As he spoke, his grip gradually tightened.
Unable to draw breath, Dai Mubai's face turned red. His eyes rolled upward, and he looked like he was about to die.
Just as he was about to suffocate, Zhao Wuji finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Xia Ran! You'll get into trouble if you do this."
Zhao Wuji used his Soul Power to knock Xia Ran's right hand away. Dai Mubai dropped to the ground with a thud.
Whether as their teacher or as a wanted fugitive on the run from Spirit Hall, he didn't want Xia Ran doing something like this.
Spirit Hall had sent several experts to hunt him down years ago. When one attempt failed, they tried again, and then again, countless times.
Before joining Shrek Academy, he hadn't had a single peaceful day.
Zhao Wuji didn't want Xia Ran to end up living that way, too. If Xia Ran attacked Dai Mubai now, there was no doubt the Star Luo Empire would put him on its wanted list.
"Heh. Go on, do it!"
Zhao Wuji's words seemed to give Dai Mubai his nerve back. Even now, he continued to taunt Xia Ran in his hoarse voice.
"I want you and that bitch to kneel in front of me and kowtow as you apologize."
"Otherwise, none of you will get out of here alive!"
At that, Xia Ran smiled instead of getting angry. His left hand surged with Soul Power as he reached toward Dai Mubai's mouth.
But Zhao Wuji reacted quickly and caught his hand.
"Calm down!"
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life on the run after killing him?"
"Hmph. Old Zhao, you underestimate me..."
As he spoke, Xia Ran's expression sharpened. He sensed an unusual fluctuation of Soul Power.
Ignoring the wretch at his feet, he hurried over to Zhu Zhuqing, who was absorbing her Soul Ring.
Seeing that, Zhao Wuji's taut nerves relaxed, and he let out a breath.
"Bastard! You wouldn't dare kill me, even if you had a hundred chances!"
"You think you can—"
Before he could finish, Zhao Wuji sealed his mouth with Soul Power and shot him a glare.
Xia Ran paid no attention to what was happening over there. He had sensed that Zhu Zhuqing was at a critical moment.
He gathered a layer of darkness into a barrier that enclosed the two of them.
All the others could see was a hemispherical black sphere, pitch-dark inside.
Within the barrier, Zhu Zhuqing looked pained as the skin on her back bulged and twisted.
"It's happening! The Eight Spider Lances!"
The Soul Ring absorption was already complete, and Zhu Zhuqing was fully conscious.
But an unfamiliar energy was about to burst out of her back, accompanied by intense pain.
"Xia Ran... why is this happening?"
She stared at him in disbelief. She had already absorbed the Soul Ring, so why was something strange happening now?
"Hold on to your senses! This is your opportunity. Gather your Soul Power in your back and don't suppress it!"
Seeing his sincere gaze, Zhu Zhuqing chose to trust him once more.
So far, every boost to her strength that Xia Ran had given her had come with pain. But the benefits had been obvious, too.
"It hurts!"
She followed Xia Ran's instructions and gathered all her Soul Power toward her back. The energy grew more and more turbulent.
"Hold on! Otherwise, everything you've done will have been for nothing."
At last, the energy built to its limit and erupted.
The girl's body shuddered. Eight purple spider legs, sharp as spring-loaded blades, tore through her clothes and burst out of her back!
The instant they touched the air, the spider legs began rapidly extending, stopping only when they were about five feet long.
Zhu Zhuqing held back a soft, breathy moan of relief, then went limp and collapsed face-first into Xia Ran's arms.
"Success!"
The girl's body, drained of all strength, went limp in his arms. She was completely naked.
The warm softness against his chest made Xia Ran's body tense up again before he could stop himself.
Zhu Zhuqing was drenched in sweat, her hair clinging to her pale neck.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she panted, each breath accompanied by a faint tremble in her voice.
Though the Eight Spider Lances supported her from behind, all her weight still rested on Xia Ran.
"Xia Ran! Did I really do it...?"
Outside the barrier.
Dai Mubai had eaten two of Oscar's sausages and recovered somewhat.
Seeing the black barrier Xia Ran had formed, he tried to rush inside, but Zhao Wuji stopped him.
His instincts told Zhao Wuji that this matter wasn't over yet.
Something must have happened to Zhu Zhuqing, forcing Xia Ran to check on her. That was the only reason Dai Mubai was still alive.
Everyone knew Xia Ran's temper. If Dai Mubai could have used his royal status to bring him to heel, he would have done so long ago. He wouldn't have needed to keep watching Xia Ran's mood.
Now that he had calmed down, Dai Mubai thought of that, too. Remembering what he had just said to Xia Ran, a flicker of guilt and fear crossed his face.
He immediately tried to leave the group.
"Teacher Zhao, I don't feel well. I'm heading back to the academy."
With that, he headed into the woods behind them. Zhao Wuji didn't stop him. Once Xia Ran was finished, Dai Mubai would be lucky to escape with his skin intact.
But after only a few steps, Dai Mubai suddenly remembered that they were in the Star Dou Forest. A mere Soul Elder like him had no business wandering around alone here; it was tantamount to suicide.
As he hesitated, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Our Third Prince of Star Luo is leaving already? Don't want to kill me anymore?"
Dai Mubai froze, then stiffly turned around.
Xia Ran and Zhu Zhuqing stood hand in hand, their lips curled into smiles as they looked at him with mocking expressions.
Most importantly, Zhu Zhuqing was wearing a white robe!
It was clearly one of Xia Ran's usual outfits. Only then did Dai Mubai finally understand why Xia Ran had used a black barrier to shield the two of them when a barrier made of Soul Power alone could have blocked the sound.
Those two shameless lovers! They dare to fool around in broad daylight. Just wait until I get back to the Star Luo Empire. You'll see!
But Dai Mubai only dared to think those words. Now that he had calmed down, the bravado he'd shown earlier was gone.
"Xia Ran, I'm sorry. I got carried away just now and raised my voice."
"I hope you can forgive me, given that we've been classmates for so many years."
As he spoke, Dai Mubai really did bow to Xia Ran. He looked completely sincere, not the least bit reluctant.
Everyone was stunned all over again!
Wait... did he learn how to change faces from Sichuan opera? The difference between before and now is ridiculous!
One moment he was threatening to kill someone, and the next he was bowing?
Xia Ran showed little emotion. He placed a hand on Zhu Zhuqing's back and gently guided her forward, leaving the matter for her to handle.
Dai Mubai's choice to flee the Imperial Throne Succession War already showed what a coward he was.
Xia Ran wouldn't have been surprised by anything he did to save his own life.
But what mattered now was how Zhu Zhuqing chose to respond.
The girl stepped forward and came to stand before Dai Mubai, who was still bent over.
"I said that once this trial was over, I would defeat you fair and square."
"Now, it seems there's no need to wait that long."
Dai Mubai hadn't received Xia Ran's permission to straighten up, so he remained bent over.
But the person standing in front of him now was Zhu Zhuqing—the woman who was supposed to be his fiancée, a mere daughter of the Zhu Family.
His male pride left Dai Mubai feeling utterly humiliated. He stared at the dead leaves on the ground and clenched his teeth.
Xia Ran didn't need to look closely. Just seeing Dai Mubai's trembling body and clenched fists was enough to tell him how he felt.
"Fight Zhu Zhuqing!"
"If you win, then we'll consider today's matter settled."
He knew Dai Mubai had been waiting for him to decide. He immediately laid out the terms.
Elsewhere, when Er Ming carried Xiao Wu away, tears clearly streaked her cheeks.
The straightforward Er Ming assumed that his Sister Xiao Wu had been mistreated in the human world. On top of that, an "ant" had been chasing after them the whole time.
He pounded his chest in frustration and unleashed a powerful shock wave that spread rapidly toward Tang San.
"Don't!"
By the time Xiao Wu tried to stop him, it was too late.
Poor Tang San had already chased them a long way and was far from where Xia Ran and the others were now.
Now he had been struck by the shock wave of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Countless rocks and dead trees were scattered across the ground, and he was buried beneath them, with no one around to help.
"Er Ming, we can't go any farther."
Before you continue