"Hmph, I refuse to believe you can keep flying forever."
"I imagine your Soul Power consumption must be enormous."
Unable to reach Tang Wu and the others, Zhao Wuji said smugly:
"Just wait. You'll be in for it..."
But things were just as he had expected.
Tang San alone was supporting the Soul Power needed for flight.
As the core of the Soul Skill, he had to shoulder the Soul Power of the other three as well, and his reserves were rapidly running dry.
Less than three minutes later,
Xiao Wu and the others would come crashing down once Tang San ran out of Soul Power.
Zhao Wuji was still laughing when a seed suddenly dropped from the sky and landed squarely in his mouth.
Gulp—
He didn't react in time and swallowed it without thinking.
"Hey! Have you no morals? Throwing things from such a height?!"
"Watch out, or I'll report you to the police! I'll have the officers come arrest you and stick you in the station for twelve days!"
Zhao Wuji said furiously.
Fortunately, it was only a seed this time, nothing too serious.
If it had been something else, it might not have hurt a Soul Saint like him, but it would've been disgusting, wouldn't it?
"Don't worry, Teacher Zhao. That was only a Croton Seed. It's nothing serious."
"It'll just give you a bit of... an unpleasant experience."
Tang Wu said with a bright smile.
His expression was rather peculiar, and his eyes seemed to suggest he was looking forward to what came next.
Croton Seed did have a laxative effect and could be used to treat constipation.
But Zhao Wuji was a Soul Saint, and his body had been nourished by Soul Power. His digestive system was exceptionally strong.
It was only a tiny Croton Seed. It hadn't even had time to take effect—perhaps it had already been digested?
And so...
Zhao Wuji immediately dismissed it and mocked Tang Wu above him:
"I wondered what you were up to. So you thought you could use a trick like that against me? How naive."
"Let me tell you, it won't have the slightest effect on me."
He looked as if he had seen right through Tang Wu's plan.
Tang Wu simply smiled.
"What if I told you that was only the first layer?"
"The real backup is still coming. Second Soul Skill: Strangling Resurrection Banyan!"
"What?!"
Zhao Wuji was aghast.
The power of the Strangling Banyan he had been cultivating within Zhao Wuji's body finally reached its peak. It grew rapidly, spreading outward.
In the blink of an eye,
sturdy vines covered Zhao Wuji's body. He couldn't even move his hands and feet, and his whole body was pinned in place.
The wood-like growth spread across every part of his body.
Back at the Rose Hotel, Tang Wu had used the same move to restrain Dai Mubai.
He had taken advantage of the Strangling Banyan's outstanding control ability to catch his opponent off guard and win in one stroke.
"What a domineering control Soul Skill. Even an ordinary Soul King might not be able to break free."
Feeling his body stiff as a board, Zhao Wuji praised it:
"But unfortunately, you think this is enough to restrain me? Vajra Bear!"
"Break!"
The moment Zhao Wuji exerted his strength, the vines coiled around his body were blasted away, snapping and flying apart.
Leaves and branches scattered everywhere like flowers raining down from the heavens.
After dealing with the vines, Zhao Wuji was just about to say something when his expression froze.
His gaze dropped, and he stared in horror as his belly rapidly swelled.
"You... What exactly did you do to me?"
"Actually, the Strangling Banyan wasn't the point. The real point was my third Soul Skill."
"When the Strangling Banyan ripened, I made a slight change to its seeds and replaced them with durian."
Tang Wu spoke in a gentle voice, saying the cruelest things.
Was this the legendary... Strongman Appraisal Technique?
Spikes poked out from Zhao Wuji's belly. He writhed on the ground in agony, suffering pain like a woman in childbirth.
"Wait... Stop... Don't—ahhh!"
"Damn, that's a durian!"
Watching Zhao Wuji roll around on the ground below, Xiao Wu's little rabbit ears trembled.
"Third Brother, don't you think Brother Wu has been getting more and more ruthless lately?"
"That really was a bit too underhanded..."
Looking at the miserable scene below, Tang San nodded in agreement.
Having watched Tang Wu grow all this time, he had witnessed the evolution of his Soul Skills firsthand. Each one was more sinister than the last.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing sucked in sharp breaths.
They looked at Tang Wu as if they were staring at something terrifying, and instinctively edged away from him.
Tang Wu's ability had put a durian inside someone's body.
That was downright brutal!
"Holy crap, so he was holding back before!"
Dai Mubai was deeply relieved.
After seeing Zhao Wuji's current predicament, the thought of picking a fight with Tang Wu disappeared from his mind in an instant.
He didn't have a Soul Saint's physique like Zhao Wuji. Taking a hit like that would really kill him.
"Is Teacher Zhao going to be all right? He looks like he's about to die..."
Watching Zhao Wuji suffer unbearably as if he were testing whose head was harder, his or a rock's, Xiao Wu couldn't help worrying.
In response,
Tang Wu reassured her:
"Don't worry. Teacher Zhao is a Soul Saint, and his Martial Soul is a Beast Martial Soul with exceptional defensive power."
"So he can't feel pain..."
Was that even something a person would say?!
If Zhao Wuji were still clearheaded enough to hear Tang Wu, he'd probably curse him out.
What did he mean, he couldn't feel pain?
Was he not a person? Was he even human?
"Stop! I give up! Hurry and get rid of this awful ability!"
Zhao Wuji could no longer endure the pain and surrendered, waving the white flag.
After the ability was dispelled, his belly gradually shrank. He looked at Tang Wu with a complicated expression.
"Where did you come up with a sinister Soul Skill like that, kid? I've traveled all over for years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it."
"Enough. According to our earlier bet, you've all passed!"
Zhao Wuji waved his hand, announcing that they had all passed the test.
He hadn't actually intended to let them off easy. He'd just gotten excited at the prospect of a good fight and couldn't resist throwing himself into it. Who could've known he'd end up suffering like this?
If only he'd known—he'd never have done it.
Only after hearing Zhao Wuji's announcement did Tang San bring the others down.
The instant he landed, his body went weak, and he nearly toppled over.
Taking three people airborne had consumed far too much Soul Power.
A skill like that was beyond his current level, so the cost had naturally multiplied.
Tang Wu was doing better. His level was already somewhat higher than Tang San's, though even he couldn't help feeling a little drained.
Seeing them land, Dai Mubai stepped forward to congratulate them:
"Congratulations. You're all members of Shrek now."
Zhao Wuji, meanwhile, looked thoroughly vexed.
"Oscar, where in the middle of nowhere did you go?"
"Coming, coming! Damn, Teacher Zhao, what happened to you?"
A cloud of dust billowed as Oscar rushed over, pushing his little stall.
The moment he saw Zhao Wuji in that state, he couldn't help laughing.
"Laughing, are you? What's so funny?" Zhao Wuji fumed.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and give me some tofu!"
After eating Oscar's first Soul Skill, Tofu, he immediately felt much better and more energetic.