Suddenly, a faint ripple of spirit power emanated from the front leg area of the Great Earth Flame Lizard, instantly drawing Lin Mu's attention.
With a pulse of spirit power, Lin Mu summoned a spirit bone that glimmered faintly with a crimson-red light into his hand.
"To think it actually dropped a left arm bone."
Observing the left arm bone in his hand, a flicker of surprise passed through Lin Mu's eyes. He hadn't expected his luck to be this good, to casually obtain a spirit bone just like that.
This was a thirty-thousand-year spirit bone.
While it couldn't be considered top-tier, it was still an exceedingly rare treasure.
One must know, there were even Title Douluo who didn't possess a single ten-thousand-year spirit bone.
Just as Lin Mu stored the spirit bone into his storage spirit guide and prepared to lead Tang San and Xiao Wu deeper into the forest, he suddenly sensed the aura of another spirit beast approaching at an extremely high speed.
Soon, a pale red figure shot across the sky above. It was a serpentine spirit beast with a fleshy crest, a slender body, and astonishing speed.
"The Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent?"
Lin Mu's gaze sharpened, noticing that this Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent bore injuries, clearly having already been targeted by other spirit masters.
The Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent was a relatively rare spirit beast. This one was just over a thousand years old and already wounded. From this, it was almost certain that its pursuers were likely either Snake Grandmother or Zhao Wuji.
Very quickly, Lin Mu sensed two figures also rushing in this direction.
One old, one young. Barring any surprises, they should be Snake Grandmother and her granddaughter, Meng Yiran.
After a brief contemplation, Lin Mu made a decision.
He simply threw a casual punch. A fist of blazing flames shot out, striking the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent squarely in its abdomen, blasting it from the sky.
It crashed heavily to the ground, blood streaming from its belly, now incapable of further movement.
Seeing the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent in the sky being struck down, Snake Grandmother and Meng Yiran increased their speed a few more notches.
Soon, the two arrived nearby. Spotting the now barely-alive Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent ahead, their hearts jolted in shock, wondering who could have intervened.
Shifting her gaze, Snake Grandmother noticed Lin Mu and his two companions not far away.
"It must have been them who severely wounded the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent."
Without time for further thought, Snake Grandmother prepared to step forward and express her gratitude.
But when her attention fell upon the youthful faces of the trio, she couldn't help but freeze in place.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing that the person who intervened was such a young man, a storm of astonishment surged in Snake Grandmother's heart.
In her view, someone capable of so easily subduing a thousand-year Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent, known for its speed, should at least be a middle-aged spirit master in his thirties or forties, perhaps even a Spirit Sage-level expert.
Yet the person before her was clearly a young man barely past twenty years of age!
His features were handsome yet carried a masculine strength, and a sharp, formidable air was hidden between his brows.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed the one who subdued the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent could be so young.
Beside her, Meng Yiran's beautiful eyes widened even further. Her cherry-like lips parted slightly, her face filled with utter disbelief.
She glanced at the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent struggling in its death throes on the ground, then at the perfectly composed Lin Mu, her mind struggling to make sense of it.
Even her grandmother had been unable to subdue the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent. This person looked only a few years older than herself, yet he had subdued it so effortlessly.
Could it be that his strength surpassed even her grandmother's?
"To possess such formidable power at such a tender age... Could he be a monster cultivated by some reclusive sect?"
Having lived most of her life, Snake Grandmother considered herself well-informed, yet at this moment, she felt as if her very understanding of the world was being overturned.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in her heart. Not daring to show the slightest neglect, she hurriedly took a step forward.
Her tone carried an unprecedented gravity as she said:
"This old woman is Chao Tianxiang. I thank you, sir, for your intervention and for subduing this beast. This Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent is of utmost importance to my granddaughter. Might I ask if you would be willing to grant us this convenience?"
"This spirit beast is of no use to us. You may proceed as you wish."
Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively, speaking as if it were a trivial matter.
Hearing this, Snake Grandmother immediately let out a sigh of relief.
The wariness in her heart dissipated like mist, and she expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, sir, for your generosity. This old woman is immensely grateful."
Hearing her grandmother speak, Meng Yiran finally snapped out of her stunned state. She hurriedly gave a slight bow to Lin Mu and said, "Th-thank you, senior."
Her voice held a trace of hesitation and timidity. Facing this spirit master powerhouse who wasn't much older than her, she instinctively felt a sense of distance and pressure.
Meng Yiran's face lit up with joy upon hearing the words. She took out a dagger, preparing to step forward and deliver the final blow.
Rustle—rustle—
Just at that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind.
Immediately after, a group of somewhat disheveled figures emerged. It was precisely Zhao Wuji and the group from Shrek Academy that he was leading.
As their team lacked a healing-type spirit master, Zhao Wuji's injuries had not recovered much; his face was still bruised and swollen.
"And you still call yourselves geniuses? To coordinate so poorly, even against a mere thousand-year spirit beast... Huh?!"
Zhao Wuji had been scolding Dai Mubai and the other five, but before he could finish his sentence, he caught sight of the very figure that had haunted his nightmares all night.
"It's him!"
Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted violently. The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.
His originally straight back subconsciously bent slightly, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.
In this vast Star Dou Great Forest, how had they happened to run into this great demon king?
"H-him... How could he be here?!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun turned deathly pale, almost turning tail and running on the spot.
Seeing these sudden newcomers, Snake Grandmother and Meng Yiran became alert once more. In the Star Dou Great Forest, incidents of killing for treasure or stealing spirit rings were not uncommon.
"Master..."
Tang San immediately moved to Lin Mu's side. His gaze instantly locked onto Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, his expression grave, already prepared to take action.
As for Xiao Wu, she seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts, appearing rather disinterested.
Lin Mu swept his calm gaze over Zhao Wuji and the others. The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint, subtle arc as he said, "Don't be so tense. I said yesterday it was water under the bridge. Naturally, I won't come to settle scores with you after the fact."
Hearing these words, Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun all let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.
"Your Excellency's noble character and high principles naturally would not involve holding a grudge against the likes of us."
Zhao Wuji forced out a smile uglier than crying, feeling immensely grateful in his heart. Thankfully, this senior was a reasonable person, otherwise, they might have been done for.
After a night of contemplation, Zhao Wuji had grown increasingly convinced that Lin Mu was a Title Douluo. Hence the "Your Excellency."
Another reason was that this person looked at least twenty years younger than him.
Calling him "senior" just felt somewhat odd.
Facing Zhao Wuji's flattery, Lin Mu remained utterly impassive.
Just then, Oscar walked up to Zhao Wuji's side and whispered a reminder, "Teacher Zhao Wuji, that Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent is about to die."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji's heart tightened.
He immediately looked at the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent and saw that it was indeed on its last breath, likely not even an hour from death.