"I'm Zhao Wuji, a junior. It's an honor to meet Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch," Zhao Wuji introduced himself.
"So you're the Immovable Bright King. No wonder you reached Soul Saint rank at such a young age."
Zhao Wuji had become somewhat famous after escaping from the many people of Spirit Hall.
The older generation had still heard of him.
Seeing that Zhao Wuji was the only teacher leading the group, Dragon Duke relaxed.
"This Crested Phoenix Tail Snake is meant to be the Third Soul Ring for our girl, Meng Yiran. We caused the wound on its tail. If possible, please let us have it."
Dragon Duke wasn't an easygoing man. The fact that he was willing to put it like that was already a show of respect.
After all, making an enemy of a Soul Saint wasn't a wise choice.
Zhao Wuji looked troubled.
After what had just happened, he didn't want to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest any longer.
At that moment, Tang San came to as well and sensed how formidable Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch were.
A glimmer of hope flared in his heart, and he hurriedly spoke up.
"Senior, the Titan Giant Ape took my little sister away. If you can save her, I'll do anything!"
"Weren't you after this Crested Phoenix Tail Snake? Then take it. I only ask that you save my little sister."
Tang San made the decision without even asking Zhao Wuji.
His presumptuous behavior greatly displeased Zhao Wuji.
Dragon Duke said mockingly, "Then I'll gladly accept this Crested Phoenix Tail Snake."
Ignoring Zhao Wuji's dark expression, he reached out to take it.
Suddenly, a slipper dropped from the sky and smacked straight into Dragon Duke's outstretched hand.
Then a taunting voice came from above.
"Is it yours? Then why are you reaching for it?"
"Boom!!!"
The slipper slammed into the ground. The violent shock wave shoved Dragon Duke more than ten meters back before he managed to stop.
"Who's there?" Dragon Duke's expression turned grave.
Lan Minghua descended from the sky and blocked his path, fixing him with an unfriendly stare.
"You old geezer, you think you can take my disciple's Soul Beast?"
Dragon Duke said nothing. He stared intently at Lan Minghua, trying to gauge his strength.
But it was all in vain.
As long as Lan Minghua didn't want others to know his strength, they couldn't figure it out.
Snake Matriarch was far weaker than Dragon Duke and had even less chance of seeing through Lan Minghua.
She thought he was, at most, a Soul Saint.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, "Dragon Snake Strike," could be countered by no one except a Titled Douluo.
She immediately argued, "We found the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first. The wound on its tail is the best proof."
Lan Minghua found that amusing. Just because you found it, that made it yours?
Although they had caused some of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's injuries, none of them were fatal.
And unlike in the original story, Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch were together, yet a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had still escaped them?
Wasn't that strange?
Dragon Duke was at least a Soul Saint, possibly even a Soul Douluo, while Snake Matriarch was a Soul Emperor.
With a lineup like that, couldn't they even kill a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in one blow?
That was what Lan Minghua found so strange.
"If finding something first makes it yours, then whoever finds a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast gets to claim it?"
"We're all adults. Don't bother with such pointless arguments."
Although he had indeed gotten the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent by chance, being able to take advantage of the opportunity was good fortune in itself.
"You!" Snake Matriarch trembled, holding up her Snake Head Crutch, but couldn't find the words.
Still, she couldn't find any grounds to refute him.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had been born of heaven and earth. As long as it hadn't fallen into someone's hands, it belonged to no one.
And since it belonged to no one, whoever got hold of it first had the right to claim it.
It was their own fault for failing to catch the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and letting it escape!
"Grandpa, I don't care! I want the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent for my Third Soul Ring!"
At last, Meng Yiran, who had been silent until then, spoke up. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was her ideal Third Soul Ring.
They had already had it in their grasp. Then the ground suddenly shook, and the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent got away.
If not for that tremor, she would already have started absorbing it.
Hearing this, Snake Matriarch gently reassured her, "Don't worry, Yiran. Even if I have to risk my life, your grandfather and I will get the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent back for you."
Lan Minghua laughed. Even without using his Experience Card, defeating Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch would be easy.
What, were they really going to risk their lives over a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?
In fact, Lan Minghua had already found a Sharp-Tailed Swift, but no one was going to get anything from him for free.
He hadn't knocked out the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent himself, but Zhao Wuji had.
Dragon Duke furrowed his brow, deep creases bunching across his already-wrinkled face.
Damn it, who is he? I can't even tell how strong he is!
As he pondered this, Tang San suddenly moved.
He rushed over to Lan Minghua and fell heavily to his knees.
"Teacher Lan, please save Xiao Wu! I know you're a Titled Douluo. You can definitely save her from the Titan Giant Ape!"
Lan Minghua was taken aback. He hadn't expected Tang San to kneel before his enemy—himself—for Xiao Wu's sake.
"Heh. If I hadn't sensed the killing intent in your eyes, I might have thought you'd let go of your hatred for Xiao Wu's sake."
Tang San had hidden it well, but Lan Minghua saw right through him.
As a Transmigrator, he would never blindly trust anything about Tang San, especially his character.
Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch's pupils shrank. They had never expected that the homeless-looking man before them was a Titled Douluo.
They didn't think Tang San was lying, either.
After all, no one would be foolish enough to pretend to be a Titled Douluo.
Lan Minghua looked over Zhao Wuji and the others and asked, "What about you?"
Zhao Wuji spoke first. "Huazi, if possible, please save Xiao Wu. After all, she's a student at Shrek."
Lan Minghua didn't answer right away. His gaze settled on Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing.
"And you two?"
Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing answered without hesitation, "Master, if you can, please save her."
Lan Minghua was very pleased with their answers.
It showed that although they didn't get along with Xiao Wu and Tang San, they weren't so coldhearted as to abandon them.
As for Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Ning Rongrong, Lan Minghua couldn't be bothered to ask.
"Don't worry. That girl will be fine. Being taken by the Titan Giant Ape might even be a stroke of good fortune for her."
Lan Minghua wasn't lying. The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python were both Xiao Wu's younger brothers.
But hearing this, Tang San thought Lan Minghua was just making an excuse because he feared the Titan Giant Ape and didn't dare save Xiao Wu.
"Bullshit! That's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast! Xiao Wu is only a Soul Grandmaster. How could she possibly be fine?"
Tang San completely lost his reason and roared, "You're just scared! You don't dare face the Titan Giant Ape!"
Lan Minghua's emotions didn't shift in the slightest. He had already known Tang San had asked for help only because he had no choice.
Now his true nature was showing, wasn't it?
Besides, he didn't think helping him once would erase the hatred in his heart.
And Lan Minghua was telling the truth.
If Xiao Wu had fallen into the hands of some other Soul Beast, her safety would have been uncertain. But in the Titan Giant Ape's hands, she couldn't possibly be safer.
"Tang San, don't be so ungrateful!"
Before you continue