Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

That black-clad Title Douluo was extremely cunning. He used some unknown method, and the bruises and swelling on his face were exceptionally stubborn. He used his soul power to cleanse them all night, but they only subsided slightly, and he still looked disheveled.

This is absolutely on purpose!

That black-clad Title Douluo not only beat him up, but also used special methods to leave these indelible marks on his face, just to embarrass him and make him remember the lesson from last night.

Zhao Wuji felt both hatred and fear, yet he dared not even entertain the slightest thought of revenge.

Title Douluo... that's a height he can never reach in his lifetime.

"What are you all looking at?" Zhao Wuji was annoyed and angry at the stares of the crowd, and shouted irritably.

"Hurry up and pack your things, get ready to head into the forest! Today's goal is to find suitable spirit rings for Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing. Anyone who holds us back, I'll teach them a lesson!"

He spoke, which aggravated the injury on his face, causing him to grimace in pain, but his tone was unusually stern, as if he was trying to regain some of his authority as a teacher.

"Yes, Teacher Zhao."

Everyone responded, but the atmosphere remained delicate.

"set off!"

Zhao Wuji waved his hand and was the first to walk out of the hotel.

……

Starry Sky Forest.

Zhao Wuji walked at the front of the group. His once fierce face was now covered in bruises, making him look somewhat comical, but no one dared to laugh.

With each step he took, he could feel a dull pain on his face, which added to his frustration. But when he thought of the ghostly figure in black from last night, all his anger was forced back down.

He would occasionally glance at Tang San and Cinderella at the back of the group, his expression complex.

The two walked side by side. Tang San remained silent as always, his expression calm, as if the person who had tortured him with the strange golden needles yesterday was not him at all.

Cinderella would occasionally whisper a few words to Tang San, her azure eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the dim light of the forest.

Zhao Wuji cursed inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and forced himself to concentrate.

Today's mission is to obtain the third spirit ring for Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing; there must be no mistakes.

"Keep up close, don't fall behind," Zhao Wuji reminded them gruffly, his voice muffled by the injuries on his face.

"The Star Dou Great Forest is not an amusement park; accidents can happen at any time in the area inhabited by thousand-year-old soul beasts."

"Yes, Teacher Zhao." Oscar quickly replied, his face showing a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

Zhu Zhuqing simply nodded, her cold eyes scanning the surroundings, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

Dai Mubai walked not far from Zhu Zhuqing, his gaze occasionally falling on her, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Since the hotel incident yesterday, Zhu Zhuqing hasn't looked at him directly. That cold indifference infuriates him even more than direct disgust.

Ma Hongjun covered his face; the slap he received from Merida yesterday hadn't completely healed. As he walked through the forest, his small eyes darted around, a mixture of anticipation and fear in them.

Led by Zhao Wuji, the group proceeded into the depths of the forest along a path trodden by those who had come before.

The further you go, the taller and thicker the trees become, some requiring several people to encircle them, their canopies blocking out the sun and making the light even dimmer.

The aura of the soul beasts in the air grew increasingly intense.

"stop."

After walking for about an hour, Zhao Wuji suddenly raised his hand to signal.

Everyone immediately stopped and looked around warily.

Zhao Wuji crouched down and carefully examined the marks on the ground: several deep claw marks and some scattered feathers.

“These are traces of bird-like spirit beasts. Judging from the size of these claw marks, they should be about a thousand years old.” Zhao Wuji stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

"Continue forward, but remain vigilant."

After walking for another half hour, they encountered a group of rodent-like spirit beasts that were about ten years old. Upon seeing humans, they immediately fled in panic.

Ma Hongjun originally wanted to give in, but after being glared at by Zhao Wuji, he reluctantly gave up.

Time passed slowly, the sun gradually rose higher, and the temperature in the forest began to rise as well.

"Teacher Zhao, how much longer do we have to walk?" Oscar asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead and slightly out of breath.

Although he was a food-type Soul Master, his physical fitness was quite good thanks to Flander's special training. However, trekking long distances through the forest while constantly remaining vigilant was indeed quite strenuous.

Zhao Wuji glanced at the sky, then at the surrounding environment, and frowned, saying, "Let's keep looking. Suitable soul beasts aren't easy to find; we need to be patient."

Even so, he was also a little anxious.

It's been all morning, and they haven't even seen a suitable soul beast. Although there are many soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, the specific kind suitable for Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing is not something you can just stumble upon easily.

Oscar's third spirit ring should ideally be a spirit beast that can provide flight or speed boosts, which would greatly compensate for the lack of mobility of food-type spirit masters.

Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Cat is an agility-based attack type, so her third soul ring should naturally be a soul beast that can further enhance her speed, attack power, or stealth ability.

Both of these requirements are quite high.

"Rest here for fifteen minutes," Zhao Wuji finally decided.

"Eat something to replenish our strength. Then we'll head northeast. There's a swamp there where spirit beasts suitable for agility-type spirit masters often appear."

Upon hearing this, everyone found a relatively clean place to sit down.

Tang San took out some dry food and water from his soul tool and gave them to Cinderella. The two sat under a big tree and ate quietly.

Chapter 284 Little Dance Sister

Dai Mubai sat not far from Zhu Zhuqing, wanting to say something several times, but seeing Zhu Zhuqing's cold profile, he swallowed his words and could only silently gnaw on his dry rations.

Ma Hongjun then sidled up to Oscar and whispered, "Oscar, do you think we can manage to get this done today? I don't want to spend the night in the forest; I've heard the Starry Sky Forest is even scarier at night..."

"Shut up," Oscar said irritably, shoving a sausage into his mouth. "Stop talking nonsense."

Just then.

"Swish..."

A sudden, rapid scraping sound came from the treetops to the northeast.

Everyone instantly stood up, their soul power surging, and they entered battle mode.

Zhao Wuji stepped forward to block the crowd, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came, and whispered, "Watch out."

The sound grew closer, accompanied by the rustling of some creature moving rapidly through the leaves and branches.

Suddenly, a colorful figure darted out from the treetops.

It was a snake, six or seven meters long, its entire body covered in brightly colored scales that shimmered with iridescent colors in the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy. Most striking was the crimson, blood-red fleshy crown on its head, shaped like a phoenix tail, which trembled slightly as it moved.

“This is…” Zhao Wuji’s eyes lit up, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"A crested serpent with a phoenix tail! And it's about a thousand years old!"

He recognized the spirit beast at a glance.

The Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is incredibly fast, has delicious meat, and its crest contains abundant energy, making it a favorite prey for many spirit beasts.

But precisely because of this, very few Phoenix-tailed Crested Snakes can live for a thousand years, as they not only have to face natural enemies, but also the predation of other spirit beasts.

Judging from its size and the color of its fleshy crown, this one in front of us has at least 1,500 years of cultivation.

Most importantly, the speed and flying ability of the crested serpent are a perfect fit for Oscar.

"Oscar, your spirit ring has arrived!" Zhao Wuji shouted, his spirit power erupting.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—seven spirit rings rose from beneath his feet, and the Mighty Vajra Bear spirit instantly possessed him.

The crested serpent clearly sensed the danger, its body suddenly paused in mid-air, and then it turned to flee.

It is indeed fast; with a sharp turn in the air, it will fly away in another direction.

But would Zhao Wuji give it that chance?

"Third Soul Skill: Gravity Enhancement!"

Zhao Wuji waved his hand, and his third purple soul ring suddenly lit up.

Centered on him, the gravity within a 20-meter radius instantly tripled.

The crested serpent was turning when it suddenly felt its body sink, its flight speed dropped sharply, and it almost fell from the sky.

It let out a panicked screech, its crest turning even redder, and it desperately vibrated its membranes, trying to break free from this invisible constraint.

But Zhao Wuji had already made his move.

Despite his injuries, he moved with remarkable speed. With a slight bend in his knees, he suddenly pushed off the ground, launching himself into the air like a cannonball, heading straight for the crested serpent in mid-air.

When the crested snake saw the humans rushing towards it, it opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of colorful venomous mist. This was its survival skill; the venomous mist not only paralyzed the enemy but also had a hallucinogenic effect.

However, Zhao Wuji ignored it all. His protective soul power formed a faint light membrane around his body, and he rushed directly into the poisonous fog. With a swift movement, he accurately grabbed the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent's vital spot.

"hiss!"

The crested snake hissed sharply and twisted its body violently, trying to break free.

But Zhao Wuji's hand was like an iron clamp, tightly gripping its vital point, while his other hand struck it hard on the head.

"Oh!"

A muffled thud.

The crested snake's struggling movements suddenly froze, the light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and it fainted.

Zhao Wuji carried the unconscious Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent back to the ground, casually tossed it aside, dusted off his hands, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

“You’re in luck. This Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent looks to have 1,500 years of cultivation, which is perfect for your third soul ring.” Zhao Wuji looked at Oscar.

"Come on, while it's unconscious, quickly kill it and absorb its soul ring."

Oscar was so excited that his face turned red. He quickly took out a dagger from his storage soul tool and walked quickly to the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent.

He crouched down, looked at the colorful giant snake in front of him, took a deep breath, raised his dagger, and aimed at the most vulnerable spot below the snake's head, ready to stab.

at this time

"stop!"

A hoarse yet sharp shout suddenly rang out from the forest.