Useful: The Strong Devour the Weak; Useless: Protect the Weak

After a night's rest, Zhao Wuji led everyone to the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest straddled two great empires, its abundance of soul beasts making it a blurred border between them.

As one of the three great soul beast habitats, it was a sacred land for soul masters seeking advancement, and also a perilous graveyard for them.

"Why did we go around them? Couldn't we have just killed those Rodent Weasels?"

Just moments earlier, Tang San and the others had skirted a group of young Rodent Weasels, leaving Dai Mubai somewhat puzzled.

Tang San explained with a smile, "Why kill them? They pose no threat to us."

Dai Mubai did not quite understand. The elders he had seen in his family always went straight for the kill, leaving none alive once they encountered them.

Seeing that Dai Mubai still looked puzzled, Tang San explained, "If every soul master behaved that way, would there be any soul beasts left in this forest in the future? Killing them would be like draining a pond to catch its fish."

"Besides, my teacher once told me that we mustn't let our guard down in a soul beast forest, even when we encounter low-level soul beasts. Once we fight them, the smell of blood and the noise could very well draw stronger soul beasts over."

"So we'd better be careful."

After hearing this, Dai Mubai was thoroughly convinced. "Your teacher must be a very powerful elder. That's all valuable experience."

Walking ahead of them, Lin Ye heard the conversation behind him and sneered inwardly.

Protecting weak soul beasts is just an excuse. Isn't the real reason that they're barely worth absorbing? Yet he makes it sound so grand and righteous.

Two hours later, around noon, Zhao Wuji found a clearing nearby and turned to face everyone. "All right, let's rest here for a while."

Tang San and the others found a tree and sat down against it, while Oscar supplied their food.

Unlike them, Lin Ye spread a picnic blanket on the ground, then took out a pile of well-preserved food and invited Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to sit down and share it.

"Brother Lin Ye, what do we do next?" Ning Rongrong asked quietly.

Lin Ye said calmly, "If anything happens next, you only need to coordinate with me."

Both girls nodded to show that they understood.

Half an hour later, Zhao Wuji suddenly shouted, "Everyone, on guard! Something's approaching!"

Startled, everyone immediately stood up and went on alert.

"Zhu Zhuqing, go see what it is."

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but she did not refuse. She simply sprang up, extended the sharp claws on her hands, and climbed a nearby tree as easily as walking on level ground.

Her eyesight was exceptionally keen, and within moments, she had picked out the important details.

"It's a flying serpent. It doesn't fly very high—it can only move forward about three meters above the ground."

"It has a fleshy crest on its head. It looks large and is as red as blood. Its tail is unusual, shaped like a fan."

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up, and he turned to Oscar. "Oscar, you're in luck. From that description, it's a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. This kind of soul beast is quite rare. Unfortunately, we don't know how old this one is."

"Zhu Zhuqing, keep an eye on its course. Report any changes immediately, and stop it if it comes close."

"Yes."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly and continued observing. "It's flying this way, very fast, but there seems to be something strange about its physical condition."

"How long is this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, and what color are its wings?" Tang San suddenly asked.

"Pale red. Its body is roughly six to eight meters long."

Tang San thought for a few seconds, then said to Oscar, "Oscar, this is a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Its age should be somewhere between thirteen hundred and eighteen hundred years. It's just right for you."

"San, you're practically an encyclopedia of the martial soul world. That's incredible," Oscar said admiringly.

Tang San smiled bashfully. "It's all thanks to my teacher."

"It's here!"

Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's report, Tang San and the others immediately summoned their martial souls and went on guard.

Zhu Zhuqing, however, struck first, charging at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with a Hell Stab.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent reacted swiftly. In the midst of its charge, it tilted its head aside, dodging Zhu Zhuqing's attack, then spat a mouthful of dense, seven-colored mist straight at her.

Alarmed, Zhu Zhuqing was about to retreat when she heard a cry of "Steady as a Rock!"

The next moment, a golden barrier enveloped her, keeping the dense mist outside while also blocking the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's next attack.

At the same time, Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and bound the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with Entanglement.

"Zhu Zhuqing, leave it to us."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing retreated without hesitation.

Her task of stopping it was complete, so there was naturally nothing more for her to do. All she needed to do now was watch.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was to be Oscar's soul ring. Lin Ye had no obligation to help.

The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent barely struggled twice against Tang San's Blue Silver Grass before slipping straight out of the vines.

"Trying to run? Think it'll be that easy?"

Seeing this, Zhao Wuji immediately acted. He activated a soul skill and knocked it unconscious on the ground with a single strike.

"All right, Oscar, come here." Zhao Wuji beckoned to him.

"Coming!" Oscar walked over excitedly.

Watching Oscar approach, Xiao Wu lowered her head and said with some distress, "Do we have to hunt soul beasts?"

Tang San sighed at her words. "The strong devouring the weak is the law of survival. If this serpent were stronger than us, do you think it would spare the food right at its mouth?"

Hearing this, Xiao Wu closed her mouth and said no more, though her face was somewhat pale.

Naturally, Tang San and Xiao Wu's conversation reached Lin Ye's ears.

He found their words rather laughable.

Didn't you just say we should protect the weak? Now it's the strong devouring the weak?

Sure enough, this is a double standard. When it's useful, it's 'the strong devour the weak, so I have no choice but to kill it.' When it's useless, it's 'I protect soul beasts, so I'll magnanimously spare it.'

Zhao Wuji took out a dagger and handed it to Oscar, urging him, "Do it quickly, Oscar. We don't want a long night to bring more nightmares."

Holding the dagger, Oscar stood before the dying Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, staring blankly, unsure how to proceed.

"Stab it here, just below its fleshy crest, and you'll pierce its brain. Then this soul ring will be yours," Zhao Wuji reminded him.

Oscar grew tremendously excited at those words. His third soul ring was nearly in his grasp.

However, just as he raised the dagger to deliver the fatal blow to the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, a hoarse voice rang out: "Stop!"