Dragons and Snakes Arrive Together, Is This Your Reason for Snatching Monsters?

The Star Dou Forest, this primeval jungle known as a forbidden zone for soul masters, appeared both magnificent and eerie under the piercing rays of the morning sun.

Ancient trees towered to the sky, blocking out the sun, while the air was thick with the rich fragrance of vegetation and the pungent, musky scent left behind by soul beasts.

Deep within the jungle, however, a highly incongruous scene was unfolding.

Su Yun, dressed in pristine white robes, stepped on a faint glimmer of light condensed from sacred soul power, walking across the rugged jungle floor as if it were flat ground.

He twirled an ivory folding fan in his right hand, held Xiao Wu's hand with his left, and was followed by Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.

The four of them chatted and laughed, their demeanor as relaxed as if they were strolling through their own private garden.

"Brother Su Yun, the wings of that Swift Wind Cicada were actually quite pretty, it's a pity the age was too low."

Xiao Wu giggled, her rabbit ears twitching in the breeze, looking full of vitality.

"How could such trash be worthy of you?"

Su Yun pinched her cheek dotingly.

"Wait a moment, and I'll find you something better."

About twenty meters behind them, Tang San was wielding a wood-chopping knife, sweating profusely as he hacked away.

"Damn it! Why are there so many bushes in this place!"

Tang San gritted his teeth, his feet sinking unevenly into the piles of rotting leaves.

To keep up with Su Yun's pace, he had pushed his Mysterious Heaven Skill to its absolute limit.

He had originally intended to show off his Tang Sect wilderness survival skills, only to find that the golden light barrier around Su Yun not only repelled insects but even caused thorny vines to wither and dissolve the instant they made contact.

Watching Su Yun's elegant back, then looking at his own mud-caked body and shredded straw sandals, the resentment in Tang San's eyes nearly solidified.

"Keep pretending, Su Yun, just keep pretending! In this Star Dou Forest, strength is important, but luck and judgment are the keys to survival. Let's see if you can stay this calm when we encounter a powerful soul beast!"

Just as Tang San was cursing, a violent rustling sound suddenly erupted from the woods ahead.

"Movement!"

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes sharpened. Her Nether Civet martial soul manifested instantly, and her figure became like a bolt of black lightning, darting between the tree trunks to lock onto the target.

"It's a thousand-year soul beast, and it's extremely fast!"

Su Yun stopped and looked up.

A red afterimage was darting through the forest in a panic; it was a long snake, about six or seven meters in length, with a massive, bright red fleshy crest atop its head.

"A Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Serpent."

Su Yun's lips curled upward.

"Between thirteen hundred and fifteen hundred years old. Although it was supposed to be that brat Oscar's opportunity, since that pathetic academy is gone, it would be a waste for this beast to remain in the forest."

Su Yun didn't even bother to summon his martial soul. He simply pressed his fingers together like a sword, and a beam of sacred finger energy shot out, striking the base of the Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Serpent's wings with pinpoint accuracy.

"Hiss--!"

The snake, which had been flying at high speed, let out a shrill cry. Its massive body lost balance and slammed heavily onto the grass in front of Su Yun, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Su Yun, are you going to kill it?"

Ning Rongrong ran over, looking at the strangely shaped soul beast with curiosity.

"Kill it to extract the core. Although the age is a bit low, the essence blood in the snake's crest is beneficial for strengthening the physique."

Su Yun calmly took out his folding fan, preparing to finish it off.

However, the moment Su Yun prepared to strike, a voice—aged yet full of vigor—suddenly exploded from the nearby thicket!

"Show mercy!"

Immediately following, three figures dove down from the canopy with a gust of wind, landing steadily beside the Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Serpent.

Leading them was an old woman wearing moon-white soul master robes, her silver hair neatly coiled at the back of her head.

She held a three-meter-long Snake Staff, and six soul rings (yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black) swirled slowly beneath her feet, radiating the oppressive aura of a Soul Emperor.

Beside the old woman was an old man in his sixties or seventies. Though he appeared unassuming, the sharp glint in his narrowed eyes made even someone like Tang San feel a sense of suffocation.

But the most eye-catching of them all was the young girl standing between the two.

The girl looked to be sixteen or seventeen, with neat, ear-length hair and delicate features that carried a sense of capability that rivaled any man.

She also held a smaller Snake Staff and wore tight-fitting green leather armor that perfectly outlined her toned physique, a result of constant training.

It was the Dragon-Snake Duo and their granddaughter, Meng Yiran.

"We spotted this Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Serpent first, and we have been tracking it for the better part of the day."

The Snake Matriarch, Chao Tianxiang, stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Su Yun and his group.

Although she recognized that Su Yun possessed an extraordinary air, seeing how young they were and that they were unaccompanied by elders, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disdain.

A Soul Emperor's cultivation might not be the pinnacle of the world, but in these outer regions, it was enough to walk sideways.

"Yiran, go and claim your soul ring."

Chao Tianxiang said to her granddaughter indifferently, her tone carrying an air of natural, overbearing entitlement.

Meng Yiran heard this and stepped forward, gripping her Snake Staff with an undisguised air of arrogance on her face.

Tang San hid in the back, his heart surging with wild joy as he watched the scene unfold.

The opportunity has arrived! The Dragon-Snake Duo are not to be trifled with, especially that old woman who is a Spirit Emperor. Let's see how Su Yun handles this. If he backs down, I can seize the chance to mock him; if he dares to fight, Chao Tianxiang will surely teach him a profound lesson!

Su Yun looked at the family, his face devoid of any anger; instead, he wore a look of amusement, as if he had finally encountered NPCs from the original story.

He habitually pressed his right hand into the empty air, and that black Diary manifested out of thin air.

On the page, he scribbled his evaluation with a flourish:

[Check-in successful. Ran into the Dragon-Snake Duo family.]

[I have to say, this girl Meng Yiran is quite good-looking. Her short hair makes her look capable, possessing a wild beauty that the pampered little princess Ning Rongrong lacks. It's a pity, though, that her makeup is far too heavy, especially that purple eyeshadow—she looks exactly like a sleep-deprived succubus.]

[As for this Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, their personalities remain as snobbish as ever. Relying on their Spirit Emperor cultivation, they aren't just stealing a kill; they are outright robbing us. In the original story, they were bluffed by Tang San's Hidden Weapon and his so-called 'poison arts,' and they nearly ended up giving their granddaughter away.]

[In this life, with me here, I'm afraid that granddaughter won't be saved, but as for you, Tang San, you probably won't even get a whiff of the action.]

After finishing the entry, Su Yun closed the book, the wicked smile on his lips deepening.

Behind him, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's expressions darkened simultaneously.

"Good-looking?"

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth, her gaze sweeping over Meng Yiran like a blade.

"Su Yun, you actually praised a woman who is trying to steal our things for being good-looking?!"

Although Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, the cat claws on her hands were already faintly unsheathed, glinting with cold light.

At this moment, Meng Yiran, who had been preparing to step forward and kill the snake, suddenly froze.

She seemed to sense some sort of inexplicable pull, and subconsciously, she looked up at the youth in white as snow standing opposite her.

She had been full of hostility and arrogance, but the moment she met Su Yun's eyes—deep as the starry sky—

She felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, skipping a beat.

So... so handsome!!!

Meng Yiran was stunned.

As a genius of the Exotic Beast Academy, she had seen at least eight hundred sect prodigies and noble scions.

Yet, compared to Su Yun, those people were like lumps of dirt in the field, while Su Yun was a god upon the clouds.

In particular, the aura radiating from Su Yun's MAX-level Charm Aura, mixed with the holiness and dominance of the Judgment Angel, held a fatal attraction for a girl like Meng Yiran, who cultivated a snake-type Spirit and possessed an inherently aloof personality.

Meng Yiran's pretty face turned red to the tips of her ears at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She even forgot that she had come to steal a Spirit Beast, and the Snake Staff in her hand began to tremble slightly.

"Hey, miss."

Su Yun waved his folding fan, his voice low and magnetic.

"Stealing other people's things isn't a very good habit. How about this—if you apologize to me, I might consider giving this snake to you?"

Meng Yiran bit her red lip, the arrogance she once held instantly replaced by shyness, and she stammered, unable to speak for a long time.

Chao Tianxiang's heart skipped a beat when she saw her granddaughter's state.

This... what is going on? Could this girl be possessed?

Hidden in the distance, Tang San watched Meng Yiran's steaming red face and Su Yun's calm, composed demeanor, so furious that the flatbread in his hand was crushed into powder.

Why!? Why does even a girl you just met have to fawn over you!

In that moment, Tang San's heart was completely shattered!