Chapter 18: Battle against Meng Yiran

"May I ask for the name of your excellency Spirit Saint?" Chao Tianxiang smiled lightly.

"I am Zhao Wuji."

"So, you're the Motionless Bright King. I have heard of you in the past, your name precedes you."

Chao Tianxiang saw that the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent was on the verge of death and went straight to the point, "I will call you Brother Zhao. This snake is very important to my granddaughter. She is already at the 30th level of soul power, and we were the first to discover it. I hope Brother Zhao can show us kindness. We would be grateful, and we will definitely repay the favour in the future."

Zhao Wuji sneered inwardly. Addressing them as an old couple, it was clear that they were trying to pressure him with the Dragon Duke's name.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Wuji furrowed his brow and said, "One of our kids who needs this spirit ring has also reached the 30th level. Moreover, the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent is also very suitable for him. This matter is not easy to handle!"

"Are you saying that one of these twelve or thirteen-year-old kids has reached the 30th level?" Chao Tianxiang was surprised and cast her gaze on Dai Mubai, the oldest among them. Meng Yiran beside her also frowned, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Zhao Wuji patted Oscar on the shoulder. "It's this kid. He just reached the 30th level. I just came to guide him in hunting for his third Spirit Ring. I'm just a labourer."

Chao Tianxiang finally ran out of options. She pondered for a moment and decided to compromise. After all, Zhao Wuji was once a ruthless character who didn't hesitate to kill.

"Brother Zhao, since neither of us wants to give up, why don't we let the two children have a match to decide the ownership of the Spirit Ring? Neither of us will interfere. How about it?"

"I'm sorry, but that might not be possible," Zhao Wuji refused in a deep voice, causing Chao Tianxiang's face to darken.

"What's this? Don't I even have this bit of face? Or do you think that without the old man here, it's easy to bully an old lady?"

"Senior, it's not like that. My disciple here is a food-type auxiliary system soul master and cannot fight your granddaughter."

Chao Tianxiang was surprised once again and looked at Oscar, who was around thirteen years old. "Young man, may I ask which clan you come from?"

"I don't belong to any clan. I'm just a student of Shrek Academy."

Chao Tianxiang thought to herself, "This is probably the most talented among these students."

She turned around and looked at her aggrieved granddaughter, saying, "Since that's the case, Yiran, choose someone from the others to fight against you."

Seeing that Zhao Wuji had no objections, Meng Yiran scanned the group and ignored the three girls who were even more beautiful than herself.

Dai Mubai, she considered herself unable to defeat, the image of the fat man was too bad. Tang San was too ordinary, and the girl next to him was staring at them with hostility. In the end, only the handsome Zhou Hao who looked harmless to humans and animals was left.

"It's up to you, little brother!" Meng Yiran smiled and pointed lightly.

 Zhou Hao was surprised and thought to himself, "Shouldn't it be Tang San who steps forward?"

He stepped forward, knowing that he had been chosen as the soft target. 

He looked at Meng Yiran and said, "Do you want to choose someone else?" He was afraid that Meng Yiran would lose too quickly, and he wouldn't be able to save face.

Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched, and he said to Chao Tianxiang, "Are you sure?"

"No, it's you," Meng Yiran thought that this good-looking young man was afraid of her and laughed. She insisted on her choice.

Amidst the stifled laughter of the others, Zhou Hao walked forward and glanced at Oscar, giving him a reassuring look. Oscar felt grateful and felt that things were under control today. He looked at them with a relaxed gaze.

As they approached, Zhou Hao looked at the girl in front of him. She was beautiful, in the bloom of her sweet sixteen. Her body had developed perfectly, and Zhu Zhuqing seemed somewhat immature compared to her, not to mention Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.

The beautiful lady before him was slightly annoyed and had a trace of anger in her eyes. Her slightly brownish large eyes had long and fluttering eyelashes. She was about the same height as Zhou Hao, graceful and elegant, with well-proportioned features. Her chest was full and upright, and her slender waist was delicate and flexible, twisting gently like a snake, exuding a unique charm.

Meng Yiran suddenly revealed her martial soul and said coldly, "Meng Yiran, a 30th-level Battle Spirit Master. Please advise!"

Zhou Hao smiled faintly as three spirit rings rose up from beneath his feet showing the sharpness of the dark golden bear's paw. An imposing and enormous bear shadow appeared, crushing her aura.

"Zhou Hao, a 35th-level Assault System Battle Spirit Master. Please advise."

Meng Yiran's gaze instantly became blank, and she looked at the three shining spirit rings in a daze. Chao Tianxiang's heart also stopped. Her lifetime of experience and composure couldn't accept the scene before her. What kind of monster was this young man?

"You tricked me!" Meng Yiran felt wronged, and even the Serpent Grandmother's expression became complicated. She knew her granddaughter wanted to pick an easy target, but ended up kicking a hard stone.

"Yiran, it's come to this point. Relax and do your best. Grandma is here to support you from behind." She glared at Zhao Wuji with cold eyes.

Zhou Hao was full of question marks. He was the one she insisted on picking, but now he had become a trickster. What kind of reasoning was this?

Meng Yiran's eyes were filled with resentment. She swiftly and silently approached Zhou Hao, her two-metre-long snake staff swinging overhead, aimed at his head.

Although she appeared to be a slender girl, when she made a move, her momentum was fierce and domineering. She still had some strength, at least more than enough to beat a Spirit Master with Ma Hongjun's strength in seconds.

Zhou Hao merely shifted his foot lightly, and the Snake Staff brushed past his shoulder. 

Instantly, she turned around, as agile as a snake spirit, thrusting the staff straight at Zhou Hao's chest. 

Zhou Hao's arm swelled, and a dark golden light flashed as he directly grasped the Snake Staff. The blade between his fingers in his left hand swiftly pressed against Meng Yiran's throat.

The sharp aura made the girl's entire body turn cold. If she moved forward by half an inch, she might lose her life on the spot. This was an ability Zhou Hao had honed through countless battles, without any fancy moves but striking at the enemy's vital points.

Meng Yiran was surprisingly unafraid. With a cold snort, both of the Spirit Rings on her body simultaneously lit up. Her body twisted like a boneless snake, instantly bending into a strange arc, avoiding Zhou Hao's throat-cutting blade. The Snake Staff in her hand stabbed out once again.

Zhou Hao was prepared and slightly stepped back. In the next moment, a two-foot-long tongue blade shot out from the snake's head at the tip of the staff, instantly approaching Zhou Hao's face. It shimmered with a blue light, indicating that it was highly poisonous.

Seeing that the opponent's attack had reached its limit, Zhou Hao no longer retreated. He exerted force with his feet and almost charged forward against the tongue blade. His left claw instantly surged forward, deflecting the snake staff. His enormous right claw Soul Bone cut through the air, almost sealing off all of Meng Yiran's escape routes.

Chao Tianxiang's Spirit Rings had already lit up. She knew her granddaughter was going to lose. Meng Yiran's eyes flashed with determination. She tightened her grip on the snake staff, and the staff transformed into eight shadows, aiming at various parts of Zhou Hao's body.

Zhou Hao had held back from the beginning, but who knew this girl wanted to exchange injuries with him? Did she think that he couldn't kill her with a single strike?

Zhou Hao felt annoyed in his heart. He transformed his claw into a fist, and a surge of strength burst out. Meng Yiran was almost powerless to resist, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out as she was sent flying.

Chao Tianxiang swiftly moved to catch Meng Yiran, quickly examining her granddaughter's injuries. Zhou Hao hadn't struck too hard, so at most, she had suffered some internal injuries. Chao Tianxiang quickly circulated her soul power to begin treating Meng Yiran.

Zhou Hao waved at Oscar, took a glance at Zhao Wuji who was feeling pleased, and walked over. Oscar quickly ran over, holding two large sausages in his hand. "Good brother, I can't thank you enough. I'll say it again, from now on, you can have my sausages whenever you want."

He handed the sausages to Zhou Hao, patted his shoulder gratefully, and said. Then, guided by Zhao Wuji's gaze, he handed two sausages to Meng Yiran over there.

Oscar did so reluctantly. He clearly saw that the girl was already about to lose, but she struggled desperately. If Zhou Hao had been willing, she wouldn't have had a chance to attack at all.

"Senior Sister Chao, my disciple is still capable. As you saw yourself, your granddaughter's injuries were a result of her insistence on retaliating, and Zhou Hao had no choice. So let's accept this Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent's spirit ring as a token of our victory! Oscar, go ahead," Zhao Wuji smiled modestly but his tone was without a trace of modesty.

"Zhao Wuji, my granddaughter lost, and she accepts the outcome of the bet. Naturally, the spirit ring belongs to you. But I will remember what happened today," Chao Tianxiang said.

Oscar was overjoyed. He had been waiting for this moment for too long. He quickly took a big step forward, came to Zhao Wuji, and unceremoniously inserted the short dagger handed to him by Zhao Wuji into the vital point of the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent.

Although the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent struggled intensely after being struck at its vital point, how could it break free from Zhao Wuji's restraint? Its life force rapidly drained away, and in no time, it ceased moving.

Oscar sat down right beside the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent and raised his hand, summoning his own Sausage Spirit. Under the enveloping light of a pale pink aura, it drew the spirit ring of the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent into Oscar's body, absorbing the third spirit ring in his life.

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