Death!

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

He flicked his snake tongue excitedly, saliva splattering from it; clearly, he was hatching some wicked scheme again.

One must understand that because the Snake-People Tribe in the Tagor Desert had been in constant conflict with the Empire, the Empire had long enforced a strict policy of material blockades against them. The fact that the Snake-People Tribe had acted as desert bandits all these years was not only due to their chaotic nature and lack of production, but also largely a result of this policy.

Therefore, for a member of the Snake-People Tribe who had to rob even for clothing, it was only natural for a Da Dou Shi to covet a Storage Ring. While a low-grade Storage Ring could be purchased with a certain amount of gold coins, this Da Dou Shi was a pauper, reaching the rank of Da Dou Shi without ever owning one of his own.

"That brat has a Storage Ring. I've changed my mind. Go, kill him and seize the ring," the Da Dou Shi said, shaking the disgusting scales on his face.

"Yes, Captain!" the male Snake-People replied, surrounding him along with their leader.

"Ugh, disaster strikes while sitting at home. To be targeted just for drinking some water, really," Xiao Yan muttered, speechless.

"Heh heh, brat Xiao Yan, I suspect these paupers are mostly eyeing the Storage Ring on your hand," Yao Lao said.

"Who knew these paupers would even rob someone for a low-grade Storage Ring!" Xiao Yan retorted angrily.

"Fine, one Da Dou Shi, three Dou Practitioners, and three Dou Practitioners—I'll take them all out at once. I haven't fought a strong expert from the Snake-People Tribe yet. While these trash can't exactly be called experts, they'll do for a warm-up."

"Human brat, hand over the Storage Ring on your hand, and we'll give you a quick death," the Da Dou Shi said, flicking his tongue.

Well, these idiots couldn't even be bothered to spout the usual moral pleasantries.

"Heh, a quick death, you say?" Xiao Yan licked his lips, excited.

"Human brat, are you—" the Dou Practitioner beside the Da Dou Shi continued to provoke him.

"Eight Extremities Collapse!" With a close-range elbow strike, the four-fold hidden force of the Eight Extremities Collapse smashed the head of the Snake-Person Dou Practitioner, causing it to burst like a ripe watermelon, juices splattering everywhere.

"I said, I like the sound of a quick death," Xiao Yan said, standing in the center of the circle of Snake-People, feeling exhilarated.

"Mountain Leaning Strike!" Another close-quarters collision sent another Snake-Person Dou Practitioner flying.

"Attack! All of you, attack! Kill this brat for me!" the Da Dou Shi, finally snapping out of his shock, roared at the top of his lungs. However, the Snake-People present seemed intimidated by Xiao Yan's ferocity, and for a moment, no one dared to step forward.

"Hahaha, what a bunch of adorable lambs," Xiao Yan laughed loudly as he watched the Snake-People, who were visibly fearful of him.

"I'll pick you this time! Little cutie." Xiao Yan locked eyes with the Da Dou Shi, the one with the highest cultivation present, and flashed forward.

"Earth-tier Dou Technique: Gale Swift Sword!" Xiao Yan drew "Wind Chaser" and unleashed a fierce technique with lightning speed.

"Pfft." Relying on his higher cultivation, the Da Dou Shi dodged quickly, but he still had an arm severed by Xiao Yan's "Wind Chaser."

"Ah! Damn human! Kuili, send the distress signal! Request reinforcements from the adults!" the Da Dou Shi wailed.

"Long Wind Breaking Waves!" Xiao Yan lunged with a straight thrust, intending to finish off the Snake-Person Dou Practitioner who was signaling.

"Clang!" Seeing this, the Da Dou Shi raised his steel longsword to block Xiao Yan. He fought desperately to entangle him, clearly pinning all their hopes on the possibility of nearby strong experts from the Snake-People Tribe arriving.

"Ugh, little worm, so what if you call for help? The Tagor Desert is so vast; do you really think any strong experts from the Snake-People Tribe are nearby to save you?" Xiao Yan said, undermining the Da Dou Shi's confidence while maintaining a relentless, continuous assault.

Forced into a corner by Xiao Yan's barrage, the Da Dou Shi finally revealed an opening, which Xiao Yan seized with sharp precision.

"Swift Wind and Thunder!" Xiao Yan spun and delivered a flat strike; "Wind Chaser" pierced the Da Dou Shi's defenses and slashed his throat.

"Gurgle... my... my tribe's experts will not let you off," the Da Dou Shi clutched his throat, squeezing the words out intermittently.

"Hmph! Experts? What experts?" Xiao Yan sneered coldly.

"I heard someone was looking for Yue Mei?" At that moment, a charming voice echoed across the field.

"Oh, who is that?" Xiao Yan's pupils constricted as he suddenly turned to look at the sky.

He saw a snake-woman in the sky with a fiery figure and cyan Dou Qi wings, looking down at him with a smile. Her alluring, water-snake-like waist, her taut midriff, her flawless skin, and the long cyan hair cascading over her snow-white shoulders—everything about her was bewitching and enchanting.

The snake-woman in the sky retracted her Dou Qi wings and descended, her diamond-shaped pupils examining Xiao Yan with great interest.

Then, Yue Mei parted her red lips and said, "This massive sandstorm has caused significant damage to our tribe. Her Majesty the Queen has ordered the Eight Great Snake-People Tribes to dispatch experts to aid our kin. I originally intended to let the tribesmen below handle it, but I decided to come out for a stroll. Now, I've discovered an interesting little fellow."

Yue Mei paid no mind to the pile of fallen Snake-People on the ground, keeping her gaze fixed solely on Xiao Yan.

Facing this mysterious and powerful Snake-Person, and being stared at so intensely, even the stout-hearted Xiao Yan felt a surge of nervousness.

"A snake-woman? A Dou King expert?"

"Teacher, Teacher." Xiao Yan frantically called out to Yao Lao in his mind, but there was no response.

"Teacher, people are going to die! This is a Dou King! This isn't how you train me!" After wailing for a long time, Xiao Yan still received no reply from Yao Lao.

With no other choice, Xiao Yan had to bite the bullet and meet Yue Mei's smiling gaze.

Xiao Yan raised "Wind Chaser" and lopped off the head of the Da Dou Shi, who was still clinging to life, finishing him off cleanly. He then turned to Yue Mei and forced a smile that looked worse than a cry, saying, "Heh heh, I'd say this is actually a misunderstanding."

Seeing this, the smile on Yue Mei's face grew even more radiant.

"Interesting little brat."

"Little one, big sister likes you very much. How about you come back to the tribe with me? Big sister will warm your bed."

While Yue Mei spoke such sweet words, her actions were exceptionally vicious. She clenched her right hand toward Xiao Yan, and a massive, snake-shaped energy whip materialized out of thin air. The giant snake's mouth revealed a row of gleaming, sharp blades, and as if it had come to life, it lunged fiercely toward Xiao Yan's head.