Marry Me

The next morning, Ye Xiu led Xiao Yi Xian out of the inn, ready to set off for the Jia Ma Holy City.

Xiao Yi Xian carried a small bundle, walking beside Ye Xiu, her mood clearly good.

"Master, is the Jia Ma Holy City big? Bigger than Heiyan City? I've never been there once!"

"Big," Ye Xiu said. "The biggest city in the Jia Ma Empire—what do you think?"

Xiao Yi Xian chuckled twice, about to speak, but just then—

Boom!

A terrifying pressure swept in from outside the city, instantly engulfing all of Mo City.

That pressure was absurdly strong, forcing ordinary people in the city to the ground, unable to rise. The mercenaries turned pale, their legs going weak.

Xiao Yi Xian swayed, nearly falling. Ye Xiu reached out to steady her, his brow furrowing.

He knew this aura well—it was Queen Medusa!

Immediately after, an icy voice rang through the entire city:

"Ye Xiu—! Get the hell out here—!"

The voice was sharp and piercing, shaking every building in the city.

Xiao Yi Xian's face changed color; she tugged at Ye Xiu's sleeve. "M-Master, who is that?"

Ye Xiu paused, then said, "The Snake-Person Race Queen."

Xiao Yi Xian: "???"

A figure appeared in the distant sky.

It was a woman, clad in a red dress, standing midair.

Though Xiao Yi Xian was weak in strength, she'd heard that flying without Dou Qi Wing Transformation was a skill only a Dou Ancestor possessed!

She swallowed hard and turned to look at Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu stood there, no panic on his face, just a bit of a headache.

"Master, why is this Snake-Person Race Queen looking for you?"

Ye Xiu didn't answer. He patted her shoulder. "Go back to the inn and stay put. Don't come out."

With that, a boom sounded behind him as flame wings unfurled, and he shot into the sky.

The city had already fallen into chaos.

That pressure was too strong—absurdly so. Ordinary people lay pinned to the ground; those with some strength hid indoors, not daring to come out. The streets were empty, with only a few abandoned stalls left in shock.

In a remote little shop on the east side of Mo City, Hai Bodong had been bent over drawing a map. The moment that pressure hit, the brush in his hand slapped onto the table.

His face instantly turned deathly pale.

This aura...

An aura he would never forget in his lifetime!

Decades ago, he was one of the top ten powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire, basking in glory. Then the owner of this aura had severely wounded him, sealed his cultivation, and left him unable to advance for decades, forcing him to rot in this broken place running a map shop to get by!

Medusa!

Why was she here?

Hai Bodong quickly suppressed his own aura to the minimum, shrinking behind the counter, not daring to breathe loudly.

Then he carefully sensed her presence and was utterly stunned.

Dou, Dou Ancestor?!

Medusa had broken through to Dou Ancestor?!

In the sky, Medusa stood midair, staring coldly down below.

A figure suddenly shot up from the city, a pair of cyan flame wings on his back, reaching her in the blink of an eye.

It was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in fine robes, his face tense with panic.

He clasped his hands toward Medusa, his voice trembling: "Mo, Mo City Lord Li Cang, pays respects to Her Majesty the Queen! I had no idea Your Majesty was gracing us with your presence, and failed to welcome you properly—I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Medusa glanced at him, her gaze like looking at an ant.

"Has any Dou Emperor passed through Mo City in the past two days?" she asked, her voice icy.

Li Cang froze. Dou Emperor?

He swallowed hard and said cautiously, "In, in reply, Your Majesty, I wouldn't know either..."

Medusa didn't let him finish. She waved a hand casually.

Boom!

The city lord's entire body exploded into a mist of blood, not even having time to scream.

In the city below, those hiding indoors saw this scene and didn't even dare to breathe.

Medusa withdrew her hand, her face expressionless.

She had never held any goodwill toward humans anyway. Killing a city lord was no different from crushing an ant.

"Ye Xiu, if you don't come out now, I will slaughter this entire city."

Her voice rang through the whole city.

The moment the words fell, a voice came up from below.

"Your Majesty, why such a fiery temper?"

Medusa turned her head to look.

A black-robed youth flew up from the city, a smile on his face as he looked at her.

When Medusa saw him, her gaze instantly turned cold.

"You finally decided to show yourself."

Ye Xiu flew to a spot a few dozen meters in front of her and stopped, grinning. "When Her Majesty the Queen comes looking for me personally, how could I dare not show up?"

Medusa stared at him, saying nothing.

The next second, she moved.

Without any visible motion, she was suddenly right in front of him, slapping a palm toward him.

The strike looked light and airy, but the power behind it was terrifying—the surrounding air compressed and warped from the force.

Ye Xiu didn't dodge. He raised his palm and met it head-on.

Boom!

The two palms collided, and a shockwave exploded outward, rattling the houses below.

Medusa narrowed her eyes.

This man... could actually block one of her strikes?

She was a Dou Ancestor now. Ye Xiu was also a Dou Emperor, but that was a whole major realm lower. Logically, even if this palm strike didn't kill him, it should have wounded him.

But he blocked it, and he looked pretty relaxed doing it.

Ye Xiu withdrew his hand and smiled at her. "Your Majesty, can't we talk things out properly? Do we have to fight?"

Medusa's face was cold. "You did that to me and then turned tail and ran. As expected, you humans are all the same."

"I didn't run," Ye Xiu said. "I just wanted to give Your Majesty some time to cool down."

"I have been perfectly calm the entire time."

"Look at you right now—does that look calm to you?"

Medusa couldn't be bothered to waste words with him. She struck again with another palm.

Ye Xiu didn't back down. He met her head-on.

The two of them started fighting in the sky.

Down in the city, everyone hiding watched with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

That was a Dou Ancestor! The entire Jia Ma Empire hadn't seen more than a handful of Dou Ancestors in centuries! And now she was fighting a youth? And that youth could actually fight back?

Hai Bodong, standing in his shop and watching the two figures through the window, was completely stunned.

That kid... could actually trade blows with Medusa?

He remembered a few dozen days ago when Ye Xiu came to his shop to buy the remnant map and casually pinned him to the ground. Back then, he thought the young man was impressive, but only to a certain extent.

Now, looking at this—this wasn't a Dou King at all! This was a Dou Emperor!

And he could even fight a Dou Ancestor!

Hai Bodong swallowed hard.

Up in the sky, the two had already fought their way outside the city.

The more Medusa fought, the more something felt off.

She was a Dou Ancestor. Even if she wasn't going all out, a Dou Emperor shouldn't have been able to handle her!

Ye Xiu, on the other hand, was quite composed. He parried her moves while still managing to talk.

"Your Majesty, you chased me this far—surely it's not just to beat me up?"

Medusa ignored him and struck again.

Ye Xiu dodged and continued, "If you're really angry, I'll admit it. But you have to be reasonable, right? Last night, you were the one who pounced on me first. It's not like I forced you."

Medusa's face flushed red, and her attacks grew fiercer.

Ye Xiu dodged as he spoke. "And when I left, I even saved you some face. I left a note. That's pretty considerate, don't you think?"

"Shut up!"

Medusa struck a palm toward him, but this time Ye Xiu didn't dodge—instead, he surged forward.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

Medusa froze, and before she could react, she felt a tight grip around her waist.

Ye Xiu wrapped an arm around her waist, pressed his other hand against the back of her head, and kissed her directly.

Medusa's entire mind went blank.

She had lived for so many years, and no one had ever dared to treat her like this!

When she came to her senses, she opened her mouth and bit down hard.

Ye Xiu let out a sharp hiss, released her, and stepped back. He reached up and touched his lips, then looked at his hand—it was covered in blood.

Medusa stood there, staring at him with a flicker of panic in her eyes, her chest heaving violently.

Ye Xiu licked the blood off his lips and smiled.

"Alright, we're even now, aren't we?"

"Yesterday you made me bleed, today you made me bleed."

Medusa clenched her teeth, unable to speak for a long moment.

After a while, she suddenly spoke. "You say it so lightly. What do you take this Queen for?"

Ye Xiu looked at her seriously and said, "Be my girlfriend, will you?"

Medusa was taken aback.

She had never heard that word before.

"What does that mean?"

Ye Xiu then said in the most straightforward terms, "Queen, be my wife."