[To be honest, I think the Sea God's divine position doesn't really suit Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, but a divine position is a divine position, after all. Tang San never expected that by going to Sea God Island, he'd actually receive a god's inheritance.]
[If the Titan Giant Ape really shows up later, and if it wants to take Xiao Wu away, I'd like to go with them. After all, the Titan Giant Ape is Xiao Wu's younger brother, so I should at least get to know him.]
[Moreover, while my strength and soul skills are decent, I still lack real combat experience. The spirit masters at the Soto City Arena aren't strong enough to challenge me.]
[Right now, without using my Mangekyō Sharingan, I can easily kite Zhao Wuji if he doesn't use his Martial Soul True Body. Even if he does, I'm confident he still wouldn't be my match.]
[So, I urgently need a strong opponent to practice against, someone who can put pressure on me and push me to use my full strength. I really want a good, intense fight!]
[And Da Ming and Er Ming, despite being spirit beasts, are kind by nature. Plus, they're Xiao Wu's brothers, so they'd be perfect sparring partners.]
The female protagonists, upon reading this, immediately noticed the name "Da Ming" and furrowed their brows. Could it be that Xiao Wu has another younger brother who is even stronger than the Titan Giant Ape?
What kind of spirit beast could surpass the Titan Giant Ape, the King of the Forest? Just from the name, "Da Ming," it was clear that this beast was even more powerful than the Titan Giant Ape!
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged curious glances with Xiao Wu and asked through the diary: "Xiao Wu, is Da Ming also your brother? And judging by the name, is he stronger than the Titan Giant Ape?"
Xiao Wu responded: "Yes, Da Ming is a 100,000-year-old Azure Bull Python, a snake with a bull's head. His strength surpasses Er Ming's, and in the spirit master world, he's often referred to as the Emperor of the Star Dou Forest."
"But what people don't know is that Da Ming and Er Ming, while powerful, are just on the edge of the core area of the Star Dou Forest. Deeper inside, there are even more fearsome beasts. Su Ming mentioned in the diary that my mother was severely injured by one of those powerful spirit beasts from the forbidden zone of the core and later sacrificed herself to Bibi Dong."
The Emperor of the Star Dou Forest?
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were hearing about this for the first time. While the Titan Giant Ape was famous and widely known, the Azure Bull Python seemed much more obscure. Few had ever heard of it.
If even these two powerful 100,000-year-old beasts couldn't claim dominance over the core of the Star Dou Forest, how terrifying must the true rulers of the deeper areas be?
After a brief pause, the female protagonists noticed that Su Ming had stopped updating the diary. It seemed he wasn't planning to write more for now. Judging by the time Su Ming had been writing, it was almost half an hour—if nothing unexpected happened, the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent was likely about to appear.
Su Ming had also stopped writing because the rest period was nearly over.
Not long after, Su Ming's spiritual senses picked up a spirit beast rapidly approaching their location.
Zhao Wuji sensed it too and shouted, "Everyone, get up! Something's coming!"
Immediately, everyone stood up, with Ning Rongrong hiding behind Su Ming. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing also positioned themselves nearby, while Dai Mubai and Tang San shielded Oscar.
Everyone quickly activated their martial souls, including Zhao Wuji, who wasn't taking any chances during this mission.
As the rustling sound grew louder, indicating something rapidly approaching, Su Ming said, "Zhuqing, go hide in the trees and observe the situation. Let us know what kind of spirit beast it is."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, though she already knew it was the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent. Still, she followed the protocol.
Su Ming, with his spiritual power, had already detected the serpent. As expected, it was the same one from the original story, its belly marked with three distinct wounds—likely inflicted by the Snake Lady's staff.
Soon, Zhu Zhuqing's voice came from the trees: "It's a flying snake, but it's not flying high. It has a large, fleshy crest on its head, and its tail is fan-shaped."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "That should be the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent! This type of snake is very rare in the Star Dou Forest."
He then turned to Oscar. "Oscar, this is your lucky day. Originally, we planned to hunt the Man-Faced Demon Spider for Tang San first, but this rare beast showed up while we were resting. Let's hope it's at the right age for you."
Oscar's face lit up with excitement. His luck seemed excellent; they had only just entered the forest, and already he'd encountered a spirit beast suitable for him. Now, he just hoped it was within his capacity to absorb.
Tang San suddenly asked, "How long is the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent? What color are its wings?"
Zhu Zhuqing replied, "The wings are light red, and the length is about six to eight meters."
Tang San thought for a moment and said, "This Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent should be around 1,300 to 1,800 years old—perfect for Oscar."
Hearing this, everyone trusted Tang San's judgment. After all, he was Grandmaster's disciple and likely learned a lot of theory from him.
Oscar's eyes gleamed as he praised Tang San, "Little San, you're like a walking encyclopedia of the spirit world!"
Tang San smiled modestly, not saying much. This was just basic knowledge learned from his teacher.
Zhao Wuji then said in a deep voice, "Since it's a thousand-year-old Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, Su Ming and I will stay out of this. You all work together to capture it, and Oscar can finish it off for his spirit ring."
"The Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent's attack power isn't high, but its speed is its main strength. The energy is stored in the crest on its head, so don't let it escape. This kind of spirit beast is hard to come by—get moving!"
Su Ming wasn't surprised that Zhao Wuji didn't want him to participate. With his strength, capturing a thousand-year-old Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent would be far too easy. Even Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing could probably kill it, though they lacked proper control skills. This was where Tang San's abilities would come in handy.
Tang San activated his Purple Demon Eyes and turned to Ma Hongjun. "Fatty, your martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix, which is a natural predator of snakes. Your aura should suppress it a bit. Just make sure it doesn't escape, and I'll find the right moment to control it."