After capturing the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent, Yun Chuan casually pulled out a short dagger and handed it to Oscar.
"The longer we wait, the more could go wrong. Do it. Stab right under the crest—straight into the brain. This soul ring will be yours."
Oscar took the dagger with trembling hands, barely able to contain his excitement. In front of him, the thousand-year soul beast was nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter. His third soul skill was about to be his, and the thrill of it made even his grip unsteady.
But just as he was about to thrust the blade down, a sharp, raspy cry rang out.
"Stop!"
Two figures burst from the direction the serpent had flown in earlier, appearing before the group.
One was an elderly woman, clearly in her sixties or seventies, a snake-headed staff clutched in her hand. Beside her stood a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, also holding a serpent-headed staff — obviously her martial spirit.
The sudden arrival made everyone start, but when they saw the six spirit rings circling the old woman, their wariness eased. After all, Teacher Tang's seven spirit rings — especially those deep, pitch-black ten-thousand-year rings — radiated an oppression that left no doubt about who held the stronger hand.
While Tang San's group relaxed, the old woman's expression shifted. She had shouted to stop Oscar after hearing Yun Chuan's instructions, but now that she was close enough to see him clearly, her heart sank.
A Soul Saint — here, in the outer ring of the Star Dou Forest. And such a young one?! There was no way today would end well for her.
"Is there something you need?" Yun Chuan glanced at her, his voice utterly flat.
The old woman gave a small cough, softening her expression. "Honored Soul Saint… you mustn't allow this child to claim the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent."
"No." Yun Chuan didn't hesitate — his refusal was immediate.
The old woman's face froze. What kind of answer is that? Isn't he supposed to at least ask for a reason first? How am I supposed to continue now?
She cleared her throat again, pressing on thick-skinned, "Esteemed Soul Saint, the truth is, we found and engaged this serpent first. Otherwise, why would we have chased it this far?"
Before Yun Chuan could respond, Oscar bristled. "And how exactly are you going to prove that? When we found it, there was no sign of you anywhere."
The old woman smiled faintly. "No need to get worked up. Take a look at its belly — there are two wounds there, from my staff. And under its wings as well. It just managed to slip away from us. My granddaughter here has just reached rank thirty, and needs her third ring. As you can see, she's inherited my snake staff as her martial spirit — a high-level serpent ring is perfect for her."
The group looked down. Sure enough, the serpent's belly bore the marks she described. But just that wasn't nearly enough to make them hand it over.
All eyes turned toward Teacher Tang — toward Yun Chuan. His expression didn't change. "Senior, in the end our world runs on strength. If you think a few words will get us to yield this soul beast, I'm afraid that's wishful thinking."
The old woman read the truth in his tone immediately. This frighteningly young Soul Saint wasn't going to give up the serpent. She introduced herself anyway.
"I am Chao Tianxiang. In the soul master world, they call me 'Serpent Granny.' My husband is Meng Shu — they call him Dragon Duke. We came to the Star Dou Forest to find a suitable third ring for our granddaughter."
"So you're the famed 'Dragon-Serpent Duo'…" Yun Chuan's face took on an expression of feigned realization — only to go blank again. "If Dragon Duke himself were here, I'd hand it over without a word. But with just you…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Chao Tianxiang understood perfectly. Without another word, she took her still-protesting granddaughter by the arm and headed back the way they'd come, vanishing into the trees moments later.
"Hmph. Knows when to quit," Yun Chuan snorted. Others might fear the Dragon-Serpent Duo — he did not. As far as he was concerned, in this forest not even the gods could kill him inside his hundred-li Plant Domain. Why should he care about two old snake-wranglers?
And as for handing Tang San an opportunity to duel Meng Yiran with hidden weapons, win gloriously, and walk away with a beauty's kiss — like in the original tale?
He'd have to be brain-damaged to set that up for him.
"Oscar, finish it!"
"Got it!" Oscar said brightly. He plunged the dagger down, ending the serpent's life.
A purple ring rose slowly from the corpse. Oscar immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing the ring's energy.
Watching him, Xiao Wu lowered her head beside Tang San, her big eyes clouded with pity. "Do we really have to kill soul beasts?"
Tang San sighed softly. "It's the law of the jungle. If this serpent were stronger, do you think it would let us go? Or would we be a meal in its belly?"
Xiao Wu fell silent, but her face stayed pale.
"Teacher Tang, I need to speak with you," Tang San said, walking over to Yun Chuan.
"You've hit rank thirty and you want to get your next ring, right?" Yun Chuan finished for him.
"How did you know?" Tang San asked in surprise.
After the thrashing the night before — maybe from the frustration, maybe stirred by Yun Chuan's words — Tang San had felt the signs of a breakthrough, and through cultivation had risen from level twenty-nine to level thirty.
"I knew the instant it happened. The surge of energy when you break through — to me, it's as plain as day." Yun Chuan wasn't bluffing; a high-level soul master could easily sense a nearby breakthrough.
"In that case, once Oscar's done absorbing his ring, we'll move on," Yun Chuan said. He'd been meaning to meet the Titan Giant Ape anyway. His recent fight with Tang Hao had given him plenty of new insights.
Especially with True Thousand Hands – Buddha on the Summit — a technique still in its infancy but growing steadily more powerful with his refinements over the past two days. When the Titan Giant Ape showed up, he fully intended to use that colossal beast as a test subject.
(End of Chapter)