Chapter 37: Chapter 36: Tang Ya Injured, Qianran's Fury
The dark blue Silver Grass unleashed ferocious attacks on Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
Its offensive power far exceeded that of Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.
If any other skilled assault-type soul master wielded the same martial soul, they might have even overpowered the combined efforts of Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi!
Even though Tang Ya hadn't fully awakened her evil martial soul, her combat strength already surpassed Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
Unfortunately, Tang Ya lacked combat experience!
Having only recently gained this strength, it was her first time wielding her powerful martial soul in battle. Furthermore, the Blue Silver Grass martial soul was originally a control-type, and Tang Ya had no experience as an assault-type soul master. Compared to seasoned fighters like Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, who worked together flawlessly, Tang Ya's attacks were still rather unpolished.
"Good thing the two of us joined forces; otherwise, we wouldn't even be qualified to face Tang Ya. Even a Soul Elder would have difficulty here," Xu Sanshi noted, observing his Mysterious Dark Shield, which was covered in marks from the corrosion and devouring abilities of the dark Blue Silver Grass.
It was only because of the Mysterious Dark Shield—any other defensive martial soul might have been corroded through by now.
Xu Sanshi gazed at Tang Ya's exquisite appearance, feeling slightly stirred.
Tang Ya was so beautiful that even he felt an undeniable attraction.
However, he was more interested in Tang Ya's mysterious opportunity than her beauty. His heartbeat quickened; he had a feeling that Tang Ya possessed some kind of treasure, something that could rapidly increase her strength.
If he could get his hands on that treasure!
"Xiao Ya, stop resisting. It's better for both of us this way." Bei Bei felt heartache watching Tang Ya struggle. Her academy uniform was soaked with sweat, outlining her perfect figure.
Tang Ya exuded a captivating aura, and combined with the Evil Soul Master's power, it sparked many wicked thoughts in Bei Bei's mind.
The evil energy around Tang Ya was strong enough to cloud people's minds.
"Heh."
"Bei Bei. Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to dictate my life?"
Tang Ya looked at Bei Bei with disgust. Now she understood why, after all these years, she never felt that kind of affection for Bei Bei.
Though Bei Bei appeared refined, deep down, he was self-righteous.
People like him seemed gentle, but there was a conceit that simmered within them, a belief that they were always right. Walking the same path as him was fine, but if someone chose not to, they would see another side of Bei Bei.
"Xiao Ya, don't you understand your situation now?"
"With your current status, if it weren't for me, the academy might even consider you a threat and eliminate you."
"You're an Evil Soul Master—can't you see that?"
Bei Bei's frustration was growing.
After fighting Tang Ya for so long, he had also been tainted by some of her unrefined evil energy, making him increasingly irritable.
Tang Ya's look of disdain and rejection drove him into a rage.
Tang Ya was so gentle with Qianran, yet so hateful and distant towards him. The stark difference in treatment infuriated Bei Bei.
No matter what, he couldn't let Tang Ya slip away.
"You're so fake. You just want to keep me by your side forever. And even if the academy wants to execute me, I'm not afraid." Tang Ya's beautiful eyes were filled with determination. She had her own mind, completely different from an Evil Soul Master. If the academy's top powers couldn't see that and decided to kill her, then she had nothing left to say.
"Oh, and I still have the Evil Soul Crystal that Qianran gave me."
Tang Ya suddenly remembered the Evil Soul Crystal Qianran had given her. He had told her that it contained the essence of an Evil Soul, which would help her evil martial soul evolve more quickly. If she were in danger, refining the Evil Soul Crystal would instantly boost her strength.
Tang Ya retrieved the Evil Soul Crystal from her storage soul tool.
The crystal was a dark gray material with countless waves of evil energy swirling within.
The moment Tang Ya took out the crystal, the surrounding air grew noticeably colder. The sinister energy emanating from it stunned both Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei. Xu Sanshi's gaze locked onto the crystal, feeling an intense desire for it.
He had a strong premonition that if he could refine it, his cultivation would soar.
"Bei Bei, let's attack together—we can't wait any longer!" Xu Sanshi shouted.
They both unleashed their trump cards, aiming to stop Tang Ya from refining the Evil Soul Crystal.
Bei Bei was also terrified that Tang Ya would become even stronger, so he launched an all-out assault on her. The intensity of their attacks was so frightening that Jiang Nannan, standing on the side, was trembling.
Tang Ya's face paled slightly. She hadn't expected Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi to be so cautious, leaving her with no time to refine the crystal.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, driven by the influence of the dark Blue Silver Grass, were becoming increasingly reckless.
"Pff."
As her soul power dwindled, Tang Ya gradually lost the ability to defend herself.
Tang Ya was injured, her body flung backward, and the Evil Soul Crystal slipped from her grasp.
Seeing this, Xu Sanshi quickly picked up the crystal and discreetly placed it into his storage soul tool.
"So, this is the secret behind Tang Ya's newfound strength. Perhaps Qianran gave it to her, but now it belongs to me," Xu Sanshi thought excitedly. Tang Ya's power had been astounding. Had she possessed just a bit more combat experience, he and Bei Bei would have stood no chance against her.
Tang Ya closed her eyes, feeling deeply unwilling.
She blamed herself for being too weak; otherwise, how could she be so helpless?
Weakness brought all manner of humiliation and pain, strengthening her resolve to become more powerful.
Because she was weak, even when Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi called her an Evil Soul Master, she had no way to refute it. But if she were a Soul Emperor, would they still dare to act this way?
Seeing Tang Ya injured, Bei Bei rushed forward, attempting to hold her in his arms.
But in the next instant, he froze.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Qianran leapt forward, catching Tang Ya securely.
Tang Ya's face was full of exhaustion, her soul power nearly depleted, with blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Qianran lovingly wiped her beautiful face, gently cleaning the blood.
"I'm fine." Seeing Qianran, Tang Ya fought to hold back her feelings of bitterness, though tears flowed freely from her eyes.
Did she really seem like one of those emotionless, unfeeling Evil Soul Masters?
"This is all my fault. If only I had come sooner." Hugging Tang Ya tightly, Qianran's heart ached. Tang Ya was his woman, yet he had failed to protect her.
In the original timeline, Tang Ya hadn't faced any significant enemies, and Bei Bei's character had seemed decent. With Tang Ya's current strength, few in the outer courtyard could pose a threat to her, so Qianran had lowered his guard.
Who would have thought Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei would join forces against Tang Ya?
Bei Bei claimed to love Tang Ya, but he only loved himself.
No matter his reasons, nothing justified him raising his hand against her.
Tang Ya had told him she wasn't an Evil Soul Master, yet Bei Bei had still attacked her. All he wanted was to return her to her former self so he could continue possessing her. As for the price Tang Ya would pay, he couldn't care less.
He had once thought Bei Bei was a decent person, but now he saw the truth—knowing someone's face didn't mean knowing their heart. There were no absolute good people in this world.
Yu Xiaogang also appeared virtuous to outsiders, didn't he? Given that Bei Bei was his descendant, it was no surprise he'd inherited Xiaogang's flaws.
Such a self-centered person!
Fortunately, the system had alerted him in time; otherwise, he would have truly worried that the stubborn Tang Ya would have suffered even more severe injuries.