Though she claimed she wouldn't allow it again, the days that followed proceeded as usual.
The only difference was that Chen Mo didn't fully activate the Azure Dragon Yin-Yang Art—so what happened that night didn't happen again.
Seeing this, Queen Medusa chose to turn a blind eye.
After all, the boost in strength was simply too significant to ignore.
She had already suspected it—that incident must have had a great deal to do with Chen Mo.
—
Inside Queen Medusa's private study, where she handled state affairs.
She was in the middle of reviewing official reports.
Suddenly, her brows furrowed.
The Snake Seal she had placed on that human Dou Huang's body… had been triggered.
Less than a month had passed, and yet another human had invaded the Tagor Desert.
"Yue Nu," Queen Medusa called toward the door.
The doors immediately opened, and Yue Nu entered.
"There's an intruder. That human is back. Go inform the eight tribal chiefs—prepare for battle," Queen Medusa said solemnly as she set down the scroll in her hand.
Yue Nu's expression changed. Although she was puzzled—hadn't those human experts suffered devastating losses last time?
It had only been a short while...
And now they were back again?
Without wasting time on questions, she bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty," then picked several serpentfolk guards skilled in wind-type Dou Qi and swiftly flew off to notify the eight major tribes.
—
At the same time, the entire royal city was placed under Level Three lockdown once more.
Inside the royal palace's sleeping chambers—
Chen Mo, who had been in the middle of seeking a breakthrough, suddenly opened his eyes as he sensed the disturbance outside.
In a flash, he turned into a streak of white light that shot out through the window. Countless small fragments of dark black magical runes surged from his body and coalesced beneath his feet—forming a three-foot-long sword.
Standing atop the flying sword, Chen Mo hovered mid-air, his sharp brows furrowing as he surveyed the mobilizing serpentfolk soldiers below.
"What's going on…?"
Whoosh!
Just then, a graceful figure flew out from the palace and appeared beside him, floating mid-air.
Chen Mo glanced to the side. Who else could it be but Queen Medusa?
Her expression was grave. Her red lips parted slightly:
"Jia Xingtian has returned."
Chen Mo was stunned.
"Didn't Your Majesty seal him with the Snake Seal Curse? How does he have the guts to come back?"
Queen Medusa shook her head.
"When we went to the Jia Ma Holy City with you, I couldn't sense him anywhere. He must've gone to find reinforcements. Now that he's returned, it likely means… he succeeded."
"Reinforcements…" Chen Mo recalled the state of the Jia Ma Empire's top experts after their last encounter—crippled, wounded, or dead. For them to still find powerful allies and come back with confidence…
He muttered, "Could it be… Yun Shan?"
"Yun Shan?" Queen Medusa frowned slightly, the name familiar. Then she nodded.
"Yun Shan, the former Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect?"
Chen Mo nodded.
"He's likely the only one in the Jia Ma Empire who qualifies as reinforcements."
—
Above the clear sky, a scorching sun hung like a flaming orb, showering the golden desert below in sweltering heat.
The tiny grains of sand were baked until they resembled red-hot iron beads.
In the midst of this burning landscape, heatwaves rippled from the sands, distorting the air with a mirage-like illusion.
And within this seemingly endless desert, black shadows streaked across the sky—figures flying at high speed. Judging from their travel-worn appearances, they had clearly been flying for a long time.
"Dan King, how much farther until we reach the serpentfolk royal city? Damn this heat—this place isn't fit for humans," the Blood Sect leader grumbled mid-flight, glancing toward Gu He.
His cultivation leaned toward sinister, cold-type Dou Qi, which meant this fire-rich desert severely suppressed his power.
"We're deep into the Tagor Desert now. We should reach it by nightfall," Gu He responded.
"Patriarch Fan, just bear with it a bit longer. This mission's so easy—just capturing a single human Dou Da Shi, and we get a massive reward from the Medicine Sovereign. Isn't that worth a little heat?" Yuan Yi, leader of the Eight Gates, said with a chuckle.
"Don't underestimate them," Jia Xingtian interjected sternly. "Queen Medusa is extremely formidable—especially her Snake Seal Curse. Even a peak Dou Huang might not be able to withstand it."
After being hit by her curse, Jia Xingtian's cultivation had dropped to One-Star Dou Huang.
And that was with Han Feng helping suppress it using a Heavenly Flame.
"Haha! So what if she's strong? The serpentfolk have only one Dou Huang. But we have five Dou Huangs and two Dou Wangs—dealing with her will be child's play," laughed Tu Ye, leader of the Earth Flame Sect.
Including Jia Xingtian, Han Feng, Yuan Yi, Fan Lao, and himself—that made five Dou Huangs.
Though, aside from Han Feng, they were all early-stage Dou Huangs, it still seemed more than enough.
After all, their goal was only to retrieve a human at the Dou Da Shi level. In a tribe with a single Dou Huang, how hard could that be?
Even Han Feng agreed with the assessment.
Within the Tagor Desert, aside from the smaller tribes, there were eight massive factions—the eight great serpentfolk tribes.
Each tribe was led by a Dou Wang.
These eight behemoths dominated different parts of the desert, and those territories happened to be the main paths to the serpentfolk royal palace.
Trying to sneak past them without detection?
Almost impossible.
But Han Feng's group didn't plan to sneak.
They chose the most direct method—
A full-frontal assault.
They were approaching from the direction of the Black-Corner Region.
The fastest way to reach the serpentfolk royal city required them to pass through the Moonshadow Tribe.
—
Over the skies of the Moonshadow Tribe—
The battle began quickly… and ended just as fast.
"Despicable, shameless humans…!"
Yue Mei's ample chest heaved as she gasped for breath. She raised a delicate hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, then rapidly formed a set of hand seals.
"Kill her!" Han Feng shouted as he sensed the rising Dou Qi from Yue Mei.
"Hmph! In this desert, if I want to leave—none of you can stop me!"
Yue Mei snorted coldly and shouted,
"Serpent Technique — Split Form!"
Her body trembled violently—and then, before the shocked eyes of the attackers—suddenly exploded!
But there was no blood or gore. Instead, countless massive serpents formed from eerie green energy surged from the explosion's epicenter.
The moment they appeared, they scattered in all directions like a flood of serpents.
As the swarm of energy serpents flooded the skies, Fan Lao, Yuan Yi, and the others acted swiftly, shattering many of them at high speed.
Even so, a significant number slipped through and burrowed into the sands.
"Petty tricks! Chase in that direction!" Han Feng barked coldly and darted forward in pursuit.
****
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