The giant energy serpent, which was only half a meter away, collapsed.
Sweat streamed down Xiao Yan's face as he let out a long breath.
Getting up from the ground, he respectfully said to the man in black robes in front of him, "Thank you for saving me, senior."
Xiao Yan lowered his head and didn't notice that Gu He and the others who were traveling with the man in black robes all looked astonished.
They knew the man in black robes' identity and were well aware of his aloof personality; the probability of him casually saving a stranger should be extremely low for him.
Gu He's gaze shifted between Yun Yun and Xiao Yan, revealing a complex expression.
There was surprise, doubt, and curiosity.
Does the sect leader know this little guy?
He stepped forward, wanting to ask him something.
At this moment, Yun Yun spoke, her voice causing Gu He to pause in his steps.
It was a hoarse and deep voice.
Yun Yun, with her back to Xiao Yan, said, "Don't stay here any longer. Things will get dangerous here soon. Leave as soon as possible."
Why?
Gu He frowned, "You...your voice..."
He instinctively wanted to voice his doubts.
But Yun Yun waved her hand to interrupt, "Let's go, don't waste time. If we catch up now, we should be able to find the location of the Snake People's Temple faster."
Before she finished speaking, Yun Yun rushed off into the distance.
"Keep up."
Gu He was filled with questions, but the strange fire was still what he cared about more. After taking a deep look at Xiao Yan, he leaped onto the flying magical beast as it passed by.
The group quickly disappeared into the horizon.
Xiao Yan remained seated on the sand. The night wind blew, and having just worked up a sweat, he felt a chill and began to shiver.
"Let's go too. That middle-aged man was an alchemist. They must also be after the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame."
The old man's voice suddenly rang in Xiao Yan's heart.
"Teacher, you've finally decided to show your face."
Xiao Yan couldn't help but say, his tone carrying a hint of complaint.
In that situation, even the slightest accident could have cost him his life, but the teacher didn't react at all.
The old doctor smiled faintly and said, "Silly boy, when have I ever joked about your life?"
Looking back on his past experiences, Xiao Yan naturally knew that his teacher was not lying.
He rallied his spirits, "Teacher, we need to hurry. That group is far stronger than us. If the strange fire falls into their hands, it will be troublesome to get it back."
"A large number of people is not necessarily a bad thing; perhaps we can be fishermen for once."
The old doctor laughed.
...
A team of fully armed snake-men glided across the sand.
Shortly after they left, the sand dunes slid down, revealing a pair of eyes.
"The patrols have been increased; it looks like Gu He and the others have arrived."
With a gentle surge of fighting spirit, the sand and gravel detached from his body, revealing Nie Yuan's figure.
His complexion looked somewhat sallow, and his cheeks were covered with fine stubble.
...
Above the thick white clouds, a bright green flying beast clung close, as if it had landed on the clouds to rest.
On the back of the magical beast, figures sat cross-legged.
"Old He, are you sure? The Snake People's defenses have become increasingly tight these past two days. If even the chieftain of the Snake People's tribe comes, we might not be so sure of ourselves."
The burly man couldn't help but look at the middle-aged man.
"That's about it!"
Gu He nodded slightly. Previously, it was just hearsay, but now that they had returned to the heart of the Snake-People's territory, they were absolutely certain that the Strange Fire was here.
"Hehe, since that's the case, let's act as soon as possible. The eight tribal chiefs of the Snake People are not weak either."
Another scholarly-looking man chuckled.
"What are you, a mighty Windrunner, afraid of? If you really want to run away, who can escape you?"
The man looked at the other person.
"Yan Shi, I think we should pick a day to have a spar after this matter is over." Feng Li said with a stern face.
"Say less, there are so many of us, we're not afraid of the snake people, especially with the sect leader here, there won't be much risk."
Guhe calmed the atmosphere and also praised Yunyun.
However, the other party seemed lost in thought and did not seem to hear, offering no response.
"Sect Master? Sect Master?"
Guhe had no choice but to shout twice more.
Only then did Yun Yun come to her senses and turn to look at him. "Are we about to take action?"
Gu He nodded, his eyes showing concern. "Sect Master, do you want to make some adjustments?"
"No need. The sooner you get the strange fire, the sooner you can help Nie Yuan refine the pills. The longer the seal is delayed, the worse it will be for his injuries."
Yunyun knew that Guhe had been trying to find out something from her these past few days.
Therefore, she has mentioned Nie Yuan more than once.
"Okay, let's go down then!"
Guhe looked at a man.
Upon receiving the gaze, the other party controlled its flying magical beast to descend towards the majestic city below the clouds.
Yun Yun stood on the back of the magical beast, the wind blowing her black robes tightly against her body.
For some reason, as she looked at the city, the closer she got, the more uneasy she felt, an unease that grew uncontrollably within her.
But even after racking her brains, Yun Yun still couldn't find the reason.
...
Beneath a boulder, in a crevice near the sand, a pair of eyes peeked outwards.
As the sun sets, it is about to disappear below the horizon.
Just then, a huge shadow fell down, projecting onto the golden sand.
"It's finally here!"
The owner of the eyes let out a low gasp, his voice filled with excitement.
"Be careful, there are many powerful auras around here."
Yao Lao reminded him in a deep voice, and Xiao Yan immediately calmed down, watching the familiar flying magical beast land and stop not far from the city wall.
...
In the city center, there is a grand hall.
At this moment, in the main hall, Yue Mei's face was slightly pale as she recounted the situation to the man in front of her, who was also a tribal chief.
"We must hear the Queen's opinion on this matter. There must be a reason why those people gathered and broke into the heart of the territory, heading straight for the temple."
The male snake-man's gaze was deep and thoughtful.
Yue Mei gently shook her head and said, "Mobas, don't think about it. Her Majesty the Queen is not seeing anyone right now. All messages are being relayed by Snake."
Mobas frowned, his mouth about to open, when he suddenly sensed something and turned to look outside the hall. "They're here!"
Then, the two rushed out of the main hall.
On the city wall, the snake-people guards gathered, staring at the approaching flying monster.
When Mobas arrived, he stepped forward to negotiate, trying to scare them away, but Guhe directly used his fighting spirit to call for Queen Medusa to appear.
As the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a woman with a dignified air, dressed in a purple robe, appeared.
When Gu He saw Medusa appear, he was overjoyed and immediately offered his idea, saying he was willing to make an exchange.
But she failed; Medusa remained unyielding and even threatened him coldly.
Seeing this scene from the shadows, Xiao Yan was a little worried. If they were all people he couldn't afford to offend, then he and his teacher would be helpless.
Just then, he saw the black-robed man who had saved him earlier point out that Queen Medusa was just an imposter, and successfully shattered it with a single palm strike, thus verifying his statement.
The battle was about to begin in the next second.
"Stop looking! Now's the time! Let's go into the city and seize the strange fire!"
The old doctor urged.
In mid-air, Guhe, riding on his blue wings, had already rushed into the city.
Xiao Yan acted immediately.
In a place unnoticed by the crowd, a flash of fire appeared, and a figure rushed into the city.