"What… what just happened?!"
Xiao Wu was pushed back gently by the warm shockwave of flames. She scrambled up in a panic, ignoring the bruises on her arms. As she looked up at the sky, her pupils suddenly shrank in fear.
Under the night sky, it seemed like two bright yellow moons had appeared. But on closer inspection…
Those weren't moons.
They were the eyes of a massive black giant ape!
"ROAR!!!"
The titan ape pounded its chest with a furious roar, releasing an overwhelming aura. Wherever the pressure reached, weaker soul beasts instantly fainted, and soul masters collapsed, shaken and helpless.
"Beast!"
With synchronized roars, a black cat-owl and a dark golden giant bear—each glowing with seven soul rings—charged at the giant ape.
"ROAR!!"
The ape howled back, swinging its hill-sized fists. The earth trembled as its attack tore through everything in its path.
Boom!
With a single blow, the cat-owl and the dark golden bear were sent flying, crashing through layers of trees before disappearing into the darkness.
Xiao Wu, who had passed out earlier, finally regained consciousness. She screamed in desperation:
"Er Ming, stop!!"
"Roar?"
The giant ape paused, as if recognizing something. It slowly turned its colossal body, eyes locking onto Xiao Wu. Its terrifying gaze softened, replaced by a rare glimmer of human-like joy.
"Hoohoo!"
Not far away...
"Cough, cough..."
Flames surged in the air. A young man descended with fiery wings, gently placing Zhao Wuji and Flander on the ground.
"How embarrassing. I never thought I'd be rescued by you, Hongjun."
Flander gave a dry cough, patting Ma Hongjun's shoulder before turning to stare at the giant ape with a grim face.
"Damn it... A hundred-thousand-year-old Titan Giant Ape—how did this thing appear near the forest's edge?"
Just our luck.
Of all times, why did it show up now—when I'm leading these little monsters?
"Ptoo!"
Zhao Wuji spat out a mouthful of blood, glared at the titan ape, and growled, "Dean, take the kids and go. I'll help you hold it back."
"Bullshit! How can the dean be the one to flee first?"
Flander smacked Zhao Wuji on the head and turned to Ma Hongjun. "Hongjun, get everyone to eat Oscar's mushroom sausages. Move fast. If Zhao Wuji and I don't make it back, tell Li Yusong he's the new dean."
He was about to charge forward when—
"Wait!"
The red-haired boy suddenly stopped them.
He had read the original novel. He knew this titan ape—Er Ming—was only here because it sensed Xiao Wu's presence.
If Er Ming was chasing Xiao Wu, then there was no need for anyone to fight it.
And if he approached too, he'd just be throwing his life away.
"Teachers, don't worry, I—"
Halfway through his sentence, the boy's eyes lit up.
Wait!
If he took Xiao Wu with him, not only could he lure away the Titan Ape, but he could also have some alone time with her... Maybe even take the next step?
"Teacher, do you trust me?"
He looked at them earnestly, taking a deep breath.
"Of course we do. But what are you trying to do?" Flander asked, frowning, already sensing something was off.
"Perfect."
The boy nodded. Flames surged around him. With a sweep of his magnificent wings, he left behind a fiery tail and shot straight toward the titan ape!
Flander, Zhao Wuji:
The two stared blankly at the burning feathers drifting from the sky. Then realization hit, and they shouted in sync:
"Damn it!!"
"This brat!!!"
Flander immediately entered his true form, transforming into the Cat-Owl. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "You told us not to go, just so you could go yourself?!"
"Damn it!" Zhao Wuji bellowed, taking on his King Kong Bear form. "You're fine letting the students risk themselves, but you won't even let us cover you?!"
The two were about to rush after him when—
The black titan ape suddenly let out a thunderous roar and charged off wildly in a different direction.
BOOM!!
Dust and smoke exploded into the air.
Flander and Zhao Wuji froze, stunned, as they watched the titan ape disappear into the woods. Then their expressions changed as they remembered something.
They bolted toward the camp.
A moment later, they returned to the now-ruined clearing. Flander scanned the area, his face turning grim.
The students were pale, clearly shaken—but otherwise unharmed.
Except...
"Where are Hongjun and Xiao Wu?"
Zhao Wuji strode forward and locked eyes with Dai Mubai.
"The titan ape suddenly targeted Xiao Wu and Fatty..." Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot.
"He took Xiao Wu and led the beast away!"
"DAMN IT!"
The blond boy punched the ground with a furious roar.
"It's my fault. As captain, I failed to protect my teammates."
When the beast attacked Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai had tried to intervene. Even with full support from Ning Rongrong and Oscar's sausages, he hadn't been able to get close. One roar from the beast was all it took to stun him in place.
He was the team's strongest member—yet he'd been useless.
At that moment, Dai Mubai felt the full weight of his own weakness.
"No, Mubai, you've done more than enough."
Flander shook his head and forced down his impatience. He patted Dai Mubai's shoulder and turned to the others. Their expressions were miserable.
"Mubai, lead everyone out of the forest. Don't worry—Zhao Wuji and I will bring Hongjun and Xiao Wu back."
"Dean, Teacher Zhao, take me with you!" ×3
Three voices rang out at once.
The two teachers turned around, surprised, and found two girls and one boy stepping forward. They frowned.
"Why are you three making trouble now?"
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged glances, silent determination shining in their eyes. Tang San didn't even glance at them—his eyes were locked forward.
"Dean, Teacher Zhao, if you won't take us—"
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes unwavering.
"Qingqing and I will eat Oscar's sausages and go ourselves!"
They never wanted to feel that helpless despair again—watching someone fly off into danger while they stood frozen.
"You..." Flander felt a sudden headache.
Damn it! Having a charming disciple isn't always a good thing!
"To hell with it—we're coming too!"
Dai Mubai stood up, gritting his teeth. "Fatty is my brother. I won't run away without him."
"Me too!"
Oscar gulped nervously but stepped beside Dai Mubai. "With my mushroom sausages, we can move faster."
The group formed a line, blocking the path of the two teachers.
Flander looked into each determined pair of eyes. He opened his mouth... but could only sigh and smile bitterly.
"Fine, to hell with it. Let's go together!"
"Let's bring our companions back from that damned soul beast!"
With the whole Shrek team united, the rescue mission began.
Meanwhile, the situation for Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu wasn't as bad as expected.
Red flames streaked across the sky. Scarlet feathers fluttered beneath the moonlight—a breathtaking scene.
"Hongjun, let me down. It's okay now, really."
Most of the cold wind had been burned away by the boy's flames, leaving a warm current that lifted the hem of Xiao Wu's dress, her scorpion braid fluttering in the air.
She looked sideways at the boy's profile, speaking softly.
"Thank you for saving me. But if you keep carrying me, we won't be able to get away."
Even though Xiao Wu knew she wasn't truly in danger, her heart softened when the boy had swooped from the sky like a blazing phoenix to rescue her.
"How could I ever abandon my teammate?"
Ma Hongjun didn't look down. His eyes followed the dust storm rising beneath them. A headache was already forming.
There was no doubt.
The Titan Ape had to see Xiao Wu today.
He couldn't lead it out of the Star Dou Great Forest, and he didn't dare go deeper in either. All he could do was circle the forest's outer edges.
Too bad for the soul beasts living out here... They were probably doomed today.
As for the soul masters?
Ma Hongjun wasn't too worried.
If Er Ming made such a fuss and no one ran away, it wasn't his fault.
There was nothing else he could do.