Queen Medusa's evolution

"Buzzz..."

As Su Tian furiously compressed the mass of Dou Qi in his lower abdomen, a low humming sound emanated from his body.

His expression was grave, and he dared not relax for even a moment.

Under his continuous compression, the fiery-red mass of Dou Qi slowly shrank.

The first compression isn't much of a problem for me now.

Su Tian turned his gaze inward, studying the mass of Dou Qi in his lower abdomen. He nodded inwardly and breathed a sigh of relief.

He could now sense a trace of volatile energy within the Dou Qi that had undergone its first compression.

As he continued compressing it, that volatile energy would grow denser. This was why the Army-Breaking Dragon Fist could unleash such formidable power.

It drew upon the violent force produced by compressing Dou Qi.

With repeated compression, that force would grow increasingly concentrated, ultimately reaching an astonishing level.

Next comes the second compression.

Su Tian drew a deep breath, settled his turbulent emotions, and sharpened his focus once more as he began compressing the Dou Qi a second time.

This step was equally familiar territory for him.

"Buzzz..."

His eyes half closed, Su Tian immersed his mind in the Dou Qi within his lower abdomen, guiding its second compression in an orderly fashion.

Condense again!

With an inward shout, Su Tian immediately forced the Dou Qi to condense. Its already greatly reduced volume began to change once more.

Watching the mass of Dou Qi slowly compress under his control, he opened his eyes, a flicker of hesitation passing through them.

The first two compressions aren't difficult anymore. The crucial part is the third.

Su Tian drew a deep breath, thoughts surging through his mind.

The third compression was the most difficult step. The slightest mistake could cause the compressed Dou Qi to run wild, unleashing the violent force within it in an explosive burst.

Yet according to the Dou Technique's instructions, once he successfully completed the third compression, he could execute a simplified version of this Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique.

That was precisely why Su Tian had set his heart on compressing the Dou Qi three times.

Although the power of such a simplified technique would fall far short of the complete Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique, it would suffice for him in the short term.

After all, he would at least be able to use a Dou Technique in battle.

Moreover, Su Tian firmly believed that, given enough time, fully mastering the Army-Breaking Dragon Fist would be no problem.

However, this third compression had become the barrier holding back his progress.

I refuse to believe it! Am I really going to let this third compression choke me to death?

After a brief hesitation, Su Tian gritted his teeth, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes. He quickly made his choice and gave a cold snort.

Then he closed his eyes again, sinking his awareness into his body and swiftly reaching the mass of Dou Qi in his lower abdomen.

Come on! This time, I'll succeed!

Su Tian inwardly released a long breath. Resolve appeared in his eyes as his hand seal abruptly changed, and he immediately began the third compression.

Rumble...

This time was different from the previous two. The moment he began, a faint rumbling came from within the mass of Dou Qi.

Yet his expression remained calm, as though he had expected this all along.

Surround it!

With an inward shout, Su Tian abruptly changed his hand seal. The Dou Qi in his body instantly enveloped that mass, then steadily closed in under his control.

In the blink of an eye, the encirclement wrapped tightly around it. Su Tian paused briefly, then began suppressing it with all his might!

This time, I refuse to believe I can't bring you to heel!

As Su Tian sneered, the twice-compressed mass of Dou Qi began fluctuating violently, like boiling water, radiating waves of wild, restless energy.

Sensing this, Su Tian grew solemn and dared not let his guard down.

His previous failures had taught him exactly what this meant. The slightest lapse would cause the Dou Qi undergoing compression to erupt violently.

What followed would be another failed compression.

At this point, Su Tian kept his awareness fixed on every minute detail, allowing no room for error.

Rumble, rumble...

Despite his constant suppression of the violent fluctuations emanating from the Dou Qi, the compression made no progress.

No matter how much pressure the surrounding Dou Qi applied, the twice-compressed mass remained immovable. Nor did Su Tian dare suddenly increase the pressure, which could easily upset its compressed balance.

After a prolonged stalemate, he gradually lost patience.

I might as well gamble on it. At worst, I'll fail!

With that thought, Su Tian made his decision. At the same time, he prepared to expel the mass of Dou Qi from his body the instant it ran wild.

Having decided, he immediately changed his hand seal. Disregarding its violent fluctuations, he directly commanded the abundant Dou Qi within his body to exert continuous pressure upon it.

Boom!

In an instant, the mass of Dou Qi seemed to rebound after being pushed to its limit, releasing a heavy, muffled boom that echoed through Su Tian's body.

Then a violent force rapidly spread out from within it.

So I've failed again after all...

Seeing this familiar sight, Su Tian's heart sank, and he could not help sighing.

Clearly, his third compression had ended in failure once again.

Rumble!!!

The Dou Qi filled with violent force rapidly expanded, as though it would burst apart in the next instant and wildly unleash the formidable power contained within.

Yet just as Su Tian sighed and abruptly changed his hand seal, preparing to expel the rampaging Dou Qi from his body, something unexpected happened.

"Buzzz..."

In an instant, an invisible force surged from Su Tian's mind, rushing toward the mass of Dou Qi about to explode in his lower abdomen.

Su Tian froze at the sight, murmuring inwardly, This is... the soul power within me!

He had never expected his soul power to surge uncontrollably toward the unsuccessfully compressed Dou Qi at this moment.

Could this be my chance to complete the third compression?

At that thought, Su Tian's expression brightened, and wild joy welled up within him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took control of the soul power with a thought. This time, I refuse to believe I can't deal with you!

Su Tian snorted coldly. Like a towering tidal wave, his soul power instantly enveloped the Dou Qi on the verge of exploding.

Then, as naturally as water flowing into a channel, he began using his soul power to carry out the third compression again, preventing even the slightest trace of violent force from escaping.

Using soul power to compress Dou Qi clearly yielded twice the results with half the effort.

Realizing this, Su Tian could not contain his delight. Why didn't I think of this sooner? It seems soul power is better suited to compressing Dou Qi!

He had known that soul power was profoundly mysterious and could be used to refine medicinal pills.

Yet he had trapped himself in a dead end of thought, viewing soul power solely as something needed for pill refining and overlooking its other important uses.

Rumble, rumble...

Now, however desperately the mass of Dou Qi struggled, it could not escape the restraints of his soul power.

Under this suppression, it slowly began its third compression.

Although the process was not especially fast, Su Tian was in no hurry.

At least this was already a promising sign. Once he succeeded this time, subsequent compressions would surely be much faster.

"Buzzz..."

Almost there!

Sensing the increasingly powerful aura of violent force within the compressing Dou Qi, Su Tian licked his lips, wild delight spreading across his face as he murmured inwardly.

As time passed, a low, muffled rumble finally marked the successful completion of the third compression!

Boom!

"Now! Dragon Fist, release!"

At that moment, Su Tian's eyes snapped open, a fierce gleam flashing within them. With a sharp shout, he clenched his right hand into a fist and drove it forward.

The Dou Qi that had undergone three compressions completed its passage through the designated meridians almost instantaneously.

Then, beneath Su Tian's expectant gaze, a dazzling blaze of searing fire coalesced around his fist.

"Roar!"

In the next instant, a faint dragon's roar rang out beside his ears.

The delight on his face deepened. Without hesitation, he hurled his right fist forward.

Whoosh...

In a flash, the fire around his right fist surged and churned. A Scarlet Flame Dragon Head instantly enveloped it, then lunged in the direction of his punch amid rising flames.

As the Scarlet Flame Dragon Head left his fist, a thick dragon's body rapidly formed behind it.

In the blink of an eye, a massive Crimson Flame Dragon emerged and charged forward, whipping up a raging sea of flames in midair.

This was the Army-Breaking Dragon Fist!

"I... I finally did it!"

Watching the sight before him, Su Tian could no longer contain his excitement. He threw back his head and laughed, cheering again and again.

As though bearing an invincible momentum, the Crimson Flame Dragon slammed into a thick, century-old tree in the courtyard in an instant.

Boom!

The moment the Crimson Flame Dragon touched the ancient tree, it transformed into towering flames, engulfing it in a churning sea of scorching fire.

Before Su Tian's eyes, the thick ancient tree, which would have taken two people to encircle, became a heap of blackened ash in the blink of an eye.

"The Army-Breaking Dragon Fist is already this powerful after only three compressions. If I could unleash its complete form, wouldn't that mean..."

Seeing the devastation wrought by his single punch, Su Tian swallowed, intense astonishment appearing in his eyes.

At that moment, he yearned more than ever to fully master the Army-Breaking Dragon Fist!

Only after a long while did he recover from his shock.

"According to the Great Elder, she'll personally send someone here once the wedding arrangements are settled. Until then, I'll stay here and try to master this Dou Technique completely as soon as possible!"

Su Tian drew a deep breath, having already decided what to do next.

After witnessing part of an Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique's power, he found his eagerness even harder to restrain.

For the next few days, he simply ignored everything else and devoted himself entirely to practicing the Dou Technique.

While Su Tian immersed himself in his Dou Technique, Queen Medusa quietly returned to Temple City.

"Your Majesty, what happened to you...?"

Upon receiving Queen Medusa's summons, Hua She'er immediately hurried to the Divine Hall. Yet when she saw Queen Medusa on the throne, she froze.

Queen Medusa looked utterly bedraggled. Her once-splendid robes were in tatters, and even the aura emanating from her betrayed profound weakness. An unmistakable weariness showed in her beautiful eyes.

"I am fine. I summoned you because there are matters I wish to entrust to you. I will be entering seclusion shortly. For the time being, you will take charge of the Snake-People Tribe's other affairs."

Queen Medusa lightly stroked her smooth, fair forehead and waved an elegant hand, signaling that Hua She'er need not worry.

This time, she had paid an enormous price to subdue the green lotus core flame.

Only in the end had she managed to subdue it through a stroke of luck.

Even so, Queen Medusa had suffered terribly. Had her strength not been so formidable, she would likely have perished in the sea of fire within the underground cavern.

"You're entering seclusion?"

Hearing Queen Medusa's words, Hua She'er could not help staring in surprise.

Queen Medusa nodded slightly and said calmly, "Correct. Do not inform the Great Elder of my seclusion for now. If the Great Elder asks, tell her that I vaguely sensed an opportunity to break through and wish to make an attempt. Do you understand?"

"As you command!"

Although Hua She'er was puzzled, she did not ask further questions.

She knew that she only needed to obey Queen Medusa's orders. Everything else was none of her concern.

"Mm. You may leave."

Queen Medusa nodded lightly and waved her elegant hand. Hua She'er quickly departed from the Divine Hall.

Queen Medusa alone remained in the vast Divine Hall, reclining languidly upon her throne.

"Great Elder, let me be willful just this once."

As her words slowly drifted through the air, Queen Medusa's supple figure vanished from the throne. When she reappeared, she stood within a forbidden area of Temple City.

Surrounded by bamboo groves and dotted with cold pools, this was the place Queen Medusa had prepared for her evolution.