Evolution Begins (Seeking Recommendations, Favorites, and Investment)

"Noisy!"

"Mo Bass!"

Before Mo Bass of the Snake People Clan could finish speaking, the young man called Chen Xiao frowned, swept a cold glance over him, and sent Mo Bass plummeting from the sky like a cannonball fired from its barrel.

With a boom, a thunderous roar shook everyone's hearts.

A Dou Zong expert was truly terrifying!

Yet at that moment, the space high above the city walls suddenly twisted in an eerie manner. Seeing this, Gu He and the others were slightly startled. Aside from the silent black-robed figure, they all took a small step back and stared solemnly at the distorted space.

In the sky, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled down. As it shone upon the warped space, a graceful female figure slowly appeared beneath the gazes of countless people.

The beautiful woman who had appeared out of nowhere wore an elegant purple brocade robe. Beneath it, her body was plump and exquisite, like a ripe peach, exuding a faint seductive charm. Her long black hair cascaded casually from her fragrant shoulders down to her slender waist. A section of purple snake tail emerged from beneath her robe, swaying gently. Its wild, bewitching allure inexplicably made everyone's bodies grow hot.

Chen Xiao's gaze swept over that nearly perfect body before finally settling on her beautiful face.

"As expected of the Medusa Queen of the Beautiful Continent. You truly are stunning. Has Your Majesty the Queen finally thought it over and decided to have a few drinks with me, then spend the night in deep conversation?"

Chen Xiao's eyes roamed without restraint over the Medusa Queen's flawless body, and he finally said,

"Tsk, tsk. That little waist, that little face, that little tail... You just aren't sincere enough."

"Your Majesty the Queen!"

After the bewitching woman appeared, a dark mass of Snake People atop the city walls immediately knelt down. Their respectful voices pierced the heavens.

"Human, you were looking for me?"

In the sky, the Medusa Queen lowered her head slightly and looked at Chen Xiao. Her red lips curved into a delicate arc, and in an instant, her exquisite face became brimming with demonic charm. Every smile and frown of hers left the few Dou Ling experts beside Gu He momentarily dazed. Under the Medusa Queen's smiling gaze, before the young man could speak—

An extremely hypnotic song suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Looking, looking, looking for friends, found myself a good friend. Give a salute, shake a hand, you're my good friend."

"There's a single dog looking for a girlfriend."

The moment the song began, Chen Xiao staggered in fright and nearly fell headfirst from the city wall.

"Exactly! Otherwise, why would I travel all the way here from the Central Continent?"

Chen Xiao—or rather, Xiao Chen—calmed his turbulent emotions, spread his hands, and smiled.

"Central Continent."

At those words, both Gu He and the Medusa Queen frowned.

Judging by the man's appearance, he was only in his twenties or thirties. Aside from the Central Continent, where prodigies gathered like clouds, the entire Northwest Continent probably could not produce such a young Dou Zong expert.

"Speak! What do you want, human?"

A Dou Zong was qualified to receive her attention, especially at such a crucial time.

"Nothing much. I simply wanted to see just how beautiful the Medusa Queen of the Beautiful Continent truly was. Now that I've seen you, this trip hasn't been in vain. If Your Majesty the Queen thinks I'm trustworthy, I can stand guard for you for a while. What do you say?"

"The Snake People Clan does not need an outsider's help. Leave, human."

After hearing Xiao Chen's words, the Medusa Queen's lovely face turned frosty as she replied coldly.

Elsewhere, Medusa would not have had such confidence when facing a Dou Zong expert. But within the Snake People Divine City, if she wished it, she was still confident she could make the man before her stay forever.

However, the price would be that the Snake People Clan would completely lose the possibility of leaving the desert for several centuries.

"Leave? Fine. Then I'll take my leave. But before I go, let me wish Your Majesty the Queen success in your evolution in advance."

Hearing this, the Medusa Queen had expected a fight. Instead, the man merely laughed loudly, and as space twisted around him, he vanished before everyone's eyes.

Leaving everyone present staring at one another.

"Could it be... that he really only came to see whether Medusa was beautiful or not?"

Gu He frowned and carefully searched the surroundings with his soul power. After confirming that the man's aura had completely vanished, he could not help muttering inwardly.

He had thought an unexpected complication had arisen and that the Heavenly Flame would be out of reach this time. Yet he had not expected a Dou Zong expert to leave simply because of one sentence from the Medusa Queen.

That charm was probably unmatched.

Of course, it was even more likely that the man was hiding in the shadows, waiting to reap the benefits.

Gu He was not the only one who thought so. The Medusa Queen clearly thought the same.

Thus, the originally tense atmosphere between the two sides became strange because of the man's sudden arrival and equally sudden departure.

"Evolution... so that's it."

Under her black robe, Yun Yun finally confirmed her speculation.

"Gu He, let's leave. The Heavenly Flame is no longer possible."

If Chen Xiao had not suddenly appeared, Yun Yun might have done her utmost to take a gamble for Gu He's years of service to the Misty Cloud Sect.

But the possibility of a Dou Zong expert lurking in the shadows and waiting to profit from their conflict was enough to make her abandon that idea.

"Why?"

Gu He's expression changed as he asked in a deep voice.

"I once happened to read a piece of information about the Snake People Clan's queen in an ancient book. It said that when the Medusa Queen reaches the peak of the Dou Emperor realm, if her fortune is sufficient, she can undergo a peculiar evolution. After evolving, not only can the Medusa Queen freely transform into human form, but her strength will naturally advance to the Dou Zong realm as well. However, the success rate of this evolution seems to be quite low, and... most importantly, the thing required for this evolution is a Heavenly Flame..."

"I think the reason Queen Medusa does not wish to trade away the Heavenly Flame is because she intends to use it for evolution?" The black-robed figure tilted her head slightly and said calmly.

"Besides, no one can be certain whether that man truly left."

"Fine, then we'll leave."

After hearing this, Gu He was decisive. Since he knew he could not obtain it, he would not risk everyone's lives.

"Your Majesty the Queen, pardon our disturbance."

"Let's go."

After Pill King Gu He and the others had completely departed, the alluring Medusa Queen in midair transformed into a cloud of pale purple mist that slowly rose and dissipated.

At the same time, in a circular clearing, the surrounding bamboo and flower beds had been completely cleared away. Fine, smooth pebbles were scattered across the area, forming a small sunken pool. The pool was filled with crystal-clear liquid. White mist lingered above its surface, radiating astonishing cold.

At the center of the small pool stood a lotus pedestal carved from strange crystal. At that moment, a cluster of green flames slowly rose from atop the lotus pedestal.

This green flame was extremely spiritual. As it gently churned, it sometimes condensed into the shape of a lotus and sometimes formed into a tiny green flame snake, hovering and circling within the lotus pedestal. Its docile appearance was exceptionally adorable.

The Green Lotus Core Flame, nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Born in the depths of the earth, it had undergone countless temperings, fusions, compressions, and refinements by the earth's fire... It gained spirit in ten years, took form in a hundred, and became a lotus in a thousand. At full maturity, its color leaned toward green. A cluster of green fire would emerge from the lotus heart, called the Green Lotus Flame, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame. Its power was unfathomable. Near volcanic regions, it could even trigger volcanic eruptions, creating nature's destructive force!

That crystal lotus pedestal was clearly no ordinary object. Whenever the green flame was about to slip beyond the lotus seat's range, a faint white barrier would abruptly appear and knock the Heavenly Flame back.

However, a careful observer would notice that whenever the Heavenly Flame came into contact with the barrier, the Ice Spirit Cold Spring in the pool would diminish by an imperceptible amount. Clearly, the crystal lotus pedestal relied on the power of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to confine the green flame within it.

At the same time, a beautiful face, so lovely it was almost demonic, appeared beside the pool.

It belonged to none other than the Medusa Queen.

The Medusa Queen at this moment was no different from the energy body that had appeared outside the city earlier. Her graceful body was wrapped in a luxurious and expensive purple brocade robe. Her plump, fiery, exquisite figure radiated seductive temptation, while her narrow pale-purple eyes flowed with natural enchantment, seemingly capable of drawing in every man's gaze.

A section of purple tail emerged from beneath her brocade robe, swaying lazily and exuding wildness and an unusual charm.

The Medusa Queen's beautiful eyes were fixed tightly on the green flame in the small pool. Reflected by its glow, flame-like arcs flickered in her pale-purple eyes. After silently watching the green flame for a long time, the Medusa Queen suddenly sighed softly, raised her head to look at the sky, then gently swayed her snake tail as her fiery body slowly rose upright.

"It's time..."

She murmured softly. A rare trace of hesitation flashed across the Medusa Queen's bewitching face, but it transformed into resolve a moment later. Two snow-white wrists emerged from beneath her purple brocade robe, and her delicate hands slowly formed several seals before her. As the hand seals changed, the crystal lotus pedestal suddenly trembled violently. The light barrier above it gradually vanished, and the instant it disappeared, the unrestrained green flame burst forth. It swelled wildly in the wind and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a blazing inferno.

Under the green blaze, the Ice Spirit Cold Spring in the small pool evaporated at a visible rate. The surrounding bamboo, rapidly withering from the scorching heat, was ignored.

At that moment, the Medusa Queen lightly bit her red lip, her jade-like hand about to undo the clasps of her brocade robe.

"Don't look at indecent things, Host. If you keep staring, you'll be suppressed by a divine beast."