Queen Medusa

Just as Xiao Yan was joyfully examining himself, Old Yao's voice suddenly rang out in his mind:

"Do you want to know exactly how strong you are now?"

"Of course I do, Teacher. Do you have a way?"

"A way... Naturally, find an enemy and have a fight. Hehe."

"An enemy?"

Xiao Yan was startled upon hearing this, then suddenly thought of Queen Medusa, who was searching for the Heavenly Flames.

At that moment, an exceedingly fierce aura filled with intense killing intent locked onto Xiao Yan from afar, making his limbs turn cold.

However, a burst of warmth suddenly spread from his chest, restoring his ability to move.

Xiao Yan immediately took out his Fifth Grade Alchemist badge and pinned it to his chest, then leaned against the stone wall beside him in a dashing pose.

A Peak Dou Emperor could easily crush an ordinary Dou Emperor. An ordinary Dou Emperor could handle two peak Dou Wangs without breaking a sweat, while a peak Dou Wang could fight two ordinary Dou Wangs with no pressure at all—

Xiao Yan estimated that his combat strength was only around that of an ordinary Dou Wang. If he went all out and relied on the Heavenly Flames, he could exchange a few moves with an ordinary Dou Emperor. Unfortunately, Queen Medusa was a Peak Dou Emperor and could crush two desperate Xiao Yans.

Fight, my ass!

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes dramatically, inwardly complaining that Old Yao was abusing his high-level Dou Zong strength and disregarding his disciple's safety.

Queen Medusa was extremely fast. Xiao Yan had barely finished striking his pose when she arrived at the cave.

Though she found it strange that this weak little fellow had not fled, Queen Medusa did not pay much attention to it. She gave Xiao Yan a glance, then...

This Fifth Grade Alchemist seemed a little too young? Perhaps he had taken some sort of pill that preserved his appearance?

Queen Medusa's attention was successfully drawn.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Xiao Yan. I'm fifteen this year, a Two-star Dou Spirit, and a Fifth Grade Alchemist. My future is limitless." Xiao Yan stared at his nose, his nose at his heart, doing his best not to be affected by Queen Medusa's allure.

Who the hell knew what species Queen Medusa was? She actually had charm listed among her innate talents!

Queen Medusa frowned, unable to figure out what this human was up to.

"You don't seem surprised by my appearance?"

"No. A mere Dou Emperor isn't worth my surprise." Xiao Yan answered with a stiff face.

"...Heh, what a huge mouth!"

Queen Medusa's killing intent surged. An ordinary Dou Spirit would likely have been terrified out of their wits, and even a Dou Wang would have been affected. Yet Xiao Yan... merely opened his mouth and yawned.

"Is a Dou Emperor really that remarkable? Not to mention the glorious era when the Snake People Clan had several Dou Shengs among its ancestors, even that Queen Medusa who became famous across the Northwest Continent and forced all the human experts of the Northwest Continent to unite against her was a Dou Zun expert."

"And you? When will you break through to the Dou Zong realm? When will you lead the Snake People Clan out of the Great Desert? When will you..."

"Enough!" Queen Medusa shouted, cutting Xiao Yan off.

While this generation's Queen Medusa had still been in her mother's womb, the Snake People Clan had paid an enormous price to lay her foundation with a Sixth Grade Pill called the Snake Marrow Bone Shedding Pill as the main medicinal catalyst.

Queen Medusa had been burdened with great expectations since childhood. She was the leader of the entire Snake People Clan, bearing the responsibility of leading them out of the Great Desert.

Xiao Yan's words were like a knife stabbed viciously into Queen Medusa's heart, leaving her gasping in pain. They also made Xiao Yan lose control somewhat, prompting him to take out an Ice Heart Pill and swallow it to suppress his physical reaction.

"Originally, I intended to make you the Chief Alchemist of my Snake People Clan, with a status second only to mine. But since you look down on my Snake People Clan so much, then you can go..."

"Deal!"

"?"(д)

"I'll be your Snake People Clan's Chief Alchemist, second only to you. Let's go!"

"?"(゜д゜)

"You should've said so earlier. I thought you were going to kill me and steal the Heavenly Flames! You scared the hell out of me."

"Uh, the Snake People Clan and you humans are mortal enemies. Don't you have any reservations at all?"

"We were enemies before, but once you have me as your Chief Alchemist, we won't be anymore—I'm quite familiar with the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Later, I'll have Old Jia set aside some land for you and form an alliance with the Snake People Clan. Then we'll all be one family. Dominating the Northwest Continent in the future will be easy."

"Wait a moment." Queen Medusa raised a delicate hand and rubbed her forehead. "I'm a little confused. Who exactly are you?"

"Oh, I'm just an ordinary person. My master is an Eighth Grade Alchemist from the Pill Tower in Central Continent, the sort who can casually call over a Dou Zun expert to wipe out your entire Snake People Clan."

The corner of Queen Medusa's eyes twitched wildly. She half-believed and half-doubted him, but did not dare gamble on whether Xiao Yan was telling the truth. If a Dou Zun expert had left Xiao Yan with some life-preserving measure, it was not something a mere Peak Dou Emperor like herself could withstand.

Moreover, Xiao Yan's aura was right within her senses. He truly was very young and truly was a Two-star Dou Spirit. As for his alchemist rank, they would know once they brought him back and tested him.

If it was true, then with such talent, it would not be strange for him to have become the disciple of an Eighth Grade Alchemist.

But a fifteen-year-old Fifth Grade Alchemist... In a few more years, once he broke through to become a Seventh Grade Alchemist and could seek help from Dou Zongs, what could the Snake People Clan use to resist?

"I'll use the Heavenly Flames to help you evolve. As long as your evolution succeeds and you break through to the Dou Zun or Dou Sheng realm, gaining immense strength, what is there to fear?"

Xiao Yan smiled. Yet to Queen Medusa, that smile was especially terrifying—Xiao Yan's words seemed to answer the question in her heart, making her feel as though he had seen right through her.

"You've researched the Snake People Clan beforehand! You were waiting for me to come find you! You want to control the entire Snake People Clan!"

Queen Medusa was somewhat flustered. She felt as though she had fallen into a vast net, sinking deeper and deeper with no way to escape.

"Your Majesty, the Dou Qi Continent is ultimately a continent of humans. By joining the Snake People Clan as a human and becoming your Chief Alchemist, I'd essentially be putting an 'one of our own' label on you. Shouldn't you thank me?"

"Besides, with the strength of your clansmen, I have no interest in them at all. Only you, Queen Medusa—after evolving with the aid of the Heavenly Flames, you could break through to the Dou Zun realm and perhaps even have a chance at becoming a Dou Sheng—are worth the effort of winning over."

"You were already prepared to gamble your life for a future for the Snake People Clan. Otherwise, you wouldn't have sought out the Heavenly Flames, would you?"

Xiao Yan put on an understanding expression, while inwardly calling for Old Yao without pause.

That old man was truly wicked. The moment Queen Medusa appeared, Xiao Yan had started calling for him. He had been shouting for ages, yet there wasn't even a response!

"You're right. The Dou Qi Continent is ultimately humanity's domain. Even if one of my ancestors had broken through to Dou Zun, or even if there had been a Dou Sheng in ancient times, it would have meant nothing."

Queen Medusa suddenly became deeply dejected. Her pitiable appearance made Xiao Yan unable to resist swallowing another Ice Heart Pill.

"I can make a deal with you. Use the Heavenly Flames to help me evolve, and I will lead the Snake People Clan into joining the Jia Ma Empire. Once I break through to Dou Zong, I will also act on your behalf. However, every time I help you, you must refine a Sixth Grade Pill for me. As for Dou Zun and Dou Sheng... we can discuss that when the time comes. What do you say?" Queen Medusa said in a deep voice.

After thinking it over, he felt that Queen Medusa's reaction was fairly reasonable. She was good at enduring hardship, craved power, and had no intention of overthrowing humanity or anything like that. She merely wanted to lead the Snake People Clan out of the desert.

Discussion welcome.