Internal Strife

Zhu Zhuqing did not answer. She was hesitating.

She was hesitating over whether she should forgive Dai Mubai.

Slowly closing her eyes, Zhu Zhuqing saw the image of Dai Mubai entering a hotel with a pair of beautiful twin sisters flash through her mind.

Suddenly, Ning Rongrong called out loudly, "I am the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master. Those Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are useless in your hands and may even bring about your deaths. If any of you help me capture them alive, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will reward you handsomely."

The crowd erupted in uproar.

None of them had expected that among that group from Shrek Academy was a princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Those who had been harboring ulterior motives immediately made up their minds.

Ning Rongrong was right. Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings and Soul Bones were simply not something ordinary people could absorb. Keeping them would only invite disaster.

They might as well earn a favor from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect instead.

The Middle-aged Man stood there dumbfounded.

He had originally thought that, as the strongest person present, he had the greatest chance of capturing the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. How had the Sect Master's daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect suddenly appeared?

Bai Yu suddenly snorted. "The Sect Master's daughter? What an impressive status. The moment I get the chance, you're dead!"

Ning Rongrong's expression shifted slightly. A reformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was best captured alive; if it died, its value would be greatly reduced.

Given the strength those two had displayed just now, if they insisted on capturing them alive, they really might be able to fight their way to her.

The Middle-aged Man also snorted. "You think you can hurt the Young Master while I'm here? Am I invisible to you?"

Ning Rongrong let out a breath of relief.

With a Soul King present, even though his Soul Ring configuration was utter trash, protecting her from two reformed Soul Beasts only equivalent to four-ring Soul Ancestors would still be easy.

Bai Yuan's expression was grave. He was not afraid of a Soul King.

After all, a mere Soul King could not keep them here. What worried him was Zhao Wuji, who had yet to show himself.

At that moment, another somewhat weak but thoroughly discordant voice suddenly rang out. "I am a prince of the Star Luo Empire. If you help me capture them alive, the Star Luo imperial family will reward you handsomely."

Everyone present aside from Bai Yuan was stunned.

The people from Canghui Academy especially had never imagined that these children who had provoked them possessed such powerful backing.

Then everyone turned their eyes toward the Middle-aged Man. After all, he had the highest rank among them, and both sides mainly wanted to win him over.

The Middle-aged Man felt as if his head had grown two sizes larger.

Before the two colossal powers of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Star Luo Empire, a Soul King like him was no more than an ant. He could not afford to offend either side.

Ning Rongrong's cold laugh rang through the hall. "Hehe! I remember now. So you're that coward who didn't dare compete for the throne and chose to run away!"

Everyone was stunned once more.

It seemed they had stumbled onto some juicy gossip.

Ordinary Soul Masters had no way of learning news about the Star Luo imperial family.

And judging from Dai Mubai's gloomy expression, Ning Rongrong was not lying.

The Middle-aged Man immediately leaned more toward Ning Rongrong's side.

After all, there was no use helping a coward who did not even dare fight for the throne.

Bai Yu was dumbfounded as well. She looked at Bai Yuan and blinked, her wine-red eyes full of confusion.

She seemed to be asking, why had they started fighting among themselves before the battle had even begun? How strange.

Bai Yuan merely smiled without speaking, but his hands continued forming seals behind his back. Spiritual energy also surged from within him through his feet, entering the ground and vanishing without a trace.

The current Ning Rongrong had not yet integrated into Shrek's group. But even if she had, unless they had lived together for a long time, they would still turn on one another upon encountering reformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

Dai Mubai said coldly, "That was because I was still young."

Ning Rongrong laughed disdainfully. "You were still young? That's just an excuse. Someone like you is destined to be a failure."

Dai Mubai was enraged, but instead of arguing, he looked toward the Middle-aged Man. "Make your choice! If you choose the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, at most you'll gain some money. Your Martial Soul talent and Soul Ring arrangement are what they are; it will be difficult for you to improve any further in this life.

"But if you help me, once Zhuqing and I obtain Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings and Soul Bones, we'll have a ninety percent chance of winning. Then you will have rendered the merit of backing the future emperor. Wealth, glory, money, and status—you'll have it all."

Ning Rongrong's expression tightened. Dai Mubai was right: with the Middle-aged Man's talent, his achievements as a Soul Master would most likely end here.

Besides money, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could at most provide him with protection and a position within the sect.

But how could a position within a sect compare to the merit of backing an empire's emperor?

Ning Rongrong sneered, "Dai Mubai, you really are a complete and utter piece of trash. Even with Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings and Soul Bones, you still don't have absolute confidence in victory."

Ning Rongrong then turned to the Middle-aged Man. "Let me make this clear first. If you help me, he is destined never to become emperor. But if you help him, I will still be the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master."

This time, the Middle-aged Man's expression changed.

Ning Rongrong's meaning was simple: if Dai Mubai could not become emperor, then under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's protection, she would face no danger whatsoever.

But if he helped Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong was fully capable of retaliating against him. Perhaps before Dai Mubai even made it back to the Star Luo Empire, he would already be dead.

A fierce gleam flashed through Dai Mubai's eyes. "Ning Rongrong, others may fear your status, but I don't! Do you believe I'll kill you right now?"

Ning Rongrong sneered disdainfully. "If I die, everyone here will suffer. Do you think they'll let you kill me?"

Quite a few Soul Masters in the hall broke out in cold sweat. If Dai Mubai really made a move, they could only grit their teeth and step in.

Dai Mubai sneered as well. "With just them, they think they can stop our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Hell White Tiger?"

Ning Rongrong was startled.

She had actually forgotten about the Star Luo imperial family's ultimate technique.

If Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing used it, that Soul King might not be able to withstand it. Even if he could, he might not be able to protect her.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The Middle-aged Man did not dare make a hasty decision either.

As for the rest of Shrek's Big Five, they had already unhesitatingly moved to Dai Mubai's side. This made Ning Rongrong extremely anxious, and she resolved to pull the Soul King over to her side.

Suddenly, a burst of applause rang out.

Everyone turned to look, only to see that male "re-cultivated Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast" staring at them with utter disdain.

"You're quite amusing. Before the fight has even begun, you're already squabbling over the spoils, and you nearly came to blows."

Ning Rongrong raised her brows and snapped, "Do human affairs require a beast like you to interfere?"

Bai Yu glared at her, her eyes blazing with fury.

Ning Rongrong's words were not only insulting her Master, but also looking down on and cursing her.

Bai Yuan merely smiled indifferently. "How about this? Split into two sides and fight it out. Whoever wins, my disciple and I will go with them. What do you say?"