Seeing no way to dodge, Su Tian felt his temper flare. He snorted coldly, clenched his right fist, and frantically gathered the Dou Qi from his vortex into it.
His fist seemed to turn into a ball of flame, radiating scorching heat.
"Break!"
With a low shout, Su Tian slammed his right fist into the sharp arrow hurtling through the air.
It all happened in a flash.
Bang!
The instant they collided, a muffled thud rang out, and the arrow shattered into fragments.
Immediately afterward, a razor-sharp arc of sword energy concealed behind the arrow shot toward Su Tian.
"Human, you dare set foot in the territory of the Snake-People Tribe? Are you courting death?"
A figure charged toward Su Tian from nearby, his icy shout ringing out as he approached.
Su Tian's gaze turned cold at those words, but he showed not the slightest trace of panic.
He abruptly drew his right foot back a step and turned his body slightly sideways, holding his clenched right fist at his waist. Dou Qi surged from his vortex like water bursting through a broken dam, gathering frantically around his fist.
"You think you can kill me?"
Su Tian sneered, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes. Like a flood dragon bursting from its cave, his right fist shot forward with overwhelming force, smashing straight toward the sharp arc of sword energy.
It was a simple punch, without the slightest flourish.
Yet the power unleashed by that punch sent ripples shuddering through the air.
Boom!
Amid a deep rumble, Su Tian's fist slammed directly into the sword energy.
Under that tremendous force, the sword energy shattered, scattering into a skyful of shimmering light.
"You dare act so arrogantly on our tribe's territory!"
The icy shout rang out again as a burly figure closed in on Su Tian. A thick snake tail swept up clouds of sand and dust-it was one of the Snake-People.
"A Seven-Star Dou Shi?"
The moment the snake-man unleashed his aura, Su Tian discerned his strength.
"A mere Seven-Star Dou Shi? I'm afraid that isn't enough to keep me here!"
Su Tian narrowed his eyes and sneered, stamping hard against the ground. He had no intention of getting bogged down in a fight.
This was the Snake-People Tribe's territory, and numerous Snake-People were already approaching Su Tian's position in the distance.
Once they surrounded him, escaping would clearly be difficult for Su Tian.
"Trying to run?"
The snake-man flew into a rage. He twisted the sword in his hand, Dou Qi pouring from his body as sharp arcs of sword energy flew toward Su Tian.
He was clearly determined to keep Su Tian here.
"Hmph! You don't know what's good for you!"
A cold light flickered in Su Tian's eyes. He drew a deep breath and clenched his right fist, gathering fiery-red Dou Qi around it.
In an instant, more than a dozen scorching fist projections appeared, hurtling like blazing meteors toward the oncoming barrage of sword energy.
They collided in the blink of an eye.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dazzling bursts of light erupted in midair, brilliant as fireworks.
As the energy rippled outward, yellow sand filled the air.
At that moment, Su Tian vanished from the snake-man's sight.
"Hmph! Cunning human!"
The snake-man snorted and cursed under his breath.
Just then, several more Snake-People arrived.
"Captain..."
"Base, where's the human whose aura we sensed earlier?"
The snake-man leading them, whom the others addressed as captain, first glanced at the snake-man who had fought Su Tian. His attention then shifted to the battered, ravaged ground before him.
The captain's pupils contracted slightly, and apprehension rose within him. This human's strength is not to be underestimated.
"He..."
Base dared not meet his eyes. After a brief hesitation, he lowered his head and spoke gravely.
"I wasn't his match. I couldn't stop him, and he got away."
"He got away?"
At Base's words, the other Snake-People erupted in disbelief, their gazes filling with suspicion.
They had actually let a human escape on their own tribe's territory?
If word got out, wouldn't everyone think the Snake-People Tribe was easy to bully?
"Base, what were you doing? You're a Seven-Star Dou Shi, and you couldn't even defeat a mere human?"
"If you ask me, he probably did it on purpose. Who knows what that human might have offered him?"
"Heh, I was wondering why Base charged ahead so quickly when we detected that human's aura. Turns out he had it all planned."
"..."
Listening to their sneers and mockery, Base's expression darkened, anger churning within him.
His opponent had been a Nine-Star Dou Shi, while he was only a Seven-Star Dou Shi. How could he possibly have been a match for him?
"You..."
"All of you, shut up!"
Just as Base was about to snap back, the captain barked coldly, his chilling gaze sweeping slowly over the others.
With their captain, Hei Man, standing before them, none dared make another sound.
"Here in the Tagor Desert, no one escapes the Snake-People Tribe's pursuit!"
Hei Man smiled coldly, and a powerful aura erupted from his body.
Boom!
He had actually reached the rank of One-Star Great Dou Master!
"Hmph, he won't get away. Split up and pursue him! He's no weakling. The moment you find his trail, use the secret technique to contact us!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Hei Man's command, the others immediately set off in different directions.
Meanwhile, several other squads like Hei Man's were also searching for the traces Su Tian had left behind.
For a time, the once-silent, sweltering Tagor Desert sprang to life.
As for the man responsible for all this, he was currently sprinting headlong across the boundless desert.
"Good thing I ran fast. A moment later, and I probably would've left my life back there."
As Su Tian raced onward, he still remembered to glance back in the direction he had come from.
Su Tian distinctly sensed a powerful aura erupting there. Clearly, the other Snake-People had arrived.
At that thought, Su Tian immediately quickened his pace.
He had only just arrived on the Dou Qi Continent. Su Tian had no desire to be killed off so soon.
"I've got a Check-In System, at least. Surely you can let me survive a few more episodes."
Su Tian gave a bitter smile.
He had never expected his first task after transmigrating to be running for his life.
But speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in Su Tian's mind.
"Ding!"
"Check-In Task triggered: Sign in at Temple City to receive a Check-In Reward."
"What the hell? Why did a Check-In Task just trigger?"
Su Tian was utterly bewildered.
"Come on! Please! I'm running for my life here! Why are you randomly triggering Check-In Tasks?"
Hearing the system's sudden announcement, Su Tian rolled his eyes in anger.
It was bad enough that this lousy system wouldn't help him escape. Now it was handing out a new quest.
Su Tian couldn't be bothered with quests right now. Staying alive came first.
Every extra second Su Tian spent in the Tagor Desert made his heart pound with fear.
After all, besides the Snake-People Tribe, there were magical beasts that lurked beneath the sand, making their attacks nearly impossible to guard against.
Fortunately, throughout his desperate sprint, Su Tian had not encountered any ambushes from those beasts.
For the moment, he had also managed to put some distance between himself and the Snake-People Tribe.
Only then could Su Tian finally let out a long breath of relief.
"I should be safe for now."
After running at full speed all this way, Su Tian slowed down and immediately felt his mouth and throat go dry.
He looked around, and Su Tian's eyes suddenly lit up.
A small oasis lay on a stretch of flat ground not far ahead, its lush greenery striking against the desert.
As Su Tian drew closer to the oasis, even the stifling air around him grew a little cooler.
After warily surveying his surroundings, Su Tian leaped into the lush grove, concealing himself among the trees.
Breathing in the gentle fragrance of the grass at his feet, Su Tian sighed in contentment.
In the desert, even the smallest patch of green felt precious.
Su Tian lightly rubbed his chin, then moved slowly through the trees, scanning his surroundings for water.
As Su Tian continued searching, he gradually ventured deeper into the oasis.
Just as Su Tian began to feel irritated by his long, fruitless search for water, a faint trickle of running water reached him from somewhere ahead.
Su Tian immediately perked up, the clear, delicate sound gradually soothing his frustration.
"Heaven really does leave a way out!"
Su Tian chuckled. First, he carefully checked his surroundings. Only after confirming there was no danger did he leap out.
Beyond the trees lay a quiet little path. Su Tian followed it, drawing closer to the water as he traced the sound.
Pushing aside the branches blocking his way, Su Tian found an exceptionally clear lake before him.
Parched beyond endurance, Su Tian could no longer restrain himself and instinctively swallowed.
Splash...
Overjoyed, Su Tian sprang up and plunged straight into the lake, gulping mouthful after mouthful of its sweet, clear water.
Yet Su Tian failed to notice a voluptuous figure silently appearing in the trees behind him.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves revealed her seductive face. Her clothing was revealing, and her long hair brushed her snow-white shoulders before cascading down her supple, enticing waist.
Below that, a green snake tail swayed gently, exuding a wild allure.
This woman was actually from the Snake-People Tribe!
Her eyes, soft as spring waters, remained fixed on Su Tian as he drank in the lake. Covering her red lips with a delicate hand, she curved her mouth into a bewitching smile and murmured inwardly.
A little human? Hehe, how interesting that he managed to reach the depths of the Tagor Desert.
Hiss!
The next moment, the snake-woman parted her red lips, and a mouthful of green venom shot straight toward Su Tian.
The venom was so potent that, if it struck Su Tian, he would lose a layer of skin even if he survived.
The instant the venom shot forth, Su Tian felt an intense sense of danger surge through him.
Without the slightest hesitation, he slapped both hands against the lake's surface and launched himself out of the water. His feet then skimmed the surface, carrying him to the opposite bank in the blink of an eye.
Turning around, Su Tian glanced at the lake he had just been drinking from and involuntarily sucked in a cold breath.
The once-clear water was now suffused with an eerie green hue, clearly tainted with deadly poison.
Su Tian shifted his gaze to the opposite bank. At the sight of the alluring woman standing there, his throat bobbed involuntarily.
But when Su Tian noticed her gently swaying green snake tail, his heart jolted.
"One of the Snake-People..."
Su Tian narrowed his eyes, trying to determine the woman's strength.
Yet Su Tian's soul perception could not detect her level at all.
There were clearly only two possible explanations.
Either Su Tian's soul perception was too weak.
Or the woman before him was too powerful.
"This is trouble... Could this woman be Yue Mei, one of the Snake-People Tribe's commanders?"
Su Tian swallowed. Recalling the original story's plot, he seemed to have guessed something.
Before you continue