Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent (Part 2)

Zhu Zhuqing panted heavily.

She wiped the blood splatters from her face with her sleeve, her cold, clear features betraying little emotion.

Only her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the exhaustion she felt at this moment.

If not for the grueling week of weighted training, she would never have possessed such reaction speed; she would have surely died beneath the serpent's fangs long ago.

Just as the three of them let out a sigh of relief, a heart-stopping chill suddenly struck from behind, a killing intent a hundred times more intense than that of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent they had just faced.

The grass beneath their feet turned black and withered at a visible rate, and the very air seemed to congeal like glue.

The air they inhaled was thick with a pungent, fishy stench, pressing against their chests until breathing became a struggle.

From the depths of the flower bushes, a serpentine shadow slithered out.

Its body was nearly twice the size of the previous one, its scales a deep crimson that shimmered with a cold, metallic luster.

The crest atop its head was no longer bright red, but a near-purple black, so engorged it looked as if it might burst at any moment.

The edges of its vibrating wings were rimmed with ink-black patterns, and the wind stirred by their flapping carried a nauseating, heavy stench.

It flicked its forked black tongue, its cold, vertical pupils locked firmly onto the three of them.

A terrifying wave of soul power pressed down like a physical force, causing the gravel beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

It was clearly a beast with 1,900 years of cultivation, just one step away from the so-called Soul Ancestor realm!

"H-how could there be two?"

Li Moyue covered her mouth in terror, her legs giving way until she nearly collapsed to the ground, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"The intelligence report clearly stated there was only one 1,100-year-old serpent..."

Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her delicate brows, instantly grasping the crux of the situation.

It was the death cry of the previous serpent that had lured this one here.

In the current situation, let alone this beast at the threshold of the Soul Ancestor realm, even if another 1,400-year-old one appeared, they would have absolutely no chance of victory.

Lei Xiang's face turned as pale as paper.

The previous battle had already exhausted most of his soul power, and he could barely stand steady now.

He turned his head abruptly and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the depths of the forest, "Teacher! Teacher! Save us!"

The forest remained deathly silent.

Zhu Zhuqing's heart sank.

They had already completed the mission of hunting the thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent; this stronger one was never part of the plan.

If Lang Taihui intervened, he could resolve this in an instant.

But why was he still not appearing?

She, of course, did not know that the Red Cardinal was hiding in the shadows of the trees a hundred meters away, watching this life-or-death struggle with cold, detached eyes.

In this critical moment, she subconsciously whispered in her heart:

"Teacher... are you there?"

There was no response.

"Teacher, have you not awakened yet? I... I need you."

There was still only a deathly silence.

It felt as if she had returned to those days she refused to recall.

It seemed she had become all alone once again.

Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth.

Now was not the time to dwell on such things; there was no time for hesitation.

To stand here foolishly waiting for someone to save them was a path to certain death.

She immediately shouted:

"Split up and run! Toward the edge of the forest!"

Before her voice had even faded, her first Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet.

Her figure flashed, darting into the dense forest on the left.

Lei Xiang's eyes widened, and he remained standing foolishly in place, unable to move.

"Senior Brother Lei, run!"

Li Moyue grabbed his wrist and dragged him, sprinting wildly in the opposite direction.

All of this was taken in by Lang Taihui, who remained hidden in the tree shadows a hundred meters away.

He hunched his body, a sinister smile appearing on his withered face as he silently licked his cracked lips.

"Hurry up and reveal your trump card, little girl."

"If you don't reveal it now, you really are going to die here."

His gaze swept over the panicked Li Moyue, a hint of perverted excitement flashing in his eyes.

"My precious Yue'er will certainly be fine; she has the mark I planted within her."

"Never mind a little snake under two thousand years old, even a true Soul Ancestor-level soul beast couldn't harm a hair on her head."

Seeing Li Moyue instinctively pull the dazed Lei Xiang along as she fled, a cold, cruel glint instantly flashed in the depths of Lang Taihui's eyes.

"As for that brat Lei Xiang... hmph, a useless piece of trash."

"If it weren't for little Yue'er thinking of you, and the fact that I have always enjoyed helping others fulfill their wishes, how could I have kept you alive until now?"

"When you lost to that little girl from the Zhu Family last time, I should have thrown you to the soul beasts as feed."

On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing was fleeing at high speed through the forest.

She had guessed correctly; because she was covered in the most snake blood, the giant serpent had locked all its hatred onto her, pursuing her relentlessly.

Yet, she didn't have the slightest intention of fighting head-on, forced to rely on the crisscrossing rock crevices and giant trees to dodge continuously.

The serpent's speed was more than double that of the previous one, the foul, fishy wind lingering constantly behind her, its cold, flickering tongue nearly licking the back of her neck.

The wound on her left arm had long since torn open, blood soaking through her sleeve and dripping onto the ground from her fingertips, every exertion sending a piercing pain through her body.

Her stamina was draining rapidly, her vision beginning to darken in waves, and her dodging movements gradually slowing down.

Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Lang Taihui narrowed his eyes slightly.

This girl's resilience far exceeded his expectations, yet she couldn't hold on for much longer.

Could it be that she really has no trump card?

Before Hu Liena left, she had specifically instructed that nothing must happen to Zhu Zhuqing.

If he really let her die, even as a Red Cardinal, it would be difficult to explain.

After all, this matter was of great importance; standing behind it was not just Hu Liena, but the entire Papal Palace, the Pope herself, and that group of Titled Douluo elders.

Lang Taihui hesitated for a moment, his figure instantly vanishing from where he stood, darting toward the direction of Zhu Zhuqing.

But just at that moment.

A deafening tiger roar suddenly erupted from the mountain forest not far away.

That incomparably domineering pressure echoed throughout the entire valley.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, which had already forced Zhu Zhuqing into a desperate situation, instantly stiffened, its purple-black crest drooping abruptly as its scales shivered violently.

It glanced in terror toward the direction from which the roar had come, casting aside all thoughts of revenge or hatred.

It only focused on flapping its wings with all its might, turning and fleeing deep into the flower bushes, disappearing without a trace within a few breaths.

This is the difference between soul beasts and soul masters.

To a soul beast, this tiger roar was an absolute suppression from the depths of their bloodline, a fear carved into their very genes.

They would instantly lose all thoughts of resistance, leaving only the instinct to flee.

Even a mere trace of that aura was enough to make them scatter in terror.

But soul masters are different.

Soul masters would only feel a tremor originating from their souls, yet they would not lose the ability to act.

Their first reaction is to judge the opponent's cultivation, their second is to assess the threat, and only their third is to decide whether to fight or flee.

Lang Taihui's first reaction was shock and suspicion: "What is that?"

Immediately following, a look of wild joy appeared on his face.

"A tiger roar capable of directly scaring off this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent—the cultivation of this tiger-type soul beast must be at least ten thousand years!"