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**
They moved quickly—within moments, they had crossed several hundred meters.
Mo Cheng led his group to a stop at the foot of the sand dune, his gaze directed toward its peak.
There, a faint green figure sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation—it was clear she was cultivating.
Mo Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully sensing the aura emanating from Qing Lin. Soon after, a smile formed on his face.
A Dou Shi who had only just broken through, with an aura still somewhat unstable?
Standing beside him, Mo Sheng beamed with confidence. "Grand Elder, is it that girl? She's just a newly advanced Dou Shi. No need to trouble yourself—I'll bring her down."
Mo Cheng, eyes practically gleaming green as he stared at Qing Lin, nodded lightly at the words. "Mm, go ahead. Be careful though—don't injure her."
"Don't worry, I've got this." Mo Sheng guaranteed with a broad smile.
He was a peak Dou Shi himself—capturing a girl who had just become a Dou Shi should be as easy as flipping his hand.
He began walking up the sand dune, looking entirely relaxed.
Behind him, Mo Cheng and the others stood quietly, waiting patiently.
Just earlier, Mo Cheng had already scanned the surroundings with his perception. Within a hundred meters, this girl was the only living being around—no one else was in the vicinity.
…
On top of the sand dune.
Qing Lin's brows furrowed slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
In truth, her Mutated King Cobra had already quietly informed her that someone was approaching.
At the time, Qing Lin hadn't wanted to be disturbed, choosing instead to focus on stabilizing her cultivation. She had assumed it was merely some mercenaries passing by.
She hadn't expected them to stop right in front of her.
Feeling a bit helpless, she thought to herself that she should have withdrawn from cultivation earlier to avoid this.
She glanced at the well-dressed young man ascending the dune and spoke in a soft voice, her brows furrowed, "Young master, is there something you need?"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the group below, pausing briefly on the elder in the lead before quickly looking away.
Mm, that elder leading the group—he was the strongest among them, but merely a Dou Ling. According to Big Eyes, she could handle this situation. No need to inform Sister Xian'er.
"Young lady, sorry to disturb your cultivation," Mo Sheng said with a friendly smile as he stopped a short distance away. "We need a little favor from you, so if you don't mind, please come with us."
Qing Lin's expression cooled. The gaze of the young man before her, as well as the group below—especially that elder—was scorching and predatory. The elder's eyes in particular looked like he wanted to devour her alive.
Still, she didn't want to cause trouble. With a flip of her hand, she took out a map and said, "Young master, if you're looking for directions, this is the most detailed map I have, recording many nearby regions."
She tossed the map toward him, and it landed near Mo Sheng's feet.
Mo Sheng bent down, picked up the map, gently dusted off the sand, and smiled. "You misunderstood, young lady. We're not here to ask for directions—it's something else entirely."
"What is it?" Qing Lin asked, suppressing her growing displeasure.
"Well, it's a bit complicated to explain here. Why don't you come with us, and I'll explain everything on the way," Mo Sheng replied with a grin.
"Sorry." Qing Lin stood up and directly refused with a shake of her head.
She wasn't stupid—just timid and averse to conflict.
But now, she could clearly see something was off. These people had clearly come with ill intent.
"You'd best cooperate and come with us, girl," Mo Sheng said as he spread his hands. "Otherwise, heh… I might have to get rough with you."
Upon hearing that, a trace of helplessness and fury flashed across Qing Lin's face. With a wave of her hand, she called out, "Big Eyes!"
"Huh? Big Eyes?" Mo Sheng blinked, confused.
"Not good!" Down below, Mo Cheng's eyes widened in alarm as he shouted, "Mo Sheng, watch out!"
Whoosh!
A yellowish-brown shadow shot out from Qing Lin's sleeve and immediately expanded in the wind.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive Mutated King Cobra over twenty meters long. It coiled atop the sand dune, surrounding and protecting Qing Lin, its upper body rising high into the air.
Hiss~
The king cobra flicked its tongue, emitting a faint hissing sound.
Its massive head lowered, and a pair of enormous pale-golden eyes filled with icy cruelty stared down at Mo Sheng—who was already trembling, nearly dropping to his knees in terror.
A powerful aura burst from the king cobra's body, blanketing everyone present.
…
Below, Mo Cheng's mouth hung open in shock. His whole body trembled slightly, frozen in place.
After a long moment, a dry and raspy voice finally escaped his lips: "A Rank 5 Magic Beast…"
Behind him, the dozen or so Mo Clan disciples were all limp with fear—several of them could no longer stand, collapsing into the sand in sheer panic.
A faint yellow liquid seeped from between their legs.
In an instant, a pungent stench permeated the air.
However, no one paid attention to such a minor detail. Everyone was enveloped by the powerful aura radiating from the king cobra, as if plunged into an icy abyss.
Mo Cheng stared at the pair of pale green eyes belonging to Qing Lin, eyes within which a faint, glowing green speck flickered. Then he looked at the Rank 5 magic beast—on its forehead, a small emerald green flower was faintly emerging.
Mo Cheng's pupils shrank, and he muttered in his heart, "A half-human, half-snake girl, only at the level of Dou Shi, yet she can control a Rank 5 snake-type magic beast. This kind of constitution... according to ancient records... only the legendary Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils could achieve this…"
As this thought surfaced, a fiery gleam once again flashed in the depths of Mo Cheng's eyes. "If I can transplant those eyes… then as long as I can control a Rank 6, or even a Rank 7 snake-type magic beast, I, Mo Cheng… will immediately become the uncrowned king of the Jia Ma Empire! A regime change might not even be out of reach!"
His gaze then fell on Qing Lin's tender, youthful face, and Mo Cheng's eyes gleamed with a calculating light.
Hiss~
The giant king cobra lowered its massive head. Its forked tongue flicked in and out, lightly brushing against Mo Sheng's cheek, leaving streaks of sticky saliva behind.
A pair of pale golden king cobra eyes stared at him coldly, the intent to kill faintly emerging within them.
Chhh~
That saliva was scalding hot, like boiling water—or even sulfuric acid—coating Mo Sheng's face and causing a searing, burning pain.
Soon, the parts of his face moistened by the beast's saliva began to redden and swell rapidly.
Yet Mo Sheng dared not move in the slightest. He endured the pain, standing stiff as a board, his whole body trembling violently as if caught in a storm.
His voice trembled uncontrollably from fear as he stammered, "Young lady… young lady… this is all a misunderstanding… a misunderstanding, truly! Since you don't wish it, I wouldn't dare force you! I'll leave right away—right away… al-alright?"
By the end, his voice had nearly turned into a sob.
The front of his pants had already become noticeably damp.
He looked pleadingly at Qing Lin, his expression full of desperate supplication.
Qing Lin frowned, a hint of hesitation rising in her heart.
Her nature was timid and kind. She had only intended for Big Eye to drive them off. Now that the other side was begging for mercy, she was even more reluctant to press further.
Taking a light breath, she put on a stern expression and lightly shouted, "Then go! Leave this place far behind and don't disturb my cultivation again. Or else… I'll have Big Eye eat you!"
"Y-Yes! Of course!" Mo Sheng was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly nodded in agreement, blurting, "We'll leave right away! It was my fault—we'll go now, far away! I swear we won't bother you again, young lady!"
As he spoke, Mo Sheng stepped back cautiously, inching away slowly.
The king cobra only glared coldly at him, a flicker of unwillingness in its eyes. Its forked tongue flicked restlessly, clearly itching to act—but in the end, it held itself back.
Once Mo Sheng had retreated several meters, he suddenly turned around and bolted, stumbling and scrambling wildly as he tumbled down the sand dune.
The old man, Mo Cheng, squinted as he watched the scene unfold. As he exhaled a breath of relief inwardly, the corners of his mouth curved into a subtle arc.
He could barely hold back the laughter rising in his chest.
Hah… such a naïve and kind little girl.
Heaven is truly aiding me!
Mo Cheng felt his confidence in obtaining the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils surge by another threefold.
"Sigh~"
At that moment, a sigh rang out—soft, tinged with helplessness and a trace of disappointment.
Though the voice was gentle, it felt as if it echoed beside everyone's ears.
The moment Qing Lin heard that sigh, her entire body trembled. Her eyes lit up, filled with joy and deep longing.
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