Queen Medusa

At the heart of the desert stood Queen Medusa's palace.

Inside the palace, a beautiful woman stared at the empty purple crystal throne, her face full of helplessness.

Suddenly, a figure entered the palace, making the beautiful woman let out a long breath.

"You finally made it."

"Yue Mei, what is it? You issued three consecutive bans to summon me here. Are those humans that strong?"

The figure who entered the hall was a burly Snake People man dressed in thin clothing.

"Very strong. One Dou Emperor, three Dou Wangs, and four Dou Lings. They're about to reach the vicinity of the palace."

A trace of grave pressure showed on Yue Mei's lovely face. Pressing her red lips together, she said,

"Mo Bass, it seems this time might be troublesome."

"Why have these people suddenly gathered so many powerful experts?"

Mo Bass's expression turned solemn as he asked in a low voice,

"Has Her Majesty been informed? What did she say?"

"She has, but Her Majesty seems very calm. She only told me to deliver the information and summon all of you."

Yue Mei nodded helplessly.

"Those people must have some purpose for suddenly coming to the desert, right?"

Mo Bass pondered for a while, looking somewhat puzzled.

"I clashed with them last night. From the sound of it, they seem to be looking for Her Majesty..."

Frowning tightly, Mo Bass suddenly stood and said,

"I want to see Her Majesty."

"Don't bother. Her Majesty isn't seeing anyone right now. Even I wasn't allowed to see her earlier. Everything was relayed through Hua She'er, captain of the Medusa Snake Guards."

Yue Mei curled her lips and curled her soft, boneless body into the chair like a lazy, beautiful snake.

"Her Majesty hasn't appeared? How is that possible? That isn't her usual way of doing things." Mo Bass was deeply puzzled.

Just then, Yue Mei abruptly opened her eyes. "They're here!"

As Yue Mei sensed those several auras that had suddenly appeared outside the city, Mo Bass beside her sensed them as well.

The two instantly flashed out of the hall and shot into the sky. Moments later, they arrived atop the city wall, which had already entered a state of lockdown.

Several hundred meters beyond the city wall, a massive Magical Beast hovered in midair.

Several figures floated not far in front of the Magical Beast, and those terrifying auras were being emitted from their bodies.

The figures calmly strode through the air toward the city.

Moments later, they stopped just outside the attack range of the spear throwers on the city wall.

"Humans, why have you trespassed into our territory without permission? If you do not wish to provoke a war between the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake People Clan, I advise you to return where you came from!"

"Hehe, you must be Commander Mo Bass of the Mo Snake Tribe?"

Among the group hovering in the distance, a distinguished middle-aged man slowly stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Who are you?"

Gently flapping the energy wings behind him, Mo Bass swept his cold gaze over the middle-aged man and asked frostily.

"Hehe, I am Gu He."

Ignoring Mo Bass's gaze, the middle-aged man smiled faintly and replied softly.

"No wonder. Only Pill King Gu He could gather so many powerful experts."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Lin were hiding below. Xiao Yan remarked with emotion.

Thanks to his status as an alchemist, Pill King Gu He had an extremely wide network of acquaintances. Now that he had come to the desert in pursuit of the Heavenly Flames, a single call was enough to summon numerous powerful experts.

"Hehe, commanders, we have come to your people so abruptly only because we have something to discuss with Queen Medusa. Might we ask Her Majesty to appear for a meeting?"

Gu He asked courteously with a smile.

"To see Her Majesty? Sorry, we cannot relay that request for you."

Shaking his head, Mo Bass refused without hesitation. He slightly raised his eyelids and said blandly,

"Gu He, you should take your people and leave as soon as possible. People from our Eight Great Tribes are already rushing toward the palace. You should know how much some of them hate you humans. By then, I'm afraid that even if you want to leave, you won't get the chance."

"Hehe, Old He, you're still the same as ever. Why waste words with them? Just smash their city first and see whether that woman comes out..."

Yan Shi stepped forward at Mo Bass's words and laughed mockingly.

"Hmph, I was wondering who it was. So it's you, that foolish lion with nothing but muscles for brains..."

Mo Bass cast a cold glance at Yan Shi and sneered. From his expression, it seemed they knew each other.

"Hehe, you rotten black snake aren't much better, are you? If you hadn't run so fast back then, the leader of your Mo Snake Tribe would have been replaced!"

Yan Shi grinned and laughed. "After all these years, I wonder how much you've improved?"

"You can come and try..." A cold gleam flashed through Mo Bass's slightly sharp pupils as he said sinisterly.

"Enough, Old Lion. Stop bickering with them."

Watching the two men glare at each other like sworn enemies, Gu He shook his head helplessly and waved a hand to stop Yan Shi from arguing further.

His gaze swept over the city. He let out a soft breath, then his loud shout, carried by Dou Qi, rolled across the entire city.

"Queen Medusa, I am Gu He of the Jia Ma Empire. I have not come here to wage war against your people, but merely to discuss a matter with you. I ask that you appear and meet with me!"

The resounding shout echoed through the city, only gradually fading after a long while.

As the shout died down, silence filled both sides of the city wall. Even after a long time, there was still no response.

Seeing this, Gu He's brows furrowed slightly.

However, just as he was about to call out again, the space high above the city wall suddenly twisted in a strange manner.

At the sight, Gu He and the others were slightly startled. Aside from the silent Black Robe, they all retreated half a step and stared gravely at the distorted space.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell from the sky, shining upon the twisted space.

In the next instant, a graceful, curvaceous figure slowly appeared beneath countless gazes.

The suddenly appearing beautiful woman wore an elegant purple brocade robe. The delicate body beneath it was exquisitely curved, like that of a fully matured woman, exuding a faint charm.

Her long black hair draped casually from her fragrant shoulders to her slender waist. Beneath the brocade robe, a section of purple snake tail was exposed. As it swayed gently, it gave off a wild, seductive allure that inexplicably made one's entire body grow hot.

"Your Majesty!"

The moment the enchanting woman appeared, a vast crowd of Snake People below on the city wall immediately knelt. Their reverent cries pierced the heavens.

Seeing Queen Medusa appear in the sky, Gu He and Yan Shi, whose voice boomed like thunder, both unconsciously edged a step closer to the silent Black Robe.

Here, only he had any chance of contending against Queen Medusa, whose fierce reputation had shaken the Jia Ma Empire.

"You were looking for me?" Queen Medusa lowered her head slightly and looked at Gu He, the corners of her red lips curling into a delicate arc.

In an instant, her exquisite face became brimming with seductive charm. Her every frown and smile caused the several Dou Ling experts beside Gu He to lose themselves for a moment.