"San, I think you should focus on cultivating and put aside the idea of revenge for now."
"After all..."
Xiao Wu hesitated at this point.
But Tang San persisted. "After all, what?"
"What I have to say might not be very pleasant."
"It's all right. I love hearing anything you have to say."
"All right, then."
With Tang San's assurance, Xiao Wu stopped hesitating. "After all, the gap in strength between you and Qin Xiao is still pretty big..."
In truth, Xiao Wu had already put it very delicately.
Never mind the future-even now, the gap between them was like that between a trickling stream and a vast ocean...
And Tang San was still boasting about killing Qin Xiao to eliminate future trouble?
What a joke. At the very most, he would just be handing over his own head.
But out of consideration for Tang San's pride, she refrained from saying anything too harsh.
"Xiao Wu, just watch."
"I, Tang San, never make empty boasts."
Tang San spoke confidently.
He knew his own strength very well. If he relied on his cultivation alone to avenge Tang Hao, he could forget about it for at least a few decades.
But he had the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons.
As long as I can make one of the top three mechanical Hidden Weapons, I can kill even a Titled Douluo!
Tang San had that confidence.
Confidence in the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons.
What a pity. If I had the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus in hand right now, I could definitely kill Qin Xiao.
Tang San felt a little regretful.
Tang Hao had nearly died in his battle with Qin Xiao. Tang San believed Qin Xiao must have suffered badly as well.
However.
What he did not know was that the actual battle had been nothing more than a one-sided beating of Tang Hao. Apart from expending a fair amount of power, Qin Xiao had emerged practically unscathed.
The golden crow sank in the west.
Only then did Qin Xiao, Zhao Wuji, and the others arrive outside the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was considerably later than Qin Xiao had expected.
But there was nothing to be done about that. As Battle Soul Masters, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun could sustain a few injuries without much effect on their speed.
Oscar, however, could not.
He was a support-type Soul Master, with a much weaker physique. His assortment of injuries, large and small, had slowed him down considerably.
"Your Eminence, shall we wait until tomorrow morning to enter the forest?"
Zhao Wuji asked cautiously.
"No need."
Qin Xiao said, "I think we can make this quick and get out of the Star Dou Great Forest soon."
In his view, day and night made little difference.
Besides, he was a little impatient to complete his mission.
Fusing his existing Soul Rings with more Soul Rings would raise his strength further.
At his level, improving his strength was no longer an easy matter.
That was why he refused to miss a single mission.
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji nodded and told the others behind him, "Listen carefully. The soul beasts inside the Star Dou Great Forest are extremely dangerous. Even on the outskirts, you might encounter a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
"So once we enter the forest, none of you are to stray more than twenty meters from me. Ning Rongrong, Oscar, you two especially must stay right beside me. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Everyone answered in unison.
However.
After walking through the Star Dou Great Forest for nearly four hours, they had encountered plenty of soul beasts, but not a single one suitable as Oscar's Soul Ring.
"Let's all take a break."
Zhao Wuji said quietly, "We'll continue searching once the moon rises."
He glanced at the sky and made his decision.
However.
Just then, Qin Xiao rejected Zhao Wuji's suggestion. "Now isn't the time to rest. A soul beast is coming."
A soul beast?
Zhao Wuji instantly went on alert. He looked toward Zhu Zhuqing, who was keeping watch from a nearby tree. "Zhu Zhuqing, any movement?"
"No."
Zhu Zhuqing answered immediately.
But before Zhao Wuji could breathe a sigh of relief, she spoke again. "It's here! To the southwest, a strange snake is approaching! It seems to be able to fly, but not very high-only about two or three meters above the ground..."
"On guard!"
Zhao Wuji made an immediate decision and bellowed, without wasting another word.
Everyone sprang to their feet, ready for battle.
Only Qin Xiao stood lost in thought, his mind on something unknown.
In truth, he was surprised.
Could that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent still be waiting for Oscar? Aren't the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny a little too useless?
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
While Qin Xiao's thoughts wandered beyond the heavens, a dark shape darted out of the dense forest and appeared before them.
It was a strange snake, with a fleshy crest on its head that looked larger than the head itself, bright red as blood. Its tail was unusual, shaped like a fan.
"A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "It's a good six or seven meters long, so it should be around fourteen or fifteen hundred years old. Oscar, it's just right for you."
"Normally, I should leave you to hunt this soul beast yourselves."
"But given your current condition, forget it."
Zhao Wuji spoke with some resignation.
"Hehe, when you put it that way, does this count as a blessing in disguise?"
Oscar chuckled.
Zhao Wuji rolled his eyes at him irritably. "Then I'll make sure you enjoy plenty of blessings on the way back..."
Gulp...
Oscar swallowed hard. Zhao Wuji's gaze sent a chill through him.
That can't mean anything good!
Zhao Wuji paid Oscar no further attention. Covering the distance in a few long strides, he lunged at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
His body might have looked clumsy, like that of a fighter who relied on brute strength.
But he was actually very fast. Before the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent could dodge, Zhao Wuji had grabbed its tail.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Clearly enraged by Zhao Wuji's actions, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent turned to bite him.
But Zhao Wuji was faster still. He had already exerted his strength and swung the serpent into the air.
Bang, bang, bang...
A string of impacts rang out as Zhao Wuji treated the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent like a whip, repeatedly lashing it against the ground.
After a dozen or so blows, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was barely clinging to life.
Thud.
With a look of disgust, Zhao Wuji tossed it in front of Oscar. "While it's still warm, hurry up..."
[・_・?]
⊙(・◇・)?
Everyone wore a strange expression.
"Bah! What are you all thinking?"
Even Zhao Wuji could not help blushing. "I meant Oscar should hurry up and kill it to obtain its Soul Ring..."
So that was what he meant...
Everyone gave Zhao Wuji a meaningful look.
However, just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Stop! Let's see who dares touch that snake!"
The voice was aged and hoarse.
Yet Oscar, Dai Mubai, and the other young Soul Masters all felt considerable pressure from its soul power.
Their hearts jolted.
The newcomer was very likely a powerful expert!
Everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.
Rustle, rustle...
The vegetation shook, and two figures darted out of the dense forest.
They were an old woman and a young girl.
The old woman looked to be in her sixties or seventies, but her complexion was as rosy as a baby's, and her silver hair was immaculately groomed.
The girl had ear-length hair and looked sixteen or seventeen. Her practical, close-fitting outfit hugged her already well-developed figure, and her large, dark brown eyes were full of wariness and anger as she looked at the people before her.
Qin Xiao's eyes lit up at the sight of the two newcomers. Are those Snake Granny and Meng Yiran?
He glanced again at the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent Zhao Wuji had tossed onto the ground and shook his head slightly.
It was not that he was calling them incompetent. They really were incompetent.
Even when given a chance, they could not make anything of it.
They had still failed to capture this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
Before you continue