Following Behind
"This little guy is Fire Attribute. Do you have any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures containing Fire Attribute Energy? Perhaps we can use that to lure it away."
"A rare and precious material with Fire Attribute?" The Snake-People exchanged glances and gave a wry smile.
Most of the Snake-People have a cold constitution, so they have no habit of collecting Fire Attribute and precious materials.
"Yan Ci, does your Flame Snake Tribe have one?" The Great Elder looked up at Yan Ci, one of the Eight Great Leaders.
"... Before, there were still some, but in this battle against the Chu Yun Empire, our Flame Snake Tribe was the first to bear the brunt, and those things have been almost completely destroyed." The tall and strong Yan Ci shook his head and said.
"..."
Upon hearing Yan Ci's answer, the other Snake-People's faces all fell.
What should we do now?
They didn't cause them any trouble for long. Seemingly because it had just absorbed some of the Companion Amethyst Source, the Seven-Colored Python shook its head and then fell asleep against Xiao Ming's neck.
Seeing this, Xiao Ming gently lifted him up and placed him in the Great Elder's hand.
The Great Elder carefully caught it and placed it in Yue Mei's hands.
"Yue Mei, take Her Majesty the Queen in. I have something to consult with Master Xiao Ming. Everyone else, please leave as well."
"Yes." Now that the Queen has successfully evolved, there is no need for her to stay here any longer.
The Snake-People left one after another.
In the end, only Xiao Ming and his group, along with the Great Elder of the Snake People Race, remained in the same spot.
"Great Elder, please ask whatever questions you have," Xiao Ming said, looking at the old woman in front of him who seemed hesitant to speak.
"Actually, what I wanted to ask was how long His Majesty's condition would last..." the Snake People Race Great Elder sighed.
Most of the Snake-People were immersed in the joy of Queen Medusa's successful evolution and did not consider that Queen Medusa's condition seemed a little strange. Even if someone noticed something was wrong, they quickly put it out of their minds.
After all, it's normal for the Snake People Race to have two souls. One of these souls was artificially fused into their bodies using Secret Technique. In their view, once Her Majesty the Queen awakens, this soul will disappear as before, so there's nothing to worry about.
Only the Snake People Race's Great Elder keenly sensed that something was amiss.
"Don't you Snake People Race have any records?" Xiao Ming was somewhat surprised by the Great Elder's question.
"To be honest, our records are somewhat incomplete, and this is the first time we've encountered such a situation," the Snake People Race Great Elder said, somewhat annoyed.
"I see." Xiao Ming nodded in understanding, then continued, "Without external interference, this situation would last at least ten years, almost ten years, for Medusa to maintain control of her body for an extended period."
"Ten years?!" Upon hearing this figure, the Great Elder couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Realizing his loss of composure, the snake-man elder quickly calmed himself down.
"I apologize, I lost my composure."
Xiao Ming shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.
"However, Master Xiao Ming, is what you said true? I'm not questioning you, but isn't this ten years a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Exaggeration?" Xiao Ming couldn't help but laugh.
This is no exaggeration. Medusa wasn't the only one to benefit from this evolution. The soul of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, formerly known as the Purple Flame Ghost Snake, also benefited greatly. Its soul made significant progress and was no longer under Medusa's control.
Of course, Medusa's soul definitely has the advantage over the other, but it would be very difficult for Medusa to regain control of the original soul of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python and integrate it into her own soul without a long period of struggle.
Ten years is still an understatement.
After hearing Xiao Ming's explanation, the Great Elder could hardly hide the bitterness on his face.
"Master Xiao Ming, do you know a way to resolve Her Majesty the Queen's problem?"
There are solutions, of course. Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes and made no attempt to hide anything.
"You can find Sixth Rank or higher Alchemist to concoct a pill that will allow their souls to merge."
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across the Great Elder's face.
"Then, Master Xiao Ming, would you be willing to lend a hand?"
"I've stayed with the Snake People Race for long enough. I'll be leaving tomorrow, so I don't have time to help you refine pills. Besides, collecting the ingredients for Sixth Rank pills takes time, so there's no need to bring this up again." Shaking his head, Xiao Ming decisively refused, then left with Zi Yan and Xiao Yi Xian.
The Great Elder of the Snake People Race sighed, "Enough. Master Xiao Ming has already helped enough. Asking for more would only cause trouble."
Walking through the underground passage, Zi Yan held Xiao Ming's hand and skipped ahead.
Xiao Yi Xian walked side by side with Xiao Ming.
A faint fragrance wafted to Xiao Ming's nose, and suddenly he heard the voice of Xiao Yi Xian.
"Xiao Ming, are we going back to the academy tomorrow?"
"Yes, after picking up Qing Lin at the academy, we headed to Central Plains."
"Central Continent?"
"Yes, it's Central Plains. Central Plains is the most prosperous place on the entire continent. With my status as Seven-Rank Alchemist, we can achieve the fastest growth there, and perhaps we can find Zi Yan's home there."
Xiao Ming has yet to tell Zi Yan that she is the Ancient Void Dragon.
After all, Xiao Ming had never seen Zi Yan's true form, so it was really hard to explain why he suddenly claimed that she was the Ancient Void Dragon.
Once she arrives in Central Plains, Zi Yan will naturally sense the territory of the Ancient Void Dragon and then return home.
Once they return to the region of the Ancient Void Dragon, Zi Yan's strength will increase rapidly.
Speaking of which, Zi Yan is quite a powerful figure.
When Zi Yan was walking ahead, heard Xiao Ming her, she paused slightly and then immediately turned her head.
"Hehe, if we find it, Xiao Ming, you absolutely have to come back with me."
Xiao Ming glanced at Zi Yan and noticed that her smile was somewhat stiff.
Zi Yan has been a wanderer since childhood, and returning home may be a knot in her heart.
Reaching out to pat Zi Yan's head, Xiao Ming, "If I have the chance, I'll go back with you."
That's what he said, but Xiao Ming sighed inwardly.
Zi Yan is indeed a wealthy woman, but Ancient Void Dragon has a lot of things to deal with, and Zi Yan might not be able to be so carefree then.
Forget it, why think so much? Let's talk about it when we get to Central Plains.
The next day, early morning.
With the Great Elder of the Snake People Race seeing them off, Xiao Ming and the others sped towards the Jia Ma Empire.
Not long after Xiao Ming and the others left, a disturbance broke out in the area where the Snake People Race lived.
Half an hour later.
"Flower Snake, where is Her Majesty the Queen?" The Snake-People experts gathered together, Second Elder asked.
"Didn't find it," Flower Snake replied helplessly.
"Didn't find it? The Snake Cave is so small, and you couldn't even find it? Didn't I tell you to take good care of the Queen? What kind of Medusa's Personal Guard are you?!"
Flower Snake felt wronged. Although the little snake that the Queen had transformed into seemed harmless, its strength was real.
She was distracted for a moment, and the other person was gone. What could she do?
However, it was indeed her fault, so she could only bow and say, "I am willing to accept the punishment!"
"Never mind, this is also my dereliction of duty." The head Great Elder waved the Second Elder away and continued.
"Let's search for another half an hour. If we can't find it, then we'll give up." Thinking of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python's dependence on Xiao Ming yesterday, a trace of helplessness flashed in the Great Elder's eyes.