Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Xiao Jian put away the jade token and turned to see Xiao Yan running toward him at full speed.
"Are you alright?" Xiao Yan asked anxiously as he took out a healing pill and tossed it over.
"I'm fine. There was someone familiar among that group of experts.....she helped me out," Xiao Jian replied, catching the pill and swallowing it in one motion.
"You know people in that group too?" Xiao Yan asked in surprise.
Xiao Jian chuckled lightly. "Just one of them. We worked together once in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
I got the Companion Purple Crystal Source with her back then."
"Oh?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "So the Dou Huang aura Master sensed earlier was that expert you know?"
"Mm," Xiao Jian nodded. "And from the looks of it, that group is also here for the Heavenly Flame."
"They're after the Heavenly Flame too?"
Xiao Yan frowned briefly, then his expression relaxed as a grin appeared.
"So… we wait for them to stir things up, then fish in troubled waters and snatch the flame?"
"Heh, exactly," Xiao Jian said with a low laugh.
"There are nine of them—one Dou Huang, three Dou Wang, and five Dou Ling.
The Dou Huang is my acquaintance, so she won't make things difficult for us.
"One of the Dou Wang has extremely strong soul power, and the others seem to revolve around him.
I suspect that's Gu He. He must have learned about the Heavenly Flame and gathered experts to push deep into Snake-People territory.
"The lineup is impressive, but the leaders of the Eight Great Snake-People Tribes aren't pushovers either.
Once fighting breaks out, it'll be a stalemate.....and that's when our chance comes."
Listening to Xiao Jian's analysis, Xiao Yan nodded thoughtfully.
"In that case, let's move. Maybe we really can be the fishermen this time."
After a brief rest, the two set off again toward the depths of the desert.
Along the way, Yao Lao helped conceal their auras. Meanwhile, Gu He's group caused a major disturbance when passing through the Charm Snake Tribe.
Yun Yun seemed to notice Xiao Jian's intent to follow—she not only gave him a jade token for contact, but also personally destroyed much of the tribe's defensive setup.
As a result, Xiao Jian and Xiao Yan passed straight through the Charm Snake Tribe with ease.
After traveling through the night, they finally reached the heart of Snake-People territory.
On the horizon ahead, the silhouette of Queen Medusa's palace had already appeared.
Naturally, the closer they got, the harder the road became.
They hid beneath a sand dune, the soft rasp of snake tails sliding across sand audible overhead.
"These damned humans dare charge straight into the desert's depths! If we catch them, I'll make sure they experience the agony of ten thousand snakes devouring their bodies!"
Above the dune, under the blazing sun, a Snake-Person who looked like the squad leader wiped sweat from his brow and cursed loudly.
"Captain, what exactly happened?" another Snake-Person asked irritably, flicking his tail as he scanned the empty desert. "Why did the tribe suddenly go on full alert?"
Nearby Snake-People turned their gazes toward the leader as well. Low-ranking as they were, none of them knew the full story.
"Hmph," the leader snorted darkly.
"Last night, a group of human experts forcibly broke through the Charm Snake Tribe's defenses and pushed deeper into the desert.
Intelligence says they include a Dou Huang, three Dou Wang, and several Dou Ling."
The surrounding Snake-People immediately paled.
A Dou Huang… three Dou Wang?
Was the human empire preparing for war again?
"No large tribe could handle that lineup alone," the leader continued.
"All tribes are now on high alert. The Eight Great Tribal Chiefs have already received Queen Medusa's command and are heading toward the palace. The fastest may arrive tonight—the slowest, by tomorrow."
When mentioning the Queen, a fanatical reverence filled his expression.
"Once three chiefs arrive, Her Majesty will order a carpet search.
Hmph! Even with a Dou Huang, those humans are nothing. Once our forces gather, we'll chase them like stray dogs!"
With a cold laugh, the leader waved his hand.
"Move out. There are no human traces here."
The patrol gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving only empty sand behind.
Moments later, the dune trembled slightly.
Two figures burst out amid swirling sand and landed steadily on the surface.
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