Although Tang San truly outdid himself this time…
Tang Lan couldn't laugh.
Instead, he let out a deep sigh and said in an exasperated tone—
"Xiao San, when I told you to seize this opportunity, I meant sincerely."
"Do you think saying 'I'm Tang Lan's little brother' proves your talent?"
"Show them your Twin Martial Souls, your hidden weapon skills, your firearms modifications, your herb reserves—somethinguseful!"
Tang San's head turned stiffly, meeting his brother's gaze—
A look of deep disappointment and frustration.
At that moment, he fell into complete silence.
So… Big Bro didn't arrange this for me?
I actually have to earn it myself?
Meanwhile, Ice Empress' hostile gaze made it clear—
She was seriously considering skinning him alive.
The oppressive aura of a 389,000-year soul beast crashed over Tang San, making him feel like he had been thrown into an ice coffin.
Even blinking felt impossible.
Death loomed over him!
Forced to react, Tang San frantically activated Xuan Tian Gong—
But against Ice Empress' immense aura, it was like a drop of water on a burning flame.
His forehead flashed with a yellow glow, revealing a head soul bone—
Titan Giant Ape Skull!
He had intended to use the soul bone's power to ease the pressure.
But before he could even take a proper breath—
"ROAR—!"
Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, suddenly let out a furious roar and slammed the ground with his fist!
A massive shockwave erupted—
Blasting Tang San off his feet, sending him flying more than ten meters!
If Tang Lan hadn't stepped in and caught him with his spiritual power…
He would've been in even worse shape.
"Alright, Ice Empress, Er Ming—calm down," Tang Lan sighed, rubbing his temple.
"Xiao San is withdrawing from—"
"I'M NOT!"
Tang San gritted his teeth and forced himself back up, locking eyes with Er Ming.
"I have the Titan Giant Ape's head soul bone—"
"Our connection is the strongest!"
"If you Blood Sacrifice to me, then—"
"When my Big Bro ascends to godhood, he will definitely bring me to the God Realm!"
"At that time, you will naturally achieve eternal life too!"
Everyone:
(●—●)●)●)
We have never been this speechless…
Well, except for the last time Tang San stole a soul bone from his own disciple.
What kind of reverse-the-heavens logic was this?!
Tang Lan had convinced them through relationship-building, talent demonstration, and negotiation.
Even then, it took persuasion.
And Tang San?
He was purely leeching off his brother's reputation!
And to top it off—
"HUMAN!"
Er Ming's furious voice shook the air.
"The head soul bone you're wearing—"
"That was my brother's soul bone—the one he left behind when he died protecting me from human hunters!"
"And now you're wearing his skull—while asking me to Blood Sacrifice to you?!"
"DIE!!!"
Er Ming unleashed his Gravity Domain, increasing the surrounding pressure several times over.
A golden glow burst from his right arm as he leaped into the air—
Preparing to crush Tang San under a full-power Titan Smash!
This wasn't a warning attack—
He was genuinely trying to kill him!
But of course, Tang Lan couldn't just stand there and watch.
He flashed forward, positioning himself in front of Tang San.
"BOOOOOM—!!!"
Activating Indestructible Vajra, his body gleamed with golden brilliance.
In his hands, the Lightning-Flame Clear Sky Hammer materialized—
Swinging forward to clash head-on with Er Ming's attack!
"BOOOOM—!!!"
The resulting shockwave rippled outward, forcing Xiao Wu and the others to stagger backward.
But—
Tang Lan stood his ground, completely unfazed.
Seeing this, even Er Ming, in his furious state, was momentarily stunned.
What… the hell?
Even though he hadn't gone all out, he hadn't held back either.
That level of destructive power should've been at least Titled Douluo level.
Yet—
Tang Lan, using a Clear Sky Hammer without any soul rings, had matched him evenly?!
Er Ming was dumbfounded.
This… is a little ridiculous, isn't it?
Meanwhile, the Ice and Snow Empresses barely reacted.
This was normal.
—If Tang Lan wasn't this ridiculously powerful, why would they have chosen him?
Da Ming, too, was briefly stunned.
But he quickly recovered—
And let out a sharp command:
"Er Ming! Stand down!"
Er Ming finally snapped back to reality.
He cast one last deep glare at Tang San.
Realizing he couldn't kill him today,
He stomped away, grumbling angrily.
Meanwhile…
Tang San, after being completely crushed under Er Ming's murderous intent, was on the verge of collapse.
But he still forced himself to turn to the one beast who had spoken up earlier—
Da Ming.
Maybe that was Big Bro's secret "arrangement" for him?
Forcing himself to steady his breathing, he spoke in a voice filled with hopeful expectation—
"Sky Azure Bull Python—will you become my soul spirit?"
"I can promise you—"
"Whatever status I hold in the God Realm, you will receive the same!"
"I will never break this oath!"
This time, Tang San spoke sincerely.
He played the emotional card.
He exuded the elegance of a noble young master.
The legendary "Pure and Noble Young Master Tang San!"
Unfortunately—
Even the purest words need actual strength to back them up.
Tang San's Rank 32, while decent among peers,
Was pathetic compared to Tang Lan, who was fighting the Titan Giant Ape head-on at Rank 65.
Da Ming simply shook his head.
"Apologies, but your attributes don't match mine. Let's not waste time."
His rejection was polite but firm.
Tang San's face went pale.
He couldn't argue with that.
His peripheral vision caught sight of Snow Empress.
She had been silent this whole time, standing as still as an ice sculpture.
Tang San clenched his teeth—
If he was already failing, he might as well gamble everything!
He was about to try his luck with Snow Empress when—
"Boy!" Ice Empress cut him off coldly.
"If you dare speak, be prepared to die."
Snow Empress' personality was absolute.
Even a fellow Ice God-blooded Titan Snow Demon King had been beaten into submission for thousands of years.
Tang San?
Even if he was Tang Lan's younger brother, he would have all his bones shattered—
(Not that it mattered—his brother could just heal him anyway.)
Moreover,
She and Snow Empress were going to "live together."
There was no way in hell that the Ice and Snow Empresses would lower themselves for this guy.
Tang San felt a sharp pain in his chest!
This…
It was over!
Everything was gone!
"PFFFT—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
His vision blurred, and he collapsed onto the ground.
The others shook their heads.
Is this guy for real?
Tang Lan sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.
Then, he motioned to Oscar.
"Take your teacher back to the base to rest."
Oscar hurried over, scooped up Tang San, and took off with his Azure Wings, flying toward the base.
"Hah!" Ice Empress sneered.
"Human, your talent is undeniable. Your eye for picking people is impressive.
But your brother… Hah!"
That was all she had to say.
Dai Mubai and the others nodded in agreement.
Tang San's character was truly garbage.
It was like he was Tang Lan's only stain.
If not for his amazing older brother, he would have definitely become a villain.
Tang Lan let out a long, deep sigh.
He didn't even bother defending Tang San.
He glanced at his system window—
No reaction yet.
Looks like he had to fully finalize this matter first.
"Da Ming, Er Ming," Tang Lan said, shifting focus.
"Because Snow Empress and Ice Empress have far greater cultivation levels, I worry that my spiritual world might not be able to contain them."
"Why don't you two choose?"
"Xiao Wu, you know them best."
"Zhuqing, show them what you can do."
Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, summoning her Martial Soul—Shadow Spirit Cat.
"Evolved Martial Soul—Shadow Spirit Cat."
"Rank 48 at 12 years old. My third soul ring came from devouring the divine nature of the Shadow God's Shadow Demon Cat—granting me partial Shadow God abilities."
"My soul ring is a Life Ring, meaning it levels up with me."
"Soul Skill—Shadow Step. It allows me to move through shadows, stay hidden, and launch a first strike that increases damage and ignores a portion of defenses."
She vanished into the shadows.
For the first time, Snow Empress—who had been completely indifferent this entire time—
looked around, searching for her.
But—
Even she couldn't find Zhu Zhuqing.
The next moment—
Zhu Zhuqing reappeared behind Da Ming, her shadow blade pressed against the reverse scale on his throat.
"BZZT—"
Da Ming instantly activated his Slowing Domain, attempting to restrict her movements.
Not wanting to harm her, he only gently exhaled a breath of energy.
"SWOOSH—"
Zhu Zhuqing vanished again, melting back into the shadows.
Yet—
Da Ming suddenly felt an eerie chill on his back.
"TING—"
A crisp tapping sound rang out from his reverse scale.
Da Ming's expression changed.
Before he could react,
Zhu Zhuqing was already back at Tang Lan's side, her External Soul Bone—Shadow Cat Tail—swaying behind her.
"My External Soul Bone from the Shadow Demon Cat lets me attack through shadows—and any damage done to a shadow is reflected onto the real body."
"Combined with my third soul skill, both my skills and my soul bone effects are doubled in power."
In other words—
If Zhu Zhuqing hadn't held back,
With the stacked effects of her External Soul Bone, Shadow Strike, and Defense Ignoring Attack—
Even Da Ming would have suffered greatly.
Da Ming looked at Zhu Zhuqing in shock.
He hadn't expected her to be this terrifying!
Then, he locked eyes with Tang Lan.
Tang Lan calmly looked back at him, a faint smile on his face.
For a moment—
A subtle tension filled the air.
The two of them—one human, one beast—
Fell into a silent standoff.
What now?
(End of Chapter)
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X