Zhao Wuji's Threat

Shen Lian let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of contempt:

"Zhao Wuji, you have quite the plan. But unfortunately, Zhuqing's future is hers to decide. It is not your place to tell her what to do."

Zhu Zhuqing tightened her grip on Shen Lian's hand. A glint of frost flashed through her silver eyes as she said firmly:

"I severed all ties with Dai Mubai long ago. As for Shrek Academy, I will not set foot there."

The moonlight was obscured by heavy clouds, and the forest suddenly plunged into darkness.

The flesh on Zhao Wuji's face twitched twice. The smile he had forced out twisted and melted away like a wax figure scorched by fire.

A low rumble came from Zhao Wuji's throat, like the roar of a crouching beast, as he shouted at Shen Lian and Zhu Zhuqing:

"You two, since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, do not blame me for getting rough."

Before his words had faded, blinding light erupted around Zhao Wuji. The instant his Vajra Bear Martial Soul Possession took effect, his body swelled to over three meters tall. Golden scale-like patterns emerged over his skin, and the muscles in his arms knotted like the roots of ancient trees.

A suffocating pressure filled the air. Dead leaves on the ground were shaken into flight by invisible Soul Power, yet not a single Spirit Ring appeared.

In the eyes of this level seventy-six Soul Saint, the pair before him were merely fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youths. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

"You two, this is your last chance."

Zhao Wuji looked down at them from above. His voice boomed like a great bell, making everyone's eardrums ache, before he continued to Shen Lian and Zhu Zhuqing:

"One of you comes back to Shrek Academy with us, and the other kneels before Mubai to apologize. Otherwise..."

Zhao Wuji deliberately paused, his thick bear paw curling in the air with a crackling grind of bones, before he continued:

"I would not mind teaching you what rules are!"

Yet Shen Lian seemed completely unaffected by the pressure and instead took half a step forward.

Shen Lian's black cloak snapped in the fierce wind. The Dragon-Slaying Blade appeared in his hand and came out of its sheath as he shouted at Zhao Wuji:

"Who do you think you are?"

A mocking curve rose at Shen Lian's lips. His voice was clear, but every word cut like a blade as he continued shouting at Zhao Wuji:

"Someone gave you the nickname Immovable Bright King, and you really think you are a king? You dare decide other people's fates?"

Shen Lian suddenly raised his hand and pointed directly at Zhao Wuji's face, mocking him:

"Do not forget, you are nothing more than a wanted criminal of Spirit Hall, a stray dog hunted into hiding everywhere!"

Those words were like a poisoned dagger, striking precisely at Zhao Wuji's most sensitive wound.

The face of this expert who had dominated the Soul Master world for many years instantly turned the color of liver.

"Courting death!"

Zhao Wuji roared in fury. Seven Spirit Rings burst open behind him like a brilliant rainbow: two yellow, two purple, and three black, a top-tier configuration that illuminated everything within a hundred meters as brightly as day.

The last black Spirit Ring trembled violently, and the pressure it released crushed the ground into spiderweb-like cracks.

"Kid, after what you just said, even begging for mercy will not save you now!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils turned vertical. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Shen Lian as he thought:

Tang San may have humiliated me before by relying on Tang Hao's name, but you, a brat who does not know his limits, dare stir trouble on my turf?

Soul Power gathered wildly around Zhao Wuji, making the air emit a piercing shriek, before he shouted at Shen Lian:

"I want to see what gives you the nerve to speak to me like that!"

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing instantly activated her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul Possession. As three Spirit Rings lit up, she had already stepped in front of Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian gently pressed a hand against her shoulder and shielded her behind him.

The Dragon-Slaying Blade rested in his hand, crimson blade patterns flowing with mysterious light as they stood against Zhao Wuji's pressure.

A heart-stopping clash between experts was about to erupt.

Shen Lian's Soul Power suddenly surged. The air began to twist and tremble, while dead leaves on the ground seemed drawn by an invisible giant hand, whirling madly around him.

Before the Shrek group could react, Spirit Rings suddenly lit up beneath Shen Lian's feet. Their radiance was like the glow of dawn, instantly illuminating the entire forest clearing.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand nearly fell with a clang. Her lively eyes widened, her cherry lips parted slightly, and her face was filled with disbelief.

Oscar still clutched an unfinished Sausage in his hand. His fingers had gone stiff as though they had lost all feeling, and he muttered:

"This... this is impossible..."

Ma Hongjun's round, chubby face turned red. He rubbed his eyes hard with his thick palm, terrified that he had seen wrong, but the six Spirit Rings continued to revolve clearly beneath Shen Lian's feet.

Purple, purple, black, black, black, black!

Six Spirit Rings rose one after another. The purple glow of the second Spirit Ring was several times deeper than that of an ordinary purple Spirit Ring, while the three black Spirit Rings radiated a terrifying pressure. Faint mysterious patterns flowed through their ink-black color, as though they contained the power to destroy heaven and earth.

Such a Spirit Ring configuration far exceeded their understanding. In the Soul Master world, absorbing Spirit Rings beyond one's level was already exceedingly rare, yet Shen Lian had not only accomplished it but had also taken high-age Spirit Rings for himself. Such talent could only be called monstrous.

Dai Mubai staggered half a step back, his back slamming heavily into the tree behind him with a dull thud.

His eyes were filled with pain and unwillingness as Zhu Zhuqing's earlier mockery replayed endlessly in his mind.

Only now did Dai Mubai finally understand how laughable his pride and arrogance were before absolute strength.

He had once believed himself exceptionally gifted, yet compared to Shen Lian, he was utterly insignificant. No wonder Zhu Zhuqing had looked down on him and said outright that he was not even qualified to fight Shen Lian.

Zhao Wuji's pupils suddenly contracted. Even his massive body under Diamond Bear Martial Soul Possession could not help trembling slightly.

He had thought Shen Lian was merely an ignorant brat. Even if he had some ability, he could not possibly be Zhao Wuji's opponent.

But these six Spirit Rings before him were like a heavy hammer striking viciously against his chest.

"He is actually a Soul Emperor..."

Dai Mubai's Adam's apple moved with difficulty, and the killing intent in his heart grew even stronger.

With Shen Lian's terrifying talent, if he was not killed today, Dai Mubai would surely cease to be his match within five years and might even face retaliation.

To eliminate future trouble, he had to seize this chance and strangle Shen Lian in the cradle.

Tang San, meanwhile, stood frozen in place. His eyes were locked on Shen Lian's Spirit Rings, filled with shock and confusion.

As a Tang Sect disciple who had crossed over into this world, he believed he possessed a deep understanding of the Soul Master cultivation system. Yet Shen Lian's Spirit Ring configuration completely overturned the theory of optimal Spirit Ring ratios he had learned from Yu Xiaogang.

"Impossible, impossible..."

Tang San muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of hysteria, before continuing to mutter:

"Why are their ages not what Teacher said they should be? How could you absorb Spirit Rings beyond your limit..."

Tang San clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms, yet he felt no pain. The shock and unwillingness within him surged like raging tides, drowning him completely.