13: Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire

The noise and bloodshed of Sand Scorpion Town were left far behind, like shaking a speck of dust from one's collar.

Li Ao stepped into the true Tagor Desert.

As far as the eye could see, there was only endless yellow sand; rolling dunes resembled sleeping golden behemoths, silently radiating heat waves under the scorching sun.

The wind whipped up grains of sand, striking his face with a rough texture, and the air was distorted by the high temperature, making distant sights appear to wobble as if underwater.

This extreme environment was enough to deter an ordinary Dou Master, but Li Ao merely circulated the *Black Iron Hegemon Body* slightly, and the layer of dark iron luster beneath his skin easily isolated him from the intense heat and sandstorms.

His steps were steady; every stride sank deep into the sand yet was easily pulled out, yet his speed did not diminish in the slightest, like a tireless desert traveler heading straight east, toward the Fire Lizard Tribe.

According to the tavern owner's intelligence, combined with the rough guidance of the system map, the most likely hiding spot for the Green Lotus Core Flame was in that area.

The unusual mobilization and blockade by the Snake-People Clan further corroborated this point.

A journey of three hundred *li* would be a life-or-death test for an ordinary person, but for Li Ao, it was merely half a day's travel.

As he went deeper, the surrounding temperature clearly began to rise abnormally.

The sand underfoot became scorching hot, and the air inhaled through his nose and mouth carried a burning sensation.

Occasionally, he could see some heat-resistant desert plants, but they also displayed an unnatural charred black color.

In the evening, a massive canyon entrance, formed by dark red rocks, appeared on the horizon.

The cliff faces on both sides of the canyon were steep and jagged, and a faint smell of sulfur mixed with the hot wind drifted toward him.

This was the edge of the Fire Lizard Tribe's traditional territory.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere at the canyon entrance was lethal.

Over a hundred Snake-People Clan warriors, holding poisoned long spears and scimitars, had formed a tight defensive formation, completely blocking the entrance.

These snake warriors had torsos indistinguishable from humans, their skin mostly bronze or grayish-green, but their lower halves were winding snake tails, whose scales shimmered with a cold luster in the setting sun.

Their eyes were fierce, carrying the unique coldness and vigilance of snakes.

The leading snake-person was exceptionally burly, with a thick tail, and his aura had surprisingly reached the Dou Ling level!

He held a heavy trident, whose blade shone with a faint blue light, clearly laced with potent venom.

"Human! Stop!" the Dou Ling snake-person roared harshly, his voice grating, "This place is a forbidden land of my Snake-People Clan.

Take one more step, and you will be killed without question!"

The snake warriors behind him collectively let out threatening hisses, pointing their weapons forward, as a thick murderous aura mixed with a bloody wind rushed toward Li Ao.

Li Ao stopped a hundred meters from the formation, his gaze calmly sweeping over the ready snake-person team.

This minor display was not enough to faze him.

"Move aside."

He spoke only two simple words, yet they carried an unquestionable finality.

The Dou Ling snake-person’s pupils contracted, and anger surged on his face: "Arrogant! Kill him!"

Upon receiving the command, dozens of front-row snake warriors immediately roared and launched their attack!

They twisted their tails, moving extremely fast, their long spears shooting out like venomous snakes leaving their holes, stabbing toward Li Ao from all angles with sharp whooshing sounds.

The spear tips flickered with a faint light, clearly coated in deadly snake venom.

Facing this dense, rain-like offensive, Li Ao's eyes turned slightly cold.

The *Thunder Sound Steps* activated!

The sand beneath his feet trembled slightly, and his figure instantly transformed into a blurry afterimage, moving forward instead of retreating, crashing directly into the snake-people's wave of attacks!

The blade light flashed!

It was still that fine steel long saber, now finally drawn!

The cold blade carved out arcs of tragic beauty under the setting sun!

*Furious Wind Quick Blade*!

There was no grand momentum, only extreme speed, precision, and ruthlessness!

The saber light was like a fierce wind passing through, yet it remained focused, every strike accurately finding the long spears' weak points or the gaps in the snake warriors' defense!

"Clang, clang, clang, clang...!"

The dense clash of metal sounded like a sudden downpour on banana leaves!

The dozen or so snake warriors charging at the front only felt a flash of blade light before their wrists seized up in pain, their spears flying out of their hands!

Or, they felt a chill on their neck, and their consciousness plunged into eternal darkness!

Li Ao's figure darted through the crowd like a phantom; everywhere he passed, the snake warriors fell like harvested wheat!

Broken spears, severed limbs, and splattering blood painted a cruel picture on the sand.

The Dou Ling snake-person watched, his eyes nearly splitting with rage; he hadn't expected this human youth to be so formidable!

"Form the Serpent Coil Array! Trap him!" he roared, personally joining the fray while brandishing his trident.

The remaining snake warriors immediately changed formation, their tails writhing and intertwining, forming a massive, rotating, and contracting encirclement, attempting to restrict Li Ao's ghostly speed.

At the same time, countless poisoned blow darts and flying knives shot toward Li Ao in the center from the periphery of the formation, like a swarm of locusts!

Facing this comprehensive siege, a cold arc appeared at the corner of Li Ao's mouth.

The *Black Iron Hegemon Body* circulated at full power within him, his skin instantly transforming into a deep, dark iron color, and an aura like that of a primordial fierce beast shot into the sky!

The incoming poisoned darts and flying knives struck his body, emitting crisp *clinking* sounds, as if hitting an iron wall, and were all deflected, unable to leave even a faint white mark!

"Hegemon Fist, Mountain Collapse!"

He abandoned his saber and used his fist, smashing it toward the ground!

"Boom—!!!"

A terrifying immense force penetrated the sand, like a meteor striking the earth!

Centered on the point where his fist landed, the sand within a thirty-meter radius was violently thrown upward, as if a small sandstorm had erupted!

Violent power ripples spread out in a ring!

The snake warriors forming the Serpent Coil Array were thrown into chaos by this sudden seismic wave, and the formation instantly collapsed!

Many snake-people were directly shaken until their internal organs ruptured, spitting out fresh blood!

The Dou Ling snake-person was also shaken by the immense force, causing his blood and Qi to churn, and his forward momentum stalled.

In that instant of stagnation, Li Ao moved!

The *Thunder Sound Steps* was pushed to the extreme, and his figure appeared in front of the Dou Ling snake-person as if teleporting!

The fine steel long saber, carrying a sharpness that could tear through anything, chopped straight down!

"You seek death!" The Dou Ling snake-person was both startled and enraged.

His trident erupted with dense, faint blue Dou Qi, meeting the blow fiercely, like a venomous python.

"Clang—!"

A deafening collision sound exploded!

The ferocity on the Dou Ling snake-person's face instantly turned into horror!

He felt as if his trident hadn't struck a saber, but a rapidly charging iron mountain!

That force was brutal, domineering, and overwhelming!

"Crack!"

His fine steel trident, the weapon he relied on for his fame, snapped in half!

The cold blade swept across his neck without hindrance.

A head filled with shock flew into the air, and the headless corpse, still clutching the broken trident, slammed heavily onto the sand.

The Dou Ling snake-person was dead!

The remaining snake warriors, seeing their leader instantly killed by a single strike, immediately collapsed in morale, letting out fearful hisses, and ignoring all orders, they fled into the canyon like a tide.

Li Ao did not pursue.

He shook the blood beads from his saber, returned it to its sheath, and without glancing at the mess and corpses on the ground, stepped into the abnormally scorching canyon.

Inside the canyon, the heat was even more intense than outside; the rock walls appeared dark red, as if constantly baked by subterranean fire.

The air was distorted, and the smell of sulfur was stronger.

He proceeded deeper along the canyon, his spiritual power spreading out like an invisible spider web, keenly sensing all surrounding energy fluctuations.

Suddenly, his footsteps paused, and his sharp gaze was cast toward a certain direction deep within the canyon.

There, he sensed an extremely subtle, yet incomparably pure and violent fire-attribute energy fluctuation!

That fluctuation carried a kind of spiritual essence born of creation, something ordinary earth fire could never possess!

The Green Lotus Core Flame!

Almost simultaneously, the system's notification sounded:

[Warning! High energy reaction detected, consistent with Heavenly Flame characteristics (Green Lotus Core Flame).

Simultaneously, a powerful life form is detected approaching.

Energy level: Peak Dou Huang!

Identity inferred: Queen Medusa!]

Li Ao's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, a hint of scorching fighting spirit ignited within them.

He quickened his pace, rushing toward the source of the energy fluctuation.

Passing through a narrow rock crevice, the view suddenly opened up.

This was a huge underground cavern.

In the center of the cavern, instead of the expected lava lake, there was a small pool only about three meters wide.

The liquid in the pool was not ordinary spring water, but a viscous, emerald green color, like molten jade, bubbling and emitting a heart-palpitating high temperature!

It was the treasure accompanying the Heavenly Flame—the Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid!

And directly above the pool of Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid, suspended in the void, was an exquisite fire lotus entirely condensed from cyan flames!

The lotus rotated slowly; every petal was lifelike, its veins clear, and its entire body displayed a pure, flawless cyan color.

It burned silently, emitting a terrifying temperature capable of boiling seas and incinerating mountains; even the surrounding space slightly twisted and collapsed under the heat!

The Green Lotus Core Flame!

However, Li Ao’s gaze was immediately drawn to the stunning figure beside the Green Lotus Core Flame.

That was a woman.

She possessed a dangerously enchanting, breathtakingly beautiful face; her features were flawless, her skin snow-white, and her pair of pale purple eyes seemed to contain a sea of stars, capable of stealing one's soul with a single glance.

She wore a luxurious purple brocade robe, which outlined her astonishing, undulating curves.

However, below her slender waist were not legs, but a snake tail covered in purple scales, which, with a slight sway, exuded a fatal charm of wildness and seduction.

Queen Medusa!

She seemed to be preparing for some kind of ritual; powerful purple energy enveloped her, subtly forming a resistance against the energy of the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Li Ao's intrusion instantly shattered the subtly balanced atmosphere within the cavern.

Queen Medusa abruptly turned her head, her pale purple eyes, like the coldest ice crystals, instantly locking onto Li Ao.

A terrifying pressure, vast as the sea, mixed with the innate coldness and killing intent of the Snake-People Clan's Queen, crushed down toward Li Ao as if it were tangible.

"A human?"

Her voice was cold and full of majesty, carrying a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

"Who permitted you to step into this Queen's sacred land?"