Though Tang San was desperate to rescue Xiao Wu, he hadn't lost his reason entirely. He knew he had to recover to a certain degree before he could absorb the Soul Ring before him.
At that moment, he could no longer worry about any potential dangers. He sat there gasping for breath, forcing his mind to recover somewhat before resuming his cultivation to restore his Soul Power.
Just then, the very thing Tang San feared most came to pass. As the Human-Faced Spider's Soul Ring slowly coalesced above its corpse, three uninvited guests flashed out from the forest.
They weren't the most threatening Soul Beasts, but upon seeing these three people, Tang San couldn't help but feel his heart sink.
Three Soul Masters had arrived, and Tang San recognized two of them. These were none other than the Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang and the beautiful young woman Meng Yiran, from whom he had only recently parted ways.
The third person beside them was a tall, thin elder who appeared to be at least seventy years old. Like Chao Tianxiang, his head was full of silver hair. In his hand, he held a dragon-headed cane over four meters long, shining in bright silver. The dragon head at the top of the cane was remarkably lifelike, appearing extremely magnificent. The wrinkles covering his face betrayed his age, and eight Soul Rings pulsed up and down around his body.
Two yellow, three purple, three black. Although in terms of quality, his Soul Rings were slightly inferior to Zhao Wuji's—he had one less thousand-year ring—he possessed a total of eight. This represented the cultivation of a Soul Douluo at the eighty-rank level or above. Without even asking, Tang San knew exactly who this person was. It was none other than the Snake Granny's husband, Meng Yiran's grandfather—Dragon Grandpa Meng Shu.
The family of three had finally reunited. Dragon Grandpa didn't even need to release his Soul Power—those eight Soul Rings alone were enough to make Tang San feel as though he couldn't breathe.
Not that he was alone here—even if Zhao Wuji and all the others were present, they would be completely outmatched.
The moment the Peerless Dragon-Snake family arrived, they didn't notice Tang San collapsed on the ground nearby. Their attention fell directly upon the dead Human-Faced Spider, and their expressions changed instantly.
Meng Yiran cried out in alarm, "No! How can this be? Why? Why?! Who was it? Who killed my spider?!"
Meng Yiran had changed into dark green combat attire, looking spirited and heroic. But Tang San was in no mood for admiration. Hearing her words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. It couldn't possibly be this much of a coincidence.
Some things you'd never encounter in a lifetime, but when fate decides to play tricks, they can happen twice in rapid succession.
Tang San certainly wasn't counting on this family failing to discover him. With Dragon Grandpa's level of Soul Power, a brief moment of concentration would allow him to hear Tang San's breathing—even his heartbeat. Running was out of the question, and Tang San hadn't planned on running anyway. A real man stood by his actions. Ever since Xiao Wu had been taken, his mindset had undergone some changes. Beyond his ruthlessness, there was now a touch of resolute determination.
"I killed it." By now, he had only barely recovered a sliver of strength. Supporting himself against a nearby tree, he forced himself to stand.
Tang San's voice immediately drew the attention of the Peerless Dragon-Snake family. When Meng Yiran saw him in his disheveled state, she froze for a moment, and then her eyes reddened.
"You... you... you... it's you again."
Tang San smiled bitterly. "I don't know why it has to be such a coincidence either, but yes, it really is me again. Was this Human-Faced Spider also your quarry?"
Meng Yiran stared at Tang San, her lovely face flushed bright red. She was clearly furious to the extreme.
Upon seeing Tang San, the Snake Granny also frowned and whispered something into Dragon Grandpa's ear. In the next moment, Tang San saw Dragon Grandpa's eyes.
Dragon Grandpa looked very old on the outside, but his eyes were extraordinarily bright. Tang San asked himself whether he had ever seen eyes so brilliant before.
From where he stood to where Dragon Grandpa was, there was at least thirty meters between them, yet Dragon Grandpa made him feel as though he were right in front of him.
"So you are Tang San?" Dragon Grandpa Meng Shu said coldly. His voice sounded remarkably clear, not at all like that of an elderly person.
Tang San nodded.
Meng Shu said, "Then do you know that we have been hunting this Human-Faced Spider for an entire day? If not for its wretched web, it would already have become Yiran's Soul Ring. Human-Faced Spiders are extremely rare—they are shunned by all other Soul Beasts. They are seldom seen even in the Star Dou Great Forest. They are far more precious than the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent."
Tang San's face was now deathly pale, without a trace of color, yet he showed not the slightest hint of fear. He said calmly, "I know everything you've said. However, I had to protect myself. A Human-Faced Spider suddenly appeared before me—should I have just let it kill me?"
Meng Shu furrowed his brow. "You're saying you killed this Human-Faced Spider all by yourself?"