Unrecognizable

With a flash, Meng Yiran swiftly arrived before Zhu Zhuqing. Her two-meter-long Serpent Cane came crashing down at Zhu Zhuqing's head.

Meng Yiran looked like nothing more than a slender young girl, but once she started fighting, she was nothing like one.

Not only was her aura exceedingly fierce, but her Soul Power was filled with a domineering presence.

Yet when it came to speed, she was inferior to Zhu Zhuqing.

As the Serpent Cane came smashing down, Zhu Zhuqing slid backward.

At the same time, the first soul ring on her body lit up.

"First Soul Skill—Hell Stab!"

At such close range, the damage of the attack could be amplified countless times over.

Meng Yiran sensed the danger as well and tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

In an instant, she went from the attacker to the defender.

Her soul ring lit up as well.

"Second Soul Skill—Serpent Body!"

Using Serpent Body, Meng Yiran sidestepped and narrowly avoided Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Stab.

Activating her Second Soul Skill in such a critical moment had also consumed a great deal of her Soul Power.

That put her in an even more passive position.

Meng Yiran had never expected Zhu Zhuqing to surpass her so greatly in both speed and reaction time.

If that strike had landed just now, she would have been either dead or severely wounded.

"Hmph, die!"

Meng Yiran snorted coldly, her killing intent reaching its peak.

"I never intended to kill you, but I've changed my mind now."

The moment Zhu Zhuqing sensed Meng Yiran's killing intent, her heart turned cold. If she did not kill her, then she would be killed herself.

"Second Soul Skill—Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

Zhu Zhuqing flashed forward. She was so fast that Meng Yiran instantly lost sight of her.

At the same time, black claws extended from Zhu Zhuqing's hands.

Meng Yiran spun around once, yet still failed to catch sight of Zhu Zhuqing. She could only use her First Soul Skill to endure the attack head-on.

"First Soul Skill—Serpent Blade!"

Unable to lock onto Zhu Zhuqing, Meng Yiran could only attack at random and gamble on her luck.

Unfortunately, she guessed wrong.

Zhu Zhuqing was even faster than her. In no more than a breath, she had appeared behind Meng Yiran, and her ten elongated claws struck directly at her back.

The same spot was instantly hit hundreds of times by those claws.

With no defense, Meng Yiran was blasted away.

Her back was now a bloody, mangled mess, without a single patch of uninjured flesh.

She could not even stand up.

Not only that, because everything had happened too quickly for anyone to notice, Zhu Zhuqing had also slashed Meng Yiran's pretty little face once.

Though it was only one slash, those elongated claws were enough to disfigure her permanently, the kind of damage that could never be healed in her lifetime.

That blow was even more painful to her than killing her outright.

Meng Yiran lay sprawled on the ground, in too much pain to rise. She could not even cry out.

She could only sob continuously.

"Yiran!"

The Peerless Dragon Serpent were stunned as well.

With a flash, they arrived before their beloved granddaughter. Seeing her mangled, bloody back felt like someone had seized their hearts.

This was their most cherished granddaughter, their most talented granddaughter, and she had been clawed into such a state.

Unforgivable!

But the moment they thought of Chen Ping'an's terrifying strength, their spirits deflated.

Meng Shu said in a low voice, "We concede!"

All they could do now was leave their fate to heaven.

Of course, Chen Ping'an was not unreasonable. Since they had conceded, he would naturally not keep pressing them. They only needed to do what had been required from the beginning.

But after they stopped Meng Yiran's bleeding and lifted her up, they discovered her bloodied, mangled face.

They were utterly stunned.

To a woman, her face was as important as her life. Now that she had been disfigured, what difference was there from killing her?

"Too much! This is too much! You're both women, so why did you have to be so ruthless?"

Chao Tianxiang pointed at Zhu Zhuqing and berated her furiously.

If not for Chen Ping'an standing here, she would have rushed over and attacked Zhu Zhuqing long ago.

"You two are renowned experts, so I'm sure you sensed your granddaughter's killing intent just now. She wanted to kill me. What's wrong with being a little ruthless? You should be thankful that I spared her life."

With Chen Ping'an here, Zhu Zhuqing had nothing to fear.

Facing Chao Tianxiang's accusations, she retorted without the slightest panic.

"You!"

Chao Tianxiang pointed at Zhu Zhuqing, unable to think of a response for a moment.

This was utterly humiliating. If word of today's events spread, the Peerless Dragon Serpent's reputation would be completely ruined.

"Since you've conceded, stop babbling here. Go straight into the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest and provoke that dead monkey."

Chen Ping'an took a step forward, and his oppressive aura crashed over them, making the Peerless Dragon Serpent dare not say another word.

Their granddaughter had been so seriously injured that she could not leave the Star Dou Great Forest on her own.

No matter the outcome, this was a dead end!

The Peerless Dragon Serpent were utterly disheartened.

Had they known things would turn out this way, they would never have left home.

On the verge of tears, they could only try their luck.

If they were lucky, they might make it out alive. If not, they would become food for the Titan Giant Ape.

"Ha ha ha! The mighty Peerless Dragon Serpent couple—if you knew this would happen, why did you act that way in the first place?!"

Zhao Wuji sneered disdainfully.

So what if the two of you were powerful? Before Shrek Academy, you were nothing but trash.

Faced with Zhao Wuji's mockery, the Peerless Dragon Serpent could only glare at him fiercely before taking Meng Yiran into the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Not long after the three of them left,

Zhao Wuji, who had been looking relaxed, instantly tensed up.

He immediately summoned his Martial Soul Avatar and fused with the Vajra Bear.

Then he roared, "Everyone, retreat at once!"

After several days of training, everyone's awareness and reactions had undergone a qualitative leap.

The moment his words fell, everyone scattered.

"Teacher Chen!"

Zhao Wuji looked gravely at Chen Ping'an. Of everyone present, only Chen Ping'an could ensure their safety.

"It's nothing. Just a little monkey."

Chen Ping'an waved his hand and stared ahead.

The Titan Giant Ape was charging toward them at incredible speed.

Its terrifying aura made Zhao Wuji feel suffocated.

Especially because his Martial Soul was the Vajra Bear, the Titan Giant Ape's aura suppressed him to a certain degree.

"Teacher Zhao, what happened?"

Dai Mubai dashed to Zhao Wuji's side. It was his first time seeing Zhao Wuji this tense.

It was not only Dai Mubai.

Even the seasoned Ma Hongjun and Oscar had never seen Zhao Wuji this nervous.

Before Zhao Wuji could explain,

the ground began to shake violently.

The earth itself trembled.

With the Titan Giant Ape drawing closer, everyone's nerves tightened.

Only Xiao Wu looked ahead with worry on her face.

She knew that her Er Ming had come looking for her.

Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking.

In the direction Zhao Wuji was watching,

two towering trees slowly parted to either side, and an enormous figure silently emerged from between them.