Battle at the Snake People Holy City!

Gu He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his heart as a gentle smile returned to his face.

"Your Majesty the Queen, I am Gu He. Please forgive my presumptuous visit."

Queen Medusa's purple snake eyes swept indifferently over them, her voice cool 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 he quickly regained his composure.

He cleared his throat and said loudly,

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

"Heavenly Flames conflict with the Snake People Clan's cold-blooded lineage. It is useless for you to keep it, and forcibly absorbing it would only 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 reply.

A Seventh Grade pill, a Shape-Shifting Pill!

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

A Shape-Shifting Pill was a miraculous pill capable of allowing Magical Beasts to assume human form ahead of time!

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

Once they reached the Seventh Tier and assumed 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 lips 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.

"Are you finished?" Queen Medusa asked coldly.

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

At that moment, Medusa continued,

"If you are finished, then 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 instantly erupted with Dou Qi, as though facing a great enemy.

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

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

Gu He's voice sank.

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

"Sincerity?"

Queen Medusa suddenly smiled, the smile bewitching and icy.

"In my eyes, your lives are worthless."

Immediately afterward, a terrifying aura belonging to a Peak Dou Emperor erupted with a crash, crushing down upon Gu He's group like a mountain collapse and tsunami!

Yun Yun's expression changed. An aura equally belonging to a Dou Emperor surged from her body, forming a cyan barrier around the group.

The two Dou Emperor auras collided violently, kicking up yellow sand that filled the sky.

"Master Gu He, go! 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 leave!"

Gu He's face turned ashen. He had not expected Medusa to be so unreasonable, attacking the moment she decided to!

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 sole hope of rising to power. How could a few pills possibly exchange for it?

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

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

"Hua She'er, kill him!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Standing beside Medusa, the graceful Snake Guard captain Hua She'er gave a sharp cry. Her Dou Wang-level Dou Qi erupted at full force as she transformed into a green blur and lunged at that 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 as a bewitching snake-shaped firework exploded above the Holy City.

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

For a time, Dou Qi crisscrossed before the Snake People Holy City, energy surged everywhere, and a great battle was on the verge of erupting!

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

Within a city built from massive stones, a voluptuous, seductive woman was lazily reclining on a couch.

When she saw the signal in the sky, she abruptly sat up, murderous fury filling her alluring face.

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

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

Elsewhere, a bald, brawny man with bulging muscles was wrestling one of his subordinates.

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

This man was likewise 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 within their respective tribes at the same time.

Without the slightest hesitation, they immediately gathered their tribes' elite warriors and became eight torrents rushing madly toward the Holy City from every direction across the desert!

Meanwhile, within an ancient Divine Temple at the deepest part of the Holy City,

four elders with white hair and beards, their skin dry as bark, opened their cloudy eyes almost simultaneously while seated cross-legged.

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

However, their lifespans were nearly exhausted and their vitality withered. They normally remained in closed cultivation within the Divine Temple in hopes of living a few more years, never acting unless the clan faced extinction.

"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 dire."

"Very well. It is time for these old bones of ours to get some exercise."

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

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

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

Queen Medusa moved, turning 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 fully circulated her wind-attributed Dou Qi and hurried forward to intercept her.

Yun Yun knew full well that three Dou Wangs facing an expert like Queen Medusa would only be throwing their lives away.

Queen Medusa's elegant purple brocade robe billowed instantly, her long and voluptuous body leaving an afterimage through the air, moving too quickly for the naked eye to follow.

Her attack was thunderous from the outset, fully displaying the oppressive force of a Peak Dou Emperor.

"Fall back!"

Yun Yun gave a clear shout. The cyan light around the longsword in her hand blazed brightly as Dou Qi surged forth.

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

"Trivial tricks!"

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

Boom!

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

Yun Yun's delicate body swayed, her blood and Qi churning, 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 could not resist Medusa's offensive alone for long. Only by joining forces could the four of them seize even a sliver of hope for survival.

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

Earth-yellow Dou Qi spread over Yan Shi's body, making his already massive frame even more imposing. He threw a punch that brought with it a violent gust of wind.

Feng Li, meanwhile, moved with agility. Cyan Dou Qi coiled beneath his feet, forming several afterimages as he darted out from different directions. The saber in his hand unleashed sharp blade light straight toward Medusa's waist and ribs.

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

He crushed the pill, releasing a strange fragrance that spread through the air as he attempted to interfere with Medusa's senses.

As an alchemist, what he excelled at was not direct combat.

Queen Medusa displayed near contempt toward 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 clashed head-on with Yan Shi's fist with a dull impact. Yan Shi felt an immense force surge into him, numbing his entire arm as his body flew backward uncontrollably.

The other two afterimages precisely intercepted Feng Li's blade light. Dou Qi condensed into claws around her hands, crimson light flickering as she dodged the blade from an eerie angle and directly seized Feng Li's shoulders.

Feng Li only felt numbness course through him as his body instantly stiffened.

"Break!"

Yun Yun shouted angrily. Knowing she could not let Medusa defeat them one by one, she released the longsword from her hand. It became a cyan streak of light that stabbed straight toward Medusa's back.

At the same time, she formed seals with both hands, once again condensing an even more solid cyan wind wall before her. It enveloped Medusa, attempting to restrict her movements.

Feeling the fierce sword Qi from behind, a cold glint flashed through Queen Medusa's narrow purple eyes.

She suddenly turned around, her grip on Feng Li's shoulders trembling slightly as she flung him toward Yan Shi.

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

"Hmph!"

Medusa snorted coldly, flicking her arm. The whip wound upward like a spirit snake and directly snatched Yun Yun's longsword away.

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

She took the sword, but the whip did not stop. Like a parasite clinging to bone, it lashed toward Gu He in an instant.

Although Gu He's pill had an interfering effect, it only caused Medusa the slightest delay and posed no real threat at all.

"Ah!"

Gu He had never expected Medusa's attack to be so swift. He had no time to react before a sharp pain burst from his waist, and he was sent flying by an immense force.

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

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

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

The two unleashed their strongest Dou Techniques. For a moment, the earth-yellow giant fist and cyan blade light intertwined into a dense net of attacks, attempting to trap Medusa.

However, the killing intent on Queen Medusa's face only grew more bewitching.

Her body twisted eerily, and her snake tail emerged from beneath her brocade robe. Like a Poison Dragon bursting from the sea, it swept toward the two with a piercing 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 and sent flying like torn sacks, crashing heavily into the yellow sand with two dull thuds. Their fate was unknown.

In the blink of an eye, Queen Medusa had fought one against four, heavily wounding Gu He, Yan Shi, and Feng Li, three Dou Wangs, in an extremely short span of time while seizing Yun Yun's longsword.

Medusa casually tossed Yun Yun's cyan longsword onto the ground. Her gaze locked onto Yun Yun once more, killing intent swirling within those purple eyes.

Her figure appeared before Yun Yun like a ghost. The whip in her hand transformed into countless shadows, sealing off every path of retreat.

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

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

Every collision made her blood and Qi churn, rapidly draining the Dou Qi within her body.

Yun Yun was shocked. Medusa was even stronger than she had imagined, capable of suppressing all four of them by herself!

"Surrender without resistance, human."

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

Rewinding to the moment the battle on the Snake People Clan's side began, Xuan Jin was flying toward the Snake People Holy City. Ice-blue Dou Qi swirled around him, isolating him from 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 bewitching snake-shaped firework bloomed across the horizon.

"Oh?"

Xuan Jin stopped and looked at the firework, the corners of his lips 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, as well as Medusa and the Snake People Clan.

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

Ya Fei's commercial empire needed a powerful martial force as 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 the Ancient Heavenly Snake, becoming a trump card in his hand.

Furthermore, he had Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils on his side, which naturally countered snake-type Magical Beasts.

Once he later took Zi Yan to the Beast Domain, with these two great aids, handling the affairs of those Ancient Races would become much easier.

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

He did not linger. His figure turned into a streak of light and 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, thunderous energy explosions rang out beyond the city walls. Yellow sand filled the sky, shrouding the entire battlefield.

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

A human Dou Wang was being beaten into helpless submission by an agile snake-woman. He was covered in wounds and on the verge of defeat.

Elsewhere, the battle was far more intense.

Queen Medusa was fighting Yun Yun and three others alone.

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

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

Red Snake battle qi surged around her, transforming into enormous energy serpents that relentlessly battered the defensive line formed by the four.

Gu He had long lost his previous high spirits. His face was pale as he continuously swallowed pills to replenish his battle qi, his eyes filled with terror.

He had never imagined that Queen Medusa would be this powerful!

"Interesting."

As Xuan Jin watched the battle below, he made a silent assessment.

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 clearly lacking by comparison.

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

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, just as Queen Medusa lashed out with her whip to entangle Yun Yun, she suddenly sensed an extremely powerful aura.

Medusa's pale violet eyes widened as she abruptly turned toward the rear flank of the battlefield.

"Who's there?!"

Medusa let out a sharp shout, her voice full of vigilance.

That cry caused the fierce battlefield to freeze for an instant.

Whether it was Gu He's group, desperately defending themselves, or Hua She'er, who was about to kill her opponent, all of them halted and followed Medusa's gaze.

The empty sky in that direction distorted slightly.

A tall, slender figure in black robes slowly emerged without warning.

He stood in the air without relying on any battle qi wings.

Walking through the air!

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

This was the hallmark of a Dou Zong expert!

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

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

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

It was a height he could gaze upon for a lifetime and never reach.

He stared blankly at the absurdly young black-robed youth, his mind completely empty. Then a wave of wild joy surged through him.

Reinforcements?

Which reclusive expert happened to be passing by?

Yan Shi and Feng Li froze where they stood. Before a Dou Zong expert, Dou Wangs like them were no different from ants.

Yun Yun's reaction was the most complicated.