Mo Basi lay on the ground, covered in blood.
His right arm bent at a grotesque angle. The bone was already broken.
"Your Majesty, you saw that, didn't you?"
Mo Basi gritted his teeth and looked at Queen Medusa.
"Xiao Chen has harmed one of our own. Your Majesty, please seek justice for me and punish Xiao Chen!"
Xiao Chen looked at him without saying a word.
The Second Elder also stepped forward.
"Xiao Chen, that's enough!"
The Second Elder said urgently, "How dare you use such a heavy hand against Mo Basi in front of Her Majesty?"
"You've harmed one of your own. What punishment do you deserve?"
Xiao Chen glanced at the Second Elder.
"He struck first."
Xiao Chen said calmly.
"He struck first?"
The Second Elder said coldly, "So that means you can beat him like this?"
"Mo Basi is one of the Eight Great Leaders. You're just a junior—what right do you have to lay a hand on him?"
"Even if he was in the wrong, the clan rules should deal with him. It's not your place to take the law into your own hands!"
Xiao Chen looked at him without saying a word.
The Snake-People watched from a distance, whispering among themselves.
"This Xiao Chen is far too arrogant. He actually dared to treat Mo Basi like that in front of the Queen."
"Exactly. Her Majesty hadn't even said a word, and he'd already snapped Mo Basi's arm."
"But Mo Basi had it coming. He was the one who picked a fight with Xiao Chen."
"That's not the point. Xiao Chen went way too far. Mo Basi's arm is probably ruined."
Mo Basi lay on the ground, trembling all over with pain.
Both his arms were broken, and blood had pooled across the ground.
"Xiao Chen, just you wait..."
Mo Basi gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.
"If you don't kill me today, I'll kill you sooner or later..."
"You worthless piece of trash, how dare you..."
Xiao Chen looked down at him.
"Still asking for trouble?"
Xiao Chen said calmly.
Mo Basi's expression changed.
"You... What are you going to do?"
Mo Basi's voice quavered.
Xiao Chen crouched down and grabbed Mo Basi's right arm.
Mo Basi's arm was already broken. When Xiao Chen touched it, he let out a scream of pain.
"Ah!"
"Xiao Chen, stop!"
The Second Elder cried out urgently. "Have you lost your mind?"
Xiao Chen ignored him.
He tightened his grip.
"Crack!"
The sound of bone breaking rang out, especially loud outside the Stone Hall.
"Ah!"
Mo Basi let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Are you scared now?"
Xiao Chen raised his hand and pressed it against Mo Basi's dantian.
Mo Basi's expression changed dramatically.
"No... Don't..."
Mo Basi's voice had changed.
"What are you doing?"
Xiao Chen didn't answer.
Dou Qi surged into Mo Basi and shattered his dantian.
"Ah!"
Mo Basi screamed as he felt the Dou Qi inside him drain away at a frantic pace.
"My Dou Qi... My Dou Qi..."
Mo Basi's eyes widened, filled with despair.
A moment later, Mo Basi lay on the ground, covered in blood and utterly devoid of Dou Qi.
He had become a cripple.
A complete and utter cripple.
"You... You..."
Mo Basi looked at Xiao Chen, his lips trembling.
"You... You crippled my Dou Qi..."
"You might as well have killed me... Just let me die..."
"I'd be better off dead like this..."
Xiao Chen stood up and looked at him.
"You want to die?"
Xiao Chen said calmly. "Then go ahead and die."
Mo Basi lay on the ground, trembling all over.
He was worse off than dead.
That was exactly what he was now.
He had gone from being an Eight-Star Dou Wang expert to a cripple without a trace of Dou Qi.
The fall was more painful than death.
The Snake-People watched, all of them speechless.
"Xiao Chen... He's ruthless..."
A Snake-Person muttered under his breath.
"He crippled Mo Basi's dantian outright. That's worse than killing him."
"If you ask me, Mo Basi had it coming. He kept picking fights with Xiao Chen, again and again."
"Still, Xiao Chen really is strong. Mo Basi couldn't even fight back against him."
The Second Elder stood among the crowd, his face livid.
He looked at Xiao Chen, his eyes blazing with fury.
"That was too ruthless..."
The Second Elder gritted his teeth. "To treat one of your own so brutally is simply..."
"Why hasn't Her Majesty punished him?"
The Second Elder looked toward Queen Medusa.
Queen Medusa stood at the entrance to the Stone Hall, her expression unreadable.
She looked at Xiao Chen without saying a word.
The First Elder stood to one side, also silent.
He looked at Xiao Chen, his eyes full of shock.
When had his grandson become so strong?
Still, Mo Basi had brought this on himself.
He had picked a fight with Xiao Chen time and again, and this time he had even attacked him outright.
The First Elder looked away and said nothing more.
The Second Elder finally couldn't hold back. He stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Chen has harmed one of his own and acted with such brutality. Please punish him severely!"
The Second Elder bowed. "If he isn't punished, what becomes of the clan rules?"
"Who will respect them in the future?"
Queen Medusa glanced at him.
"I know what I'm doing."
Medusa said coolly.
The Second Elder's expression changed. He wanted to say more, but when he saw Queen Medusa's face, he closed his mouth.
Queen Medusa looked at Xiao Chen.
"Come with me."
Medusa turned and walked toward the Stone Hall.
Xiao Chen glanced at Mo Basi and followed her.
Inside the Stone Hall.
Queen Medusa sat on her throne and looked at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen stood in the middle of the hall without saying a word.
"You certainly have nerve."
Medusa said coolly. "You crippled Mo Basi right in front of me."
"Aren't you afraid I'll punish you?"
Xiao Chen looked at her.
"Mo Basi struck first."
Xiao Chen said, "He wanted to kill me. I was only defending myself."
"Defending yourself?"
Medusa let out a cold laugh. "Did defending yourself require crippling his dantian?"
Xiao Chen said calmly, "I wanted to eliminate future trouble."
"That's what he got for provoking me again and again."
Medusa looked at him without saying a word.
A moment later, Medusa rose and walked up to Xiao Chen.
"Let me see what your strength is now."
As she spoke, Medusa struck at Xiao Chen with her palm.
She used seventy percent of her strength in that blow.
Xiao Chen raised his hand to meet it.
"Bang!"
Their palms collided with a muffled thud.
Xiao Chen was forced back two steps, then steadied himself.
A flicker of surprise crossed Medusa's eyes.
"Six-Star Dou Huang."
Medusa said, "You really are a Six-Star Dou Huang."
Xiao Chen lowered his hand and said calmly, "Your Majesty has a keen eye."
Medusa looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
"It seems what you said earlier about Multi-Child Multi-Blessing... was true."
Medusa said, "Is Yue Mei's improvement in strength related to you as well?"
"Yes."
Xiao Chen nodded.
"So by marrying and taking concubines, you can not only improve your own strength, but also benefit the women by your side?"
Medusa asked.
"Exactly."
Xiao Chen said, "That's how Yue Mei went from Seven-Star Dou Wang to Nine-Star Dou Wang as well."
Medusa fell silent.
She returned to her throne and sat down, lightly tapping the armrest with her fingers.
"What about Qing Lin?"
Medusa asked. "Has her strength improved?"
"Yes."
Xiao Chen said, "She's already a Nine-Star Great Dou Master."
A look of shock flashed across Medusa's eyes.
A Nine-Star Great Dou Master.
When Qing Lin was brought back, she wasn't even a Dou Zhe.
How many days had it been?
Medusa took a deep breath, suppressing her shock.
"Your strength has already reached Six-Star Dou Huang."
Medusa said, "If I marry a few more for you, will you break through to Dou Zong?"
Before you continue