Plan

With Tang San's foresight, and given that his combat experience at this point was worlds apart from his previous life's, the difference was like heaven and earth.

The group quickly subdued the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

As Oscar absorbed the soul ring, everyone surrounded him. A soul master absolutely could not be disturbed while absorbing a soul ring; at best, such interference would result in severe injury, and at worst, their cultivation would never advance again for the rest of their life.

Everyone rested while Tang San kept watch over the surrounding area.

After being repeatedly rejected by Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai was already in a foul mood. Seeing Tang San obviously on guard, he could not help approaching him. "Little San, what are you looking at?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'm watching the surroundings. This Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was already injured before it encountered us. There are two very obvious man-made wounds on its abdomen. Oscar is absorbing the soul ring and cannot be disturbed."

Oscar was the helper he had chosen. Without Oscar, the Nine-Colored Goddess would never favor Ning Rongrong, and without Ning Rongrong, there would be no Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Resurrection Divine Light. Even if Ning Rongrong had the Aromatic Silk Beauty, she would not be of much use against deities in the future.

Dai Mubai looked over at once after hearing this. Sure enough, there were two wounds on the snake's abdomen, and he immediately reported the situation to Zhao Wuji.

"Not bad. Very observant." Zhao Wuji could not help regarding Tang San more highly, and he approved of the two boys' concern for their companion.

Having returned after rebirth, Tang San had already mapped out his companions' future development.

He would let Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong continue developing as they had before. As for Zhu Zhuqing, one thing was certain: this time, he absolutely would not give her Immortal Herbs.

"Boss Dai, have there been any developments these past few days?" Tang San meaningfully lifted his chin.

Dai Mubai's expression immediately darkened. He glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, and seeing that she still looked as though she kept everyone at arm's length, he snorted coldly.

"Humph."

Tang San said no more. Perhaps because she possessed a life-saving treasure like Red Dust Blessing, Zhu Zhuqing's attitude toward Dai Mubai was even worse this time than it had been in his previous life.

Moreover, he had met his future son-in-law. While Huo Yuhao was indeed Dai Mubai's blood descendant, he was not Zhu Zhuqing's.

Tang San knew better than anyone how much Huo Yuhao attracted women. Wherever he went, there were always women willing to remain devoted to him until death. He might as well use this opportunity to get rid of Zhu Zhuqing.

Losing Zhu Zhuqing from the team would merely mean losing the Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill. To the team he had chosen, that was nothing.

He could even gain a defensive Soul Tool of at least Level 9 for free. The only question now was whether the Red Dust Blessing on her had been modified by Huo Yuhao.

Soul Tools could take countless forms, and their effects were no less impressive than soul skills. Beyond defense, who knew whether he had added other functions to it?

It would be fine if Huo Yuhao had modified it while he was still in the mortal world. But if he had done so in the God Realm, then even the worst thing made by a god was still a god's creation.

Just as Tang San was pondering this, a sharp cry rang out. A large patch of branches was pushed aside, and an old woman and a young girl emerged. They were none other than Meng Yiran and her grandmother, the Serpent Woman, whom he had seen in his previous life.

Meng Yiran immediately spotted the brilliant purple soul ring floating there. What was there left to misunderstand? The soul beast she had pursued for days had already been taken by someone else.

"Grandma, look! They stole my Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!" Meng Yiran glared with her round eyes at the corpse beside Oscar, her heart filled with indignation. She had chased that snake for two days. How could she possibly accept this?

Tang San immediately stepped forward two paces, shielding everyone behind him.

"Senior, please wait. My brother has already begun absorbing the soul ring. Please do not disturb him," Tang San said calmly as he looked at Chao Tianxiang.

The Serpent Woman's expression immediately turned cold. The youth's words sounded polite, yet they were not courteous in the slightest. She had roamed the soul master world for years, and this was the first time a junior had dared speak to her like this.

"Humph! This is not your place to speak." The Serpent Woman snorted, and the pressure belonging to a Soul Emperor bore down directly on Tang San.

Naturally, Tang San was unaffected by that pressure. The poison needles in his hand were already prepared. Though he had taught Meng Yiran the art of hidden weapons in his previous life, times had changed. If the two of them truly interfered with Oscar, killing them would not be out of the question.

"Sir! It is not your place to discipline my disciple!" Zhao Wuji stepped out from behind Tang San and likewise unleashed the aura of a Soul Saint.

Chao Tianxiang's face instantly turned pale. Clutching her chest, she staggered back two steps. Meng Yiran hurried forward to support her grandmother, her heart tightening. Her grandfather was not here, yet she had brought such enormous trouble upon her grandmother.

"This old woman is Chao Tianxiang, the Serpent Woman. May I ask who you are?" Chao Tianxiang steadied herself with her granddaughter's arm and asked solemnly.

When Zhao Wuji heard Chao Tianxiang call herself the Serpent Woman, a name immediately surfaced in his mind: the Peerless Dragon Snake. His expression worsened at once.

He did not regard a Soul Emperor as a threat. The crucial point was that the Dragon Duke of the Peerless Dragon Snake had already been a famous Soul Saint in his early years. After so many years, he was very likely a Soul Douluo now.

Furthermore, the two possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill and could very possibly wield the strength of a Titled Douluo.

"I am Zhao Wuji. I have long heard of the great name of the Peerless Dragon Snake. My disciple has already begun absorbing the soul ring, so how about giving Zhao some face?" Zhao Wuji said as he stepped forward two paces, intending to suppress them with force.

"So it is the Immovable Bright King. I will remember today's matter. Yiran, let's go." Upon hearing that it was Zhao Wuji, the Serpent Woman no longer intended to delay until the Dragon Duke arrived. Zhao Wuji had escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit unscathed, so he was naturally not someone to be taken lightly.

It was only a thousand-year soul beast. If this one was gone, they could simply find another.

With that, she pulled her granddaughter and retreated.

Seeing them leave, Tang San also breathed a sigh of relief. Oscar was the most important thing right now. He then pretended to have been injured by Chao Tianxiang's aura and began meditating as well. About half an hour later, Oscar was the first to awaken, and Tang San opened his eyes in turn.

"Little San, thank you. When we get back, I'll definitely let you be the first to taste my third soul skill." Oscar spoke with his usual shamelessness, but he was also sincere. Although he had been absorbing the soul ring earlier, he had not been entirely unaware, so he naturally knew Tang San had been the first to stand up for him.

"Alright. Your soul skill certainly won't be bad. But there's one issue—we may have to remain here a while longer," Tang San said with a smile.

"How can that be? This is no good place. I don't want to stay here any longer." Unexpectedly, it was not Zhao Wuji who spoke up to object this time, but Ning Rongrong.