Er Ming, the Top Escort, Shatters the Peerless Dragon and Snake's Resistance with a Single Punch!

"Hey! My grandmother is asking you a question."

Seeing Lan Yu frown in silence, Meng Yiran stepped forward, her voice tinged with a spoiled arrogance.

"So it is the Snake Matriarch of the Peerless Dragon and Snake. This junior has long admired your great name." Lan Yu's lips curled slightly as he cupped his hands in a salute.

"Since the senior requires it, this Datura Snake shall be yielded to you."

Chao Tianxiang nodded slightly and tilted her head to signal Meng Yiran.

Meng Yiran acknowledged the gesture, drew a dagger from her waist, and walked slowly to the side of the Datura Snake, her wrist twisting to plunge the blade precisely into the snake's belly.

Moments later, a yellow spirit ring slowly emerged from the serpent's body.

She immediately sat cross-legged and began to absorb the spirit ring.

"Senior, we shall take our leave now."

As his voice trailed off, Lan Yu reached out to grab the wrists of Tang Shan and Xiao Wu, turning to depart.

"You cannot leave!"

Lan Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened. This is bad, he thought, but he turned back with a calm expression, his right hand hidden behind his back as the Zhuge Divine Crossbow quietly appeared in his palm.

I might not be able to kill you, Chao Tianxiang.

But what about Meng Yiran?

"Senior, what do you need?"

"Little friend, there is no need to be nervous."

A smile appeared on Chao Tianxiang's youthful face, framed by her crane-white hair, as her eyes swept over Lan Yu.

"I am merely curious. You are so young, yet I wonder which faction you hail from? Why have you come to hunt spirit beasts alone?"

When she had burst from the forest, she had caught a glimpse of the purple spirit ring flickering on Lan Yu. At the time, she had thought nothing of it, but now, observing him closely, she realized the truth—this boy was even younger than her own granddaughter.

That meant this youth had reached the Spirit Elder rank at only eleven or twelve years old!

At this thought, a wave of heat surged in Chao Tianxiang's heart. If she could recruit him into the Meng family, their future would be limitless!

"My master is nearby. He just went to find a suitable spirit beast for my junior sister, and it is about time he returned." Lan Yu's tone was calm, devoid of any ripples.

Though Chao Tianxiang had anticipated this, she could not hide her disappointment.

It was true; how could such a peerless genius be without a sect?

Yet, she refused to give up and pressed on: "I wonder, what is your teacher's strength? What is his rank?"

As long as he was not a Titled Douluo, she still had a chance.

Even if he were a Titled Douluo, with the martial soul fusion skill she shared with her husband, the Dragon Duke, they would be able to retreat unscathed.

"My master is a rank ninety-three Titled Douluo." Lan Yu's tone was filled with profound respect, his expression so candid that Chao Tianxiang could find no flaws.

Chao Tianxiang's heart sank. Only one thought remained: stall for time until the Dragon Duke, Meng Shu, arrived. Even if the man were truly a Titled Douluo, they could escape, but if he were not...

"Since your teacher has not returned, I shall stay here with you little ones for a while."

"After all, the Star Dou Great Forest is fraught with danger. It is inevitable that you children might... haha."

Damn it! What a nuisance.

Lan Yu thanked her with a faint smile, but internally, he was already preparing for the worst.

Ah Yin, where did you run off to?! Can't you learn how to be a babysitter from Haozi?!

Meanwhile, in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A tall, thin old man with white hair, clutching a bright silver dragon-headed cane, stood frozen as he looked up at the mountain-like, towering black shadow before him.

"Ti... Titan Giant Ape! How could you appear in the mixed zone!" Meng Shu's voice trembled visibly, yet he forced himself to remain calm, bowing low as he said, "I have no intention of offending you; I am merely passing through. If—"

Before he could finish, a fist from the Titan Giant Ape, brimming with monstrous fury, slammed toward him!

"Damn spirit master, what did you do to Sister Xiao Wu!"

"What? What Sister Xiao Wu? Great King of the Forest, you must be mistaken!" Meng Shu dodged, shouting in panic.

Er Ming heard Meng Shu's explanation as nothing but a desperate lie, and his rage flared even higher!

He had sensed Xiao Wu's aura that morning and had rushed over without pause. Who would have thought that the moment he stepped out of the core zone, he would receive Xiao Wu's distress signal?

He had followed the trail at full speed, only to run head-on into Meng Shu. He hadn't seen a single spirit master on his way here, yet he happened to bump into a Spirit Douluo capable of sensing a hundred-thousand-year transformed spirit beast near the outer mixed zone?

How could there be such a coincidence in the world!

"Do you take me for a fool?!"

Er Ming had no patience for further talk. With a roar, he raised a fist the size of a small hill, swinging it toward Meng Shu with the force of a collapsing world.

"Damn it!"

Meng Shu's expression shifted violently. His spirit power surged, and he dodged by a hair's breadth.

"Seventh Spirit Skill: Avatar of the Martial Soul!"

"Fourth Spirit Skill: Dragon Shadow Assault!"

In an instant, the dragon-headed staff in his hand erupted with blinding silver light, merging into his body as if it were a living creature. The next moment, Meng Shu's physique surged, transforming into a giant dragon that soared into the sky. Two dragon shadows trailed behind him, charging straight toward Er Ming, while he himself fled desperately toward the outer perimeter without looking back.

"ROAR--!"

Er Ming roared in fury, swatting the two dragon shadows away with a backhand strike before pushing off the ground with both hands to launch himself forward.

With Meng Shu fleeing at full speed, Er Ming was unable to catch up immediately.

Incensed, the beast grabbed a massive boulder from the nearby forest and hurled it violently at Meng Shu.

"Third Soul Skill, Dragon Flame Breath!"

"Sixth Soul Skill, Poison Dragon Flame!"

Dodging the boulder, Meng Shu turned back and unleashed both a fiery and a poisonous attack, blasting them toward Er Ming.

The scorching dragon flames and corrosive poison flames landed on Er Ming, causing it to wince in pain. With a roar, the beast's speed did not decrease; instead, it accelerated even further.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Er Ming closing in, Meng Shu's heart sank. No longer caring about his soul power consumption, he bolted forward frantically.

On the other side, Meng Yiran slowly stood up. Having finished absorbing her soul ring, her eyes were filled with joy. Just as she turned to share the news with her grandmother, she saw Lan Yu and his two companions still standing in place, their auras tense.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Meng Yiran asked, puzzled.

Seeing that none of them answered and feeling the unusually oppressive atmosphere, Meng Yiran's heart skipped a beat. She turned to look at Chao Tianxiang: "Grandmother, what is this..."

"Yiran, stay out of this."

Chao Tianxiang stared fixedly at Lan Yu, clearly having realized that he had been bluffing.

"But Grandmother, they were the ones who gave us this Datura Snake in the first place..."

Just then, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled, and a deafening beast roar accompanied by violent fluctuations of soul power erupted from the distance.

"Ugh--!" Meng Shu was sent flying by a punch from Er Ming, his Avatar of the Martial Soul forcibly dispelled.

"Old man?!"

Chao Tianxiang recognized the person flying backward as Meng Shu at a single glance.

She could not fathom how Meng Shu, a dignified Soul Douluo, could end up in such a sorry state on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

But when she saw the massive black shadow chasing behind him, her pupils constricted!

Without a moment's hesitation, she flashed toward Meng Shu.

"Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon Snake Combined Strike!"

The couple channeled all their soul power, merging their dragon staff and snake staff into a single entity that transformed into a green dragon, tearing through the air as it collided with Er Ming.

Seeing the little bugs daring to resist, the fierce light in Er Ming's eyes intensified.

"BOOM--!"

A deafening explosion, accompanied by a shockwave of soul power, kicked up clouds of dust as countless towering trees collapsed in the wake of the blast.

With a single punch, the illusion that the Peerless Dragon and Snake could resist was shattered!

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang were both sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with blood spilling from their lips, utterly disheveled.

"Old woman!"

Meng Shu let out a low growl, his heart burning with anxiety as he looked at his unconscious wife.

His peripheral vision swept over Lan Yu and his two companions not far away.

Why is there a group of children here?!

No matter. His gaze turned cold in an instant, and a vicious thought flashed through his mind.