Medusa Queen (More Favorites, Investments, and Recommendation Votes Are Always Welcome)

Azure Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame List, was born deep within the earth and tempered, fused, and compressed countless times by the fires of the land...

It gained spirit in ten years, took shape in a hundred, and transformed into a lotus in a thousand. At full maturity, it took on a bluish hue, and a cluster of azure flame grew at its heart. It was called the Azure Lotus Core Flame. Its power was unfathomable, said to be capable of triggering volcanic eruptions and creating natural disasters!

It was only said to be so because nobody had ever seen the thing.

Most so-called claims were wild guesses made by people who had never seen it.

Mo Yun was no stranger to the Azure Lotus Core Flame, whether from the original novel or the game. Influenced by the original protagonist's plot armor, although it did not rank highly on the Heavenly Flame List, its presence was among the most prominent.

"Go take a look!" Mo Yun ordered the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake obediently moved closer. As it drew nearer to the azure lotus, the temperature soared steadily. Even inside the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's mouth, the scorching heat could not be completely blocked.

Yet after the Fire Spirit Snake carried him into the azure radiance, that sudden high temperature inexplicably vanished.

Once inside the azure radiance, his senses became exceptionally clear.

It was a massive azure lotus nearly two meters across, divided into eight petals. Every petal resembled green jade, with its vein-like patterns clearly visible within. It was crystal-clear and free of even the slightest impurity.

Within the lotus sat a smaller lotus platform, bluish-yellow in color. Several holes dotted its surface, emitting a faint glow. They should have contained the second treasure Mo Yun had come for: Azure Fire Lotus Seeds.

At that moment, the slender stem beneath the azure lotus swayed gently, seemingly absorbing pure fire-attributed energy from the magma without pause.

But as Mo Yun's senses continued to move, he froze when they reached the lotus heart at the center of the platform within the azure lotus.

At the lotus heart, a bluish-green flame slowly rose and burned, giving off an untouchable feeling.

"Hm? The Azure Lotus Core Flame? It hasn't been taken?"

In the original novel, Xiao Yan had descended here and found not even half a spark. Yet when he came down, everything was here—the lotus platform, the lotus seeds, and even the Azure Lotus Core Flame itself, a complete set.

Is this what plot armor feels like?

Still, Mo Yun was not overly excited about the Azure Lotus Core Flame. If what had appeared before him had been the corpse of a Dou Di or a Dou Sheng-class magical beast, that would have been another matter.

His senses swept continuously around the azure lotus when a crystalline object that did not fit the surroundings suddenly caught Mo Yun's attention.

Deep among the lotus petals surrounding the platform, a seven-colored snake scale entered Mo Yun's sight...

"This proves Medusa has already been here, but she failed and didn't take the Azure Lotus Core Flame back..."

Thinking about it, though, collecting the Azure Lotus Core Flame was no simple task. Given the Medusa Queen's temperament, she would probably have tried to seize it by force.

That night, the powerful aura had seemed somewhat unstable when it departed, as though its owner had been injured. It seemed that Medusa's attempt to subdue the Azure Lotus Core Flame had not gone smoothly at all. On the contrary, she had suffered a setback.

Though the azure lotus looked delicate, forcibly cutting it off and taking it away would not be easy. Fortunately, Mo Yun had learned from the original novel a little trick for obtaining the Azure Lotus Core Flame's lotus platform.

"Cut horizontally through the point where the lotus connects to the stem. Take the entire lotus platform!" Mo Yun calmly gave the order while the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake grew restless under the roasting heat of the Azure Lotus Core Flame.

Upon receiving the command, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake acted as if it had been granted a pardon. It immediately swung its tail and lashed at the small section beneath the lotus platform where it connected to the stem.

Its snake tail sliced through the air, even leaving a thin white streak in the fiery magma. Then, the flawless azure lotus slowly came loose.

Seeing the azure lotus separate from its stem, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake tactfully curled its tail around it and scooped it up.

With the treasure in hand, Mo Yun did not linger. He immediately ordered the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake to wrap its tail around the Azure Lotus Core Flame's platform and return the way they had come.

The return journey went far more smoothly.

A full hour passed. On the surface of the magma lake, which had returned to stillness, large amounts of magma suddenly bulged upward. A crimson two-headed serpent-type magical beast burst out from within—it was the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

One of its heads slowly rested against the edge of the magma lake, then gradually opened its mouth. Mo Yun, who had been hidden inside, stepped out.

Then, with a sweep of its tail, the Fire Spirit Snake placed the entire azure lotus platform intact not far from Mo Yun.

Only after emerging from the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's mouth and personally feeling the scorching heat of the Azure Lotus Core Flame did Mo Yun truly understand the terror of a Heavenly Flame.

However, Mo Yun's hands did not stay idle. He quickly plucked the lotus seeds from the platform one by one and placed them into jade bottles prepared beforehand.

Just as he put away the eleven Azure Fire Lotus Seeds and prepared to collect the Azure Lotus Core Flame from the lotus heart, his expression suddenly stiffened.

It was now the middle of the night outside. The desert temperature had dropped sharply, and without the daytime heat, his senses had become much sharper.

Within his senses, Mo Yun detected that powerful aura from before!

The lingering aura in this place had interfered with his perception, so he had not noticed it immediately. But just now, he sensed it.

And its owner had already entered the passage...

That powerful aura was, nine times out of ten, the Medusa Queen!

That woman hated humans most of all. If she discovered him, his little life would probably be over. Not everyone had what it took to play with snakes!

Just as Mo Yun racked his brains for a way out, a fierce gust suddenly surged from the passage he had taken earlier...

When Mo Yun focused his eyes on it, the expression on his face froze completely.

The next instant, a graceful, curvaceous figure stood before the azure lotus.

The newcomer wore an elegant purple brocade robe. The exquisite figure beneath it was far too alluring to be fully concealed by such a small robe, especially the fullness of her chest, which faintly showed through and constantly drew the eye.

Her ink-black hair fell straight down to her slender waist. Beneath the brocade robe, a short length of purple snake tail was elegantly exposed, seductive and wild without losing its beauty.

As his gaze slowly traveled over her, it finally settled on her exquisite and beautiful face, one so flawless that no imperfection could be found.

The Medusa Queen?!

Yet Mo Yun had no mind for wild thoughts at the moment. He knew that the woman before him possessed both peerless beauty and a fearsome reputation.

Her beauty had already surpassed his imagination, so her ferocity was likely no less remarkable. His life still hung in the balance.

However, the Medusa Queen did not seem to notice Mo Yun, or perhaps she simply ignored his existence.

Instead, she stared fixedly at the flame on the lotus platform before saying with a hint of self-mockery, "This Queen went to every effort to prepare the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to obtain the Heavenly Flame, only to nearly be beaten to it by a human insect..."

As she spoke, the violet eyes set in her exquisite face turned directly toward Mo Yun...