Leaving the Tagore Desert

"Big sister..." Die stood before the side hall's entrance, her hands clenched tightly against her chest as her unblinking eyes stared toward the secret chamber.

When that vast, familiar aura washed over her, the worry in her eyes finally vanished completely, replaced by a radiant smile and burning tears.

Her sister had succeeded!

Hua She'er trembled with excitement, while Die wept with joy, clutching Hua She'er's arm tightly to keep herself from collapsing to the ground.

Black ash gradually drifted down. Then, in an instant, a seven-colored streak of light shot out of the mist, moving so fast that its trajectory was nearly impossible to see.

The streak circled once through the air before stopping directly in front of Lin Yu, revealing its true form: a tiny snake barely a foot long, its entire body covered in seven-colored scales.

It hovered above Lin Yu's palm. Its crystal-clear eyes held none of a snake's coldness, instead carrying the innocence and longing of a child as it stared unblinkingly at the snow-white Storage Ring on his finger.

After staring for quite a while, it even raised its little head and let out several soft hisses at Lin Yu. Its gentle tone sounded as obedient as though it were cutely begging for food, without the slightest trace of a queen's majesty.

Lin Yu could not help but chuckle as he looked at the seven-colored little snake acting cute and begging for food in his palm.

Who would have thought that Queen Medusa would turn into such an adorable, clingy creature after successfully evolving?

He took out a candy pellet from his Storage Ring and held it before the seven-colored little snake. It was the same kind he had once fed Zi Yan, though this one contained the condensed essence of various spiritual herbs, with pure energy comparable to that of a sixth-tier medicinal pill.

The seven-colored little snake's pale violet eyes lit up at once. Its tiny forked tongue darted out quickly, and after sensing the vast yet gentle energy within the candy pellet, it hesitated no longer and swallowed it in one bite.

The candy pellet melted the instant it entered its mouth, its gentle medicinal power spreading through its slender body.

It contentedly flicked its tongue, affectionately rubbed against Lin Yu's finger, then slipped up his wrist and into his sleeve. Finding the most comfortable spot on his warm arm, it coiled up there and fell into a deep slumber in the blink of an eye.

Lin Yu gently adjusted his sleeve and pushed open the secret chamber's door.

The moment the door opened, a graceful figure crashed straight into him.

Die had been anxiously waiting outside. The instant she heard the door open, she rushed over impatiently and nearly plunged headfirst into Lin Yu's arms.

She stepped back, her eyes nervously searching behind Lin Yu. But she saw only the empty secret chamber and scorched ashes covering the floor. Her heart tightened as she quickly asked, "Big brother, where is my sister?"

Seeing that her eyes were about to redden with anxiety, Lin Yu did not tease her. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out the seven-colored little snake that was sleeping soundly, and gently placed it in Die's palm. "When she wakes up, have her teach you about her experience with evolution. After that, you can begin yours as well."

Die carefully cradled the warm seven-colored little snake in her hands. Seeing it curled up in peaceful sleep, a relieved smile bloomed across her lips.

She looked up at Lin Yu gratefully, her voice soft. "All right. Thank you, big brother."

"Just call me Lin Yu." Lin Yu waved his hand casually.

Die was slightly startled, then two faint blushes rose on her cheeks as she softly called, "Lin Yu."

Her voice had always been gentle and tender, but those two words sounded even softer coming from her lips, like a March breeze brushing across a lake.

Lin Yu gave a soft acknowledgment and nodded to her before turning toward the side hall where Han Shanshan was temporarily staying.

Early the next morning, not long after Lin Yu and Han Shanshan had gotten up, Die came to their room.

Today, she wore a light violet gauze dress that made her seem even more gentle and lovely, though a trace of nervous anticipation lingered between her brows.

A seven-colored little snake lazily coiled around her slender arm. Upon sensing Lin Yu's aura, it raised its head and flicked its tongue at him, then flashed with light.

As seven-colored radiance flowed, a seductive yet imposing figure appeared in the room.

This was the first time Medusa had appeared before Lin Yu in her complete human form since evolving.

She still wore that dark crimson brocade robe, but her long purple snake tail had vanished, replaced by a pair of long, straight jade-like legs. Her bare feet stood upon the cold stone floor.

Medusa frowned slightly and got straight to the point. "Master Lin, can you resolve the matter of the extra soul inside my body?"

Although her evolution had succeeded, her soul now shared this body with another consciousness. Two souls coexisting within one body was a thorn in anyone's throat.

"Your problem is not difficult to solve. I'll refine a Soul-Merging Pill for you later." Lin Yu answered as though it were nothing.

"Thank you, Master Lin." Medusa gave a slight bow, her tone filled with sincere gratitude.

Lin Yu waved his hand and turned his gaze to Die, who stood nearby.

The girl was twisting her fingers together. Her beautiful eyes occasionally stole glances at him, her face full of hesitation, as though she wanted to say something but did not dare.

Smiling, he asked gently, "Die, are you ready? I can help you evolve now."

Die abruptly raised her head and nodded firmly. Her voice was soft but full of resolve. "Lin Yu, I'm ready."

She had not slept at all the previous night. Her sister had carefully taught her every sensation and experience of evolution.

Though she feared the pain of being skinned and shattered to the bone, she thought of how her sister had endured it through gritted teeth, and how the Snake-People Clan would finally be able to walk proudly out of this desert. An unprecedented courage rose within her heart.

Lin Yu nodded and headed toward the secret chamber with Die.

With Medusa's experience as a precedent, Die's evolution went far more smoothly than her sister's.

Her talent had never been inferior to her sister's. She was simply gentler by nature, but she possessed no less of the Snake-People Clan's inherent stubbornness and resilience.

Outside the secret chamber, Medusa stood with her hands behind her back, her expression as still as water. Yet her faintly clenched fists revealed the tension in her heart.

Before long, the skies above the secret chamber churned once more, and silver lightning crashed down.

When Lin Yu emerged from the secret chamber, another seven-colored little snake was coiled around his wrist.

Over the next several days, the Medusa sisters stabilized their cultivation after evolution while beginning preparations to relocate the Snake-People Clan from the Tagore Desert.

With two Dou Zong powerhouses guarding them, along with the deterrence of Lin Yu and Han Shanshan as outside allies, every force along their route retreated at the mere sight of them. The Snake-People Clan's departure from the desert that had trapped them for generations was no longer an unreachable dream.

After all the arrangements had been made, Lin Yu, Han Shanshan, and Du Ning quietly left the Tagore Desert.

The yellow sands gradually receded behind them, while the outline of the Cloud Empire could already be faintly seen upon the horizon ahead.

Zi Yan lay sprawled over Du Ning's shoulder, her tail swaying lazily as her vertical pupils curiously examined the unfamiliar land in the distance.