First Encounter with the Shrek Seven Devils

His cheeks were swollen high, his speech slurred through the gaps in his teeth. Every word tugged at his wounds, causing sweat to bead on his forehead from the pain, yet he stubbornly held his head high without letting out a single groan.

Ma Hongjun clutched his still-bleeding nose and nodded fiercely at these words, blood foam trailing down the corner of his mouth: "Right! Let Teacher Zhao smash that fatty's Heavenly Net Cover with one punch! Daring to rob our money and beating us into this state—we must make him know the might of Shrek!"

Oscar, draped over Dai Mubai's back, hissed in pain as his lower back throbbed, yet he gritted his teeth and chimed in: "Exactly... Teacher Zhao is the most protective of his own... he will definitely stand up for us..."

The three of them leaned on one another, stumbling toward the academy.

Just as they reached the gates of Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong stood on the steps with her arms crossed.

Seeing the three of them battered, bruised, and leaning on each other in such a sorry state, Ning Rongrong raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with undisguised mockery: "Oh? Aren't these our academy's three great experts? How did you end up in this state after just taking a stroll? Don't tell me you tried to steal a chicken and lost the rice, only to get beaten up instead?"

She held no affection for the three of them, feeling an intense disgust toward them, especially Dai Mubai.

Because Ning Rongrong still remembered what Dai Mubai had said to her previously—that he would rape her before killing her.

Naturally, she wasn't afraid of Dai Mubai doing such a thing to her; as the young mistress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she was no fool.

When traveling abroad, she certainly carried items for self-preservation.

If Dai Mubai dared to make a move, he would be turned into a pulp of flesh in a matter of minutes.

The moment Ning Rongrong finished speaking, Ma Hongjun's fur stood on end, and he roared while clutching his bleeding nose: "What the hell do you know! We were ambushed by a Soul Ancestor! If you're so capable, why don't you go try it?"

Ning Rongrong scoffed: "A Soul Ancestor? And here I thought it was some formidable character. You can't even deal with a Soul Ancestor and you still have the nerve to call yourselves students of Shrek?"

"You!" Ma Hongjun was so angry he wanted to rush forward, but Dai Mubai grabbed him.

Dai Mubai endured the pain in his face and cast a cold glance at Ning Rongrong: "Laugh if you want, just spare us the nonsense. We are going to find Teacher Zhao; we don't have time to waste on you."

Ning Rongrong felt stifled by his gaze, yet she remained stubborn: "Looking for Teacher Zhao? What, can't win so you're looking for a backer? How truly impressive."

Oscar, still on Dai Mubai's back, gasped in pain: "You... don't stand there and talk without feeling the ache... that guy's Heavenly Net Cover... it's impossible to break..."

"If you can't break it, can't you think of a way?" Ning Rongrong said, arms crossed. "I think you're just idiots who only know how to crash head-on."

Dai Mubai ignored her further, supporting Ma Hongjun as he walked straight toward Zhao Wuji's residence.

Ning Rongrong watched their retreating backs and curled her lip: "Hmph, serves you right."

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

Xu Yuan and his group boarded a carriage with Liu Erlong, heading toward the Star Dou Forest.

Liu Erlong sat at the front of the carriage, toying with her long whip, her gaze sweeping over the seven people inside: "The Star Dou Forest is not like the academy; the soul beasts inside will not play by your rules. For the first three days, we will operate in the outer perimeter to familiarize ourselves with the environment; for the following five days, we will head deep into the middle area and use the time to refine our tactics."

Xu Yuan and his group nodded, indicating they understood.

Xiao Wu felt deeply conflicted; she did not want to kill soul beasts, as they were, after all, her kin.

Noticing Xiao Wu's subtle expression, Xu Yuan smiled to himself.

The biggest problem for soul beasts has always been that, aside from the Silver Dragon King and the Golden Dragon King, they lack god-level combat power.

Furthermore, the growth period for soul beasts is far too long, making them completely unable to compete with humans.

If artificial soul ring technology were to emerge, the casualties among soul beasts would be greatly reduced.

However, the best approach would still be to do as they did later on—lead a group of soul beasts to develop in other planes.

Humans and soul beasts can never coexist peacefully; as the saying goes, those not of one's own race will surely have different intentions, and humans aren't even at peace with themselves.

But... what the hell does any of this have to do with him right now?

He isn't a soul beast, so why should he care so much about their survival?

Even Gu Yuena, the Master of Soul Beasts in the third installment, didn't care much about them, spending her days falling in love with Tang Wulin.

As everyone knows, the original Gu Yuena and the fan-fiction Gu Yuena are two different people.

He had a friend who learned about Gu Yuena through an "eternal friend" and liked her very much, only to have his dao heart shattered after reading the third installment.

After transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, he had already prepared himself for all the absurd things that might happen in the future.

God King Tang San had already become his own martial soul; what other absurd things could he possibly encounter?

It's not like he would end up sleeping with his own master.

Just thinking about it is impossible; one must know how much Liu Erlong loves Yu Xiaogang, and given the massive age gap between himself and Liu Erlong, it is impossible for the two of them to ever be together.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, God King Tang San began to ponder how to extract his origin from Liu Erlong.

A few days later, the carriage slowly rolled into a small town, which was relatively close to the Star Dou Forest.

The carriage stopped in front of a hotel, and Liu Erlong was the first to step down, followed by the others one after another.

After entering the hotel, Liu Erlong booked a room for everyone.

Once the rooms were settled, Liu Erlong led everyone to find a spot in the lobby to sit and order some food.

The lobby was filled with the aroma of food, and the wooden tables had been polished smooth by the passing guests.

Liu Erlong ordered a large table of dishes, both meat and vegetable. The braised pork knuckle was steaming, the tenderly stewed soul beast meat emitted a rich, savory broth scent, and there were several plates of crisp seasonal vegetables, which Xiao Wu snatched up with her chopsticks as soon as they hit the table.

"Eat slowly, no one is going to steal it from you." Zhu Qing helplessly helped her wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth, though she herself picked up a piece of beast meat and put it into her mouth.

There was a hint of relaxation in her eyes; after days of traveling, being able to eat a hot meal was indeed a rare treat.

Tailong buried his head in his bowl, chewing every mouthful with extra force as if venting his exhaustion.

He glanced at Xu Yuan sitting opposite him, who was eating in a slow and measured manner.

"I'm exhausted, I need to eat a huge meal."

Just at that moment, a complaining voice drifted in from outside.

Hearing the voice, Xu Yuan looked toward the entrance.

He saw Tang San and his group entering the hotel.

Tang San walked at the very front, his hair and eyes black; the acne on his face seemed to have faded slightly, and his expression remained indifferent, though his gaze paused for a brief moment when it swept over Xu Yuan's table before moving away as if nothing had happened.

Behind him followed Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar; the injuries on their faces had mostly healed, though their brows still carried a hint of gloom.

Upon seeing Xu Yuan, Dai Mubai narrowed his eyes with a complex expression; the beating he had taken in Drunk Spring Alley that day had made his desire for strength grow even more intense.

Seeing the steady aura of Xu Yuan's group at this moment, he felt a surge of suppressed drive in his heart.

As soon as Ma Hongjun entered, the aroma of food in the lobby made him swallow his saliva, and he shouted, "Teacher Zhao, I want to eat braised pork knuckle! And that roasted spirit beast leg!"