Star Dou Great Forest and the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

At the entrance to the Shrek Academy village, all eight students had arrived.

Flender glanced at Yu Xiaogang, who was only level 29 beside him.

Yu Xiaogang's stamina and speed were simply no match for the young trainees' long-distance run.

"Old Zhao, you lead the team and keep watch from behind."

Flender spread his Cat Eagle wings and grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the shoulder.

"I'll take the Grandmaster ahead and wait for you in the Hunting Soul Town outside the Star Dou Great Forest."

After saying that, Flender flapped his wings and took off, turning into a black dot and flying into the distance.

Zhao Wuji rubbed his chin and looked at the eight people in front of him.

"Alright, stop standing there, let's go!"

Zhao Wuji strode forward, walking at the very front.

Lin Xuan casually conjured five cyan Gale Talisman.

With a gentle flick of his fingertips, the Talismans transformed into five beams of azure light that entered the bodies of Lin Xuan, Xiao Wu, Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.

The moment the blue light dissipated, the five people felt as if they were walking on air, their bodies so light they were almost weightless.

Xiao Wu took a long leap forward, soaring three or four meters away.

"So light and nimble!"

Xiao Wu turned around and waved to Dai Mubai and the other two behind her.

"We're heading ahead, you guys take your time!"

Ning Rongrong followed beside Xiao Wu, her steps unusually light.

"Lin Xuan, your Gale Wind Talisman is truly a divine skill for long journeys. When we return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I'll definitely ask my father to appoint you as a Great Enshrined."

Ning Rongrong joked with a grin.

Zhu Zhuqing was already skilled in speed, and with the enhancement of the Gale Talisman, it was almost as if she was gliding on the ground.

Tang San activated his Mysterious Heaven Skill and followed beside Lin Xuan.

He could clearly feel the propulsive force of the airflow supporting his feet, and the Soul Power consumed was negligible.

The five people formed a team and their speed increased rapidly, leaving Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar hundreds of meters behind in the blink of an eye.

Ma Hongjun, with his protruding belly, was covered in sweat after running only two miles.

"Boss Dai, he runs so fast!"

Ma Hongjun shouted, panting heavily.

Dai Mubai's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, quickening his pace. "Shut up, stop talking nonsense, run!"

Oscar, sticking out his tongue, called from behind, "Wait for me! I'm a food-type, I really can't run anymore!"

It wasn't even halfway through the afternoon.

At the end of the official road appeared a bustling town.

This is the Hunting Soul Town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, with restaurants and medicine shops galore.

Lin Xuan and his group of five stopped, and the azure light around them slowly dissipated.

The five of them didn't even break a sweat; they were completely clean.

Zhao Wuji strode up from behind, a look of surprise on his face.

"Good lads, you've covered a journey that normally takes half a day in just half a day. This movement Talismans truly bizarre."

Zhao Wuji patted Lin Xuan on the shoulder.

Lin Xuan took out his water bag and took a sip. "Low energy consumption, saves time on the journey."

Ning Rongrong took out her purse, weighed it in her hand, and said, "Let's go, I've booked the best hotel for us. Let's have a good meal and rest first!"

The five of them found a high-end hotel, booked five private suites, and ordered a table full of food and drinks on the first floor.

Flender and Yu Xiaogang were already sitting by the second-floor window drinking tea.

Flender was taken aback when he saw Lin Xuan and his group arrive so quickly.

Yu Xiaogang sat opposite him, his expression not very good, and he lowered his head to drink his tea without saying a word.

As evening approached, the sky began to glow with the colors of sunset.

The hotel doors were just pushed open.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar shuffled in with heavy steps.

Ma Hongjun looked as if he had been pulled out of the water; his clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and he collapsed into a chair as soon as he entered the room, unable to move.

Oscar didn't even have the strength to speak, and he just lay on the table, rolling his eyes.

Ning Rongrong was sitting next to them eating dessert. She glanced at them and gave a soft snort.

Dai Mubai looked at the radiant Lin Xuan and Zhu Zhuqing, slammed his hand heavily on the table, but ultimately remained silent.

Perhaps because Lin Xuan and his group arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest faster than in the original story, the Blue Sunshine Academy from the original story did not appear.

The town was quiet that night.

The next morning.

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Shrek's group of eleven left Hunting Soul Town and officially entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

Flender and Zhao Wuji walked on the outermost side.

The divisions within the team were particularly evident.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar huddled in the back.

Lin Xuan led Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing ahead, with Tang San walking beside Lin Xuan. The two talked in hushed tones about the types of herbs along the roadside.

Yu Xiaogang on the other side of Tang San, trying several times to interrupt and guide Tang San in identifying the plants, but Tang San usually spoke first about their age and medicinal effects.

Yu Xiaogang could only swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his face becoming even more somber.

Flender followed beside him, sighing inwardly.

The two groups went their separate ways, showing absolutely no intention of teamwork.

What should we do?!

It was almost noon.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from above the once peaceful woods.

The airflow became unusually rapid.

"Stop! Something's coming, and it's incredibly fast!"

Tang San raised his hand in a gesture.

Everyone's attention immediately focused on it.

A crack was violently smashed open in the bushes ahead, and a fiery red shadow darted swiftly between the tree trunks.

It was a giant snake, six or seven meters long.

The giant snake was pale pink all over, with a bright red crest on its head and two thin fleshy wings on its belly.

Yu Xiaogang took a step forward, raising his voice slightly.

"This is Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Judging from its length and the color of its crest, it's Soul Beast that's between 1,300 and 1,500 years old!"

"This snake is non-venomous; it relies entirely on its speed and the ability to Entanglement others, making it extremely rare."

"Its fleshy crest is a top-grade tonic. If Oscar absorbs it, he will definitely gain an extremely powerful support and acceleration Soul Skill!"

Yu Xiaogang finished speaking in one breath and straightened his back.

Oscar perked up at this. "Really, Grandmaster?"

However, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent seemed to sense the threat ahead. With a flap of its wings, it abruptly changed direction and slithered away into the bushes to the side.

It was as fast as lightning, darting more than ten meters in the blink of an eye.

"Don't let it get away!" Dai Mubai shouted, about to activate his Martial Soul and rush forward.

But his speed was nowhere near that of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

"Little San, catch!"

Lin Xuan flicked his right hand, and an Frost Lock Talisman, its entire body gleaming with a ghostly blue icy light, was flung into the air.

The Talismans transformed into a deep blue stream of light and instantly disappeared into Tang San's palm.

Tang San felt his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul in his palm being enveloped by an extremely cold energy, and a layer of hard ice crystals quickly condensed on the surface of the grass leaves.

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement!"

Tang San raised his hand and waved it, and dozens of thick Blue Silver Grass sprouted from the ground.

The originally soft Blue Silver Grass, under the blessing of the Frost Lock Talisman, transformed into a crystal-clear deep blue ice vine, its speed increasing several times over, and it rushed straight at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with a bone-chilling cold.

Click!

The Blue Silver Grass precisely wrapped around the seven-inch mark and the fleshy wings of the abdomen of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

The extreme cold of freezing power spread wildly along the snake's body.

The pink scales on the surface of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's body were instantly covered with a thick layer of white frost, and the Soul Power flowing within its body was frozen on the spot. Its body stiffened like a wooden stick and crashed heavily to the ground.

No matter how much it struggled, the icy blue vines tightened their grip, locking it firmly to the ground, unable to move.

From Lin Xuan giving the talisman to Tang San taking control and capturing the opponent, the entire process took less than thirty seconds.

Yu Xiaogang stood frozen in place, the tactical commands he had just prepared stuck in his throat, unable to be spat out or swallowed.

He originally wanted to demonstrate how to use the terrain and elemental advantages to slowly encircle the beast, but Lin Xuan cast a talisman, and Tang San easily subdued the Thousand-Year Soul Beast with a single move.

Ning Rongrong clapped her hands:

"Wow, Lin Xuan, that Ice Talisman's freezing effect is even more powerful than that of an ice-attribute Soul Master."

Xiao Wu raised her chin. "Of course, Lin Xuan's talismans are omnipotent."

Dai Mubai stepped forward and looked at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent frozen on the ground.

With nowhere to vent his pent-up anger from the entire day, he suddenly unleashed three Soul Ring: two yellow and one purple.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

A burst of intense white light shot out from Dai Mubai's mouth, slamming into the belly of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.

A muffled thud.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was beaten until its skin was torn and its flesh was ripped open, and it collapsed to the ground, barely clinging to life.

Dai Mubai withdrew his Martial Soul and turned to Oscar: "Little Ao, make your move!"

Oscar quickly pulled a Fine Steel Short Blade from his Soul Tool and jogged forward.

Seeing the dying Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent on the ground, Oscar didn't hesitate. He gripped the knife with both hands and plunged it fiercely into the fleshy crest of the snake's head.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent twitched twice before falling completely lifeless.

A faint purple Soul Ring slowly rose from above the snake corpse, emitting a soft glow.

"Sit down and absorb the energy quickly. We'll protect you," Flender instructed as he stepped forward.

Oscar nodded repeatedly, sat cross-legged beside the snake corpse, raised his hand to activate the thousand-year-old purple Soul Ring, and began to absorb it.

Lin Xuan stood not far away, his gaze sweeping across the dense forest around him.

The woods were quiet; apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was no sound of footsteps from outsiders.

"Strangeness."

Lin Xuan thought to himself, "According to the original story, Meng Yiran, the granddaughter of the Unrivaled Dragon and Snake, should be chasing after this snake."

"It seems that the bet with Yu Xiaogang accelerated the release of Oscar's images, thus directly avoiding those plot points from the original work."

Without all those squabbles and monster-stealing issues, it's much more convenient.

However, in that case, obtaining External Soul Bone depends on luck.

Soon after, half an hour had passed.

The purple halo above Oscar's head completely receded into his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his face beaming with undisguised joy, and leaped to his feet.

"I did it! I've reached level 31!"

Ma Hongjun immediately leaned over. "Little Ao, what's the third Soul Skill? Show it to us!"

Oscar coughed lightly, a lewd grin spreading across his face.

He raised his right hand and loudly recited the incantation for his third Soul Skill.

"I Have a Mushroom Sausage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strangely shaped pink sausage with a cap at the top appeared in his hand.

Upon hearing the incantation, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing simultaneously turned their heads to the side, their faces full of disgust.

Oscar, holding up Mushroom Sausage, excitedly explained:

"Just eat this Mushroom Sausage, and you'll be able to fly at the speed of Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent for one minute!"

"A flight Soul Skill?" Flender's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "A food-type Soul Master can provide flight ability, top-notch, absolutely top-notch!"

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, hands behind his back, and commented, "Not bad. The characteristics of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent have been completely inherited, which will give the team great mobility when facing complex terrain."

Tang San was also happy for Oscar and walked over to pat him on the arm.

Just as everyone was preparing to rest and have lunch on the spot.

The ground trembled slightly without warning.

Thump.

A deep, muffled roar came from the deepest part of the forest.

Immediately afterwards, flocks of birds in the surrounding treetops took flight in alarm, obscuring half the sky.

Zhao Wuji and Flender's expressions changed drastically in an instant.

Lin Xuan's relaxed expression vanished, and he placed his palm on his Storage Ring.

An immense, suffocating sense of oppression was approaching them at an alarming speed.