Meng Shu struck decisively, his attack a deadly move.
Just as he was about to split the skull of Diyi Hong in half…
"Buzz—"
A golden shield appeared, activated automatically by the spatial ring, blocking Meng Shu's attack.
"Boom!"
The residual power from the speed and spiritual force explosion sent Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang flying back over a hundred meters, rolling uncontrollably before finally stopping.
"Ugh—"
"Pfft—"
The Soul Emperor and Soul Douluo spat blood simultaneously.
They helped each other up, staring at Diyi Hong in shock.
What in the world was this little brat?
But no matter what, they knew— they had kicked a steel plate this time.
Diyi Hong retracted his gaze, inspecting Meng Shu and his wife.
These two had decent strength, formidable enough to be unmatched below the Title Douluo level.
They could make useful subordinates.
After all, he couldn't waste his divine sense just to show off against every fodders. That would be a bit much, right?
Of course, the prerequisite was that they had to obey him.
If not, it'd be better to just kill them, so they wouldn't cause problems later.
Casually tossing aside the stunned Meng Yiran, Diyi Hong unfurled his phoenix wings and flew in front of Meng Shu and his wife.
He hovered there, unguarded.
"Now, you two have a choice."
"One, serve as my slaves for ten years. Once the ten years are up, I'll set you free."
"Two, die."
"Pick."
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang never expected this young man to be so ruthless!
But the situation was stronger than them. What could they do?
"Sir," Meng Shu bowed his head, "We are the Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother. The Man-Faced Demon Spider was indeed our target…"
"Whoever catches the prey gets to keep it," Diyi Hong interrupted. "Stop talking nonsense. I'll count down from zero. If you don't pick, the default answer is death."
"Sir, you're being too tyrannical!" Meng Shu growled.
"10."
"I am of the Heaven Dou Empire's ministers."
"8."
Meng Shu stopped speaking.
Shouldn't there be a 9 after 10?
"5."
The count skipped more numbers!!
"Don't push us too far!" Meng Shu roared. "We have a Martial Soul Fusion skill! We may still be able to…"
"3."
Chao Tianxiang held Meng Shu back, shaking her head in despair.
Both were heavily injured from the earlier attack.
Even if they used their Dragon-Snake Fusion, how much power would they have left?
Better to stall for time, recover, and wait for a better opportunity.
"1."
"Choose 1!" Chao Tianxiang said in a deep voice. "We'll go with 1!"
Diyi Hong nodded indifferently.
His left hand stretched out, and the Myriad Phenomenons Heavenly Pull activated!
Meng Yiran, still in shock, was pulled toward him, screaming in terror.
Diyi Hong reached out with his right hand and released a thread of divine sense, unleashing the terrifying might of a deity, which caused Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang's faces to change drastically!
The pressure was far beyond that of the Poison Douluo!
In front of them, Diyi Hong shoved the divine sense into Meng Yiran's mouth.
The power entered her spiritual world.
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang sprang to their feet, glaring at Diyi Hong in fury!
"What are you doing!?"
Diyi Hong released Meng Yiran, letting her collapse to the ground.
He said coolly, "Her life and death are in my hands now. If she gets too far from me, she'll self-destruct."
"I hope you two don't do anything stupid, or try to harbor any thoughts you shouldn't."
"Just endure. Ten years will pass quickly."
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang were stiff with shock.
Meng Yiran was their only granddaughter, their precious heir.
To think… to think he would strike right at their heart!
"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person." Diyi Hong pulled out a porcelain bottle and tossed it onto Meng Yiran's chest. The bottle bounced off, falling to the ground.
"This is called a Soul Pill. It can increase the age of a soul ring."
"The Man-Faced Demon Spider's soul ring is 2000 years old. If she absorbs it normally, she'll explode and die."
"Now, take a few pills, then go and kill that Man-Faced Demon Spider. Aside from the soul ring, there are also some mysterious rewards for you."
That's right.
Diyi Hong planned to give Meng Yiran the Eight Spider Spears.
Though the Eight Spider Spears was an external soul bone with limitless potential, it was ugly. He had been thinking about it more and more lately, and… it just didn't suit Zhu Zhuqing.
What kind of external soul bone couldn't be found in his live stream mall?
Plus, to meet the Phoenix God's requirements, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's soul ring wouldn't change. It would stay at 2000 years.
This was a way to frustrate Tang San, affecting his future potential.
But if it were Meng Yiran… she could make full use of it.
She could even develop a combat style revolving around this Man-Faced Demon Spider soul ring and external soul bone, and eventually, wipe out Tang San.
Now that was true psychological warfare!
It was her limit, but what did that matter to Diyi Hong?
It was her own doing, not his fault.
"Meng Shu, this is absurd," Meng Shu frowned, "I've never heard of anything that can increase a soul ring's age…"
"Ahhhh!!"
Suddenly, Meng Yiran screamed, clutching her head and falling to the ground, but Chao Tianxiang reacted quickly and caught her.
Still, Meng Yiran struggled violently, her expression contorted in unbearable pain.
She had never experienced this kind of suffering before, which meant…
"I know now!" Meng Shu said urgently. "We'll do as you say!"
Meng Yiran immediately stopped screaming and lay weakly in Chao Tianxiang's arms, looking utterly broken.
As expected!
Meng Shu glared at Diyi Hong but didn't dare to say anything more.
He was now a fish on the chopping board, and Diyi Hong was the knife.
They had no choice but to comply.
Picking up the beautiful porcelain bottle from the ground, he took out one of the fragrant pills and his heart eased slightly.
It didn't look like poison or anything.
"Swish—"
A sound of something cutting through the air.
Flying through the sky, a tired-looking Flender finally "caught up."
He looked pale from exhaustion.
He had been flying at high speed for hours; even a Soul Saint couldn't handle it forever.
"Is Tang San not here?" Flender asked anxiously. "I followed you all the way here. How is he not here?"
Diyi Hong pointed to the human-shaped pit on the ground.
"He's in there. Don't worry, he's not dead."
"Good." Flender breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew once you took charge, there'd be no problem."
"Of course," Diyi Hong shrugged.
Flender looked over at the pit and then cautiously asked, "What about the Titan Giant Ape?"
Diyi Hong waved his hand, and the massive, headless corpse of the Titan Giant Ape crashed to the ground with a thud.
Everyone present jumped in surprise!
When they saw it more clearly, their hearts raced even faster!
Even if they didn't recognize the Titan Giant Ape, the size, pressure, and sheer presence were undeniable.
Plus, with Flender's earlier question, the answer was obvious.
"Did you really kill the Titan Giant Ape?" Flender asked in disbelief. "Then what about the soul ring and soul bone… Oh, I spoke too much!"
Flender regretted immediately, watching Meng Shu, Chao Tianxiang, and Meng Yiran warily.
Just the thought of a 100,000-year soul ring was enough to make others covet it. And a 100,000-year soul bone? That would definitely attract attention.
Meng Shu chuckled inwardly.
So, there were people coveting it?
Well, there were, but it was this little brat who only wanted their labor!
"Ah~~~"
Meng Yiran suddenly let out a low moan, her body trembling.
It was as if…
She was… enjoying herself?
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