A Millennium Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake Attacks!

Two days passed in the Star Dou Great Forest in the blink of an eye.

Ning Chen still had not found a soul beast suitable for him.

He could not help but feel somewhat anxious.

But Ning Chen also understood that a suitable soul beast was not so easily found, so he could only force down his impatience.

He continued searching the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ning Chen held the Fierce Slash Blade in hand and still had the Azure Wood Puppet clearing the way ahead.

The Azure Wood Puppet had been forged from azure wood spirit materials. It possessed a natural advantage in dense forests and could minimize the Soul Power fluctuations generated while the puppet operated.

"Hmm?"

As he moved through the forest, Ning Chen keenly noticed an unusual sound coming from the thick bushes at his side.

Over the past two days, he had already witnessed the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest.

After noticing the disturbance, Ning Chen did not dare let his guard down. He immediately stopped and assumed a defensive stance.

Ning Chen tensed every nerve in his body. The Nine Yang Divine Skill circulated at full force within him, raising the perception of his six senses to its peak.

Every rustle of wind and grass within several dozen meters fell within his range of perception.

Deep within the dense bushes to his left, something was moving at high speed!

The rustling grew closer, accompanied by a faint hiss.

The sound was sharp and urgent, like a threatening warning emitted by some kind of snake as it slithered at high speed.

The branches and leaves of the bushes shook violently. A slender black shadow darted through them at incredible speed, clearly heading straight for Ning Chen!

"It's here!"

Ning Chen's pupils contracted slightly as he tightened his grip on the Fierce Slash Blade. At the same time, he issued a combat command to the Azure Wood Puppet through his mind.

The Azure Wood Puppet silently shifted two steps sideways, blocking Ning Chen's front flank. Its jade-green wooden body lowered slightly as it entered an intercepting stance.

The next second, the dense brush suddenly exploded apart!

A slender figure shot out like an arrow released from a bow, carrying a gust of foul wind.

It was a snake-type soul beast, roughly seven meters long and as thick as an adult's arm. A pair of pale red wings grew from its back, flapping rapidly and allowing it to fly through the forest.

A bright red, cockscomb-shaped fleshy crest grew atop its head, making it especially conspicuous beneath the sunlight.

Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake! Judging by its size, it had around fifteen hundred years of cultivation!

Ning Chen quickly recognized the type of soul beast before him.

Although the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake was a snake, it was not venomous, and its methods of attack were relatively simple. It mainly used its body to coil around enemies and suffocate them.

Although it could spew seven-colored mist, that was merely a bluffing smokescreen rather than poisonous fog.

Moreover, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake could fly at low altitudes and was incredibly fast. The nutrients stored in the fleshy crest on its head could grant it a burst of instantaneous acceleration in a crisis.

Because of this characteristic, it had granted Oscar's third soul skill, Flying Mushroom Sausage, in the original work.

It was also one of the soul beasts particularly suitable as the second soul ring for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

The Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake was incredibly fast. The instant it appeared, Ning Chen controlled the Azure Wood Puppet to block it.

But just as the Azure Wood Puppet began to move, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake had already flashed before him.

Ning Chen immediately sensed trouble and instinctively swung the Fierce Slash Blade in his hand.

Yet the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake was extremely agile. With the wings on its back, it effortlessly changed direction and dodged Ning Chen's hasty slash.

Its fan-shaped tail then lashed toward Ning Chen's side. Its terrifying speed even produced a shrill whistling sound as it tore through the air.

Ning Chen lacked combat experience and instantly became somewhat flustered, but he managed to steady himself at the final moment.

It was clearly too late to pull the Fierce Slash Blade back for defense.

At the very last moment before the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's tail struck, Ning Chen narrowly activated the spell attached to the Earthguard Armor—Thick Earth Protection!

An illusory suit of earthen-yellow armor appeared around Ning Chen's body, especially solid over his chest, abdomen, and the vital joints of his body.

The earthen-yellow armor had only just formed when the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's tail swept over.

Extreme speed brought immense force. A thunderous impact rang out before Ning Chen, and his body was instantly sent flying without the slightest resistance, crashing into the bushes.

The Azure Wood Puppet, however, followed Ning Chen's earlier command and assumed a defensive stance at the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's previous position.

But by then, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake had long since left that spot. Its slender body had already flown to where Ning Chen had landed.

Although Thick Earth Protection had defended him, Ning Chen was still thrown flying and left dizzy after hitting the ground. Fortunately, his vital areas had been protected, and he was not injured.

Although the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake had only a single style of attack, it was still a millennium soul beast, and its strength was formidable.

Several faint cracks had already appeared along the side of the earthen-yellow armor where the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's tail had struck.

Seeing the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake fly toward him again, Ning Chen hurriedly rose from the ground and used the surrounding trees to evade it.

At the same time, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul was summoned and floated at his side. The bright yellow soul ring behind him appeared once more.

"Seven Treasures turn forth with glaze, Seven Treasures, First: Power!"

Ning Chen hurriedly recited the soul incantation. The soul ring behind him flashed, and a streak of light emerged from the dazzling Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and entered his body.

He instantly felt his strength increase. At the same time, the inscriptions within the Wind-Chasing Boots activated, granting him roughly a thirty percent increase in speed.

At last, he was barely able to contend with the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake.

The Nine Yang Divine Skill sharpened his six senses, allowing him to detect the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's movements, while the Wind-Chasing Boots helped Ning Chen react swiftly.

Combined with the protection of the Earthguard Armor and the attacks of the Fierce Slash Blade, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake was unexpectedly unable to quickly defeat such a minor soul master. Its attacks consequently became increasingly frenzied.

Although Ning Chen defended himself with difficulty, he actually welcomed this kind of battle of attrition.

With the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill supporting him, the Soul Power within his body flowed endlessly. He did not fear exhaustion at all.

But the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake did not possess such endurance, and its stamina was rapidly being depleted.

Although a millennium soul beast already possessed intelligence, the savage instincts of soul beasts still held the upper hand.

After failing to defeat Ning Chen for so long, it had originally intended to leave. However, Ning Chen constantly provoked the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake, forcibly drawing its hatred and preventing it from easily departing.

Finally, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake began to slow down.

Ning Chen did not hesitate and chose to press the attack directly.

The Fierce Slash Blade in his hand gleamed with a sharp, cold light beneath the fragmented sunlight filtering through the forest.

At that moment, the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake finally sensed that something was wrong. The cockscomb on its head flickered, and its speed suddenly increased as it tried to flee the battlefield.

But just then, a sturdy jade-green figure appeared from nowhere and blocked the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake's only route of escape.

It was the Azure Wood Puppet!

During his earlier entanglement with the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake, Ning Chen had secretly issued the Azure Wood Puppet a command. This moment was exactly what he had been waiting for!