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Tang Chen had always been clear about his objective: he had to rescue the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python at any cost. As he watched the countless emerald devil spiders surge forward like a green plague, trying to rot his Blue Silver Domain and hunt them down, his expression remained calm. He spoke in a deep, steady voice that echoed through the trees.
"Bibi Dong, if you think you are the only one with helpers, you are wrong," Tang Chen said. "Do not forget where we are. This is the Star Dou Great Forest, and here, I am the master of the field!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Blue Silver Domain seemed to wake up as if it had been given a soul. In an instant, the ground began to shake. The Blue Silver Grass, which usually looked fragile and small, started to grow at an incredible speed. The leaves became thick and tough, transforming into deep blue vines. They moved like massive waves of life, surging forward to meet the emerald devil spiders.
A single vine might struggle to stop an energy-based creature like a devil spider, but Tang Chen was not using just one. Under the power of the Blue Silver Emperor's royal aura, thousands upon thousands of vines rose up. Every blade of grass in the forest became a soldier for Tang Chen, launching a fierce counterattack against the invaders.
Bibi Dong had summoned many spiders, but they were nothing compared to the ocean of Blue Silver Grass that covered every inch of the forest. The grass possessed a persistent and tough life force that was the natural enemy of the spiders' death energy. The blue vines wrapped around the spiders and crushed them. The emerald light on the spiders quickly faded as the pure life energy from the forest washed over them.
Even more impressive were the faint golden threads that grew from the vines. These threads attached themselves to the spiders and began to drain their energy. Tang Chen was literally eating the spirit power of Bibi Dong's ability. Through the network of grass, this stolen energy was purified and sent directly to the two great Spirit Beasts. They were being held and protected by two main vines that acted like a medical cradle.
Under the nourishment of this pure energy, the condition of the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python finally stopped getting worse. They were still near death, but their lives were no longer slipping away. They had no strength left to fight or even move on their own, so they allowed Tang Chen to use the vines to pull them away from the danger zone and toward his side.
Once they were temporarily safe, the Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming, looked at Tang Chen with a mix of weakness and anger. "Human," he wheezed, his voice trembling. "Why do you have Sister Xiao Wu's spirit ring? Tell us exactly what is going on!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python, Da Ming, did not speak, but he stared at Tang Chen with the same intensity, waiting for an answer.
Tang Chen looked back at them, making sure to show a look of deep sadness and memory on his face. He took a slow breath and began to tell a story he had carefully prepared. He took the true story of Tang San and Xiao Wu and changed it, making himself the hero of the tale.
He told the two beasts about how he and Xiao Wu had met at Nuoding Academy when they were just children. He spoke of how they grew up together as childhood sweethearts, supporting each other through every hardship. He described a bond so deep that they were willing to face anything for one another. These parts of the story were mostly true, but he placed himself in the center of them.
Then, his voice turned sharp with fake anger and grief. "But my younger brother, Tang San, is a wicked man. He was jealous of the love Xiao Wu and I shared. He didn't care about her; he only wanted the power that comes from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast. He secretly made a deal with Spirit Hall!"
Tang Chen paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "He set a trap for us. He told Spirit Hall exactly who Xiao Wu was and led their strongest warriors to hunt her down. We tried to run, but we were cornered.
Xiao Wu did not want to fall into the hands of Spirit Hall or my heartless brother. She chose to give her life to me so that I could have the power to take revenge. She sacrificed herself to give me her spirit ring and spirit bone."
His voice broke with a sob, and he looked like a man consumed by hatred for a brother who had betrayed him. This lie perfectly explained why he had Xiao Wu's power and shifted all the blame onto Tang San and Spirit Hall. He painted himself as a tragic hero who only wanted to avenge his lost love.
As they listened, the doubt in the eyes of Da Ming and Er Ming turned into terrible sorrow and rage. They felt the unmistakable aura of Xiao Wu's soul on Tang Chen, and because of his emotional acting, they began to believe him completely. Their hearts burned with a new hatred for the man named Tang San.
"Tang San! That child deserves a thousand deaths!" Er Ming roared weakly, slamming his fist into the dirt. Even though he was dying, his killing intent was terrifying.
"If I ever see him, I will tear him to pieces for what he did to Sister Xiao Wu!" Da Ming added, his voice cold and sharp. Tang Chen's plan had worked perfectly; they now hated Tang San as much as they hated Bibi Dong.
"We can talk about revenge later," Tang Chen said calmly, trying to keep them focused. "The most important thing right now is to get both of you out of here." He kept his eyes on the forest, watching his grass battle the spiders.
Suddenly, a golden streak of light flew through the trees like a fast arrow. It carried a warm and familiar mental energy that Tang Chen recognized immediately. It was a vast, auspicious power that did not try to hide itself.
"It's Ruier!" Tang Chen whispered, feeling a sense of relief. "She must have felt that I returned to the forest."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Xiao Ruier, appeared in her majestic true form, running toward them at top speed. Tang Chen knew they were running out of time. He used his mental force to create two guiding paths for the giant beasts.
"Follow my mental guidance," Tang Chen said seriously to Da Ming and Er Ming. "Go to the core area of the forest and hide there. Bibi Dong is strong, but she won't dare to go that deep into the forest easily. I will stay here and stop them!"
Er Ming looked at Tang Chen with a bit of hesitation. "Can you really do this alone?" he asked. Thanks to the life energy Tang Chen had given them, they had regained just enough strength to crawl and move slowly.
Tang Chen gave them a confident look. "Do not worry about me. I have many ways to escape this place. Go quickly before they close in!"
Da Ming gave Tang Chen a long, deep look and nodded. "Take care of yourself, human. We will remember this kindness." He was the more practical of the two and knew they had to leave now. The two giant beasts dragged their heavy bodies into the thick brush and vanished toward the center of the forest.
Just a second after they disappeared, Xiao Ruier arrived. She stopped in front of Tang Chen, her eyes full of worry. "Tang Chen, you are finally back!" she cried out. She was so happy to see him safe that she immediately ran to him.
Tang Chen stepped forward, and the two of them embraced tightly in the middle of the ruined battlefield. They didn't need to say anything; the hug said everything about how much they had missed each other. However, their reunion was cut short.
"I knew it! You have accomplices!" a cold voice shouted. Bibi Dong and her three Titled Douluo appeared. They had finally broken through the walls of Blue Silver Grass and were standing just a short distance away.
Facing these four powerful enemies, Tang Chen and Xiao Ruier did not show any fear. Instead, they looked at each other with perfect understanding. They reached out and gripped each other's hands tightly, their fingers locking together.
A brilliant golden light exploded from between them, making the whole forest shine as if the sun had fallen to the ground. Their auras merged perfectly, becoming one single, massive force. Tang Chen could feel that Xiao Ruier's power had already reached around Level 70.
"Ruier, you have reached the Spirit Saint realm too?" Tang Chen asked with a smile. "I am very curious to see what happens when we use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill now that we both have our Spirit Bodies. Let's see how strong we really are!"