Chapter 197: Tang San's Complete Madness
The violent shockwave of energy burst far beyond the arena, forcing Spirit Hall's red-clad cardinals to act immediately, raising barriers of power to contain and disperse the blast.
No one had anticipated that two youths could unleash such devastating force.
Two attacks rivaling that of Soul Saints—and yet, how many actual Soul Saints were even present here today?
A Soul Saint already stood near the top of the continent's power hierarchy, and here stood Luo Ling and Tang San—barely fourteen or fifteen years old.
As the dust slowly cleared, a massive crater—nearly ten meters wide—appeared where the two attacks had collided.
Tang San had been blasted to the edge of the arena by the impact, while Ning Rongrong, quick-witted, used the explosion's force to feign being thrown out, leaving only Oscar barely conscious within the arena.
Now, only three figures remained standing: Tang San, Oscar, and Luo Ling.
Compared to Tang San and Oscar's battered, pitiful state, Luo Ling looked faultlessly composed. Draped in what appeared to be a shimmering, translucent veil of spirit energy, he floated calmly in midair—grace and power in perfect balance.
The crowd, recovering from the sheer shock of the clash, could only sigh in awe.
The Clear Sky Hammer—renowned as the strongest weapon spirit under heaven—was truly formidable. Yet even greater was Luo Ling's hundred-thousand-year spirit ring.
Its ability to absorb an enemy's attack and then convert that same energy into an even more devastating counterstrike proved its legendary power.
And what made it truly terrifying—everyone realized—was that a hundred-thousand-year ring granted two distinct abilities. Luo Ling had only used one so far.
What could the other one be?
Whispers of fascination spread through the arena as countless gazes fixed upon him.
Tang San slowly rose, glaring hatefully at Luo Ling descending softly from the air.
How could this be?
He had poured every ounce of his strength into that attack—yet Luo Ling stood untouched.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails drew blood from his palms, his trembling betraying the fury rising within him.
His soul power was nearly drained, scarcely a third remaining. Meanwhile, Luo Ling looked entirely at ease—as if a mere spar rather than a battle to the death were taking place.
The outcome seemed undeniable.
He couldn't accept it.
For this moment—for the sake of defeating Luo Ling—he had sacrificed everything.
He had conspired with Yu Xiaogang to raid the prisons, offering blood and flesh through dark sacrificial rituals to boost his strength with forbidden power.
And even so… he was still losing?
Tang San ground his teeth, his heart burning with fury and despair.
In the Shrek team's rest area, Yu Xiaogang's gaze was locked on the arena.
He stared at Tang San's bowed head and Luo Ling's relaxed smile, and hopelessness filled his eyes.
Even he couldn't see a way out for Tang San.
The Four-in-One Fusion Technique he'd given them was useless now—two of its participants were down, and only Oscar could still move.
The rest—Yu Tianheng, Ma Hongjun—lay sprawled across the battlefield like lifeless dogs.
The entire audience could see it clearly. The gap in power was overwhelming. Tang San had reached his limit, while Luo Ling hadn't even broken a sweat.
Even the referee began to glance toward Bibi Dong, silently questioning whether the fight should end.
But then, Tang San suddenly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed crimson.
"Luo Ling! I will never lose to you again!"
The roar tore through the air. In that instant, eight horrific spider spears erupted from Tang San's back—his Eight Spider Lances.
Only now, they were no longer their usual dark violet but tinged with a sinister blood-red hue.
Tang San's silhouette blurred. A heartbeat later, he darted across the field in a red flash—appearing directly before Oscar.
"Xiao San?" Oscar looked stunned. "What are you—?"
His words froze, dread sweeping over his face.
The grotesque spider spears behind Tang San twitched—and then thrust forward, stabbing toward him.
"Xiao San, what are you doing?!" Oscar yelled, stumbling back. Panic flickered across his face as Tang San pursued, relentless.
"Oscar! I can't lose! I won't lose! You'll help me, won't you?!"
Tang San's voice cracked with madness as his spider spears lashed again, sharper, faster, crazed.
The entire audience fell into horrified silence.
Tang San—attacking his own teammate?
What kind of madness was this?
No one could comprehend it. But Luo Ling's eyes narrowed—watching with grim understanding.
As the crowd gasped, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances penetrated Oscar's body.
A moment later, visible streams of energy—pure spirit power—began flowing from Oscar into Tang San.
He was devouring his teammate's energy.
Those who recognized the technique went white.
The Eight Spider Lances, inherited from the Human-Faced Demon Spider, were infamous not just for their corrosive poison but for their ability to absorb both spirit power and life force, strengthening the user.
Tang San was doing the unthinkable—openly, before everyone.
In the stands, Yu Xiaogang's face drained of color. But deep down, comprehension dawned.
He knew exactly what Tang San was doing.
The Four-in-One Fusion Technique he had developed wasn't identical to the version used by Canghui Academy. His crude version merely pooled the participants' energy through contact, artificially boosting one's power for a short time.
But with the rest of the team unconscious, the technique was useless.
So Tang San had chosen a darker method—using his Eight Spider Lances to forcibly absorb that same power.
The spectators, naive to soul master theories, could only look on in confusion—but in the VIP stands, the leaders and Titled Douluos frowned deeply.
None of this escaped their notice.
On the battlefield, Oscar's screams grew weaker as his life force faded. Then, like a puppet with cut strings, he collapsed, pale as death.
Tang San looked down upon him briefly. The stolen energy flooded through his veins, intoxicating him. But that wasn't enough.
His spider lances twitched again, stabbing downward. This time, even the remaining vitality began to drain away.
At last, with visible effort, Tang San stopped himself—just short of killing Oscar outright.
Then, in full view of thousands, he turned toward the unconscious Ma Hongjun and Yu Tianheng.
The spider lances struck again.
Their lifeless bodies trembled as Tang San absorbed everything from them—their power, their energy, their very life force.
His aura swelled rapidly, his spirit power climbing past the threshold of Soul King, then Soul Emperor… finally cresting into the realm of Soul Sage.
By then, even the dullest spectator realized what Tang San had done.
He had committed the ultimate taboo—devouring the spirit power and life of others to forcefully ascend.
"How can he dare to do this? Right before the Pope herself!"
"To commit such evil in front of Spirit Hall—has he gone mad?"
"A monster! So vicious at such a young age!"
Voices of condemnation rose like waves throughout the stands.
But Tang San only smiled—a feral, triumphant grin.
He had reached the level of a Soul Sage.
Now, finally, he could crush Luo Ling underfoot.
Hatred and euphoria mingled in his crimson eyes as he fixated on his rival.
Around the stage, the red-clad cardinals exchanged dark looks.
Such blood-soaked behavior during the Grand Finals was nothing less than scandalous.
Several looked toward the Pope's dais, silently seeking orders—to intervene, to end this farce, to destroy the one who defied all taboos.
Bibi Dong sat still, her face expressionless, though the glint in her eyes was freezing cold.
She said nothing. She merely looked toward Luo Ling. Her silence was permission—trust.
She knew Luo Ling would handle it.
"Luo Ling!" Tang San growled, his voice guttural, savage. "No matter what—I'll kill you!"
Luo Ling gazed at him calmly.
He had originally planned to use his illusion to expose Tang San's corruption to the world—but now it wasn't necessary.
Tang San had damned himself far better than any illusion ever could.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10