At last, Taichu's gaze settled on a woman.
Dugu Yan.
It wasn't because of her looks that she caught his attention, but because of her identity—
The beloved granddaughter of Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well…
There were simply too many priceless treasures connected to that place. Lying if he said he wasn't tempted would be pointless. Even if he couldn't make use of everything himself, some of the people around him certainly could.
For example—
His hopelessly pathetic, lovesick uncle.
Sigh—
There was no helping it. He only had one uncle, so he had no choice but to help him out.
Especially since his uncle had lost a leg because of him. He had to restore that severed leg. As for how—he'd already thought it through.
For instance, the one hundred thousand–year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, left behind after the sacrifice of a certain Blue Silver Emperor who had been tricked, stripped of everything, and ultimately planted in a cave that never saw the sun.
One of the spirit abilities of that right leg bone was "Spring Breeze Blows, Life Returns," which possessed the power of Limb Regeneration. Restoring his uncle's lost leg shouldn't be a problem at all.
As for whether he felt any guilt about taking something that belonged to someone else?
Please.
Though he had transmigrated into this world, he had been reborn from the womb. He hadn't lived long, but he had enjoyed the warmth of a loving family.
And yet, who could have predicted such a sudden calamity?
His parents had died because Tang Hao sought revenge against Spirit Hall.
That alone was enough for Taichu to bear a grudge.
Taking that one hundred thousand–year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone?
He could do it with a perfectly clear conscience.
Just then—
The Blood Shadow Red Snake finally spat out the lamb leg that had been jammed into its mouth.
"What a waste…"
Beneath the mask, Taichu frowned slightly. He had spent quite some time roasting that meat, only for this thing to charge in and ruin everything—including the other Rock Horn Sheep meat still roasting over the fire.
His dinner was gone.
"Hiss—hiss—HISSS!!!"
The Blood Shadow Red Snake flicked its tongue, its cold, crimson pupils sweeping across the surroundings, clearly searching for an escape route.
"Attack!"
Yu Tianheng shouted, no longer bothering with anything else.
They had already wasted far too much time chasing this Blood Shadow Red Snake. If it escaped again, things would become troublesome. By then, Teacher Qin Ming might really have to step in—and that would make the Huangdou Team look utterly incompetent.
"First Spirit Ability—Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Lightning gathered in Yu Tianheng's hand as he slashed forward.
The Blood Shadow Red Snake twisted its body and barely dodged. The ground behind it exploded,碎石 flying everywhere.
The others immediately followed up.
"Second Spirit Ability—Wind Blade!"
Yufeng, whose martial soul was the Wind-Bell Bird, flapped his wings as two sharp wind blades shot forward.
They sliced across the Blood Shadow Red Snake's body, cutting open its scales and flesh. The damage wasn't deep, but it still injured the beast.
The snake retaliated instantly, spraying venom toward Yufeng in midair.
Yufeng twisted his body slightly and narrowly avoided it.
"Second Spirit Ability—Thunderbolt!"
Yu Tianheng's second spirit ring flared brilliantly. Countless arcs of lightning wrapped around his body before shooting forward like bolts from a bow.
This time, the Blood Shadow Red Snake failed to evade.
Lightning struck its body head-on.
The intense electrical damage forced out a shrill screech, and its body stiffened as paralysis spread through it.
At that moment—
The Shi brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, rushed in from both sides, smashing their weapons down onto the snake's head.
They didn't crush its skull outright, but the blow left it reeling, its vision spinning.
Swish—!
Aoruisi appeared in front of the Blood Shadow Red Snake in a flash, a sharp blade in his hand.
He stabbed downward without hesitation, piercing straight through the snake's body and pinning it firmly to the ground.
The others immediately followed up, pressing it down completely.
"Yanzi, hurry! Finish it!"
Yu Tianheng shouted while restraining the Blood Shadow Red Snake.
Hearing that name, Dugu Yan frowned slightly.
Yu Tianheng had only transferred to the academy half a year ago. After joining the Huangdou Team, he had begun hovering around her constantly, flattering her at every opportunity.
It wasn't that she didn't understand why.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Outstanding background.
Level thirty at a young age.
Exceptional talent.
But she could see through his intentions clearly.
He didn't like her—he wanted to use her to get close to her grandfather.
Ever since Dugu Bo became a Titled Douluo, far too many people had tried to curry favor with her.
Whether they were sincere or not, she could tell at a glance.
And being suddenly addressed so intimately only made her uncomfortable.
Still—
She stepped forward without hesitation and ended the Blood Shadow Red Snake's life with a clean strike.
As the Spirit Beast died, a purple spirit ring slowly condensed above its corpse.
Seeing this, everyone in the Huangdou Team let out a breath of relief.
They had truly put in a great deal of effort to take down this thousand-year Spirit Beast.
Off to the side—
Behind the spiral-patterned mask, the Mangekyō Sharingan observed everything silently.
There was no denying it.
The coordination of the Huangdou Team was excellent.
This thousand-year Blood Shadow Red Snake was on a completely different level from the Phantom Spirit Fox he had hunted previously with Master Ma—whether it was the speed of its sudden lunges, the lethality of its venom, or its reaction time.
Some of its strength hadn't even been fully displayed, since the Huangdou Team had killed it so quickly. But judging from its massive body alone, a single tail strike would have been anything but pleasant.
"Compared to a mental-type Spirit Beast like the Phantom Spirit Fox, this Blood Shadow Red Snake far surpasses it in strength, speed, defense, and overall combat ability. The Phantom Spirit Fox only had a slight advantage in mental power."
"If my first spirit ring had come from this kind of Spirit Beast… Master Ma and I would probably already be piles of bones by now."
Taichu thought to himself.
Of course, that was before he had obtained his first spirit ring.
Now?
A thousand-year Spirit Beast posed no real threat to him. In Sunset Forest, he had encountered such Spirit Beasts more than once—and they had all died by his hand.
"Friend, we're very sorry for disturbing you earlier. Please accept this as compensation."
Yu Tianheng spoke as he took out several gold coins.
"No need."
Taichu didn't reach out to take them.
In Spirit Beast forests, the most dangerous things were often not the Spirit Beasts—but humans.
Just because he understood these people from the original story didn't mean they were guaranteed to be good.
Not long ago, he had encountered a Spirit Master who had provoked a four-thousand-year Spirit Beast. After running into Taichu, that person had deliberately lured the beast toward him, trying to use him as a scapegoat.
If Taichu hadn't had sufficient strength, he would already be nothing more than a pile of dried bones.
That said—
He hadn't come away empty-handed.
"As an apology, Yu Tianheng…"
Taichu's gaze locked onto him through the spiral mask.
"I'll accept your two Spirit Abilities."
Heh.
Consider it interest.