Four Great Elders

"Did she swallow it whole?" Xiao Yan stared dumbfounded at Medusa's delicate, frail body, which looked as though a gust of wind could knock her over.

As the Pill Lightning receded, Yao Lao's pill refinement also neared its end.

"It's done!" Xiao Yan said as he watched Yao Lao's movements.

Yao Lao drew back the pale white flames.

Bang!

The lid of the Black Demon Cauldron flew open on its own, and a streak of black light shot out from within. In an instant, the entire courtyard was filled with a rich medicinal fragrance and the scent of vitality.

Yao Lao reached out and grabbed it. Five smooth, round green pills the size of longan fruit rested quietly in his palm.

After placing four pills into a small jade bottle, Yao Lao casually tossed it to the Medusa who had been waiting expectantly nearby.

"Take them. I'll keep this one as payment for refining the pills."

"As it should be." Medusa accepted the jade bottle and clutched it tightly in her palm, smiling like a weasel that had just stolen a chicken.

"I need to rest for a while." With that, Yao Lao flew back into the Storage Ring.

"Hehe." Xiao Yan smiled at Medusa's blooming expression.

"Come, let's go see the elders," Medusa said.

"Mm!"

The purple figure grabbed Xiao Yan and vanished in a flash.

Medusa brought Xiao Yan outside a secluded courtyard not far from the Divine Temple.

"Elders, Medusa requests an audience." Medusa put away her usual seductive air and spoke respectfully.

"Come in." An aged voice came from inside the room.

Creak. The wooden door opened by itself without any wind.

Medusa led Xiao Yan into the room. Four elderly women sat cross-legged on cushions in the open space within.

The moment Xiao Yan entered, he saw the four elderly women with profound auras staring at him in unison, scrutinizing him. An immense pressure instantly bore down on him.

"Are you the Xiao Yan Her Majesty the Queen spoke of?" the elderly woman seated in the middle suddenly asked.

Whoosh!

A powerful aura shot directly toward Xiao Yan's chest.

Feeling his breathing grow slightly labored, Xiao Yan's pale green Dou Qi seemed to sense its master's pressure. It suddenly began circulating through the meridians it usually traveled during cultivation.

Huff!

With more than half the pressure instantly dispersed, Xiao Yan calmly replied, "That would be this junior."

"Eh, an eight-star Dou Master? Not bad." The Great Elder praised him before asking further.

"I heard that you lent your Heavenly Flame to help Her Majesty the Queen break free from the shackles of her Bloodline, shatter through the Dou Zong barrier, and evolve into a Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python?"

The Great Elder carefully examined Xiao Yan. Then her diamond-shaped pupils abruptly contracted, and three tiny snake-like strands of energy appeared within her eyes, swiftly circling around her pupils.

She had clearly activated some mysterious eye technique.

Xiao Yan felt as though his entire body was about to be seen through. Anger rose in his heart, and he stirred the Green Lotus Core Flame coiled at the center of his Qi Cyclone, sending it through his body to block that probing gaze.

"That's a Heavenly Flame?" For the first time, the Great Elder's usually unruffled expression showed astonishment.

"And your bone age is truly only five years? Unbelievable."

The Great Elder exchanged glances with the three elders beside her.

"Great Elder!" Medusa called out, her willow-leaf brows furrowing as she came to her senses.

"Her Majesty the Queen."

Seeing that Medusa's aura had already reached the Dou Zong realm, the Great Elder called out with satisfaction.

"Great Elder, these are Imperial Extreme Pills." Medusa took out a Rouge Jade Bottle and handed it to the Great Elder.

The Great Elder accepted the jade bottle and opened it, revealing four fragrant green pills inside.

"Kid, this time, the four of us old women owe you a favor. But that still isn't enough for you to take away the Clan Leader of our Snake-People Tribe."

At last, the Great Elder smiled broadly.

Hmph, four stubborn old hags with hard beaks, Xiao Yan grumbled inwardly.

"Medusa, we're going to attempt a breakthrough into the Dou Zong realm now. Stay behind and guard us."

The Great Elder rose to her feet.

"Yes, Great Elder." Medusa cupped her hands with her slender fingers and lowered her lovely face slightly.

At the foot of a small hill behind the Divine Temple, the Four Great Elders of the Snake-People Tribe sat quietly in meditation, each positioned at one of the four corners.

Perhaps they had already adjusted themselves to their peak condition. The elders simultaneously took out the Imperial Extreme Pills and swallowed them in a single gulp.

The four pressed their palms together and formed hand seals together. At first, their movements were somewhat disordered, but after a moment, their gestures and sequence became completely synchronized, growing faster and faster.

Suddenly, four streams of icy aura rose from their bodies, intertwining and merging in the sky. Finally, they condensed into a pitch-black giant python seven or eight zhang long in midair.

Roar! The pitch-black giant python hissed at everyone below.

"This seems to be some kind of combined attack secret art? It can actually be used to break through realms together?"

Xiao Yan watched the formation the four had deployed with an astonished expression.

"This is a secret never passed outside the Snake-People Tribe. It has been handed down from generation to generation among our tribe's elders. That is also why each generation of our Snake-People Tribe has only four elders."

Medusa walked over and spoke, parting her red lips lightly.

"Mm, there's a reason the Snake-People Tribe can stand independently among the Empires surrounding the Tagor Desert. The tribe's foundation truly cannot be underestimated." Xiao Yan nodded.

With that energy, the four began attacking the Dou Zong barrier that had obstructed them for many years. As they continued their relentless assault, the barrier gradually began to loosen. Suddenly, with a roar, the pitch-black giant python in midair began expanding rapidly.

"They're about to break through," Yao Lao said from within the Storage Ring.

Bang!

It was as if a colossal beast had suddenly awakened within the valley. A vast, surging aura spread recklessly throughout the area.

"Little fellow, get behind me." Medusa flashed forward and shielded Xiao Yan behind her.

Xiao Yan placed both hands on Medusa's slim waist and gave her a brilliant smile.

"You're still taking advantage of me at a time like this, you little rascal." Medusa rolled her beautiful eyes at Xiao Yan.

"..." Yao Lao, inside the Storage Ring, was speechless.

At last, the Great Elder, who faced north, suddenly shouted, "Withdraw!"

The four formed a hand seal. With a bang, the pitch-black giant python, which had expanded to twelve or thirteen zhang in length, exploded in midair and transformed into four streaks of dim light that returned to their bodies. The four abruptly retracted their auras and rose to their feet.

"So this is the Dou Zong realm?" The Great Elder clenched her right hand excitedly.

"With the strength of four one-star Dou Zongs, along with that combined attack technique, we could easily take down even a three-star Dou Zong." Feeling the power gained from her breakthrough, the Great Elder looked eager to test it.

"Huff, you're not bad, kid." The Second Elder, who had lingered at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm for many years and had finally made another great leap in cultivation, stepped forward and praised Xiao Yan.

Hehe, four Dou Zongs? Excellent! Their Her Majesty the Queen listens to me—could these four possibly run away? Now I've got four more Dou Zong thugs. I can swagger across the Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Yan thought with a grin as he watched the four elders approach, rubbing his chin.