Chapter 338
Not too early, not too late!
A deep purple soul ring slowly condensed and rose from the massive corpse of the human-faced demon spider, radiating the powerful energy fluctuations unique to thousand-year-old soul beasts. In this forest clearing shrouded in the aura of death, it appeared particularly alluring, yet also particularly glaring.
Tang San froze on the spot.
He remained in the posture of about to launch the hidden arrow, his fingers still gripping the cold mechanism, but all his movements and thoughts seemed to be completely frozen by that streak of blue light.
He slowly and stiffly turned his head.
As far as the eye could see, Lin Xia's figure emerged from the shadow of a huge ancient tree like a ghost.
He was still dressed in spotless robes, with that calm and profound smile on his face that was incredibly jarring to Tang San at that moment.
It was as if that fatal blow had been nothing more than casually brushing away a fallen leaf.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong followed closely behind, appearing not far behind Lin Xia.
Zhu Zhuqing's sharp eyes swept over the spider's corpse and the distraught Tang San with a hint of wariness.
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda's light flickering slightly, her eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
Behind them were Flander, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran, all with complicated expressions and slightly out of breath.
They were clearly drawn there by the dying hiss of the demonic spider and the sounds of Tang San's hidden arrows and crossbow bolts, and happened to witness this final scene.
"Lin...Xia..."
Tang San's voice was like sand being squeezed out from the depths of his throat, dry and hoarse, carrying an incredulous bewilderment and a rapidly rising, volcanic eruption of anger.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Lin Xia, the flames burning within them almost bursting forth to incinerate the calm man before him.
"What...what did you do?!"
Lin Xia's gaze swept lightly over the corpse of the human-faced demon spider on the ground, then fell on the floating purple soul ring, and finally looked at Tang San, who was about to devour someone.
The corners of his mouth even curved slightly upwards, as if he had only done something insignificant.
"Oh? As you can see, I did you a small favor."
Lin Xia's voice was calm and expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
“This beast looks troublesome. I just happened to be passing by, so I took care of it. Saves you the trouble, Tang San.”
"Just...just for fun?!"
Tang San's body trembled violently, not because of the poison, but because of extreme anger and a sense of humiliation from being blatantly mocked.
He exerted all his strength, exhausted his soul power, and risked his life to severely injure the thousand-year-old human-faced demon spider to the brink of death!
But what about Lin Xia?
It didn't come earlier or later, but it just so happened that it took away all his efforts just as he was about to deliver his final, seemingly casual blow!
This is not helping!
"you you……"
Tang San's chest heaved violently, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat—the result of his burning anger and the turbulent effects of the poison.
He wanted to question, to curse, to rush forward recklessly, but his remaining rationality told him that his soul power was almost exhausted and his body was numb. Facing the unfathomable Lin Xia, rushing forward would be suicide!
This frustration, anger, and resentment almost tore him apart. "You could have acted much earlier! Why now of all times?!"
Lin Xia seemed oblivious to Tang San's almost murderous glare. He slowly walked to the corpse of the Human-Faced Demon Spider, examining the purple spirit ring with interest. A barely perceptible silver-gray light seemed to flash across his fingertips, as if confirming something. He responded casually.
"The timing was just right. Besides, this beast is extremely ferocious. What if it attacks you in its death throes and hurts you? That would be troublesome. I'm doing this for your safety."
These utterly hypocritical words were like adding fuel to the fire. Tang San felt a rush of blood to his head, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted.
For his safety?
This is what you call for his safety?!
Flander frowned, wanting to speak up and dissuade them from this awkward and dangerous situation.
"Lord Lin, this..."
However, just as Tang San was overwhelmed by boundless rage and intense resentment, and was on the verge of losing his mind—
An indescribable tremor, originating from the depths of my soul, descended without warning!
It was as if an invisible thread connecting him to some grand river of destiny had been brutally and forcefully torn off by a cold and ruthless hand!
"Well--!"
Tang San let out a muffled groan, his body swayed violently uncontrollably, and his face instantly turned ashen, a hundred times worse than when he was poisoned!
It wasn't physical pain, but a deeper, more fundamental sense of loss.
Something mysterious, something that seemed to be closely connected to him, representing some kind of opportunity, some kind of growth, some kind of powerful future, suddenly disappeared, was stripped away!
It's like having your warm coat suddenly ripped off in the dead of winter, leaving you with nothing but naked, bone-deep emptiness and cold.
An indescribable sense of loss gripped his heart, leaving him feeling bewildered and weak like never before.
He instinctively clutched his chest, where it felt empty, as if a vital part of him had been ripped out.
Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes activated instinctively, trying to find the source of this strange feeling, but his gaze swept over Lin Xia, over the demon spider's corpse, and over the purple soul ring, but he found nothing.
Only the faint, all-knowing smile on Lin Xia's lips became incredibly glaring and eerie in his eyes.
Why... why did I feel this way only after Lin Xia killed the Demon Spider?
This thought, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly burrowed into Tang San's chaotic mind, bringing even deeper chills and suspicion.
Could it be... that this human-faced demon spider truly possessed something that should have belonged to him, but which Lin Xia forcibly took away?!
However, before Tang San could delve into this strange feeling, the accumulated physical and mental fatigue, injuries, and intense emotional fluctuations, like a burst dam, instantly overwhelmed his last remaining strength.
His soul power was completely depleted, like a dried-up riverbed.
With the neurotoxins no longer suppressed, the numbness spread rapidly throughout the body like a tidal wave.
The emptiness and bewilderment at losing his chance, the overwhelming rage at being toyed with, and the eerie sense of loss as if his soul had been ripped away... Under the multiple blows, Tang San felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and the world spinning around him.
"Pfft!"
He could no longer hold on, his legs buckled, and he collapsed forward heavily to the ground like a piece of mud with all its bones removed!
His face slammed hard onto the cold, damp ground, which reeked of decaying leaves and the stench of spider venom and blood.
His five fingers unconsciously spread open, sinking deep into the muddy humus. He could even feel the still-warm, viscous blood plasma flowing from the spider next to him slowly spreading over the back of his hand.
Darkness, like a thick curtain, quickly swallowed his consciousness.
In the last, blurry moments before he lost consciousness, all he saw in his final, clear vision were Lin Xia's eyes—eyes that looked down upon him, calm and deep, seemingly containing an endless starry sky—and the cold, playful curve of her lips. (End of Chapter)