Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

Xiao Fan shook his head and remained silent. He had already drugged the oasis and made that decision; the chances of escape were practically zero.

Just as the two were talking, Xiao Fan faintly heard the sound of a bell coming from outside the oasis.

Chapter 58 The King of Fighters Appears

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves outside, Xiao Fan and Liu Yun exchanged a glance and carefully hid among the bushes.

Given the uncertainty about whether the people outside were friend or foe, the best course of action would have been to leave immediately after rescuing the person. However, Liu Yun's wounds made it unsuitable for him to be moved, so he remained here.

The noisy sound of horses' hooves soon stopped, and then a large number of mercenaries poured in from outside.

Xiao Fan peeked out from the gaps in the grass. "These people's clothes don't seem like those of desert bandits," Liu Yun thought, lying flat due to his abdominal wound, so he could only watch the group of people enter quietly through Xiao Fan's eyes.

With such uniform attire and strict command, they could never have fallen into the trap of becoming bandits in the desert.

When these people came into full view of Xiao Fan, Liu Yun struggled to say, "I don't know if it's the regimental commander and the others or those sand bandits who have returned."

Xiao Fan looked into the crowd and saw that the leader was a burly man holding a large knife. He was strong and taller than the others by about a head. His clothes clung tightly to his muscles, and his strong upper body muscles made the clothes bulge out, making him look very imposing.

The muscular man looked at the corpses scattered on the ground, his face showing grief and anger. He said to the mercenaries around him, "Everyone, check if there are any brothers around who can be saved."

The group searched through the crowd, and one of the mercenaries, with a pointed face, ran towards the muscular man and said, "Captain, we haven't found any trace of Fourth Brother."

Just then, Liu Yun, who was standing next to Xiao Fan, excitedly said to Xiao Fan, "It's confirmed, it really is the boss and his group. Brother Mo, could you please shout it out for me?"

Upon hearing Liu Yun's words, Xiao Fan deliberately made some noise outside.

"Who?"

Although many mercenaries were still searching around the lake, the muscular man immediately noticed the slightest commotion Xiao Fan made, which made Xiao Fan admire his keen observation skills.

Upon hearing the muscular man's words, many mercenaries turned towards Xiao Fan and drew their weapons.

Even more remarkably, some disappeared into the jungle, their bows and arrows already silently nocked on the strings.

Seeing their serious expressions, Xiao Fan stood up from the bushes, pointed to the side of him, and said to them, "Your fourth brother is here."

Liu Yun's weak voice rang out at the opportune moment. "Brother, it was this young man who saved me."

Upon hearing Liu Yun's words, the muscular man's serious expression relaxed. He gave a wink to the mercenaries around him, and most of them continued searching the area for any remaining sand bandits. The muscular man then led a small group of mercenaries toward Xiao Fan.

To make it easier for them to see the situation, Xiao Fan also kicked away the bushes that were blocking their view in front of them.

Seeing Xiao Fan's actions and Liu Yun lying next to him, the muscular man's expression visibly relaxed. He raised his hand, and Xiao Fan sensed that some of the gazes from the surrounding dense forest had disappeared.

The muscular man walked up to Xiao Fan and had a mercenary dressed as a healer examine Liu Yun's wounds first. Then he turned to Xiao Fan, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am Sun Wu, the leader of the Chasing Wind Mercenary Group. Thank you for saving my fourth brother, young hero. May I ask your name?"

Xiao Fan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Sun Wu and said with a smile, "I am Mo Shang. I just happened to be there and helped him out."

Unable to get up, Sun Wu lay on the ground with his eyes open and said, "Brother, if it weren't for Brother Mo, I'm afraid I would be dead."

The doctor who was examining Liu Yun's injuries on the ground stood up and bowed to Xiao Fan.

"My name is Hou San, they all call me Lao San. I am the third leader of the Chasing Wind Mercenary Group and also a physician. Thank you, Brother Mo, for treating my fourth brother." He then turned to Sun Wu and said, "Brother Mo treated Lao Si's wound very promptly. If it weren't for him, Lao Si would probably be dead by now."

Upon hearing their conversation, Sun Wu sat down cross-legged beside Liu Yun.

Sun Wu then politely said to Xiao Fan, "Brother Mo, you saved my fourth brother. Unfortunately, we don't have anything to thank you with right now. The goods we transported were all entrusted to us. If there's anything in the future, just send someone to inform the Sand City Chasing Wind Mercenary Group, and I will do my best to help."

Upon hearing Sun Wu's words, Xiao Fan finally understood the origins of the Chasing Wind Mercenary Group.

Sand City was once a major city surrounding the Tagor Desert of the Gama Empire, and along with Desert City, it was one of the two most famous cities in the area. However, for some unknown reason, Sand City's influence gradually declined, and Desert City became the largest city around Tagor.

Xiao Fan cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Saving a life is not about seeking repayment, but I've made a friend in Brother Sun." The conversation between Xiao Fan and Sun Wu proceeded pleasantly.

While Xiao Fan and Sun Wu were talking, Liu Yun inquired about the battle. Xiao Fan, standing nearby, also looked at Sun Wu with curiosity.

When the ambush was mentioned, Sun Wu's face darkened again. His eyes flashed with intense anger as he said, "I reckon these sand bandits were sent by the Yang family. Even the second son couldn't hold out this time." At this point, Sun Wu continued, "If we hadn't been lucky enough to run into Lord Lion King just now, we probably wouldn't be back either."

Upon hearing Sun Wu's words, Liu Yun slammed his fist into the empty space beside him.

Xiao Fan looked at Sun Wu curiously and asked, "Brother Sun, were you talking about the Lion King just now?" Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Liu Yun's attention was also diverted.

Xiao Fan remembered that Lion King Yan Shi had very few appearances in Battle Through the Heavens, only appearing during the attack on the Snake People and later in his battle against Mu Chen.

Sun Wu smiled with relief and said to Xiao Fan, "Yes, it was the Lion King, who is known as one of the ten strongest people in the Jia Ma Empire. Those sand bandits were very well laid in ambush. We fought desperately to escape from this green area. We were caught up with by them not long after we started running in the desert. I thought we were going to die for sure, but then the Lion King came to our aid."

"Our Wind Chaser Mercenary Group has some connections with the Yan family, where Lion King resides. Perhaps that's why Lion King saved our lives!"

Xiao Fan echoed Sun Wu's words, a look of envy on his face, saying, "I wonder when I'll be able to reach their level." Then, without making a sound, he inquired, "Did the Lion King enter Tagor alone?"

Sun Wu shook his head. "The Lion King was accompanied by his friend Windrunner, as well as two other people whose identities were unknown. Perhaps they had some important business in the desert."

Xiao Fan nodded slightly, without asking any further questions. He knew that saying too much would only lead to mistakes, and he had already gotten the answer he wanted.

It seems that Sun Wu and his group encountered the Lion King and his companions in the desert when they were surrounded by sand bandits. The other two should be Dan Wang Guhe and Yunzhi, or rather, Yunyun.

Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed it wasn't too late. After all, the oasis he was in was already close to the center of the Tagor Desert. Further in, it would basically be the territory of the Snake People.

Afterwards, everyone lit a campfire and rested on the spot. With the members of the Chasing Wind Mercenary Group around, Xiao Fan didn't need to worry about danger. He leaned against the big tree behind him and squinted his eyes slightly.

The next day arrived quickly. Xiao Fan opened his eyes and stretched. Although the Wind Chaser Mercenary Group was on guard duty and Xiao Fan couldn't fall asleep completely, it was still a rare moment of free time compared to the days he spent cultivating alone in the desert.

Xiao Fan looked at the Wind Chaser mercenary group who were organizing their tracks and greeted Sun Wu.

Sun Wu had an empty carriage cleared out, and then used stretchers to carry Liu Yun and some other wounded men onto the carriage. He then cupped his hands to Xiao Fan and said, "Brother Mo, farewell. If you need anything in the future, please come to us when you arrive in Shacheng."

Xiao Fan cupped his hands in greeting to Sun Wu and smiled, "Brother Sun, I will. I entered the desert to cultivate, and now I must continue my cultivation. Otherwise, I would be willing to go and see the world with you, Brother Sun."

After saying goodbye, Xiao Fan checked his food and water supplies, which were enough to last him until he reached the next oasis. He then took out Hai Bodong's map, carefully checked the direction, and stepped back into the desert.

It must be said that although the map of Haibodong is a bit expensive, some of the oases marked on it are places that ordinary people don't even know about. For example, some oases in the territory of the Snake People are places that ordinary mercenaries never have the opportunity to come to, so they can't explore them.

It took Xiao Fan two full days to reach another oasis. This place was not far from the holy city of the snake people, which was also where Medusa underwent her tribulation. Xiao Fan estimated his speed and figured he should be able to get there by sunset tomorrow.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the oasis, Xiao Fan sensed obvious signs of battle.

"No way, not again?"

Xiao Fan pursed his lips, then realized something was wrong.

"Judging from the signs of battle, these must be powerful members of the snake-people race!"

Xiao Fan thought carefully for a moment, wondering if any other major battles had occurred during Medusa's tribulation. Then, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in astonishment, "Could it be that Xiao Yan encountered Yue Mei?"

If that's true, then things will get interesting. After all, if I remember correctly, Xiao Yan seems to have fallen into Yue Mei's hands.

Looking at the oasis before him, Xiao Fan concealed himself and carefully examined the traces in the grass.

Before long, Xiao Fan found the place where the two sides had broken out in battle.

"The aura of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire."

That's right, it seems that Xiao Yan encountered Yue Mei in the oasis. Xiao Fan remembers that Xiao Yan was caught peeping at Yue Mei taking a bath here!

Moreover, the reason Yue Mei discovered Xiao Yan was because of the snakes hidden in the oasis. But now that Yue Mei has gone to hunt down Xiao Yan, this place is temporarily considered safe. Xiao Fan rested for a while but did not stay in the oasis.

After all, even though Yue Mei went to chase after Xiao Yan, what if she came back?

Chapter 59 Arrival at the Holy City of the Serpent People

Xiao Fan followed the tracks left in the desert, concealing his presence and quietly keeping up. Being a Dou Wang-level fighter, his full-speed flight left obvious traces in the desert, requiring little effort from Xiao Fan to discern anything.

Following the tracks left by high-speed flight in the desert, Xiao Fan chased for about an hour and a half before discovering that the flight tracks ended there, replaced by numerous large and small sand pits. A few traces of the burst of battle energy remained in the air, leading Xiao Fan to guess that a battle must have broken out.

Seeing the holes scattered across the desert and the familiar wind-attribute battle qi, Xiao Fan realized that he must have encountered Gu He and his group who had entered the desert. Gu He and the others, seeing the powerful snake-people, would naturally offer to help Xiao Yan, as it would be an opportunity to make contact with them.

Xiao Fan took out a map and looked at the location. It wasn't too far from one of the snake-people tribes, the Enchanting Snake Tribe.

Yue Mei is the leader of the Serpent Tribe, a Dou Wang-level powerhouse. The Serpent Tribe's territory is centered around Medusa's Holy City in the center of the desert. Next, numerous tribes of varying sizes surround the Holy City. On the outermost edge are the eight tribes where the eight Dou Wang-level powerhouses of the Serpent Tribe reside, protecting the Serpent Tribe's territory in the center, forming a protective ring.

To enter the Serpent People's holy city, one must not only avoid the eight major tribes surrounding the Serpent People, but also the numerous small and medium-sized tribes within it. Although Hai Bodong's map is extremely clear, aside from the eight major tribes and the central holy city, these smaller tribes are prone to relocation due to various changes. Therefore, for the rest of the journey, Xiao Fan must carefully bypass these tribes, trying his best not to attract their attention. Otherwise, once discovered, he would face a combined attack from all the surrounding tribes.

"That should be the Serpent Tribe ahead," Xiao Fan said, looking at a building with its pointed corners vaguely visible in the distance.

The Purple Cloud Wings on his back transformed back into tattoos and were affixed to his back. Xiao Fan stayed close to the ground and quickly circled around to the side of the Enchanting Serpent Tribe.

After all, they were already close to the snake-people's tribe. If they dared to continue flying in the sky, they might become easy targets for the snake-people.

Upon entering the Serpent Tribe again, Xiao Fan discovered that part of the original city wall had collapsed, and many serpent people inside were wailing in pain. Most of the serpent people patrolling around the area had gone to help these injured serpent people.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Fan was slightly puzzled: "Could it be that they fought their way from here?"

Xiao Fan guessed correctly. After Gu He and his group injured Yue Mei, they headed towards the Snake-People's Holy City. Even if Yue Mei was still in the territory, it would be easy for Pill King Gu He and his group to break through a small Snake-People tribe.

"A golden opportunity!"

Xiao Fan was not about to let such a good opportunity slip by. Taking advantage of the gaps in the snake-people tribe's interior, Xiao Fan carefully avoided the snake-people patrol teams, concealing his figure all the way, and easily crossed the snake-people tribe's blockade.

Looking at the Serpent Tribe that he had left far behind, Xiao Fan turned around and grinned, "Goodbye!"

"People in front, stop!"

Just as Xiao Fan was feeling smug, he didn't notice that there was a group of snake-people guards behind the sand dunes in front of him, which led to them discovering his presence.

"Damn it, we can't let them attract more snake people." Xiao Fan smiled bitterly. It was all his fault for being careless. But he had to deal with these snake people guards first. Otherwise, if the Enchanted Serpent Tribe behind him discovered them and sent other powerful warriors, he would be in trouble.

With this thought in mind, Xiao Fan's figure not only did not slow down, but instead accelerated towards the small group of snake people in front of him.

"Damn it, get into defensive formation." The leader of the snake-people squad at the front saw Xiao Fan's actions and immediately waved his hand, instructing the surrounding snake-people to form a defensive formation. He knew that once the battle started, the nearby Enchanted Serpent Tribe would definitely notice the fighting and send in their powerful warriors, making it difficult for this human expert to escape.

It must be said that this person was unlucky. They were from a small tribe in the surrounding area. When they heard that the Enchanted Serpent tribe had been attacked by human powerhouses, they thought of taking this opportunity to curry favor with the Enchanted Serpent tribe. Therefore, they sent the second strongest person in their tribe to lead the team to support the Enchanted Serpent tribe. They also knew that the Enchanted Serpent tribe did not care about the support of their mere Battle Masters. They just wanted to take this opportunity to show that they were willing to follow the Enchanted Serpent tribe's lead.

Moreover, to prevent their own people from perishing here, they deliberately waited until the battle was almost over before appearing. However, they still encountered a human powerhouse. But seeing that Xiao Fan only possessed the aura of a Dou Shi, the leader of the Snake-People tribe also wanted to capture Xiao Fan. If they could take this human as a spoil of war and offer him to the Enchantress Snake Tribe, their tribe would surely receive the Enchantress Snake Tribe's protection.

After giving orders to the soldiers around him, the snake-man leader picked up his weapon and challenged Xiao Fan to a fight.

Seeing their movements, Xiao Fan realized that the strongest member of this group of snake-people was only a three-star Dou Shi, while the rest were just Dou Zhe. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.