Queen Medusa Truly Takes Power

After hearing everything, the Great Elder collapsed into her seat as if all the strength had been drained from her body.

Her wrinkled hand rested limply on the armrest, her knuckles faintly whitening from the tension.

She slowly closed her eyes, as though she wanted to shut out the despairing reality before her. Yet her trembling lashes revealed the tempest raging within her heart.

Queen Medusa lounged lazily in the lavish throne at the head of the hall, her bewitching purple eyes calmly watching those below and taking in every trace of the Great Elder's struggle and dejection.

Her slender fingers tapped the armrest now and then. She appeared relaxed, but the faint upward curve of her lips carried an imperceptible chill.

She waited, patiently waiting for the Great Elder to make the choice she had no choice but to make.

In any case, her younger sister Caidie was safe now. As for this crisis that had nearly dragged the Snake-People Tribe into eternal damnation, its source could be traced back to these elders and that damned inheritance ceremony.

At that thought, the coldness in her eyes deepened.

The entire hall seemed to have its throat seized by an invisible force, falling into deathly silence.

The air was so heavy it seemed ready to drip with water. Only the occasional crackle of the wall torches made the silence all the more suffocating.

The guards standing on both sides even softened their breathing, afraid that the slightest sound would disrupt this delicate balance and bring unforeseen consequences.

Time slowly passed, as though an entire century had gone by.

At last, the Great Elder wearily lifted her heavy eyelids. Her once razor-sharp eyes were now bloodshot, filled with despair and helplessness.

She struggled to raise her head and look at the peerlessly graceful young queen seated above, whose bearing had changed completely. Her dry lips moved several times before she finally seemed to exhaust all the strength in her life to force out a nearly pleading sentence from deep in her throat:

"Your Majesty, please!"

Once she said those words, it was as though the Great Elder's spine had been pulled from her body. She went completely limp in her seat, lowered her head, and spoke no more.

She understood better than anyone that the situation had long surpassed her control and even concerned the survival of the entire Snake-People Tribe.

This calamity had stemmed from the selfishness of the elders and the inheritance ceremony aimed at the Second Young Lady. Now that their relationship with the Second Young Lady, Caidie, had completely broken down, the only link that might salvage the situation and negotiate with Su Baichen, the powerful man who had taken the Third Elder, was the Second Young Lady's elder sister before them—Queen Medusa.

This was the only sliver of hope in their desperate situation.

Hearing the Great Elder's words, which were almost an admission of defeat and a plea of entrustment, the faint curve on Queen Medusa's lips finally became more pronounced, forming a breathtaking smile.

That smile meant the Elder Council's stubborn barrier had finally been broken, and she could now rightfully take over and handle this crisis.

She secretly sighed in relief as well. After all, what she feared most was that the Great Elder would disregard everything and choose to fight Su Baichen, that unfathomable man, to mutual destruction. That would be a devastating blow to the Snake-People Tribe.

"I understand!" Queen Medusa gave a slight nod toward those below, her voice cool yet carrying unquestionable authority.

She abruptly rose to her feet. A powerful, awe-inspiring aura of supremacy instantly swept through the hall, making everyone present shudder inwardly.

Her gaze turned toward the Second Elder, whose expression was constantly changing, and she issued a clear, decisive command. "Second Elder, open the clan treasury and take out the most precious treasures, the ones that best demonstrate our tribe's sincerity. Then come with me to see Senior Su and rescue the Third Elder."

The Second Elder looked at Queen Medusa, whose imposing presence now possessed the bearing of a true monarch, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He recalled the eldest young lady from years ago, who still needed their assistance, and saw that she had now grown into a leader capable of standing alone, decisive and bold.

He sighed dejectedly to himself, understanding that the era in which the Elder Council excessively interfered with royal authority was likely truly coming to an end. He composed himself, respectfully lowered his head, and solemnly replied:

"By your command, Your Majesty!"

Meanwhile, deep within the distant desert, inside a hidden cave half-buried beneath yellow sand.

Su Baichen sat cross-legged on a flat bluestone, his eyes slightly closed and his aura as tranquil as water, as though he had become one with his surroundings.

Not far away, Caidie absentmindedly stirred a pot of meat soup hanging over the campfire. Its fragrance gradually spread, yet it could not disperse the clouds of sorrow hanging between her brows.

From time to time, she secretly glanced at Su Baichen's profile, her gaze complicated. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but whenever the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back down.

She did not know how to begin. Should she apologize for the actions of the clan elders? Or plead for mercy over the current deadlock? Neither seemed appropriate.

Cao Ying sat quietly in a corner of the cave, faint energy ripples swirling around her. She was clearly immersed in cultivation and seemed entirely unaware of the subtle atmosphere outside.

Meanwhile, the Third Elder, whom Su Baichen had captured, stood obediently outside the cave entrance with the badly injured and listless Fourth Elder. Like two criminals, they endured the double torment of the desert heat and their inner anguish.

Inside the cave, Su Baichen was not merely resting with his eyes closed. His consciousness had sunk into his sea of consciousness, examining the mysterious screen before him that only he could see—the System Shop.

The shop was filled with a dazzling array of items.

All kinds of medicinal pills gleamed enticingly, from first-grade pills that healed injuries and detoxified poison to eighth- and ninth-grade Golden Cores that could drive Dou Zun and even Dou Sheng powerhouses into frenzied competition. Scrolls containing cultivation techniques and combat skills of every attribute floated within, from Profound Tier and Earth Tier to Heaven Tier. Divine weapons and sharp blades gleamed coldly, while rare treasures radiated extraordinary auras. There were even blessed lands and heavenly abodes capable of accelerating cultivation and altering the environment... Yet the most eye-catching were the glowing orbs labeled "Blind Box." Their prices were relatively low, but they were full of unknown temptation.

However, the currency needed to purchase those items—gold coins—came in quantities vast enough to make most powerhouses turn away in despair.

The price of any top-tier item was an astronomical figure, enough to instantly drain the accumulated wealth of several generations of a great imperial family.

Still, for Su Baichen, gold coins were not his greatest problem.

As an eighth-grade alchemy grandmaster, his connections and accumulated wealth far exceeded ordinary imagination. The pills he refined often sold at auctions for unimaginable prices.

Even so, whenever he faced the long strings of zeros behind the truly top-tier treasures in the shop, he often felt short on funds and could only shake his head helplessly.

These things really are meant for those old monsters who have lived for thousands upon thousands of years... Su Baichen inwardly grumbled. His gaze moved away from those tempting treasures and landed on an inconspicuous corner of the system panel.

There was a check-in icon emitting a faint glow, displaying [Check-in Chances: 1].

This was a check-in chance he had obtained when he broke through to the Dou Zun realm, but he had kept it unused until now.

The reason was simple. Through his previous check-ins, Su Baichen had gradually discovered a pattern: the quality of the rewards obtainable from check-ins seemed tied to his specific minor realm within his current major realm. As his minor realm improved, the rewards from check-ins became increasingly better. It was even possible for a heaven-defying treasure capable of helping him directly break through the bottleneck of the next major realm to appear!

Whenever he thought about how he had once used his check-in chances too early, then compared them with the rewards he might have received after his realm improved, his heart ached as though he had lost a fortune.

A lesson learned the hard way. This time, he decided to wait patiently until he had reached a higher level within the Dou Zun realm before using this precious chance, hoping to gain the greatest possible benefit.