Snake People, a Deal

"Is this Xuanhuang Fortress? I finally made it. I didn't think the journey here would take two whole years."

Zhao Li looked at the bleak, murderous Xuanhuang Fortress before him and thought back on everything he had experienced on the road from the Eastern Region to the Northwestern Region. For a moment, it all felt surreal.

Everything he had gone through over the past two years had allowed Zhao Li to advance by leaps and bounds. Now the hidden dragon had taken flight, and he had begun to show the Momentum of a dragon soaring through the heavens.

"As expected, shutting yourself away and working in isolation is no good. You still have to get out and travel more. My progress these past two years has been ridiculously fast."

After sighing with emotion, Zhao Li no longer lingered. With a single step, he vanished from where he stood, already entering the borders of the Jia Ma Empire.

Along the way, Zhao Li kept guessing what the Jia Ma Empire was like at this point in time, and whether those familiar names had been born yet. He was extremely looking forward to this trip.

"I wonder if I'll run into any 'acquaintances' this time. Yun Shan? Or the Imperial Family's Old Magical Beast? Judging by the timeline, those two are the most likely."

Zhao Li withdrew his thoughts and stopped dwelling on it. In any case, he would be going to the Imperial Capital. When the time came, everything he wondered about would become clear.

Perhaps because of the anticipation in his heart, or perhaps because he had experienced too many things over the past two years, Zhao Li did not stop much this time. He found someone to ask for the direction of Jia Ma Holy City, then hurried on at full speed.

Zhao Li walked through the air. He looked as if he were strolling slowly, but with every step he took, he appeared several li away.

"Although it was as expected, and I can actively comprehend Space Rules, the progress is indeed extremely slow. With my current level of comprehension, this is all I can manage."

Traveling was also cultivation. The Power of Rules Zhao Li had comprehended made his Primordial Spirit even more condensed, and his combat methods had become ever more varied, but Zhao Li was still somewhat dissatisfied.

That was Zhao Li being greedy. How could ordinary Dou Zong be like him? Most only grasped the bare surface of some Space Rules, knowing what happened without knowing why. They merely became more practiced through constant fumbling and use.

Zhao Li comprehended rules, applied them in practice, and verified them against each other. Along the way, he had improved quite a bit again.

Half a day later, a stretch of golden yellow entered Zhao Li's eyes. Looking at the boundless desert before him, glittering even more brilliantly beneath the sunlight, Zhao Li seemed to think of something, and his heart stirred.

"Could this be the Tagor Desert? I should go take a look."

His reason for coming to the Jia Ma Empire was nothing more than to satisfy his curiosity about the world in the book. Since he had made up his mind, Zhao Li picked a direction and advanced at extreme speed.

Before long, the outline of a town entered Zhao Li's vision. With a single step, Zhao Li crossed over and had already entered the city.

A city in the desert carried its own unique ancient and heavy air. Even its defenses were far stricter than those within the empire—this was the ground they relied on to survive, and no one would be careless.

Most of the pedestrians in the city were drenched in sweat and bare-chested, but the habits of life in the desert did not affect them in the slightest as they traded with one another or showed off their gains. People came and went, and the place was extraordinarily lively.

Zhao Li had long since reached the stage where heat and cold could not invade him, so he did not feel much from the desert's dry heat.

Zhao Li casually wandered around the city and confirmed that this was indeed the Tagor Desert.

Thinking of the Green Lotus Core Flame in the desert, Zhao Li had half a mind to investigate it, but after searching to no avail, he stopped wasting time.

Zhao Li felt a slight regret. If he could find it early, even if it was useless to him, he could still write some Chinese characters there and say hello to Xiao Yan.

Then he shook his head. Since they had no fate, there was no need to spend too much time pranking a child. He took out the simple map he had bought earlier and identified the direction.

"I'll go take a look at the Snake People. I wonder what level this generation's Medusa is at."

Having made his decision, Zhao Li immediately rushed toward the Snake People's royal city.

At Snake People Royal City, the snake guards saw a figure suddenly appear, walking through the air, and wariness rose in their hearts.

"I've come to visit unannounced. I ask the Queen to grant me an audience."

Outside Snake People Royal City, Zhao Li did not stand on ceremony. He stood in the air, and his voice spread out.

Many times, strength was a symbol of status. Zhao Li had no interest in playing the pig to eat the tiger in this deserted place, much less in Show Off and Slap Face.

The snake guards did not dare neglect him and quickly went in to report.

"May I ask what brings our honored guest here?"

A bewitching voice came over, followed by a woman wearing a thin veil, with a slender waist and a swaying snake tail. Beneath the translucent veil flowed a gentle gaze. As she spoke softly, the veil fluttered, faintly revealing a clear, bright face.

Zhao Li's eyes lit up. What a gentle, enchanting woman.

Zhao Li did not lose his manners. After admiring her, he withdrew his gaze and explained his purpose.

"Forgive me, Queen. I came from afar, and after hearing of the Queen's grace, I came specially to visit."

Seeing this, the Queen believed him. She could sense that Zhao Li's gaze did not contain the slightest aggression.

"Please! My people will be sure to entertain you well." Medusa waved her fair hand, ordered people to prepare a banquet, and invited Zhao Li into the royal city.

At the banquet, Zhao Li watched the snake women's swaying dance with fresh curiosity, clicking his tongue in wonder and sighing inwardly.

"Is this the privilege of the strong? Days like this really do put one in a good mood."

Cups clinked and toasts were exchanged. After the banquet, Zhao Li said, "Many thanks for the Queen's hospitality. I heard that when your Medusa Bloodline is with child, you have a secret method to nourish the infant. As thanks, how about I refine a pill no higher than seventh grade for you?"

His light, casual words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, shocking Medusa and several elders and sending ripples through their hearts.

The Great Elder spoke first. "May I ask how Young Master knows of such a secret?"

"What kind of secret is that? Among those with any factional background at all, who doesn't have methods to strengthen the foundation, consolidate the origin, and increase potential?"

Zhao Li said indifferently.

When they heard this, they realized that it was indeed so. It was only that their own horizons had been too shallow. Immediately, their estimation of Zhao Li's origins rose by quite a bit.

"Young Master is also a Seventh-Grade Alchemist? Was what you just said true?"

When Medusa heard this, her gaze burned with heat. If her daughter could use the Heaven Soul Blood Fusion Pill to be nourished, her talent and strength would certainly surpass her own. In the future, perhaps she could lead the Snake People out of this remote land and take them a step further.

"The Pill Formula and Medicinal Ingredients—you provide them."

Zhao Li's confident voice rang out, then he settled back with an air of calm authority and paid them no further attention. He had already handed the decision to the Snake People Tribe. Whatever they chose, he would lose nothing.

Some Elders whispered among themselves, their voices tinged with hesitation. They had some doubts about Zhao Li, fearing he might be a fraud. If the tribe's Medicinal Ingredients were swindled away, the future queens of the Snake People Tribe might end up with mediocre talent, and the Snake People Tribe would decline even further.

In the end, it was still the Queen who spoke. "Then please stay for a few days, sir. I'll have someone bring you the Pill Formula and Medicinal Ingredients."

Zhao Li nodded. "All right."

Afterward, the upper ranks of the Snake People Tribe gathered together to make a final decision on what had just happened.

"Her Majesty the Queen, if he can't refine the pill, then our future royal bloodline may very well lack the foundation to nourish it. Their talent will be mediocre, and we will decline from here."

The Elder still stood from the tribe's perspective, seeking stability, seeking continuity.

"But what if he succeeds? From now on, our tribe will be able to leave this desert. We might not even need to pay any other price to seek out an alchemist. Besides, with our tribe's ability, can we really invite a Seventh-Grade Alchemist to act? I trust him. A Dou Sect expert has his own pride. I already agreed to his terms just now. If you want to go back on it, then go tell him yourselves."

The Queen was thinking of her child. She was gambling. If she won, the Snake People Tribe would produce an exceptionally powerful Medusa, one who would lead the Snake People Tribe out of the desert.

In the end, the Queen still persuaded the Elders.

Snakes were cold by nature and favored cool, shaded places. The Snake People Tribe was the same. They, too, hoped to leave this scorching, dry desert and find another place to live.