Rising Through Jia Nan Academy

Medusa Queen swept her expressionless gaze over the man and woman before her, finally fixing it on Qin Chen.

The aura she had sensed earlier had emanated from this man. This power was identical to the aura from the magma world some time ago.

Battle

Medusa's red lips parted slightly as she said flatly, "Were you the one who took the Heavenly Flame from the magma world?"

Under normal circumstances, if she saw a human at merely the Dou Wang level possessing a Heavenly Flame, she would have seized him without hesitation.

But now, she hesitated.

Medusa felt an indescribable strangeness about the man before her. In the past, humans who saw her were either so terrified that they collapsed to their knees and begged for mercy, or they pretended to be calm while unable to hide the greed in their eyes.

Could he be some talented junior sent out by a major faction to gain experience?

Qin Chen, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised. He had originally thought Medusa would rush him and snatch the Heavenly Flame, but it seemed he was not as unlucky as Xiao Yan, with people constantly jumping out to provoke him wherever he went.

Still, it did not matter.

Qin Chen had Qing Lin retreat to the side. Then, with a light snap of his fingers, a wisp of azure flame appeared at his fingertips. It looked weak, yet it radiated a heart-palpitating heat, even slightly warping the surrounding air as though it had been scorched.

Qin Chen raised his eyes to Medusa, a meaningful curve lifting at the corner of his lips. "Does Your Majesty want this? Defeat me, and I'll give it to you."

Before Medusa could speak, Qin Chen clenched his right hand. Blazing flames surged out and formed a long, slender azure sword. Medusa had intended to talk with Qin Chen, but she had not expected him to attack outright.

Qin Chen raised the longsword and swung it fiercely. A sharp flame sword aura tore through the air, carrying the tyrannical intent to burn all things as it shot straight at Medusa's face.

"You overestimate yourself!"

Medusa Queen sneered inwardly, the thought of negotiation instantly replaced by fury.

It seemed that her long years without taking action had made the world forget her fearsome reputation. Now, even a brat at the Dou Wang level dared provoke her.

Medusa waved her delicate hand, and immense Dou Qi swept out from within her body, transforming into a dark-purple ribbon of energy that carried a chilling aura as it met the flame sword aura.

"Boom!"

The two completely different forces collided violently in midair with a deafening crash, sweeping up sand across the sky.

Medusa's figure flashed, and she appeared at Qin Chen's side like a phantom. Her jade hand curled into a claw, tearing toward his back with fierce wind force.

Qin Chen had already been prepared. He tapped the ground with his toes, instantly shifting several yards sideways and narrowly avoiding the claw.

"Not bad, kid."

A trace of surprise flashed through Medusa's eyes, only for her sneer to deepen. With another wave of her hand, she summoned a seven-colored longsword. It sliced through the air with a piercing shriek as it slashed toward Qin Chen.

Their figures rapidly crossed through the yellow sand. For a time, sparks flew everywhere, the thunderous collisions of Dou Qi intertwining with the crisp clangs of their swords, making the surrounding sand tremble without cease.

Qin Chen cultivated a mid-tier Earth-class technique. Combined with his powerful soul perception and the Dou Qi tempered by the Heavenly Flame, even ordinary low-level Dou Emperors might not be his match.

But Medusa before him was, after all, a peak Dou Emperor, only one step away from becoming a Dou Zong. The richness of her Dou Qi and her combat experience were far beyond Qin Chen's.

After exchanging only a few rounds, Qin Chen quickly fell into a disadvantage.

"Eight Wastes Burning Heaven Palm!"

Qin Chen shouted and took the initiative to disperse his energy sword. Blazing azure flames suddenly erupted from both his palms, and a scorching heatwave spread outward from him, warping even the air as if it were burning.

He no longer held back, driving the Dou Qi within his body to its limit. He thrust both palms forward, and a flaming palm imprint containing terrifying power surged toward Medusa like a burning hill, carrying an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth.

This is? An Earth-class Dou Skill!

Medusa was startled. She had clearly not expected this brat, who seemed to be only at the Dou Wang level, to unleash such a powerful Dou Skill.

"However, if you think you can defeat me with a mere Earth-class Dou Skill, you're being far too naive!"

Medusa snorted coldly as seven-colored Dou Qi surged around her. The longsword in her hand blossomed with brilliant light, radiating a pressure that made one's heart tremble.

She raised the sword above her head and slashed downward with all her might.

The seven-colored sword aura containing terrifying power was like a rainbow ripping apart heaven and earth. Carrying unparalleled sharpness, it slashed directly toward the flaming palm imprint.

"Boom!!"

The instant they collided, violent energy waves swept outward. The yellow sand on the ground was thrown dozens of feet into the air, forming a massive sand wave that continued spreading into the distance.

"Young Master!"

An anxious female voice rang out. Qing Lin stared at the raging sand filling the sky, her pretty face pale. Her hands clenched into fists, but the overwhelming gap in strength left her unable to approach.

"Cough, cough..."

On the other side, Qin Chen was blasted backward again and again. He forcefully suppressed the metallic sweetness in his throat before barely steadying himself. Raising his eyes toward Medusa, he found that her breathing was only slightly hurried. Other than that, she had not suffered much damage.

Even after refining the Heavenly Flame, I still can't contend against a peak Dou Emperor. I really was thinking too highly of myself. Qin Chen laughed bitterly inwardly.

In this clash of Dou Skills, Medusa had held the absolute upper hand!

But that was hardly surprising. Medusa was far stronger than Qin Chen to begin with, and as a magical beast, her powerful physical body gave her much greater endurance against energy backlash.

Looking at the weakened Qin Chen, Medusa's stunning face revealed the smile of a victor. "Kid, that move just now was not bad. Unfortunately, your strength is still lacking."

It seemed she had worried too much. Although this human brat could unleash power far beyond that of a Dou Wang, he could not stir up much trouble in the face of an absolute gap in strength.

Qin Chen took a deep breath, his gaze locked tightly on Medusa. A strange curve suddenly rose at the corner of his lips. "Your Majesty's strength truly lives up to its reputation. Next, let me show you my trump card!"

Qin Chen swiftly formed hand seals, and an invisible force of the soul sent faint ripples through the air as it shot toward Medusa with the force of thunder.

Caught off guard, Medusa suddenly felt her mind grow hazy, and even the scene before her eyes became slightly distorted.

She snorted coldly and rapidly circulated the Dou Qi within her body, instantly dispersing the sudden soul interference.

Then Medusa saw the exquisite jade bottle that had already reached her...

"Wha..."

Medusa Queen's pupils shrank sharply as an unprecedented sense of danger swept through her entire body.

Without time to think, she abruptly pressed her palms together, mobilizing all the Dou Qi in her body to form a thick energy barrier.

"Boom!!!"

An earth-shaking explosion resounded across the entire desert. The energy unleashed by the Earth Core Thunder Pearl erupted like a tidal wave, completely swallowing Medusa's figure.

Under this terrifying power, the Dou Qi barrier Medusa had condensed shattered instantly. Even her prideful, powerful body could not withstand such a devastating strike.

Trade

When the smoke and dust dispersed, a massive deep pit had appeared in the ground. Medusa had already lost consciousness and lay within it in a sorry state, half of her snake tail buried beneath the yellow sand.

Most of her luxurious brocade robe had been burned away. Her once-fair skin was now covered in fine bloody marks, while several broken strands of hair clung messily to her cheeks. None of her former queenly majesty remained.

"Young Master, are you all right?"

The moment Qin Chen landed, Qing Lin hurriedly ran over from afar and threw herself into his arms, her little face full of worry.

"I'm fine. My Dou Qi is merely exhausted."

Qin Chen smiled faintly and gently patted Qing Lin's back. Then he said seriously, "Qing Lin, release the Silver-Winged Heavenly Serpent. We need to leave this place quickly!"

The explosion of the Earth Core Thunder Pearl had caused too much commotion. It would inevitably attract other experts from around the Tagore Desert.

"Mm."

Qing Lin nodded obediently and flicked her little hand forward. A flash of silver light appeared, and the massive body of the Silver-Winged Heavenly Serpent emerged beside them.

The Silver-Winged Heavenly Serpent was a magical beast capable of flight, a third-tier companion Qin Chen had helped Qing Lin subdue a few days ago.

After sending Qing Lin and Medusa onto the serpent's back one after the other, Qin Chen said to the former, "Qing Lin, let's go. Return to the place where we originally refined the Heavenly Flame."

"Understood, Young Master." Qing Lin then closed her eyes and conveyed her command to the Silver-Winged Heavenly Serpent.

"Hiss!"

Receiving Qing Lin's command, the Silver-Winged Heavenly Serpent let out a low hiss. Its wings beat fiercely, stirring up sand and dust as it shot into the distance like an azure bolt of lightning.

As the three people and one beast vanished beyond the horizon, the sky above gradually calmed once more. Only the battle's devastation and the lingering scorching energy remained.

However, the desert was windy. Before long, the endless yellow sand would likely bury this enormous pit.

Yet the calm lasted for only a quarter of an hour before two streams of light flew rapidly in from the east and west, stopping above the sand pit.

As the streams of light faded, two figures slowly emerged.

One was an old man with white hair and a youthful complexion, dressed in an exquisite yellow robe. As his gaze swept across the area, he exuded an imposing aura without even showing anger.

He was the guardian of the Jia Ma royal family and the Jia Ma Empire's strongest Dou Emperor—Jia Xing Tian!

The other was a woman dressed in a purple-and-gold tight-fitting brocade robe. Her figure was graceful, and her beautiful, tranquil face resembled a snow lotus atop a high mountain, carrying an unmistakable air of nobility.

She was the Misty Cloud Sect's leader, the Dou Emperor Yun Yun.

After exchanging pleasantries, Jia Xing Tian swept his gaze over the devastated battlefield below. The lingering scorching energy and faint scent of blood mingled in the air, causing him to frown deeply. He said in a grave voice, "Such terrifying energy fluctuations do not seem like something a Dou Emperor could produce. Could it be that a Dou Zong fought here just now?"

Yun Yun also furrowed her delicate brows. Her beautiful eyes swept over the yellow sand. A moment later, she raised a jade hand toward a certain spot, and a dim stream of light shot out from the sand, landing firmly in her grasp.

"This is... a seven-colored snake scale?" Jia Xing Tian's expression changed as he looked at the object in Yun Yun's hand.

The scale in Yun Yun's hand was about the size of a palm. Although more than half of it had been burned black, its seven-colored sheen could still be seen.

Everyone around the Tagore Desert knew that seven-colored snake scales were Medusa Queen's signature mark. She was the true ruler of the desert, and her strength was unfathomable.

Coming back to his senses, Jia Xing Tian's expression turned solemn. Looking at Yun Yun, he said, "Sect Leader Yun Yun, this matter is no small matter. It not only concerns Medusa Queen, but may even involve a Dou Zong. I would like to request your sect's assistance in investigating this alongside the royal family."

As the protector of the imperial family, investigating outside experts was originally Jia Xing Tian's duty. But this matter was highly unusual, and the royal family alone might not be able to handle it.

Yun Yun fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. Then a flash of resolve quickly passed through her eyes as she said softly, "Elder Jia is right. The Misty Cloud Sect will certainly do its utmost."

Given Yun Yun's temperament, she had originally been unwilling to become involved in such disputes. But Jia Xing Tian was right—this matter involved a Dou Zong.

Elsewhere, inside a hidden cave on a cliff.

The Dou Qi within Medusa's body had temporarily been sealed by Qin Chen. Her beauty, enough to make heaven and earth lose their color under normal circumstances, was now covered in frost as she glared fiercely at the two humans before her, one large and one small.

Glancing at Medusa, who lay on the ground filled with killing intent, Qin Chen teased, "Your Majesty, it seems you're very unconvinced."

The Earth Core Thunder Pearl's power was indeed formidable. A single one had heavily injured even a peak Dou Emperor, and Medusa was a magical beast with such a powerful body.

This trip to the Misty Cloud Sect seemed secure now.

"Despicable methods." Medusa Queen gritted her silver teeth and said viciously.

"Despicable?"

Qin Chen burst into laughter. His gaze swept over Medusa's cheeks, slightly flushed with anger, as he continued, "Your Majesty has fought and struggled in the Tagore Desert for so many years. Don't tell me you still don't understand that all is fair in war?"