The piercing eagle's cry echoed above the forest. Below, a subterranean demon spider, using its high-speed movement and the cover of trees to conceal its aura, chittered and scuttled with its eight legs, transforming into a relentless earth-borer. It was fleeing madly in the opposite direction of the powerful presence above.
But no matter how fast it was, it always left traces on the ground.
Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes had reached the Mustard Seed realm, and coupled with his unfettered spiritual perception, tracking the subterranean demon spider was as easy as pie.
"Dean, it's here—"
"Whoosh—!"
Tearing sounds of wind whistled past their ears. Two black shadows shot directly ahead of the subterranean demon spider's escape route.
With a thunderous roar, the subterranean demon spider let out a pained shriek. A massive cloud of dust billowed, and two masks, glowing with a black-red light, emerged from the mist.
"This is..." Tang San stopped at the edge of the crater, one meter in radius and over three meters deep, that had been smashed open. The subterranean demon spider's six glowing red eyes reflected the two masks with their strangely curved mouths. A soul-deep tremor caused the tiny, poisonous hairs on its legs to stand on end, and visible fear and apprehension flickered in its eyes.
This was a suppressive aura that even the Soul Sage level Flander had never elicited from it!
If it were targeted—it would die!
This message flashed through the subterranean demon spider's not-so-bright mind. The next second, the entire spider convulsed. It resolutely spat out yellowish-brown silk at the fox and ape masks, like a net bag, which shot out from its mouthparts quickly and accurately, aiming for the two masks.
Black light distorted space, and the two masks vanished from the subterranean demon spider's attack trajectory in the blink of an eye. However, the subterranean demon spider, which had already turned its back and was preparing to dig away in a different direction, couldn't see this.
Its strong, thick legs plunged fiercely into the earth, like an excavator, gouging the soil in an attempt to burrow underground again.
"Not good! It's trying to escape!" Tang San's eyes sharpened. He disregarded the appearance of the black masks. A purple spiritual impact shot from his purple-tinged eyes, momentarily stunning the subterranean demon spider's brain, leaving it blank for several seconds and slowing its movements.
"Finally found you!"
Flander, arriving late, his bird-like vertical pupils glowing with a yellow crystal light, entered his Martial Soul True Body form. He raised a leg, his massive, sharp eagle claws flashing with cold light, about to snatch the subterranean demon spider when another distant voice entered his ears.
"Fourth Soul Skill—"
This voice?!
Flander froze and keenly turned towards the direction of the sound.
The gathering black mist was unusually conspicuous in the sunlight, yet if Tang Sui hadn't spoken, no one would have even noticed her arrival.
"Sui Sui?" Flander looked at Tang Sui's pitch-black eyes in astonishment, then watched as her raised hand lightly drew a stroke in the air, her cherry lips uttering two clear words: "Cun Yan."
"Kong Kong,"
The black masks hidden in the woods suddenly erupted with an even deeper black energy. A terrifying aura directly locked onto the subterranean demon spider's dazed soul. The latter, sensing the threat belatedly, let out a shrill scream from its ferocious mouthparts, seemingly begging for mercy.
"Boom—!"
The fox and ape masks, shrouded in black energy, fell mercilessly, smashing into the subterranean demon spider's back. A direct hit, a critical strike amplified by twice Tang Sui's total soul power, shattered all eight of the subterranean demon spider's legs into pieces with its terrifying impact.
"Roar—!!"
Even more piercing roars reverberated through the forest, traveling far. Some small soul beasts immediately ran faster, desperately fleeing this area of trouble.
"Hiss!" Flander and Tang San gasped, looking at the demon spider's body, impaled by the masks and reduced to a mere carcass, only a pool of cold green poisonous blood flowing, still clinging to a thread of life.
"Roar..."
The subterranean demon spider's six red eyes were filled with terror and pain. The agony of its eight broken legs left it with no strength to even spit silk. Driven by a strong will to survive, it instinctively used its soul power to seal the wound and prevent further blood loss.
With its soul power diverted, the subterranean demon spider, its legs broken, had now completely lost all means of escape.
For a moment, Flander and Tang San didn't know whether to marvel at the terrifying power of this Fourth Soul Skill or to be shocked that the one who usually shone like a little sun, oh wait, now it was a black moon, so it made sense.
Flander quickly regained his composure and looked at Tang San, who was staring at Tang Sui with a complex expression.
The fox and ape masks that had heavily struck the subterranean demon spider now returned to Tang Sui's side, surrounding her as they slowly descended.
"Let's move it back. While it still has a breath."
Tang Sui's calm black eyes reflected the subterranean demon spider's miserable state. Her delicate, fair face showed no trace of sympathy or pity, as if all human emotions had been extinguished, leaving only a pale indifference. Tang San frowned, looking at Tang Sui as if he wanted to say something, but then thinking of something else, he hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
Flander, caught between them, looked at one, then the other, and took the initiative to break the silent standoff between the siblings. "That... since the subterranean demon spider has been captured, Xiao San, you should come back with me quickly. I'm afraid this demon spider won't last much longer."
Tang San snapped back to attention, temporarily putting aside his inner turmoil. He exhaled, nodded, and hesitantly said to Tang Sui, "Then... shall we go back together?"
Tang Sui stared at Tang San's cautious expression, her black eyes indifferent. She slowly shifted her gaze away. The next moment, her figure darted out, leaving Tang San standing alone.
Feeling as though he had been silently rejected, Tang San clenched and then relaxed his hands by his sides. He then stepped out with the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, following her.