Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent

The battle ended in the blink of an eye, amid the shocked cries of the crowd. The Shrek group had already returned to the hotel—those who ate, ate; those who admired beauties, admired beauties—and their pleasant meal passed with the flow of time.

The night was brief. With nothing happening, everyone welcomed the next day.

As for those from Canghui Academy, they had fled in disgrace long ago after Ye Zhi Qiu was defeated. Out of sight, out of mind.

The Star Dou Great Forest was vast. The Shrek group had not walked for long before reaching its outskirts. Towering trees stood thick and verdant, filling the air with an ancient, savage aura.

This was the most primitive of forests, a place where danger and opportunity coexisted—the paradise and hell of Soul Masters. Succeed, and one rose to greatness; fail, and one's bones would be buried in a foreign land.

Upon arriving, Zhao Wuji had everyone arrange themselves into formation. He followed far behind with his arms folded, not involving himself in the little monsters' battles, yet silently protecting them. Unless they faced mortal danger, he would not make a move.

Before entering the forest, Oscar had prepared a sausage for each of them in case of emergency. The sausages lasted for twelve hours; as long as they were eaten within that time, they would not go to waste.

Once he saw that everyone was more or less prepared, Zhao Wuji said in a deep voice, "Let's move out!"

The group of nine entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

Dai Mubai and Tang San took the lead. Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing were spread out at the sides, while Fu Hua and Zhao Wuji brought up the rear. Oscar and Ning Rongrong naturally stayed close beside them.

Having the two strongest members escort them was more fitting than anything else.

After entering the forest, Xiao Wu was the most excited, bouncing about without anyone knowing what she was so happy about. Perhaps it was her first time visiting such a great forest.

With Fu Hua and Zhao Wuji watching from behind, there was no real problem. The Star Dou Great Forest was, after all, a primeval jungle with no proper paths. Dai Mubai, at the head of the group, had to clear the way for everyone. After Martial Soul Possession, ten sharp blades sprang from his hands, becoming the perfect tools for opening a path.

They had not been walking for long when they began encountering Soul Beasts along the way. Most were ten-year or hundred-year Soul Beasts. Fortunately, their group had Tang San, a master of theory, and Fu Hua, who was well-read, occasionally added a few remarks. This helped them avoid quite a bit of trouble.

In terms of understanding Soul Beasts, Fu Hua could not compare to Tang San. But in terms of experience surviving in the wilderness, Tang San could not compare to Fu Hua. Throughout the journey, Fu Hua could be said to have been constantly learning from Tang San about Soul Beasts.

Although books also contained introductions to the subject, they were mostly superficial and could not possibly compare with the knowledge of Tang San's teacher, Master.

Master was a title bestowed upon him by Soul Masters, naturally because of his theoretical knowledge. For example, the "Ten Core Competition Theories of Martial Souls" was one of Master's works.

Though many of those theories had yet to be proven, the ability to summarize them alone was enough to demonstrate Master's extraordinary talent. And as Master's disciple, Tang San had naturally inherited his teacher's knowledge.

Therefore, when it came to knowledge of Soul Beasts, Tang San was undoubtedly the best. The Shrek group was happy to take it easy. If trouble could be avoided, naturally they had no desire to stir up more.

Watching Fu Hua and Tang San exchange terms that none of them understood, everyone silently chose to ignore them.

Top students really were top students. No matter what situation they were in, they never forgot to study.

"Alright, everyone, take a break first!"

Zhao Wuji's words made everyone relax. They had been walking from the forest's outskirts for an hour, so some fatigue was unavoidable. Since they could rest, they naturally intended to relax properly.

However, no one let down their guard. Even while resting, they spared attention to watch their surroundings.

Moreover, Zhao Wuji had only said to rest for a while; he had not said they would camp there directly.

Oscar naturally contributed his sausages again. At a time like this, no one was in the mood to care whether they tasted good or not. They ate Oscar's sausages, drank the water they carried with them, and temporarily recuperated.

This was still the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, where high-level Soul Beasts were rarely seen, making it relatively safe.

Their goal was to help Fu Hua and Oscar hunt suitable thousand-year Soul Beasts, so they would have to venture deeper. The deeper they went, the more dangerous it would become, and the shorter their resting periods would be.

Therefore, it was extremely necessary to adjust themselves to peak condition while they were still somewhere relatively safe.

Xiao Wu leaned against Tang San's shoulder. For some reason, she had been full of excitement when they first entered the forest, but after their first encounter with a Soul Beast, she had seemed listless.

It was as if something weighed on her mind. Tang San had found chances to ask her about it, but she always insisted that she was fine.

Fu Hua sat cross-legged on the ground not far from Ning Rongrong, as though meditating. However, unlike the others, she was not cultivating; she was thinking about something.

Ever since entering the forest, she had felt a familiar sensation drawing her in. It was so intense that it had nearly made her rush toward that place regardless of everything else.

She had barely managed to suppress it, but as they ventured deeper, the feeling only grew stronger. It seemed that something in the forest was waiting for her to claim it.

When she had suddenly arrived in this world, she had also appeared within this forest, yet she had not felt this sensation then—not until now, or rather, not until she began cultivating Soul Power.

"What... exactly is that?" Fu Hua could not help murmuring.

"What? What is it?" Ning Rongrong, who was nearby, asked curiously when she heard her.

"No, it's nothing."

After answering Ning Rongrong, Fu Hua fell silent. Seeing that Fu Hua did not wish to say more, Ning Rongrong also said nothing.

For a time, the resting place fell silent.

Just as everyone had rested for less than half an hour, Fu Hua, Tang San, and Zhao Wuji simultaneously turned their gazes toward the distance. Something was approaching from there.

Zhao Wuji shouted loudly, "Everyone, get up! Something's approaching!"

Fu Hua, Tang San, and Dai Mubai moved in perfect coordination, stepping in front of Oscar and Ning Rongrong first. Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and the fatty guarded the sides. At once, everyone released their Martial Souls, Zhao Wuji included.

Fu Hua lowered her center of gravity, like a leopard ready to pounce at any moment.

The rustling grew louder and louder. Even Oscar and Ning Rongrong, Support System Soul Masters, could clearly sense just how quickly the unknown creature was approaching.

"Zhu Zhuqing, see what it is," Zhao Wuji ordered in a deep voice.

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing as she silently sprang upward, the claws on her hands extending.

As though walking on level ground, she swiftly climbed a nearby tree and looked in the direction the sound was coming from.

A cat's vision was exceptionally sharp, even at night, let alone now, when it was midday.

Very soon, Zhu Zhuqing's cool voice came from the tree.

"It seemed to be a flying snake, though it could not fly very high—only about three meters above the ground. It had a fleshy crest on its head, larger than its head itself, crimson as blood. Its tail was rather unusual, shaped like a fan."

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up.

"It's a Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake. This kind of Soul Beast is quite rare! The fleshy crest on its head has many marvelous uses. Oscar, you're in luck. It's a shame we don't know how old this Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake is. Zhu Zhuqing, keep an eye on the direction it's traveling. Report to me immediately if anything changes."

"Yes. It's heading in our direction, and it's moving quickly. However, it seems to be having some trouble maintaining its balance."

Unable to keep its balance, Fu Hua thought to herself. It must be injured. Was someone chasing it from behind?

Tang San suddenly asked, "How long is this Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake? What color are its wings?"

"Its wings are pale red, and it's roughly six to eight meters long."

Tang San made a quick calculation in his head.

Then he said with certainty, "It's a thousand-year Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake. Pale red wings are the sign that it has evolved for a thousand years. Judging by its length—six to eight meters—it should have between thirteen hundred and eighteen hundred years of cultivation. Oscar, it's perfect for you."

"The Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake itself is nonvenomous. It is a rare and powerful nonvenomous snake that attacks by coiling around its enemies and suffocating them. Its attacks are very simple, but it is incredibly fast. Moreover, its cockscomb stores all sorts of nutrients, allowing it to instantly increase its speed in a crisis.

"If you obtain this Soul Ring, then your next soul skill should be related to speed. Whether it boosts an ally's speed or grants speed to yourself, either would be an excellent choice.

"Because the Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake's attack power is not particularly strong and its methods are fairly limited, thousand-year ones are quite rare. You're lucky this time."

Oscar's peach-blossom eyes immediately lit up.

"Little San, you're an encyclopedia of the spirit master world! Amazing, truly amazing!"

Tang San smiled bashfully. "That's all thanks to Teacher."

Fu Hua wholeheartedly agreed. Over the course of this journey, her conversations with Tang San had taught her a great deal.

However, Zhao Wuji could not help asking, "Since you know this Soul Beast so well, what is the best way to capture it?"

"All snakes fear predatory birds, especially long-beaked birds like cranes. We do not have a crane martial soul among us, but Fatty's phoenix is still the king of flying birds.

"The aura of his martial soul should be able to suppress this Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake to some extent. The Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake is not very aggressive. We just need to be careful not to let it escape."

"It's here!"

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out. With a low cry, she dived straight down from the air, utterly unafraid despite facing a thousand-year Soul Beast.

Her claws and first Soul Ring lit up at the same time.

Hell Stab, activate!

It was a massive snake, exactly as Zhu Zhuqing had described. It was six or seven meters long, with a crimson fleshy crest atop its head, giving it a somewhat vicious appearance.

Its rapid path forward brought it directly into Zhu Zhuqing's path. Her Hell Stab came crashing down at the fleshy crest atop its head.

The Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake reacted swiftly. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing suddenly rush out from ahead, it tilted its head and dodged her Hell Stab. Its mouth opened slightly, spewing out a thick cloud of seven-colored mist.

The fleshy crest on its head lit up, and its speed increased by another ten percent.

Dai Mubai shouted almost without thinking.

"Watch out!"

Concern clouded his judgment. Overcome by both shock and fury, he immediately activated his thousand-year Soul Ring skill.

White Tiger Vajra Transformation!

His body abruptly expanded as Dai Mubai charged fiercely toward the Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake.

"Seven Treasures' Name, second: Speed!"

Ning Rongrong's crisp voice rang out at precisely the right moment.

Dai Mubai felt his body grow lighter, and his forward charge accelerated once more. At the very last instant, he blocked the suddenly enraged Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake.

Bang!

With a muffled groan, Dai Mubai was knocked back nearly ten meters.

Yet the Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake's charging body also came to an abrupt halt. Its massive body twisted violently in midair before crashing to the ground.

"The seven-colored mist it spat out was only meant to scare us. It's harmless," Tang San's voice said at just the right moment.

At the same time, the Blue Silver Grass that had long been prepared on the ground suddenly surged upward, tightly binding the fallen Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake. Its two wings in particular were firmly wrapped, preventing it from taking flight again.

Fatty released the pressure of his martial soul with all his strength. Perhaps sensing the aura of the Evil Fire Phoenix, the Phoenix Tail Cockscomb Snake's body trembled.

But a thousand-year Soul Beast was not so willing to accept death. Though it was temporarily unable to fly, its movements had not been completely restricted.

As its body writhed, it actually began slowly breaking free from Tang San's control.

"Flash Step."

Fu Hua gave a soft cry. With Ning Rongrong's speed enhancement, she instantly arrived beside the snake.

Using thirty percent of her strength, she punched its vital point. The enormous snake body was instantly driven into the earth, but she was not finished. Another punch flew straight at its head.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, she knocked the thousand-year Soul Beast unconscious.

Gripping the snake's head in one hand, she slowly walked toward Oscar.

At that moment, in Oscar's eyes, Fu Hua was a burly man who had knocked out a thousand-year Soul Beast in less than a second. Even though he kept trying to hypnotize himself into remembering that she was a girl, seeing her lift a six- or seven-meter Soul Beast with one hand still sent a chill through him.

Luckily, he had never provoked Fu Hua. Otherwise...

Thinking of Fu Hua's fists, then looking at his own build, a chill rose from the depths of his heart!

At that moment, Fu Hua spoke again. "Teacher Zhao, I think this Soul Beast may have been pursued by someone."

The group fell silent in the midst of their joy and looked at Fu Hua in surprise. Zhao Wuji asked in confusion.

"Hmm? Why?"

"Zhuqing said that when this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent rushed toward us, its body was already unsteady. That means someone had fought it before us and injured its wings. I also checked just now, and there are indeed wounds on its abdomen and wings."

Zhao Wuji fell silent, and even the excited Oscar could not help falling silent as well.

If this Soul Beast had been pursued, then that person had to be nearby and might already be rushing over. Were they really supposed to hand over this thousand-year Soul Beast that was already in their grasp?

Zhao Wuji pondered.

"Teacher Zhao, they... seem to be here."

The sound of air being torn apart reached Zhao Wuji's ears the moment Fu Hua finished speaking. His expression turned ugly, yet the look in his eyes still told Fu Hua that he would not give up this Soul Beast so easily.

"Ah!"

PS: Why didn't it send on schedule?! I have to keep watching the time every day.

PS1: No good, the Moon Ring supply really isn't meant for me. I can't scrape together enough crystals! I can't even afford a single pull. Sigh!