Xiao Yan, let's see who's afraid of whom!

At Queen Medusa's words of refusal, many people were instantly stunned.

In their eyes, although heavenly flames possessed immense power, they held little appeal for the Snake-People Tribe. After all, the tribe's bloodline leaned toward cold yin energy.

Yet heavenly flames were violent and tremendously destructive. The two were like fire and water, utterly incompatible.

Thus, when Queen Medusa refused with a hint of regret, Gu He, Yan Shi, and nearly everyone beside him froze.

After all, Gu He's proposed terms held an indescribable temptation for the Snake-People Tribe. In particular, Yan Shi and the others had already noticed the greedy gazes of many Snake-People at that Seventh-grade Transformation Pill.

In the distance, however, Su Tian remained calm.

Queen Medusa's refusal of Gu He's offer had been well within Su Tian's expectations, so he showed no surprise.

The Great Elder was another matter.

Seeing Queen Medusa stubbornly reject Gu He's enticing terms, the Great Elder slowly furrowed her brow. Her eyes narrowed, and a thoughtful look appeared on her withered face.

"Why does Her Majesty insist on keeping the heavenly flame? Its usefulness to our Snake-People Tribe falls far short of what Gu He is offering."

Suddenly, the Great Elder seemed to realize something. Her eyes flashed, and her expression instantly darkened. "Could it be that Her Majesty wants to..."

"Foolish!"

Having understood everything, a fierce glint suddenly appeared in the Great Elder's eyes, and she shouted in a low voice.

"Su Tian, stay here for now. I have some matters to attend to!"

The Great Elder turned and left Su Tian with that cold command. Then her Dou Qi Wings beat fiercely, sending her hurtling toward Queen Medusa, Gu He, and the others.

Watching the Great Elder depart, Su Tian's eyes lit up, and an excited smile curled his lips.

My chance is here!

Thump!

As the Great Elder's figure rapidly receded, Su Tian hesitated no longer and stomped down hard.

Then he leaped off the roof.

As he neared the ground, Su Tian rolled with his momentum to absorb the impact and landed steadily.

"Bamboo Forest Snake Island... if I remember correctly, it should be behind Queen Medusa's Divine Hall, right?"

After roughly determining his direction from the clues in his memory, Su Tian took a deep breath. Dou Qi erupted from his body, and he dashed toward Bamboo Forest Snake Island.

Having spent so long in Temple City, Su Tian had learned quite a bit.

He had even learned of some of Temple City's forbidden grounds and secrets from Qing Mu, which kept him from blundering around like a headless fly.

Meanwhile, Gu He and the others still hoped to reach a deal with Queen Medusa.

But Su Tian knew that was practically impossible.

Moreover, battle would erupt at any moment.

Su Tian had seized precisely this window of time to head for Bamboo Forest Snake Island, where Queen Medusa's true body was located.

"Has that woman lost her mind? Why keep a heavenly flame that's barely useful to her? If you ask me, she should trade it for something she can use. That would benefit both sides!"

Yan Shi blinked, shook his head helplessly, and muttered in bewilderment.

Beside him, Windwalker Feng Li exchanged a glance with Gu He and shook his head slightly, his face equally puzzled.

Compared to them, Yue Mei and Mo Bass atop the city wall were much calmer. Queen Medusa's refusal had made them understand even more clearly what she intended to do...

"Her Majesty rejected those terms so decisively. She must have made up her mind to do that."

Mo Bass shook his head slightly, worry and bitterness showing on his sinister face.

Even Xiao Yan, hidden beneath a huge boulder, could not help smacking his lips in amazement at Queen Medusa's outright refusal. "Tsk, tsk. As expected of Queen Medusa. Anyone else would probably have accepted such generous terms long ago."

High in the sky, Gu He was likewise stunned for a moment by Queen Medusa's refusal.

Fortunately, Gu He's composure was far beyond that of ordinary people. He quickly suppressed the shock on his face and exhaled softly, looking toward Queen Medusa with a slight frown.

"Your Majesty, your refusal truly caught me by surprise. I don't particularly like beating around the bush, so the terms I offered were the most precious things I could provide. I originally thought they would sway you. Unfortunately..."

Gu He sighed bitterly. "It seems I miscalculated."

"Master Gu He, your terms are indeed very tempting. However, for certain reasons, the heavenly flame is very important to me right now."

Queen Medusa made no attempt to hide the regret on her alluring face.

Clearly, she had not been unmoved by Gu He's earlier offer.

"Forget it, Master Gu He. You should return to wherever you came from. There's no need for that compensation either. Just leave as soon as possible. The leaders of our Snake-People Tribe's Eight Great Tribes are already on their way here. Some of them harbor a deep hatred for humans, so you had best leave early to avoid any unnecessary trouble."

Seeing that Gu He seemed about to speak again, Queen Medusa stretched languidly and spoke indifferently.

Turning to look at his companions, Gu He gave a helpless, bitter smile and sighed.

"Gu He, are we really just leaving like this?"

Yan Shi glanced at Queen Medusa in the distance and asked with a frown.

Gu He sighed. "What else can we do? You should all know how powerful Queen Medusa is. Do you think we could seize it by force?"

In all honesty, if there had been even the slightest possibility, Gu He would not have wanted to return empty-handed. But Queen Medusa was simply too powerful.

Besides, they were on her territory. If they tried to force the issue, the outcome would probably be grim.

Yan Shi, Feng Li, and the others faltered at Gu He's words. With their strength, they naturally could not challenge Queen Medusa. After a brief moment of thought, they turned their gazes toward Yun Yun, who wore a black robe.

Seeing what the two men did, Gu He also looked toward Yun Yun.

A moment later, under everyone's gaze, Yun Yun stirred and slowly took a step forward. A slender, elegant chin, white as snow, emerged beneath her black robe, and her cool voice drifted lightly outward.

"I once happened upon an account of the Snake-People Tribe's queen in an ancient book. It said that once Queen Medusa reaches Peak Dou Emperor, she can undergo a peculiar evolution with the aid of a heavenly flame."

"After that evolution, Queen Medusa can not only freely transform into a human, but her strength will also rise naturally to that of a Dou Zong expert, like water flowing into a completed channel. However, the success rate of this evolution seems rather low."

Yun Yun paused briefly, then a cold chuckle came from beneath her black robe.

"Could it be that Your Majesty isn't afraid of being reduced to nothing during this evolution?"

"Insolence!"

At Yun Yun's words, Mo Bass's expression turned utterly dark, and he immediately shouted coldly.

Boom!

Yun Yun gave a cold snort. A chilly aura radiated from her body, and a green longsword condensed from Dou Qi instantly shot toward Mo Bass.

Mo Bass's expression changed drastically, and his heart grew heavy.

Facing an attack from a Dou Huang expert, he dared not show the slightest carelessness or contempt.

"Isn't that rather excessive, right before my eyes?"

Just as the green longsword was about to strike, Queen Medusa's soft laugh rang out, carrying a faint trace of coldness.

Boom...

A ribbon of purple energy shot from Queen Medusa's delicate hand and forcefully shattered the green longsword in the blink of an eye.

"To think you actually know about these things. You have rather surprised me."

An almost imperceptible change crossed Queen Medusa's lovely face. Her beautiful eyes narrowed, their mesmerizing pupils fixed on Yun Yun as coldness swirled within them.

"Not only do I know that you need a heavenly flame to complete your evolution, I also know that the you standing here is merely an energy body containing a little of Queen Medusa's consciousness. I imagine the real Queen Medusa is somewhere preparing for her evolution?"

Yun Yun chuckled and spoke calmly.

Her words instantly caused an uproar. Everyone on both sides was shaken, and Yue Mei and Mo Bass's expressions changed dramatically. They exchanged a glance, each seeing worry in the other's eyes.

The next instant, Yun Yun lifted her foot and set it down silently, and her figure vanished.

The instant Yun Yun disappeared, Queen Medusa's expression shifted slightly. Before she could move, a black shadow appeared behind her.

A hand as white as jade reached out gently and settled unhurriedly against Queen Medusa's back.

"How dare you!"

Seeing Yun Yun flash forward and attack, Yue Mei and Mo Bass's expressions changed sharply. Their Dou Qi Wings beat, and they lunged toward her at top speed.

"Heh, I'd advise you not to meddle!"

At that moment, two figures suddenly appeared and blocked Yue Mei and Mo Bass. They were Yan Shi and Feng Li.

The atmosphere in the sky, which had been relatively cordial, abruptly turned into one of drawn swords and bent bows.

Su Tian, who was sprinting toward Bamboo Forest Snake Island, sensed the disturbance and hastily looked back.

Are they finally about to fight? I need to hurry. Queen Medusa's energy body won't hold out for long!

Su Tian took a deep breath and turned back, a solemn look appearing on his face. Dou Qi surged through him, and his speed increased sharply.

After all, aside from Su Tian, Xiao Yan was also hidden in the shadows, waiting for a chance to act.

"Am I right, Your Majesty?"

Yun Yun ignored the movements around her. Leaning forward slightly, she looked at Queen Medusa's rigid body before her and asked with a soft laugh.

"Hehehe. You truly deserve to be called a Dou Huang expert, seeing through my energy clone so quickly."

Queen Medusa narrowed her long eyes slightly and chuckled. Her alluring face remained composed, without the slightest panic at being restrained.

"I imagine Your Majesty's true body must not be disturbed right now? Otherwise, you probably wouldn't allow us to act so brazenly. Still, this is quite a fine opportunity..."

Yun Yun smiled faintly. Dou Qi instantly surged within her and gathered in her delicate hand.

At that moment, the Great Elder suddenly arrived. Seeing Yun Yun's actions, her withered face darkened like ink, and she shouted icily.

"Insolence!"

Seeing the Great Elder hurtling toward her, Yun Yun tilted her head slightly, glanced at her grim expression, and smiled faintly.

Then Yun Yun's palm trembled sharply. Surging force burst from her body and slammed heavily into Queen Medusa's back. With a faint, muffled sound, the alluring Queen Medusa in midair instantly dissolved into a cloud of pale purple mist that slowly dispersed on the breeze.

"If you dare attack our Snake-People Tribe, even a Dou Huang expert will pay the price!"

Having witnessed Yun Yun strike without mercy, the Great Elder flew into a rage. Her chilling voice suddenly echoed through the sky.

Originally, the Great Elder had hoped to persuade Queen Medusa to accept Gu He's terms and thereby stop her from devouring the heavenly flame.

But while she was agonizing over the matter, she saw Yun Yun suddenly attack. That instantly stirred her killing intent toward Gu He and his companions.

"Snake-People Tribe, heed my command! Kill these humans! Leave none alive!"

"As you command!"

At the Great Elder's command, a thunderous, furious response rose from the city wall. Countless Snake-People tightened their grips on their poisoned spears, retreated several steps, then charged forward and hurled them fiercely at Gu He and the others.

Instantly, a dark storm of poisoned spears filled the sky, their piercing whistles making everyone's ears ache faintly.

"They've finally started fighting..."

At the violent tremors erupting in the distance, Su Tian hastily looked back. Seeing Yun Yun attack without the slightest hesitation, he murmured in admiration, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

Truthfully, this battle had erupted a little earlier than Su Tian had expected.

Perhaps because of Su Tian, the Great Elder, who originally had not appeared, had now rushed into the battle and held Yun Yun back.

That gave Su Tian an opening to exploit.

In that case, perhaps I'll only need to deal with Xiao Yan when the time comes. Without Yun Yun getting involved, I'll have a better chance.

Su Tian silently considered the situation.

But considering Yao Lao's presence, Su Tian still held little hope of seizing the Green Lotus Core Flame.

After all, once Yao Lao intervened, Xiao Yan could unleash the strength of a Dou Huang expert. Su Tian was only a one-star Da Dou Shi. Even with an Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique, he would be no match for Xiao Yan.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Su Tian drew ever closer to Bamboo Forest Snake Island.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

A bone-chilling gust swept toward him, and Su Tian hurriedly stopped. A dense bamboo forest appeared before him, accompanied by the barely audible murmur of flowing water.

"This should be Bamboo Forest Snake Island, right?"

Su Tian surveyed the quiet, eerie bamboo forest before him and muttered to himself.

Just then, the system's voice suddenly sounded.

Ding!

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...

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