On the desolate desert road, a constant whirling of sand and wind filled the air, with eerie sounds swirling in the sky before flying off into the distance. At the end of the road, several black dots gradually appeared; after a while, as the black dots approached, they turned out to be a convoy. Around the convoy, there were nearly a hundred guards with stern expressions, providing tight protection. Their vigilant eyes scanned the surroundings, and their hands gripped their weapons firmly.
This part of the desert was gradually approaching the outer region of the North Territory of Central State, so occasionally, one or two people could be seen, but they vanished quickly. On the entire road, only the sound of the convoy’s hooves and the occasional eagle cries above could be heard.
Inside the bumpy carriage, Xiao Yan leaned against the window, his gaze fixed on the serious-looking Han family guards outside. The atmosphere today was completely different from the usual relaxed mood, even those who usually joked around like Guityu had their mouths tightly shut, and their grips on their weapons alternated between tight and loose, betraying their underlying tension.
“Looks like that Snake Xia Mang has quite a fearsome reputation here. He must be making everyone this nervous,” Xiao Yan muttered softly, observing their expressions.
Mulling it over for a while, Xiao Yan shook his head and then sat down cross-legged in the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.
The carriage’s jolting continued for about two hours before coming to an abrupt stop. At this moment, Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open, and through the gap in the window, he could see a rather perilous mountain rising up not far ahead. In the middle of the mountain, there was a crack that resembled a canyon, roughly fifteen to twenty yards wide.
When the carriage stopped, Xiao Yan’s soul perception keenly detected that everyone’s heart rates had quickened. This must be the so-called “Ten Thousand Snake Gorge.”
“Everyone, be careful. We are entering the Ten Thousand Snake Gorge. Guityu, be ready to scatter the snake-deterrent powder along the way. All the snakes here are Xia Mang’s eyes, and as long as we don’t disturb them, we should be able to pass safely. Additionally, even if we are found, do not act rashly without orders. Anyone who disobeys will face the clan’s punishment!” Suddenly, a stern voice resounded outside the carriage; it was Han Chong.
“Yes!” As Han Chong’s voice faded, a chorus of responses followed.
“Move out!” Han Chong nodded with a grave expression, then signaled for the convoy to advance slowly towards the treacherous mountains.
“Xiao Yan, if anything goes wrong, I need your help to take Lady away.” As Xiao Yan leaned against the window, a low voice suddenly came from outside. He was a bit startled and turned to find it was Han Chong.
“Shouldn’t it be fine? Just give Xia Mang some toll, and it should solve the problem, right?” Xiao Yan asked.
“If we didn’t have Lady, we might get by with a little money. But… that scoundrel snake is not only greedy but also behaves like a beast in heat when he sees a pretty woman. So, I’m afraid there might be some trouble… We still have a considerable distance to Heavenly North City, and even the Han family can’t really intimidate him here,” Han Chong looked at the carriage carrying the fragrant scent, sighed, and smiled bitterly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan finally understood. No wonder everyone seemed so tense and cautious.
“Don’t worry, Han Brother. Everything will be fine,” Xiao Yan smiled and reassured.
Han Chong took Xiao Yan’s words as consolation, smiled bitterly, and inwardly mocked himself for discussing these matters with an injured person. If anything happened, Xiao Yan wouldn’t even be able to save himself, let alone protect the lady.
Sighing, Han Chong watched as the convoy began to enter the gorge. Feeling helpless, he shook his head and rode his horse to the front, closely monitoring any movements around.
At this point, the convoy slowly entered the Ten Thousand Snake Gorge. To avoid disturbing the snakes, they wrapped cloth around the wheels and gagged the black-horned bulls pulling the carriages. The entire group stealthily snuck into the gorge.
On both sides of the convoy, all the Han family guards had their weapons drawn, and each held a white powder, continuously scattering it along the road.
Amid such tense atmosphere, the convoy did not encounter any issues. After about ten minutes, they passed the middle of the gorge, and from here, they could faintly see the gorge’s exit in the distance. Seeing this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as they relaxed, Xiao Yan’s eyes, which had been half-closed, slowly opened, and he sighed softly. Trouble, it seemed, was unavoidable.
As soon as the sigh left his lips, the entire gorge suddenly trembled. The trees on both sides of the gorge rapidly fell, revealing the massive bodies of serpents moving through the undergrowth.
“Damn it, we’ve been found! Everyone, speed up and move!” Upon seeing this, Han Chong’s face darkened, and he yelled angrily.
Without further prompting, the experienced Han family guards urged the black-horned bulls to move faster. The convoy sped up, desperately trying to exit the gorge.
“Boom!”
Just as the convoy was within a hundred meters of the exit, a series of giant shadows leaped out from both sides of the gorge, blocking the path entirely. With their grotesque mouths hissing and their icy, hostile eyes fixed on the convoy, the way was sealed shut.
“Shit…”
Seeing the path blocked by the giant serpents, Han Chong’s heart sank. Though these serpents were only third-rank beasts, their enormous bodies, combined with several of them, had utterly blocked the passage.
As the path was blocked, the surrounding jungle rustled with movement, and countless venomous snakes, varying in size and color, crawled out, swarming around the convoy.
“Ha ha, a bunch of fools, thinking you could sneak past Lord Xia?”
As the serpents surrounded the convoy, a strange laugh echoed in the sky. A figure with a dark green hue swooped down from the top of the gorge, appearing in just a few breaths directly above the convoy.
The figure that appeared above the convoy was bizarre—a human body with limbs covered in dark green scales, and atop its head, a monstrous snake’s head, its tiny, cold, cruel eyes fixing on the people below.
In addition, behind this half-human, half-snake monster, a pair of dark green fighting wings flapped, causing a fierce wind to blow through the gorge.
Seeing the dark green figure, Han Chong and the others’ faces turned pale, and their voices trembled.
“Snake Demon… Xia Mang…”
Xia Mang, towering above, gazed down at the convoy and chuckled, “You should know the rules, right?”
Han Chong’s face twitched, and he stepped out, taking out a crystal card and respectfully said, “Of course, Leader Xia Mang. We are a convoy from the Han Family of Heavenly North City. Here are some gifts, and we hope you will accept them.”
Xia Mang stretched out his hand, and without hesitation, sucked the crystal card from Han Chong’s hand. After a glance, he grinned, “Not bad, seems like you have some sincerity.”
Relieved, Han Chong carefully asked, “Then, can we pass, Leader?”
“Of course…” Xia Mang grinned, licked his lips with his snake tongue, and abruptly pointed at the carriage where Han Xue was, leering, “But before you go, leave her behind!”
Everyone’s faces in the convoy paled, and many silently gripped their weapons. Han Chong took a deep breath and respectfully asked, “What does Leader mean by this?”
“Ha ha, little girl, no need to hide. I can smell the fragrance of a woman from afar, and I know I’ve stumbled upon a real gem this time. So, come out now,” Xia Mang ignored Han Chong and locked his gaze on the carriage, grinning eerily.
“Boom!”
As Xia Mang spoke, the roof of the carriage burst open, and a graceful figure leapt out, landing on the top of the carriage, her icy gaze fixed on Xia Mang in the sky.
Seeing Han Xue’s face, Xia Mang’s eyes flashed with red light, and he laughed wildly, “As expected, this time, the harvest is indeed rich. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a rare beauty.”
Han Xue’s face was cold, and her beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of frost. She grasped her sword and, with a flick of her dou qi wings, shot towards Xia Mang.
“Ha ha, little girl, with your Dou Wang strength, how could you escape my grasp?”
Seeing Han Xue charge, Xia Mang chuckled. Opening his mouth, he spat a greenish-white dou qi beam, which struck Han Xue’s sword, shattering it instantly. Han Xue staggered back, her face turning pale. The gap between a Dou Wang and a Battle Emperor was too great.
“Leader Xia, we are from the Han Family of Heavenly North City. If you attack us, the Head of the Han Family and the elders will never forgive you!” Han Chong roared, seeing Han Xue’s defeat.
“Ha ha, the Han Family? Although there are some old guys, what can they do to me? Even if I can’t beat them, I can still run, and besides, if I leave you all here, who would know I attacked the Han Family?”
Xia Mang let out an eerie laugh and then emitted an unusual hiss. As the hiss spread, the countless snakes on both sides of the gorge suddenly moved, their cold eyes flashing. They shot towards the convoy like arrows, creating a horrifying spectacle of a rain of poisonous snakes.
Faced with such a terrifying number of attacking snakes, everyone’s faces were filled with despair, gripping their weapons and preparing to fight to the death.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The endless waves of snakes seemed to cover the sky, but just as they were within arm’s reach of the convoy, they suddenly froze. Then, with a loud crackle, they burst into flame and turned to ash, falling from the sky…
Seeing this sudden turn of events, both Han Chong and the others, as well as Han Xue and Xia Mang, were stunned.
“What… what is this?”
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