Chapter 61: The Snake Clan Young Princess

"Boom!"

A thunderous boom shook the entire ground, sending massive shockwaves through the air. Xu Feng frowned, waving his hand to conjure a fiery red protective barrier—he had no intention of letting Xiuer get hurt.

Looking ahead, the scene was one of utter devastation. Several massive iron cages lay overturned, with the corpses of soldiers scattered nearby. In mid-air, two figures confronted each other from a distance.

One appeared to be a swordsman, roughly in his forties, enveloped in a faint silver Battle Aura. His opponent was a stunningly beautiful young woman.

A look of surprise crossed Xu Feng's face—not because of the girl's beauty, but because he recognized her... or rather, had seen her once before.

She was the Snake People girl with royal blood he had seen at the port yesterday. Now, freed from her shackles, she radiated a powerful aura as she faced the human swordsman.

"Damn it!"

Fredo's face was filled with rage and anxiety. He was the most formidable expert recruited by the slave merchant Nasim—a mid-tier, upper-grade knight.

In terms of strength, he was truly remarkable. Normally, such a master wouldn't serve a slave merchant, but Fredo had a penchant for wine, women, and gambling—all of which required vast amounts of gold. Lured by money and women, he had pledged his allegiance to Nasim, becoming his most capable enforcer.

The two were birds of a feather, and Nasim held him in high regard. This time, he had entrusted Fredo with a crucial mission: escorting the Snake Clan princess to the imperial capital.

A Snake People girl with royal blood could transform her tail into legs at will, making her indistinguishable from a human. Such individuals were beyond price, their value even surpassing that of the elves, known as nature's darlings.

Capturing her had been a stroke of luck. Nasim intended to present her to a powerful figure. Though Fredo didn't know the identity of this person, from his boss's expression and instructions, he understood the gravity of the situation. If she escaped...

The consequences were unimaginable!

To make matters worse, the journey from Rotenburg to the imperial capital wasn't far, and initially, everything had gone smoothly. But halfway through, they encountered a group of orc merchants.

On the planet Hailan, three powers stood in a delicate balance. Although relations between the human empire and the Orc Kingdom had always been tense, there had been no war for decades. During peacetime, trade flourished, and both the imperial capital and Rotenburg saw many orc merchants.

This in itself wasn't unusual. However, when those bear-men saw the Snake Clan girl, their expressions changed drastically, and they rushed over. Fredo immediately ordered his soldiers to stand guard and drive them away, but the orcs not only refused to retreat but loudly demanded to know why Princess Arola was imprisoned.

Princess?

Fredo was stunned. The Orc Kingdom was composed of many loosely organized clans, and the Snake Clan held significant influence. Only the daughters of clan leaders were addressed as princesses.

Originally, Fredo had thought she was merely a Snake People girl with royal blood. He never expected her to be the apple of the Snake Clan leader's eye!

Now... they were in deep trouble!

If word got out, it would undoubtedly provoke the Snake Clan's furious retaliation. On the spot, Fredo conceived a malicious plan: he would eliminate the witnesses.

But it wasn't that easy. As fate would have it, those orcs weren't ordinary merchants—they were mercenaries who had made some gains during an adventure and had come to the empire to sell their goods.

Thus, a chaotic battle erupted. Fredo had the advantage in numbers, but the bear-men were formidable fighters, and their clear objective was to rescue the princess.

The fierce fight ended in a stalemate, with both sides suffering heavy losses. What infuriated Fredo was that the bear-men smashed the iron cage and broke the magical restraints binding the Snake People girl.

The situation grew increasingly dire. It was well-known that every member of the Snake Clan's royal family possessed special abilities and could use mysterious Secret Arts. Sure enough, once Princess Arola was freed, the tide of the battle turned. However, Fredo was no pushover. Though morally corrupt, as a mid-tier, upper-grade knight, he was a force to be reckoned with. The princess, despite her talent, was still young and limited in strength. Escaping from him was nearly impossible.

The two clashed in mid-air, while the ground battle neared its end, almost resulting in mutual annihilation. Fredo remained calm on the surface. As long as he recaptured the princess, victory was his. Otherwise, both he and Nasim would face the wrath of that powerful figure and the vengeance of the Snake Clan.

Such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable.

Boom!

Battle Aura erupted, forming several crescent-shaped waves that shot toward the girl. Arola's expression changed. With a delicate point of her slender finger, the air before her twisted strangely—as if space itself had fractured to some degree—shredding the Battle Aura waves into fragments.

Xu Feng frowned. This method of utilizing power was peculiar—neither magic nor Battle Aura. It must be the innate ability of the Snake Clan, tinged with... a hint of eeriness.

However, Fredo's attack was merely a probe. For knights, close combat was their forte. Using the energy waves to distract his opponent, he seized the opportunity to close in, launching a flurry of sword strikes that sealed off all her escape routes. Unfortunately... Arola wasn't a mage but a Snake Clan girl.

As their name implied, the Snake People possessed incredibly flexible bodies, capable of performing movements far beyond human ability. Relying on her unimaginable suppleness, Arola dodged each of Fredo's attacks with ease.

Ssssh—

A soft sound echoed as the girl's nails suddenly elongated like sharp blades, tearing a large gash in her opponent's clothing. Fredo was startled. As a member of the Snake Clan's royal family, she could secrete deadly venom from her teeth and nails at will. To neutralize this poison, a Snake Women had to undergo a special purification ritual with holy magic. Since Arola hadn't undergone this ceremony, a scratch from her nails would have dire consequences.

Fredo dared not press forward recklessly. Adopting a cautious approach—prioritizing defense over offense—he began a battle of attrition. The cunning man knew that once the Snake Women exhausted her stamina, capturing her would become much easier.

Objectively speaking, this method wasn't sophisticated, but it was practical. No matter how talented the Snake Clan was, Princess Arola was still a girl, and her physical endurance couldn't compare to a man's. The longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for her.

Yet, even understanding this, what could she do? Though Fredo was a despicable character, his strength was undeniable. Determined to wear her down, Arola felt furious but helpless.

She couldn't continue like this. Not only would she be captured once her stamina ran out, but this road led to the imperial capital, where human patrols could appear at any moment.

How could a dignified princess become a slave? And who said orcs lacked culture? Arola loved reading and had learned from books about the tragic fate that awaited Snake Clan girls like her if they fell into the hands of human nobles, reduced to mere playthings.

Sigh. If only she hadn't wandered off alone that day out of curiosity.

The girl sighed, but regret was useless now. Gritting her pearly teeth, she resolved not to fall into the trap her opponent had set...

Her cherry lips parted slightly, uttering strange syllables. The air instantly grew heavy, as if solidifying into an invisible barrier. Fredo's sword movements slowed, entangled, and his actions were hindered—somewhat similar to the magic spell Wind Shackles, but this Secret Art was far more mysterious.

Seizing the opportunity, Arola swiftly retreated, putting distance between them. Simultaneously, her body began to change. A soft, radiant white light enveloped her long, slender legs. The glow was gentle yet bright, lasting only briefly before fading away, revealing a golden snake tail that extended from Arola's slender waist, winding downward...

In this half-human, half-serpent form, the power of Arola's Secret Arts doubled!

Her delicate hands traced graceful arcs in the air, her slender waist swaying as if dancing with the wind. Yet Fredo's expression shifted. Though Xu Feng didn't understand Secret Arts, the essence of power was universal. He, too, sensed that the atmosphere around them had grown peculiar.

Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, Xu Feng retrieved a Dragon Soul crystal from his storage ring, casting a powerful magical shield around himself and Xiuer.