In the original story, Shrek Academy and Meng Yiran—along with her grandparents, Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Serpent Women Chao Tianxiang—mostly minded their own business after a single confrontation over Oscar's third soul ring.
Later, after Xiao Wu was carried away by the Titan Giant Ape, Tang San encountered the Man-Faced Demon Spider that the Dragon-Serpent couple had prepared for Meng Yiran while he was pursuing her. He slaughtered it, and they crossed paths again. Beyond that, there wasn't much interaction.
In truth, Gu Xuan found the whole situation somewhat nonsensical. Serpent Women was one thing—she was in her sixties and still stuck in the Rank 60s with a white ten-year first ring, essentially having no hope of ever reaching the Soul Saint realm. Her reputation was likely entirely carried by Dragon Duke's strength.
But Meng Shu's strength was currently at Rank 87. He was only three ranks away from becoming a Titled Douluo. With that kind of power, even without a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, how could he let a mere thousand-year soul beast escape his grasp twice? Unless Dragon Duke was a complete fool who just watched the beasts run without lifting a finger, a single full-strength strike from a Rank 87 powerhouse should have left any average ten-thousand-year beast dead or crippled. Yet, in the original history, Meng Yiran's target escaped him twice! 'And he actually calls himself a Soul Douluo?' Gu Xuan thought.
Now, seeing Meng Yiran in the Shrek Academy lineup, Gu Xuan was left reeling. 'What on earth is happening? Just because Ning Rongrong didn't go to Shrek, did Meng Yiran just slot in to complete the Shrek Seven Devils? And hadn't she been enrolled at the Cryptid Academy? Can schools just be changed that easily?'
Well... her grandfather was a Soul Douluo who could probably pin Flender to the ground and give him a beating, so it probably wasn't a problem. Flender and Zhao Wuji likely welcomed her with open arms, too. After all, breaking through Rank 30 at age fifteen was a respectable talent, and in Zhao Wuji's eyes, she was a piece of jade worth polishing.
While Gu Xuan was surprised by her presence, he didn't have much time to dwell on it. The show was getting intense.
In the Shrek camp, Zhao Wuji lunged at the Titan Giant Ape. The moment his massive bear palms struck the beast, he was sent flying back like a cannonball. The Titan Giant Ape seemed to have underestimated the "bug's" strength, as its head was snapped back by the impact. Then, the Forest King let out an earth-shattering roar.
Enraged by the stinging blow from an insignificant creature, the Titan Giant Ape was finally done playing.
As the ape roared at the sky, Tang San's Purple Demon Eye captured a terrifying sight. A wave of black energy erupted from the beast's body. Whether it was Tang San and Dai Mubai attacking from the ground, or Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu striking from the trees, everyone was tossed aside like leaves in a hurricane.
The Blue Silver Grass binding the ape snapped into a thousand pieces. Tang San's "Mother-style Entanglement" was completely useless. 'It's like trying to restrain a ton of steel with a single hair strand,' Gu Xuan observed. 'Beyond overestimating oneself, there's only pure folly.'
Tang San, having sensed the energy wave first, reacted the fastest. Though he was blown back, he managed to control his body mid-air and caught Xiao Wu, who had also been sent flying.
Dai Mubai, the strongest after Zhao Wuji, was too close. The shockwave forced a mouthful of blood from his lips. Even as he tumbled, his eyes searched for Zhu Zhuqing, hoping for a warm embrace to land in. But Zhu Zhuqing was busy trying to survive her own flight; she didn't have a spare thought for him.
The most unfortunate was the "cunning" Ma Hongjun. His Phoenix Fire Wire was blown back by the black wave. Even with his Bathing Fire Phoenix active, he was slammed by his own flames. He rolled across the ground until he hit Tang San's feet. If the fire hadn't been his own, he would have been roasted alive.
Enraged, the Titan Giant Ape finally moved in earnest. With speed that blurred the vision, it leaped into the air. Its massive frame descended from the heavens, threatening to crush the entire group.
Zhao Wuji was still spinning in the air, having been blown upward; he was in no position to save them. Despite their preparations, the students had underestimated the Forest King. The "Mount Tai" pressure of its descent left them breathless.
In this moment of crisis, Tang San's reflexes—honed by years of hidden weapon practice—shone through. He threw Xiao Wu diagonally upward, clearing her from the ape's landing zone. Then, he kicked Ma Hongjun backward while the others scrambled away. Oscar and Meng Yiran, being the furthest, fled as fast as they could.
Miraculously, no one was killed by the impact. But as the others felt a wave of relief, Tang San's gaze turned icy cold. He saw it clearly. The Titan Giant Ape's massive forelimb reached out and snatched Xiao Wu right out of the air.
"NO—! RELEASE XIAO WU!!" Tang San's eyes turned blood-red. Without waiting to stabilize himself, he kicked off the ground and surged toward the beast. His hands blurred past his waist, launching a dozen streaks of cold light at the ape's eyes.
The eyes were one of the few vulnerabilities on a Titan Giant Ape—or any creature, for that matter. Tang San's heart sank; he knew that with the ape's strength, a single squeeze would turn Xiao Wu into a "rabbit meat patty."
Zhao Wuji finally landed. Seeing Xiao Wu in the ape's grasp, he held nothing back. With a roar, his seventh soul ring—a deep, profound black—erupted.
A brilliant brownish-gold light enveloped him as his body underwent a radical transformation. Under the influence of the Martial Soul Avatar, Zhao Wuji's burly frame expanded like a balloon. Within seconds, he stood over seven meters tall, covered in thick brownish-gold fur. He had become a true giant bear. He lunged desperately toward the arm holding Xiao Wu.
This caught the ape's attention. After all, even a bug bite itches, and this bug had just gotten a lot bigger.
The ape made a simple move that rendered Tang San's hidden weapons useless; it simply closed its eyes.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
The weapons sparked against the ape's eyelids and fell harmlessly to the ground. Then, the beast stood upright, pulling Xiao Wu out of Zhao Wuji's reach, and slammed its other massive arm into the bear.
Even in his Motionless Bright King Body state, Zhao Wuji was no match. He was slapped back seven or eight steps before he could steady himself. The Titan Giant Ape, unaffected, roared again. A wave of black energy sent the weapon-throwing Tang San slamming into a tree, his status unknown.
"No!!" Xiao Wu cried out, seeing Tang San fall.
'Xiao Wu is alive!' That was Tang San's last conscious thought.
The Titan Giant Ape looked down at the girl in its hand and gave a low growl. This time, it didn't bother with the charging Zhao Wuji. It leaped, and in a single bound, it crossed a hundred meters and vanished into the dense forest.
"Xiao Wu—!" Zhao Wuji shouted, trying to give chase, but he was far too slow. The shock from the ape's strike had nearly shattered his Martial Soul Avatar, and his soul power was drained. He knew he couldn't catch it.
Watching this unfold from the shadows, Gu Xuan's eyebrows twitched. He turned to Gu Rong and whispered, "Grandpa, I have a plan..."
(End of Chapter)
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