Tang San moved through the forest in a frantic manner, dodging branches and the occasional spirit beast. The ethereal wings made of light on his back dimmed in glow and disappeared after traveling some distance.
He took another mushroom sausage from his 24 Bridges Moonlit Belt, which sprouted a new pair of wings, and continued his pursuit of the Titan Giant Ape that held Xiao Wu hostage.
"Nothing can happen to you, Xiao Wu. I will rescue you, even at the cost of my life," Tang San reassured himself.
Wang Lin's POV
The potent blood essence of the 60,000-year-old Bright Light Deer was more than enough to heal his wounds. He recovered from his injuries while lying in the inner cavity of the Bright Light Deer.
The pressure and aura emanating from the ten-thousand-year-old beast kept most spirit beasts at bay. However, not every beast is intimidated by the aura of a ten-thousand-year-old beast, especially one that is dead.
The bloody smell in the air attracted one such spirit beast, and a sinister atmosphere began to grow. The noise of clattering sounded near the corpse of the Bright Light Deer, akin to bones rubbing against each other. A Man-Faced Demon Spider appeared from the shadows, vigilantly surveying the area for any other presence near the corpse.
It approached the corpse without delay after detecting no other presence. The Man-Faced Demon Spider appeared to be around 2,500 years old and resembled others of its species. However, there was something unique about this particular spider. Its torso and human-shaped head seemed to be partially melted on one side, likely from some kind of burn attack.
The spider began to savor the meat of the deer spirit beast, both it and Wang Lin being unaware of each other's presence. One was too immersed in devouring a beast far more powerful than itself, which would increase its strength, while the other was healing from life-threatening wounds.
A momentary peace settled in the area. Before either could become aware of the other, another party disturbed this tranquility: the one madly running through the forest in search of his beloved.
Tang San used up the last of the mushroom sausage after its effect wore off and continued his pursuit on foot. He navigated around spirit beasts, dodging them with his nimble Ghost Perplexing Shadow skill and his reconnaissance from his Purple Demon Eyes.
However, his good luck seemed to run out after a while, and he found himself face-to-face with the Man-Faced Demon Spider that was eating a corpse. Disturbed from its meal, the spider turned to look at Tang San with fury in its eyes. It lunged toward him with its eight legs, trying to make him its next meal.
Reacting quickly, Tang San moved with utmost concentration, knowing that every second was vital for the rescue of Xiao Wu. He deployed Blue Silver Vines beneath the spider to stop its momentum in the air. As it dropped to the ground, he took out his Zhuge Crossbow and fired projectiles toward the spider.
Startled by the vines, the Man-Faced Demon Spider fell to the ground, but it was able to deflect most of the arrows that came toward it with its numerous legs. It deflected all but one of the arrows, which slipped through the gaps in its legs and lodged into its skull. However, because of its thick carapace, the arrow penetrated only a short distance. The spider quickly escaped from its bindings and dashed toward Tang San with full force.
When it was close enough, Tang San held a hammer in his hand: his second spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, one of the top weapon spirits. He threw the Clear Sky Hammer upwards into the sky, with Blue Silver Vines attached to it. The hammer flew up across the branches of the tree above his head, and as it came down with its weight, it pulled Tang San up along with the Blue Silver Grass.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider, with its full momentum, smashed into the tree and paused for a moment, dizzy from the impact. Hanging from the tree, Tang San dropped as the Clear Sky Hammer disappeared from his grasp and reappeared in his hands once again.
Taking advantage of the disoriented Man-Faced Demon Spider, Tang San swung the Clear Sky Hammer with full force and struck the arrow lodged in its head. With the weight of the hammer and the force behind it, the arrow shot through the spider's skull and exited from the other side.
Before the creature could understand how it was killed, it lay dead, a gaping hole in its body. Tang San took a moment to gather himself. Before he could continue his pursuit of Xiao Wu, a purple spirit ring emerged near the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
Tang San looked at the purple spirit ring and reminded himself why Xiao Wu had been abducted: because he was weak. He took a meditative position and started absorbing the spirit ring as it was pulled toward him.
While he was absorbing the spirit ring, there was a momentary disturbance from the corpse of the Bright Light Deer spirit beast. Wang Lin emerged from the carcass, unaware of the commotion that had taken place outside.
The first thing he noticed upon exiting was the presence of other beings nearby. Vigilantly, he scanned the air for more details. He recognized a familiar odor, one he had encountered before. Quickly, he identified the smell as belonging to Tang San.
Upon locating the source of the scent, he saw Tang San in a meditative position next to the dead Man-Faced Demon Spider. Wang Lin quickly recognized the teenager who had tried to kill him and the spider that had fought against the Fire Mastiff, identifiable by the burn marks on its torso.
He slithered toward Tang San and crawled in front of him, taking a closer look at the killer who had once tried to take his life. As he opened his mouth, venom dripped from his fangs, falling to the ground and melting the soil into a goopy mess.
Wang Lin took a position to strike, gathering momentum for his next move.