Shortly after the Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman departed, a deep, resonant voice echoed from behind. "Xiao San!"
A series of figures arrived in rapid succession. Leading them was the "Motionless Bright King" Zhao Wuji, followed closely by the Shrek Academy students. Every one of them looked exhausted; they hadn't stopped for a moment in their pursuit of Tang San.
Hearing the voice, Tang San turned around. Seeing his companions arrive, his mental tension finally snapped, and he swayed, nearly collapsing. Fortunately, Dai Mubai rushed to his side and caught him before he hit the ground.
Tang San was truly spent. Although he had taken the pill from Gu Xuan, he hadn't had time to fully refine it before the encounter with Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang. His injuries from the battle with the Titan Giant Ape were severe; a single recovery sausage hadn't been enough to heal him, and the subsequent exhaustion of the chase and the struggle with the Man-Faced Demon Spider had completely drained his stamina and soul power. If not for his sheer will to find Xiao Wu, he would have collapsed long ago.
Oscar hurried over and handed Tang San two recovery sausages. As the warm energy spread through his chest and abdomen, Tang San felt significantly better. Since Oscar had reached the Soul Elder rank, the effectiveness of his sausages had increased; while the soul power recovery didn't stack, two sausages provided much more stamina than one. Combined with the healing pill from Gu Xuan, some color finally returned to Tang San's face.
Seeing Zhao Wuji and the others appear, Gu Xuan's expression remained unchanged. Zhao Wuji was strong, but Gu Xuan felt no fear.
"Xiao San, what's the situation here?" Zhao Wuji asked, quickly assessing the scene.
Gu Xuan stood tall at 1.88 meters. His heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue—and his waist-length hair of the same colors gave him a transcendent, immortal-like appearance. He was many times more handsome than the heterochromatic Dai Mubai, and his aura completely eclipsed the prince's.
Though Gu Xuan hadn't released his soul rings, the six dragon-swords unfurled slightly behind him, and the sharp sword intent swirling around his body warned everyone not to underestimate this young man. Despite being only thirteen, Gu Xuan looked nearly twenty. To Zhao Wuji, he appeared to be a young man in his prime, yet he felt a faint sense of threat from him. To command such a presence just by summoning a Martial Soul without even showing rings was proof of peerless talent and strength.
Looking over at Li Li, who was absorbing the soul ring nearby, Zhao Wuji was even more certain of their genius. She looked to be the same age as Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, yet she was already at Rank 30. Once the absorption was finished, she would be a genuine Soul Elder.
Tang San explained what had happened. After hearing the story, the Shrek group immediately felt a sense of goodwill toward Gu Xuan. He was powerful, talented, warm-hearted, and—most notably—incredibly handsome. Meng Yiran, in particular, felt a spark of interest; she had never seen such a stunning peer. Even Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but mentally compare Gu Xuan to Dai Mubai, realizing there was simply no contest—the gap was as wide as heaven and earth.
Tang San looked at Gu Xuan with genuine gratitude as he finished his story. However, when Meng Yiran heard that her grandparents had gone after the Titan Giant Ape to save Xiao Wu, her worry flared. The Forest King was too terrifying; while she cared for Xiao Wu, she was far more concerned for her family's safety.
Seeing her distress, Gu Xuan put on a comforting expression. "Don't worry, lady. My grandfather is also there. Your grandparents' safety is guaranteed."
Meng Yiran nodded, her anxiety easing. With her grandparents' fusion skill and a Titled Douluo present, they should at least be able to survive, even if they couldn't defeat the ape.
Zhao Wuji offered a few words of thanks. Gu Xuan was polite but seemingly a man of few words. After the brief introductions, the Shrek students sat cross-legged to recover. Each had sustained injuries and soul power depletion; now that they knew they were in safe company, they prioritized recovery.
As they meditated, Gu Xuan focused his attention on Li Li. She was currently obscured by a layer of pale purple mist. Frequent cracking sounds of bone adjusting echoed from within the mist, making Gu Xuan's heart tighten with concern. The fact that the third soul ring had not yet manifested meant the absorption was still ongoing.
He wasn't worried about her failing—her constitution was more than enough, and her Martial Soul was a perfect match—but he wondered what was taking so long. 'Is the Eight Spider Lances fusion taking place?' he wondered. 'Or is it just not happening?'
Ordinarily, absorbing a perfectly matched ring takes at least two hours. Only thirty minutes had passed, so he waited patiently.
After an hour, the purple mist slowly dissipated, revealing Li Li's figure. Three rings—two yellow, one purple—floated around her. Gu Xuan frowned. 'No Eight Spider Lances? According to the original plot, this was the exact spider Tang San was supposed to get them from. Does it only work for Tang San?' he thought.
Just as he was questioning it, Li Li let out a sharp cry of pain. The Shrek students snapped out of their meditation, eyes wide. Li Li's body spasmed violently, her chest heaving as her back arched into a bow.
The two "lechers" of the group, Oscar and Ma Hongjun, couldn't help but stare at her arched figure. Dai Mubai also stole a glance but quickly looked away when he saw Zhu Zhuqing's icy expression.
Gu Xuan reacted instantly. All eight dragon-swords—the six behind him and the two that had pinned the spider—flew into the air. They formed a five-meter-wide circle around himself and Li Li, spinning rapidly. The swirling sword intent completely shielded Li Li from the prying eyes of the others.
Just as the screen was established, a sound like tearing silk erupted from Li Li's back. Her clothes shredded as eight fist-sized protrusions bulged from either side of her spine. Suddenly, the protrusions burst open. Strangely, her skin didn't tear back; instead, eight thick, deep-purple objects began growing out at an incredible speed.
As the sharp objects emerged, Li Li's expression softened, as if she were finally finding relief, though her body continued to tremble slightly. Under Gu Xuan's delighted gaze, the purple objects quickly exceeded a meter in length. At the 1.5-meter mark, joints formed, and the purple growth branched out in a new direction.
The eight purplish-black appendages didn't stop until they were over three meters long. They were shimmering and smooth, thickest at the base near her spine and tapering to needle-sharp points at the ends.
"So these are the Eight Spider Lances," Gu Xuan whispered to himself.
The miracle didn't stop there. As the legs unfurled, they began to twitch rhythmically. The bottom four lances slowly dug into the earth, lifting Li Li's seated body high into the air. She now looked like she had eight extra three-meter arms—a sight both eerie and strangely beautiful, like a living version of a "Spider Spirit" from the legends of his past life.
(End of Chapter)
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