After leaving Qingshan Town, Xiao Yan instantly surged toward the location of the black mountain fortress mentioned by Yan Cheng, while Zi Yan followed closely behind. Since reaching the rank of Battle Emperor, Xiao Yan's flight speed had become notably faster than before, his figure streaking across the sky like a meteor. In just a few blinks, he vanished at the horizon, and even those who occasionally glanced upward could only catch glimpses of the fleeting streaks of light. At the peak of his flight speed, Xiao Yan's face was etched with deep concern. The events unfolding in the Galma Empire had completely exceeded his expectations—when he recalled them, he felt a growing sense of unease. Fortunately, Medusa's timely intervention had prevented the situation from escalating further. Without her, both the Yan Alliance and the Galma Empire might have been utterly destroyed by the Yuchun Empire. In that case, even the Huadeng Palace would not have had the chance to act—his own Xiao family would likely have been wiped out completely. "The Toxin Sect..." The rushing wind blowing directly at Xiao Yan sent his hair swaying wildly, revealing the unusually cold, dark gaze of his eyes. Dragons have their inviolable spines—those who touch them perish. For Xiao Yan, his spine was his family. Anyone daring to touch it would surely suffer a hundredfold retribution! Behind Xiao Yan, Zi Yan watched his somber expression and, quietly, stuck out her tongue, hesitating to play any further. She could only steadily increase her pace, keeping close behind him. With the speed Xiao Yan and his companion now maintained, even traversing the entire Jamah Empire wouldn't take long. After approximately two hours of flight, the towering mountain ranges surrounding them gradually receded, giving way to vast, sandy plains stretching out before them. As these plains came into view, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. He knew well that once they reached this plain region, they were drawing near to the Black Mountain Fortress that Yan Cheng had mentioned. On this journey of star-gazing and moon-hunting flight, Xiao Yan witnessed numerous streams of people fleeing in panic—clearly, many held a pessimistic outlook on the current state of the Gamma Empire. After all, the alliance of the three great empires was overwhelmingly powerful; with the Flame Alliance, lacking a supreme leader, and Queen Medusa, it was evident that they could hardly shoulder the burden. Observing the people with wide-eyed fear, Xiao Yan's mood grew increasingly somber. For the first time in many years, he had seen such a scene within the Gamma Empire—and the very architects of this situation were precisely the alliance of the three great empires. With his eyes narrowing, cold glimmers of intensity flashing, Xiao Yan clenched his fists, and his fiery wings behind him flared, instantly accelerating his flight speed! "What's wrong?" Purple Yan asked, puzzled, seeing Xiao Yan suddenly stop. A moment ago, he hadn't been rushing desperately, hadn't he? "There are three strong presences over there. However, the one ahead seems clearly fleeing, while the two behind are closely pursuing—definitely hunters." Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brows, his gaze directed toward the northern part of the plain. After a brief pause, his spiritual perception surged outward from his forehead like a tide, swiftly gathering all the details of the distant scene into his mind. "Are they strong members of the Serpent People clan?" The soul perception swiftly retracted, and Xiao Yan could now clearly see that the figure fleeing ahead was a powerful Duwang-level warrior from the Serpent Clan. Behind him were two other strong figures, whose origins were unclear—definitely not from the Jamu Empire. What surprised Xiao Yan most, however, was that the fleeing Serpent Clan warrior was actually someone he knew personally. Recalling the incident from years ago, a strange expression passed over Xiao Yan's face. He then moved swiftly, shooting off toward the northern plains. After all, the Serpent Clan had now become the Jamu Empire's ally, and even considering the face of Cai Lin, he ought to step in to rescue them. "These two rascals—when I recover from my injuries, I'll tear out every inch of flesh from you and feed it to my little one." Moon Mei's snake-like tail flicked mysteriously against the ground, each flick sending her body leaping forward in sudden bursts. As she fled, she didn't forget to turn around and glare venomously at the two figures behind her, cursing them with every glance. "Well, still, the city of Lingyan has fallen. This time, quite a number of the three great sects' members will have to enter the Empire's territory—what a hassle..." Moon Mei had been the guardian of Lingyan City. With her strength at the Seven-Star Battle King level, she had previously successfully repelled several strong Battle King-level champions from the three sects attempting to breach the city. But this time, fate had turned against her—no one had expected that the three sects would dispatch three Battle King-level champions merely for such a modest city, and one of them even boasted a strength rating of Eight-Star. Three Supreme Sovereign-level warriors led an army to besiege the city. This outcome was clear: after defeating one of the enemy's Supreme Sovereigns, Moon Mei had severely wounded their other Supreme Sovereign, an eight-star warrior. Then, she was forced to abandon the city and retreat. Fortunately, she had secured valuable escape time for many of the city's residents. As a result, when the main army entered Lingyan City, most of the population had already quietly evacuated. It was precisely this situation that provoked such fierce anger in the enemy's Supreme Sovereigns. After leaving one warrior to guard the city, the other two Supreme Sovereigns pursued relentlessly, showing a determined resolve to catch and defeat them—seeming utterly unwilling to give up until they reached their side. Of course, compared to Yue Mei's disarray, the two middle-aged men in blue robes, their robes adorned with golden geese, also looked rather unimpressive. Though Yue Mei was severely wounded, the snake-people's peculiar movement techniques enabled her to consistently elude their grasp. As time passed, their growing frustration and impatience became evident. Yet, remembering that this was an order from above, they could only grit their teeth and press on with relentless pursuit. "By the gods, once I catch that woman, I'll thoroughly torment her—otherwise, I won't be able to ease the rage building within me!" One of the men, with a stern expression, fixed his gaze steadily on the faint, graceful silhouette ahead, even as she now fled in disarray. That elegant figure, though escaping, still carried an undeniable allure. "Hehe, I've heard the Serpent People are exceptionally skilled in their tongue arts. In our Luoyan Empire, a female Serpent People servant can command a high price—though I'm curious whether this beautiful, Du-Wang-level female Serpent will be even more pleasurable than the ordinary ones." The other man gazed at her with a lustful expression, chuckling darkly. Upon hearing this, the previously serious middle-aged man also stirred, nodded with a low, dark chuckle, and said, "Then we mustn't miss her. Push harder—don't go too deep into the Jima Empire, or we might run into other strong contenders." "Agreed." As soon as the words were spoken, a brilliant golden light erupted within both of them. Instantly, pairs of golden, crane-shaped wings extended from their backs. With a single flap of those wings, their speed surged dramatically! The moon-maiden, already rushing desperately ahead, also sensed the steadily approaching gust of wind behind her. She clenched her teeth tightly, desperately channeling the ki within her body. Yet with her severely wounded frame, how could it endure such intense strain? Her body's glow of ki dimmed noticeably, and her serpentine tail suddenly softened, causing her entire form to collapse, gasping heavily with a sheen of sweat. "Ah, now? Are you done?" As she fell, two golden streaks flashed forward, cutting off her escape path completely. A middle-aged man slowly scanned the snow-white waist of the one in front, a lewd smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "A female warrior-servant from the Serpent Clan—never have I tasted such a delight before." The moon-maiden's narrow, serpent-like eyes flickered with a hint of cold intensity, while a graceful, seductive smile bloomed on her face. Addressing the two of them, she said, "Just say what you want, and I'll attend to you. What's the need to chase me all this way?" "Heh, well, she's come straight to us—there's no way we can enjoy that now. Once we've captured her and drained her qi, we can play things out at our own pace," the middle-aged man said with a smile, his eyes dark and serious. Then he coldly commanded, "Move! Don't hesitate—act now!" The two collided, and a deep resonance erupted instantly. Then, the streak of moonly qi that had been flowing like a ribbon began to dissipate visibly, as if melting away. Two golden cranes, their colors slightly faded, surged forth again, driven by sharp gusts of wind. By now, Moon Mei’s body had drained every last trace of qi; her eyes had grown gradually dull, and she no longer possessed any strength to resist. Fortunately, the potion in her mouth would ensure that, even after her death, she would not suffer the indignities at the hands of these two stubborn fellows. A brilliant golden light rapidly expanded within the snake's eyes, heavy with despair. As Yue Mei began to close her eyes, a subtle crack of thunder suddenly erupted in the sky without warning. Instantly, a spectral figure materialized before her. The two golden geese, bearing sharp, gusting winds, dissolved into mist as they approached within half a zhang of her body. The anticipated pain did not arrive as expected. As Yue Mei grew slightly puzzled, a warm voice gently resonated in her ears. "Are you all right?" Hearing the voice, Yue Mei was taken aback, and upon suddenly opening her eyes, a young face smiling gently appeared before her.