Outside Slaughter City, tens of thousands of spider soul beasts, having received Fang Chang's order, surged toward the direction Tang San had fled.
Meanwhile, Fang Chang encountered a minor issue of his own. The Slaughter King was essentially a fusion of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King and Tang Chen—both possessing immense soul power.
After devouring him, Fang Chang's soul power skyrocketed from 820,000 years straight to 987,000 years, triggering his ninth heavenly tribulation.
Fortunately, he was no stranger to tribulations. With his Lightning Control skill, he couldn't completely nullify the heavenly punishment, but he could weaken it significantly.
Thus, what would be a life-or-death crisis for most soul beasts was merely a minor inconvenience for him. The only real problem was that it left him unable to personally pursue Tang San for the time being.
Back with Tang San, despair crept into his heart as the endless tide of spider soul beasts closed in.
In terms of raw soul power, he stood no chance against these creatures. His only lifeline was his hidden weapons.
But hidden weapons were finite. Those capable of killing ten-thousand-year soul beasts were especially rare—even he didn't have many left.
Just then, a sheer cliff abruptly cut off his escape route, leaving him cornered at the edge of the precipice.
Behind him, the spider army advanced relentlessly, forcing him closer to the drop.
Tang San's breathing grew ragged as he glanced between the approaching swarm and the abyss behind him.
Loose soil crumbled under his feet, tumbling down the cliff face before shattering into fragments mid-fall and vanishing into the raging river below.
He swallowed hard.
If the spiders caught him, death would be a mercy. But if he jumped… survival seemed just as unlikely.
Memories flashed through his mind—the Shrek Seven Devils, Tang Hao, his mother, and that girl who always pestered him to braid her hair, Xiao Wu.
The spider army was now less than three meters away, their eyes gleaming with cruelty and mockery.
Tang San took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and—
Leapt backward off the cliff.
A brilliant blue light erupted from his body as Blue Silver Emperor vines burst forth, wrapping around him and forming a cocoon-like sphere.
After falling roughly 200 meters, the blue sphere slammed into a protruding rock ledge.
Though the thick vines shielded him from external injuries, the sheer impact alone forced several mouthfuls of blood from his lips.
But the descent wasn't over.
The sphere bounced off the ledge, tumbling another 80 meters before crashing into another outcrop.
With each collision, Tang San's body endured brutal shocks—his ribs shattered, his previously injured leg bones re-fractured.
He blacked out from the pain, only to be jolted awake by the next impact. His consciousness flickered like a dying candle.
Finally, the vine-wrapped sphere smashed into the river at the cliff's base, unraveling upon impact.
Unconscious, Tang San was swept away by the rapids, his battered body tossed like driftwood.
The suffering Fang Chang had once endured had now come full circle—karma was a cruel mistress.
The spider army halted at the cliff's edge, unwilling to descend further. Only about 800 Bloodwing Demon Spiders, capable of flight, pursued him, diving after his plummeting form.
But their controlled glide was no match for Tang San's uncontrolled freefall.
By the time they reached the river, Tang San had already been carried miles downstream.
After a fruitless search, the spiders regrouped, their mission a failure.
Twenty minutes later, Fang Chang arrived at the cliff after overcoming his tribulation.
The spiders shrank back like scolded children, awaiting punishment.
Yet Fang Chang smiled.
His gaze lingered on the cliff's edge, as if savoring Tang San's desperation.
Truthfully, he'd been worried his ruthless offspring might've accidentally killed Tang San—death would've been too merciful.
This outcome was perfect.
If Tang San drowned, so be it. But if he survived… Fang Chang had plans.
He still held several trump cards against Tang San. Letting him witness the world's changes, then luring him to his doom—how poetic.
Fang Chang couldn't wait to see Tang San's face when he learned:
The Shrek Academy was gone.
The Clear Sky Sect had been exterminated.
His master, father, and former comrades—all dead.
And the pièce de résistance—Xiao Wu.
After slaying Da Ming and Er Ming, Fang Chang had captured her alive, resisting the urge to devour her… just for this moment.
There was no way Tang San would abandon her.
As long as she remained in his grasp, Tang San would come.
With the hunt concluded, Fang Chang spared his spiders any reprimand and withdrew his forces.
Soon after, the Spider God Cult issued a wanted notice:
"Tang San—son of a 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor and a human Titled Douluo. Consorts with a 100,000-year Soft Bone Rabbit. Suspected instigator of recent soul beast uprisings."
The continent erupted in outrage.
Rumors of Tang San's heritage had long circulated, but now, with the Cult's official condemnation, he became public enemy number one.
In an era where humans and soul beasts were at war, a half-breed and his beast lover were the ultimate taboo.
Days later, a second announcement followed:
"The 100,000-year Soft Bone Rabbit—Tang San's lover—has been captured. Handed over to the Heaven Dou Empire for execution."
The Heaven Dou Royal Family promptly declared that Emperor Xue Beng (now crowned after numerous upheavals) would personally oversee the execution in ten days.
Due to altered events, Xue Beng had never become Tang San's disciple. Worse, he'd long been indoctrinated into the Spider God Cult—now serving as Fang Chang's puppet.
Ironically, the fugitive Tang San was already en route to Heaven Dou City—unaware of Xiao Wu's impending execution.
He'd only heard that the Shrek Academy had been destroyed by the Spirit Hall and was rushing to check on his friends.
But now…