Heading to the Temple

Xiao Yu said loudly, "This is my friend. Please don't make things difficult for her!"

Yan Shi's face darkened, "Being friends with a Snake-Person? You're truly disgracing us humans!"

Even Gu He and Feng Li's expressions weren't good. Ever since the last great war between humans and the Snake-People, they had become mortal enemies. The Snake-People on human territory were nothing more than slaves!

Xiao Yu simply smiled faintly, "Who I choose to be friends with doesn't seem to concern you. But I'll tell you this: if you're here for the Heavenly Flame, you'd better go find Queen Medusa right now. I happen to know that the Snake-People have a secret method to consume the Heavenly Flame to help them advance. If you're too late, you won't stand a chance of getting it."

Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Gu He's expression changed immediately. He asked gravely, "Did you see Queen Medusa take the Heavenly Flame? And who was fighting her?"

"A strange old man with white hair, using ice battle energy. He seemed to be from the Jia Ma Empire," Xiao Yu replied.

Yan Shi and Gu He exchanged glances. Gu He pondered for a moment, "An old man with white hair and ice battle energy... There's only one person in the Jia Ma Empire who fits that description—Ice Emperor Hai Bodong!"

Yan Shi asked urgently, "Did you see what happened to Hai Lao in the end?"

Seeing their anxious expressions, Xiao Yu responded calmly, "The Hai Bodong you're talking about was ultimately cursed by Queen Medusa, sealing his power down to a Dou Ling level, and he fled."

Gu He and the others looked troubled. The Ice Emperor Hai Bodong was a five-star Dou Huang, yet he was severely wounded and forced to flee from Queen Medusa. It seemed the chances of obtaining the Heavenly Flame from the Heart of the Desert were slim.

When Yun Yun heard about the sealing curse, her body trembled slightly, as if recalling her days in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

Yue Mei, hearing Xiao Yu's words, let out a charming, cold laugh, "Now you understand how powerful Her Majesty the Queen is, right? You'd better give up now. If you truly anger Her Majesty, your death will be inevitable!"

Gu He glanced at Yun Yun, who was standing behind him. Yun Yun, with a hoarse voice, said, "In any case, we should visit the Snake-People and see if there's a chance Queen Medusa might compromise."

Gu He was slightly surprised when he heard her voice, "Your voice...?"

Yun Yun interrupted him, continuing, "Let's go quickly and return. There's no time to waste here."

"Uh, alright then. Since you're saying so, let's leave now," Gu He agreed.

Yan Shi and Feng Li said nothing more. They weren't willing to openly bully someone with just Dou Shi-level strength in front of everyone, so they leaped onto their beasts and prepared to depart.

As they were leaving, Yun Yun, her voice still hoarse, called out to Xiao Yu, "You should take your friend and leave the desert soon. This is not a place for you, and the desert is about to become very dangerous."

Xiao Yu did not argue, but smiled and said, "Thank you for the warning. I'll be careful."

Yun Yun didn't say any more. Hearing Xiao Yu's laughter, she gritted her teeth beneath her black robe and stomped her foot before walking away, afraid she might not be able to resist teaching Xiao Yu a lesson.

Gu He, Yan Shi, and the others were stunned. They knew Yun Yun's character well—cold and distant. Yet now, she showed concern for a stranger's safety, especially a young man who was only a Dou Shi?

They didn't dwell on it too much, thinking perhaps she just had a good impression of him. They certainly didn't suspect any deeper connection between them.

After watching Gu He and the others leave, Xiao Yu let out a sigh of relief. Standing beside him, Cai Die looked at him and said hesitantly, "I… I want to ask you for something."

Xiao Yu turned to her and asked, "What is it?"

"I… I want to visit the Snake-People. I'm worried about my sister," Cai Die said nervously.

Xiao Yu was surprised by her request and replied, "Do you realize how dangerous it is to go to the Snake-People? You're still being hunted by them. If I take you with me, I won't be able to protect you like I just did."

Cai Die quickly promised, "I won't cause any trouble this time. And even if my presence is detected among the Snake-People, it won't cause a big stir—I'm one of them after all!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yu thought for a moment and admitted she had a point. After some consideration, he said, "Alright, I'll take you, but you have to listen to me the whole way."

Cai Die's face lit up with joy, and she nodded eagerly, "I promise, I'll do whatever you say!"

Xiao Yu sighed. Now was the best opportunity to sneak into the Snake-People's territory amidst the chaos. His plan was to sneak in, complete his mission, and get out quickly. After refining the Heavenly Flame, his strength would definitely skyrocket to the Dou Shi realm!

Without further delay, Xiao Yu wrapped an arm around Cai Die's slender waist, his Ziyun Wings unfurled, and they flew deep into the desert. After carrying Cai Die several times, Xiao Yu had become quite used to it, and Cai Die, too, had gone from shy to accustomed to being in his arms.

Leaning against Xiao Yu's broad chest, Cai Die could hear his strong, steady heartbeat, and it helped her feel at ease.

They continued to move through the desert until nightfall. Xiao Yu, consulting his map, finally landed near a sand dune not far from the desert's central area.

Ahead lay Queen Medusa's temple, and the number of Snake-People guards had noticeably increased. Fortunately, there were many large rocks near the city where they could hide. Xiao Yu and Cai Die narrowly avoided several patrols and made their way to the temple's vicinity.

The defense here was led by Medusa's elite Snake-Warriors, and Xiao Yu knew he couldn't engage them directly. They had arrived quickly by flying, but Gu He and his group would have to enter openly, which would take more time. Xiao Yu decided to wait for them there, knowing Queen Medusa's pride would prevent her from bowing to humans.

Just as Xiao Yu was preparing to wait for Gu He and the others, a powerful aura began approaching. Looking up, he saw a dark figure flying swiftly through the sky, heading straight for the temple.

The guards on patrol and the snake warriors on the city walls all raised their poison spears, ready to shoot down the intruder.

The dark figure stopped abruptly in mid-air, and a cold voice boomed, "Moba Si, leader of the Black Snake Tribe, requests an audience with Her Majesty the Queen!"

From within the temple, a soft, seductive voice responded. It was quiet, but clearly heard by everyone, "Enter."

Hearing this, Moba Si flapped his wings and quickly flew toward the temple.