Douluo Continent: The Phoenix God Returns

Chapter 22 Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent

Just as everyone had rested for about half an hour, Ye Li's gaze was simultaneously turned in one direction.

"Get up! Tell us something's approaching!" Ye Li shouted.

Tang San and Dai Mubai, in perfect unison, stepped in front of Oscar and Ning Rongrong, while Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Fatty stood guard beside them. Immediately, everyone released their martial souls, including Zhao Wuji.

The rustling sound grew louder and louder, and even Oscar and Ning Rongrong, who were both support-type Soul Masters, could clearly sense how quickly the unknown creature was approaching.

"Li Ye, see what it is?" Zhao Wuji ordered in a deep voice.

Ye Li's gaze drifted into the distance. "It's a Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent, a thousand-year-old one."

However, Ye Li soon felt something was wrong. This Phoenix-tailed Crested Snake looked to be only about 1,800 years old, but in reality it had a cultivation of more than 3,000 years. What was going on?

However, Ye Li soon learned the answer. After Gu Yuena transmitted a message to Ye Li through the silver dragon skull, he suddenly realized that the Love-Sickness Broken Heart Red had created a connection between the two of them. Ye Li would transmit some of his thoughts to Gu Yuena. This Phoenix-Tailed Crested Snake was obviously prepared by Gu Yuena for Ye Li.

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "It's a Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent! This kind of soul beast is quite rare. Oscar, you're in luck!"

Tang San said, "Snakes are most afraid of birds. Fatty's martial soul is considered the king of birds, which can suppress this snake to some extent. We just need to form a formation to prevent this snake from escaping..."

"No need for all that trouble, just watch me," Ye Li interrupted Tang San and summoned the Flame Phoenix Sword.

"It's here!" Just then, Zhu Zhuqing called out a warning. Then, she leaped down, showing no fear that it was a thousand-year-old soul beast, and launched her first soul skill to attack.

Zhu Zhuqing bumped into the crested snake as it was moving forward. The Netherworld Thrust aimed directly at the crest on its head. The crested snake reacted quickly; even while moving at high speed, it tilted its head, causing Zhu Zhuqing's attack, which could have hit its head, to land on its body instead. The crested snake seemed startled; it tilted its head and suddenly opened its mouth, spewing out a cloud of seven-colored mist that instantly enveloped Zhu Zhuqing.

"Watch out!" Dai Mubai immediately activated the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, attempting to leap up.

"The Seven Treasures are named, the second being: Speed." Ning Rongrong's clear voice rang out.

Dai Mubai felt his body lighten and his speed suddenly increased. He caught Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Li, on the other side, directly spread the Phoenix Wings and flew towards the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent with his external soul bone. A strange scene occurred. The Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent suddenly paused and obediently came in front of Ye Li without daring to make any move. It just lowered its head and flicked its tongue.

Ye Li pointed to the crested snake in front of her, glanced at Oscar, and said, "Little Oscar, he's yours."

Oscar hugged Ye Li's leg and said, "Xiao Ye, I can't thank you enough. It's a pity I'm not a woman, otherwise I would have married you."

"Stop, stop, stop, I'm not gay." Ye Li picked Oscar up and said with a hint of disgust in her voice, but still whispered in Oscar's ear, "This soul beast is over three thousand years old. With my suppression, you can absorb it perfectly. Don't tell anyone else."

Oscar looked at Ye Li in surprise, then said softly, "I'll always remember you as my brother. Don't worry, I won't expose you."

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily, stepped forward and slapped Oscar on the back of the head, saying, "You're lucky, kid. Phoenix-tailed crested snakes are rare. Hurry up and kill it to absorb its soul ring, lest things get complicated."

Oscar nodded, took out a small dagger from his pocket, and was about to stab it into the crest of the crested snake's head.

At that moment, an angry female voice rang out, "Stop!"

The Shrek members looked in the direction from which the sound came.

"Who goes there?" Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, his Mighty Vajra Bear Martial Soul instantly possessing him, and seven soul rings immediately appearing. He stared at the two figures, one old and one young, with hostility.

The old man looked to be in his fifties or sixties, holding an extremely long snake-head cane, with six spirit rings slowly pulsating beneath his feet.

Beside the woman was a very beautiful girl with short hair that reached her ears. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her large brown eyes were fixed on the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent in front of Ye Li. She also held a serpent staff in her hand, but it was shorter than the old woman's. She also had only two hundred-year soul rings on her body.

"Hmm? That's strange, how did she manage to make it in time?" Ye Li looked at Snake Granny Chaotianxiang with a puzzled expression.

Seeing the seven spirit rings flashing on Zhao Wuji's body, Chao Tianxiang realized this was a tricky one. She stepped forward, trying to soften her expression, and said, "Greetings, esteemed Soul Saint, you cannot give the Phoenix Tail Crested Serpent to that child."

Zhao Wuji asked coldly, "Why?"

The old woman said, "Because we were the first to discover this snake and were the first to hunt it down; otherwise, how could we have tracked it all the way here?"

Oscar, seeing the soul beast Li Ye had prepared for him about to fall into someone else's hands, couldn't help but say, "Senior, what evidence do you have to prove that you discovered this snake first? Now that the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is in our hands, are you trying to steal our prize?"

Chao Tianxiang smiled slightly and said, "Young man, don't be in a hurry. Look at the belly of this Phoenix-tailed Crested Snake. There are two wounds on it. It was caused by my cane. My granddaughter has just reached level 30 and needs this soul ring. As you can see, she inherited my weapon spirit, the Snake Staff. A high-level snake spirit is the most suitable for her."

Zhao Wuji looked at Ye Li, and Ye Li nodded at Zhao Wuji. But it was obviously impossible for Zhao Wuji to give up just like that. Moreover, let alone Zhao Wuji, he couldn't even get past Ye Li. If pushed too far, he would just flip the table and give up.

Zhao Wuji said in an unfriendly tone, "May I ask your esteemed name, senior?"

"My name is Chaotianxiang. My friends in the Soul Master world think highly of me and have given me the nickname 'Snake Granny.' My husband's name is Meng Shu, and he is known as the Dragon Lord." In Chaotianxiang's eyes, apart from Dai Mubai, none of the other young men posed any threat to her granddaughter.

Zhao Wuji's expression turned serious. He grabbed Oscar, who was about to argue, and said, "Are you the Snake Granny from the Peerless Dragon and Snake Sect?"

Chao Tianxiang smiled calmly, "It is indeed I. May I ask your esteemed name, Soul Saint?"

Zhao Wuji thought to himself, "This is bad. The Dragon Lord Meng Shu and the Snake Lady Chao Tianxiang are an inseparable couple. If the Snake Lady is here, then the Dragon Lord is probably not far off either." "I am Zhao Wuji."

Chao Tianxiang's expression also shifted slightly. "So you are the renowned Immovable King Zhao Wuji of the Soul Master world. I am a bit older than you, so I will take the liberty of calling you Brother Zhao. Brother Zhao, this thousand-year-old Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is extremely important to my granddaughter. She has just reached level 30 and needs a suitable Soul Ring. Could you please do us a favor and return this Soul Beast to us? I will certainly remember this favor and repay you in the future."

"Sister Chao, this is not a good matter," Zhao Wuji said with a troubled expression.

Meng Yiran couldn't help but say, "What's so difficult about it? We were the ones who found this crested snake first. If we hadn't injured it, would you have been able to catch it so easily? Give it back to us right now, or we'll be very rude to you!"

Meng Yiran raised her snake staff, the tip pointing directly at Ye Li, who was standing on a phoenix-tailed crested snake.

Ye Li frowned. "Let alone the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent, the entire Star Dou Great Forest is mine. To ask me for my things on my territory, they really have a lot of nerve."

Chao Tianxiang frowned as well, staring at Zhao Wuji and saying, "Brother Zhao, so you're saying you don't want to return this Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent to us, grandfather and grandson?"

Zhao Wuji smiled slightly and said, "Sister Chao, all the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are ownerless. Although it is more suitable for your grandson, it is also very suitable for one of my students. This kind of relatively gentle soul beast will also be of great help to my student's martial soul."

Chao Tianxiang was taken aback. "You mean, among your students, there are also Soul Masters who have already reached level 30?"

Zhao Wuji nodded.

Chao Tianxiang was startled and subconsciously looked at the boy in front of the Phoenix Tail Crested Snake. If what Zhao Wuji said was true, then this child's talent was no less than that of her granddaughter.

Zhao Wuji smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, senior, how about this? I'll have these children activate their martial souls and show them to you. Shrek Academy members, show your spirit rings to this Snake Granny!"

With Zhao Wuji's command, everyone immediately released their martial souls. Among them, Ye Li, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Tang San's martial souls only revealed their spirit rings, and the true nature of their martial souls was not revealed to the enemy. The remaining four all had beast martial souls, so they could not hide them. One after another, dazzling spirit rings rose from beneath the feet of the Shrek Academy members. Each person had at least two hundred-year-old yellow spirit rings, and Ye Li and Dai Mubai even had an additional purple thousand-year spirit ring.

"How old are you this year?" Chao Tianxiang asked in shock. How could someone so young be at the Soul Venerable level?

Ye Li thought for a moment, then took out a token and tossed it to Chao Tianxiang, saying, "This junior is Li Ye, just turned twelve this year. I wonder if senior would do me the honor?"

Chao Tianxiang frowned as she looked at the token in her hand. The token of the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall—this kid must be connected to the Spirit Hall. "Little guy, what's your relationship to her?"

.........

(End of this chapter)