I'm Yang Jian, officially online. From now on, this territory is under my control.

"Holy shit?!"

"Why the hell is that Titan Giant Ape coming back to kill us?!"

"On guard! On guard!!"

Flender and Zhao Wuji felt utterly sick at the sight of the Titan Giant Ape charging toward them from over a hundred meters away.

"You've got to be kidding!"

"It can do that?!"

"How are we supposed to hold it off this time, Boss Dai?"

"..."

Ma Hongjun and the others were stunned too.

Before fighting this thing, they had all been in pretty much peak condition, so their courage had been running high.

But after being defeated by the Titan Giant Ape, everyone was weakened to some degree. And having witnessed its strength, most of them had also begun to feel afraid.

At this point, they would have been unwilling eight hundred times over to fight this beast again.

But they really couldn't bring themselves to abandon Yang Jian and flee, either.

"If there's no other choice, run ahead. I don't think we can make it this time."

"Dai Mubai, lead the group!"

Afraid they wouldn't leave, Flender quickly added, "As Little Yang's elders, there's nothing wrong with us standing at the front when trouble really comes. You're still children. As long as the green hills remain, you'll never lack firewood."

"Flender's right!"

"Go, hurry!!"

"Just remember to burn incense for us on holidays!!!"

The moment Zhao Wuji finished speaking, he charged straight at the Titan Giant Ape. "Seventh Soul Skill-"

"Martial Soul Avatar!"

"Seventh Soul Skill-"

"Martial Soul Avatar!"

Without a second thought, Flender also forced himself to unleash his Martial Soul Avatar.

They were already prepared to fight to the death. Who cared about what came afterward?

"Hurry up and leave!"

Seeing that no one was moving, Dai Mubai immediately roared, "Are you all planning to die here?!"

"Dai Mubai, what are you yelling for?!"

"Then I'll die! I'm not afraid! At least I'll die with my husband, and I'm happy to!"

"Ning Rongrong, has Yang Jian even acknowledged you? And you want to die with him? Get the hell out of here!"

"Enough! Stop arguing!"

Ma Hongjun suddenly shouted, stunning everyone.

After all, the fatty never dared talk back to either Dai Mubai or Ning Rongrong.

Now that he had suddenly erupted, none of them knew how to react for a moment.

"I know how everyone feels about Boss. I can't bear to leave him either, but what if we've been wrong from the start?"

"What do you mean, Fatty? If you've got something to say, spit it out. Stop hemming and hawing. We don't have time to waste!"

"It's simple. The only reason we don't dare run is because Boss is absorbing a soul bone right now, isn't it? So what if we take him with us?"

"That way, neither the dean nor Teacher Zhao has to die."

The moment Ma Hongjun said this-

Dai Mubai immediately objected, "It's not like we haven't touched Yang Jian before. In his current state, anyone who touches him gets repelled by his energy."

"If we can't even touch him, how are we supposed to save him?"

"Boss Dai, have you forgotten? Oscar's Third Soul Skill lets us fly."

"So what if we can fly?"

"Hurry up and tell us!" Dai Mubai urged.

"You have the highest soul power out of all of us. If Rongrong uses two soul skills on you, your soul power will surge to the Soul Ancestor level, and your speed will increase too. What if you eat one of Oscar's Flying Mushrooms on top of that?"

"You mean I should use White Tiger Vajra Transformation, eat Oscar's Flying Mushroom, and forcibly carry Yang Jian away?"

"Exactly! We can't touch Boss, but we can make a base underneath him. Then you can carry the base and fly, right?"

"Holy shit! Fatty, you're a fucking genius! How did I never notice before?"

"All right, Boss Dai, let's get moving. Otherwise, it'll be too late."

"Right! Quick, quick, everyone, get mov-"

Before Dai Mubai could finish-

Zhu Zhuqing had already activated Martial Soul Possession and begun digging with her cat claws around the edge of where Yang Jian sat cross-legged.

Ma Hongjun had come up with this idea because he had once seen people covering graves with turf and sticking branches into them during the Qingming Festival.

The turf beneath Yang Jian's backside was precisely the sort that could hold soil together.

So, in theory, as long as Dai Mubai was careful enough, nothing could go wrong.

"Pfft-!"

"Cough, cough-why haven't you run yet?!"

Before the Shrek Academy group could finish clearing out the patch of turf beneath Yang Jian, they heard the sounds of Flender and Zhao Wuji being sent flying by the Titan Giant Ape.

And their feeble questioning voices.

"Dean, just hold on a little longer! We'll be able to take Big Brother and lea-aaah!!!!"

Before Ning Rongrong could finish-

She suddenly saw the Titan Giant Ape appear right in front of her.

"Watch out, young miss!"

"Young miss!!"

"..."

At that moment, three Soul Kings, who had been hiding somewhere, immediately leaped out of the forest and unleashed their strongest soul skills as they charged at the Titan Giant Ape.

However-

The Titan Giant Ape didn't even glance at them. It merely swung its arms twice, as though warming up, and instantly sent all three Soul Kings flying.

They landed dozens of meters away.

"Pfft-!"

"Hiss-!!"

"..."

All three immediately spat out mouthfuls of blood and clutched their chests in pain.

One of them, a young man who looked only thirty or forty, actually tried to stand up, swaying unsteadily.

"No, I still have to... Huh? Old Yao, why are you holding me back?"

"You're going the wrong way. We should go this way."

"Huh? Isn't the way you're pointing the opposite direction from the young miss?"

"What else? Are you a fucking idiot? Three thousand gold soul coins a month, and you're risking your life?!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, huh? Are you blind or deaf? Didn't you see that even those two notoriously fearsome Soul Saints couldn't do anything to that soul beast together?"

"That's all I'll say. If you still want to go back and die, I'll just have to respect your personal choice."

"..."

While the three Soul Kings discussed how to play dead and escape, the Titan Giant Ape had already raised its thick, long arm on the other side.

And Ning Rongrong, standing in front of Yang Jian, was clearly frozen in terror.

She could no longer move her feet an inch.

Even the others, who had been digging nonstop at the patch of turf beneath Yang Jian, unconsciously stopped.

Oscar's legs trembled under the soul beast's oppressive presence. He was so frightened that he even dropped the shovel he had taken from his soul tool.

"No-!"

"Yang Jian!!"

"Wake up!!!"

Feeling as though a huge hand had already enveloped the space above her, Ning Rongrong found courage from somewhere, suddenly squeezed her eyes shut, and shouted with all her strength.

The next moment-

A pillar of three-colored light seemed to descend abruptly from the sky, enveloping everyone, including the Titan Giant Ape.

The Titan Giant Ape's thick, long palm, which had been about to slam down, actually stopped dead in midair.

As though struck by a sudden flash of inspiration, everyone looked up against the light, as if they had agreed to do so beforehand.

"I'm Yang Jian, officially online. From now on, this territory is under my control."