"What?" Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang exclaimed in shock, her gaze toward Tang San turning odd. At the same time, she quietly nudged her husband.
The Peerless Dragon and Snake had been together for decades. Meng Shu naturally understood his wife's meaning.
"Tang San, I'm sure you understand that without my consent, it's impossible for you to absorb this Spider Demon's Soul Ring," Meng Shu said calmly. Though his tone carried little emotional fluctuation, the killing intent seeping through made the pressure on Tang San intensify greatly.
Tang San said, "If that's the case, then this Spider Demon's Soul Ring really will go to waste."
Meng Shu replied, "For us, a Soul Ring of this quality — even if it were to go to waste, we wouldn't readily let an outsider absorb it. In the Soul Master world, that's already an unspoken rule. If you join my family, not only will I allow you to absorb this Soul Ring, I'll even act as your guardian during the process. What do you say?"
With Grandpa Dragon's status, inviting Tang San twice already counted as remarkably amiable. He and Snake Granny had truly taken a liking to the boy's aptitude. After all, this child was still young — his future potential was beyond estimation.
Tang San suddenly spoke up. "Joining your family isn't out of the question. However, you must agree to one condition."
Meng Shu's brow furrowed. "Do you have any right to negotiate terms with me right now?"
Chao Tianxiang nudged her husband again and spoke up first. "What condition? Go ahead and say it."
A shadow of sorrow crossed Tang San's eyes. "Earlier, we encountered a powerful Soul Beast. It took one of my companions. If you two seniors can help me find my companion and bring them back, I'll agree to join your family. But if my friend is dead... then I ask you two seniors to help me avenge them."
"Just hunting down a single Soul Beast?" Meng Shu looked at Tang San with some surprise.
Chao Tianxiang's thinking was more meticulous than her husband's. "Isn't Zhao Wuji with you all? Even he couldn't handle that Soul Beast?"
Tang San nodded.
Meng Shu snorted with disdain. "The fact that Zhao Wuji can't handle it doesn't mean I can't. Besides, with our fusion technique, how many Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest can stand against us? Tang San, what kind of Soul Beast was it?"
Tang San said urgently, "It was a Titan Giant Ape. Approximately at the ten-thousand-year level or above." Meng Shu was the highest-ranked Soul Master Tang San had ever encountered. If he was willing to go rescue Xiao Wu, it would naturally be far easier than going alone. How could Tang San let such an opportunity slip by?
But the moment the Peerless Dragon and Snake heard the words "Titan Giant Ape," both of their bodies stiffened simultaneously.
The dominance and contempt in Meng Shu's eyes vanished, replaced by a look of embarrassment. Chao Tianxiang's brow knitted tightly, and she sighed, shaking her head as she delivered words that filled Tang San with extreme disappointment: "We can't do it."
"With the strength of you two seniors, surely you can handle a Titan Giant Ape?" Tang San pressed desperately.
Meng Shu replied irritably, "What do you know? The Titan Giant Ape is an ancient aberrant species — its strength is so great that not just us, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare claim they could defeat it. Moreover, as far as I know, there is only one Titan Giant Ape in the Star Dou Forest. Its cultivation isn't merely ten thousand years — it's had at least over sixty thousand years of cultivation to date. It is the true overlord of the forest. And the Titan Giant Ape also has an even more terrifying elder brother. Unless every Titled Douluo from both great empires gathered here, who would dare say they could hunt them down?"
Chao Tianxiang turned to Meng Shu. "Old man, we need to leave this place quickly too. I didn't expect a Titan Giant Ape to appear in the outer perimeter. This isn't a good omen. At least it seems to be in a decent mood — it hasn't started slaughtering Soul Masters. Otherwise, this kid Tang San wouldn't be alive standing in front of us right now."
The Peerless Dragon and Snake clearly knew far more about the Star Dou Forest than Zhao Wuji. Tang San also knew that with Meng Shu's status, there was no reason for him to lie. Yet Meng Shu's words pushed him close to despair.
He had already assessed the Titan Giant Ape quite highly, but after hearing Meng Shu's words, he realized his judgment still hadn't been enough. The Titan Giant Ape was even more powerful than he had imagined — and it actually had an elder brother even stronger than itself. It would take all the Titled Douluos to have any hope of hunting them. Wasn't this essentially a death sentence for Xiao Wu?
Even now, Tang San couldn't understand why such a powerful Soul Beast would appear in the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest.
Meng Shu seemed somewhat humiliated by his own inability to deal with the Titan Giant Ape. "Kid, you're not making up the Titan Giant Ape just to amuse me, are you? I don't have time to waste here with you. If you join my family, I'll help you absorb this Soul Ring. Otherwise, you can only take the second option — leave one arm as compensation for my granddaughter, and then you're free to go."