Oscar's Misery

Sacrifice the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent? Sacrifice Meng Yiran? Huo Feng drew a sharp breath inward.

He had considered the first option before—after Oscar successfully absorbed the Soul Ring.

He could find an opportunity to quietly sacrifice the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's corpse.

But the system's mission now included Meng Yiran as well.

She would not be so easy to sacrifice.

Huo Feng raised his eyes and looked toward Chao Tianxiang, who stood not far from Meng Yiran.

If he remembered correctly, that old woman was a Soul Emperor of over sixty ranks.

And Meng Yiran supposedly also had a grandfather, Meng Shu, a Soul Douluo of over eighty ranks, nearby.

Sacrifices had to follow the natural course of events; they could not be forced.

If he wanted to sacrifice Meng Yiran, he would need an opportunity to fight her.

For now, he could only take things one step at a time.

If no suitable opportunity arose, then despite the excellent rewards,

he would likely have no choice but to abandon this hidden mission.

The appearance of the old woman and little girl startled everyone at once.

No one had expected such a sudden turn of events.

But when they saw the old woman's six Soul Rings, they all immediately relaxed.

After all, Zhao Wuji's seven Soul Rings were no joke, especially those profound black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, which blatantly displayed their intimidation.

Zhao Wuji stomped the ground, landing in front of Huo Feng and the other six.

"A Soul Sage?"

Chao Tianxiang's expression changed.

This was only the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. How could a Soul Sage appear here? Her heart immediately sank, and she knew that things would not go well today.

"Is there something you need?"

Zhao Wuji glanced at the old woman, his gaze falling on the Serpent Head Crutch in her hand as he could not help thinking of someone.

His voice was not particularly harsh. Instead, it sounded strangely gentle.

This surprised Dai Mubai, who knew him well.

The Immovable Bright King had never shown a pleasant face to those weaker than himself, especially when the other party was clearly after the Thousand Year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

"Cough, cough."

Chao Tianxiang coughed lightly, making the expression on her face appear more natural and gentle.

Only then did she speak softly,

"Respected Soul Sage, you cannot give this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to that child."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Oscar, who stood nearby with a bewildered expression.

At that moment, ten thousand Grass Mud Horses were stampeding through his heart.

What the hell is this?!

He had been just about to kill that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and absorb his third Soul Ring.

Yet at such a critical moment, this happened.

Zhao Wuji held the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent by the neck with one hand and gave Oscar a look, signaling him to wait.

Then he turned to the old woman and frowned.

"Why?"

By now, Chao Tianxiang had recovered somewhat.

"Because we discovered this serpent first and were the first to begin hunting it. Otherwise, why would we have tracked it all the way here?"

Oscar could no longer hold himself back and shouted, "How can you prove that you were the first to hunt it? When we found it, we didn't see any sign of you."

Though angry, he clearly had not lost his reason.

There was nothing wrong with what he said.

Chao Tianxiang smiled faintly, her gaze settling on Oscar again. An involuntary trace of pride appeared at the corners of her lips.

"Young man, don't be so impatient. Look at this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's abdomen. There are two wounds there, made when my crutch struck it earlier. There are wounds beneath its wings as well."

"It merely slipped away when we weren't careful."

"My granddaughter has just reached Rank 30 and greatly needs this Soul Ring. As you can see, she inherited my Attack-Type Martial Soul, the Serpent Cane. A high-level serpent-type Martial Soul is the most suitable for her."

Zhao Wuji lowered his head and looked at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's abdomen in his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly. Sure enough, just as the old woman had said, there were indeed such wounds.

A cold glint flashed through his eyes. But if she thought that alone would make the Immovable Bright King compromise and let go, that was nothing but wishful thinking.

Zhao Wuji gave a cold laugh. "May I ask this senior's name?"

The old woman said, "I would not dare. This old woman is Chao Tianxiang. Thanks to the regard of my friends in the soul master world, I have been given the title Serpent Granny."

"My husband is Meng Shu, known as the Dragon Duke. This time, we came to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable third Soul Ring for our granddaughter."

"I see that none of these children beside you appear old enough to absorb a Thousand Year Soul Ring. Though the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's Soul Ring is gentler, it is still not something they should be able to absorb, is it?"

When Chao Tianxiang mentioned her granddaughter Meng Yiran, undisguised pride showed on her face.

In her view, Dai Mubai, the oldest among the children before her, was still somewhat younger than her granddaughter.

And she had immense confidence in her granddaughter's strength. She did not believe any of these children could have reached Rank 30 earlier than her granddaughter.

Hearing the old woman's introduction, Zhao Wuji was secretly startled. He grabbed Oscar, who still wanted to argue, and said in a deep voice, "Are you Senior Serpent Granny of the Worldly Dragon Serpent?"

Chao Tianxiang smiled calmly. "I would not dare claim such a title, but that is indeed me. May I ask the Soul Sage's name?"

Zhao Wuji's expression shifted slightly. He had long heard of the Worldly Dragon Serpent.

This husband-and-wife pair had made their name early and possessed extraordinary strength. Dragon Duke Meng Shu in particular had already been a Soul Sage when Zhao Wuji first heard of him.

Even if he had now reached the realm of Soul Douluo, Zhao Wuji would not find it surprising.

Dragon Duke's Martial Soul was a Dragon Head Crutch, which complemented Serpent Granny's Serpent Head Crutch perfectly. The couple possessed an exceptionally domineering Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Unless one had the strength of a Titled Douluo, it would be difficult to withstand.

Zhao Wuji was only a Soul Sage. Although the Serpent Granny before him seemed somewhat weaker than him, once the Dragon Duke appeared, Zhao Wuji would be no match for him.

The Worldly Dragon Serpent couple had an excellent relationship and were never apart. Since Serpent Granny was here, Dragon Duke could not be far away.

"I am Zhao Wuji."

After considering it repeatedly, Zhao Wuji's expression softened somewhat before he gave his name.

Chao Tianxiang's expression shifted slightly as well. "No wonder. I was wondering how one might casually encounter such a young Soul Sage. So you are the Immovable Bright King, renowned throughout the soul master world."

Zhao Wuji smiled awkwardly, thinking to himself that his renown throughout the soul master world was probably more infamy than anything else.

Since force would not work, he might as well see whether a softer approach would. He waved his hand and shook his head.

"I do not deserve it. Back then, I was indeed notorious. But these past years, I have lived a somewhat reclusive life, teaching students at an academy."

"This time, I brought these children to the Star Dou Great Forest. One purpose was to obtain a Soul Ring for one of them; the other was to broaden their horizons. I did not expect to encounter you, Senior."