Chapter 97: A Different Xiao Wu
The night passed quietly, and before long, it was the next day.
After breakfast, Elder Scorpion and Dugu Feng set out as well—trailing the Shrek party as they departed the supply town.
Dugu Feng was in no hurry, keeping a distance of several dozen li between them.
Now it was time for the Jade Serpent Dragons to act.
With a spirit orb inside their bodies, they made the perfect scouts.
Dugu Feng instructed a Jade Serpent Dragon to slowly close the gap with the Shrek group.
In the Shrek lineup, Flender led at the front and Zhao Wuji guarded the rear.
Between them were Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the rest of the seven monsters.
The Jade Serpent Dragon shrank to its smallest form—just five inches long—hugging the ground and slithering forward until it was only a few hundred meters away.
After surpassing the ten-thousand-year threshold, its intangibility ability had grown immensely.
What was once a semi-transparent emerald body now became completely invisible, concealed by the natural stealth of a serpent.
Even Flender and Zhao Wuji couldn't detect it.
So it followed the Shrek team into the forest, making sure Dugu Feng was always up to date on their movements.
By noon, the right spirit beast for Oscar arrived: a thousand-year Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent.
Following soon after were Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran.
A contest was inevitable—Tang San defeated Meng Yiran, allowing Oscar to obtain his third soul ring and gain the flight ability.
Everything proceeded as before. Tang San reached level thirty.
Both he and Zhu Zhuqing needed new soul rings, so the group continued their search.
A day and night passed with no suitable candidates.
Dugu Feng knew the real excitement was coming soon.
He had his Jade Serpent Dragon back off a bit from the group.
Flender and Zhao Wuji might not sense it, but the Titan Giant Ape could.
Because Xiao Wu failed to restrain her aura, the Titan Giant Ape arrived.
Xiao Wu was carried away.
And thus came Tang San's greatest opportunity.
Dugu Feng knew every step by heart.
Once Xiao Wu was taken, he instructed his Jade Serpent Dragon to shadow Tang San.
"Elder Scorpion, our goal this time is Tang San. According to intel I acquired in the City of Slaughter,
Tang Hao gave his son some special training. For his third spirit ring, Tang San is sure to try a ring beyond his level.
That makes it highly likely that an external spirit bone will appear.
I'll keep the Jade Serpent Dragon on Tang San—if an external spirit bone appears, you'll act and secure it,"
Dugu Feng ordered calmly.
As for anything unexplainable, he blamed it all on information gained in the City of Slaughter.
Elder Scorpion blinked in disbelief.
He wanted to say, "Are external spirit bones really that easy to come by?"
But seeing the certainty in his young master's eyes, he simply buried his questions.
The young master had never missed—just do as he said.
Deep within the forest—
The Titan Giant Ape rushed forward, its mountainous body—over ten meters tall—moving with surprising agility.
Every jump covered nearly a hundred meters, surging through the woods like a living skyscraper.
Seated on its shoulder, Xiao Wu grinned.
"Er Ming, this performance was spot on! If I didn't know the plan, I'd think you were truly enraged.
Look at how terrified Flender and Zhao are. Hehe…"
The ape's lamp-sized eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Hah, humans are sly. Us spirit beasts must be even slyer. Every day in the forest, there's a new trick to learn.
Right, Xiao Wu-jie, you aren't going to visit Big Brother? He misses you!"
Er Ming bragged.
"Call Da Ming over for me. I'm pressed for time—I need to condense my third spirit ring first!"
With that, Xiao Wu leapt down and sat cross-legged.
She formed orchid fingers with both hands, right palm up, and softly chanted phrases no human would understand.
Her eyes turned gold as a massive white jade rabbit silhouette floated behind her.
The phantom rabbit's color gradually shifted from white to red—
crimson radiance spreading like blood, eventually enveloping her.
As it faded, two yellow rings appeared—her first and second soul rings.
Above them, a layer of purple light slowly condensed into a thousand-year third ring.
When her new ring stabilized, Xiao Wu grew noticeably taller and shapelier.
"Xiao Wu-jie, how long before you reach the Spirit Saint rank? The longer you stay in the human world, the more dangerous it gets,"
the Titan Giant Ape worried aloud.
Xiao Wu opened her eyes. "What is there to fear? It's not just about personal power—connections matter more in the human world.
Tell me, since I left, have any spirit masters with a Clear Sky Hammer broken through to Titled Douluo in the Star Dou Forest?"
The Titan Giant Ape pondered. "There have been four such breakthroughs—the latest just last year."
A red gleam flickered in Xiao Wu's eyes. "Shouldn't there be five?
Still, if there are already four, that means the Clear Sky Sect has at least six Titled Douluo. The backer I picked is strong enough. I'll be safe for some time."
If Dugu Feng heard this, he'd be shocked at how differently he saw Xiao Wu.
So this wasn't just a naive spirit beast chasing love in the human world?
She clearly knew Tang San's connection to the Clear Sky Sect, and that the sect had Titled Douluo.
She had chosen her "relationship" as her own survival strategy.
The Titan Giant Ape smiled wryly. "Xiao Wu-jie, we're deliberately walking into the tiger's den—are you sure about this? Don't get yourself trapped."
"We already planned this out before coming to the human world.
Given what we know about humans, it's bound to work.
I never expected to meet Tang San so soon.
He was born with full spirit power and the Blue Silver Grass spirit. Once I met his teacher Yu Xiaogang, from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, I was certain Tang San wasn't ordinary.
Then he took me home to Holy Soul Village, and I learned his father was Tang Hao.
That's when I confirmed it: Tang San is the son of the Clear Sky Douluo and the Blue Silver Queen.
As long as I stay close with Tang San, even if Tang Hao intends for my ring and bone to go to his son, I'll always have some safety while I cultivate.
He'll even shield me from other factions.
That was our original plan anyway—otherwise, wandering the continent alone, a single Spirit Douluo could kill me just like that!"
(END CHAPTER)
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