The Tagor Desert!

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

He had just stepped into the courtyard when a system notification appeared before him.

[Quest triggered: Head to the Tagor Desert and copy Queen Medusa's Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline.]

[Upon completing the quest, you can obtain a random increase in strength.]

Xiao Chen stared at the system panel before him, frozen in place.

Queen Medusa and the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline—she was the powerful Dou Emperor-level queen of the Snake People, and her bloodline ranked among the very best across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, forcing down his shock.

The Tagor Desert was the Snake People's territory, Queen Medusa's domain. If an outsider like him barged in, he was bound to run into trouble.

But since the system had issued the quest, there had to be a way to complete it.

Xiao Chen put the matter out of his mind, turned around, and headed for the Xiao Clan's main hall.

Inside, Xiao Zhan sat in the seat of honor, reading a ledger.

Several elders sat on either side, quietly discussing clan affairs.

The Great Elder looked much better than he had two days ago. Though Jialie Bi had injured him, two days of rest had already brought him most of the way to recovery.

Xiao Chen walked into the hall and went up to the Great Elder.

"Grandpa," Xiao Chen said.

The Great Elder looked up at him. "Chen'er? What is it?"

Xiao Chen pulled a thin booklet from his robes and handed it over.

"This is for you."

The Great Elder took the booklet and opened it.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and he shot to his feet.

"This is... a high-grade Profound Rank cultivation technique?" The Great Elder's voice trembled.

The other elders froze at his words.

A high-grade Profound Rank technique? Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, there were only a handful.

The Misty Cloud Sect had been passed down for hundreds of years, yet even its most powerful technique was only high-grade Profound Rank.

Where had a boy of fifteen or sixteen like Xiao Chen gotten a high-grade Profound Rank technique?

"Chen'er, where did you get this technique?" The Great Elder stared at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen didn't answer.

"Chen'er, this is no small matter." Xiao Zhan stood up too. "You couldn't find more than a handful of high-grade Profound Rank techniques in the entire Jia Ma Empire."

Xiao Chen looked at them and said calmly, "You don't need to ask where I got it. Just take it and cultivate."

The Great Elder was stunned. So was Xiao Zhan.

The elders exchanged glances, each seeing the same shock in the others' eyes.

"Chen'er..." The Great Elder started to say something.

"Grandpa, I'll be away for a few days." Xiao Chen cut him off.

"Going away? Where?" the Great Elder asked.

Xiao Chen didn't answer.

"Chen'er, it's not safe for you to go alone," the Great Elder said.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll be fine," Xiao Chen replied.

The Great Elder wanted to say more, but seeing how determined Xiao Chen was, he swallowed the words.

"Then be careful," he said.

Xiao Chen nodded, turned, and walked out of the hall.

The Great Elder stood in the seat of honor, still holding the technique. He watched Xiao Chen's retreating figure, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Xiao Zhan sat silently in his chair.

The elders began talking among themselves.

"A high-grade Profound Rank technique. Where did Xiao Chen get it?"

"I don't know. This child is becoming harder and harder to read."

The Great Elder listened to their debate without speaking.

He watched the direction Xiao Chen had gone and sighed inwardly.

Xiao Chen walked out of the Xiao Clan's gates, crossed the streets of Wutan City, and reached the outskirts.

He glanced back toward Wutan City, then turned his gaze away.

Xiao Chen circulated the Dou Qi in his body, and Dou Qi Wings unfurled behind him.

He pushed off with his toes and shot into the sky, flying toward the Tagor Desert.

The Tagor Desert lay in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire, a boundless sea of yellow sand.

The climate there was scorching, and not a blade of grass grew. It was the Snake People's territory.

Xiao Chen hadn't flown long before he saw a golden expanse ahead.

He had reached the Tagor Desert.

Xiao Chen folded away his Dou Qi Wings and landed on the sand.

His feet sank into the sand with a soft rustle.

Xiao Chen looked up at the desert before him. The wind blew hard, whipping sand through the air, and several ridges of dunes stretched into the distance.

He was about to open the system panel when a notification appeared before him.

[Host has arrived at the Tagor Desert.]

[Copying Queen Medusa's Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline...]

[Copy successful.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Queen Medusa's Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline.]

The instant the system notification sounded, Xiao Chen felt a violent change sweep through his body.

An immense force surged from his dantian and coursed through his meridians into every limb and bone.

His blood boiled, his bones burned, and his muscles swelled.

The sensation was strange, as though his body were being reshaped from the ground up.

Xiao Chen closed his eyes and focused on the changes within him.

After an unknown amount of time, the surging force finally settled.

He opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them.

Xiao Chen sensed the Dou Qi in his body and let his lips curl into a faint smile.

Seven-Star Dou Emperor. He had risen straight from Three-Star Dou Emperor to Seven-Star Dou Emperor, leaping four stars in one go.

The Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline truly was formidable.

He flexed his hand, feeling the surging power within him.

A Seven-Star Dou Emperor was already one of the most powerful beings in the Jia Ma Empire. Even Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master, was only a Three-Star Dou Emperor.

Xiao Chen smiled with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps in the distance.

Xiao Chen looked up and saw a group of Snake People heading his way.

At the front was a tall female Snake Person, dressed in tight leather armor that revealed a glimpse of her slender waist.

A few small scales covered her face, and her vertical pupils gleamed with a cold light.

Hua She'er, a Snake People guard and a Dou Wang-level powerhouse.

More than a dozen Snake People warriors followed behind her, weapons in hand and eyes full of hostility.

"Human, you've got some nerve," Hua She'er said, her voice cold. "The Tagor Desert is the Snake People's territory. Who gave you permission to come here?"

Xiao Chen looked at Hua She'er without a word.

Hua She'er sized him up, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

This human looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, yet the aura radiating from him was oppressive enough to make even her feel uneasy.

"What faction are you from?" Hua She'er asked.

"Just passing through," Xiao Chen replied flatly.

"Passing through?" Hua She'er sneered. "What's there to pass through in the Tagor Desert? You're obviously here to spy on the Snake People."

She took a step forward, and the Dou Qi within her began to surge.

The aura of a Dou Wang burst from Hua She'er, forcing the Snake People behind her to retreat several steps.

She waved a hand, and the Snake People behind her immediately closed in.

Xiao Chen looked at them and sighed.

"I don't want to fight."

"Then come with us quietly," Hua She'er said.

Xiao Chen said nothing, standing perfectly still.

When Hua She'er saw that he didn't move, irritation rose in her heart.

"If you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for what comes next."

Hua She'er blurred forward and struck at Xiao Chen with her palm.