“Hehe, why the rush? I have not had my fun yet. Such a cute little human noble deserves a proper tease for it to be entertaining. And what are you panicking about? Even if the sky falls, the King will hold it up. He would not let you lot die, would he?”
Xieli smiled seductively. At that moment, Ling Xiao was completely surrounded by poisonous scorpions and had no way to escape, so she could take her time dealing with him.
“Little brother, no point lying in front of big sister. Your body carries the scent of war, and it is very strong. If I am not mistaken, you are a soldier, are you not? What exactly is your purpose in coming to our scorpion-people tribe? And are you from the Black Crow Empire or the Divine Phoenix Empire?”
Ling Xiao’s heart jolted. This woman was truly formidable. Just by observing his aura, she could roughly determine his identity. It seemed best not to lie in front of her.
There was no need to lie anyway.
He said softly, “Big sister, I was originally a disciple of Clear Void Academy. This time I followed the army to the border for training. While chasing people from the Black Crow Empire, I lost my way. I thought taming a desert hermit crab would let me return smoothly, but who knew that beast would bring me here.”
These words from Ling Xiao were naturally not lies.
However, he omitted many crucial details.
He did not expect her to let him go, so while speaking, he had already released his soul force, ready to flee at any moment.
“Heehee, you are quite honest. You did not lie.”
Xieli stared at Ling Xiao for a while, then smiled faintly.
“Since everything I said is true, should big sister not call back those poisonous scorpions?”
When Ling Xiao spoke, his eyes never left Xieli. This fellow was a tenth Cave Heaven realm expert. One careless moment, and his life would be gone.
“Though what you said is true, anyone who trespasses on scorpion-people tribe territory must die. That is our rule. Capture him alive. I have use for him!”
Xieli’s seductive eyes flashed as she spoke to the scorpion people beside her.
“Yes!”
A male scorpion person beside Xieli suddenly lunged forward. The weapon he wielded was a strange whip covered in barbs that could spray poison at any time or be used without poison to bind people.
The long whip lashed towards Ling Xiao. It seemed it would not kill him, but it would seriously injure him.
Perhaps this was how scorpion people hunted. Only by doing so would prey obediently comply.
“Ninth Heaven warrior!”
The moment the opponent struck, Ling Xiao instantly judged his cultivation. The Golden Crow Sword suddenly appeared, then thrust fiercely at the long whip.
Blazing light flashed, and some poisonous scorpions near Ling Xiao were roasted alive.
Terrifying force blew countless poisonous scorpions towards the attacking scorpion person, while Ling Xiao’s body seized the chance to leap into the air.
Crack!
The long whip collided with the Golden Crow Sword mid-air.
Ling Xiao used the force to soar even higher, while the scorpion person did not retreat. He simply lashed the whip again, striking viciously at Ling Xiao.
“Farewell!”
The whip struck out but failed to hit Ling Xiao, because at that moment wings sprouted from Ling Xiao’s back. He shot into the sky, his speed so fast that Xieli was startled once more.
“Is this a flying martial spirit? No! It is not a martial spirit, yet he is only Heaven-Human realm. How can he condense wings?”
Muttering to herself, Xieli suddenly smiled. “You lot stay here and continue surveillance. Report any suspicious people immediately. This little cutie is interesting. He must be hiding great treasures. I will chase him personally!”
“Yes, Lord Xieli!”
After giving orders, Xieli smiled faintly, then rose into the air. Although she could not condense wings, her body could hover mid-air, and her speed was even considerably faster than Ling Xiao’s.
“Little cutie, oh little cutie, you had better run faster, or this chase will not be fun at all.”
Xieli held a very high status in the scorpion-people tribe. If others learned that a Heaven-Human realm human warrior escaped from her grasp, she would lose all face when she returned.
Therefore, she absolutely had to catch Ling Xiao!
“Damn it! She really will not give up.”
In the sky, a golden beam shot forward, leaving behind a helpless curse.
Ling Xiao had already noticed Xieli pursuing relentlessly behind him. He felt extremely depressed. He was fleeing in the opposite direction from Northern Desert City. After so much effort to get here, everything would be wasted in an instant.
Boom!
Xieli could not truly fly; she could only glide.
After gliding for a long time, her body suddenly plummeted to the ground, smashing a huge crater in the soft sand, then shot upwards again, her speed even faster than before.
“Little cutie, escaping is useless. Big sister already said she will not kill you. Come back with me to the scorpion-people tribe for a while. Once everything is investigated, you will naturally be released.”
Xieli wore a playful smile on her face. She clearly treated this as a game of cat and mouse.
It had been a long time since any human made her this happy.
“Thief woman, old hag, are you sick? If I go back to the scorpion-people tribe with you, will I not be completely devoured alive by you?”
Ling Xiao knew very well that scorpion people were all extremely cruel. The moment they were born, they devoured their own parents, inheriting their power and surviving.
Not only did this make them stronger, it also made them even more vicious.
“Little thing, your words are truly ugly. But you are right. Big sister wants to play you to death, suck you dry of essence blood, then turn you into a specimen! You cannot escape today!”
Hearing Ling Xiao’s words, Xieli instantly became embarrassed and angry. She shouted loudly.
“Old hag, stop dreaming. Even if I kill myself, I will not let an old monster like you touch me.”
While fleeing, Ling Xiao considered simply calling Die Nu out to help.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally gave up.
It was not yet a life-or-death moment. Calling Die Nu too early would be very detrimental to his own growth.
“Little thing who spews nothing but filth from your dog mouth, you really think I care about you? Since you want to die, I will grant your wish!”
Xieli was truly furious.
Never before had a human with cultivation so much lower than hers dared speak to her like this. How could she tolerate it?
With that, her body began to change. Her originally beautiful, seductive form became hideous and terrifying. A huge scorpion tail actually grew from her back.
Then, the tail rapidly gathered power and shot through the air towards Ling Xiao. Mid-flight, this energy transformed into the shape of a gigantic poisonous scorpion.
The enormous poisonous scorpion bared its fangs and brandished its claws, piercing through the air resistance. In mere moments, it crossed hundreds of metres, appearing behind Ling Xiao. The massive tail stabbed viciously at his body.
“I dodge!”
Ling Xiao did not dare clash head-on with Xieli. The opponent was too strong. Not Heaven-Human realm, not early Cave Heaven realm, but a tenth Cave Heaven expert.
Unless Die Nu acted, clashing directly would be suicide.
