Chapter 106: First Meeting with Meng Yiran!
As soon as Li Chang'an spoke, everyone turned their heads toward him, their expressions full of curiosity. Zhao Wuji was no exception.
'By all accounts, this kid's spiritual power shouldn't be that strong. So if he didn't rely on spiritual perception, how exactly did he determine the age of this Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent?'
But when Li Chang'an spoke, neither Zhu Zhuqing nor anyone else raised any objections. No one doubted his words—that was the authority Li Chang'an commanded.
"And Oscar," Li Chang'an added, "if you can kill this spirit beast and make it your soul ring, you should gain a rather decent flying-type soul skill."
Tang San also chimed in from the side, "Teacher Li is right. By all logic, you should have that opportunity."
Oscar was overjoyed. If he really could get a flying-type soul skill, that would be incredible!
Zhao Wuji didn't bother to think it over anymore and said directly, "Let's work together and capture it!"
"It's coming."
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out. With a sharp cry, she suddenly dove down from the air, showing no fear even though her opponent was a thousand-year-old soul beast!
Dark energy-coated claws formed on her hands as her first soul ring lit up—Hell Rush Stab, activate!
It was a massive serpent, just as Zhu Zhuqing had described. It was about six or seven meters long, with a bright red fleshy crest on its head. It looked rather ferocious and, as it slithered forward at high speed, it collided head-on with Zhu Zhuqing. Her claw struck toward the serpent's fleshy crown.
The Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent reacted quickly. Even in the midst of its charge, it twisted its head just in time. Zhu Zhuqing's claw missed the crest and landed on its body instead, letting out a muffled thud. The impact slowed the serpent's momentum noticeably.
Moreover, the dark-element energy imbued in Zhu Zhuqing's attack was immensely destructive, tearing through the serpent's body.
The serpent roared in fury. Its head jerked sideways and it suddenly spewed out a dense, multicolored mist at Zhu Zhuqing. At the same time, the fleshy crest atop its head began to glow again, and the momentary delay in its movement was instantly corrected.
"Watch out!" Dai Mubai shouted from below, preparing to act, but someone beat him to it.
To everyone's astonishment, a dark shadow flashed past their eyes. In the blink of an eye, Li Chang'an had leapt into the air and caught Zhu Zhuqing in his arms. While descending, he spun mid-air and delivered a powerful whip kick to the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent.
"Hiss—!"
The serpent was sent crashing to the ground by the force of Li Chang'an's kick.
Held in his arms, Zhu Zhuqing felt a sense of peace she had never experienced before. Facing the serpent's poisonous mist just moments ago, she hadn't felt the slightest fear, she knew Li Chang'an would come for her.
Even though he had just saved her, Li Chang'an never acted like a lecher. Once they landed, he let go of Zhu Zhuqing in a gentlemanly manner, showing not even a hint of impropriety.
Zhu Zhuqing whispered, "Thank you," and this time, Li Chang'an noticed she wasn't wearing her usual cold expression—her face looked warm and gentle.
Progress!
Meanwhile, Tang San and the others quickly subdued the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent. What they thought would be a drawn-out battle ended abruptly, and they all mentally labeled Li Chang'an as someone not to be trifled with.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, glanced meaningfully between Li Chang'an and Zhu Zhuqing. Her large eyes swirled with thoughts, though no one could tell what she was thinking.
The rest unfolded naturally. With the serpent nearly dead, the group handed it over to Oscar to finish off and absorb as a soul ring.
At that moment, Li Chang'an returned to Xiao Wu's side. She took his arm and suddenly asked softly, "Brother, do humans really have to kill spirit beasts?"
Li Chang'an, fully aware of Xiao Wu's true identity, understood what she was thinking. He gently pulled her into his embrace and stroked her scorpion braid, replying tenderly:
"In this world, the weak are prey to the strong—that's just the law of survival. But believe me, I'll find a way for humans and spirit beasts to coexist."
Xiao Wu instinctively hugged his arm tighter, her eyes full of trust and warmth. "Brother, I believe you."
Li Chang'an patted her on the head and didn't say anything more. Was solving the coexistence problem between humans and spirit beasts difficult?
Yes, and no. It all depended on whether he could think from the long river of Douluo Continent's history.
Whether it was developing soul rings or finding a new planet for Spirit beasts, neither solution would be easy or fast. But he had a better option—becoming a God.
Once he achieved Godhood, he would overturn the current Douluo God Realm and create a new one—a divine realm where both humans and spirit beasts could compete on equal footing and ascend together.
At that very moment, Li Chang'an suddenly turned toward a specific direction, his eyes flashing.
Just as Oscar raised his blade to finish off the serpent, a voice called out:
"Stop!"
Two figures emerged from the direction the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent had come from and appeared before the group.
One was an elderly woman, the other a teenage girl. The older woman appeared to be around sixty or seventy, her white hair neatly tied back. Despite her age, she was spirited and alert. Her face was lined with wrinkles but glowed with a rosy sheen like a newborn, and her eyes gleamed with penetrating light.
In her right hand, she held a three-meter-long snake-headed staff. Six soul rings circled around her, moving up and down in rhythm. Though her body hadn't transformed, the rings indicated that she had activated her martial soul. No doubt, her staff was her martial soul.
Beside her stood a beautiful girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with short ear-length hair. She wore a tight, form-fitting combat outfit that accentuated her already well-developed figure. Her deep brown eyes were locked onto the Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent in Zhao Wuji's hand. She also held a snake-headed staff, slightly shorter than the elder's—about two meters in length. Her body bore two hundred-year soul rings.
Their sudden appearance startled the students. But when they saw that the old woman only had six rings, they relaxed—after all, Zhao Wuji had seven, and they also had the unfathomably powerful Spirit King, Teacher Li.
While Tang San and the others relaxed, the old woman's face fell. She had shouted earlier in haste, but after getting closer, her expression changed.
She couldn't determine Zhao Wuji's exact strength, but her natural instincts screamed danger. This middle-aged man wasn't just strong—he was stronger than her.
Spirit Sage.
A Spirit Sage here, in the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest?
Her heart sank. This encounter would not end in their favor.
And what frightened her most wasn't Zhao Wuji—it was the young man dressed in black. He looked young, but the sense of lethal danger he radiated made her feel like she wouldn't even be able to run if he wanted her dead.
"What's the matter?!"
Zhao Wuji gave the elder a glance, his eyes lingering on her snake-headed staff. A name surfaced in his mind.
His voice was surprisingly gentle—odd for those who knew him well. Dai Mubai was a little taken aback. The usually harsh and intimidating Zhao Wuji never showed kindness to those weaker than him, especially when it came to disputes over spirit beasts like this one.
The old woman coughed lightly, trying to soften her expression and tone:
"Respected Spirit Sage, please… you must not give this Phoenix-Tail Crest Serpent to that child."
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