Conflict with the Serpent People Tribe

Xiao Ding looked at Xiao Li and Xiao Yan as they returned and said with a smile, "Qing Lin said there might be traces of Heavenly Flame in this area, so I had the brothers start digging."

Xiao Yan glanced at the deep pit below and nodded.

Xiao Ding added, "Is everything alright with the Sand Mercenary Group?"

Xiao Li replied, "With that Dou Ling senior around, there's no need to worry. The only issue is the Snake-People Tribe."

"Don't worry about the Snake-People Tribe or the Sand Mercenary Group; I will handle both," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"My men just reported that some snake-people have discovered our situation here. Since there were two Dou Shi among them, they couldn't be stopped. I expect the Snake-People Tribe already knows about us." Xiao Ding was clearly worried, his concern for the tribe evident in his repeated hesitation.

Xiao Yan patted Xiao Ding on the shoulder and comforted him, "Big Brother, trust me, these things aren't problems. As long as we can obtain the Heavenly Flame, everything will be fine."

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li both nodded and continued to organize the men to get back to work.

Meanwhile, in Stone Desert City, at the headquarters of the Sand Mercenary Group.

Sha Luo was trembling as he carried a cup of tea and placed it on the table.

Hai Bodong took it, brought it to his lips for a sip, and immediately spat it out.

"The tea you serve here is truly awful!"

Sha Luo instantly dropped to his knees, weeping as he said, "My Lord, you don't understand. The environment here makes it impossible to grow good tea. Had I known you were coming, I would have prepared better."

Hai Bodong sighed and said, "I know your intentions, but I didn't come here for tea. You know of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, don't you?"

"This lowly one knows. It was all my foolishness before. Starting today, I will disband the Sand Mercenary Group and select the elites to join the Desert Iron Mercenary Group!" Sha Luo said through his tears, appearing extremely sincere.

Hai Bodong was taken aback; he hadn't expected Sha Luo to be so sensible. It saved him a lot of trouble—it was always pleasant to talk to a smart person.

"Since that's the case, get to it." With that, Hai Bodong spread his Dou Qi wings and departed.

After Hai Bodong left, Sha Luo looked at the dozen or so ice sculptures in the courtyard and let out a sigh of relief. If he had been any slower to concede, he likely would have ended up standing right there with them.

Inside the temple of the Snake-People Empire, a beautiful figure reclined on the throne.

It was none other than the Queen of the Snake-People, Queen Medusa.

Standing below the dais were Yue Mei, one of the eight great tribal leaders, Mo Basi, Yan Ci, and Hua She'er, the captain of Queen Medusa's personal guard.

These four experts of the Snake-People Tribe were all at the peak of the Dou Wang level. They were the elite among the eight great leaders and the trusted confidants of Queen Medusa.

Yue Mei spoke first, "Your Majesty, there seems to be some unusual activity in the human territory near Stone Desert City. Should we go and investigate?"

Yan Ci countered, "Your Majesty, our recent activities in the Tagor Desert have already attracted the attention of human experts. Furthermore, you haven't told us the purpose behind these actions."

Mo Basi added, "Indeed, Your Majesty. Why are we going to such great lengths? There must be a reason."

Hua She'er snorted, "The Queen always has her reasons for what she does. Are you questioning her?"

This remark left Yan Ci and Mo Basi speechless.

Queen Medusa finally spoke, "Enough, say no more. Just do as I command."

The four snake-people experts replied in unison.

"Since there is a situation, we cannot ignore it. Yue Mei, you shall go and take a look," Medusa decreed.

Yue Mei knelt on one knee and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly uncover the truth."

With that, Yue Mei spread her Dou Qi wings and flew toward Stone Desert City.

Back at Xiao Yan's location, there were new developments. Sha Luo had indeed arrived with the men of the Sand Mercenary Group, but they were there to help.

At first, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were suspicious, wondering if Sha Luo had some ulterior motive.

However, when they saw Sha Luo strip off his outer garment and personally grab a tool to start digging in the pit, both brothers were stunned.

"Big Brother, what is Sha Luo playing at? What does this mean?" Xiao Li asked Xiao Ding cautiously.

Xiao Ding replied with equal confusion, "It probably has something to do with Little Yan, perhaps because of that Dou Ling expert."

Xiao Li understood, and with Sha Luo's help, the large pit was soon excavated, revealing many tunnels.

Sha Luo said happily, "Leader Xiao Yan, we've dug up many tunnels."

Xiao Yan walked down and patted Sha Luo on the shoulder, saying, "Well done."

Then, Xiao Yan stood before the many tunnels, feeling at a loss.

"Master, which of these tunnels is the right one?"

Elder Yao replied, "The energy here is too chaotic; even I cannot determine the exact location of the Heavenly Flame."

Just as Xiao Yan was struggling, Qing Lin tugged on his sleeve.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, let me go in with you. I can help you."

Xiao Yan had almost forgotten about Qing Lin.

"Alright, then thank you, Qing Lin."

Qing Lin happily agreed upon hearing this.

Xiao Ding said with concern, "Little Yan, why don't I go down there with you?"

Xiao Yan turned his head and smiled slightly, "Don't worry, Big Brother, I can handle it. Just help me guard the outside."

After saying this, Xiao Yan took Qing Lin and headed into the cave.

Meanwhile, in the Tagor Desert, Yue Mei was about to approach the outskirts of Stone Desert City when she suddenly felt a chill beside her.

A sudden sense of danger gripped Yue Mei's heart, so she immediately spurred her Dou Qi wings and turned to fly a dozen paces away.

A massive ice spike suddenly pierced through the very spot she had just vacated.

Yue Mei felt fortunate that she had dodged in time; otherwise, being struck by that would have left her dead or severely wounded.

Looking at the aged figure in the distance, Yue Mei said angrily, "Old thing, how dare you ambush me!"

Hai Bodong laughed, "My history with your Snake-People Tribe runs far deeper than that; this can hardly be called an ambush."

Fear began to creep into Yue Mei's heart, and she immediately contacted Queen Medusa.

"Your Majesty, there is a powerful human here. Please send reinforcements quickly!"

Inside the Snake-People Tribe's temple, Queen Medusa suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Yue Mei has encountered a powerful human. The three of you, go and save her at once."

Mo Basi, Yan Ci, and Hua She'er were all stunned for a moment before quickly activating the Dou Qi wings on their backs and rushing over.

After they had all departed, Queen Medusa said with a grave expression, "It seems the news about the Heavenly Flame is true. Damn it, how could the humans have gotten there first!"