Just as Oscar was about to act, a harsh, hoarse shout suddenly rang out: "Stop!"
Then two figures emerged from the direction the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had come from and stood before the group.
The two were both female, one old and one young. The old woman looked to be in her sixties or seventies, with a head of white hair, yet her complexion was rosy and her movements vigorous. She held a snake-headed cane, and six Soul Rings pulsed around her.
The girl beside the old woman looked only about sixteen. Her neat, close-fitting combat clothes wrapped around her well-developed figure, tracing breathtaking curves. In particular, her slender, water-snake waist was truly an eye-opener.
Although the girl could not be called an unrivaled beauty, her features possessed a charm of their own. Her brown eyes stared fixedly at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent in Zhao Wuji's hand, and she, too, held a snake-headed cane.
At their appearance, everyone from Shrek felt their hearts tighten. In the Star Dou Great Forest, stealing Soul Beasts was nothing new, and people were sometimes killed over them.
However, the old woman only had six Soul Rings. Clearly, she was merely a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, whereas Zhao Wuji was a Seven-Ring Soul Sage and held a substantial advantage.
"What do you want?" Zhao Wuji asked with an unfriendly expression. He, Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King, had never been someone to trifle with.
Looking at the Soul Rings around Zhao Wuji, the old woman was secretly alarmed. She knew she could not use force now, or she might not only fail to obtain this Soul Ring but lose her own life as well.
The old woman could only say, "Younger brother, I am Chao Tianxiang. My granddaughter and I chased this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent all the way here, so it already has an owner. Please show mercy and return it to us."
Hearing Chao Tianxiang's name, Zhao Wuji was startled. Naturally, he recognized her as Snake Granny of the Peerless Dragon Snake. Since she was here, Dragon Duke ought to be nearby. Once the two reunited, he would find it almost impossible to come out ahead.
But making Zhao Wuji spit out something already in his mouth would not be easy, either, and he immediately began questioning Chao Tianxiang.
Wary of Zhao Wuji's strength and shocked by the potential of everyone from Shrek Academy, Chao Tianxiang thought for a while before saying, "Younger Brother Zhao, let's dispense with the empty talk. How about settling this according to the rules of the Soul Master World?"
"Oh? The rules of the Soul Master World? Please explain, Senior!" Zhao Wuji said.
"It's simple. Since your student also needs this Soul Ring, why not let the two of them compete for it with their own strength?" Chao Tianxiang said.
"Hehe, Senior, that won't do. My student is a support-type Soul Master. How could he fight?" Zhao Wuji said with a smile.
"How about this? I'll offer someone else. He's also a Soul Grandmaster. How about competing against him?"
Chao Tianxiang frowned and looked at Meng Yiran beside her, seemingly asking for her opinion.
Meng Yiran raised her chin and said in a clear voice, "No! If someone's going to compete against me, of course I should get to choose my opponent!"
This time, Zhao Wuji hesitated. "Then who do you want to compete against?"
Meng Yiran looked over the Shrek group one by one, finally fixing her gaze on Qi Ling!
This pretty boy was so handsome that he had to be all show and no substance. Of course she would pick a soft persimmon to squeeze.
"I want to compete against him!" Meng Yiran pointed at Qi Ling and declared smugly.
Meng Yiran had thought everyone from Shrek Academy would look disappointed and nervous now. After all, they were certain to lose.
But to her surprise, once they saw that she had chosen Qi Ling, their expressions turned very strange. That fatty even failed to hold back his laughter.
Zhao Wuji was also struggling to suppress a smile. "You really want to compete against him? Don't regret it afterward."
"Hmph, what's there to regret? I refuse to believe I'm any worse than you!" Meng Yiran said proudly.
"No, no, no. If you'd picked anyone else, the outcome really would be up in the air. But you picked him..." Zhao Wuji looked helpless. "Sigh. Qi Ling, go easy on her!"
"Don't worry, Teacher Zhao. I know how far to go." Qi Ling lightly hopped in front of Meng Yiran. "Well, chick, how do you want to compete?"
"Chick?" Meng Yiran's eyes widened, and she said angrily, "You rude fellow! I'm older than you. You should call me big sister!"
"If you win, I'll call you big sister," Qi Ling said with a smile. "All right, hurry up and tell me what we're competing in."
Meng Yiran said proudly, "Hmph! Since you're a Soul Grandmaster too, I won't bully you. Let's compare Soul Power and see whose is strong-"
"Pfft, hahahaha-" Before Meng Yiran could finish, Ma Hongjun suddenly burst out laughing. "C-compare Soul Power? Compare Soul Power with Boss Qi? Hahaha-"
The others also looked as though they wanted to laugh but did not dare, leaving Meng Yiran utterly bewildered. "What are you laughing at? Have you all gone mad?"
"No, no. But, chick, I suggest you don't compare Soul Power with me," Qi Ling said helplessly. "Otherwise, you'll lose very badly."
"I don't believe you! You only have two Soul Rings, too. How much stronger than me could you be?" Meng Yiran said disbelievingly.
Helpless, Qi Ling directly activated Martial Soul Possession. To make it more convincing, he manifested his Blood Devil Emperor Martial Soul this time.
When two brilliant purple Soul Rings lit up, Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran made the same movement together-they both rubbed their eyes, wondering whether they had seen wrong.
"H-how is this possible? How could you have obtained two Thousand-Year Soul Rings?" Chao Tianxiang said in disbelief.
Meng Yiran was even more shocked. The two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings still floated around her Serpent Cane Martial Soul, and beside Qi Ling's Thousand-Year Soul Rings, they immediately left her feeling rather embarrassed.
"I already told you. I didn't want to compete because I didn't want to bully you," Qi Ling said helplessly. "Pick something else to compete against me in."
"Th-then let's compare eyesight!" Meng Yiran said. She was usually skilled with hidden weapons and was quite confident in her eyesight as well.
But to her surprise, Qi Ling shook his head again. "You little chick. No matter what we compete in, it feels like I'm bullying you."
"On the thirty-sixth leaf of the forty-eighth branch of that colorful parasol tree five thousand meters to the southeast, there are three insects, two red and one yellow. The red ones are lacewing species, and the yellow one is a giant-foot species," Qi Ling said casually.
"Senior Chao Tianxiang, please check whether what I said is correct."
With a dubious expression, Chao Tianxiang headed in the direction Qi Ling had indicated, her heart full of disbelief. Such eyesight was simply impossible for a human to possess. Could this brat be bluffing me?
But when Chao Tianxiang returned, her expression had turned to shock!
Meng Yiran said incredulously, "Grandmother, how was it? Don't tell me..."
Chao Tianxiang nodded. "Exactly as he said."
With his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, Qi Ling possessed eyesight that ordinary people could not even imagine. Even if Tang San pushed his Purple Demon Eye to its limits, he could not possibly reach Qi Ling's level.
Meng Yiran had never imagined that her two proudest abilities would not even qualify her to compete against Qi Ling. This dealt her a severe blow. "I... I..."
Watching from the side, Ma Hongjun gloated to Oscar beside him, "How tragic. The moment she chose to compete against Boss Qi, I knew she was bound to lose, but I never thought she'd lose this badly."
Oscar said, "Shh! Keep your voice down. If she hears you, how embarrassing would that be! What if she stops competing against Boss Qi?"