Hearing Second Elder's string of words, Yao Chen was left speechless. For a moment, he had no idea how to respond.
The air above the square fell silent in an instant. After a long pause, a cough broke the stillness.
"Ah-hem."
"This old man is no lecher. Forget the maidservants."
Hearing Yao Chen say this, Queen Medusa and the four elders assumed their offer hadn't met his expectations. They exchanged nods, preparing to fight to the death.
In the wide-open square, the tension reached its peak.
Queen Medusa was graceful yet radiated boundless authority. The four elders beside her wore solemn expressions, Dou Qi surging around them.
Queen Medusa struck first. With a sharp cry, a brightly colored whip appeared in her hand, its surface shimmering with strange light. She lashed it fiercely, and the whip tore through the air with a piercing whistle as it swept toward Yao Chen.
At the same time, the four elders each unleashed their signature techniques.
One elder pressed his palms together and chanted an incantation, summoning countless venomous snakes in an instant. Forked tongues flickering, they swarmed toward Yao Chen. Another elder waved both hands, flames blasting from his palms and forming a sea of fire. The third elder's eyes widened as powerful blades of wind shot from them, slicing through the air. The last elder stomped and roared, shaking the earth as enormous stone spikes thrust up from underground and surged toward Yao Chen.
Faced with this overwhelming barrage of attacks, Yao Chen remained composed.
He slowly raised both hands, and the Dragon Abyss Star Sword appeared in them.
His gaze sharpened. He shouted, "Star Annihilation Sword!"
In an instant, the sky blazed with starlight. Countless strands of stellar power converged on the Dragon Abyss Star Sword in Yao Chen's hands, forming a gigantic blue sword of light.
Blue Heavenly Flames shimmered along the blade, as though it held limitless power.
Yao Chen gripped the hilt with both hands and swung with all his might.
A brilliant blue sword beam poured down like the Milky Way, its world-destroying force hurtling toward Queen Medusa and the four elders' attacks.
Wherever the blue sword beam passed, Queen Medusa's whip snapped apart in an instant, dissolving into specks of light.
The venomous snakes turned to ash beneath the blue sword beam's radiance. The flames were forcibly suppressed and extinguished, the blades of wind were severed and vanished, and the stone spikes that had thrust upward crumbled and collapsed one after another.
Queen Medusa and the four elders were blasted backward by the immense force, blood spraying from their mouths.
Their faces were as pale as paper, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Holding the Star Annihilation Sword, Yao Chen stood proudly in the air, the Dou Qi around him still surging like that of an invincible god of war.
He swept his gaze over those below and said coldly, "You think the likes of you can stand against this old man?"
The air above the square fell silent. Only the breeze could be heard, as if it were recounting the shocking battle.
Queen Medusa endured the pain of her injuries and called out to Yao Chen.
"Do as you will with me, but the injury to your friend was my fault alone. Please don't make the rest of my people suffer."
Hearing Queen Medusa say this, Yao Chen replied in confusion,
"I haven't said anything, have I?"
"Look, we were talking perfectly well at first, then one of your elders launched a sneak attack on this old man. I didn't even strike to kill."
"After that, another elder said he would offer me maidservants. I turned him down and said nothing more, yet all of you suddenly attacked me together. I only fought back because I had no choice."
"From the beginning, I only wanted to come and clear up the misunderstanding. I had no intention of resorting to violence."
"What are you all doing?"
Hearing Yao Chen's explanation, Queen Medusa immediately regretted what she had done. She thought to herself,
I acted too rashly. He'd only come to clear up a misunderstanding.
Then Queen Medusa cautiously asked Yao Chen,
"Senior, you truly didn't come to wipe out the Snake-People Tribe?"
"Of course not! Why would this old man wipe you out for no reason?"
Yao Chen was left speechless as he explained himself to Queen Medusa.
Queen Medusa's little face turned bright red at Yao Chen's words.
"Senior, it was all a misunderstanding. We were too hasty."
Queen Medusa's words made Yao Chen laugh. He chuckled and said to her,
"Hahaha, since it was a misunderstanding, let's leave it at that. If there's nothing else, this old man will be on his way."
Seeing that Yao Chen intended to leave, Queen Medusa hurried to stop him.
"Senior, please wait. The Snake-People Tribe failed to treat you properly earlier. I hope you'll forgive us."
"If you have no urgent business to attend to, the Snake-People Tribe is holding a banquet. Would you stay and join us? Let us show you our hospitality as your hosts."
Hearing that they wanted him to stay for a meal, Yao Chen was delighted.
The Snake-People Tribe rarely entertained humans. By hosting a banquet for him, they were clearly hoping to win his favor.
Yao Chen pondered for a while. Before he had been reborn, he'd only been a college graduate on Blue Star, so he was rather eager to see a Snake-People Tribe banquet for himself.
"This old man does have nothing urgent to attend to right now. You're all so welcoming, and this old man's a little hungry, so I can stay."
Yao Chen claimed he was hungry so he could stay, but powerful cultivators on the Dou Qi Continent generally didn't need to eat. They could survive simply by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
"Wonderful, Senior! The Snake-People Tribe will make sure you're well looked after."
Clearly, Queen Medusa knew that experts at the Dou Emperor level had no need to eat. She saw through Yao Chen's excuse but politely refrained from saying so.
Afterward, Queen Medusa and the others accompanied Yao Chen to the square.
"Senior, please follow me to the guest room and rest for a while. I'll instruct my people to prepare the banquet," Queen Medusa said softly and respectfully.
Yao Chen nodded and followed Queen Medusa to the guest room.
As Yao Chen stepped through the door, the first thing he saw was a carved sandalwood bed. Its canopy was made of fine silk embroidered with intricate snake patterns, as if telling the mysterious story of this city.
Beside the bed stood a small nightstand. A glazed lamp rested on its surface, its light passing through the shade to cast a soft, warm glow.
One side of the room held a large window inset with colored glass. Sunlight shone through it onto the floor, casting a patchwork of colorful shadows.
A cushioned chaise stood before the window, with several soft pillows arranged on it, offering a place to rest and admire the view.
Several scrolls depicting the history of the Snake-People Tribe hung on the opposite wall. Their figures looked lifelike, their colors vivid and rich, lending the room a sense of history and culture.
In the corner stood a wooden desk, neatly arranged with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, along with an open ancient book, as if someone had just been reading there.
A thick rug covered the floor, soft and comfortable underfoot. Its pattern echoed the design of the bed canopy: delicate snakes that showcased the Snake-People Tribe's distinctive artistic style.
Yao Chen was quite pleased with the guest room's furnishings.
"Senior, please rest here for a while. I'll have my people prepare the banquet, then come back to fetch you."
Before you continue