A scourge

The group didn't wait long in the camp before Flender returned, clutching a long, writhing object.

At the same time, everyone heard a hissing sound.

Once he entered, the light from the campfire allowed everyone to see clearly what he was holding.

It was a long, terrifying-looking snake, because each of its scales was adorned with a small, blood-red pattern.

These blood-red patterns look just like blood-red eyes.

Not only that, this strange snake also has six real eyes growing in pairs on its head, along with eerie gray vertical pupils, which truly sends chills down your spine.

The snake was being held by Flender by the head and body, but it continued to writhe wildly, its six eyes gleaming with a menacing gaze, as if it wanted to devour someone.

"What the hell is this?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but take a step back. After seeing this strange snake, she got goosebumps all over her body.

Chen Feng was also triggered by this strange thing, triggering his trypophobia. He looked at Gu Yue Ling, who had first noticed the anomaly, and waited for her explanation.

But when he looked at Gu Yue Ling, he was slightly taken aback, because he found that Gu Yue Ling's face was cold and her eyes were filled with undisguised hatred as she looked at the strange snake.

"This is Evil Serpent, a scourge among Soul Beast," Gu Yue Ling said coldly.

The Evil Serpent? Chen Feng went through all the knowledge he had about Soul Beast before and found absolutely no information related to this name.

He glanced at the Grandmaster and noticed a thoughtful expression on his Grandmaster, so he asked:

Why is it considered a scourge among Soul Beast?

Although this so-called Evil Serpent does look quite terrifying, if it were many times larger, it could probably cosplay as the Thousand-Eyed Demon C'Thun.

But you can't just label someone as a menace based on their appearance alone. This thing must have some special skill to deserve the word "menace."

As expected, Gu Yue Ling explained:

"The Evil Serpent is a Soul Beast that feeds on dragons, but that's not its most dangerous aspect. The real reason it's considered a menace is that any dragon bitten by it will have its dragon Bloodline contaminated and eventually die in agony."

"Furthermore, the Evil Serpent secretes a toxin that drives other life forms into a frenzy, causing them to lose their minds and attack other living things indiscriminately. When it grows to a certain age, this Evil Serpent will directly cover a certain area around it, and the older it is, the wider this area will be. This is why it must be eliminated."

These words caused everyone to frown. If what Gu Yue Ling said was true, then this Soul Beast called the Evil Serpent truly deserved its reputation as a scourge.

If we let it grow, it definitely won't be a good thing.

At this moment, Chen Feng understood the source of Gu Yue Ling's hatred.

The Evil Serpent possesses the ability to corrupt the Bloodline of the dragon race, and Gu Yue Ling is precisely a dragon offspring of the old Imperial Auspicious Beast, Zhengjinqi, whose dragon Bloodline is exceptionally pure.

It would be strange if Gu Yue Ling had a pleasant expression after discovering such Evil Serpent.

"Will Boss Fu be alright now that he's holding the Evil Serpent?" Liu Erlong asked with some concern.

Flender looked at the strange snake in his hand and said:

"I feel fine, nothing seems wrong."

Gu Yue Ling nodded and said:

"It's right that you don't feel anything. The Evil Serpent only has the ability to release venom when it reaches the level of Ten-Thousand-Year. Before that, it can only inject venom into other life forms through its fangs."

"Furthermore, the Evil Serpent is inherently cruel and vicious. Legend has it that all dragons in the world originate from the Dragon God Bloodline, while the Evil Serpent is said to be a manifestation of the Dragon God's madness and hatred."

Xiao Wu asked, somewhat puzzled:

How did you know all this? And what is the legend of the Dragon God?

Not only had she not heard of it, but everyone else looked completely bewildered.

Although the Grandmaster did not show any confusion, he was clearly very interested in what Gu Yue Ling was saying, and probably did not know these things before.

But Gu Yue Ling spoke with great conviction, which was clearly quite strange.

To this question, Gu Yue Ling answered with a calm expression:

"My family is a reclusive family that has passed down the Dragon Spirit Martial Soul for generations. We have a special understanding of Dragon-type Soul Beast, and this knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation."

"The legend of the Dragon God is similar, but the family's records on this matter are vague, so I don't know much about it; I just know that such a thing exists."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the Grandmaster. If we're talking about the generational inheritance of dragon-type Martial Soul, then the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is definitely among the top.

At this moment, the Grandmaster spoke:

"The name 'Evil Serpent ' does indeed appear in the family records, but the record is very brief, just one sentence: ' The Evil Serpent has six eyes on its head and a hundred eyes on its body; all who encounter it must be eliminated.' I didn't know why before, but after listening to Gu Yue's explanation today, I understand the reason."

He carefully examined the Evil Serpent's appearance, nodded, and said:

"So this is what they mean by 'six eyes on the head and a hundred eyes on the body.' The 'hundred eyes on the body' doesn't actually refer to a hundred eyes on the body, but rather countless red eye patterns. It seems I need to complete the family's records about the Evil Serpent."

After listening to the Grandmaster's words, everyone was somewhat surprised, wondering what kind of family knew more than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

However, they now knew that, Gu Yue Ling and the Grandmaster, it was best to eliminate this Evil Serpent.

"Then I'll kill it." Flender said, and was about to do so.

But at this moment, Meng Yiran suddenly stopped her:

"Wait a minute."

"What?" Flender looked at her in confusion.

Meng Yiran asked Gu Yue Ling:

"What age of Soul Beast is this Evil Serpent? Can you tell?"

"You don't mean to, do you?" Gu Yue Ling raised her eyebrows.

Meng Yiran nodded. "If the age is right, I'd like to use it as my Soul Ring."

Gu Yue Ling was stunned for a moment, then said:

"It's not difficult to tell the age of the Evil Serpent; just count how many eye patterns it has. It gains one more eye pattern every hundred years it grows."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng's face revealed an indescribable expression. So, if this thing continues to grow, it can really grow to the level of a Thousand Eyes?

What would that look like? Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

Meanwhile, the others had already begun counting the patterns on the Evil Serpent's body, and soon they had a result.

Eighty-three pieces, meaning this Evil Serpent has been around for eight thousand three hundred years.

Upon receiving this result, everyone frowned.

The Grandmaster pondered for a moment and said:

"If the Ring Expansion Method could be used, an 8,300-year-old Soul Beast would be worth a try, but this Evil Serpent can only be hunted using the Hunting Ring Method, so an 8,300-year-old one would be in some danger."

When absorbing Soul Ring using the Soul Hunting Ring Method, the residual will of the Soul Beast can hinder the absorption process. The higher the age of the Soul Beast, the stronger the resistance. Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can even create Soul Shock, directly attacking the Soul Master's soul.

The optimal age for the Fourth Soul Ring is between four thousand and six thousand years, and this Evil Serpent is clearly beyond that age for Meng Yiran.

Furthermore, according to Gu Yue Ling's description, the Evil Serpent was formed from the hatred and madness of some Dragon God, and its personality was cruel and vicious, which would make the absorption of the Soul Ring even more difficult.

Moreover, the immortal Immortal Herb Meng Yiran consumed was the Fierce Spirit Blood Amber, which was not as effective as other Immortal Herb in enhancing physical constitution.

All things considered, there is probably some risk in Meng Yiran absorbing the Evil Serpent's Soul Ring.

The others understood the Grandmaster's meaning and urged Meng Yiran to give up on the Soul Beast. They reasoned that there were plenty of Thousand-Year level Soul Beast in Sunset Forest; why worry about finding one of more suitable Soul Beast?

Even if Meng Yiran is not capable of using the Ring Expansion Method to break through to Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, she can settle for second best, since the Ring Expansion Method is much safer than the Hunting Ring Method.

Chen Feng even wanted to recommend the 6,000-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider in Sunset Forest, which was the Soul Ring he originally planned to have Meng Yiran obtain when he came here, if they could encounter it.

However, after thinking about it, he still didn't say anything. In his opinion, the transcendent Soul Ring was actually a standard for geniuses, and there was no need to discourage Meng Yiran from taking a gamble.

"This..." Meng Yiran hesitated for a moment due to everyone's persuasion, but she finally shook her head and said:

"I still want to give it a try. Eight thousand three hundred years isn't that much longer than six thousand years, so it's not necessarily impossible."

"Are you after the Evil Serpent's frenzied venom?" Chen Feng asked.

Meng Yiran nodded. "We're about to participate in the Spirit Master Tournament. I feel that the Berserk Poison should be quite effective in the Spirit Master Tournament. Even without considering the Spirit Master Tournament, the Berserk Poison itself is quite good and worth a shot."

"But this is already beyond the limit. What if something goes wrong?" Oscar said with some concern.

"Don't worry, I'm not that fragile," Meng Yiran said with a smile.

The reason she made this decision, besides the reasons she just mentioned, was also because among these eleven people, she seemed somewhat less outstanding compared to the others.

Meng Yiran is actually a year older than Dai Mubai, but her Soul Power is far inferior.

As for her Soul Skill, only her Foundation Ring can be considered outstanding; the other two Soul Skill are relatively mediocre.

Therefore, Meng Yiran did not want to miss this Evil Serpent. From Gu Yue Ling's description, she knew that although the Evil Serpent was quite dangerous, its powerful abilities were undeniable, and it would definitely bring her a good Soul Ring.

Seeing that Meng Yiran had made up her mind, no one tried to persuade her anymore. After all, they were all geniuses, and it was understandable that they would occasionally do something unconventional.

Moreover, as Meng Yiran just said, the Evil Serpent's lifespan hasn't exceeded that limit by much, so she still has a chance to succeed.

Flender and the other three teachers exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then agreed to Meng Yiran's risk.

But he still gave instructions:

"Don't push yourself too hard. Be careful and cautious. If you sense anything is wrong, give up immediately."

"I know, Dean." Meng Yiran nodded.

At this moment, the Evil Serpent in Flender's hand seemed to know what it was about to face, and struggled even more frantically, its six eyes fixed on Meng Yiran, filled with hatred and resentment.

Meng Yiran was startled by the Evil Serpent's eyes, but she quickly mustered her courage and plunged her Serpent Cane into the Evil Serpent's head, whereupon a bright purple Soul Ring appeared.

Meng Yiran used her Soul Power to activate the purple Soul Ring and absorbed it into her body.

As she absorbed the Soul Ring, the Serpent Cane in her hand also came to life, transforming into Transforming Serpent.

It opened its huge mouth, bit the Evil Serpent, and then swallowed it bit by bit.

This scene surprised everyone; none of them had expected that this Transforming Serpent would have the ability to eat.

But before they could be surprised for long, Meng Yiran let out a muffled groan, and a look of pain appeared on her face.

"Still!" Oscar immediately tensed up.

Everyone else was also closely monitoring Meng Yiran's situation, ready to prevent any unexpected incidents.

At this moment, the Transforming Serpent that had swallowed the Evil Serpent slithered up Meng Yiran's shoulder and then coiled up there with its eyes closed.

Strangely enough, after the Transforming Serpent closed its eyes and coiled up, the pain on Meng Yiran's face gradually lessened.

Although she still didn't seem to be in a good mood, she wasn't reacting as violently as before. Judging from this, she should have no problem successfully absorbing the Soul Ring.

This scene caught Chen Feng's attention. He wondered if there was any connection between the Transforming Serpent's coiled position and Meng Yiran's reduced pain.

If it's just a coincidence, then there's nothing to say.

But if it's not a coincidence, then it means that the Transforming Serpent has the ability to provide certain assistance to its master during the process of absorbing the Soul Ring.

Chen Feng is not yet clear about the specifics of the situation, nor about the specifics of the help provided by the Transforming Serpent.

We can only ask Meng Yiran after she wakes up.

After this incident, no one was sleepy anymore, so they all gathered around the campfire to warm themselves while checking on Meng Yiran.

Gu Yue Ling stared blankly at the campfire, lost in thought. Xiao Wu glanced at her subtly, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

As time passed, Meng Yiran's condition gradually stabilized, and the pain on her face disappeared, indicating that the absorption of the Soul Ring was most likely to proceed without any problems.

It wasn't until dawn that Meng Yiran finally made a move.

She opened her eyes and summoned her Martial Soul, the Serpent Cane. Four Soul Ring, two yellow and two purple, appeared, indicating that Meng Yiran had successfully advanced to the Soul Ancestor Realm.

As Meng Yiran's condition gradually stabilized, most people settled down around the campfire to rest peacefully in the latter half of the night.

Only four teachers and Oscar remained to watch over Meng Yiran, so Oscar noticed her as soon as she woke up.

"Congratulations, Yiran, you are now Soul Ancestor."