Staring in awe at the distant battle, the occasional ripples of energy released during the clash were enough to send shivers through Xiao Yan's very being. According to his calculations, merely these escaping waves of combat energy could instantly inflict severe injuries if one were to be struck by them inadvertently. "Is this what a Battle King-level clash looks like?" Xiao Yan murmured, gazing at the vast crack spreading continuously within the three-way combat circle, his mouth slightly dry from astonishment. "Boom!" A sudden, powerful energy explosion erupted, sending a shower of yellow sand skyward. After a moment, the sand settled, revealing three overlapping silhouettes, each one projecting backward into the others. Their eyes met in the air, each radiating an unmistakable, unyielding intensity of combat fury. His gaze swept across the battlefield, now suddenly still, and Xiao Yan noticed that among the three, Yue Mei, with a slightly pale complexion, clearly appeared to be at a disadvantage. In contrast, Yan Li and Feng Li, having fought together, had only their garments slightly torn—both their breaths remained steady and strong, indicating they had sustained no serious injuries. "Such base humans... I must admit, I am no match for either of you individually. But in this desert, if I so choose, you won't have the right to stop me!" With a gentle rise and fall of her full chest, after assessing the strength of her opponents, Yue Mei abandoned any thought of a direct confrontation, and with a cold, mocking tone, began swiftly forming several hand seals before her. "Stop her!" Yan Li's brow furrowed as he observed the sudden surge of ki radiating from Yue Mei's body. As soon as he spoke, Feng Li instantly transformed into a streak of clear wind, darting like lightning toward Yue Mei. "The Technique of the Serpent: Division!" With a cold smile, Moon Mei's body trembled as the streak of clear wind surged toward her, then suddenly exploded—without a single drop of blood splashing forth. From the point of explosion, countless serpentine streams of deep azure energy surged forth, rushing out in all directions, forming a sweeping, overwhelming tide. "Such an unusual serpent technique," said Yan Li, casually launching several streaks of qi, smashing hundreds of the energy serpents into mere vapor. Yet even as the serpents surged and danced across the sky, he remained grave, gazing at the seemingly endless flow. The others observing from the sidelines—except for the enigmatic black-robed figure—had all acted swiftly, clearing the energy serpents from half the sky within a brief span. Still, a number of serpents managed to slip through and burrow into the sand. "Oh... It's quite difficult to defeat a strong Serpentman in the desert. This ability to escape effortlessly is truly hard to anticipate." Seeing the energy giant serpents scrambling all around, the middle-aged man could only shake his head in resignation. Hearing this, several others who were desperately trying to intercept the energy giant serpents nodded in agreement, deeply resonating with the unusual serpentine tactics—without thorough preparation, it was nearly impossible to stop them. Sitting atop the dune, Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at the countless energy giant serpents plunging into the sand, his mouth agape. Truly, this one was no ordinary creature. It turns out he has such a life-saving technique—no wonder he didn't flee immediately when he saw the strength of the opposing forces, even though they seemed overwhelming. He must have a reserve strategy after all. "Ah, well, at last, I've managed to shake off this woman." Regardless, the woman who had been threatening his life finally retreated. Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, reached for the Xuan Zhong Chi beside him, and just as he stood up, his face suddenly paled. From the dune just a few meters away, a massive, deep-sea-blue energy serpent surged forth, opening its monstrous maw and piercing through the swirling yellow sand, then lunging with fierce force to bite down on Xiao Yan's throat. "By the gods!" The sudden ambush left Xiao Yan completely off guard, and he stared in wide-eyed astonishment as the energy serpent closed in. At the very moment the colossal energy serpent surged forth from the dune, the middle-aged elders and other powerful figures were the first to sense it. However, upon observing the target of the serpent's attack, their motions to intervene momentarily slowed. These strong individuals did not know Xiao Yan personally, and were naturally reserved—none of them particularly warm or accommodating. Thus, when they saw the person being attacked was someone unrelated to themselves, a subtle relaxation settled over their tense minds. Though they still symbolically launched a stream of qi energy at the serpent, the speed of their action was clearly insufficient to dissipate the serpent's attack before it reached Xiao Yan. Though Xiao Yan faced peril, he remained attentive to every movement around him. Observing the subtle shifts in the others, his heart sank slightly, and a faint twitch appeared at the corners of his mouth. Yet, as he prepared to withstand the energy giant serpent's assault, an unexpected figure suddenly stirred. The mysterious man far away, cloaked entirely in black, had seemed weightless as he stepped upon the sand—his feet had, in fact, left faint, slightly indented footprints. Especially when he noticed the subtle reactions of those around him, a soft, barely audible hum—only he could hear—echoed within the folds of his black robe. When the energy great serpent was only half a meter away from Xiao Yan, the enigmatic black-robed figure finally grew impatient. With a gentle tap of his foot, his body seemed to dissolve into a slender beam of light, materializing before Xiao Yan in an instant. A subtle yet powerful intangible force surged from his sleeve, instantly dispersing the fierce energy serpent into nothingness. The cloaked figure who suddenly appeared before him spared Xiang Yan from a severe injury, allowing his tightly tensed heart to finally ease. He brushed a strand of sweat from his forehead, startled to find it now beaded with cold perspiration. Taking a few deep, steadying breaths, Xiang Yan gazed at the enigmatic cloaked figure with a touch of reverence, saying, "Thank you so much for your timely rescue!" The cloak gently trembled, yet the figure within remained silent, as though merely nodding slightly. "Hmm..." On the vast, open desert, the middle-aged man and several others stared in astonishment at the mysterious cloaked figure who had suddenly intervened. They were very familiar with her—indeed, her calm, detached demeanor was perhaps the most striking among all present. While she might have been the most composed, even in the face of a sudden death, she would typically only gaze quietly, unflinching, as if observing rather than reacting. She rarely stepped in to save anyone, especially strangers. It was therefore quite surprising that she had now spontaneously come to the aid of an unknown young man. "Ah, young sir," the middle-aged man said, his initial surprise fading into a warm smile as he approached Xiāo Yīn, "You're all right, I hope? Truly brave of you—risking your life to venture deep into the desert alone. Had we not sensed a strong surge of energy here tonight, I suspect you'd have been captured by that woman." "It's all right, thank you all," Xiao Yan said, smiling as he glanced at the middle-aged man. "Don't stay any longer—things here won't be calm soon. Leave the desert now." The mysterious man in the black robe turned his back to Xiao Yan, gently adjusting his robe, his voice slightly hoarse and low. "Huh?" Hearing the voice, which sounded as though it were being grated between his teeth, both Xiao Yan and the middle-aged man were momentarily stunned. "You—you?" The man blinked in surprise, his question spilling out naturally. "No matter, let's go—don't waste any more time!" Suddenly, the black-robed man sharply waved his hand back, a surge of yellow sand rushing forth and cutting off the middle-aged man's words. Though still hoarse, his tone carried a growing impatience. Faced with this sudden and inexplicable shift in the black-robed man's demeanor, the middle-aged man was utterly confused, his mind racing with the thought of when he had once again unintentionally stepped on the toes of this formidable lady. After a moment's thought, the middle-aged man still failed to notice where he had gone wrong, and thus could only shake his head in resignation. He blew a whistle into the sky, and immediately, the massive green beast soaring above began to slowly descend, flapping its enormous wings. As the black-robed man turned to prepare to rise, his gaze, sweeping across the ground, suddenly caught sight of the heavy ruler in Xiao Yan's hands. He hesitated slightly, then, with a subtle curl of his palm inside the robe, he unexpectedly reached out and seized the ruler mid-air, without touching it. "Y-You—" startled by this move, Xiao Yan blinked, his eyes widening, having assumed the black-robed man intended to claim his Xuong Zhong Shi. "Your ruler was previously infected by the snake venom of that woman. If you attempt to use Qi to activate it, the venom will gradually seep into your body and erode from within." A gentle breeze lifted the Xuan Zhong Chi above the black-robed man, and a jade-green qi surged from within his body, flowing over the staff before finally expelling the faint snake venom concealed upon it. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan stared in astonishment, then flushed with embarrassment. As the venom was cleared and the staff settled, it plunged deeply into the sand dune before Xiao Yan. The black-robed man then moved on without further delay, instantly leaping onto the back of a massive beast, settling into a meditative posture and remaining silent. Observing the black-robed man's prompt departure, several of the surrounding strong contenders cast curious glances at Xiao Yan, murmuring in bewilderment: "It's truly strange—when did she become so generous? Not only did she save him, but she also helped him expel the venom. What an extraordinary night!" "Lucky fellow." After much thought, they could only mutter in resignation, then, under the equally puzzled gaze of Xiao Yan, leapt onto the魔兽's back, swiftly vanishing at the edge of the desert amidst a whirlwind of wind.