The Great Elder thrust out a palm, its force roaring toward Xiao Chen's chest.
A full-strength strike from a five-star Dou Wang was enough to kill him. The mercenaries nearby felt the terrifying pressure and turned pale.
"Xiao Chen, watch out!"
Xiao Ding shouted.
Xiao Li clenched his fists, wishing he could rush over to help, but he couldn't move. The pressure of a Dou Wang expert made even breathing difficult.
The mercenaries around them hurriedly backed away. No one thought Xiao Chen stood a chance.
"It's over. That young man's as good as dead."
"A Dou Wang expert! There aren't many of them in the entire Jia Ma Empire."
"How could a boy of fifteen or sixteen possibly withstand him?"
The mercenaries murmured among themselves, shaking their heads.
The Great Elder's palm strike slammed into Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen stood perfectly still.
The force dissipated. Xiao Chen hadn't moved an inch.
The Great Elder's pupils contracted sharply. "How is that possible?"
He had put everything into that strike. Even a Dou Wang expert of the same rank wouldn't dare take it head-on. Yet the boy had simply stood there and dispelled his attack without doing a thing.
The Great Elder's expression darkened.
Yue Mei watched from the side, a complicated look flickering in her eyes. She had known Xiao Chen was strong, but she hadn't expected him to be this powerful.
The Great Elder was a five-star Dou Wang, second in strength only to Queen Medusa among the Snake-Person Tribe. If even he couldn't hurt Xiao Chen in the slightest, just how strong was this human?
"Everyone, attack!"
The Great Elder barked.
The elite Snake People behind him immediately charged. More than a dozen Dou Ling experts attacked Xiao Chen at once, Dou Qi surging around them.
Xiao Chen looked at them and sighed. He raised a hand and struck out with his palm. Terrifying Dou Qi burst from it and thundered toward the elite Snake People.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several muffled impacts rang out almost simultaneously. The Snake People at the front were sent flying, crashing to the ground without moving.
The rest of them paled and swarmed in, attacking Xiao Chen from every direction.
Xiao Chen blurred aside, dodging several attacks, then casually struck out with his palm. Another Snake Person fell.
He didn't even look as he struck backward again. A third, a fourth, a fifth.
In just a few breaths, all the elite Snake People were sprawled on the ground. Not one of them could get back up.
The Great Elder stared at the scene, stunned. Those elite Snake People were all Dou Ling experts.
Every one of them was an elite of the Snake-Person Tribe, yet none could last even one move against Xiao Chen.
"Stop!"
The Great Elder shouted.
Xiao Chen ignored him. He walked toward the last elite Snake Person still standing and struck out with his palm.
The Snake Person was sent flying, hit the ground, and twitched twice before falling still.
The Great Elder's face turned livid. "I said stop! Didn't you hear me?"
Xiao Chen turned to look at him. "I heard you."
"Then why did you kill him?"
"You think I have to stop just because you said so?"
Xiao Chen replied coolly, "Who do you think you are?"
Anger flashed in the Great Elder's eyes, but fear filled them even more.
This boy's strength far surpassed anything he had imagined. If he wasn't a Peak Dou Wang, he was a Dou Emperor.
A Dou Emperor of fifteen or sixteen—there weren't many like that on the entire Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Chen walked toward him. "You're next."
The Great Elder took a step back, Dou Qi surging wildly through his body. He threw out a palm with all his strength, but Xiao Chen didn't even glance at him before punching.
Fist met palm with a muffled thud. The Great Elder's body flew backward and slammed into the ground, blood spraying from his mouth.
He lay there, deathly pale, terror in his eyes. One move—he hadn't been able to withstand even a single move from Xiao Chen, despite being a five-star Dou Wang.
The mercenaries nearby stared, dumbfounded.
"That boy... won?"
"He wounded a Dou Wang expert!"
"Good heavens, who is he?"
The mercenaries' voices brimmed with shock.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stood rooted to the spot, their mouths hanging open. Neither could say a word.
They had known their cousin was strong, but they hadn't imagined he was this powerful.
A five-star Dou Wang couldn't last a single move against him.
Xiao Li remembered that he had just sparred with Xiao Chen and even wanted to test his strength. His face grew hot.
Xiao Chen had been holding back. If he had gotten serious, Xiao Li wouldn't have lasted even one move.
"He's so strong," Xiao Ding murmured.
Qing Lin stood nearby, looking at Xiao Chen with adoration in her eyes. The young master really was powerful.
Xiao Chen walked up to the Great Elder and looked down at him. The Great Elder lay on the ground, staring back at Xiao Chen in terror.
"You... you can't kill me."
The Great Elder's voice trembled.
"Why not?" Xiao Chen asked.
"I'm the Great Elder of the Snake-Person Tribe. If you kill me, Her Majesty won't spare you."
Xiao Chen said nothing.
"Her Majesty is a Peak Dou Emperor. You can't defeat her," the Great Elder said. "Let me go, and I can pretend none of this ever happened."
Xiao Chen looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Finished?"
The Great Elder froze for a moment.
"If you're finished, then die."
Xiao Chen raised his hand to strike, then lowered it again and turned to look at the surrounding mercenaries.
"Anyone have a sword?"
The mercenaries glanced at each other, but no one spoke.
"Let me borrow one."
Xiao Chen said.
A young mercenary hesitated, then unfastened the longsword at his waist and handed it over. Xiao Chen accepted it and nodded.
"Thanks."
He turned and walked toward the Great Elder.
The Great Elder stared at the sword in Xiao Chen's hand, his face turning deathly pale. "You... what are you going to do?"
Xiao Chen didn't answer.
The Great Elder struggled to crawl backward, but his body wouldn't move. "Please, don't kill me. Let me go, and I swear the Snake-Person Tribe won't trouble you again."
Xiao Chen looked at him. "Now you know how to beg?"
"I... I can give you money, medicinal herbs—whatever you want."
The Great Elder's voice trembled.
"Too late."
Xiao Chen raised the sword and swung. A flash of light streaked by, and the Great Elder's snake tail was severed at the root. Blood gushed out, staining the yellow sand crimson.
"Ah!"
The Great Elder let out a scream, his voice shaking. He sprawled on the ground, clutching the wound where his tail had been, his whole body trembling.
"Spare me... please, spare me."
The Great Elder's voice was weak and feeble.
"Xiao Chen, enough."
Yue Mei spoke up.
Xiao Chen turned to look at her.
"Her Majesty won't spare you," Yue Mei said. "She's a Peak Dou Emperor. You can't defeat her. You killed the Great Elder, and the Snake-Person Tribe will never rest until you're dead."
Xiao Chen looked at her. "Finished?"
Yue Mei gritted her teeth. "Don't push your luck."
Xiao Chen ignored her and turned back to the Great Elder.
The Great Elder lay on the ground, deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror. "No... please, don't."
Xiao Chen raised the sword and thrust it through the Great Elder's chest.
The Great Elder's eyes widened. His mouth opened as though he wanted to say something, but not a word came out. His head slumped to the side, and he died instantly.
Yue Mei stared at the Great Elder's corpse, frozen. Xiao Chen had really killed him—and right in front of her.
Yue Mei looked up at Xiao Chen, her eyes full of conflicting emotions.
Xiao Chen didn't look at her. He returned the sword to the young mercenary. "Thanks."
The young mercenary took it back, his hands trembling.
The mercenaries stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded. A Dou Wang expert had just died, killed with a single sword stroke by a boy of fifteen or sixteen.
"Good heavens, what did I just see?"
"That boy killed a Dou Wang expert!"
"Who is he?"
The mercenaries' voices were filled with shock and fear.
Xiao Ding stood rooted to the spot, looking at Xiao Chen, a complicated feeling welling up in his heart.
Xiao Li stood nearby in silence for a long while. He remembered patting Xiao Chen on the shoulder and asking to spar with him. Thinking about it now, he was embarrassed.
Qing Lin looked at Xiao Chen with adoration in her eyes.
Yue Mei stood there, staring at the Great Elder's corpse. She gritted her teeth, turned around, unfurled her Dou Qi Wings, and shot into the sky, flying toward the Tagor Desert.
She had to return and report this to Her Majesty!
Before you continue