Chapter 61: The Madman

"So, even you have days like this..."

Ye Hao sneered, nudging the unconscious Tang San with his foot. His tone was filled with disdain.

"All these years, anyone who dared hurt that rabbit of yours ended up silently erased by you. Today, I made sure you taste the despair of someone clinging to life."

He cast one last glance at Tang San and the barely stirring Xiao Wu, a smirk playing at his lips. Then, under the cover of night, Ye Hao disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway.

"There's always tomorrow," he muttered as his figure faded.

Groggily, Xiao Wu opened her eyes. A faint echo of Tang San's pained screams lingered in her ears. She blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings and the dark sky above.

Where am I?

Questions flooded her mind, but before she could process anything, sharp pain coursed through her body.

"Hsss..." Xiao Wu winced, her injuries from Shi Mo and Shi Mo's tortoise-shell assault still far from healed.

When her blurry vision cleared, her eyes fell upon Tang San, lying motionless in a pool of blood.

"Brother!"

Xiao Wu's heart nearly stopped. Ignoring her own injuries, she scrambled to Tang San's side, lifting his limp body into her arms.

"Brother, wake up! Don't scare me like this. Xiao Wu needs you—don't leave me!"

Tears streamed down her face, falling like broken pearls.

Meanwhile, Ye Hao had returned to the inn, slipping off his black cloak and storing it in his soul tool ring, along with the Eight Spider Lances he had taken from Tang San.

From the pile of severed spider limbs, he picked up one particularly sharp lance—the one he had cut off first.

Feeling the weight of exhaustion, Ye Hao trudged down the dimly lit corridor, his steps unsteady from his battle with Tang San. Each step felt like he was floating, his body light yet unsteady.

Stopping in front of Shi Mo and Shi Mo's room, Ye Hao steadied himself with a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Qin Ming and the rest of the Emperor Team stood around Shi Mo and Shi Mo, who lay pale and trembling on their beds. Their breathing was ragged, and the purplish hue on their skin had grown darker.

Though Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia was doing its best to alleviate their pain, her martial soul had no antidotal properties. All it could do was temporarily stabilize their condition.

Seeing Ye Hao enter, Qin Ming hurried over, his expression a mix of urgency and hope.

"Ye Hao, how did it go?"

The rest of the team also turned to him, their eyes filled with anticipation. The brothers' lives now depended entirely on Ye Hao .

Ye Hao nodded with a confident smile, and a wave of relief washed over the room.

Qin Ming and the others quickly made way as Ye Hao approached the beds.

Standing before Shi Mo and Shi Mo, Ye Hao didn't speak. Instead, the Death Spider Emperor's spears emerged from his back, radiating a dark and menacing aura.

The sight shocked everyone.

"What... what are you doing?" someone asked, their voice trembling.

Even Qin Ming's composure faltered. They all knew the terror of Ye Hao's spider venom—deadly and unrelenting.

Ye Hao ignored their reactions and steadied one of his spider spears, aiming it carefully at Shi Mo's wound.

The room went silent. No one dared to breathe.

Back at the Shrek Academy's temporary lodging, the atmosphere was equally heavy.

The Shrek Seven had completed their mission, achieving Silver Spirit Fighter Team status and fulfilling the immediate goals set by the Grandmaster.

Now, their next step was to prepare for the academy's relocation to Heaven Dou City three months later.

Flender had decided to leave Soto City the next day, giving everyone a chance to rest for the night.

The Grandmaster, however, sat alone on the staircase, his face as dark and brooding as the night outside.

His thoughts lingered on the arena's events, particularly the performance of his nephew, Yu Tianheng.

"Sigh..."

The Grandmaster let out a weary sigh. Years had passed in the blink of an eye. He had considered meeting his nephew privately but decided against it, knowing the Emperor Team had already left.

Just as he was about to head to bed, a faint cry for help echoed through the hall.

"Help... help me..."

The Grandmaster froze mid-step. Turning toward the voice, his eyes widened in horror at the sight before him.

"No... no, this can't be..."

His body stiffened as he watched Xiao Wu struggle down the hallway, carrying a bloodied and unconscious Tang San on her back.

The Grandmaster snapped out of his stupor and rushed forward. "Xiao San!"

Without a word, the Grandmaster hoisted Tang San onto his back and sprinted to a nearby room. He gently laid Tang San face-down on the bed, exposing his blood-soaked back.

Tang San's injuries were horrifying. His body was covered in wounds, and the area where his Eight Spider Lances once protruded was a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

The Grandmaster wasted no time, rushing out to find Flender.

Loud, frantic knocking shattered Flender's dreams of swimming in a sea of gold soul coins. Groaning, he sat up, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Still irritated, Flender opened the door, ready to lash out. Before he could speak, the Grandmaster grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway.

"Grandmaster, what's the matter? It's the middle of the night!"

The Grandmaster didn't respond. His pace quickened, his expression frantic.

Seeing this, Flender's irritation turned to concern. It wasn't like the Grandmaster to lose his composure.

When they arrived at Tang San's room, Flender froze at the sight of his student lying on the bed, barely clinging to life.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"What... what happened to Tang San?"

The Grandmaster's voice trembled as he barked orders. "No time to explain. Flender, suppress his wounds with your soul power. I'll fetch a doctor. Tang San must survive, or none of us will escape the consequences."

The Grandmaster dashed out of the room, leaving Flender to tend to Tang San. Beads of sweat formed on Flender's brow as he worked to stabilize the boy's condition.

"Damn it," Flender muttered. "If Tang San dies tonight, we're all doomed. That madman won't care who we are—he'll kill us all!"