Battle Through the Heavens: I Can Solidify All Talents

Although Soul Power was intangible and formless, to a powerhouse at Queen Medusa's level, its source was as clear as a beacon in the night.

"Who is it?"

Her cool voice echoed across the Gobi, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Even Queen Medusa had been shaken by that fierce Soul Power attack just now.

To erase the soul of a Tier 7 Magical Beast in a single strike was no ordinary feat.

Just as Queen Medusa remained fully on guard, that invisible Soul Power swept over her again, lingering on her body briefly with an air of scrutiny.

Queen Medusa's delicate body instantly tensed, her eyes fixed firmly on the distance as she assumed a defensive stance.

She could sense that the Soul Power attack from before had been terrifyingly powerful. It had actually annihilated the soul of a Tier 7 Magical Beast in one blow!

That level of strength had likely reached the Spirit Realm of the soul.

If that attack had targeted me...

The thought sent a chill through Queen Medusa's heart.

Although Queen Medusa's Soul Power was far stronger than that Venomous Jade Scorpion's, she would likely still suffer severe damage when faced with such condensed Soul Power.

In this Small World fraught with danger, Queen Medusa knew all too well what it meant for one's soul to be injured.

"Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? Hiding your head and showing your tail is not the conduct of a true powerhouse!"

Queen Medusa's voice was icy as surging purple Dou Qi erupted around her, condensing into a thick wall of light before her.

A faint gleam flowed across the Snake-Shaped Crown atop her head.

This was an inherited treasure of the Snake-People Tribe, possessing a certain degree of soul-defense capability.

Before an unknown and formidable enemy, Queen Medusa did not dare lower her guard in the slightest.

After a brief silence, a familiar voice sounded in Queen Medusa's mind.

"It's me."

At those words, surprise immediately filled Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes. "Xiao Qing?"

Xiao Qing emerged from behind a rocky mountain, Dou Qi wings unfurling behind him. With a gentle flap, he arrived at Queen Medusa's side.

"Where were you teleported these past few days? How did you end up here?"

Queen Medusa could not help asking, a trace of concern in her tone that even she had failed to notice.

Ever since they had been swept into the spatial rift, they had been separated for several days.

In this unfamiliar and dangerous environment, encountering someone familiar allowed Queen Medusa's tightly wound nerves to relax slightly.

Xiao Qing briefly looked her over. Only after confirming that Queen Medusa was injured but otherwise unharmed did he answer.

"I was teleported into a desert. I killed a few Tier 5 and Tier 6 Magical Beasts and have been searching for a way out."

Xiao Qing glossed over his experiences, making no mention of Old Yao's slumber or the Golden Book.

"I sensed energy fluctuations earlier. I didn't expect it to be you fighting a Tier 7 Magical Beast here."

A hint of helplessness flashed through Queen Medusa's eyes.

"The Magical Beasts here seem especially hostile toward outsiders. The moment they see one, they fight to the death."

After a moment of silence, Queen Medusa voiced an important discovery. "And their intelligence seems far lower than that of Magical Beasts in the outside world."

Normally, Tier 5 Magical Beasts possessed intelligence no weaker than that of a human child.

Tier 6 Magical Beasts could speak human language, and their intelligence was no less than a human's!

Tier 7 Magical Beasts could even undergo Form Transformation into humans!

Yet those two Tier 7 Venomous Jade Scorpions only knew how to attack brutally on instinct.

They did not even possess the most basic tactical coordination, something unimaginable in the outside world.

Xiao Qing scanned his surroundings and sensed the faint aura of destruction permeating the air. He spoke thoughtfully.

"Perhaps... this Small World is on the verge of collapse, and the destructive aura that has lingered here for so long has eroded their souls, leaving them muddled."

Thinking back on his experiences over the past few days, Xiao Qing had indeed found that the Magical Beasts here were all abnormally violent. They were nothing like the intelligent creatures outside that understood how to seek benefits and avoid harm.

This discovery plunged them both into thought.

If all the Magical Beasts here were like this, perhaps they could exploit that weakness.

But at the same time, it meant this Small World's condition was even worse than they had imagined. They had to find a way out as soon as possible.

"How are your injuries?"

Xiao Qing looked at Queen Medusa's pale face, his brow furrowing slightly.

"It is nothing. I merely consumed too much Dou Qi and suffered some minor injuries."

Queen Medusa gently shook her head, but her faintly trembling fingertips exposed her weakness.

After battling two Tier 7 Magical Beasts in succession, even she had reached her limit.

Xiao Qing took out a fragrant medicinal pill from his Storage Ring and handed it to Queen Medusa. "This is a Tier 5 Qi-Recovery Pill. It should be useful to you."

Queen Medusa was slightly stunned. Looking at Xiao Qing's calm expression, she hesitated before accepting the pill.

The pill melted the instant it entered her mouth. Its pure medicinal power swiftly replenished Queen Medusa's depleted Dou Qi, and some color returned to her pale face.

"Thank you."

Queen Medusa spoke softly, her tone carrying a trace of complexity.

Once, she had been the lofty Queen Medusa. Now, she had to rely on this human youth whom she had once regarded as a threat.

At that moment, Xiao Qing's gaze fell upon the two Venomous Jade Scorpion corpses in the distance, each as large as a small mountain. A gleam flashed through his eyes.

Every part of a Tier 7 Magical Beast was a treasure. Even after death, their jade-green carapaces still gleamed with a metallic luster.

Residual poisonous gas formed a thin green mist around the corpses, corroding even the air with sizzling sounds.

"Do you need these Magical Beasts? I can trade pills for them."

Xiao Qing turned to Queen Medusa and made the suggestion calmly.

Although he had helped her just now, Xiao Qing had always kept matters of cultivation resources clearly separated.

At his words, Queen Medusa's pale violet eyes flickered slightly.

Her gaze lingered for a moment upon the two corpses radiating terrifying pressure.

The corpses of Tier 7 Magical Beasts were indeed priceless. Whether it was their hard carapaces, tail hooks containing Venom,

or other parts, they were all exceptional materials for refining high-grade weapons and pills.

However, Queen Medusa quickly made her decision.

What Queen Medusa needed most now was to recover her strength as quickly as possible.

And to find a way to leave this Small World that was on the brink of collapse.

Not materials that would take time to process.

Besides, had Xiao Qing not intervened in time, Queen Medusa would likely have met a grim fate.

"They are of no use to me. Take them if you want them."

Queen Medusa's red lips parted. Her voice still carried its usual coolness, but some of her former aloofness had faded.

"As for the pills, there is no need. Consider it repayment for the favor of your intervention just now."

At that, Xiao Qing smiled faintly. "Then I won't stand on ceremony, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Qing no longer hesitated and strode toward the two enormous corpses.

The closer he got, the more clearly he could feel the terrifying aura that remained even after the Tier 7 Magical Beasts' deaths.

The foul poisonous gas rushed toward him, only to be blocked outside by a layer of pale golden Dou Qi that automatically emerged around Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing held two fingers together like a blade. Crimson-gold Dou Qi condensed at his fingertips, forming an incomparably sharp energy blade.

Xiao Qing precisely found the weakest joint in the Venomous Jade Scorpion's head carapace and lightly flicked his wrist!

The hard head carapace, which could withstand a full-force strike from a Dou Zong powerhouse, was easily sliced open like tofu.

His movements were astonishingly practiced, as though he had done this countless times before.

Soon, Xiao Qing extracted two Magic Cores about the size of fists, each a deep jade-green throughout.

The Magic Cores felt ice-cold in his hand. Thick venom seemed to flow slowly within them, releasing violent energy fluctuations that made one's heart palpitate.

"A Tier 7 Poison-Attribute Magic Core truly is extraordinary."

Xiao Qing carefully examined the Magic Cores in his hand, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

If these were brought into the outside world, they would be enough to drive countless alchemists and poison masters mad.

Xiao Qing carefully stored the two Magic Cores in his Storage Ring.

Next came the main event.

Xiao Qing held his breath and focused. His Soul Power, like the most precise carving knife, slowly probed into the poison sacs beneath the Venomous Jade Scorpions' necks.

That was where the essence of the toxins cultivated over the Venomous Jade Scorpions' lifetimes had gathered. A moment of carelessness could allow the poison into one's body. Even Dou Zong powerhouses would not dare touch it lightly.

Under Xiao Qing's precise control, two strands of the purest Poison Origin, nearly dark green in color, were slowly separated.

The process was extremely taxing on the mind, and fine beads of sweat even seeped from Xiao Qing's forehead.

A moment later, Xiao Qing successfully extracted two egg-sized clusters of deep, abyss-like green poison source and swiftly sealed them in specially made jade bottles.

This Tier 7 origin poison of the Venomous Jade Scorpion is fierce and pure. For Xiao Yi Xian, who possesses the Woe Poison Body, it is excellent cultivation nourishment, enough to rapidly raise her strength within a short time.

Xiao Qing looked at the jade bottles in his hand, a thoughtful gleam flashing through his eyes.

This "investment" might perhaps earn him an incomparably powerful ally in the future.

After dealing with the most precious Magic Cores and poison source, Xiao Qing looked at the two remaining enormous corpses, and a strange light flashed through his eyes.

Under Queen Medusa's horrified gaze, the space before Xiao Qing suddenly began to distort!

A pitch-black vortex roughly ten feet wide appeared out of thin air!

The vortex was so deep it made one's heart tremble. Fine spatial ripples spread along its edges, while its center seemed connected to endless nothingness.

What was even more shocking was that the vortex did not merely emit suction!

Instead, it radiated an even more fundamental and terrifying force, as though it would Devour all things and return everything to nothingness.

"This is... Spatial Power? No!!"

Queen Medusa's pupils abruptly contracted, and her delicate body instinctively retreated half a step.

With her strength as a Dou Zong, she could vaguely sense that the level of power contained within the vortex far surpassed ordinary Spatial Power.

The suction produced by the black vortex was irresistible. The two Venomous Jade Scorpion corpses, each like a small mountain, were effortlessly swept into it!

The incomparably hard carapaces and venom-filled flesh disintegrated and vanished like melting ice and snow the instant they touched the vortex.

Not even a trace of residue remained, as though they had never existed in this world.

The instant the corpses were completely Devoured, Xiao Qing's body trembled slightly.

A vast and pure life essence was fed back from the black vortex through some mysterious connection.

This energy surged through every part of Xiao Qing's body, but it did not entirely increase his Dou Qi.

Instead, it seeped into every inch of Xiao Qing's flesh, every bone, and every meridian in a deeper manner!

It continuously tempered and strengthened the fundamental nature of Xiao Qing's physical body.

Xiao Qing could even clearly observe within himself that his body had become tougher and denser beneath the energy's cleansing.

His bones also took on a faint jade-like sheen, and even his meridians seemed to have widened slightly.

His entire body seemed to have undergone a rebirth-like cleansing. A feeling of exhilaration spread through him, making Xiao Qing let out a long breath.

Five-Star Dou Wang!

A faint treasure-like radiance circulated across the surface of his body, an outward manifestation of his physical body's fundamental strengthening.