"Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?" Jiang Siming spoke up.
Could it be that one?
"A six-to-eight-meter Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, probably between 1,300 and 1,800 years old," Tang San quickly analyzed.
"Xiao Ao, your Soul Ring has arrived." Zhao Wuji grinned.
"The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is not poisonous. It's a rare, powerful nonvenomous snake that attacks by coiling around its enemies and suffocating them. Its methods are simple, but it's incredibly fast. The various nutrients stored in its comb can give it a sudden burst of speed in a crisis. If you get this Soul Ring, your next Soul Skill should have something to do with speed," Tang San quickly explained.
"Mubai, Xiao San, I'll leave this big fellow to you," Zhao Wuji said.
"Sure thing." Dai Mubai clenched his fists and released his Martial Soul. Tang San did the same, sending Blue Silver Grass darting out to hinder the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. His first Soul Skill, Bind, kept the serpent from breaking free. Dai Mubai seized his chance and knocked the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent out of the air with White Tiger Light Wave. Then he activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation and charged straight in, bringing his tiger claw down on the serpent's head and knocking it unconscious.
Once everything was taken care of, Dai Mubai dusted off his hands.
"Xiao Ao, it's all yours."
"Hehe, thanks, Boss Dai and Xiao San." Oscar drew his dagger and was just about to finish off the serpent when—
"Stop!" a sharp cry suddenly rang out from the distance.
Everyone looked up and warily prepared for battle.
Two figures then shot out from the direction the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had come from. They were both women, one old and one young. The older woman looked to be in her sixties or seventies. Her hair was streaked with gray, but despite her age, she seemed full of energy. She held a three-meter-long staff topped with a snake's head in her right hand. The six Soul Rings around her showed that she was a Soul Emperor. The girl behind her looked about sixteen or seventeen. Her fitted outfit hugged her well-developed figure, and her large, deep-brown eyes were fixed on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent on the ground.
Seeing this, Zhao Wuji also released his Martial Soul. Seven Soul Rings rose slowly around him.
The old woman's expression changed.
"Is there a problem?" Zhao Wuji glanced at the old woman, then at the snake-headed staff in her hand. He seemed to have guessed who she was, so his tone wasn't too harsh.
"Honored Soul Saint, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was actually the one we found first. You can check whether it already had an injury on its belly." The old woman softened her expression as much as she could. After all, she was at a disadvantage.
Zhao Wuji gave Tang San a look. Tang San understood and examined the serpent, finding a mark where it had been struck by a staff. He nodded to Zhao Wuji. Even so, Zhao Wuji clearly had no intention of backing down.
"May I ask your name, senior?" Zhao Wuji asked coldly.
"I'm Chao Tianxiang. My friends in the Soul Master World have kindly given me the title Snake Granny. My husband is Meng Shu, known as Dragon Duke. We came to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable third Soul Ring for our granddaughter. The children with you all look too young to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Even though the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's Soul Ring is relatively mild, surely they still couldn't absorb it?"
A flicker of wariness passed through Zhao Wuji's eyes. If Snake Granny was here, Dragon Duke had to be nearby.
"May I ask the Soul Saint's name?"
"Zhao Wuji."
"So you're the famous Immovable Bright King. I've heard so much about you. Since this Soul Beast belongs to no one, why not let me have it? My husband and I will owe you a favor," Chao Tianxiang said, her words carrying an unmistakable threat.
"Senior, the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest belong to no one, but we were the ones who subdued this one. Besides, one of my students needs its Soul Ring," Zhao Wuji said, not budging an inch.
"Bright King, you must be joking. Your students are so young; I doubt they can absorb this Thousand-Year Soul Ring," Chao Tianxiang said, clearly unconvinced.
"Kids, release your Soul Rings," Zhao Wuji said calmly.
Tang San and the others released their Soul Rings at once. Jiang Siming, however, was still watching the show and had no intention of revealing his own. He stood quietly to the side, smoking like a quiet, handsome young man. If they saw his two purple Soul Rings and one black Soul Ring, they would probably be astonished. But his behavior had caught Meng Yiran's attention. After all, a fifty-percent boost to his charm was no joke.
Chao Tianxiang was stunned by the sight of the young students' Soul Rings and couldn't react for a moment.
"Senior, do my students meet your standards?" Zhao Wuji asked, secretly pleased with himself. Now that was a good show.
"Yiran, let's go." Without looking back, Chao Tianxiang led her granddaughter away. Her husband wasn't there, and if Zhao Wuji attacked her, her granddaughter could get hurt.
As she left, Meng Yiran didn't forget to wink at Jiang Siming. Jiang Siming raised an eyebrow in response. Then a sudden chill came from behind him. He turned his head and gave Zhu Zhuqing an awkward smile.
"Xiao Ao, absorb it quickly! We don't want to invite trouble," Zhao Wuji said, lowering his eyelids slightly. Clearly, he was worried that Chao Tianxiang might return with Dragon Duke and cause them trouble.
While Xiao Ao absorbed his Soul Ring, Jiang Siming was thinking about the sign-in.
Erming would soon come to take Xiao Wu away. Should he follow them or not? Jiang Siming didn't know that, because of his relationship with Xiao Wu, Daming and Erming would take him to the Lake of Life. He also didn't know what kind of relationship Daming and Erming had with Di Tian. He couldn't make up his mind.
Half a day later, Oscar successfully absorbed the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's Soul Ring.
"Xiao Ao, how is it? What does your third Soul Skill do?" Dai Mubai asked.
"Hehe, Boss Dai. My third Soul Skill lets me fly, and it lasts for one minute." Oscar stood up, hands on his hips, looking smug.
"What? It only lasts that long? Xiao Ao, are you no good or something?" Ma Hongjun said, winking at Oscar.
"Shut up, you fatso! Don't expect to eat my sausages again!" Oscar roared, furious.
"Enough, don't mess around. Xiao Ao, your third Soul Skill must do more than that, right?" Tang San asked. If Oscar's third Soul Skill only let him fly for one minute, it really would be a bit of a dud.
"Hehe, Xiao San, you know me best. If you ever want to eat my sausages, just say the word," Oscar said, as if he'd found a kindred spirit.
Tang San's mouth twitched. Why did that sound so weird?
"One minute is definitely a little short, but what if I can fly as fast as the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent?" Oscar said proudly.
Everyone sucked in a breath. They'd all seen how fast the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was. Flight was a rare Soul Skill, but its duration was usually too short. If Oscar could reach the serpent's speed, that would make all the difference. It would be an incredible support ability, whether they were attacking or escaping.
"Well? Fatty, do you know how impressive I am now? You'd better watch yourself from now on!" Oscar said smugly to Ma Hongjun.
"Alright, alright! Three of you still need Soul Rings. Let's not waste time." At Zhao Wuji's words, everyone stopped fooling around and got ready to set off again.
After several dozen minutes, a powerful, imposing roar suddenly sounded in the distance.
"Is it here?" Jiang Siming was still hesitating. If he really went, he might end up getting himself killed. He turned to look at Xiao Wu. She looked troubled; he knew Erming had come to pick her up.