"Oops, that Duke-level warrior has caught up with us—his speed is absolutely incredible!" Seeing how swiftly he had broken through the resistance of the Snake People's elite and successfully closed the gap, Xiao Yan's scalp instantly went tight. He urgently called out in his mind, "Teacher!" "Understood. From here on, I'll support your escape. The enemy numbers are strong—they mustn't slow us down. If they do, even if I manage to carry you away, the Unique Flame will surely be taken from us!" At this moment, the elder's voice carried a noticeable sense of gravity. A formation of one Duke-level and three King-level warriors—though even he couldn't overlook its strength. "Yes, thank you so much. No matter what, we absolutely mustn't lose the Unique Flame this time!" Xiao Yan nodded firmly, offering a wry, earnest plea. "Understood!" Smiling and nodding, the herbal elder gradually fell into silence. Instantly, an overwhelming surge of soul energy erupted from Xiao Yan's body, swiftly seizing control of his physical form. As the elder's soul energy flowed out, Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly. On the back of his purple cloud wings, delicate purple cloud patterns slowly emerged, gently pulsing like living beings—remarkably profound and magical. This phenomenon only occurs when the purple cloud wings are pushed to their absolute limits; while Xiao Yan's current strength still falls short of achieving it, the herbal elder found it effortless. Once the purple cloud patterns appeared, Xiao Yan's speed surged nearly double in an instant. His swift, rushing form generated sonic booms as it sliced through the air, demonstrating the astonishing velocity he now achieved. As Xiao Yan's speed surged, the ancient river and his companions, who had been gradually approaching him, were suddenly pulled farther away. At the far rear, the three of them stared in wide-eyed astonishment at the figure that seemed to be moving as if teleporting ahead—each of them felt a wave of helplessness wash over them. How fast was that? It was truly comparable to the speed of a Wind-type Duke-level warrior. "Could it be that the man is also a Duke-level warrior?" A thought flashed through Guo He's mind swiftly. His face tightened slightly, and he clenched his fists tightly. Even if the opponent were a Duke-level warrior, Guo He would by no means allow him to carry off the unique flame smoothly. After all, to secure this flame, he had paid a substantial reward—enlisting two of the top ten warriors, Yan Li and Feng Li, to risk their lives and journey deep into the desert to assist him in capturing it. No matter what, he would not let go of this flame. Even if the opponent were a Duke-level warrior, that was impossible. As Xiao Yan's speed surged, Yan Shi and Feng Li on the side also suddenly grew increasingly displeased—clearly, they had reached the same conclusion as Guo He. They exchanged glances, both offering slight sighs and shaking their heads. Securing the substantial compensation Guo He had proposed was no easy task. While they had previously been relieved by the disappearance of the Medusa Queen, they now found themselves faced once again with another mysterious, unknown powerhouse. The series of unexpected developments left these two renowned figures of the Jia Ma Empire feeling both helpless and somewhat bitter. "Chase! I'd like to find out just who this strong one is. As soon as I know his identity, hmm—I don't think there's anyone in the Gamma Empire that I can't stand up to!" Suppressing his anger, Guo He let his dual qi wings tremble slightly, instantly accelerating his pace and swiftly pursuing the distant black dot. "Heh, it seems Old He has truly become furious. I wonder just what kind of strength this man possesses. If he's from the Gamma Empire, well, he's going to have a tough time—displeasing a Sixth-Rank Alchemist isn't exactly a pleasant matter." Observing Guo He's growing irritation, Yan Shi couldn't help but chuckle. Feng Li nodded slightly. Indeed, a sixth-rank alchemist was someone even a Duohuang powerhouse would rarely offend—after all, the influence of alchemists was truly formidable. As long as one's identity was known, he could invite a large group of friends every day, rotating them in succession, and even if he didn't kill you outright, you'd surely be worn down to exhaustion. However, although the three members of Gu He had further increased their pace, they still remained far behind Xiao Yan, and the gap between them was steadily widening. This situation made Gu He increasingly frustrated, his face growing slightly stern, though he found himself helpless, as they had already pushed their speed to its peak and could hardly go any faster. Just as Gu He was growing more and more exasperated with the growing distance, a dark figure surged swiftly from behind, closing in within a short time and suddenly appearing in front of them. Spotting the black-robed figure appearing a short distance ahead, a look of joy instantly spread across Kuraha's face. As he exhaled in relief, he hurried to call out, "Hurry and block that man!" "Hm." A calm, clear voice emanated from beneath the black robe, yet the figure did not immediately accelerate—he rather slowed down, turned around, slightly raised his head, and with a graceful white jawline exposed to the bright sun, said softly, "I'll go after him. You two must now immediately separate and each fly out of the Togor Desert. Meet at the rocky city outside the desert. If I catch up with that man, I'll bring the unique flame back with me." "Why must we go separate ways?" Kuraha was momentarily startled, asking in surprise. "The snake people are coming up fast. Their speed is exceptional in the desert, and they've already gathered five warriors at the level of Battle King. If I continue to protect you, I can safely escort you out of the desert. But as for catching up with that man ahead—well, that might be difficult..." the black-robed figure said calmly. "That quickly?" A slight surprise flashed through his mind. After a moment's pause, ancient River decisively commanded, "Very well. Go separate ways. The ones ahead—trust you with them. As for us, don't worry. Though we won't be able to engage the stronger serpent beings head-on, making it out of the desert will certainly be manageable!" "Understood." The cloaked figure nodded slightly, then unfolded his azure aura wings and swiftly pursued after Xiao Yan's retreating form. "Take care! We must recover the Unique Flame!" Watching the cloaked figure's silhouette, Ancient River called out loudly. Once the figure vanished from sight, he furrowed his brows and turned toward the horizon, speaking firmly, "Old Lion, Wind Li—go separate ways. Remember, meet at the Rock City. Be cautious!" "Ah, well, that's a pity. I'd have liked to fight the serpent beings a bit more, but it seems that opportunity has slipped away now." Yan Li nodded and smiled. "There will be plenty of opportunities later. Right now, they're numerous—let's just withdraw for now." Guhe smiled slightly, a bit hesitant. "Hey, don't worry too much," Feng Li reassured him, watching Guhe's expression. "You haven't yet seen the strength of Yun's Master, have you? She's certain to catch up with the one ahead." "Ah, I hope so," Guhe sighed. "If things truly come to that, then perhaps I've simply been destined to have no connection with the Strange Flame." Bowing slightly to the two of them, he said firmly, "Both of you, take care. I'm off now!" With a gentle flick of his wings behind him, he turned and shot swiftly toward the edge of the desert. "Then let's go too," Feng Li and Yan Li smiled, watching Guhe's retreating figure. With a vibration of their own wings, they turned and swept off in a different direction. Not long after the three had vanished, five streaks of light, like meteors, flashed into view and came to a stop at the very spot where Guhe and his companions had stood. "They've separated!" "Feeling it slightly, Yue Mei furrowed her dark brows and looked at the other four." "We should split up, Yue Mei—you four pursue the three elders of Gu He, while I and Yan Ci pursue that Dou Huang." A snake-man in gray robes spoke softly. He was clearly older, with deep lines etched across his face, and his voice carried considerable weight among the group, so even the usually impetuous Yan Ci did not offer any resistance. "Old Yin, you and Yan Ci together aren't even a match for that Dou Huang. In the Sacred City, even when we three went together, she managed to slip away easily," remarked Mo Basi, frowning. "Don't worry, we won't engage him head-on. Along the way, I've left clear markers. Should the southern serpents arrive, they'll follow my trail and catch up. Then, when we meet up, that combatant at the peak level will have a hard time. As for you—should you manage to catch up with them, make sure to leave them with a lasting impression. Treat them with dignity and boldly charge straight into our serpent clan's territory. If you emerge unscathed, then our clan's face will be completely ruined!" The gray-robed elder spoke with a slightly hoarse, cold tone. "Understood!" Moon Mei's face was frosty, and she nodded slightly, saying no more. She glanced at the other two, then unfolded her aura wings behind her, darting off like lightning toward the directions where the three from the ancient river had previously scattered. "Let's go, Yan Ci!" I have previously faced three Supreme Battle Lords from the Gamma Empire. If I can get a chance to meet that man in the black robe, I should be able to recognize him. Even if he escapes this time, our Serpent People will surely reclaim our dignity in the days to come." Gazing after the swiftly vanishing trio of Yue Mei, the elderly man in gray robes gently narrowed his cloudy eyes, speaking softly. "Agreed," said Yan Ci, nodding, his eyes flashing with fierce intensity. His wings trembled slightly as he surged forward, and together with the gray-robed elder, they became two streaks of light, racing toward the direction where the man in the black robe had previously flown.