[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."
Ma Hongjun nodded, signaling that he understood. While his Evil Fire Phoenix had its weaknesses, suppressing a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent that wasn't particularly aggressive would be easy.
"It's coming," Zhu Zhuqing's voice called from the trees. At that moment, her claws glowed, and her first spirit ring shone as she launched a Ghost Shadow Strike at the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent.
Sensing danger, the serpent barely managed to avoid Zhu Zhuqing's attack by using the energy stored in the crest on its head. Although Zhu Zhuqing didn't hit the crest, her strike left a deep wound on the serpent's body.
Realizing it wasn't a match for Zhu Zhuqing, the serpent immediately retaliated by spitting a colorful mist in her direction, its crest glowing red as it prepared to flee.
"Watch out!" Dai Mubai shouted, warning Zhu Zhuqing.
However, Zhu Zhuqing remained calm. Nearby, Ning Rongrong activated the second ability of her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda: "Seven Treasures have arrived. Second, Speed!"
Zhu Zhuqing's speed surged, allowing her to swiftly escape the range of the colorful mist.
Seeing that the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent was about to flee, Tang San quickly said, "Fatty, release the aura of your martial spirit and attack it!"
Fatty nodded, fully activating his Evil Fire Phoenix and unleashing a Phoenix Fire Wire attack at the serpent.
Feeling the terrifying presence of the Evil Fire Phoenix, the serpent, initially attempting to escape, froze in fear, overwhelmed by its natural predator's aura.
Noticing this moment of hesitation, Tang San, with his Purple Demon Eyes, seized the opportunity and used his Blue Silver Grass to bind the serpent tightly.
The Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, now trapped, quickly activated the energy stored in its crest, attempting to break free.
Fearing the serpent might escape his control, Tang San immediately used his second spirit ability, Parasitic! Instantly, the seeds of the Blue Silver Grass already on the serpent's body began to sprout, embedding themselves in its flesh, their barbs digging in, causing blood to flow and slightly slowing the serpent's movements. However, the serpent's speed was still formidable, and the paralysis effect was minimal.
With the serpent now partially subdued, Dai Mubai called out, "Fatty, Zhuqing, let's surround it. Don't let it escape!"
After some time, the energy in the serpent's crest was finally depleted, and the paralysis toxin from the Blue Silver Grass began to take full effect. The serpent lay motionless, staring helplessly at the group.
Zhao Wuji, seeing that the serpent was nearly defeated, gave a wry smile and, to prevent it from recovering, struck it unconscious with a single palm.
Tang San quickly turned to Oscar, "Little Ao, now's your chance. Absorb the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent's spirit ring!"
Oscar, excitement visible on his face, ran over to join Tang San and the others.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, standing beside Su Ming, seemed melancholic. Her eyes showed reluctance as she softly asked, "Do we really have to kill spirit beasts? Why must spirit masters hunt spirit beasts to grow stronger?"
Su Ming gently pulled Xiao Wu close and sighed. "Xiao Wu, I know you feel upset, but this is just how the world works—survival of the fittest."
"And as I recall, while you can create your own spirit rings, you can only condense up to six. After that, you'll need to hunt spirit beasts for your seventh ring and beyond."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's face paled. She could only condense up to six spirit rings? She had no idea. She always thought she could continue creating them indefinitely. Thinking back, she remembered her mother had only condensed six rings before she died, without ever reaching the seventh.
Su Ming continued, "In fact, it's mostly due to the rules of this world. Spirit masters must hunt spirit beasts to grow stronger because of how the world operates. It would be much better if everyone could create their own spirit rings like you."
Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother, do you think you can change this?"
Su Ming shook his head slightly. Changing the world's rules would be almost impossible, even if he became a god. After all, newly ascended gods rarely have the influence or allies to alter the laws of an entire plane.
However, if he managed to gather enough allies in the divine realm, perhaps it could be done.
But he didn't tell Xiao Wu all of this. The future was too uncertain, and he wasn't sure he could change anything at all.
For now, though, Su Ming's system had provided a method for creating spirit souls. If he spread that knowledge, it could gradually reduce the conflict between spirit masters and spirit beasts and slow the extinction of spirit beasts.
Over time, Su Ming might be able to modify the plane's rules or even invent artificial spirit rings, further easing the tension between humans and beasts.
As for achieving complete peace, Su Ming thought that was impossible. There would always be some conflict between spirit masters and spirit beasts, and removing all conflict might not even be beneficial for spirit masters. After all, growth often comes through adversity and struggle.
And for spirit beasts, they constantly face life-and-death challenges from the moment they are born. If conflict between spirit masters and spirit beasts disappeared, the balance of power might shift heavily in favor of the beasts, creating new issues.
After all, even if he became a god, Su Ming couldn't spend all his time enforcing balance between the two sides. He would only intervene when absolutely necessary. Most of the time, things would have to play out naturally.
Su Ming also had a lingering question: Why could Xiao Wu, after transforming into a human, only create six spirit rings? Was it due to some limitation in her own power or another reason entirely?
What was the principle behind a 100,000-year-old spirit beast transforming into a human and creating its own spirit rings?
If Su Ming could figure this out—and with a little help from his system—perhaps he could eventually develop artificial spirit rings.
Of course, this was something for a much later stage of his life, when he had become invincible in the world. For now, he kept this thought deep within his heart.
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