Because of the sandstorm, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo had lost their bearings in the desert.
So I could only randomly choose a direction and try my luck.
However, the two seemed to be out of luck. They walked for most of the day without encountering any terrain or human presence that could help them orient themselves.
Let's rest here for a bit.
As night fell, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo sat down under a sand dune.
A sandstorm disrupted Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo's path, but it was still under Yao Lao's control.
After all, with Yao Lao's Spiritual Soul Power, a sandstorm wouldn't be enough to make him lose his way.
I just wanted to see how Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo would handle the situation.
After a short rest, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo resumed their journey while cultivating.
Finally, on the third day, a patch of green appeared in their field of vision.
"Oasis!"
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo exchanged a glance, a hint of excitement appearing in their tired eyes.
After trekking for several days amidst the lingering effects of sandstorms and the anxiety of losing one's way, the monotonous desert had long been irritating.
The two sped off towards the location of the oasis.
Xiao Xin.
However, just as the two were about to step into the sparse bushes at the edge of the oasis...
Xiao Yan suddenly raised his hand to stop Xiao Huohuo, his sharp gaze sweeping across the seemingly tranquil woodland ahead, his eyes narrowing slightly:
Something's not right.
Upon hearing Xiao Huohuo immediately composed himself and looked warily into the depths of the oasis.
"You brats, you're being too reckless."
Oases in the desert are like beacons of light in the darkness, attracting not only travelers but also fiercely contested territory between Magical Beast and native tribes. Haven't you noticed something amiss here?
The Yao Lao's aged voice rang in their ears.
Xiao Yan's gaze turned towards the depths of the oasis, and a flash of inspiration struck him. He spoke:
"It's so quiet here! It's eerily quiet! You can barely hear birds chirping or insects buzzing..."
The two became alert. Xiao Yan sniffed lightly, and the air was filled with a faint, moist scent mixed with water vapor and the fragrance of plants.
Moreover, with his keen soul perception at the Soul King level, Xiao Yan detected a trace of extremely subtle, cold energy residue, like the invisible trail left by a snake after it crawled.
"There are signs of the Snake-People Tribe activity; it's quite novel."
Xiao Yan crouched down, concealing himself behind the bushes, and spoke:
"There might be Snake-People Tribe here."
Xiao Huohuo licked her lips and whispered, "Then what do we do? Go around it?"
"There's no need."
Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, shook his head slightly, and said:
"You've been lost for the past few days, so you should replenish the water in your Storage Ring. Besides, you might be able to use these Snake-People to find out where we are now."
Having been lost for several days, if they missed this oasis, their journey would remain completely unknown. Therefore, Xiao Yan decided to enter the oasis.
The two suppressed their breathing to a minimum and, using the shadows of the bushes and trees, silently slipped into the oasis.
The ground beneath their feet gradually transformed from scorching sand into moist soil, and a long-lost coolness emanated from the soles of their feet, bringing a sense of comfort to both of them.
The two Xiao Xin avoided the many strangely shaped desert plants that grew all around them.
Following the direction where the moisture was densest, the two Xiao Xin passed through a relatively dense thicket of bushes.
Finally, a patch of azure blue appeared at the edge of their vision, and the air became slightly more humid.
Just as they were about to part the last clump of lush plants with huge fan-shaped leaves, a very slight, rhythmic splashing sound of water, accompanied by a faint, strange, and Charm fragrance, drifted over on the wind.
Xiao Yan suddenly stopped and made a gesture to Xiao Huohuo to be quiet and to stay hidden.
The two held their breath and peered through the gaps in the leaves.
Ahead is a natural pool, not very large, and in the desert, most of them exist only because of the rainy season.
What's unusual is that the pool's edge is surrounded by smooth white rocks, which shimmer with a warm luster in the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.
However, what made Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo's blood rush and their hearts skip a beat was not the icy pool water, but the scene inside the pool.
A woman is taking a bath.
She had her back to Xiao Yan and the other person, her upper body above the water, her skin incredibly white, smooth and firm, her wet purple hair clinging to her beautifully shaped back like seaweed, the ends of which drooped onto the water's surface.
Even from behind, her silhouette is breathtakingly beautiful.
She raised a long, slender arm, gently scooped up a handful of water, and poured it over her shoulder. The water droplets slid down the creases of her skin, reflecting a crystalline light in the sunlight.
But the most unusual aspect of this enchanting scene is not her stunning figure.
The legs swaying beneath the water in the pool are not those of a human.
Instead, it was a long, slender snake tail covered in gorgeous purple scales!
Part of the snake's tail lazily coiled around the rocks at the bottom of the water, while the other part swayed slowly beneath the surface, stirring up ripples.
Snake-People Tribe!
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo were surprised to find a Snake-People Tribe girl bathing there.
Moreover, judging from his appearance, aura, and the alluring demeanor he inadvertently revealed, Xiao Yan could tell that this person was definitely not an ordinary Snake-People warrior!
Almost at the same instant, the snake woman in the pool paused slightly.
She didn't turn around, her hands still cupping a handful of clear spring water, which slid down her fragrant shoulders. A soft, alluring voice, yet tinged with a hint of mockery and icy coldness, rang out:
"You two little ones, you've been watching for so long, are you still reluctant to leave?"
It seemed as if the gaze was whispering directly into their ears, but Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo felt a cold and sharp gaze, as if piercing through layers of branches and leaves, landing on their hiding place.
The owner of the voice still didn't turn around, but the purple snake's tail had stopped swaying.
We've been discovered!
Xiao Yan's heart sank, knowing that hiding it any longer was futile.
The other party had clearly already realized that the brief pause just now was nothing more than a cat-and-mouse game.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Xiao Huohuo, and then pushed aside the branches and leaves to go outside.
Xiao Huohuo followed closely behind, his Dou Qi slowly circulating within him.
The two stepped out of the shadows and onto the open ground by the pool.
The snake woman reached out and pulled a gauze robe over her body before slowly turning around.
A stunningly beautiful face with exotic features was reflected in the water.
With exquisitely beautiful features and eyes that shimmered with a vibrant purple hue, these were eerie vertical pupils that scrutinized Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo with a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and a dangerously playful aura.
Her face was extremely beautiful, but that beauty carried a wild and alluring quality, something that no human woman could possess.
Her long purple hair clung to her cheeks and neck, adding to her Charm.
Her gaze swept over the two of them, lingering briefly on the similar faces of Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo, before being drawn to the towering ruler behind Xiao Huohuo.
"Tsk tsk, two young humans, they've got some nerve."
The snake woman's red lips parted slightly, her voice still alluring, but the temperature in her eyes was dropping.
"You've trespassed on my territory and even spied on me while I was bathing... Tell me, how should I treat you?"
Upon hearing the snake woman's self-identification, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo's pupils constricted sharply, and they immediately felt a sense of unease.
Seeing her appearance and hearing her self-identification, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo had already determined the identity of the snake woman before them.
She referred to herself as "this king," implying she was at least a Dou Wang level expert. Coupled with her alluring appearance, Xiao Yan couldn't help but recall the information they had previously gathered.
The leader of one of the Eight Great Tribes of the Snake-People Tribe, a powerful warrior at the Dou Wang level— Yue Mei!
"Misunderstand."
Knowing the other party's identity, Xiao Yan immediately stepped forward, subtly shielding Xiao Huohuo to his side and behind.
His voice was calm and even, neither humble nor arrogant as he began to explain:
"We are merely travelers in the desert. We were caught in a sandstorm and lost our way. We strayed into this place while searching for water. We had no intention of offending you, and we ask for your forgiveness, senior."
As Xiao Yan spoke, he remained fully alert, his Soul Power surging within him, and his Bone Spirit Cold Flame ready to erupt at any moment.
"A lost traveler?"
Yue Mei chuckled softly, her snake tail swaying gently as she slowly swam out of the water, leaving behind strings of water droplets.
She wasn't completely ashore; part of her lower body and snake tail were still submerged in the water, but her upper body was completely exposed to the air. Only a few layers of gauze covered her vital parts, and her fair skin shone brightly in the sunlight, exuding allure.
"Ordinary lost travelers would never reach this place..."
Yue Mei's gaze refocused on Xiao Yan, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke:
"Besides, ordinary people wouldn't possess such extraordinary power. Human, there seems to be something about you that holds an unusual allure for me..."
Before she could finish speaking, her figure vanished from the spot!
"!"
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted.
Yue Mei didn't Teleportation; rather, her speed was too fast. She slapped her snake tail on the rock, and her whole body shot towards Xiao Yan like a purple lightning bolt!
Before the person even arrived, a streak of purple Dou Qi carrying a sweet, fishy smell struck like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, causing the air to hiss and crackle as it passed.
Although he couldn't sense Yue Mei's movements, Xiao Yan's Soul Power, which had been accumulating within him for a long time, surged forth.
His gaze sharpened, and his left hand was instantly covered in pale white flames. He clenched his fist, and a thick ice crystal shield, rapidly formed from Bone Spirit Cold Flame, instantly materialized in front of him.
"Laugh--!"
The purple Dou Qi slammed into the ice shield, instantly unleashing a violent corrosive sound.
The surface of the ice shield was quickly stained with a dark purple and began to melt, but the extreme low temperature and purifying properties of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame were also working at the same time, constantly counteracting the corrosive effects of the toxins.
The ice shield trembled violently, cracks appeared, but it did not collapse.
Xiao Yan's instinctively formed ice shield of Heavenly Flames barely managed to block Yue Mei's probing attack.
"Huh?"
Yue Mei's figure appeared a few feet in front of Xiao Yan, her purple snake tail swaying slightly, her eyes filled with even greater surprise.
Although she didn't use her full strength in this attack, it was still enough to severely injure an ordinary Da Dou Shi, but she didn't expect that Xiao Yan would be able to block it.
Moreover, the opponent's condensed ice shield... Yue Mei frowned slightly, her gaze falling on the Bone Spirit Cold Flame in Xiao Yan's left hand. The chilling coldness and solidity of that pale flame far exceeded her expectations.
In the brief moment she was slightly Soul Division, Xiao Huohuo beside her moved!
The air gradually became scorching hot, and Xiao Huohuo's fighting Dou Qi surged towards the huge Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand.
" Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!"