"Guys, well done! This fight was definitely worthwhile! Extra meals for you all when we get back!" Wen Yu gave a brief summary of the battle, promising Star and Cyclops extra portions.
Hearing this, Star and Cyclops immediately began to jump around excitedly.
Neither had reverted to their Mini Form, so their leaps stirred up a large cloud of dust.
"Alright, alright." Wen Yu waved his hand, cutting short his soul petsâ overzealous display.
Seeing Wen Yuâs gesture, Star and Cyclops quickly shrank into their Mini Forms and followed closely beside him as they headed down the mountain.
"By the way, Cyclops, where are Simbaâs magic crystals?" Wen Yuâs voice called out from a distance.
"WOOF WOOF."
"You ate them..." Wen Yu sighed. "Oh, you must be full then. Eat less tonight. You have to understand, itâs not easy for me, your master, to raise you two. You both eat so much! And now thereâs another one!"
"WOOF WOOF," Cyclops seemed to whine, which Wen Yu interpreted as, "Master, youâre picking on me again."
"Just kidding! Thereâll be plenty of meat tonight!"
ă...ă
As Wen Yu descended the mountain, a figure slowly emerged from the dense forest at the edge of the recent battlefield where he had fought Wanping.
It was Guan Tao.
Guan Tao looked at Wanpingâs body, which Wen Yu had torn to shreds, and lightly shook his head. His expression showed no sign of dejection or pain.
"What a mess. So, it was a failure in the end?" Guan Tao murmured, his calm voice directed at the pile of mangled flesh on the ground that was once Wanping.
The moment Guan Tao finished speaking, Wanpingâs remains on the ground suddenly began to change.
The scattered intestines, organs, and chunks of flesh continuously drew together. Even the head, which Wen Yu had crushed, slowly began to flow and reform.
Within a minute, Wanpingâs body had automatically coalesced into a human-sized, blood-red cocoon.
Then, the blood cocoon began to pulsate, as if something inside was about to break free.
SIZZLE.
A sound like tearing leather emanated from within the cocoon. Then, two hands thrust out from inside, forcefully ripping open the bloody shell that encased him.
Wanping stepped out of the blood cocoon, completely unscathed.
The "reborn" Wanping first glanced at Guan Tao before him, then looked down at his own chest.
Where the faces of Wanâan and Lin Li had once been, only Lin Liâs remained. Wanâanâs face had vanished.
Tri-Soul Demon ability four: Tri-Soul Indestructible Body (S-class, Passive ability): Upon the hostâs death, one Soul within the body will be consumed to trigger Rebirth within one day! The host can control the timing of the Rebirth. However, please note: the randomly consumed Soul could potentially be the main Soul. If the main Soul is selected, the host will be replaced by the consumed subordinate Soul, becoming a mindless killing monster!
Judging by this skill, Wanping was fortunate; his main Soul hadnât been consumed, as his thoughts were currently clear.
However, from another perspective, Wanping was also unfortunate.
His brotherâs Soul had been consumed. This meant that Cyclops had destroyed Wanâanâs physical body, and Wen Yu had destroyed Wanâanâs Soul.
Wen Yu and his primary soul pet, between them, had killed Wanâan twice!
Slowly recovering from the sluggishness of Rebirth, Wanping first glanced at Lin Liâs face on his chest, then at the space where Wanâanâs face had been.
He stared at his left chest for nearly a minute, as if unable to believe this reality, before finally lifting his gaze to Guan Tao.
His bloodshot eyes made Guan Taoâs hair stand on end.
Because now, those eyes held no trace of the Wanping he once knewâonly a bone-deep hatred.
"So, my brother... is dead again?" Wanpingâs calm voice, coupled with his crimson eyes, made Guan Tao instantly uneasy.
After a brief silence, Guan Tao finally replied, "Wanping, Wanâan has been dead for a long time..."
What Guan Tao said was the truth.
He understood that Wanâan had already died back in the park. What had appeared on Wanpingâs chest afterward wasnât Wanâan; it was merely a terrifying and resentful Spirit.
"No, you donât understand..." Wanping shook his head. Disregarding his nudity, he walked straight up to Guan Tao.
"Where is Wen Yu?" he asked, his cold voice making Guan Tao shudder involuntarily.
"What are you trying to do?" Guan Tao knew that ever since Wanping had acquired the Tri-Soul Demon profession, the intelligence and composure that his team had once prided themselves on had been completely obliterated by the terrifying negative side effects. Now, all that remained in Wanpingâs heart was boundless hatred.
"Hehehe, seeking revenge, of course," Wanping sneered.
Guan Tao stared intently into Wanpingâs eyes for a long moment, then shook his head. "Ah Ping, you need to understand, with your current strength, you canât kill Wen Yu! Never mind his two soul pets; you canât even defeat Wen Yu himself! Going after him now isnât revenge... itâs suicide!"
"Where is he? WHERE! IS! HE?!" Wanpingâs roar cut Guan Tao off.
Guan Tao simply shook his head. "I canât tell you. That would be sending you to your death!"
He hesitated for a long moment before speaking again. "Sigh... Youâve seen the strength of Wen Yu and his two soul pets. I think we should put this idea aside for now, focus on improving our own strength and influence. When weâre confident enough, we can seek revenge. It wonât be too late..."
Wanping looked at Guan Taoâs earnest gaze and, after a moment, began to laugh.
"Thank you, Brother Tao, thank you!" Wanpingâs lips curved into a slight smile. He then stepped forward and hugged Guan Tao tightly.
"I know you care about me, Brother Tao. Iâve always considered you my elder brother! But..."
Between them, Lin Liâs face on Wanpingâs right chest suddenly contorted. Three beams of light shot out from its mouth and eyes, piercing through Guan Taoâs body and continuing into the forest behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust and wood splinters.
The power of the Evil Spirit Swarm, combined with Wanpingâs Level 4 strength, struck Guan Tao squarely.
And it was a fatal blow.
Guan Tao stared at Wanping in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend that Wanping would attack him.
Looking at Guan Taoâs pain-twisted face, the smirk on Wanpingâs lips widened as he continued what he had been saying, "But he killed my brother! You have to understand, he was the only family I had left, and Wen Yu killed him! And you want to stop me from taking revenge?"
Wanping released Guan Tao, who, without support, collapsed to the ground.
"Youâre my brother, and Wanâan was your brother too. Have you forgotten what we said? We stick together through thick and thin! And now you want me to give up on revenge?"
"Thatâs not what a brother does! So, Iâm helping you. Iâm doing what a brother should do!"
Wanping looked at Guan Tao, who was convulsing on the ground, his gaze chillingly calm.
This was probably the calmest Wanping had been since acquiring the Tri-Soul Demon profession.
"By the way, Brother Tao, do you know? What you just said, Lin Li also said!
"Just a month ago, when the two of us went into the mountains.
"He told me that Wanâan was dead, so I should give up on revenge, abandon this profession. He also told me a bunch of crap about how if Wanâan were alive, he wouldnât want to see me like this!
"Thatâs all bullshit! Wanâan was with me the whole time! Day and night, heâd tell me: âBrother, my death was so miserable!â
"None of you heard him, so of course, you could disregard his hatred. But I heard him!
"So, I destroyed Lin Liâs body and let his Spirit enter mine. That way, I could take him with me to avenge Wanâan!
"But I never expected you to tell me to give up on revenge too. I always thought you were the most righteous among us, Brother Tao. Youâve disappointed me deeply!"
Wanping finished speaking. Seeing Guan Tao staring blankly at the sky, his breathing shallow, exhaling more than he inhaled, Wanping launched another Evil Spirit Swarm at his body.
"Now, weâll be together forever. Letâs go, letâs kill Wen Yu and avenge Xiao An!"
A sinister Black Light flickered in Wanpingâs hand, then slowly enveloped Guan Taoâs body.
Guan Taoâs corpse on the ground began to melt like water, flowing along the Black Light from Wanpingâs hand and merging into Wanpingâs body.
When Guan Taoâs body had completely disappeared, Wanpingâs left chest suddenly bulged, and Guan Taoâs face slowly emerged.
His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his mouth stretched open as if in a silent, furious roar.
Combined with his ghastly pale complexion, the entire face looked like that of a fiend.
Wanping carefully examined Guan Taoâs face for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction.
"Our hearts are truly connected now, just like before the apocalypse!
"But Brother Tao, you were right about one thing. Going after Wen Yu now would just be suicide. I need... to find another way!!!"