With Xiao Wu captured, the Titan Giant Ape took a few massive leaps and vanished into the depths of the forest.
Sometime later, when a battered Zhao Wuji managed to drag himself back to the campsite, he found only a group of dejected and silent students.
"Are you all alright?" Zhao Wuji's voice suddenly cut through the quiet.
"Who's there? Who's talking?!"
The seven students, who had been lost in despair, instantly snapped to high alert. They looked at each other in confusion, but no one could tell where the voice was coming from.
"It's me, Zhao Wuji!" he shouted, his voice strained.
Unfortunately, it didn't help. The seven of them still couldn't see him anywhere.
Ma Hongjun finally yelled into the darkness, "Teacher Zhao, if you're back, then come out! This isn't the time for hide-and-seek. We're not in the mood right now."
Slap!
A sharp slap landed squarely on Ma Hongjun's face.
"Are you blind, you little fatty?" a voice growled. "I'm standing right in front of you!"
The slap sent Ma Hongjun spinning twice, leaving him completely dazed. He squinted in the dim moonlight, trying to get his bearings, and finally noticed a dark shape in front of him blocking out the stars. It was clearly a humanoid figure, exactly the same size as Zhao Wuji.
"Teacher Zhao? What happened to you?!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed in shock. "How did your skin turn black? It's so… dark. You were standing right in front of me, and I didn't even see you."
The others drew closer, their curiosity piqued. They stared, glancing left and right at their teacher. Zhao Wuji was so profoundly black that he seemed to absorb all light, reflecting nothing. If he hadn't just moved, they would have never known a person was standing there.
Zhao Wuji finally realized the extent of the problem. He raised his arm to look at it but saw nothing; he couldn't even tell where his own arm was. It wasn't until he lifted his hand and held it up against the moon that he could make out its silhouette. It wasn't just his skin; the side effect had turned his hair, eyes, teeth, and even his clothes into the same pitch-black void.
[Resentment from Zhao Wuji +30!]
Although he was filled with resentment, Zhao Wuji didn't dare say a bad word about Ye Yin. Everyone knew how close Ye Yin and Xiao Wu were. Now that Xiao Wu had been taken, he could only imagine how Ye Yin must be feeling.
"Ye Yin," Zhao Wuji began, his voice heavy with guilt. "It's my fault. As your teacher, I failed to protect Xiao Wu."
Ye Yin sighed, his voice flat. "It's not your fault, Teacher Zhao. The Titan Giant Ape was just too strong."
"Everyone, rest here for a bit," Zhao Wuji said with another sigh. "Then we'll move to a new spot and figure out our next move."
Ye Yin sat down without a word, his expression unreadable.
Zhao Wuji looked down at his completely non-reflective armor and finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Ye Yin," he asked, "when will the side effects on my body disappear?"
Ye Yin finally raised his head, but his eyes scanned the darkness, unable to find Zhao Wuji at all. Guessing, he turned and spoke to a tree trunk about ten meters away from his teacher. "It will probably take a day."
"A day?!" Zhao Wuji exclaimed in disbelief.
[Resentment from Zhao Wuji +20!]
That meant he had to stay in this pitch-black state for a whole other day. The black garlic was incredibly potent, but its side effects were just as extreme. He decided then and there that he would never eat one again if he could help it.
Just as everyone was trying to recover their strength and composure, Ye Yin suddenly took out a Flying Mushroom Sausage. He had saved one when Oscar was first showing them off, thinking it might be useful for tracking the Man-Faced Demon Spider. He didn't know the spider's exact location, but he knew he just had to follow the direction the Titan Giant Ape had gone, just as Tang San had done in the past.
Without a word to anyone, Ye Yin swallowed the sausage. Six transparent, insect-like wings sprouted from his back, and he instantly shot up into the air. By the time the others realized what was happening, it was too late to stop him.
"Ye Yin, what are you doing?!" Zhao Wuji yelled up at the flying figure.
"Teacher Zhao," Ye Yin called down, his voice determined, "I have to go find Xiao Wu."
After speaking, he turned and shot forward, becoming a streak of light disappearing into the forest.
Ning Rongrong, seeing him leave, acted without hesitation. "Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda! First, Speed! Second, Strength!"
Two rays of brilliant light shot from her pagoda and struck Ye Yin, boosting his abilities from afar. "Yin Ge, you have to bring Xiao Wu back!" she shouted.
Watching this, Zhao Wuji's face, hidden in darkness, contorted with fury. "They're rebelling! Damn it!" he roared. "Everyone, after him! Don't even think about leaving this forest until you find Xiao Wu!"
Ye Yin flew swiftly through the night sky, heading deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. He was only a Support-type Soul Master, but with the system on his side and a huge reserve of resentment points, he could buy enough items to give even a Titled Douluo a hard time.
He pushed forward, following the path of destruction the Titan Giant Ape had left. He activated his Good and Evil Domain, spreading it out around him. The Domain acted as a form of detection; he would know if anything within its range was affected by a negative influence.
Just as his Domain expanded to its maximum range, Ye Yin suddenly snapped his head to the side. There, right at the very edge of his perception, was the Man-Faced Demon Spider, currently at rest.
"Excellent," Ye Yin whispered, a cold smile forming on his lips.
The Good and Evil Pearl spun rapidly in his right palm as two purple spirit rings rose from under his feet. Since this was a target he intended to kill, he wouldn't hold back.
His first spirit ring flashed repeatedly. He unleashed his Curse ability, sending streaks of black light flying through the darkness toward the unsuspecting Man-Faced Demon Spider. The creature didn't even see its attacker before its body was wracked with debilitating effects. A crippling slowness took hold of its legs, a potent poison coursed through its veins, and its spirit power began to drain away. At the same time, its vision blurred into darkness, and blood began to seep from its joints.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider had no idea what was happening. It only knew that it suddenly felt incredibly weak. Its eyes, which were already blurry, could now only make out a vague black shadow in the night. Its body was bleeding, its spirit power was being consumed, and a strange poison was ravaging it from the inside. Even its movements became sluggish.
"Hiss… hiss…!"
The Man-Faced Demon Spider let out a series of low, pained hisses, still completely confused. All it knew was that it was about to die.
From the darkness, the black light flashed again. Ye Yin applied five more negative effects. A curse that damaged its mind left it disoriented, while another broke its tough defenses. Another wave of drowsiness washed over it, making it difficult to even stand. With this second wave of curses, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's death was now only a matter of time.
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