient, dark purple silk erupted from his palms. The silk was designed to invade an enemy's meridians and disrupt their spirit power flow. The web spread wide, catching the spinning centipede like a net catching a falling boulder.
SCREECH! TEAR!
The spinning scythes tore into the silk. The air filled with the sound of ripping fabric. Tang San gritted his teeth, feeling the immense physical strain traveling up the spiritual tethers connecting him to the web. The centipede's sheer kinetic force was tearing his strongest restraint apart.
'The physical gap between my grass and its carapace is too vast,' Tang San thought, feeling his boots sliding backward through the mud as he struggled to hold the beast at bay. 'My first spirit alone cannot secure this kill. I must introduce a heavier element.'
"Smash the ugly bug!" Er Ming's voice roared eagerly within his spiritual sea, the ape's soul sensing the escalating conflict. "Make it flat!"
"As you wish, Er Ming," Tang San murmured, a cold light entering his eyes.
He released his hold on the tearing silk web. As the centipede broke free, spinning wildly toward him, Tang San activated the supreme power resting within his skeletal structure.
"Left Arm Spirit Bone Ability: Gravity Control!"
Tang San raised his left hand, his palm facing the spinning beast. A heavy, invisible dome of distorted gravity materialized directly over the Demon Centipede. He increased the local gravitational pull by a factor of twenty.
CRASH!
The sudden, exponential increase in weight acted like a falling anvil. The centipede's spinning momentum was instantly crushed. The massive beast slammed brutally into the mud, its carapace cracking under the localized gravitational pressure. It thrashed wildly, its scythe-like legs struggling uselessly to lift its own body against the crushing weight pinning it to the earth.
"The bug is stuck," Da Ming noted simply in Tang San's mind. "Finish it."
Tang San leaped gracefully into the air, using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to ascend above the struggling beast. As he hovered at the apex of his jump, his right hand began to glow with a blinding, terrifying azure light. The power of the Sky Azure Bull Python awakened within his marrow.
"Right Arm Spirit Bone Ability: Sky Azure Fading Thunderclap!" Tang San shouted, his voice echoing like a crack of thunder across the silent bog.
He thrust his right palm downward. A roaring, majestic azure dragon forged of pure, condensed lightning erupted from his hand. The lightning construct tore through the yellow mist, illuminating the dark wasteland with a brilliant, blinding flash.
The azure dragon struck the pinned centipede directly in the center of its back.
BZZZT! CRACKLE!
The attack did not explode upon the carapace. Instead, the phasing property of the ability allowed the lightning dragon to pass directly through the hardened armor. The azure energy flooded the beast's internal cavity.
The internal electrical discharge fried the centipede's nervous system instantly. The intense heat of the azure lightning boiled its corrosive blood, turning its internal organs to ash before it could even register the pain.
The massive insect collapsed into the bubbling mud with a heavy, final splash. Its numerous legs twitched aimlessly for a few seconds, driven by lingering electrical impulses, before falling entirely still. A deep, profound silence returned to the bog, broken only by the crackling of residual lightning dancing across the scorched carapace.
Slowly, a deep black Spirit Ring rose from the ruined corpse, hovering above the mud like a dark halo of mourning.
Tang San landed softly beside the carcass, his boots barely making a sound. He wiped a single bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
'The power of a hundred-thousand-year bone is truly terrifying,' Tang San thought, his chest heaving slightly as he marveled at the effortless nature of the final kill. 'My Purple Spirit Grass laid the foundation, but the Spirit Bones delivered the execution for raw strength. The synergy between using the abilities of the two can be considered flawless.'
He did not waste time celebrating. He immediately sat cross-legged on a relatively dry patch of earth near the carcass. He raised his hand, channeling his spirit power to draw the floating black Spirit Ring toward his body to begin the absorption process for his Purple Spirit Grass.
The black ring settled over his head, shrinking to fit his form. The moment the energy breached his meridians, a chaotic, bitter wave of venomous power flooded his system. The soul of the Demon Centipede fought back, unleashing a torrent of lingering resentment and toxic intent, seeking to rot the mind of the human who had slain it.
However, Tang San was no longer a fragile Spirit Ancestor. His elevated Level 57 spirit power, bolstered by the foundational strength of two hundred-thousand-year spirit bones, acted as an impenetrable fortress. His spiritual sea remained perfectly calm. He easily suppressed the beast's lingering resentment, crushing the toxic rebellion with the overwhelming weight of the ape and the serene depth of the python.
Hours passed in silent meditation. The yellow mist swirled around him, but Tang Hao stood guard, ensuring no other predators dared to interrupt the vital process.
Finally, the black ring settled firmly into the fifth position around his body. It glowed with a dark, sickly luminescence that perfectly matched the mutated, toxic nature of his vines.
Tang San opened his eyes, a faint, dark purple light fading from his pupils. He raised his right hand, summoning his first martial spirit.
A single strand of Purple Spirit Grass slithered from his palm. The vine had undergone a drastic transformation. It was no longer a vibrant purple; it was now a deep, almost black shade of violet, resembling a vein filled with corrupted blood. The surface of the vine lacked its usual smooth texture, instead dripping continuously with a highly volatile, hissing liquid.
"My fifth ability," Tang San announced to his waiting father, his voice carrying a dark, satisfied resonance. He held the dripping vine up for inspection. "I will call it the 'Demon Centipede's Rotting Miasma'. It turns my vines into conduits of extreme decay. They carry a concentrated venom that rots anything they touch."
He whipped his wrist forward, sending the black-violet vine striking against a nearby, solid boulder that protruded from the mud.
HISS! SIZZLE!
He watched in deep satisfaction as the solid stone hissed violently upon contact. The rock began to melt instantly, dissolving into a puddle of foul-smelling, gray sludge within seconds. The corrosive power was terrifying, mirroring the devastating breath of the fallen beast.
Tang San was absolutely thrilled. His mind was entirely focused on the sheer, lethal stopping power his first spirit had just acquired. He envisioned the vines wrapping around Zhang Tian, the toxic sludge melting the red-haired monster's flesh and bone until nothing remained but a screaming puddle of regret.
"A powerful addition," Tang Hao noted, walking over to inspect the melted stone. "Your offensive capabilities are now multi-layered. You possess the blunt force of the hammer and also powerful grass."
However, as Tang San retracted the vine into his palm, a subtle, hidden flaw crept into his foundation.
He felt a strange sluggishness in his meridians. The natural recovery rate of his spirit power had dropped significantly when wielding the grass. The extreme toxicity required a massive, constant drain of energy just to maintain the physical structure of the vines. Furthermore, he realized that the maximum extension range of his vines had shortened considerably; the heavy venom weighed the plant matter down, making long-distance manipulation sluggish.
Even more concerning was the tactile feedback. The actual physical tensile strength of the vines had grown slightly brittle. It felt as though the extreme toxicity inherited from the centipede was slowly, inevitably burning away the plant's inherent, natural vitality. The grass was no longer a flexible binding tool; it was a fragile glass tube filled with acid.
Tang San subconsciously pushed these subtle, nagging warnings aside, burying them deep within his mind. His vision was heavily clouded by the blinding fog of vengeance.
'The lethality is all that truly matters,' Tang San rationalized internally, his logic twisting to accommodate his hatred. 'I do not need my vines to wrap around the enemy and hold them in place if a single touch can melt them into nothingness. A blade doesn't need to be flexible; it only needs to cut deep. The loss of binding strength is an acceptable sacrifice for absolute decay.'
Tang Hao, possessing the keen observation skills of a veteran master, noticed the slight brittleness of the vines as they retracted. He saw the way the plant matter stiffened unnaturally. But the father chose not to comment on the flaw. He believed wholeheartedly that absolute, overwhelming offensive power was the only viable path to overcoming their enemies. A broken shield was useless, but a poisoned dagger could slay an emperor.
"We are finished here," Tang Hao declared, turning his back on the slain centipede.
With his arsenal finally complete, Tang San stood tall amidst the rotting bog. His aura was a terrifying, swirling mix of deadly poison, heavy gravitational pressure, and crackling azure lightning. He was a walking calamity, an amalgamation of the forest's greatest tragedies.
"We are ready, Father," Tang San declared. His fists clenched tightly as he looked toward the southern horizon, his gaze piercing through the yellow mist. "It is time to make him pay for what he has done. I will wash away my humiliation with his blood."
Inside his spiritual sea, the consciousness of the two ancient Spirit Beasts resonated with his fiery fury. Their primal instincts were eager to tear the red-haired monster limb from limb, driven by the singular desire to reclaim their stolen family member.
"We crush his bones, Xiao San!" Er Ming rumbled loudly from his left arm, the ape's phantom pounding its chest in his mind. "We shatter his stone house! We take Sister back from the cage! Smash bad man!"
"Do not let the heat of your anger cloud your judgment in the moment of the strike, Xiao San," Da Ming advised smoothly from the right arm, offering the serene counsel of the river. "Anger makes you blind. But let the anger fuel you in this vengeance. We stand with you as your fangs."
Tang Hao placed a heavy, comforting hand on his son's shoulder. A dark, grim smile touched his weathered features, pulling at the scars on his face.
"You carry the heavy pride of the Clear Sky Sect now, Xiao San," Tang Hao stated, his voice a solemn vow. "Your hammer is no longer a disgrace. You wield the power to break the sky. Do not falter when the moment of execution arrives."
They turned their backs on the toxic bogs, beginning the long, arduous journey out of the Star Dou Great Forest. They left behind a trail of dead beasts and shattered earth, stepping out from the shadows of the canopy and into the harsh light of the mortal world.
Their destination was the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. Specifically, they were heading toward the newly rebuilt Shrek Academy, an institution that had taken over the sprawling campus of the former Blue Tyrant Academy following their forced relocation.
The journey took several weeks, moving methodically through small, dusty villages and bustling trade routes. They wore heavy cloaks, hiding their faces and the terrifying density of their spirit rings from the prying eyes of merchants and wandering Spirit Masters. They moved like ghosts, their presence unnoticed by the world they sought to change.
During the long trek, Tang San's mind was a singular, focused point of determination. He spent the silent nights replaying the humiliating defeat at the tournament over and over in his head. He watched the memory of Zhang Tian countering his hidden weapons with casual arrogance, using the failures to fuel his bitter, burning resolve.
'I was weak then. I relied on hidden weapons that he easily countered with a flick of his wrist,' Tang San thought, his purple eyes narrowing as he stared into the campfire. 'My grass was a nuisance, and my hammer was a joke. But the board has changed. Now, I am strong enough to defeat him.'
He envisioned breaking through the heavy wooden doors of Zhang Tian's lavish estate. He pictured himself smashing the crimson vines to dust with the Titan Hammer, watching the red-haired man fall to his knees in defeat, and finally, pulling Xiao Wu into a warm, protective embrace, a hero rescuing a maiden from a monster's lair.
'I will save you, Xiao Wu. I promise you upon my very soul,' he swore internally, his heart aching with a naive, tragic devotion.
He was completely unaware of the dark reality waiting for him. He had no idea of the severe psychological torment she was currently enduring in a subterranean cell, nor the twisted, obedient pet she was slowly becoming under Zhang Tian's ruthless conditioning.
As the towering, majestic walls of Heaven Dou City finally appeared on the distant horizon, catching the light of the morning sun, Tang Hao and Tang San stopped on the crest of a hill. They exchanged a silent, solemn nod.
The father-son duo were returning to the city. Armed with the strength of powerful spirit beasts and a sense of righteous fury, they were wholly intent on waging a private, devastating war of absolute vengeance against Zhang Tian.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/