Battle at the Snake People Holy City!

Gu He took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart as a modest smile returned to his face.

"Your Majesty the Queen, I am Gu He. Please forgive this unannounced visit."

Queen Medusa's purple snake pupils swept indifferently over them. Her voice was cold and languid, devoid of any emotion.

"Humans, state your purpose."

"If you fail to satisfy me, your corpses will become nourishment for this desert."

The smile on Gu He's face stiffened, but quickly returned to normal.

He cleared his throat and said loudly:

"I have heard that Your Majesty has obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame.

"Heavenly Flames conflict with the Snake People Clan's cold-blooded constitution. Keeping it is useless, and forcibly absorbing it would instead be harmful."

"I am willing to offer two sixth-grade Imperial Pills, one seventh-grade Shape-Shifting Pill, and several Fifth-Grade Pills in exchange for that Heavenly Flame."

After speaking, Gu He wore a confident smile as he quietly awaited Medusa's answer.

A seventh-grade pill—the Shape-Shifting Pill!

The moment those words were spoken, not only Yan Shi and Feng Li, but even Medusa wore shocked expressions.

The Shape-Shifting Pill was a heaven-defying medicine that allowed magical beasts to assume human form ahead of time!

Magical beasts naturally possessed long lifespans, but their cultivation speed was usually inferior to that of humans.

Once they reached the seventh tier and took human form, their cultivation speed could rival that of humans.

Of course, they could also take a Shape-Shifting Pill.

To any magical beast race, this was an irresistible temptation.

The corners of Gu He's mouth rose slightly. He believed Medusa would not refuse his offer.

Yet there was not even the slightest ripple on Queen Medusa's face.

She looked at Gu He as though she were looking at a clown talking to himself.

"Finished?" Queen Medusa asked coldly.

Gu He froze, not knowing what to say for a moment.

At that moment, Medusa continued:

"If you're finished, you can get lost."

"Or die here."

Her tone carried undisguised killing intent.

The confidence on Gu He's face vanished completely.

Yan Shi and Feng Li behind him immediately erupted with Dou Qi, as though facing a formidable enemy.

On the surface, the Snake People Clan had only Queen Medusa, a Dou Emperor. As long as Sect Master Yun Yun could hold her off for a moment, they could retreat safely.

"Your Majesty the Queen! What do you mean by this?!"

Gu He's voice darkened.

"I came with complete sincerity, yet you humiliate me like this?"

"Sincerity?"

Queen Medusa suddenly smiled, her smile enchanting yet icy.

"In my eyes, your lives are worthless."

Then, a terrifying aura belonging to a peak Dou Emperor erupted with a thunderous crash, crushing down upon Gu He's group like a collapsing mountain and a raging sea!

Yun Yun's expression changed. An aura equally belonging to a Dou Emperor surged from her body, forming a cyan barrier that protected everyone within it.

The two Dou Emperor auras collided violently, sending yellow sand flying into the sky.

"Master Gu He, leave now! She's about to attack!"

Yun Yun shouted urgently.

"If the Snake People Clan's Eight Great Commanders gather later, it will be difficult for us to escape!"

Gu He's expression turned livid. He had not expected Medusa to be so unreasonable, attacking the moment she pleased!

How could he know that Queen Medusa had intended to use the Green Lotus Core Flame to break through to the Dou Zong realm? To her, this Heavenly Flame was the Snake People Clan's only hope of rising. How could a few pills possibly be enough to exchange for it?

Gu He still wanted to say something, but Queen Medusa gave him no such chance.

Killing intent filled her enchanting face as her slender jade finger pointed at the weakest Dou Wang.

"Hua She'er, kill him!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Standing at Medusa's side, Hua She'er, the curvaceous captain of the snake guards, gave a delicate cry. Her Dou Wang-level Dou Qi erupted at full force as she transformed into a green blur and lunged at the Dou Wang.

At the same time, she took a specially made signal arrow from her robes and fired it fiercely. A piercing shriek tore through the sky, and a sinister snake-shaped firework exploded above the Holy City.

This was the Snake People Clan's highest-level warning signal!

For a moment, Dou Qi surged and energy overflowed before the Snake People Holy City. A great battle was on the verge of erupting!

The instant the signal firework exploded, the depths of the entire Tagor Desert stirred into unrest.

Within a city built from piled boulders, a voluptuous and alluring woman was lounging lazily on a soft couch.

When she saw the signal in the sky, she abruptly sat up, her seductive face filled with murderous fury.

"Enemies have invaded the Holy City! Charming Snake Tribe, follow me into battle!"

This person was Yue Mei, one of the Eight Great Commanders and leader of the Charming Snake Tribe!

Elsewhere, a bald and burly man with knotted muscles was wrestling one of his subordinates.

Seeing the signal, he flung his opponent away, grabbed the enormous spiked club beside him, and roared, "It's the Holy City's signal! Moba Si Tribe, assemble!"

This man was also one of the Eight Great Commanders—Moba Si!

Yan Ci, Yin Shi, Hei Du...

The Snake People Clan's Eight Great Commanders all saw that snake-shaped firework in their respective tribes.

Without the slightest hesitation, they immediately gathered the elite warriors of their tribes, transforming into eight torrents that surged madly toward the Holy City from every direction of the desert!

Meanwhile, deep within the Holy City, inside an ancient Divine Temple.

Four old men with white hair and beards, their skin as dry as tree bark, opened their clouded eyes almost simultaneously as they sat cross-legged.

They were the Snake People Clan's Four Great Elders, each a genuine peak Dou Emperor.

However, their lifespans were nearly exhausted and their blood and vitality had dried up. They normally remained in secluded cultivation within the Divine Temple to prolong their lives by a few more years, never acting unless the clan faced the danger of extermination.

"It is the Queen's aura... carrying such intense killing intent."

"And... the aura of other human Dou Emperors."

"Her Majesty has activated the highest warning signal. The situation is grim."

"Fine. These old bones of ours should go out and stretch a little."

The four exchanged glances, their figures gradually fading before vanishing from where they stood.

They were the Snake People Clan's final trump card. Should anything happen to the Queen, they would be the Snake People Clan's last line of defense.

At this moment, Gu He had no idea what a massive hornet's nest his group had stirred up.

Queen Medusa moved, transforming into a crimson streak of light. Without giving Yun Yun any time to react, she directly enveloped Gu He, Yan Shi, and Feng Li within her attack range.

She intended to kill these three Dou Wangs first!

Seeing this, Yun Yun frantically rushed forward to block her, circulating her wind-attributed Dou Qi with all her strength.

Yun Yun knew well that three Dou Wangs facing an expert like Queen Medusa would only be walking to their deaths.

Queen Medusa's dignified purple brocade robe billowed instantly. Her slender yet voluptuous body left an afterimage in midair, moving too quickly for the naked eye to follow.

The moment she attacked, it was with overwhelming force. The pressure of a peak Dou Emperor was displayed to the fullest at this instant.

"Fall back!"

Yun Yun gave a clear shout. Cyan light flared brightly from the longsword in her hand as Dou Qi surged forth.

The cyan Dou Qi formed a solid barrier, tightly protecting Gu He and the other two.

"Trivial tricks!"

A trace of disdain appeared on Queen Medusa's enchanting face. Without slowing down, red Dou Qi flowed through her palm as she struck directly at the cyan barrier.

Boom!

With a deafening blast, two Dou Emperor-level powers collided head-on. The cyan barrier shook violently, cracks spreading across its surface.

Yun Yun's delicate body swayed as her blood and Qi churned within her, but she gritted her teeth and held the barrier steady.

"Yan Shi, Feng Li, attack her flanks!

"Gu He, watch for an opening!"

Yun Yun commanded calmly.

She knew that she alone could not withstand Medusa's assault for long. Only by joining forces could the four of them gain even a sliver of hope.

Yan Shi and Feng Li exchanged a look, each letting out a low roar.

Earth-yellow Dou Qi spread across Yan Shi's body, making his figure even more imposing. He threw a punch that brought with it a fierce gust of wind.

Feng Li, meanwhile, moved with agility. Cyan Dou Qi coiled beneath his feet, creating several afterimages as he dashed from different directions. The saber in his hand flashed with sharp blade light, striking straight at Medusa's waist and ribs.

Gu He's face was pale, but a jade-green pill had appeared in his hand.

He crushed the pill, releasing a strange fragrance that spread through the air in an attempt to disrupt Medusa's senses.

As an alchemist, frontal combat was not his specialty.

Queen Medusa showed near contempt for the attacks of these three Dou Wangs.

With a slight flick of her snake tail, her figure instantly split into three afterimages, each rushing toward Yan Shi and Feng Li.

One afterimage met Yan Shi's fist head-on with a dull thud. Yan Shi felt an immense force strike him, numbing his entire arm and sending him flying backward uncontrollably.

The other two afterimages precisely intercepted Feng Li's blade light. Dou Qi condensed into claws around her hands, red light flickering as she evaded the saber's edge at an uncanny angle and directly seized Feng Li's shoulders.

Feng Li felt a wave of numbness wash over him, and his body instantly stiffened.

"Break!"

Yun Yun shouted furiously. Knowing she could not allow Medusa to defeat them one by one, she released the longsword in her hand. It became a cyan streak of light that stabbed toward Medusa's back.

At the same time, she formed seals with both hands. An even more solid cyan wind wall condensed before her, enveloping Medusa in an attempt to restrict her movements.

Sensing the sharp sword aura from behind, Queen Medusa's narrow purple eyes flashed coldly.

She suddenly turned around. With a slight shake of the shoulder she had seized, she flung Feng Li toward Yan Shi.

At the same time, Medusa condensed a crimson whip out of Dou Qi. The whip danced like a living creature, tearing through the air as it precisely coiled around Yun Yun's incoming sword.

"Hmph!"

Medusa snorted coldly and flicked her arm. The whip wound upward like a spirit serpent, directly wrenching Yun Yun's longsword away.

Medusa's movements were as swift as lightning, completed almost within the same instant.

She retrieved the sword, but the whip did not stop. Like a parasite clinging to bone, it lashed instantly toward Gu He.

Although Gu He's pill had a disruptive effect, it only delayed Medusa slightly and posed no real threat.

"Ah!"

How could Gu He have expected Medusa's attack to be so swift? He had no time to react. He only felt a sharp pain at his waist before an immense force sent him flying.

He was not a combat-oriented Dou Wang. Before an expert of Medusa's level, he appeared especially fragile.

Seeing this, Yan Shi and Feng Li forcibly steadied themselves and charged forward again.

They knew that once Gu He fell, they would no longer have the protection of his pills. At the same time, both of them regretted accepting this job.

The two unleashed their strongest Dou Skills. For a time, earth-yellow giant fists and cyan blade light intertwined, forming a dense net of attacks in an attempt to trap Medusa.

Yet Queen Medusa's face only displayed increasingly enchanting killing intent.

Her body twisted strangely, and her snake tail emerged from beneath her brocade robe. Like a Poison Dragon emerging from the sea, it swept directly at the two with a sharp howl through the air.

The snake tail was covered in a layer of crimson Dou Qi scales, hard and sharp.

Bang! Bang!

Yan Shi and Feng Li were struck by the snake tail, their bodies sent flying like battered sacks. They crashed heavily into the yellow sand with two dull thuds, their fate unknown.

In the span of a flash, Queen Medusa had fought one against four and, in an extremely short time, heavily injured Gu He, Yan Shi, and Feng Li, three Dou Wangs, while also taking Yun Yun's longsword.

Medusa casually tossed Yun Yun's cyan longsword to the ground, her gaze locking onto Yun Yun once more. Killing intent swirled in those purple eyes.

Like a ghost, she appeared before Yun Yun. The whip in her hand transformed into countless whip shadows, sealing off every possible route of retreat.

Yun Yun's face paled. Without her sword, her combat strength had been greatly reduced.

She could only condense Dou Qi in her palms and barely withstand Medusa's storm-like assault.

Every collision sent her blood and Qi churning, rapidly draining the Dou Qi within her body.

Yun Yun was deeply shaken. Medusa was even stronger than she had imagined—she could actually suppress all four of them alone!

"Surrender without resistance, human."

Queen Medusa's voice was icy as the whip suddenly contracted, coiling toward Yun Yun's slender waist.

Rewinding to when the battle on the Snake People Clan's side had just begun, Xuan Jin was flying toward the Snake People Holy City. Ice-blue Dou Qi swirled around him, blocking the desert's scorching heat.

When Xuan Jin was less than a hundred li from the Snake People Holy City, a piercing shriek came from the distance. Immediately afterward, a sinister snake-shaped firework bloomed in the sky.

"Oh?"

Xuan Jin halted and looked at the firework, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Interesting. Looks like there's a show to watch."

Xuan Jin's purpose for this journey was clear: the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Sand Mandara, Medusa, and the Snake People Clan.

Subduing Medusa and the entire Snake People Clan was crucial to his plans in the Northwest Continent.

Ya Fei's commercial empire needed a powerful martial backing, and the Snake People Clan was undoubtedly one of the best choices.

When it came to trustworthiness and keeping promises, Medusa was quite reliable—provided he could truly subdue her.

Xuan Jin naturally had confidence that he could subdue Medusa. Absolute strength and his alchemy skills would certainly be enough.

Besides, Medusa's potential went far beyond this.

In the future, as long as she obtained the Nine-Colored Primal Stone and combined it with the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs of the Nine Netherworld Underworld Python Clan, she could evolve into a Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python capable of rivaling an Ancient Heavenly Snake, becoming a trump card in his hand.

And with Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils on his side, she was practically the natural nemesis of snake-shaped magical beasts.

When he later took Zi Yan to the Beast Domain, having these two great aids would make dealing with the affairs of those Ancient Races much easier.

In the blink of an eye, Xuan Jin had weighed the pros and cons.

He did not linger. His body became a streak of light as he shot toward the source of the signal.

Before long, a majestic black city appeared on the horizon.

Its walls were built from black rocks with a metallic sheen, brimming with a rugged, primal beauty.

At that moment, energy roared endlessly beyond the city walls. Yellow sand filled the sky, shrouding the entire battlefield.

Xuan Jin did not reveal himself immediately. He concealed his aura and hovered high in the air, watching the battle below with interest.

A human Dou Wang was being beaten so badly by an agile snake-woman that he had no power to fight back. He was covered in wounds and on the verge of defeat.

Elsewhere, the battle was far more intense.

Queen Medusa alone was facing Yun Yun and three others.

Even with the four of them joining forces, Queen Medusa still suppressed them completely.

Medusa wore an elegant purple brocade robe, her figure alluring. Every attack carried a wild sort of beauty, yet her moves were vicious to the extreme, each one aimed to kill.

Red Snake's Dou Qi surged around her, transforming into enormous energy serpents that relentlessly battered the defensive line formed by the four.

Gu He had long since lost his earlier high spirits. His face was pale as he continuously swallowed medicinal pills to replenish his Dou Qi, his eyes filled with terror.

He had never imagined Queen Medusa would be this powerful!

"Interesting."

Xuan Jin watched the battle below and silently assessed it.

Medusa was indeed quite capable. Her ruthlessness also made her well suited to establishing herself on the Northwest Continent.

As for Yun Yun, her strength was considerably lacking.

"It's about time this ended," Xuan Jin muttered.

Meanwhile, just as Queen Medusa lashed her whip toward Yun Yun, she suddenly sensed an immensely powerful aura.

Medusa's light purple eyes narrowed sharply, and she abruptly turned toward the rear flank of the battlefield.

"Who's there!"

Medusa shouted sharply, her voice full of vigilance.

That cry caused the fierce battlefield to freeze for a brief moment.

Whether it was Gu He's group, struggling desperately to defend themselves, or Hua She'er, who was about to kill her opponent, all stopped and followed Medusa's gaze.

The empty air twisted slightly.

A tall figure in black robes slowly emerged without warning.

He stood in the air without relying on any Dou Qi wings.

Walking through the void!

When they saw how that figure had appeared, everyone present—human and snake-person alike—felt their hearts skip a beat.

This was the mark of a Dou Zong!

How many years had it been since a true Dou Zong had appeared in the entire Tagor Desert, or even the whole Jia Ma Empire?

The color drained from Gu He's face in an instant.

As a Dou Wang and a leading figure among the alchemists of the Jia Ma Empire, he understood better than anyone what the words "Dou Zong" meant.

It was a height he could look up to for his entire life and still never reach.

He stared blankly at that excessively young black-robed man, his mind utterly empty. Then, a surge of wild joy rose within him.

Reinforcements?

Which reclusive expert had happened to pass by?

Yan Shi and Feng Li were frozen stiff on the spot. Before a Dou Zong, Dou Wangs like them were no different from ants.

Yun Yun's reaction was the most complicated.