Stone Desert City, Qing Lin

A month or two later, on the edge of the Tagor Desert.

The intense heat of the desert distorted the air itself, and the distant sand dunes trembled in the distance, like butter melting under the sun.

Xiao Yi Xian frantically fanned herself with the palm-leaf fan in her hand, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead, a few strands of hair sticking to her cheeks with the sweat, her whole face flushed, as if she had just entered a sauna.

The sand beneath her feet radiated heat through the soles of her boots, making her feel as if she were being baked dry.

Qin Yu wasn't feeling too well either, but he wasn't wearing many clothes, just a vest, so he could manage.

"It's so hot! It's so hot! It's so hot!"

Xiao Yi Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer and threw the palm-leaf fan to the ground.

She then leaned against Qin Yu, resting her forehead against his chest, her voice soft and sweet, with a strong hint of coquetry:

"Qin Yu ~ Can we skip practicing that movement Dou Technique today? This godforsaken place doesn't even have a single tree to provide shade, my shoes are practically melting!"

As if worried that Qin Yu might disagree, Xiao Yi Xian nuzzled against his chest again and added:

"Just today, just rest today, I promise I won't complain about being tired tomorrow!"

"... I remember you said the same thing a couple of days ago when you first entered the desert."

"What happened before is true now! I really can't take it anymore, one more step and I'll be roasted to a crisp."

Looking at Xiao Yi Xian's "pitiful" eyes, Qin Yu's lips moved, but he ultimately swallowed his words.

"Alright, we won't practice today."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yi Xian sprang away from him with a "whoosh".

She picked up the fan and tucked it into her waistband. Her half-dead state vanished completely, and she was instantly revived.

"You said it! No taking it back! I want barbecue tonight! I just saw some sand hares over there, shall we go catch a couple?"

Qin Yu sighed and rubbed his forehead, realizing he was still too soft-hearted.

"Weren't you exhausted?"

"What do you mean, 'extremely tired'? I don't know what you're talking about."

Xiao Yi Xian left him standing there with a straight face, and skipped and hopped off toward the direction of the sand rabbit tracks.

That night, the two set up camp at the foot of a sand dune on the edge of the desert.

Xiao Yi Xian successfully roasted two sand rabbits, and the aroma of the roasted meat wafted far away on the night breeze.

She sat cross-legged by the campfire, holding a rabbit leg in her hand, her cheeks bulging, her face full of satisfaction.

Qin Yu sat on the other side of the campfire, holding a map open in his hand.

The Tagor Desert, this vast sea of sand inhabited by the Snake-People Tribe, is a harsh environment, yet it is also a chosen land for cultivators of Earth Attribute and Fire Attribute.

Qin Yu did not come via the route from Desert City, so he did not see Hai Bo Dong.

After all, as an Earth Attribute cultivator, there was no way he could possibly get that old guy Hai Bo Dong to give him the incomplete map of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.

If it were a matter of forcibly taking something, Qin Yu felt he needed to become even stronger.

Therefore, Qin Yu naturally put this matter last, planning to deal with it on the return journey after finishing his trip to the Tagor Desert.

Besides cultivation, Qin Yu had another purpose in coming to this desert: the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

He was indeed neither Fire Attribute cultivator nor Alchemist, but the Green Lotus Core Flame was, after all, Heavenly Flames nurtured deep within the earth's core.

Since it is a wondrous object born from the Earth's core, it has the potential to be of use to us.

During this period, after Qin Yu's continuous experimentation with Xiao Yi Xian, he finally confirmed one thing.

Using Wood Attribute power to balance the toxins in her body won't work.

The Woeful Poison Body, a rare physique that appears only once in a century, is not easy to deal with; it requires the violent power of Heavenly Flames to suppress it.

Simply put, this Woeful Poison Body is a despicable creature that only responds to force and never to gentleness; the only way to deal with it is through the most violent and extreme methods.

What are you thinking about?

After finishing the last bite of rabbit meat, Xiao Yi Xian licked her fingers and tilted her head to look at him.

"I'm thinking we might encounter Snake People next."

"Snake People?"

Xiao Yi Xian wiped her mouth, about to ask what the Snake People looked like, when her expression suddenly changed.

Qin Yu put down the water pouch in his hand and turned his gaze to the darkness outside the camp.

"They've arrived."

Following his gaze, Xiao Yi Xian saw a dozen serpentine silhouettes rapidly emerging from behind the sand dunes, their long tails twisting as they slithered along the ground, carving out a dozen winding tracks in the sand.

The rustling sound of snake tails rubbing against sand grew closer and closer, sounding like countless snakes flicking their tongues at the same time.

Xiao Yi Xian slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over the Snake People. She roughly counted them; there were twelve.

They were mostly at the Dou Zhe level, with the leader having a hideous old scar on his chest. He was the only one with a slightly higher cultivation level, having reached the level of One-Star Battle Master.

"I'll use these Snake People as practice targets."

Xiao Yi Xian took a step forward, and the Snake People had already rushed within thirty paces.

The leader, One-Star Battle Master, narrowed his vertical pupils as he saw Xiao Yi Xian's face illuminated by the firelight.

He suddenly raised his hand, and the entire group of Snake People behind him came to a sudden stop, leaving more than a dozen long skid marks on the sand.

"A human girl?"

The Snake People captain flicked his tongue rapidly in the air a few times, and the wariness in his vertical pupils was gradually replaced by something else.

His mouth twisted into an ugly grin, revealing two rows of jagged, sharp teeth.

"So beautiful, and you came all the way to the desert to bring warmth to your brothers?"

A burst of laughter erupted behind him, and several bolder Snake People began to push forward, their vertical pupils gleaming with undisguised lewdness.

In their eyes, a human woman appearing in the desert is simply prey delivered to their doorstep.

As for the human man sitting by the campfire...

He's just a mere human; we can kill him after the brothers have finished enjoying him.

"Oh..."

Xiao Yi Xian sneered.

"Qin Yu, don't make a move."

The moment the last word was uttered, Xiao Yi Xian vanished from her spot and reappeared between the two Snake People in the front row.

Two slender palms lightly touched the chests of the two Snake People in the lead, and a chilling, Poison Dou Qi emanated from their palms into their chests.

The two Snake People's vertical pupils suddenly widened, and the venom, like a living thing, burrowed along their meridians toward their hearts. Before they could even scream, they bled from all seven orifices and died.

In Battle Master and Dou Zhe, she had already killed five Snake People in less than two breaths.

"Arrogant!"

The Snake People captain roared and brandished his steel fork, ready to pounce.

The next second, a cold hand was already pressed against his back.

Xiao Yi Xian appeared behind the Snake People captain at some point, and with a palm strike, deep purple Poison Dou Qi surged from her palm and entered his body.

In the blink of an eye, the toxin rushed up the spine to the brain, the Snake People captain's vertical pupils began to dilate, and the snake tail thrashed wildly on the ground, raising clouds of yellow sand.

It wanted to beg for mercy, but only a hoarse, weak sound could be heard from its throat.

"One minute, not bad, not bad."

"I've only just warmed up."