As Yue Mei was scolding the three snake-people women and Yue'er was pleading for them, the grand doors of the snake-people Tribe's sacred hall slowly opened.
Under the watchful eyes of all the snake-people people, a stunning and alluring woman gracefully stepped out of the sacred hall.
This woman possessed extraordinary beauty, her face partially veiled with a thin red-gold gauze. Her curvaceous figure was full and well-proportioned, like a ripe summer peach, exuding a subtle charm.
Her long, black hair cascaded naturally down her fragrant shoulders, giving her a seductive aura. Everything about her appearance seemed so natural and vivid, as if she were a masterpiece of nature.
Beneath her red dress was a faintly fragrant, light purple snake-people tail.
The slight movement of her tail stirred a strange heat within the onlookers.
This was none other than Queen Medusa, the fearsome ruler of the snake-people Tribe, notorious across the Dou Qi Continent.
"Your Majesty!" All the snake- people present immediately knelt in respect as Medusa appeared.
"Yue Mei, what is happening here? Why are you making such a commotion outside?" Queen Medusa's alluring red lips parted slightly beneath the red veil, and her voice, as cold as ice, rang out melodiously, devoid of any emotion.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I failed to discipline my subordinates properly, which led to our tribeswomen being captured by humans. They've just escaped and returned, and I was reprimanding them. I didn't mean to disturb Your Majesty," Yue Mei said, bowing her head deeply with her hands pressed on her fragrant shoulders, her posture extremely respectful.
Upon hearing this, Medusa frowned. Her greatest hatred in life was for humans who captured snake-people women. She coldly said, "What's the point of scolding them? Send someone to kill those humans before they get too far."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Yue Mei responded, rising to go after the humans.
Seeing this, Yue'er hesitated for a moment before raising her face and speaking softly, "Your Majesty, Teacher, there's no need to send anyone."
"Oh?" A hint of surprise flickered in Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes.
"Yue'er, don't be rude," Yue Mei said quickly, grabbing Yue'er's hand and pressing her head down as she apologized to Medusa. "Please forgive her, Your Majesty."
"No need for that. Yue'er, tell me, why shouldn't we send someone to hunt down those humans?" Medusa asked. Though she was merciless toward humans, she was more lenient with her own people.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yue'er raised her pretty face, her gaze filled with admiration and respect for Medusa, and solemnly said, "We were saved by a human youth wielding a strange purple sword. The human traffickers were killed by him."
"Oh?" Medusa grew interested, asking indifferently, "Describe this human to me." A human who would kill other humans to save snake-people women piqued her interest, though only slightly.
As Yue'er recounted the events, her cheeks flushed slightly.
Medusa noticed Yue'er's reddened face and frowned. Coldly, she said, "I understand. Since those scoundrels are dead, the matter is settled. Yue'er, whether or not that boy saved you, you must not become involved with him if you see him again."
Though Medusa had never experienced romance herself, she could easily see through Yue'er's budding affection for the boy who saved her, having described him like a heavenly figure or the savior of the snake-people Tribe.
It was clear Yue'er had developed feelings for the boy.
And that was not a good sign.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yue'er's face instantly paled upon hearing Medusa's command, and though she wanted to say something, she ultimately remained silent.
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In the depths of the desert, within the protective range of the Sea of Sands Barrier.
"Big brother, I've advanced to the third level of Dou Disciple!" Qing Lin suddenly raised her bright green eyes and joyfully leaped into Xiao Se's arms.
"Is that so? Congratulations, Qing Lin." Xiao Se gently patted her head, smiling warmly.
"Qing Lin will quickly become stronger so I can protect you, big brother," Qing Lin said with a playful smile, her green eyes curving into crescents at his praise.
"Alright. Now that you've advanced, we should head to the last location marked on the map," Xiao Se said, standing up and storing his demon sword inside his body, before packing away their camping gear into his spatial ring. Qing Lin obediently entered the storage bag.
The "Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils" was a rare and powerful gift, allowing her to advance in cultivation as easily as eating and drinking, without any side effects. It was even more terrifying than the Woeful Poison Body.
Just over twenty days ago, Qing Lin was an ordinary person without any cultivation. But after Xiao Se caught a few sand snake magical beasts for her, her cultivation soared rapidly.
This was all due to Xiao Se's deliberate efforts, which allowed Qing Lin's Snake Flower Pupils to mature ahead of time.
Of course, Xiao Se himself had also made progress. Being in the Tager Desert, where fire energy was abundant, his cultivation speed was faster than ever before. A week ago, he had successfully advanced to a three-star Dou Shi.
After putting away the Sea of Sands Barrier, Xiao Se trembled slightly as his purple cloud wings unfurled from his back. With a light flap, he shot into the sky, leaving a trail of green and purple light behind as he disappeared into the horizon.
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Half an hour later, Xiao Se arrived at the last location marked on the map.
"Is this...a flat sand dune?" Staring at the endless stretch of flat sand dunes, Xiao Se paused. A vague memory surfaced in his mind, reminding him that in the original story, Xiao Yan had found the underground cave in a flat sand dune like this.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Se swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill and slowed his flying speed, using his system's x-ray vision to scan the ground below.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for him to spot a magma world beneath the surface.
After flying for another hour, Xiao Se's breathing quickened slightly. "I found it."
He descended and stopped five meters above a smooth rock.
Looking at the black passage covered by sand below, Xiao Se raised his right hand, and a purple-green flame appeared, swirling and condensing into a fireball the size of a human head.
"Go." He threw the fireball at the sand-covered entrance.
With a loud boom, the black entrance was revealed.
Without hesitation, Xiao Se jumped down into the passage.
Inside the dark tunnel, there were countless forks, but with his x-ray vision, Xiao Se navigated through them with ease.
Before long, he arrived in a world of fire.
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