At this sight.
Flender and Zhao Wuji's expressions grew even darker.
"Oscar." Meng Shu's tone softened. "My Meng Family may not be one of the top clans, but in the Soul Master World, we're still a first-rate family of Soul Masters. If you're willing to come with me, you'll have no shortage of resources or cultivation manuals. I can even give you a chance to pursue my granddaughter."
Oscar opened his mouth, but said nothing.
He looked at Flender, then at Zhao Wuji.
"Child, it's your choice." Chao Tianxiang's voice softened too, no longer so forceful. "Just nod, and you'll be one of us. We'll forget about the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent."
"But if you refuse..."
Chao Tianxiang left the threat unfinished, but the sinister look in her eyes made her meaning clear to everyone.
The whole place fell silent.
After a long while.
Oscar took a deep breath and raised his head. "Senior, I'm deeply grateful for your kindness."
A flicker of amusement crossed Meng Shu's eyes.
"But I can't go with you," Oscar continued.
Meng Shu's smile froze.
Flender and Zhao Wuji were stunned too.
Meng Shu's offer had been incredibly generous. Oscar's choice was far beyond what they had expected, but it filled them with relief.
"What did you say?" Meng Shu's voice turned cold.
Oscar gritted his teeth. "I appreciate your kindness, Senior, but I can't leave."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Meng Shu smiled.
His smile was chilling.
"Good. Very good!" Meng Shu raised his Dragon Cane, and all eight Soul Rings blazed with light. "Since you refuse to appreciate my kindness, don't blame this old man for being ruthless!"
Before the words had even faded.
He and Chao Tianxiang attacked together.
After years as husband and wife, they worked together seamlessly.
The Dragon Cane ripped through the air while the Serpent Cane swept sideways.
A dragon and a serpent surged skyward as phantom shapes, bearing down on Flender and Zhao Wuji.
"Martial Soul Avatar!" Flender roared. All seven of his Soul Rings lit up, and a pair of eagle wings unfurled from his back as he soared into the sky.
Zhao Wuji released his Vajra Bear Avatar at the same time, his body swelling as he struck out with a punch.
"Rumble!!!"
Their violent clash of Soul Power reduced the surrounding wooden houses to rubble in an instant.
In a single exchange, Flender and Zhao Wuji were sent flying by the Martial Soul Fusion Skill unleashed by Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang.
"That's it?" Meng Shu sneered. "Heh, you really don't know your place!"
The Dragon Cane rose again, and the Eighth Soul Ring lit up.
"Dragon Roams the Nine Heavens!"
A golden dragon's phantom soared into the sky and charged toward Flender with a roar.
Flender's face turned deathly pale. He couldn't withstand this attack.
The gap between him and Meng Shu was simply too great.
"Senior!!!"
Oscar cried out urgently.
Meng Shu's Dragon-headed Cane stopped abruptly. He looked at Oscar. "Changed your mind?"
"I... I agree..." Oscar faltered, but just as he was about to accept Meng Shu's offer, Yu Xiaogang stepped out from a corner. "Senior Dragon Duke, please wait. Hear me out."
"Xiaogang!" Flender stared, suddenly realizing something. His expression shifted.
Meng Shu furrowed his brows. "Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior Dragon Duke, I'm Yu Xiaogang."
"Yu Xiaogang? The Yu family?" Meng Shu was taken aback. He exchanged a look with Chao Tianxiang, and both frowned.
After thinking it over for a moment, they suddenly understood.
Meng Shu said coolly, "So it's you! What, are you trying to use the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to intimidate me?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head slightly. "I wouldn't dare."
Meng Shu narrowed his eyes and snapped, "Then why step forward? What are you trying to prove? Even if I kill every one of you today, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan won't know I did it!"
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed, and he furrowed his brows. "You could certainly kill us all. Our identities as teachers are nothing to you, but the students at Shrek Academy aren't as simple as you think."
"Oh?" Meng Shu glanced at Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others in the corner.
Yu Xiaogang slowly approached Meng Shu.
Meng Shu wasn't afraid that Yu Xiaogang might try anything. He simply watched him in silence.
Then Yu Xiaogang walked up to him, produced a token bearing six different designs, and began speaking in a low voice...
Meng Shu and the Snake Matriarch listened, growing more and more alarmed. They looked over at Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing again, their expressions doubtful.
"You don't have to believe me. Our lives are in your hands now," Yu Xiaogang said gravely.
"Your little Shrek Academy really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers... Hmph!" Meng Shu suddenly turned around.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang let out a long breath of relief.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others also thought Meng Shu was about to leave with his people.
However...
Meng Shu spun around without warning, and his Dragon-headed Cane turned into a dragon-shaped shadow as it rushed straight at Flender and Zhao Wuji.
Their expressions changed, and they both struck back at once.
"Bang! Bang!"
In an instant.
They were both sent flying, crashing headfirst into a wooden house. It collapsed immediately.
"If we don't teach you a lesson, you'll think we can be pushed around!"
"And you—you ungrateful brat!"
Meng Shu stared coldly at Oscar and unleashed a crushing wave of Soul Power. Oscar's legs trembled beneath him, and he dropped to his knees against his will.
"Senior!!!"
Yu Xiaogang was horrified at the sight.
"Enough talk!"
"If it weren't for the people backing you, not one of you would leave here alive today!"
"Hmph!"
When Meng Shu finished speaking, he grabbed Oscar and turned away. "Let's go!"
The group had arrived in a grand procession, and now they left in one just as grand.
Even if Oscar didn't want to join the Meng Family, they could still take him back as breeding stock!
With talent like his, what a waste to let it go to waste.
The courtyard was a wreck.
Shrek Academy had already had only four students. Now it had just three.
Yu Xiaogang's shoulders trembled, his expression utterly grim.
He hadn't expected...
Even after revealing the Pope Token, with Tang Hao, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the backing of his own Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Meng Shu would still act like this!
Meanwhile.
Shao Xin, Li Yusong, and Lu Qibin hurried over to check on Zhao Wuji and Flender.
They had taken a blow from Meng Shu and were both seriously injured. Fortunately, Shao Xin was a food-type Soul Saint, and his Sugar Bean Martial Soul and Soul Skills could also heal wounds.
Though they weren't as effective as those of a true healing-type Soul Master, something was better than nothing.
They could stabilize the injuries first and look for a healing-type Soul Master afterward.
"If we'd known this would happen, we should've killed that old woman and that little girl right there in the Star Dou Forest!" Zhao Wuji said through gritted teeth, his face pale.
Flender realized Oscar was gone and asked gravely, "Xiaogang, where's Xiao Ao?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed. "They took him by force..."
Hearing this, Flender let out a long sigh before saying, "We can't let this go. We have to rescue Xiao Ao, or who knows what kind of torment he'll suffer!"
Zhao Wuji waved a hand. "Don't worry. With talent like his, that old geezer won't dare kill him. At worst, he'll end up as breeding stock."
Flender's mouth twitched.
Shrek Academy had already been short on students. Now things had gone from bad to worse...
Was there any point in keeping his Shrek Academy running?