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During the earlier exchange, he had noticed the wound on the Crested Phoenix Serpent's abdomen, inflicted by a blunt weapon.
But now, with its abdomen pierced by his sword, the original wound was nowhere to be seen.
Putting aside his thoughts, he didn't forget to urge, "Oscar, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and finish it."
Oscar thanked everyone briefly, then drew a short blade from behind him and swiftly ended the Crested Phoenix Serpent's life.
A purple soul ring floated in the air. Just as Oscar prepared to absorb it, an unexpected voice interrupted his actions.
"This is my Crested Phoenix Serpent. On what grounds did you kill it?"
Turning toward the source of the voice, they saw an elderly woman accompanied by a young girl. The speaker was the younger one.
"Who are you?" Zhao Wuji asked cautiously, his eyes narrowing.
The fact that these two had approached undetected—and without alerting even him—meant they were experienced veterans of the forest. If not for the girl's voice giving them away, their group might have been in serious trouble.
"I am Chao Tianxiang, honored by friends in the soul master community with the title 'Serpent Grandmother.' The Crested Phoenix Serpent you've hunted was meant to be my granddaughter's spirit ring."
"The Dragon Elder and Serpent Grandmother!" Zhao Wuji's eyebrows tightened. He quickly bowed respectfully. "I am Zhao Wuji. Greetings, Senior Chaotianxiang. This Crested Phoenix Serpent was hunted by us. You stepping forward now doesn't seem to follow proper etiquette, does it?"
Zhao Wuji was wary of the combined strength of the Dragon Elder and Snake Hag, but little did he know, only the Snake Hag was present; the Dragon Elder was absent.
Chao Tianxiang, too, was cautious of Zhao Wuji.
With only the strength of a Soul Emperor herself, she dared not offend Zhao Wuji, a Soul Sage.
Upon spotting Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong in the group, Meng Yiran angrily pointed at them. "It's you two!"
"Yiran, do you know them?" Chao Tianxiang turned to ask.
If they had acquaintances among them, the situation would be easier to handle.
Zhao Wuji also looked at the two with curiosity.
Ning Tianchen stepped forward, greeting her with a faint smile. "Miss Meng Yiran, I didn't expect to meet you again so soon."
Chao Tianxiang studied the pair carefully. Ning Tianchen's soul power fluctuations clearly indicated he was at the level of a Soul Lord. As for Ning Rongrong…
"That's the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul!" Chao Tianxiang was startled upon seeing the martial soul in her hand.
"Grandma, they're the ones who humiliated me in town that day," Meng Yiran said angrily.
Chao Tianxiang dared not offend the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. She gently stroked Meng Yiran's forehead and consoled her, "Yiran, you were in the wrong that day. Since it's over, let it go. Don't bring it up again."
Turning to Ning Rongrong, she asked, "Young friend, may I inquire about your father's name?"
"My father is Ning Fengzhi," Ning Rongrong replied proudly.
Chao Tianxiang's expression revealed her realization. "So it's the young master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. My apologies. Please convey my greetings to Master Ning."
Pausing briefly, she continued, "The wound on this Crested Phoenix Serpent's abdomen was caused by my snake staff. Since it has already been hunted by you, I have no complaints. However, how about we form a temporary team? Once Yiran obtains her spirit ring, we'll consider this matter settled. What do you say?"
Zhao Wuji hesitated to agree immediately and turned to inspect the Crested Phoenix Serpent's body.
Flipping the corpse over, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but smirk. "Senior Chao Tianxiang, it seems your words may not hold true. Take a look—the wound on this Crested Phoenix Serpent's abdomen is nowhere to be found."
Chaotianxiang was momentarily taken aback but quickly brushed it off. "The Unmoving Bright King truly possesses great skill. It seems I must have been mistaken. Yiran, let's go."
Knowing that Ning Fengzhi's daughter was part of the Shrek team—as well as the presence of the Unmoving Bright King—continuing to argue wouldn't benefit her or her granddaughter.
After seeing off Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but ask, "Tianchen, did you see any wounds on its abdomen earlier?"
Chao Tianxiang wasn't the type to lie, which left only one possibility—Ning Tianchen had deliberately covered the old wound with a new one.
Ning Tianchen explained, "During the fight, I noticed three marks from a blunt weapon on its abdomen. I suspected someone might use that against us, so I created new wounds to obscure the old ones."
"Good brother, I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay," Oscar said, deeply moved.
Zhao Wuji exhaled in relief. "You're a clever one, saving us from unnecessary trouble."
"Oscar, go absorb the spirit ring. Everyone else, rest here."
---
After walking a short distance, Meng Yiran fumed, "Grandma, that Crested Phoenix Serpent was clearly injured by your snake staff. How could there just happen to be another identical one?"
Chao Tianxiang gave her a loving glance and spoke softly, "Yiran, with Ning Fengzhi's daughter here, how could the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect not send a powerful protector to watch over her? Besides, I'm only a Soul Emperor, while the Unmoving Bright King is a Soul Sage. If we had fought, we would have been the ones to suffer."
Meng Yiran muttered, "Then we'll wait for Grandpa to come back and get revenge on them."
Chao Tianxiang chuckled lightly. "What grudge is there to speak of? Yiran, your conflict with the young mistress of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was merely a verbal spat, and it's already been resolved. Don't bring it up again."
"All right. Missing out on the Crested Phoenix Serpent isn't the end of the world. We might still find something better. Grandma will help you look."
---
While Oscar absorbed the spirit ring, Ning Tianchen walked over to Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, come with me for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."
"What do you want?" Dai Mubai interjected, glaring at Ning Tianchen with displeasure.
"It's none of your business," Zhu Zhuqing snapped, following Ning Tianchen to the side.
Dai Mubai's breathing grew heavy, anger burning in his chest. But feeling Zhao Wuji's gaze on him, he suppressed his temper and sat down, sulking quietly.
After ensuring no one was eavesdropping, Ning Tianchen got straight to the point. "Zhuqing, I assume Rongrong already told you last night about the invitation to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her tone calm. "I haven't decided yet."
Ning Tianchen smiled faintly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "Deep down, you still harbor fantasies about becoming the Empress of Star Luo, don't you? Earlier, when you told Rongrong and the others that you wanted to break off your engagement with Dai Mubai, it was to provoke him into action."
"But your plan backfired. Not only has Dai Mubai failed to restrain himself, but he's become even more reckless, mingling with outsiders."
"Stop talking," Zhu Zhuqing interrupted, raising her head. Panic flickered in her eyes.
Ning Tianchen smiled faintly, shifting the topic. "Don't you think the inheritance system of the Star Luo Empire is absurd?"
"I admit, this method does allow the empire to select capable rulers. But have you considered this—if two princes possess identical innate soul power, then during their sparring as adults, the elder prince will almost certainly have the advantage."
"Because of their seniority, most ministers in the court will invest in the elder prince. The younger one will almost never have a chance to turn the tide."
This was a significant reason why Dai Mubai had chosen to give up on himself.
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