Plan

With Tang San's foresight, coupled with the vast difference between his current combat experience and that of his previous life, they were worlds apart.

The group quickly subdued the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Snake.

As Oscar absorbed the soul ring, the others gathered around him. A soul master absolutely could not be disturbed while absorbing a soul ring. At best, interruption would result in severe injuries; at worst, their cultivation would never advance again.

Everyone else rested while Tang San kept a close watch on the surrounding area.

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

"I'm watching the surroundings. This Phoenix-Tailed Crest Snake was already injured before it encountered us. There are two obvious man-made wounds on its abdomen. Oscar is absorbing the soul ring and can't be disturbed."

Oscar was one of the allies he had chosen. Without Oscar, the Nine-Colored Goddess would never favor Ning Rongrong, and without Ning Rongrong, there would be no Resurrection Divine Light from their martial soul fusion skill. Even if Ning Rongrong obtained the Qiluo Tulip, she would not be of much use against gods in the future.

Dai Mubai looked over at once. 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 thinking more highly of Tang San, and he approved of the two boys' concern for their teammate.

Having returned after reincarnation, Tang San had already decided on the future paths of his companions.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong could continue developing as they had in the original timeline. As for Zhu Zhuqing, one thing was certain: this time, he would absolutely not give her any immortal herbs.

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

Dai Mubai's face darkened at once. He glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, saw that she still had that aloof, distant demeanor, and immediately gave a cold snort.

"Hmph."

Tang San said nothing more. Perhaps because she possessed a life-saving artifact like Red Dust Blessing, Zhu Zhuqing's attitude toward Dai Mubai was even worse than it had been in his previous life.

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

Tang San knew better than anyone how much Huo Yuhao attracted women. No matter where he went, there would always be women devoted to him unto death. He might as well use this opportunity to get rid of Zhu Zhuqing.

Losing Zhu Zhuqing from the team would only mean losing the Netherworld White Tiger martial soul fusion skill. To the team he had chosen, that was nothing at all.

He could even obtain a defensive soul tool of at least Rank 9 for free. The only question was whether the Red Dust Blessing on her body had been modified by Huo Yuhao.

Soul tools were endlessly versatile, and their effects were no less impressive than soul skills. Beyond defense, who knew whether he had added any other functions to it?

It would be fine if he had modified it while he was still in the mortal world. But if he had modified it in the God Realm, then even the worst thing made by a god was still a creation of the gods.

Just as Tang San was pondering this, a sharp female cry rang out. A large swath 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 Snake Woman, whom he had met in his previous life.

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

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

Tang San immediately stepped forward twice, 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 Snake Woman's face immediately darkened. Though the boy's words sounded polite, they were not courteous in the slightest. She had roamed the soul master world for years, yet this was the first time a junior had dared speak to her like this.

"Hmph! It isn't your place to speak here." The Snake Woman snorted coldly, and the pressure belonging to a Soul Emperor descended directly upon Tang San.

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

"Your Excellency! It isn't your turn to discipline my disciple!" Zhao Wuji stepped out from behind Tang San, releasing the aura of a Soul Sage as well.

Chao Tianxiang's face immediately turned pale. She covered her chest and staggered back two steps. Meng Yiran hurriedly stepped up to support her grandmother, her heart tightening. Her grandfather was not here, yet she had brought such great trouble upon her grandmother.

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

The moment Zhao Wuji heard Chao Tianxiang call herself the Snake Woman, a name immediately surfaced in his mind: the Overlord Dragon and Snake. His expression turned grim as well.

He did not care about a mere Soul Emperor. The key was the Dragon Duke of the Overlord Dragon and Snake, who had already been a renowned Soul Sage in his early years. After so many years, he might very well have become a Soul Douluo.

What was more, the two possessed a martial soul fusion skill and could very likely unleash power comparable to that of a Title Douluo.

"I am Zhao Wuji. I have long heard of the great name of the Overlord Dragon and Snake. Now that Zhao's disciple has already begun absorbing the soul ring, how about giving Zhao some face?" Zhao Wuji said, stepping forward two paces as he prepared to overwhelm them with his presence.

"So it is the Immovable Bright King. This old woman will remember today's matter. Yiran, let's go." Upon hearing that it was Zhao Wuji, the Snake Woman abandoned any thought of stalling until the Dragon Duke arrived. Zhao Wuji had escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit unscathed, so he was naturally not someone to be trifled with.

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 into the forest.

Seeing them leave, Tang San also sighed in 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 wake, and Tang San opened his eyes in turn.

"Third Brother, thank you. When we get back, you'll definitely be the first to taste my third soul skill," Oscar said with a lecherous grin, though he was also completely sincere. Although he had been absorbing the soul ring earlier, he had not been entirely unaware of what was happening. Naturally, he knew Tang San had been the first to speak up for him.

"Alright. Your soul skill must be pretty good. But there's a situation now. We may have to stay here for a while longer," Tang San said with a smile.

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