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But to put it bluntly, the path she's on now is one that her ancestor Tang San had already walked long ago.

She used the Dark Blue Silver Grass to devour soul power, and Tang San's Eight Spider Lances also devoured soul power; the tools were different, but the principles were the same.

Who taught Tang Ya? No one taught her, but Tang San's blood flowed in her veins, and that instinct to grow stronger by devouring others was probably also brought from that bloodline.

Of course, that's a bit harsh.

Tang San's Eight Spider Lances primarily devoured soul beasts, while Tang Ya devoured humans; there is indeed a moral difference between the two.

But I'm talking about the underlying logic, not a moral judgment.

At its core, devouring is devouring; the means will not change, regardless of the target.

This instinct to devour was etched into the bloodline of the Tang Sect starting with Tang San, passed down from generation to generation, and finally erupted in Tang Ya's generation.

So when you say Tang Ya learned it from her ancestors, you're not entirely wronging Tang San.

Shrek Academy, Inner Court Training Room.

Ma Xiaotao had just finished a set of punches in the training room, her whole body was steaming hot, and her training clothes were soaked with sweat.

As soon as I stopped, a new diary entry entered into my mind.

She was drinking water while reading, and when she saw Lin Ye say that Tang San's Eight Spider Lances and the Evil Soul Masters had "the same methods and the same underlying logic," she almost spat out the water in her mouth.

"Good guy!"

Ma Xiaotao put down the kettle, her eyes wide open, almost laughing: "Lin Ye is really fixated on Tang San and Huo Yuhao. He just finished writing so many bad things about Huo Yuhao, and now he's looking for topics to talk about with Tang San."

She was very familiar with the evil spirit master's methods. Many times before, when she was controlled by the evil fire, she almost slipped into that abyss. The urge to devour everything to fill her own emptiness was just too strong.

If it weren't for her noble status and the various protectors and teachers in the academy who could control her when she unleashed her evil fury, she would have fallen long ago.

Moreover, she had personally witnessed the villages slaughtered by evil spirit masters, with desiccated corpses scattered everywhere, not even sparing children.

But Lin Ye's words put her in a strange dilemma.

Rationally, she wanted to refute it: how could Tang San possibly be associated with evil spirit masters?

Upon closer examination, the evolutionary logic of the Eight Spider Lances is indeed devouring, a fact written in the history of Douluo Continent that no one can deny.

How is the essence of devouring the soul power and flesh of soul beasts to complete one's own evolution different from the evil soul master devouring humans to become stronger?

The only difference is the target audience; the methods are the same.

Ma Xiaotao tossed the towel over her shoulder and sat down cross-legged again: "Lin Ye's words do make sense. Devouring is devouring. Whether it's a person or a soul beast, the essence is plunder."

One was condemned as a heretic, while the other was hailed as a savior of the sea. This world truly is a place where the victor is king and the loser is condemned.

She shook her head and continued reading.

Now that we've covered the first point, let's move on to the second.

This one is even more ruthless: Tang San uses the Crimson Swan Kiss to destroy the City of Slaughter.

What kind of place is the Killing City?

It was a city of sin where one could only enter and not leave, a prison for evil spirit masters and fallen spirit masters from all over the continent.

In the City of Slaughter, villains kill each other, and no one can get out. It's like locking the most dangerous group of people on the entire continent in a closed cage, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The origin of this system is unknown. Some say it was built by the predecessors of the Spirit Hall, some say it was created by the Angel God, and others say it was created by other gods.

Regardless, it objectively played an extremely important role in control.

Locking up evil spirit masters, preventing them from roaming the continent, establishing power, and procreating—this is the most primitive and effective means of control.

But what did Tang San do? In order to pass the test of the God of Asura, he used the Blood Swan Kiss to destroy the entire Slaughter City.

On the day the City of Slaughter collapsed, all the evil and fallen soul masters imprisoned within were freed and scattered like a flood, pouring into the territories of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.

Who are these people who escaped?

They were all outlaws who had survived the killing city, each with blood on their hands, and each accustomed to becoming stronger through killing and devouring.

After this group of people scattered to various parts of the continent, what were the courts of the two great empires doing?

They were too busy with power struggles, dividing up territory, and internal strife to have the financial resources and energy to hunt down these roaming evil spirit masters.

The local Soul Master sects wanted to intervene, but they were disorganized and lacked unified command. Faced with these vicious and desperate criminals, there was very little they could do.

Thus, this group of people began to take root and flourish in the shadows of the mainland.

One person can devour a village, two people can merge a stronghold, and three people can form a small team.

They gradually built up their own small force, hiding in deep mountains and forests, and in remote deserts, where they multiplied and passed down their legacy from generation to generation.

The number of evil spirit masters has increased exponentially, from a manageable number during the era of the Slaughter City to an uncontrollable proliferation.

If the City of Slaughter were still there, all these people would have been imprisoned inside, and there would never have been so many evil soul masters on the continent later.

But Tang San destroyed the Killing Capital with his own hands, which was like kicking open the door of a big cage and releasing all the poisonous snakes inside.

Who was the first person bitten by these venomous snakes? An innocent civilian.

And some of the bloodshed of those ordinary people was attributed to Tang San.

He may never have considered the consequences, but cause and effect don't cease to exist just because he didn't think about them.

Shrek City, a private room on the second floor of a teahouse.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng sat facing each other.

A pot of clear tea sat before Ning Tian, ​​the tea in the cup emerald green and bright. She held the cup but didn't take a sip for a long time, her attention entirely focused on the copy of the diary in her mind.

Wu Feng sat opposite her, drinking tea cup after cup, slamming the cup down with a loud thud after finishing each one.

Chapter 304 Sinner

Her expression was not good; her brows were furrowed and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"The matter of the Slaughter City is recorded in the sect's records, and it is largely the same as what Lin Ye said. What he said is not without reason."

Ning Tian put down her teacup, her tone as calm as ever, but there was a hint of deep thought in her eyes: "I have seen relevant records in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's collection of books. The Slaughter City was indeed a prison created by a certain god to imprison the fallen."

Before that place was destroyed, the number of evil spirit masters on the continent was always under control.

Less than a century after the collapse of the City of Slaughter, the number of cases involving evil spirit masters increased nearly tenfold in the criminal archives of both empires.

Wu Feng slammed his teacup on the table, the force so great that tea splashed out: "Then why did Tang San destroy it? Was he just bored?"

"In order to pass the test of the God of Asura."

Ning Tian picked up the teapot and refilled Wu Feng's cup: "The Nine Trials of Asura, one of which is to destroy the Slaughter City, Tang San just carried out the requirements of the trial."

"Forget about any assessments or anything like that, the result is there: he released a bunch of murderers, then just walked away and ascended to heaven. Who's going to clean up this mess? The two great empires? Can they even manage it?"

Wu Feng sneered: "In the end, it's the common people who suffer. Those who were killed to take credit, those whose villages were massacred, and those who were captured to be used as blood sacrifice materials—every single one of them will be held accountable for the cause and effect of this incident."

Ning Tian did not refute.

She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and gazed at the street scene outside the window.

People came and went downstairs at the teahouse, the shouts of vendors and the laughter of children mingled together, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.

But she knew that behind this peace, how many shadows were cast by those roaming evil spirit masters.

Lin Ye was right. One of the sources of these shadows was the collapse of the Killing City.

"Tang San is too goal-oriented in his actions."

Ning Tian slowly spoke: "He is willing to pay any price to achieve his goal, and he seems to rarely consider the consequences."

When he destroyed the City of Slaughter, he was probably only thinking about completing the test. As for what would happen if the evil soul masters inside escaped, he probably didn't even consider it.

Perhaps he had thought about it, but felt that these costs were acceptable in order to pass the assessment.

Regardless of the situation, it all points to one thing: there's something fundamentally off about him.

Wu Feng glanced at her, unusually not speaking in a teasing tone: "What is it?"

"To achieve their own goals, they can make innocent people bear the consequences without any guilt."

Ning Tian put down his teacup and turned to look at Wu Feng: "The difference between this way of thinking and the evil soul master devouring innocent people to become stronger is that one takes direct action, while the other causes it indirectly."

The methods may differ, but in essence, they are not much different in using other people's lives as fuel for their own advancement.

Wu Feng remained silent for a while, then picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp: "You're right, I will never admire Tang San again."

Ning Tian's lips curved slightly, but he didn't say anything more and continued reading his diary.

The third, and most fatal, rule.

Tang San destroyed the Spirit Hall and shattered the Angel God's legacy.

When the Spirit Hall still existed, there was a complete system for controlling evil spirit masters on the continent.

From which stage does this system begin? It begins with the awakening of one's martial spirit at the age of six.

Every year, the deacons of the Spirit Hall travel to every corner of the continent to awaken the spirits of all six-year-old children.

If an evil martial soul is discovered during the awakening process.

For example, creatures like Evil Phoenix, Evil Eye, and Blood Fiend will be marked on the spot and entered into the Spirit Hall's surveillance files.

These children are closely monitored from a young age, and if they show any signs of moral decline, the Spirit Hall's enforcement team will intervene to nip the evil spirit master in the bud.