Conflict

Standing in the plaza, Huo Xuan's gaze went straight to the stone steps stretching to the end of his sight. Numerous snake-people guarded the steps, and among them stood a bald man with his eyes tightly shut, wisps of savage aura curling around him. His gleaming bald head was covered in grayish-white snake patterns. From afar, he looked like a coiled gray-white venomous serpent, sending chills down one's spine.

Huo Xuan could sense that this man's strength was around the Dou Huang Peak. In the entire Snake-People Tribe, aside from Medusa Queen and the four elders, he was likely the strongest.

As Huo Xuan looked toward the bald snake-man, the latter seemed to notice. His tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, his triangular pupils like those of a man-eating python as they fixed fiercely on Huo Xuan's group.

The bald snake-man flashed forward, swooping down from the stone steps and arriving before Huo Xuan.

"Who are they?" the bald snake-man asked the snake-person guards.

"Great Commander, they were sent by the clan to resolve our conflict with the Gu Clan," the leading snake-man said respectfully.

"Oh, then hurry and arrange accommodations for them."

"I want to see your Queen. Go inform her at once," Huo Xuan said.

"You wish to see the Clan Leader? The Clan Leader is in Secluded Cultivation. She cannot be disturbed so casually." The Great Commander's tone was rather cold, even carrying a hint of disdain.

"What kind of attitude is that? We came here to help you, and this is how you treat us?" Yan Liao spoke up.

"Just as I thought, all humans are the same. They rely on their strength to bully the weak whenever they please." Seeing Yan Liao's attitude, the Great Commander recalled what had happened over the past few days and could not help venting the anger he had accumulated on Huo Xuan's group.

"Great Commander, it seems you are quite dissatisfied with us."

"Hmph! You humans are all the same. You were like this in the Jia Ma Empire, and you're no different here in the Central Plains."

Upon hearing that, Huo Xuan walked up to the Great Commander with a smile and placed his hand on the Great Commander's shoulder, giving it a pat.

"So that is why the Great Commander is dissatisfied with our Flame Clan. Indeed, none of us humans are good people."

As he spoke, Huo Xuan's palm on the Great Commander's shoulder gradually pressed downward.

"Ah!!"

The Great Commander cried out in pain. His shoulder felt as though it had been clamped in a pair of iron pincers. He tried to circulate his Dou Qi, but the moment even a trace of it rose, it was suppressed again.

"Great Commander, let me tell you this solemnly: your Snake-People Tribe has now submitted to our Flame Clan, so there are rules you must follow. And remember, we came to help your Snake-People Tribe, not to be your punching bags!"

As he finished speaking, Huo Xuan suddenly increased the force in his hand severalfold.

Although Huo Xuan knew that the Great Commander was acting this way, more or less, because of what had happened these past few days, Huo Xuan was not his punching bag.

Under the absolute suppression in strength, the Great Commander felt as if a mountain were weighing down on him. With a muffled groan, he dropped to his knees before Huo Xuan.

The surrounding snake-people exchanged looks. The Great Commander was the strongest person in the tribe aside from the Clan Leader, yet he was being suppressed so thoroughly by a young man that he could not even move. Amid their shock, their eyes also held a concealed trace of terror. Only now did they understand just how powerful the Flame Clan was.

"Everyone, I am truly sorry. Our Great Commander has a rather straightforward personality... No, that is not right—there is something wrong with his head. Please do not take what he said to heart. Let the Great Commander go so he can report to Her Majesty the Queen. Afterward, we will immediately take him to have his head checked." Seeing this, the leading snake-person guard hurried forward to mediate.

Hearing this, Huo Xuan released the Great Commander and withdrew his hand. The Great Commander immediately felt the mountain pressing down on him vanish.

"If that is the case, then Great Commander, hurry and report it. Remember to take your medicine on time from now on."

After hesitating for a moment, the Great Commander flashed away, leaping onto the stone steps and speeding toward the Deep Mountain.

"Young Clan Leader, it seems the Snake-People Tribe you took in is somewhat disobedient. I say we should just abandon them," Yan Liao stepped forward and said.

"Exactly. That sort of trash still dares act arrogant before us. I really don't know where he got that confidence," Huo Yun chimed in.

He had no strength, yet he still dared to act high and mighty before them. Huo Yun had been so enraged earlier that he had nearly slapped that fellow to death on the spot—a man with no real strength, yet overflowing with arrogance.

"The Snake-People Tribe indeed has little strength, but their Clan Leader, Medusa Queen, possesses the bloodline of an Ancient Beast. Her future achievements will certainly be no lower than those of a Dou Sheng. Our Flame Clan must take a longer view and not limit ourselves to the present. What we should value more is the future."

"Before Medusa Queen has fully matured, our Flame Clan can protect her. One day, she will become a true powerhouse. By then, the returns such a powerhouse can bring to our Flame Clan will certainly exceed what our Flame Clan has invested."

"But, Young Clan Leader, look at that bald man just now. What kind of attitude was that? I doubt he is the only one in the Snake-People Tribe who has grievances against our Flame Clan. What if Medusa Queen grows stronger and betrays us in the future?" Yan Ling asked.

"Hmph! Betray us? If they dare betray us, our Flame Clan will destroy them!" Before Huo Xuan could answer, Yan Liao had already answered Yan Ling's question first.

Indeed, although the Flame Clan needed the Snake-People Tribe's strength, what it needed was an obedient Snake-People Tribe that knew its place, not an ungrateful pack of white-eyed wolves. If the Snake-People Tribe dared betray them, Huo Xuan would certainly destroy it.

However, to be honest, Huo Xuan was not particularly worried that the Snake-People Tribe would one day betray them. Having witnessed this world of the strong and a colossal force like the Flame Clan, Medusa Queen would not betray them unless she was a fool.

As long as the Flame Clan remained powerful, those strong factions attached to it would not find it so easy to betray them.

As they waited quietly, around ten minutes after the Great Commander entered the Deep Mountain, two streaks of light swiftly shot out from within. They came to a stop in midair above the plaza before slowly descending.

When they saw the person in the lead, the snake-people and guards around the plaza hurriedly bowed respectfully.

The only one in the Snake-People Tribe who possessed such prestige was naturally Medusa Queen. After landing, she was somewhat surprised to see that the visitor was Huo Xuan.

Six-Star Dou Zong!

In just three short years, Medusa Queen had broken through the Dou Huang realm and reached Six-Star Dou Zong. After seeing Medusa Queen's current cultivation, Huo Xuan was not surprised at all. Every Ancient Race possessed endless resources; even trash could be piled into a powerhouse with enough of them, much less Medusa Queen, who already possessed extraordinary talent.

"Huo Xuan? Why are you here?"

Medusa Queen looked at Huo Xuan with surprise in her eyes. Given her current strength and status, she was not qualified to address Huo Xuan this way. But as the Clan Leader of the Snake-People Tribe, although the tribe had submitted to the Flame Clan, she still needed to preserve the last shred of the Snake-People Tribe's dignity. Thus, she could not call Huo Xuan Young Clan Leader as members of the Flame Clan did, and could only address him directly by name.

Huo Xuan did not care much about how she addressed him. Since Medusa Queen wished to preserve that last bit of dignity, he let her do as she pleased. As long as the Snake-People Tribe did not betray the Flame Clan, there was no problem.

"The Snake-People Tribe's affairs are naturally my affairs."

"We came all this way. Aren't you going to invite us in to sit for a while?" Huo Xuan asked.

"Follow me."

As Huo Xuan passed by the Great Commander, he suddenly said, "Oh, right. Some of your subordinates told me that this bald man's brain has some problems. I assume your Snake-People Tribe would not continue letting someone with brain problems serve as Great Commander."

Upon hearing this, Medusa Queen cast a calm glance at the Great Commander beside her and asked, "What happened?"

The Great Commander's body trembled slightly. He then said, "Chief, that was just a misunderstanding. I was only... only sparring with them."

"Really? But I clearly remember that you weren't sparring with us. You were insulting us."

At those words, Medusa Queen's delicate brows immediately furrowed slightly. With a wave of her slender hand, she said calmly, "From now on, you will no longer serve as Great Commander. Go to the Snake Cave and reflect on your actions. You may come out after half a year."

The Great Commander's face immediately fell, but he did not dare utter a single complaint. He could only nod listlessly and head toward the Snake Cave.

Medusa Queen led the group toward the newly built Snake-People Royal Palace.

Once everyone entered the royal palace, each found a seat and sat down.

"What exactly is going on with the Snake-People?" Huo Xuan asked as soon as he sat down.

Medusa Queen sighed before speaking. "Sigh... this matter began three months ago."

"Three months ago, we discovered some Ruins in the Snake-People Mountain Range. Later, news of it was accidentally leaked. The Chen Family, a clan from the city nearest to the Snake-People Mountain Range, sent a group of people there to search for treasure. They came for treasure, and we had no intention of competing with them for any so-called treasures. At first, both sides kept to themselves, but later, those bastards from the Chen Family began stirring up trouble!" As she spoke, Medusa Queen's tone grew increasingly cold.

"What happened?"

"As time passed, the Chen Family found no treasures, yet they were unwilling to leave. In those desolate mountains of the Snake-People Mountain Range, the Chen Family actually began using our Snake-People as entertainment. Some of them often abducted our female Snake-People as playthings and hunted male Snake-People for amusement, so conflict broke out between us."

"At first, we only wanted to teach them a lesson and make them retreat in the face of difficulty. But they would not accept that. Instead, they pushed their luck. During one clash, we killed the Chen Family's young master. To avenge him, the Chen Family has already resolved to wipe out our Snake-People."

"You've already advanced to the Dou Zong realm. Could it be that you still can't defeat them?" Huo Xuan asked.

"They also have a Dou Zong in their family. Moreover, their family is a subordinate force of the Gu Clan and is under the Gu Clan's protection."

"The Gu Clan? So what if it's the Gu Clan? Are they that great?!"

Yan Ling could no longer hold himself back and shouted. In his view, Medusa Queen's words implied that the Flame Clan was inferior to the Gu Clan.

Just as Huo Xuan was about to speak again, sounds of fighting suddenly rang out from outside.

"Medusa! Get the hell out here!"