Everyone returned to their rooms—those who needed to cultivate did so, others went straight to bed.
Before they left, Zhao Wuji had scolded Dai Mubai and the others again, calling them "useless trash."
That night, Lin Jie once again helped Zhu Zhuqing with her physical tempering. However, this time it was much quicker, and she didn't need to remove her clothes. When Lin Jie mentioned that, Zhu Zhuqing shot him a cold glare and asked suspiciously, "So you tricked me into stripping those last few times?" Lin Jie could only cry innocence and explain himself with a flurry of excuses before she begrudgingly let it go. After helping her finish the tempering session, he quietly returned to his own room—this time, without making any funny moves.
The next morning, just as dawn lit up the sky, the group departed the town and picked up their pace. The Star Dou Forest was already nearby, so it wouldn't take long to reach. The most excited among them was clearly Oscar—he was finally about to obtain his third spirit ring. Oscar couldn't wait to see what kind of enhancement it would bring him.
He didn't need to be reminded—Zhao Wuji would undoubtedly hunt down a suitable thousand-year spirit beast for him.
The Star Dou Forest stretched across the southern region of the Heaven Dou Empire and spanned both the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. It was teeming with spirit beasts and claimed in full by the Star Luo Empire as part of their territory—though the Heaven Dou Empire never acknowledged that claim.
As one of the three great habitats of wild spirit beasts, the Star Dou Forest was every Spirit Master's dream destination. Every trip here meant one thing—advancement.
When they drew near the forest, Lin Jie could already sense a wave of spiritual energy drifting toward them from within.
Soon, the group arrived at the edge of the forest. Towering trees—some over twenty meters tall—formed a dense canopy overhead, and this was just the outer region.
Lin Jie had been to the Star Dou Forest before, but the place was so vast that it felt like a new experience each time. He had never entered from this side before.
"Everyone stop and rest for a moment before we go in," Zhao Wuji ordered.
The group paused to recover their stamina. Once everyone was in position, they began to head deeper into the forest. Surprisingly, the happiest one was not Oscar—but Xiao Wu. She bounced along cheerfully, clearly in high spirits.
Lin Jie understood—Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast in human form. This forest was her home. It made sense she'd be overjoyed to return.
The group searched for a while but couldn't find a suitable spirit beast for Oscar. Finally, Zhao Wuji called out, "Alright, take a break."
They cleared an open area and sat down to rest.
Xiao Wu sat next to Tang San, but her earlier enthusiasm had faded. She looked somewhat listless—clearly troubled. Tang San had asked her about it, but she only responded that she was fine.
Half an hour passed. Suddenly, Lin Jie's gaze snapped to one direction. At the same moment, Tang San and Zhao Wuji also turned to look.
"Everyone up! Something's coming!" Zhao Wuji barked.
It was just as Lin Jie expected—they were about to encounter the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent.
Zhu Zhuqing swiftly leapt up into the trees and scouted ahead. She soon called back with a report that made Zhao Wuji's eyes light up. "It's the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent. Oscar, you're in luck. Let's hope it's at least a thousand-year level. Zhu Zhuqing, keep eyes on it. Report any sudden changes!"
"It's coming!" Zhu Zhuqing called out softly.
Despite knowing it was a thousand-year spirit beast, Zhu Zhuqing showed no fear. She lunged toward it, her claws gleaming as her first spirit ring lit up—Nether Thrust activated.
The Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent shot forward, and the two collided head-on. Zhu Zhuqing aimed her claw at the serpent's fleshy crest, but the serpent's reflexes were lightning-fast. At the last moment, it twisted its head, avoiding the direct strike. Her claws struck its body instead, producing a muffled thud and slightly slowing the creature's speed.
Startled, the serpent reared back and spat a mouthful of multicolored toxic mist at her.
Lin Jie didn't hesitate. He dashed in, scooping Zhu Zhuqing into his arms and leaping aside just in time. The serpent's venom was no joke—had she been hit, it would've been serious. As he set her down, his eyes locked onto the fleeing beast. You think I'll let you get away?
Not a chance.
In a flash, Lin Jie appeared beside the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent. Lightning crackled in his fist as he punched it squarely in the body. The snake crashed to the ground, writhing as it tried to get up—but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't escape its fate.
Soon, it lay motionless.
Lin Jie drew a sharp dagger from his waist and handed it to Oscar. "Go on. Right beneath the crest—stab there, and you'll pierce the brain. The spirit ring is yours."
Oscar took the dagger with trembling hands. His third spirit ring… it was finally within reach.
Xiao Wu, watching from the side, turned her head away sadly as Oscar raised the blade.
Just then, a raspy voice rang out: "Stop!"
Two figures emerged from the direction the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent had come from.
An old woman and a young girl—both female. The elder looked around sixty or seventy, with cropped silver hair and a wrinkled face, though still full of life. She carried a snake-headed staff in her right hand, and six spirit rings floated rhythmically around her.
The younger one, about sixteen or seventeen, was beautiful, with short-cropped hair and wearing a close-fitting battle outfit with a serpent-scale pattern. Her well-developed figure and intense brown eyes locked straight onto the fallen serpent. She also held a snake-headed staff, albeit shorter, and her body emitted only two yellow hundred-year spirit rings.
The group was startled by the sudden appearance—but upon seeing the six spirit rings around the old woman, they relaxed. After all, Zhao Wuji was a Spirit Sage with seven rings. He now revealed his own spirit rings, the deep black of the ten-thousand-year level radiating an oppressive aura.
Seeing that her opponent was a Spirit Sage, the old woman's heart sank. She knew they weren't in a position to win today.
"Is there a problem?" Zhao Wuji asked calmly, glancing at her snake-headed staff. Something about it reminded him of someone.
His voice was unexpectedly gentle—an odd change in demeanor that surprised Dai Mubai. This didn't feel like Zhao Wuji at all.
The old woman coughed lightly and spoke in a more respectful tone, "Honored Spirit Sage, might I ask you to let my granddaughter have this Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent?"
Zhao Wuji stood beside the serpent. "And why is that?"
The elder seemed to compose herself, then said, "Because we were the ones who first discovered it and initiated the hunt. Otherwise, why would we have chased it this far?" As she spoke, she pointed at the serpent's back.
Zhao Wuji and the others looked where she indicated—and indeed, there was a wound already present on its body.
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