Beheading the Hibiscus Snake

"Enemy attack!"

"Humans are attacking!"

The Snake-People sentries reacted with incredible speed. Almost the instant the gates were violently smashed open, the alarm rang throughout the entire oasis.

"Brothers, kill them!" Lu Sheng roared, hacking his saber viciously at the Snake-People in front of him and sending three of them flying in an instant.

Taking advantage of the surprise attack, they caught the Snake-People off guard. However, as more and more Snake-People warriors emerged from their tents, the situation gradually stabilized.

The Snake-People possessed physiques far beyond those of ordinary humans. Their movements were strange, their attacks exceedingly tricky, and their scales offered astonishing defense. Ordinary weapons could hardly inflict fatal wounds, and they also had to watch out for venomous snakes suddenly darting out.

Qing Mo did not follow the others. Instead, he quietly retreated to the rear. Those two attacks just now had consumed nearly half his Dou Qi, and he himself was not skilled at fighting head-on.

He brought Qing Lin to a concealed corner. Just as Qing Mo was about to sit down and regulate his breathing, venomous snakes suddenly slithered out from the side, flicking their tongues as they approached them.

Qing Mo's gaze turned cold. He raised his hand, intending to deal with them, but a small hand gently grasped his.

"Brother Mo, leave it to me." Qing Lin stepped half a pace forward and gently tapped the snakes on their heads.

The venomous snakes, originally full of hostility, suddenly became docile. They circled in place a few times, then turned and left as though they had never seen the two of them.

"Well done, little Qing Lin!" Qing Mo's eyes lit up as he gave Qing Lin a thumbs-up. With her beside him, he no longer had to worry about being disturbed.

No longer hesitating, Qing Mo took out a Qi-Recovery Pill and swallowed it. He closed his eyes, circulated his cultivation technique, and began restoring his depleted Dou Qi.

At that moment, an enraged roar came from the tallest structure in the center of the camp.

"Lowly humans, you dare trespass into my Snake-People territory!"

A Snake-People leader standing three meters tall emerged from the shadows, the scales on his skin gleaming with an icy black light.

"Three-Star Battle Master!" Lu Sheng's expression changed. The real opponent had arrived!

The Snake-People leader waved his hand, and a grayish-green glow rose behind him.

A gigantic snake, five meters long and covered in grayish-green scales, crawled out from behind him. Strange wood-grain patterns marked its head, while its eyes glowed a dark green.

"Die, you lowly ants!" the Snake-People leader roared. The Mujin Snake beside him also let out a hiss, its head smashing fiercely toward the mercenary group.

"Senior Lin Xiao! Deputy Commander Liu Shi!" Lu Sheng shouted.

"Fall back! Leave this to us!"

A sharp gleam burst from Lin Xiao's eyes. Dense earth-yellow Dou Qi erupted from his body, condensing into a heavy shield in front of the Mujin Snake.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the Dou Qi shield nearly collapsed beneath the Mujin Snake's impact. Lin Xiao grunted and took half a step back.

At the same time, Liu Shi seized the opportunity. The Black-Iron Greatsword on his back instantly left its sheath. With a stomp, he shot toward the Mujin Snake like a cannonball.

At that moment, the Snake-People Battle Master moved as well, steadily blocking the descending greatsword with his spear.

The Mujin Snake seized the opening and opened its jaws, biting toward Liu Shi's neck!

Just as Liu Shi was unable to evade, Lin Xiao stepped in front of him again at the critical moment. Both palms struck the Mujin Snake's jaws, forcing it back.

The two sides exchanged blows, the shockwaves from their clashing Dou Qi constantly throwing up the surrounding sand and soil. For a time, the battle fell into a stalemate.

Seeing this, the others refused to be outdone and began taking action as well.

Severed limbs and organs littered the sand, staining the ground dark red. A thick stench of blood spread through the air.

After an unknown amount of time, Qing Mo opened his eyes again.

The Dou Qi he had expended had fully recovered.

Though he had expected it, the sight before him still made Qing Mo feel physically ill.

Mangled corpses lay everywhere, and even the palm leaves dripped with thick blood.

Most of them had already lost the ability to continue fighting. Everyone's attention was fixed on the center.

At first, relying on his natural scales, the Snake-People Battle Master had fought Lin Xiao evenly. However, Lin Xiao was a Five-Star Battle Master after all, two minor levels above the Snake-People Battle Master. His Dou Qi reserves were far greater, and as time passed, the Snake-People Battle Master was gradually forced onto the defensive.

Whenever the Snake-People Battle Master tried to have the Hibiscus Snake assist him, Liu Shi would firmly tie it down from the side.

The time has come. Qing Mo's heart stirred. No one should notice him at a time like this.

Qing Mo used Gale-Chasing Step and quietly moved toward the edge of the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity.

Liu Shi's sword strikes were savage. One slash landed on the snake's body. Though it failed to break through its hard scales, it still staggered the creature.

"Hiss—" The Mujin Snake howled, suddenly rearing its head and opening its bloody maw as a stream of grayish-green venom shot toward Liu Shi.

And at the instant the Mujin Snake raised its head and opened its mouth—

Qing Mo seized this hard-won chance, instantly pouring all the Dou Qi in his body into the Silent Flying Dagger in his hand.

"Falling Leaf Flying Daggers!"

The flying dagger tore through the air without making the slightest sound, leaving only an afterimage beneath the moonlight.

"Pfft—"

A dull sound of steel piercing flesh rang out. The flying dagger entered through the snake's mouth and burst out through its vital point.

"Hiss!!"

The Mujin Snake let out a heart-rending shriek. Its head thrashed wildly. Its scales might have been hard, but its insides had no defense. Large amounts of foul-smelling green blood sprayed out.

Its enormous body rolled across the sand, snapping palm trees in half along its path. Several Snake-People who failed to dodge in time were even crushed into pulp!

"Perfect chance!" Liu Shi dodged the venom, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. Dou Qi surged from within him into the Black-Iron Greatsword. The greatsword emitted a piercing hum as it hacked viciously toward the Mujin Snake's vital point.

"Break!"

The greatsword came down fiercely, tearing apart the Mujin Snake's vital point. Its anguished roar abruptly stopped. Its body stiffened, then crashed heavily onto the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the Mujin Snake killed so easily, the Snake-People leader's face instantly filled with shock, fury, and fear. Without the Mujin Snake restraining them, he alone could not possibly be a match for two human Battle Masters. He immediately began to think of retreating.

He stopped fighting, channeling his remaining Dou Qi into his legs as he fled toward the depths of the oasis.

"Don't even think about it!" Lin Xiao roared, hurriedly chasing after him without a moment's thought.

Though the Snake-People leader was fast, he had already expended most of his Dou Qi in the earlier battle. He was now at the end of his strength.

Lin Xiao quickly caught up to him and smashed the Snake-People leader's head apart with one punch.

A moment later, Lin Xiao returned carrying the Snake-People leader's corpse.

He casually threw the corpse to the ground,

Then looked over the ravaged oasis and loudly announced:

"We won!"