Chapter 62: Encountering Snake-Person Traffickers

Chapter 62: Encounters with Snake-Person Traffickers

Nearly twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the boundless desert where sandstorms raged fiercely, a youth clad in a black robe and bearing a bizarre purple longsword walked with difficulty amidst the howling gales. Deep footprints were pressed into the yellow sands behind him, only to be swallowed up by the drifting sand shortly after.

"Brother, perhaps we should rest for a while. Let us resume our journey once this sandstorm passes," Long Kui’s soft voice suddenly echoed from within the Demonic Sword.

Xiao Se shook his head and said, "This sandstorm shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. I do not have the luxury to idle my time away here. Besides, walking through a sandstorm is, in its own way, a form of cultivation. Our top priority is to reach the next location marked on the map."

Ever since stepping out of Mochen City, Xiao Se had kept his perspective-defying vision activated, searching according to the map provided by Hai Bodong while simultaneously scanning his surroundings for any deep caverns leading underground.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had forgotten the exact location mentioned in the original story, leaving him with no choice but to search them one by one.

The most troublesome part was the harsh environment of the Tagor Desert, which was brutally beyond Xiao Se's expectations.

Under the scorching glare of the sun, the yellow sand beneath his feet was hardly any different from freshly roasted beans in a wok.

The searing sand whipped against his face, forcing him to cloak his body in a thin layer of Dou Qi to escape the fate of having his appearance ruined.

His feet suffered even more; with every step he took, Xiao Se's mouth would twitch from the searing heat.

Fortunately, he was an alchemist. Before entering the desert, he had refined an ointment specifically designed to prevent burns and applied it in advance. Otherwise, the soles of his feet would have undoubtedly been covered in giant blisters.

Of course, everything had its advantages and disadvantages. While the environment of the Tagor Desert was undeniably harsh, its fire-attribute energy was exceptionally abundant—even surpassing the small valley in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It was extremely suitable for practitioners with fire-attribute Dou Qi.

Aided by the Companion Zijing Source, Xiao Se faintly seemed to touch the threshold of a 3-star Dou Shi.

"Let us rest here for the night!"

Xiao Se raised his head to look at the darkening sky, glanced around to ensure no one was in the vicinity, and deployed the Vast Sea Protective Barrier. Laying down a sand-proof mat, he dropped heavily onto the ground and lit a bonfire.

This was the greatest benefit the Vast Sea Illusionary Crystal Barrier bestowed upon him: the ability to camp anywhere, at any time. While blocking the sandstorms, it could also conceal his aura and presence, eliminating any need to worry about being ambushed. It was simply an essential divine artifact for traveling.

After eating some simple food, just as Xiao Se wanted to calm his mind and recover the Dou Qi consumed during the journey, a system prompt suddenly rang in his mind:

[Ding! The one-month period has arrived, and the exchange quota has been refreshed. Congratulations to the host for obtaining one exchange opportunity.]

Hearing the system prompt in his mind, Xiao Se was slightly surprised and muttered, "Has a month passed already?"

He looked around and realized that besides the yellow sand, there was indeed nothing here worth exchanging for. The medicinal ingredients, pills, and survival supplies inside his storage ring were the foundation of his survival in the desert, and he certainly wouldn't mess with them.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, a mischievous and playful smile curled the corners of Xiao Se’s lips. He shouted in his mind, "System, exchange for that stinky egg in the warehouse that has been stored for over half a year."

Previously, out of a desire not to let Long Kui see anything disgusting, Xiao Se had deliberately chosen to forget about this item. Now that it suddenly came to mind, it could actually serve a purpose. As for whether the egg had rotted or not, that was none of his concern.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for exchanging for Douluo Continent world's Dugu Bo's Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse.]

In a certain cave within the Sunset Forest of the Douluo Continent.

Dugu Bo was curled up on a rocking chair, his face pale, cold sweat covering his body, and his expression extremely painful and distorted.

"Damn it, when will days like this ever end!" Gritting his teeth, Dugu Bo endured the agonizing pain to the utmost. The piercing sensation was probably no less excruciating than a woman giving birth.

After a long while, the pain slowly subsided. At this moment, Dugu Bo no longer had an ounce of strength left in his body; he collapsed onto the recliner and fell into a deep sleep.

Unaware of how much time had passed, he finally drifted back to consciousness from his faint and sensed a faint scent of blood lingering in the air. Though very weak, Dugu Bo still managed to detect it. While heightening his vigilance, he traced the source of the blood odor, and his gaze finally landed on his waist, his expression changing drastically.

"This is..."

At some point, the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse at Dugu Bo's waist, capable of storing living creatures, had vanished. In its place was an irregular, tumor-like oval piece of flesh, dripping with blood and covered by a thin layer of flesh membrane, securely tucked against his waist.

(PS: Do not ask why it hasn't rotted after more than half a year. Ask, and the answer is that Xiao Se's system warehouse possesses the most durable preservation function. As for whose egg it is, guess for yourselves.)

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for exchanging for Douluo Continent world's Dugu Bo's Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse.]

"A Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse? This is indeed a good thing. I seem to remember it can store living things. Now, both of Tang San's storage devices are in my hands. And the second one was even obtained by trading the egg of Tang San's most respected teacher. Not a bad deal at all."

Xiao Se vaguely remembered that in the original Douluo Continent story, Tang San used it to store numerous immortal herbs and Xiao Wu after her sacrifice, and later Xiao Wu accidentally ingested the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng inside the pouch to regain her human form.

With a playful smirk at the corner of his lips, Xiao Se retrieved the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse, tucked it at his waist, and then wholeheartedly immersed himself in bitter cultivation.

Night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes, waking from his overnight cultivation state.

Just as he was about to retract the Vast Sea Protective Barrier, several cold and impatient male voices faintly echoed in his ears.

Following the sound, Xiao Se looked over and saw seven or eight burly men with ferocious expressions, their waists girded with sabers, escorting a carriage as it slowly approached from several hundred meters away. On the carriage was an iron cage covered with coarse cloth, from which the faint sound of a woman weeping could be heard.

"Hehe, Boss, this damn sandstorm has finally stopped. We can head out now. With these snake-women, we are going to make a fortune."

"Hahaha, good, good. Later on, I'll take you all to the Fragrant Brothel in Yancheng to have a good time and vent some steam..."

"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!"

"By the way, where is Tang San?"

"He should be back soon! We agreed to rendezvous here."

Inside the Vast Sea Protective Barrier, Xiao Se took in everything before him. The situation was quite obvious: he had encountered human traffickers who had ventured deep into the desert to capture snake-women.

Whether in his past life or the present, Xiao Se detested human traffickers to the core. To some extent, they were even more hateful than murderers, ruining countless families for the sake of profit.

"Three 4-star Dou Zhe, two 5-star Dou Zhe, two 6-star Dou Zhe, and one 1-star Dou Shi. You lot are out of luck meeting me. There also seems to be one called Tang San; I'll let you live a little longer."

Scanning with his soul perception, Xiao Se easily determined the strength of the eight individuals.

While Xiao Se was no saintly savior, since he had run into them and happened to have the ability, he would certainly not stand idly by. As for whether this would win him the gratitude of the snake-women, he cared not in the least. He would save whom he wished, acting entirely as his heart desired.