With the arrival of the Phoenix Tail Crest Snake, trouble also came.
Meng Yiran and her grandmother, Chao Tianxiang.
Nothing had changed from what Salas remembered from the canon. They came, demanded the soul beast be handed over, but when Chao Tianxiang recognized Zhao Wuji and his cultivation level, she proposed settling it through 'soul master customs' to decide who gets the soul ring.
Zhao Wuji had no choice. He understood that he couldn't just kill Chao Tianxiang—her husband, Meng Shu, must be lurking somewhere nearby. So, he accepted her proposal. But since Oscar was an auxiliary soul master—specifically a food-type one—Tang San took his place in the battle.
"Here it comes, here it comes, Grandma's about to suffer a dimensional reduction attack..." Salas watched the scene, munching on melon seeds.
As expected, when Grandma Chao Tianxiang realized Tang San and Oscar's real age and cultivation level, she was dumbfounded. Where was her granddaughter's talent compared to these monsters?
Meng Yiran couldn't help but question her life choices up to now.
"Indeed, the Shrek Seven Devils were better than most people, especially Oscar, Tang San, and Xiao Wu. Even without the immortal grass, their current talent is undeniable," Salas mused under his breath.
Salas also felt a little jealous—not of their talent, but of their youth...
"Sigh... Why couldn't I have possessed a younger body…" Thinking of his wrinkled skin and slightly hunched back, Salas couldn't help but feel a little depressed.
Even after his physical body reached the Titled Douluo level, only a few wrinkles had faded. Most still stubbornly remained.
As for being jealous of their talent? Not really.
Starting with Soul Douluo-level cultivation, being able to absorb a ten-thousand-year-old soul ring right off the bat, and having access to almost every opportunity… Salas was already cheating.
---
After a long battle, Tang San won using his Mysterious Heaven Technique's fast soul power recovery.
Afterward, Oscar absorbed the soul ring and gained his third soul skill: Soaring.
The ability to fly for one minute at the speed of the Phoenix Tail Crest Snake.
An excellent soul skill. Even if it only lasted a minute, considering the snake's speed, one could travel over 2 km in that time. In modern terms, it was around 120–150 km/h.
Only Soul Emperors and above, with soul power-enhanced movement, could reach that speed. And as Oscar's cultivation increased, the skill would only improve.
"Hmm... If possible, I must recruit these people," Salas had already set his sights on the Shrek Seven Devils.
If he succeeded in becoming a god, Salas knew he'd need his own subordinates. He understood all too well that the Divine Realm wasn't a place to survive alone.
Knowing what was to come over the next tens of thousands of years, he had his own ambitions.
Ascending alone? It wouldn't cut it. He needed a faction.
"But that's for the future... And even if I want to use them, I'll have to train them... Train them into my dogs. Hehe," Salas thought coolly.
---
Tang San, after finishing his meditation post-battle, told Zhao Wuji he'd broken through.
So Zhao Wuji had no choice but to stay and help him find a suitable soul ring.
Just like that, another two days passed.
As the sun began to set, Salas—who had been following from afar in his real body—activated his soul skill, entering his Mirroring Stealth form and approaching quickly.
He had already backed off earlier to cool down his soul skill and had only been monitoring the group with spiritual power.
But using spiritual power like that was taxing… After all, he hadn't reached the Spirit Domain realm yet. His spiritual power had only just broken through to the Spirit Abyss realm when he absorbed his first soul ring.
Normally, only Titled Douluos possessed Spirit Abyss-level spiritual power. Even Soul Douluos rarely reached that unless they were spiritual-type soul masters or had absorbed a spiritual-type skull bone.
But everyone knew—absorbing a soul ring increases both spiritual power and physical strength. So when Salas absorbed his first soul ring—which was technically his ninth—his spiritual power and physique reached Titled Douluo level.
Night fell. Salas hid patiently, watching the group stop and set up camp.
"If it's not tonight… then it'll be tomorrow night," Salas thought, appreciating the beauty of the forest—and the beauties within the Shrek group—as he schemed how to recruit them.
Suddenly sensing something, Salas turned his head toward the inner area of the forest.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji and Tang San also turned to look.
The ground shook like an earthquake. Soul beasts fled in panic, running for their lives. The night turned chaotic.
"Oh… So it is tonight," Salas muttered excitedly. But realizing he was too close to Xiao Wu, he immediately backed off.
Even with his extraordinary soul skill's protection, there was no harm in keeping a safe distance.
And if any attack accidentally hit him—and his mirroring ability reflected it back—who knew who would be the unlucky one?
So Salas wisely chose not to stand in the blast zone.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji shouted, telling everyone to retreat. He activated his martial soul and took a defensive stance.
But it was already too late. A mountain-like soul beast appeared, pushing aside two thick trees with its massive hands, its lantern-sized pupils glowing.
It was the Titan Giant Ape—a soul beast over a hundred thousand years old. One of the two overlords of the Star Dou Forest.
It was Salas's first time seeing such a massive beast. He looked at it with pure curiosity. After all, he wasn't the one in danger.
The pressure released by the ape's power was overwhelming. Tang San and the others could only hold their breath.
Soon, the farce began. As everyone got thrashed by the Titan Giant Ape, Salas calmly ate melon seeds on the side.
He watched Tang San's battle instincts and his excellent reaction speed. The rest of the Shrek Seven, aside from Xiao Wu, performed decently too.
In the end, when the Titan Giant Ape roared and smashed the ground, grabbing Xiao Wu in its hand, Dai Mubai and Oscar reacted cleverly.
Digging into the ground to hide—ingenious. But what displeased Salas was the fact that both of them were holding women…
Dai Mubai was shielding Zhu Zhuqing, while Oscar clutched Ning Rongrong tightly. If they were going to die, they at least wanted to die with beauties in their arms.
"Hmph… I'll give them green hats one day," Salas snorted coldly.
He wasn't the type to fall in love. Even having a wife? Not interested. At least, not interested in Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, or Xiao Wu.
His standards for a wife were high. Anyone who already had someone in their heart was immediately disqualified—Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, for example.
Although Ning Rongrong and Zhuqing hadn't completely fallen in love yet, Salas still didn't want to take either of them as his wife.
In some ways, the original Salas and his current self shared the same taste... That is, plowing many fields and planting seeds—but not taking any responsibility.
This was their magnanimity, the result of their big hearts... a desire to contribute to society and the world.
Salas only wanted their bodies. As for who they married later, he didn't care. After taking their virginity and planting his seed, he would let their husbands raise his children.
"But this process isn't easy... Even though the former Salas played around with many women, the same forceful methods can't be used on these girls... And my fun with their bodies can't ruin their relationships with each other."
"Only if they continue to love and trust each other can the Duo of Bai and Zhu Martial Soul fusion skill be used by me. The same goes for Ning Rongrong and Oscar..."
"Haa... It's really troublesome," Salas sighed.
"Sigh... Maybe I should just leave them alone," Salas mused.
To him, benefits always came first. Even back on Earth—before the age of fifteen—Salas knew how to choose between women and gains.
To become rich on Earth, he had to sacrifice some desires. Only through learning and working hard could he climb the ladder..