Dire Bear

Having successfully defused the crisis, Ning Rongrong's "status" rose accordingly.

Qian Gu Changkong could not help teasing, "Once Young Miss Rongrong steps in, no matter who it is, they have to retreat."

Such flattery suited Ning Rongrong just fine. She straightened her chest and nodded in satisfaction.

Yet she still had doubts in her heart.

Ning Fengzhi had warned her that unless absolutely necessary, she must never reveal who her father was.

Wu Qi's earlier whisper in her ear had prompted her to do the exact opposite.

Fortunately, Snake Woman Chao Tianxiang had been extremely wary of her background. If the other party had been an enemy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the outcome might have been entirely different.

Facing her doubts, Wu Qi explained, "Let me ask you this: is the Dragon Serpent Family powerful or not?"

The Peerless Dragon Serpent Couple's Martial Soul Fusion Skill rivaled that of a Titled Douluo. Under their leadership, the Dragon Serpent Family had expanded rapidly over the years and had even become the foremost family in Barak City.

There was no questioning the Dragon Serpent Family's strength.

Wu Qi continued, "The Dragon Serpent Family's next step is to vie for a place among the Seven Great Sects."

The Seven Great Sects were divided into the Upper Three Sects and the Lower Four Sects. Across Douluo Continent, their influence was extraordinary, and countless gifted young people would fight tooth and nail to join them.

Although the Dragon Serpent Family's current influence was far from weak, compared to the Seven Great Sects, it was utterly insignificant.

"In terms of foundations, the Dragon Serpent Family is far inferior to the Seven Great Sects. If they want to compete for a position among the Lower Four Sects, their family must expand again. Offending the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at such a time would be a devastating blow to them."

"Furthermore, the current Seven Great Sects do not wish to be easily replaced. Naturally, they will suppress the Dragon Serpent Family, this potential threat."

"Besides, the Rock Antelope Sect and the Sparrow Bee Sect have risen rapidly in recent years. They are also potential rivals of the Dragon Serpent Family."

The Dragon Serpent Family now had no room to stand still; if they failed to advance, they would fall behind. The Seven Great Sects wanted to absorb or eliminate them, while powerful contenders for the Seven Great Sects, such as the Rock Antelope Sect and Sparrow Bee Sect, wanted to crush them completely.

Under such circumstances, the Dragon Serpent Family could not afford to offend others lightly. On the contrary, they needed to win over the support of a great many small and mid-sized families.

Moreover, the Dragon Serpent Family had a serious generational gap within its ranks, which was itself a tremendous hidden danger.

Once the Peerless Dragon Serpent Couple died, the family would not even have anyone capable of carrying its banner.

In the original timeline, when Meng Shu saw the talents of the Shrek Seven Devils, his attempts to recruit them had not been mere empty words. He had truly wanted to draw outstanding young talents into the family.

Unfortunately, aside from Oscar and Ma Hongjun, the others among the Shrek Seven Devils all possessed deep backgrounds. There was simply no way for him to make a move.

Upon hearing this, Qian Gu Changkong suddenly understood. "No wonder Snake Woman wanted Meng Yiran to meet gifted young people during the Spirit Master Competition. So the Dragon Serpent Family wants to recruit a talented son-in-law to help develop their family."

Wu Qi nodded and shifted his gaze to Ning Rongrong. "Rongrong, it's good that you have this sense of caution. You can use your status to pressure the Dragon Serpent Family, but when facing other families, it's best to restrain yourself somewhat."

In the blink of an eye, a day passed.

Led by Zhao Wuji, the Shrek Six Monsters entered the Soul Beast Forest.

Unlike the original timeline, they did not encounter the Peerless Dragon Serpent Couple, yet Oscar still obtained the Soul Ring of a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

After learning Ning Rongrong's identity, Snake Woman feared that an Expert from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might be nearby and immediately withdrew from the Soul Beast Forest.

Only after reuniting with Dragon Duke Meng Shu did she set foot in the forest again.

By the time Oscar finished absorbing the Soul Ring, it was already evening. Seeing that Xiao Wu and Tang San had reached Soul Power Level twenty-nine, Zhao Wuji told them to speed up their breakthroughs, obtain all their Soul Rings in one go, and then return to the academy.

When they had set out, Flender had specifically instructed him to keep the children in the Star Dou Great Forest for a while longer.

Tang San and Xiao Wu breaking through during this time could be considered a double blessing.

It would both fulfill Flender's instructions and save them another trip later.

That night, just as in the original timeline, the Titan Giant Ape appeared and captured Xiao Wu.

Tang San disregarded everything else and chased after it like a madman.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest.

Wu Qi and the other two were some distance away from the Shrek Six Monsters and were unaffected by the Titan Giant Ape.

At that moment, they had already found the Dire Bear's territory.

Looking at the Dire Bear in the distance, which was over five meters long and sleeping soundly, Wu Qi pulled the other two back a hundred meters.

"Our luck is pretty good. Those ten thousand Gold Soul Coins weren't wasted." Qian Gu Changkong could not hide his excitement.

Wu Qi gestured for him to quiet down and began arranging their tactics. "Changkong, stay by Rongrong's side later. Rongrong, buff me. I'll deal with it alone. Changkong, watch for the right moment to land the finishing blow."

Ning Rongrong looked worried. "Brother Wu Qi, can you really handle it alone?"

For an early-stage Soul Elder to fight a sixteen-hundred-year Soul Beast was extremely difficult. He might not even be a match for the Soul Beast.

After all, Soul Beasts possessed physiques far surpassing those of human Spirit Masters, leaving no advantage in a direct confrontation.

There were only three of them, and the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest were extremely hostile toward human Spirit Masters.

The coming battle would not be quiet. If Soul Beasts surrounded them, Ning Rongrong would certainly die without anyone protecting her.

Besides, the wind in the forest was strong tonight, and Wu Qi's strength had improved.

Facing a sixteen-hundred-year Soul Beast alone was not necessarily a bad opportunity for him to temper himself.

"Miss Rongrong, do as Wu Ge said. Later, you absolutely must not move more than five meters away from me, or I won't be able to support you immediately."

Ning Rongrong nodded seriously.

It was foreseeable that if this soul hunt was completed successfully, Ning Fengzhi would definitely look at her in a new light when she returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Seven Treasures, Turn Out Glazed Light. Seven Treasures are named: first, Strength; second, Speed."

Seven-colored light entered his body. Wu Qi swiftly summoned his martial soul, leaving an afterimage in the air as he charged toward the Dire Bear at tremendous speed.

He moved so fast that the sound of him cutting through the air rang sharply in their ears.

The Dire Bear's ears twitched lightly, and it immediately woke up.

It climbed to its feet. Upon seeing the human figure, it bared its fangs, scraped the ground with its hind legs, and charged forward to meet him.

The Dire Bear's claws were incomparably sharp. If its bloodline advanced another level, it would become the legendary Direclaw Bear!

"Big dummy, the skies aren't your territory."

Luan Wings flapped, accelerating Wu Qi once more. Just as the dire claws were about to strike, he dropped sharply, evading the attack.

At the same time, Crane Cloud Wings emerged. The sharpened wings gleamed with cold light beneath the moonlight.

Wu Qi quickly turned sideways, and one razor-sharp wing blade effortlessly sliced through the fur on its abdomen.

The Dire Bear howled in pain and crashed to the ground.

Wu Qi hovered in midair and curled a finger at it. "Big dummy, we're taking your Soul Ring!"

Provoked, the Dire Bear lost all reason and launched itself forward again.

A sixteen-hundred-year soul beast possessed very little intelligence. It did not even realize that it had already fallen into their trap.

The air was Wu Qi's main battlefield. Every time the Dire Bear pounced, new wounds appeared on its body.

In the distance, Ning Rongrong watched the scene and could not help clicking her tongue. "Is that thing really this stupid?"

Qian Gu Changkong laughed loudly. "Better stupid than smart. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to take it down."

After a pause, he added, "Rongrong, boost me later. I'll finish that thing off."