Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran

Ye Zhiqiu's face turned deathly pale instantly. He tried to dodge, but his limbs were bound and he couldn't move. He could only watch helplessly as the spear pierced towards his throat.

The spear tip stopped an inch from Ye Zhiqiu's throat.

Ye Zhiqiu could feel the icy chill emanating from the spear tip. His Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed hard, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"I'm sorry, it was our fault." Ye Zhiqiu was terrified and, disregarding all dignity, shouted loudly, "I failed to discipline them properly and offended everyone. Please... please be lenient!"

Ye Zhiqiu's attitude was extremely humble.

Tang San retrieved the Blue Silver Grass. The vines loosened from Ye Zhiqiu's limbs and retracted into Tang San's palm.

Ye Zhiqiu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He turned around hastily, his steps hurried. The students of the Canghui Academy followed behind Ye Zhiqiu, not daring to breathe, and ran away in a panic.

The group disappeared at the hotel entrance, and the restaurant fell silent.

At this moment, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, supporting each other, limped and walked in from outside in a disheveled state.

Dai Mubai's situation is somewhat better, after all, he has Soul Power foundation of level 37.

Ma Hongjun was in a much worse state than Dai Mubai. He was already overweight, and now the swelling was even more severe. His left eye was also bruised and purple, and his right cheek was swollen high.

Oscar quickly offered them a few Recovery Sausages, which they ate, then lowered their heads and returned to their hotel room.

Zhao Wuji, perhaps having experienced the power of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, never came out.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the group left the town and soon entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

Morning mist drifted through the forest, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and decaying leaves.

Tang San, possessing the highest Soul Power, was assigned to walk at the front. With his Blue Silver Grass fully activated, no movement within a radius of several hundred meters could escape Tang San perception. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar followed behind, none of them uttering a word.

Although Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai's injuries hadn't fully healed, Ye Zhiqiu hadn't gone all out, and the two had only suffered minor physical pain. With Oscar's Recovery Sausages, it no longer affected their mobility.

After entering the forest, we walked for two hours. At noon, just as everyone was preparing to rest, we heard a "rustling" sound.

The sound approached rapidly, as if something was moving through the bushes, rubbing against the leaves and twigs, making a rapid and dense rustling sound.

Everyone immediately became alert, Tang San raised his right hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone be careful, something's coming. Prepare for battle."

Tang San immediately understood what was coming.

In the original story, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was chased by Meng Yiran, intercepted by the Shrek members, and eventually became Oscar's Third Soul Ring.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass senses had already detected the rapidly moving figure. The Soul Power fluctuations had exceeded a thousand years, and the speed was very fast, but the aura was unstable, as if it was fleeing for its life.

With his eyes closed, Tang San focused the Blue Silver Grass's senses on that direction, precisely calculating the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's movement trajectory and speed. Two hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters... getting closer and closer.

"Left! They're coming right away!" Tang San suddenly opened his eyes.

As soon as he finished speaking, the bushes suddenly parted to the sides, and a crimson figure darted out from within, rushing straight towards the group.

Tang San swung his right hand sharply. The Blue Silver Grass flew out from his palm, like a dark jade-colored serpent, and silently darted away along the ground.

Before the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent could react, the Blue Silver Grass had already wrapped around its body. The vines tightened, binding the snake tightly from its neck to its tail.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent struggled desperately, its body twisting and its tail slapping the ground, but the Blue Silver Grass remained motionless, tightening its grip more and more.

Tang San flicked his wrist, causing the Blue Silver Grass to retract and dragging the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in front of him.

I turned the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent over and examined it. Sure enough, there was a clear wound on its abdomen, still oozing blood, obviously caused by something scratching it.

Tang San looked up at Zhao Wuji and reminded him, "Teacher Zhao, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent has an injury on its abdomen, and the wound doesn't seem to be caused by Soul Beast; it looks more like it was cut by a sharp weapon. It must have been targeted by Soul Master and, after being injured, hastily ran here. Should we find another one? Let's find a Soul Beast ourselves to avoid trouble."

Zhao Wuji was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head, his voice low. "Soul Beasts are inherently ownerless, so whoever catches them owns them. Besides, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is just the right age for Oscar."

He turned to Oscar and said, "Oscar, you should absorb this quickly. When they catch up, they won't be able to do anything about it."

Tang San opened his mouth, as if to say something, but Zhao Wuji had already waved his hand, signaling Oscar to step forward.

Tang San sighed, swallowing back the words he was about to say. Zhao Wuji was the team leader, and since he had made the decision, Tang San couldn't say anything more.

Oscar pulled a dagger from his pocket, stepped forward, crouched down, and prepared to end the life of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

"Wait!"

An aged voice rang out, bringing Oscar to a halt.

Oscar, usually a very quick-witted person, was stunned at this moment. His hand, holding the dagger, hovered in mid-air, and he actually stopped. He turned his head and stared blankly in the direction from which the sound came.

Two women, one older and one younger, emerged from the woods.

The old man was short, with gray hair and a thin face, but his eyes were very bright.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a light green outfit. Her face was delicate, with well-proportioned features, which accentuated her well-developed figure.

Tang San recognized the two at a glance: Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang and her granddaughter Meng Yiran.

Meng Yiran looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old. At this moment, she was staring at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent on the ground, her eyes filled with anxiety and anger.

In the original novel, the Shrek Seven Devils fought with Meng Yiran for a long time, and in the end Meng Yiran lost to Tang San.

However, Tang San didn't want to waste time at this External Soul Bone juncture. The important thing was to find the Man Faced Demon Spider Eight Spider Lances soon as possible, rather than getting entangled with Snake Granny and Meng Yiran here.

Meng Yiran quickly walked to the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, squatted down, and examined the wound on the snake's abdomen, confirming that the scar was one she had left earlier.

Then he raised his head, looking at the Shrek group with eyes full of anger. "We found this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first! We chased it all day, from yesterday morning until now, and finally forced it here. What right do you have to take it?"

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang stood behind Meng Yiran, her gaze sweeping over the Shrek Academy members before finally settling on Zhao Wuji.

"I am the Snake Granny, Chao Tianxiang." The Snake Granny's eyes narrowed slightly, her voice not loud, but carrying an unsettling chill. "My friend, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is what we've been pursuing, but you've intercepted it. We're all Soul Masters, you should know the rules, right?"

Zhao Wuji frowned. The Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were well-known figures on the continent, and their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, "Dragon-Snake Combined Strike," was comparable in power to Titled Douluo.

With the Snake Granny appearing, the Dragon Duke must be nearby as well. Knowing he was no match for her, Zhao Wuji was caught in a dilemma.