But what happened next was something no one could have anticipated. Tang San proved through his actions to every Soul Master on the battlefield that victory did not rely solely on strength — wisdom and planning could achieve it just as well.
A figure shot toward Tang San like a moth flinging itself at a flame, placing itself squarely in front of his body. The person was tall and broad, nearly shielding Tang San entirely behind him. If the Tortoise Shell Shields were going to hit Tang San, they would have to go through this person first.
The one who had suddenly appeared before Tang San was none other than the captain of the Imperial Battle Team — the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master, Yu Tianheng.
How was this possible? That was the first thought that flashed through the minds of every Imperial Battle Team member. The next instant, they had already seen Yu Tianheng's current condition clearly.
Yu Tianheng certainly would not have gone to shield Tang San from his own teammates' attack — setting aside the fact that he would never do so willingly, in his current physical state he would not have had enough speed to reach Tang San's side even if he wanted to. All of this had been planned by Tang San long in advance. This setup had been laid from the very start of the team battle Soul Duel.
Yu Tianheng's body had been tightly bound by Blue Silver Grass and forcibly dragged in front of Tang San, serving as his human shield.
From the very first exchange between both sides, Yu Tianheng had fallen into Tang San's calculations. Under the siege of the Shrek Seven Devils, he had already sustained severe injuries — and the initiation of that siege had been Tang San's Blue Silver Grass binding him. Blue Silver Grass currently possessed three Soul Rings, meaning three Soul Skills. Binding was undoubtedly the most practical, and Spider Web Restraint the most overwhelming. But the seemingly insignificant second Soul Skill should never be overlooked. The scene unfolding before everyone now had been orchestrated entirely by Tang San through that second Soul Skill — Parasitism.
Although Yu Tianheng had recovered his fighting ability with the help of the Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master, Ye Lingling, Blue Silver Grass seeds had already silently parasitized his body during the earlier binding. The timing of the second Soul Skill's activation was entirely under Tang San's control once the seeds had taken root.
When Tang San had turned to cast Spider Web Restraint at the Wind Chime Bird Soul Master, he had simultaneously activated the Parasitism lurking within Yu Tianheng's body, using his Blue Silver Grass to forcibly drag him in front of himself.
Yu Tianheng was simply too fragile in this moment. Had he been in peak condition, he could have broken free of the Blue Silver Grass binding without even needing Wrath of Thunder — but in his current state, that was utterly impossible.
What Tang San grasped was not merely the situation on the battlefield, but also the opponents' psychology. Having lived two lives, his wisdom was not that of a thirteen-year-old, but nearly forty years of experience. Although Xiao Wu's injury had enraged him, the ordeal they had faced in the Star Dou Great Forest had already taught him that anger solved nothing. Only by maintaining calm at all times could one perceive every subtle shift in the flow of battle.
If the Tortoise Shell Shields thrown by the two Mystic Turtle Soul Masters were a one-way attack that could not be recalled, Tang San would never have done what he did. In his weakened state, Yu Tianheng's body was merely that of an ordinary person — not nearly sturdy enough to block a Mystic Turtle Soul Master's Tortoise Shell Shield attack. It would simply have cost one more life for nothing. But from the earlier fighting, Tang San had clearly observed that their Tortoise Shell Shields could be both launched and recalled — and that was precisely why this scene had come to pass.
Shi Mo and Shi Mo, the two brothers, watched in horror as they were about to crush Tang San only for Yu Tianheng to suddenly appear in the way. Facing their captain's body, they did not hesitate for even a moment. Desperately channeling their Soul Power, they forcibly redirected the Tortoise Shell Shields off course.
But their attack had been launched at full force to crush Tang San. The Tortoise Shell Shields were not only immensely heavy but also imbued with a tremendous amount of their Soul Power — they were not the kind of thing that could simply be recalled at will. The Mystic Turtle Martial Soul was formidable indeed, but these two brothers were far from the level where they could launch and retrieve their shields freely.
Forcing the Tortoise Shell Shields to change trajectory, the brothers ultimately succeeded. The four shields grazed past Yu Tianheng's front by the narrowest of margins and flew off to either side. But the strain of redirecting that force left a tightness in their chests, and both brothers simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood. It was at that very instant that a figure sprang upward from behind Yu Tianheng like a leaping star, covering the distance to the two brothers in the blink of an eye. It was Tang San, his eyes blazing with crimson light.
Tang San's movements were executed in seamless continuity. He retracted and cast the Spider Web Restraint, dragged Yu Tianheng over, and then the Eight Spider Lances erupting from his back simultaneously drove into the ground, propping his body upward. The joints in the center of the Eight Spider Lances bent in unison, then snapped straight with tremendous force. The powerful elastic energy catapulted Tang San forward like a bolt of lightning.
At the exit of the Shrek Seven Devils' channel, the Great Master's eyes flashed with a hint of satisfaction as he murmured to himself, "Control the battlefield, control your teammates, control your enemies, control the mind. Xiao San, you have finally grasped the complete essence of a Control-type Soul Master." The instant Tang San had launched himself into the air using the Eight Spider Lances, he knew that this team battle Soul Duel was over. With their critical Tortoise Shell protection gone, even though there were two Mystic Turtle Soul Masters, how could they possibly withstand Tang San's Eight Spider Lances?
The eight lustrous purple lances spread wide in the air, their tips striking toward both Mystic Turtle Soul Masters' bodies simultaneously like eight points of cold starlight.
With their Tortoise Shells pushed outward, their bodies weakened by Soul Power backlash, and no natural talent for speed, the only option left to the Mystic Turtle Soul Masters was to block head-on.
Both brothers shouted in unison, throwing their fists at full force toward Tang San in midair as their Soul Power erupted, a column of earthy yellow light surging skyward.