Douluo: Bestowing Ning Rongrong in Marriage, Reward: Heaven Shading Method Chapter 44

Tang San's drastic change in temperament made him smile.

"If I hadn't encountered it, then its death truly would have had nothing to do with me. But since I did encounter it, shouldn't I save it?"

"Not all Soul Beasts are evil. They can be good too. I don't like hearing you say that."

Tang San dismissed his words, feeling that the guy before him was putting on an act. He immediately replied,

"Soul Beasts are just Soul Beasts. To us humans, they have no value worthy of equal treatment. They are merely creatures that provide us with Soul Rings!"

Xiao Wu, who stood nearby, turned deathly pale upon hearing this. As a Soul Beast herself, she naturally stood on the side of Soul Beasts.

She glanced at Tang San and said coldly,

"Tang San, I don't like hearing you say things like that. So what if I like Soul Beasts?"

"If you don't like Soul Beasts, then leave. I don't want to see you for even another second!"

Tang San was utterly baffled by Xiao Wu's reaction. He thought he had said nothing wrong, so why was Xiao Wu getting so angry with him?

He turned and glanced at Ye Xingchen, thinking that this guy must be the reason.

"Just you wait. One day, I'll defeat you!"

After leaving those words behind, Tang San stormed off in a rage.

Ye Xingchen folded his arms and smiled faintly. Tang San really was a hilarious idiot.

Xiao Wu was a Soul Beast, yet he had insulted Soul Beasts right in front of her. Wasn't that just slapping Xiao Wu across the face?

"Xiao Wu, he doesn't know your identity, so don't take it to heart..."

"Whether humans or Soul Beasts, they're all beings just like us. Don't think too much about it."

With that, Ye Xingchen flicked his sleeve and left. Xiao Wu stood rooted to the spot, her cheeks slightly flushed and tears glimmering in her eyes.

Watching the White-Robed Man's departing figure, her heart began pounding wildly. Looking at the Soul Beast in her hands, which had already regained its vitality, she muttered to herself,

"Do you think he could be my fated one? I've been out of the Star Dou Great Forest for so long, and perhaps I came to the human world just to meet him!"

Meanwhile, deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.

Amid towering mountain ranges, a small mountain suddenly began to stir. Then, two enormous black eyes slowly opened.

The next second, the entire mountain range trembled as though an earthquake had struck.

Countless bird-type Soul Beasts and all sorts of small animals fled from the forests and mountains.

Between the mountains, a colossal ape slowly rose to its feet. Covered in dark red patterns, it threw back its head and roared, pounding its chest as it headed toward the forest plain in the distance.

Visible to the naked eye, a lake lay at the center of that forest plain.

The chest-pounding ape raced all the way there and quietly arrived before the lake.

Staring at the unfathomably deep water, it let out a low growl.

The next second, ripples spread across the lake. Soon afterward, two horns slowly rose from the surface.

The ape standing on the Shore instinctively took two steps back as an enormous shadow immediately engulfed it.

"Go. Go see her. If she returned here, something may have happened."

The enormous ape followed the source of the voice and saw a massive creature with a bull's head and serpent's body emerging from the lake.

It pounded its chest and said,

"Don't worry. I'll bring her back and check on her. After all, we haven't seen her in a long time!"

With that, the ape sprinted toward the edge of the forest plain.

The massive bull-headed, serpent-bodied creature in the middle of the lake silently sank beneath the water once more.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, Zhao Wuji, who was walking at the front, looked over the activity along the way and could not help feeling a little bored.

In order to find Oscar a suitable Soul Ring, they had encountered several Soul Beasts of varying ranks along the way. Unfortunately, none of their Soul Rings suited Oscar at all.

"How strange. Didn't they say the Star Dou Great Forest was filled with Soul Beasts everywhere? Why can't we even find a decent one now?"

Ma Hongjun crossed his arms and glanced around, feeling somewhat puzzled. He turned back and asked,

"Could it be because there are so many of us that we scared them all away? That shouldn't be possible, right?"

Xiao Wu shook her head dismissively and looked around again. From time to time, she could smell a trace of blood in the air. Feeling slightly saddened, she sighed and said calmly,

"For a Soul Beast to become a hundred-year Soul Ring, a thousand-year Soul Ring, or even a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, it must endure the passage of time before it can succeed!"

"Compared to the speed at which humans cultivate, it simply doesn't compare. With humans crazily hunting Soul Rings, the number of Soul Beasts will naturally plummet!"

Zhao Wuji, walking ahead, deeply agreed with Xiao Wu's words.

In recent years, whether it was Soul Masters' demand for Soul Rings or the fur, bones, flesh, and other materials from these Soul Beasts, all of them were priceless treasures.

Over time, countless Soul Beasts had died at human hands. The Star Dou Great Forest was no longer the Soul Beast-filled place it had once been.

"Xiao Wu is right. Let's keep looking. Oscar, don't be anxious. To become a Soul Elder, you must find a Soul Ring that suits you!"

"We're only in the outer region right now. Let's head toward the central area. Perhaps we'll find a suitable Soul Ring there!"

Hearing this, the somewhat dejected Oscar nodded. He looked around and smiled.

"I understand, Teacher Zhao Wuji. Don't worry, I can wait!"

Just as he finished speaking, a series of faint rustling sounds suddenly came from the forest around them.

Then, pink mist began sweeping in from all directions. Sensing that something was wrong, Zhao Wuji froze slightly, immediately releasing his Soul Rings and rushing to the group's side.

"Be careful. Some Soul Beast must be approaching us. Zhu Zhuqing, go up and see what it is!"

"The rest of you, move forward with me. Don't stray too far from my side. If it's a powerful Soul Beast, I may not be able to protect you in time..."

Standing beside Ning Rongrong, Ye Xingchen's lips curled slightly at the sight.

According to the original plot, this was the prelude to the appearance of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

He swept his gaze around them and said,

"Judging by the commotion, it should be a thousand-year Soul Beast. Oscar's Soul Ring is here!"

Tang San snorted in disdain upon hearing this and questioned him,

"Why are you so certain it's a thousand-year Soul Beast? We haven't even seen it yet. What you're saying is completely illogical!"

Ye Xingchen smiled calmly, looked upward, and asked,

"Zhu Zhuqing, is it extremely fast and does it have wings? Is it rapidly approaching us, and is the tip of its tail reddish?"

Standing atop a large tree, Zhu Zhuqing spread out her domain and looked around.

Sure enough, she spotted the approaching Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Following Ye Xingchen's description, she said in surprise,

"That's right, it's that creature. It seems to be a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, and its age should be around a thousand years!"

Tang San's expression turned ugly at those words. Looking at the White-Robed Man before him, he suddenly felt rather embarrassed.

"A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent? This thing won't be easy to handle, especially one that's over a thousand years old. All of you, pay attention and prepare for battle..."

After saying that, Zhao Wuji released his Soul Rings and stood at the very front. Watching the mist continuously close in from all directions, a trace of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

"Hiss..."

As a hissing sound rang out, a Black Shadow quietly appeared before the group amid the forest.

Oscar froze before he could react and instinctively took a step back. A snake tail swept toward him.

Just as it was about to strike him, a figure in white stepped directly in front of him.

With a piercing metallic clang, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's tail was blasted back.

"Boss Ye, you're incredible! Your speed is unreal. If you hadn't saved me, I would've been injured!"

Oscar was shocked and immediately cried out excitedly.

Ye Xingchen shook his head slightly as he stood before Oscar. Looking at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, the corners of his mouth lifted. After glancing around, he said calmly,

"Be careful. This Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent should be over a thousand years old, so its strength cannot be underestimated. However, judging by its condition, it seems to be injured..."

Injured?

Zhao Wuji was slightly taken aback and looked more closely at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Sure enough, he discovered a faint, inconspicuous wound beneath its abdomen.

He looked at Ye Xingchen and praised him,

"Ye Xingchen, your powers of observation are truly impressive. Anyone who becomes your opponent would be terribly unlucky!"

Ye Xingchen merely smiled dismissively. I'm a transmigrator. I'm far too familiar with this plot, so it's not strange for me to know things in advance.

"Hiss..."

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent revealed itself fully and flicked its tongue. After sweeping its gaze over the people blocking its path, it slowly rose upright.

Its enormous body was like a towering tree as it charged at them once again.

Zhao Wuji snorted. The Mighty Violent Bear Martial Soul above his head pounded its chest and immediately charged forward.

With a booming explosion, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was sent flying back like a spring.

"Now's the time. Fight it yourselves. This will also temper your own strength!"

Hearing Zhao Wuji's words, everyone rushed forward, using every ability they had.

Oscar in particular was incredibly excited as he looked at the Soul Beast right before him. He immediately conjured a large sausage and hurled it at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent without hesitation.

"Oscar, aren't you a little too excited? Using your large sausage to deal with the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent... why does this picture feel a little wrong?"

Seeing this, Ma Hongjun, whose body glowed red, could not help mocking him. With a casual wave of his hand, the Phoenix Martial Soul above his head immediately spat out a ball of flame that swept toward the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

"Who cares? He wants to compare the size of his large sausage with the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!"

Dai Mubai, moving at incredible speed, smiled and glanced at the two of them. He immediately unleashed his White Tiger Martial Soul with a roar, and massive sound waves crashed onto the heavily injured Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent like rolling waves.

"Hiss..."

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, which Zhao Wuji had sent flying with a punch, let out a mournful cry. Under the group's attacks, it looked both helpless and tragic.

Seeing the group continuously closing in, it instinctively tried to self-destruct. Yet at that moment, a white-robed figure quietly approached and punched down at its head.

"This thing wants to self-destruct. Oscar, hurry up and absorb this Soul Ring!"

Ye Xingchen killed the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with a single punch. He shook his head slightly, turned toward Oscar, and smiled.

"If it self-destructs, we'll probably have to spend a long time finding you another Soul Beast!"

Oscar nodded gratefully. Looking at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent lying on the ground and barely clinging to life, he instinctively lifted his foot to approach it.

Unexpectedly, a gust of wind suddenly swept out from the forest. Then, white frost energy silently exploded beneath his feet.

"This is our Soul Beast. None of you are allowed to touch it, or all of you will die here..."

A captivating woman's voice rang out from the forest. Immediately afterward, an old woman and a young girl slowly emerged.

Snake Grandma! Yiran!

Standing beside the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, Ye Xingchen looked at Snake Grandma and Yiran and shook his head slightly.

According to the original plot, the two of them had indeed discovered the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent first. However, without Dragon Duke's help, they had been helpless against the incredibly fast Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, allowing Oscar to gain the advantage in the end.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was killed by my Husband. How could it possibly belong to you?"

Ning Rongrong's expression remained calm as she sensed danger from the old woman and young girl. She stepped up beside Ye Xingchen and spoke coolly.

"That little girl is quite pretty, but why is she spouting such nonsense?"

Snake Grandma snorted disdainfully, tapped her cane against the ground, and rebuked Ning Rongrong calmly.

"My granddaughter and I discovered this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent inside the forest. It escaped here after we injured it. How did it become your prey?"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji sensed that something was amiss.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had indeed been injured. He looked at Snake Grandma, and the famed Dragon Duke and Snake Grandma suddenly came to mind.