Clash

"There's no need for further nonsense. I will not hand over the Azure Lotus Core Flame to you. Give up on that idea. My patience is limited, so I'll give you one last chance: leave at once, or don't blame me for being discourteous." The Medusa Queen rejected him sternly once more, leaving no room for negotiation as she issued an order to leave.

"Does Your Majesty truly not wish to hear my terms?" Gu He asked unwillingly.

"There is no need." Medusa remained utterly unmoved.

"Your Majesty, I came to negotiate with you in good faith, yet you refuse to appreciate my kindness. Then don't blame this old man for resorting to force." The Medusa Queen's repeated refusals had finally worn away Gu He's patience. He immediately revealed his true intentions.

Originally, they could have sat down and discussed things. He could state his terms, and she could voice her demands, then they could talk it over. Who simply flipped the table like this? There was no attitude of negotiation whatsoever.

It couldn't be helped. Since she refused to give it to him, she could not blame him for abandoning all gentlemanly conduct. He would simply take it by force, saving himself an unnecessary expense in the process.

The negotiations had broken down completely. Gu He signaled Yun Yun and Jia Xingtian with his eyes. The two nodded in understanding, then lunged at the Medusa Queen from either side. They clearly intended to besiege her, with no thought of fighting her one-on-one.

This was, after all, the Snake-People Race's stronghold, filled with experts. It was not suitable to drag the battle out for too long; a swift victory was best. Before the Snake-People Race's reinforcements arrived, they had to capture the Medusa Queen in one stroke, seize the item, and leave.

Facing the charge of two Dou Huang Experts, the Medusa Queen remained completely calm. Her cultivation was at the Dou Huang Peak, and she could undergo her transformation and take that crucial step at any moment. Her opponents, meanwhile, were clearly a notch weaker than her—one was a Fifth Grade Dou Huang, while the other was merely a Third Grade Dou Huang.

With such weak cultivation, what could they accomplish even if they attacked together? They still could not change the outcome of their defeat.

"Wind's Extremity: Sunset Radiance!"

The two seemed to understand that they were no match for Medusa, so they went all out from the very start without holding anything back. Yun Yun immediately unleashed her ultimate move.

"Boom!"

A massive tornado appeared over the dim desert, sweeping up boundless yellow sand. Faint azure light flickered amid the sand—it was countless dense streaks of sword qi.

Yun Yun's move concealed two layers of killing intent. One was the tornado formed from condensed wind-element energy, while the other was the sword qi filling the tornado. Anyone trapped within would suffer the unending assault of both deadly forces, making it tremendously destructive.

"Low Earth-tier Dou Technique: Tiger's Roar Lion King Fist!"

Jia Xingtian refused to be outdone and used his greatest technique. Golden Dou Qi immediately condensed in the sky into a lion-tiger beast, which roared before diving down from above.

"Boom!"

The Medusa Queen did not yield in the slightest. With a flick of her snake tail, she shot into the sky. Blood-red energy spread outward as she opened the five fingers of her right hand and clawed at the heavens.

The surrounding space seemed to shatter beneath that grasp. The raging tornado was sliced apart and vanished in an instant, while the golden lion-tiger beast exploded in midair. Surging energy swept outward, scattering even the dark clouds overhead.

The might of a Dou Huang Expert was displayed to the fullest at that moment. With one move, she destroyed the combined attack of two great experts. Her actions were clean and decisive, and she clearly still had strength to spare.

"Hundred Flowers Kill!"

Having gained the advantage, the Medusa Queen pressed the attack. Endless blood-red energy condensed into scarlet flowers in the sky, densely covering more than half the heavens.

With a sweep of her hand, the endless crimson flowers became a boundless sea of blooms, engulfing both figures within.

Danger!

The hairs all over their bodies stood on end. They could sense that beneath the flowers' beautiful appearance lay fatal killing intent. Each flower was like a deadly venomous snake; one bite would mean death by poison.

"Wind's Fall!"

"Tiger's Roar Lion's Cry!"

The energy around the two swelled once again, while their movements became nearly too fast for the naked eye to follow. Explosions rang out one after another in the sky as the endless sea of flowers detonated, turning the surroundings blood-red.

After one exchange, neither side could do anything to the other for the moment. The three figures tangled together once more, trading blows back and forth.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Gu He moved. He knew Yun Yun and Jia Xingtian would not be able to hold out for long. Their cultivation was far inferior to Medusa's, and they might be defeated within a hundred moves. He did not have much time and could not afford any delay.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The moment Gu He moved, Yue Mei and Mo Bas, who had been watching him for a long time, immediately stepped forward to block him. At the same time, a large number of soldiers surrounded him so tightly that not even water could pass through, their spears continuously thrusting toward him.

"Hmph!"

Gu He snorted coldly, but his movements did not stop. He waved his right hand, and pale-blue flames spread out, directly engulfing more than ten snake-people. After a series of brief screams, the dozen snake-people were burned to ash.

Though Gu He's primary profession was that of an alchemist, he also possessed the cultivation of a Dou Wang. Moreover, because he possessed Beast Fire, his combat prowess was even greater than that of ordinary Dou Wangs. The moment he attacked, it was a lethal strike.

"You're courting death!"

Seeing Gu He completely unharmed, then looking at the dozen subordinates who had been burned to death, both Yue Mei and Mo Bas flew into a rage, murderous intent flooding the field.

"Members of the tribe below Dou Wang cultivation, fall back. Everyone else, attack together and kill this murderer who dares slaughter the Snake-People Race." Though Mo Bas was furious, he had not lost his reason. He knew that sending weaker tribesmen forward would only be sending them to their deaths; the outcome of the battle would ultimately be decided by experts.

In an instant, several more Dou Wangs joined the battle, and Gu He's pressure increased sharply. Though these people could not kill him, they successfully entangled him.

He had miscalculated.

Though he had known this journey might very well end in failure, now that it had truly come to this, Gu He was still deeply unwilling to accept it.

The Heavenly Flame was clearly only one step away, yet that single step felt as distant as the sky itself. Gu He silently cursed his poor planning. Had he known, he would have invited more helpers and would not have ended up trapped in this predicament, unable to advance or retreat.

As the Alchemy King renowned throughout the Gama Empire, Gu He knew a great many experts. More or less, all of them owed him favors. If he asked, they would surely be more than willing to repay those debts.

But it was too late to say anything now.

"Kill!"

Consumed by towering fury, Gu He looked at the irritating snake-people before him, and an inexplicable viciousness rose in his heart. He no longer held back and began an intense battle against the Dou Wang experts of the Snake-People Tribe.