While Xiao Se was sizing up the other party, the Queen Medusa from twenty years ago was also observing him just as carefully.
Judging from his aura alone, Medusa determined that this mysterious man in a black cloak was a Dou Huang, and not an ordinary one at that. He was clearly far stronger than the Hai Bodong she had encountered not long ago. A conservative estimate placed him at no lower than a seven-star Dou Huang.
If he were just an average Dou Huang—even a peak Dou Huang—Medusa would not have feared him in the slightest.
However.
The instinct ingrained deep within her magical beast bloodline screamed a warning at her.
The man before her was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Terrifyingly dangerous.
"Damn it… when did such a powerhouse appear in the Tagor Desert?" Medusa cursed inwardly. "Could he also be targeting my sister?"
As these thoughts flickered through her mind, the distance between the two rapidly closed. At the instant they passed one another, both of them instinctively turned their heads and exchanged a glance.
From the man's eyes, Medusa did not sense any hostility.
And from Medusa's eyes, what Xiao Se saw was wariness and caution.
Xiao Se had no intention of getting entangled with Medusa here. His golden Dou Qi wings spread wide, and with a powerful flap, his figure turned into a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon.
Seeing that Xiao Se was flying out of the desert, Medusa finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Perhaps she really had been overthinking things.
"Queen, was that person just now… you from twenty years ago?" Xiao Se transmitted via soul force to the Medusa Queen inside his storage pouch.
"Yes," Medusa replied. "That was me. I was on my way to find Hai Bodong and hire him to help search for my sister."
She paused briefly, then urged him, "Fly two hundred li southwest of Stone Desert City. That's where Hai Bodong witnessed my sister being taken away by a mysterious person."
"…And that mysterious person," she added flatly, "was you."
"I understand," Xiao Se nodded slightly.
This would save him a great deal of trouble.
—
In the endless sea of sand, on a particularly flat stretch of desert, more than ten human traffickers with vicious-looking faces were escorting a snakewoman slave.
She possessed nearly the same appearance as Queen Medusa herself.
A slender, alluring body brimming with sensual curves.
An exquisitely beautiful, enchanting face.
Her phoenix eyes shimmered with natural charm, every glance exuding innate seductiveness.
Yet unlike Medusa's arrogance, majesty, and imposing queenly aura, this snakewoman carried a gentler temperament. She resembled a newly grown girl next door—soft, delicate, and harmless.
She inspired a sense of safety.
A desire to protect.
An unwillingness to hurt her.
If not Die, the younger sister of Medusa—who had temporarily lost her memories due to the Snake-People spatial transmission technique—then who else could it be?
"Didn't you just say you were thirsty?" one of the traffickers asked with a leering grin.
He was a rough-looking middle-aged man with a Mongolian-style ponytail. Squatting down, he stared at Die with undisguised malice.
"Y-Yes…" Die lowered her head, her voice trembling as she answered weakly.
"We were planning to sell you for a high price," the man chuckled darkly. "But since you're thirsty, why don't I help you quench it first? Hahaha!"
As he laughed, he raised his large hand and reached toward Die's face.
At that very instant—
A golden flame beam, sharp as an arrow, suddenly shot through the air.
PFFT!
It pierced straight through the trafficker's palm.
"AAAH—! My hand!"
The man clutched his right hand and screamed miserably.
Immediately after, an indescribable burning pain surged up from within his body.
He collapsed onto the sand, eyes bulging, writhing and screaming in agony—teetering between life and death.
At this moment, it wasn't just his body that was burning.
His soul was being scorched as well.
The same fate befell the other traffickers.
Golden flame beams pierced through their bodies—carefully avoiding vital spots—yet subjected them to dual torment of body and soul.
"AAAH—!"
Screams and wails rose and fell endlessly.
Just then, not far away, a water cart pulled by a magical beast slowly approached.
A black-robed man riding atop the cart had originally intended to rescue Die, but upon witnessing the shocking scene before him, he immediately halted the vehicle.
His brows furrowed as he turned his gaze toward the distant sky.
"This aura…" he muttered. "A Dou Huang powerhouse."
As his voice fell, a golden streak of light tore through the heavens and descended near Die.
The golden light dispersed, revealing a tall, slender figure clad in a black cloak.
His back faced the black-robed man on the water cart.
Reaching up, he pulled down his hood, revealing a handsome, youthful face.
It was none other than Xiao Se, who had rushed here under Queen Medusa's guidance.
"Looks like I made it in time," Xiao Se murmured.
He raised his right hand and gently touched the iron chains on Die's wrist.
Snap.
The chains instantly shattered and fell away on their own.
Smiling warmly, Xiao Se said, "It's all right now. No one will ever hurt you again."
"You are…?" Die lifted her beautiful face, still shaken, and asked hesitantly after hearing the gentle voice.
"A friend," Xiao Se replied, extending his hand with a smile. "Someone asked me to take you home."
"A friend?" Die looked confused.
She studied Xiao Se closely again and again, but unlike the traffickers before, she did not sense any malice from him.
Finally, she raised her hand and allowed the black-cloaked youth to pull her up.
Whoever he was, she knew one thing clearly—
If she stayed alone in the desert, she would definitely die.
"What about them?" Die asked softly, pointing at the traffickers writhing on the ground, their eyes bloodshot and filled with agony.
"These scum are receiving the punishment they deserve," Xiao Se said calmly. "There's no need to worry about them."
Human traffickers were what Xiao Se despised the most.
Killing them outright would be too merciful.
By letting the heart fire of the Fallen Heart Flame invade their bodies and roast their souls, forcing them to die slowly in endless agony—
Only then did it feel just.
"They look like they're in so much pain…" Die hesitated. "Could you… let them go?"
Hearing this, Xiao Se smiled helplessly.
With a casual wave of his hand, he delayed the burning of the heart fire.
"You're really kind," he said. "After what they did to you, you still plead for them. Fine—since you asked, I'll spare them."
As his words fell, the traffickers' screams gradually weakened.
"Thank you."
Seeing that the wailing had stopped, Die clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward slightly, and smiled sweetly at Xiao Se.
"Let's go," Xiao Se said, pulling his hood back down.
"Where are we going?" Die asked curiously.
"To a very safe place," Xiao Se replied, glancing briefly at the black-robed man by the water cart before turning back to her with a smile.
"Oh." Die lifted her fair chin slightly and didn't refuse.
Under her astonished gaze, Xiao Se scooped her up in a princess carry, spread his golden Dou Qi wings, and soared into the sky with a powerful flap.
As they passed over the water cart, Die instinctively looked down.
At the same time, the black-robed man also looked up.
Their eyes met.
"It's her."
With just a single glance, the man recognized Die—the snakewoman Queen Medusa had hired him to find.
He tore open his black robe, revealing a middle-aged man in pale blue robes.
It was none other than Hai Bodong.
Ice-blue wings spread from his back.
With a sharp beat of his wings, he gave chase.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +50 Extra Chapters on - P@tr3on "RinBlaze"]
[Every 15 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]