Chapter 92: A Familiar Face from Two and a Half Years Ago
Glancing at the sand dune ahead, Xiao Yuan nodded slightly, then grabbed the man's arm. In the next moment, his figure shot out like wind-blown fluff, leaving behind two blurred afterimages.
The man only felt his vision blur, and the next thing he knew, he was already standing atop the sand dune, overlooking the mercenary squad and the Snake-People surrounding them. His jaw dropped in shock.
Xiao Yuan looked down to see ten mercenaries, weapons in hand, forming a defensive circle. Around them, eight figures with human upper bodies and serpent lower halves had encircled them. Their twitching tails emitted chilling hissing sounds.
"Tch. So ugly."
Xiao Yuan couldn't help but mutter, staring at the fierce and hideous faces of the Snake-People.
He had always heard that female Snake-People were stunningly beautiful, but these males… were downright repulsive.
The Law of Beauty Conservation, huh?
"S-Sir, this is our Mo Iron Mercenary squad. We were just out hunting magical beasts when we were ambushed by these guys..."
The man beside him spoke respectfully, not fully certain yet if this was truly the third commander, but Xiao Yuan's strength had earned his full admiration.
"Alright, wait here. I'm still counting on you guys to guide me—this desert is a nightmare to navigate."
Xiao Yuan nodded, frowning slightly as he recalled nearly getting lost in the sands over the past few days. He glanced again at the mercenary team below.
Ten people. Eight men, two women. One of the women stood out with her sensual figure and untamed allure. Somehow… she looked familiar?
"Kill the men—leave the women!"
The lead Snake-Person's cold, raspy voice carried over as his triangular pupils locked onto the female mercenary. Lust and menace filled his tone.
Snakefolk were notoriously lustful by nature, especially toward women—they could barely resist the urge.
The others hissed in anticipation, forked tongues flicking as bloodlust filled their eyes.
"Hold the line! Danzi already went for reinforcements! Just hold on a bit longer—we'll be saved!"
The sensuous woman bit her lip, her voice clear and cold as she tried to rally the team.
Her words gave the mercenaries a slight morale boost, but their sweaty hands still gripped their weapons tightly. Their highest-ranked member was only a seven-star Dou Zhe… and the enemy had several nine-stars. Could they really hold out?
"Kill them!"
The snake leader sneered and waved his hand. The surrounding Snake-People bared their fangs and charged with ferocious cries.
"Sir—!"
The man next to Xiao Yuan turned to speak—only to find that Xiao Yuan had already vanished.
Shhk!
The snake leader suddenly stopped, looking down in disbelief at the black spearhead protruding from his chest. Confusion flashed in his eyes.
With a sharp pull, the spear was yanked free. His body crumpled forward, his vision darkening—revealing Xiao Yuan standing behind him, shirtless, in nothing but shorts, spear in hand.
The abrupt turn of events stunned everyone present.
The mercenaries quickly realized this newcomer was here to help—and their faces lit up with hope.
The Snake-People, on the other hand, exploded with rage. Two of them—both five-star Dou Zhe—snarled and charged at Xiao Yuan, tails lashing.
Clearly, they weren't very bright. Even if the snake leader had been ambushed, anyone who could take him down wasn't someone they could just overwhelm.
As a foul, fishy wind blew toward him, Xiao Yuan frowned. He stepped forward with Dragonstep, his figure vanishing in a blur as he passed between the two attackers.
Shhk!
Without even turning, Xiao Yuan raced toward the remaining Snake-People. Behind him, the two charging Snakefolk froze, blood spurting from their necks before they collapsed, lifeless.
The remaining five Snake-People didn't stand a chance. Against a five-star Dou Shi like Xiao Yuan, they were nothing.
From the moment Xiao Yuan appeared to when all eight Snakefolk were dead—it had taken less than ten seconds.
The mercenaries stared in shock, mouths agape.
This slender-looking youth had unleashed power more fearsome than their most seasoned warriors.
His body, lean but muscular, was perfectly sculpted like a statue. His sun-bronzed skin gave off a natural, primal strength.
"Hey, Xue Lan! You guys okay?"
From the dune, the injured man hobbled down excitedly, skirting the corpses to greet the mercenary squad.
"Danzi?! Weren't you heading to Stone Desert City for reinforcements? Why are you still here?"
The woman called Xue Lan frowned and snapped at him.
Danzi scratched his head and pointed at Xiao Yuan. "He's the reinforcement."
"Him?"
Xue Lan blinked, glancing cautiously at Xiao Yuan. "He's not one of us. How'd you convince him to help? What did he ask for?"
"Uh… he said he's the little brother of our two commanders. The third commander."
Danzi hesitated, then repeated what Xiao Yuan had told him.
"Third commander?"
Xue Lan instinctively prepared to argue—but just then, Xiao Yuan's familiar voice rang out:
"Xue Lan, it's only been two and a half years, and you don't recognize me?"
The voice made her pause. Then her eyes lit up in delight.
"Young Master Xiao Yuan?!"
She stared at the bronzed, handsome youth before her, recognizing the familiar features beneath the slight sun-darkened skin.
"It's really you?!"
"Who else do you think would show up in the middle of nowhere just in time to save you?"
Xiao Yuan smiled as he approached.
"Xue Lan… is he really the commanders' brother?"
Danzi asked, still unsure.
"Mm! No mistake! That stunningly handsome face—I'd never forget it!"
Xue Lan beamed, practically fangirling.
Seeing the normally fierce and fiery Xue Lan act so adorably had the other mercenaries completely stunned.
They stood frozen like stone.
(END CHAPTER)
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