Beneath a clear sky, a massive sun hung high, resembling a great ball of fire continuously spewing flames. The scorching sunlight poured over the golden desert, baking the fine sand grains until they shimmered like small, red iron pieces. Due to the intense heat, gentle plumes of warm air seeped upward from the yellow sand, distorting and making the space around them seem slightly hazy and ethereal. Amid the endless expanse of desert, a dark figure suddenly emerged slowly, his dusty, weathered face clearly indicating he had spent considerable time in the sands. Stepping with a heavy, deliberate gait, the figure ascended a tall dune, surveyed the surroundings, and then withdrew a sheepskin map from his sash, carefully studying the most precise route. "Look at the route up there—we seem to be gradually approaching the heart of the Tagore Desert now..." Slowly tracing the path with his finger, Xiao Yan licked the dry lips, speaking softly to himself. "Ah, what a troublesome Tagore Desert—it's simply too vast! From Shishemo City all the way to here, it's taken us nearly fifteen days. If it weren't for the precise desert supply stations marked on the map, we'd be in for quite a challenge indeed..." Xiao Yan sighed, offering a wry, resigned smile. Since leaving Shishemo City, he had followed the route indicated on the map, steadily heading deeper into the Tagore Desert. Given the unpredictable weather conditions within the desert, Xiao Yan had to carefully select safe periods and make use of his Purple Cloud Wings for flight. For the rest of the time, he walked on foot. In the vast Tagore Desert, aside from certain魔兽 concealed within the sand layers, the most formidable adversaries are the serpent people. Few would willingly oppose them, as their tactic of manipulating venomous snakes to strike from the shadows is truly hard to defend against. However, for Xiao Yan—equipped with an accurate map and the sharp spiritual perception of the elderly herbalist—these serpent people pose no real trouble. Time and again, before any threat arises, Xiao Yan effortlessly evades both their tribes and patrol units. Of course, should an unforeseen and unavoidable encounter occur, Xiao Yan will not hesitate to deploy decisive measures, eliminating the serpent people even before they can raise the alarm. He is well aware that should a large force of serpent people encircle and overwhelm him within the Tagore Desert, the outcome would be devastating. Yet even with the aid of the purple-cloud wings and the map, it took Xiao Yan a full fifteen days to reach this point from the outer edge of the Tago尔 Great Desert—thus explaining his earlier helpless, wistful smile. His finger traced the route, finally settling slowly on a red dot indicating danger. There were eight such red dots in total across the map, scattered across several different directions within the desert. Among the Serpent People of the Tago尔 Great Desert, aside from several smaller and mid-sized tribes, there were eight large and powerful ones—these eight red dots—representing the strongest tribes in the Serpent People's society, holding high status within the desert. Indeed, even beyond the Queen Medusa, these tribes did not recognize one another as equals. Eight massive tribes dominated several directions of the Tagore Great Desert, while deep within the desert, the main road marked on the map had been intercepted precisely by the red dot that Xiao Yan was pointing at. "Truly unfortunate..."望着 that somewhat crimson dot, Xiao Yan sighed with a furrowed brow. In these large tribes, there were usually snake-people warriors of Duke Ling or even Duke Wang rank guarding the borders, so for him to slip past unnoticed was clearly impossible. "It seems we'll have to take a detour..." he shook his head with a wry smile. Even with the backing of Yao Lao, Xiao Yan couldn't charge through the Tagore Desert with complete freedom. The snake-people race had managed to hold their ground against such a powerful entity as the Jia Ma Empire for so many years—naturally, they possessed their own strengths. Thus, attempting to operate independently and disrupt their territory single-handedly would undoubtedly be seen as a foolish move. "However, before venturing deep into the desert, it seems we should replenish our water supply first... Our last reserves have been running for over a day now." Flipping through the stored water in his ring, Xiao Yan sighed, his gaze sweeping across the map before settling on the nearest oasis mark. "Hmm... This oasis appears rather close to that serpent tribe..." He glanced at the crimson dot nearly adjacent to it on the desert plain, his brow furrowing slightly. "Unfortunately, within a hundred li radius, there's only this single oasis..." He murmured softly. After a moment, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation, folded the map into his ring, and spoke quietly, "Though the map shows them close, the actual distance must be at least several dozen li. We'll take the water and move swiftly—shouldn't be detected by the serpent people." After soothing himself mentally, Xiao Yan took a steady step and began walking swiftly toward the distant oasis. "As the saying goes, 'to reach a mountain, even a horse may die'—and with a map, one might just as well die from exhaustion. Though the route was only a slender stretch, Xiao Yan walked nearly three hours, until the sky gradually darkened, when only a faint corner of the oasis's lush greenery began to emerge. Standing before the small oasis nestled in the plain, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief, tightened the Xuan Zhong Chi at his back, and carefully scanned the surroundings. Only after confirming no traces of the serpent people were present did he swiftly move into the oasis, taking advantage of the slightly dimming light. As he drew closer to the oasis, the previously heavy, humid air grew cooler. Xiao Yan glanced around, then leapt into the dense jungle, his figure gradually blending into the foliage. Inhaling the fragrant scent of the small grass beside him, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, feeling a great sense of relief. In the desert, even the slightest hint of green was precious. He gently stroked his chin as he slowly moved through the grove, constantly scanning the surroundings in search of any sign of water. As Xiao Yan continued his search, he gradually ventured deeper into the oasis. Just when his patience began to wane due to the prolonged search for water, a soft, gentle sound of flowing water came from a distance ahead. Listening to it, Xiao Yan immediately felt a wave of calm wash over him, and his growing restlessness gradually faded away. Yet, as he prepared to step out of the forest, his gaze, sweeping through the tree gaps, suddenly froze. He promptly knelt down, lowering his breath to the quietest possible level. At the end of a narrow path beyond the thick undergrowth, several slender serpent women stood motionless, their expressions stern and sharp eyes constantly scanning the surrounding jungle. The weapons they clutched seemed ready at any moment to strike down anyone who carelessly ventured into their midst. These serpent women, perhaps shaped by the desert environment, had dark, richly toned skin, and their pleasing features enhanced by their unusual rhomboidal pupils, gave them a subtly enchanting presence. One of the most celebrated traits of the serpent people was their graceful, sinuous waists—so captivating that when serpent women performed their exotic dances in human societies, men with weak resolve often found themselves overwhelmed, standing rooted to the spot, deeply embarrassed, not uncommonly. Of course, Xiang Yan now had no interest in appreciating the alluring, sinuous snake-hips of these beautiful female snake beings. Upon first glancing at them, his expression had already grown slightly displeased—thanks to his exceptional soul perception, he had discovered that among these women, four were strong at the Grand Combatant level, while the rest were all mere Combatants. "By the gods... What are they doing here at this very moment?" gazing at the group of formidable snake women, Xiang Yan sighed deeply, muttering under his breath with a faint, weary smile. He then adjusted his aura to its lowest point, slowly shifting his body and carefully making his way toward the spot where the water sounds had first come from. Leveraging the gradually darkening sky, Xiang Yan managed to evade the women's scrutiny and eventually followed the sound of the water, inching closer to the water source. Gently probing through the foliage, Xiao Yan directed his gaze, and what came into view was a clear lake. The pristine water refreshed him so much that, after a day without any supply, he found himself involuntarily swallowing a rare, scarce gulp of saliva. Though a bit distant, Xiao Yan could still clearly see the supple, taut waist, its flexibility hard to imagine—what kind of breathtaking curves it would create if it were twisting on the bed. The woman casually brushed her long hair with one slender hand, then slowly turned around. As her body turned, her bare, flawless figure came fully into view, and the young man, still a virgin, felt his blood rush to his face. The body, carved like jade, was a masterpiece of nature—her full, proud breasts stood out proudly against the slightly cool air. Under the soft moonlight, her face was graceful and alluring, her elegant, rhombus-shaped eyes shimmering with a tender, spring-like warmth.