He was the mighty Serpent King, and yet these people didn't even regard him. It was more painful than being killed.
dusa gritted his teeth and once again asked, "Has this human oppressed you in any way?"
"No," Tracy answered obediently.
"You're insane, aren't you?" Ice Talker frowned deeply, showing intense resistance and hostility. Her powerful soul had already sensed sothing was off.
"Already awake so soon?" dusa was slightly surprised. However, having obtained the answer he wanted, he no longer pressed the two won further.
The two won's expressions slowly returned to clarity.
"What did you do to us?" Ice Talker asked in a trembling voice, feeling as if she had been controlled just monts ago. Fear rose in her heart as she quickly moved to protect Tracy and backed away in panic.
"Hmph!" dusa snorted, ignoring them. In the next instant, his figure blurred and disappeared without a trace.
John was montarily confused. He couldn't understand what this guy was really after.
This dusa definitely had the strength to kill them. He had underestimated the power of a nine-star expert.
But from his behavior, it seed like he had no intention of harming them.
"Master, can we break out of this cage?" Avis stepped closer, looking at the golden ring on the ground and asked.
John shook his head helplessly. He had already tried. Even his World-in-Hand couldn't penetrate it.
He guessed that dusa's mastery of the space law had probably reached 100%.
The group stood around the golden ring-shaped cage, their expressions filled with helplessness.
"Old man, what should we do now?" Tracy asked, turning to John.
John spoke calmly, "We wait. I don't think Serpent King ans us harm."
The oasis and Gran City didn't seem like they were going to continue teleporting.
At that mont, the city gates opened, and a group of won walked out.
"Looks like humans?" Ice Talker looked at the won and spoke in confusion.
Tracy frowned as well. "Could it be that dusa has had a change of heart and is letting these won go?"
She rembered Bella ntioning that dusa wanted to offer them to him.
In her mind, this Serpent King was a ruthless, lecherous man.
These won weren't very powerful, and so of them hadn't even Awakened.
They didn't seem to be leaving the city, but instead, they were cleaning the oasis, clearing away the destroyed plants, and replanting new ones.
"Could they be coerced by Serpent King?" Ice Talker wondered aloud.
She waved at one of the younger-looking won and asked, "Little girl, what's your na? Why are you in Gran City?"
The little girl looked at Ice Talker curiously. When she saw that she didn't seem like a bad person, she spoke up: "My na is Autumn. I was rescued by Lord Serpent King three years ago, and I've been living in Gran City ever since."
"Rescued?" Ice Talker looked at the girl nad Autumn, even more intrigued, and asked in confusion, "Aren't you one of Serpent King's offerings?"
"Offerings?" Autumn rolled her eyes in disbelief, clearly annoyed. "That's all just slanderous gossip. Most of us here were rescued by Lord Serpent King from hardship. He doesn't force us to do anything, nor does anyone mistreat us."
Upon hearing Autumn's words, John and the others stood frozen in shock.
This was completely different from what they had been told.
One person saying such things might not be trustworthy, but these won were all filled with admiration and gratitude toward Serpent King.
It seed that most of these people had received Lord Serpent King's help.
This dusa didn't seem to be a cunning, deceitful person at all—he almost seed like a good person.
Autumn was busy cleaning up the destroyed plants and buildings around her, grumbling, "I don't know who the hell did this, but they've made a ss of everything. The oasis is very important to us…"
The group remained silent, exchanging glances and then looking at John.
He wore an awkward expression and quickly changed the topic, "Autumn, do you know how to break this cage?"
"Cage?" Autumn glanced at the golden ring on the ground and explained, "This is one of Lord Serpent King's techniques. It's not dangerous, and it will disappear automatically in three days."
Hearing this, the group visibly relaxed.
John had been afraid they might be trapped here forever.
Autumn looked at John and the others, then asked, "Are you all trying to join Gran City?"
"Join Gran City?" The group was puzzled.
John furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you an by that?"
"Isn't that the case?" Autumn scratched her head, still not quite believing them. She continued, "Occasionally, adventurers manage to find this place. You must have put a lot of effort into finding Gran City, which can move around the desert. But you should just give up. Lord Serpent King isn't cruel, but he only saves the weak. If you're capable of protecting yourselves, Lord Serpent King won't take you in."
The girl's words made the group look at each other in bewildernt, even more confused.
To her, Gran City seed like a paradise, a haven away from the rest of the world.
Ice Talker, still skeptical, pressed on, "Doesn't Lord Serpent King have any excessive demands? Hasn't he humiliated you in any way?"
Autumn's expression darkened, and her tone turned hostile. "You're not allowed to slander Lord Serpent King! Also, you're not welco here. Once the three days are up, leave imdiately!"
With that, she turned and ignored them, heading back into the city.
"Could it be that Serpent King is actually a good person?" Cand-Dragon muttered to himself in confusion. He too was lost in thought.
"Definitely not," Avis said with certainty. "Didn't you see all these serpent demons around here? They're all Serpent King's offspring. If that guy were really clean-handed, how would he have so many children?"
"That makes sense. It seems those won are all victims, just unaware of it," the others agreed, nodding.
"Truly shaless," the two won cursed.
Ice Talker then turned to John and asked, "Godslayer, what should we do next?"
He glanced at the cage beneath their feet and sighed. "We're no match for Serpent King. In three days, the cage will be gone, and we'll leave here. We can't waste any more ti."
The group nodded in agreent without saying more.
...
Gran City
In a dim underground cavern, streaks of golden light flickered.
Hiss...
The sound of painful hissing and wails echoed through the air.
A massive golden serpent coiled around a stone pillar, its scales gradually cracking, enduring imnse pain.
"Have you made up your mind?" a soft female voice suddenly spoke in the shadowy cave.
The golden serpent did not appear surprised. Its golden light enveloped it, and it transford into a humanoid figure—none other than Serpent King dusa.
His expression was calm as he softly said, "There's sothing I left behind there last ti."
"But this ti, going back won't be easy," the female voice responded again, filled with concern.
dusa stroked his hand, and dead skin appeared on his otherwise smooth skin. "How would I know if I don't try?"
The last ti he ventured into Dark City, he used a fake shedding to deceive them. He barely escaped with his life.
"Is it really that important?" The woman's voice echoed again, leaving dusa puzzled.
dusa opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond. After a long silence, he finally muttered three words: "I'm sorry."
The woman sighed softly, giving in. "Go then. I will always protect you."
dusa was touched and nodded. "Once I leave, make sure the oasis teleports randomly."
"But will you be able to find it again?" The woman's voice was filled with concern. The Endless Desert was vast and boundless, making it very easy to get lost. Even a ten-star Emperor would hesitate to step foot here.
"The secret here can't be discovered by anyone," dusa's tone grew serious. "I'm not sure if those people have other motives or if Great Bear has uncovered sothing. Just make sure to move quickly. I can find it." His expression darkened as he seed to contemplate sothing deeper. There was sothing hidden here in the desert, a secret that must remain undiscovered.
"I understand. Leave this to ." The woman replied.
dusa didn't speak further. He transford again into his true form, a giant golden serpent, and began to shed his skin once more.
The reason he was able to escape Dark City last ti was because he used a fake shedding to deceive his enemies.
Although he escaped, he lost his crown in Dark City.
This ti, he planned to use the sa tactic, infiltrate Dark City again, retrieve the crown, and then leave.
...
Unknowingly, three days passed.
Outside Gran City, the Doln ring beneath John's feet dissolved, and he regained his freedom.
"Let's go." He glanced at the city in front of him, feeling deeply helpless.
Even without dusa's help, he would still take the risk and attempt to rescue Jean and Nature God.
As the group was about to leave, the city gate slowly opened, and a golden-haired man walked out.
It was Serpent King.
John was confused and stopped in his tracks, eyeing dusa.
His face had turned even paler, devoid of color, and his breath was a little erratic. It seed like he had been badly wounded.
John was puzzled. In their last battle, he hadn't injured Serpent King at all. How had this man been hurt?
"Human, I've agreed to your request." dusa spoke flatly.
"What?" John was montarily stunned and couldn't react right away.
The others also grew wary.
Earlier, dusa had firmly rejected their request, so his sudden agreent surely ant there was so sort of sche behind it.
dusa noticed their suspicious gazes and coldly said, "Don't overthink it. I'm only sending you into Dark City. What you do there, how much noise you make—none of that concerns , and I won't be assisting you."
"That's enough." John felt relieved. dusa's words ant that he could get them into Dark City undetected.
This would make things much easier for them, allowing them to investigate Jean and Nature God's whereabouts and plan their rescue.
"My ti is valuable. Let's go." dusa looked at the vast yellow sands and carefully adjusted his direction. Then he transford into his true form again and dove into the sand.
John and the others quickly followed.
Whirr…
Behind them, a spatial energy fluctuation rippled, and Gran City, along with the oasis, slowly faded from view and disappeared.
John sensed it but didn't give it much thought.
dusa led the way, moving rapidly through the yellow sands, his speed unaffected by the vast desert.
Another half month passed as they continued their journey. All around them was endless yellow sand, with scarcely a magical beast in sight.
Sword Demon, growing impatient, spoke up, "Serpent King, do you even know the way? It's been half a month, and we still haven't even left the desert?"
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