Snake-People Tribe

T/N: Thanks to David, Godloser, obsidianguru, Waterwave, Aaron Gurrola, slow down, Gabriel, Arjun Sahni, Chase Matlon, Daniel Thomsen, Simone Rex, Junior Massa, Darius Winters, Livid, Máté Lukács, and Mackenzie Rouse for your support! Support this translation by subscribing to my Patreon and unlock up to 15 advance chapters of this series today!

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Li Xiao gazed into the distance, aware that the deeper region of the Tager Desert was teeming with magical beasts. It was almost impossible for ordinary people to survive here.

Moreover, a horde of ferocious magical beasts wasn't the only threat to humans; the Snake-People tribe, who dwelled in the inner region of Tager Desert, also posed a significant danger. They viewed humans as mortal enemies, and every encounter with them ended in a life-or-death battle.

For thousands of years, the conflict between humans and the Snake-People had never ceased, escalating into a relentless struggle.

As they flew by, rank-three magical beasts and above lifted their heads to gaze at the sky, their eyes flickering with complex emotions upon seeing the rank-six magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

Those who had gained intelligence recognized the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Years ago, the Lion King had led an invasion into the desert, causing immense suffering among the local beasts. The sight of it now filled them with deep-seated fear.

After a night of travel, guided by the map from Hai Bodong, they had entered the region where the Heavenly Flame was most likely located. However, the presence of the flame still couldn't be detected.

 As a fan of the original work, Li Xiao knew that the Green Lotus Core Flame was hidden within the magma, making its location difficult to pinpoint. It seemed that they still had to hire a local mercenary group to help in the search.

Planning to rest for the night and seek out a mercenary group in the morning, they were soon surrounded by a group of Snake-People wielding spears as soon as they landed.

The male Snake-People, who seemed to be the leader, snarled, his face contorted with rage. "All humans trespassing in the Tager Desert deserve to die!"

Li Xiao scrutinized the human-headed, snake-bodied creatures. Their upper bodies were unmistakably human, while their lower bodies were part of a snake. In the dark, they could easily be mistaken for humans. Frowning, he thought, So these are the Snake-People? It seems only Queen Medusa can truly be considered a captivating beauty among them.

Ignoring the Snake-People's words, Li Xiao's calm demeanor only infuriated the leader further. He charged with his spear, but Li Xiao effortlessly sidestepped the attack. The Snake-People, an eight-star Dou Master, found his assault slow and ineffective against Li Xiao. In the man's moment of astonishment, Li Xiao delivered a swift kick to his solar-plexus, sending him flying.

"Humans, offending our Snake-People tribe in the Tager Desert is the height of folly!" Seeing their leader kicked away, the second-in-command stepped forward with an aggressive stance, his triangular pupils narrowing, and his crimson tongue flicking. "If you wisely leave now, we can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, you'll face severe consequences!"

Realizing that Li Xiao was someone they couldn't easily trifle with, they couldn't help but make a compromise regardless of their faces. Initially, they were trying to ambush the mercenaries from Stone Desert City, but their plan had been disrupted by these two humans.

Li Xiao patted the Amethyst Winged Lion King's head and said, "Since you are from the Snake-People Tribe, we must eliminate all of you. I don't like leaving enemies behind."

Upon hearing this, the serpent leader's eyes narrowed in anger, and he spat out venomously, "We've already given you a way out, yet you choose the way to hell instead! Everyone, attack! Kill him and capture the woman! We'll bang her all night and turn her into plaything."

Just as Lian Xue was about to take action, Li Xiao stopped her. Since coming to this world, he hadn't really had a chance to fight anyone. It happened to be good targets knocking on the door; he wouldn't let go of a perfect opportunity to test his strength.

Li Xiao stepped forward, and golden Dou Qi began to spread over his body. In no time, the Dou Qi formed a solid armor with a cold sheen around him.

"This is... Dou Qi Armor!" The serpent leader's face changed dramatically, filled with disbelief. "You're actually a Dou Grandmaster!"

Seeing Li Xiao summon the Dou Qi Armor, the attacking Snake-People were visibly shaken. Fear and despair were evident in their eyes. Most of them were only at the Dou Fighter level, with only the head and second-in-command being Dou Masters. Facing a Dou Grandmaster was beyond their capability.

All the attacking Snake-People halted, and some even collapsed in fear. The second-in-command, an eight-star Dou Master, turned and fled, not caring about the fate of his subordinates. As long as they lived, that was all that mattered.

However, Li Xiao wouldn't miss such a good opportunity for practice. In an instant, he appeared before the fleeing Snake-People, his right fist meeting the snake's body with a powerful punch.

A muffled sound echoed, and the serpent's eyes widened as blood and shattered organs spewed from his mouth. His body shot backward like a cannonball, embedding into a sand dune.

With just one blow, Li Xiao had instantly killed the Dou Master Snake-People. Despite being one realm higher, the swiftness of the kill was still astonishing.

Determined to leave no enemies behind, Li Xiao quickly dealt with the remaining fleeing Snake-People, sending them flying with each punch, spitting blood as they flew. At present, Li Xiao had not yet mastered any Dou Techniques, and the system hadn't prompted him to train any. Likely, only upon reaching the Dou King level would he gradually access Earth-class techniques. Otherwise, with his current strength, Earth-class techniques might drain him dry before he could use them effectively.

Wiping the blood from his hands, he turned to the Amethyst Winged Lion King and asked, "Aren't you a rank-six magical beast? Why didn't they fear you?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King chuckled, "Master, you wished to practice your skills. How could I compete with you for targets?"

Li Xiao gave the lion a playful slap on the head, "You sly beast."

Meanwhile, Lian Xue had lit a campfire and casually caught a rank-five magical beast, which she now roasted over the flames. If anyone else saw this, their jaws would drop in shock. Using a rank-five magical beast as a barbecue skewer was simply unheard of!

Lian Xue's movement was flawless, without any awkwardness, as if she had done it countless times. Before long, the mouth-watering fragrance filled the air, the sound of oil sizzling adding warmth to the night.

The meat of the rank-five magical beast was tender, containing strong spiritual energy that could promote a Dou Disciple to a Dou Fighter at once after a bite, which was a fact that not everybody knew. Only the descendants of big families in Central Plains could enjoy such a privilege. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to provoke such high-level magical beasts, as any mistake could result in mutual destruction.

Li Xiao tore off a piece of meat and tasted it, finding it quite delicious. No wonder the meat of magical beasts was so expensive; it was indeed worth the money spent.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King, despite being a magical beast itself, drooled upon the sight of the enticing feast. Wasting no time, it opened its massive jaw, greedily tearing into the meat.