In the Divine Temple hall, Medusa reclined on her throne, her beautiful eyes glinting with thought as she occasionally glanced at Gu Shenge. When he sensed her gaze, he turned and smiled at his beloved wife.
"Hmph!" Medusa snorted. She felt like smacking him to death.
After a while, the Snake-People Tribe's Four Great Elders and the leaders of the Eight Great Tribes arrived one after another.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The eight leaders bowed to Medusa in unison, while the Four Great Elders merely nodded slightly to show their respect.
The Four Great Elders were the oldest, and all had reached Peak Dou Emperor. They were even a little stronger than Jia Xingtian of the Jia Ma Empire. However, age had taken its toll, and they had no hope of advancing any further.
The eight leaders were all Dou Wang experts. The strongest was Mo Basi, leader of the Mo Snake Tribe, whose cultivation had reached eight-star Dou Wang.
"You're all here."
Medusa's beautiful eyes swept over the elders and leaders. Her voice was cool and haughty, her posture languid, yet she exuded the majesty of a queen at all times. A mere glance from her was enough to put the leaders under slight pressure.
The First Elder leaned on her cane and gave a soft cough. She noticed Gu Shenge beside them, and a hint of confusion passed through her cloudy eyes. Who was this man?
She asked Medusa. Her voice was unpleasant, like stone scraping glass, and it made people wince.
"May I ask why Your Majesty has suddenly summoned us here? Is there something important?"
The other elders and leaders had also noticed Gu Shenge. They all looked puzzled. Why was there a human in the Queen's Divine Temple?
Medusa rose slowly, turned toward Gu Shenge, and lifted a jade-white hand to point at him. Without beating around the bush, she announced to the elders and leaders, "This man is called Gu Shenge. From now on, he will be my husband. I will marry him tomorrow."
"What?!"
The elders and leaders were stunned to hear that Queen Medusa intended to marry a human. They stared at their queen in disbelief.
"Your Majesty, I object! Your status is so noble—how could you marry a lowly human?"
Mo Basi had the strongest reaction. He openly opposed Medusa's decision, then glared at Gu Shenge, killing intent filling his slit-like snake pupils. He wanted to kill him on the spot. The black snake tattoos on his muscular arms seemed to come alive, releasing a surging murderous aura as if they would swallow Gu Shenge whole!
Gu Shenge frowned, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes. What a foul mouth. He's asking for a beating.
Several other leaders also voiced their objections, while the Four Great Elders chose to wait and see. They knew Medusa wouldn't agree to marry a human without a reason.
Before Medusa could speak, Gu Shenge cut in, his voice cold. "Whether you agree or not isn't up to you. Your queen has already accepted my betrothal gift."
The elders and leaders exchanged glances. What betrothal gift? How had they never heard of it?
Medusa saw their reaction and explained without bothering to hide the truth.
"I accepted one Po Zong Pill from him as a betrothal gift~"
But before she could finish, Gu Shenge interrupted her, his voice edged with anger.
"Let me correct you. The Po Zong Pill I gave you isn't an ordinary one. An ordinary Po Zong Pill can only increase someone's chances of reaching Dou Zong. Mine can guarantee a Dou Huang's breakthrough to Dou Zong. It's a ninth-grade pill."
"If the Snake-People Tribe wants to return the betrothal gift, that's fine. Just give me back an identical Perfect Sect-Breaking Pill. If you can't, then shut your mouths!"
An immensely powerful Dou Emperor aura erupted from Gu Shenge. The Sun God Mark between his brows blazed with brilliant golden light as an overwhelming pressure swept through the hall. The furnishings shook, and ripples rolled through the air with a low, rumbling roar. It surged like a mighty river toward the elders and leaders of the Snake-People Tribe, targeting Mo Basi above all.
Caught off guard, Mo Basi was forcibly crushed to the ground by Gu Shenge's Dou Emperor pressure, left in a wretched state.
He stared at Gu Shenge in shock. He never would have guessed that this human was a Dou Emperor expert!
The Four Great Elders and the other leaders also looked astonished. He seemed barely eighteen or nineteen, yet he was already a Dou Emperor expert!
Medusa was displeased when Gu Shenge suddenly lost his temper. She waved a jade-white hand, intending to dispel his pressure, but found herself obstructed.
His pressure also carried an incomprehensible divine might—majestic, sacred, and supreme. Though faint, it was beyond Medusa's ability to withstand.
Seeing Mo Basi pinned to the ground, Medusa's pretty face darkened. He was her subordinate, after all. To suppress him like this right in front of her was far too disrespectful. She immediately rebuked him.
"Gu Shenge, enough!"
"Hmph! Medusa, tell your subordinate to watch his mouth. If he does it again, I won't hesitate to execute him for you."
At her words, Gu Shenge snorted and withdrew his pressure.
The weight lifted from his back, and Mo Basi climbed to his feet, his face dark with fury as he glared at Gu Shenge. Dark green Battle Qi surged across his body as the pressure of a Peak Dou Wang climbed steadily. The snake patterns on his arms grew even more savage, and murderous energy surged into the air. Cracks burst across the ground beneath him, as if he were about to fight Gu Shenge to the death.
Gu Shenge had made him suffer such a humiliating disgrace in front of the queen. Mo Basi wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot and wash away his humiliation!
Medusa rebuked him coldly. "Mo Basi, calm down!"
Though the queen he admired had scolded him, Mo Basi was unwilling to back down. But he didn't dare defy her. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to swallow his humiliation, never taking his eyes off Gu Shenge, his gaze full of fury and killing intent.
Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to kill someone with a look.
The First Elder studied Gu Shenge. No wonder their queen had managed to break through to Dou Zong. She had taken a superior Po Zong Pill.
As for Gu Shenge's claim that it was ninth-grade, she didn't believe him. Some high-ranking alchemists could refine superior pills above their usual grade, but turning a sixth-grade Po Zong Pill into a ninth-grade one was probably beyond even a ninth-grade alchemist. Only a legendary Emperor-Grade Alchemist might manage it.
But none of that mattered.
Since this human could produce a superior Po Zong Pill and had reached Dou Huang at such a young age, he must come from an extraordinary background—probably one of the great powers in the Central Plains.
If the Snake-People Tribe formed a marriage alliance with him, they would gain a powerful backer.
For the sake of the Snake-People Tribe's development, even their queen had to make sacrifices. Besides, Medusa had already agreed to this herself.
The First Elder then asked Medusa, "Your Majesty, since this is your decision, we have no grounds to object. What preparations will the wedding require? Should we notify the other powers?"
Seeing that the First Elder didn't oppose their queen marrying a human, the other three elders said nothing either. The Four Great Elders stood together, and one of them could speak for them all.
The leaders, however, were getting anxious, especially Mo Basi. More than anyone, he didn't want Queen Medusa to marry someone else.
Mo Basi was about to object again when the Three Great Elders instantly turned their cold eyes on him. He immediately felt the pressure on his back increase. His mouth opened, but he couldn't speak.
He knew the elders were warning him not to say another word.
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