At that moment, Su Tian wanted to cry, but no tears would come.
Naturally, Su Tian knew perfectly well how powerful Queen Medusa was.
She was a Peak Dou Emperor!
With his current strength as a mere Nine-Star Dou Shi, Su Tian escaping right under Queen Medusa's nose was nothing but a fool's dream.
Looking around and recalling what the system had said earlier, Su Tian had a fair idea of where he was.
Temple City-the stronghold of the Snake-People Tribe.
To the Snake-People Tribe, humans were beings who inspired nothing but utter loathing and hatred.
It was easy to imagine what would happen once Su Tian appeared before them...
At that thought, Su Tian shivered involuntarily, wailing helplessly inside.
"I would've been better off letting that lightning strike me dead..."
Despite saying that, Su Tian kept scanning his surroundings, trying to find even the slightest chance of escape.
Just then, Queen Medusa's languid voice rang out again from the throne.
"You know who I am?"
Su Tian froze at her words. Gazing at Queen Medusa's breathtaking face, his eyes suddenly darted to the side. An idea seemed to strike him, and a bashful expression appeared on his face.
"What are you saying, Your Majesty? Throughout the entire Tagor Desert, who hasn't heard of your illustrious name?"
As he spoke, Su Tian stole a glance at Queen Medusa, but her expression seemed completely unchanged.
So Su Tian cleared his throat and continued in a reverent tone.
"To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, I've admired you for so long. My admiration is like a mighty river, flowing on without end, like the boundless universe, stretching into eternity..."
"Countless times, I've dreamed of seeing Your Majesty in person, of hearing your voice and beholding your smile. If I could do that, I would die content!"
"Who would've thought such a small wish would come true so soon..."
At this point, bitterness flooded Su Tian's heart. It certainly happened soon-so soon I never saw it coming. Who the hell did I offend...?
"Enough prattle!"
Seeing that Su Tian showed every sign of talking endlessly, Queen Medusa knitted her delicate brows and snapped coldly.
"Shut your mouth!"
Su Tian immediately fell silent and hurriedly put on an obedient expression.
If he truly angered Queen Medusa, Su Tian could already imagine what would happen to him.
"Whoosh!"
Yet the sight of Su Tian's obedient expression brought a look of disgust to Queen Medusa's face. With a flick of her slender hand, a streak of purple energy shot toward him.
The sudden turn of events made Su Tian's expression change drastically.
Damn it! Why did this woman attack without a word?
Caught completely off guard by Queen Medusa's unannounced attack, Su Tian barely had time to hurriedly circulate the Dou Qi within him.
Who the hell told me women loved flattery?!
"Boom!"
With a muffled boom, a fiery-red Dou Qi Armor swiftly materialized around him.
Su Tian looked up. The purple energy was already upon him, and it was too late to dodge.
In desperation, Su Tian could only grit his teeth, determination flashing in his eyes.
I can't just sit here and wait to die!
Su Tian clenched his right fist, and the Dou Qi within him surged forth, rapidly gathering around it.
In an instant, Su Tian's right fist resembled a ball of blazing flame as he slammed it fearlessly into the purple energy.
"Boom!"
A deafening crash immediately reverberated through the palace.
Though Queen Medusa had only attacked with a casual flick of her hand, it was still far beyond what Su Tian could withstand.
The moment he collided with the purple energy, Su Tian felt like a tiny boat amid towering waves. The oncoming attack filled him with a profound sense of his own insignificance.
Almost instantly, Su Tian's face went pale, and a mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
The next moment, Su Tian shot backward like a cannonball and slammed heavily into the palace wall.
"Boom!"
The tremendous force embedded Su Tian's entire body in the wall, leaving him plastered there like a mural.
"Cough, cough..."
Su Tian felt as though all his internal organs had been knocked out of place. Waves of excruciating pain rolled through him, making him cough violently.
A mere casual strike had left Su Tian utterly powerless to fight back.
Having experienced Queen Medusa's strength firsthand, Su Tian now understood it far more clearly.
Am I really going to die here this time?
Su Tian gave a bitter smile, despair already creeping into his heart.
With that thought, Su Tian slowly closed his eyes and waited for Queen Medusa to strike again.
Yet after Su Tian waited for quite some time, everything remained silent. Queen Medusa seemed to have made no further move against him.
This left Su Tian somewhat bewildered. When he opened his eyes and looked toward Queen Medusa, he froze.
He discovered that she had abruptly sat upright, no longer reclining lazily on her throne.
Her gaze seemed fixed on something.
Following Queen Medusa's gaze, Su Tian discovered what looked like a glob of golden blood hovering in midair where he had been standing earlier.
That's...
Su Tian stared for a moment before quickly realizing what it was.
That's the blood I just spat out?
At that thought, Su Tian's heart tightened, and a faint sense of unease crept over him.
Su Tian suspected that his blood was golden because of the Emperor Clan bloodline he had awakened earlier.
Seeing Queen Medusa take an interest in his blood made Su Tian's entire body tremble.
A terrifying thought immediately surfaced in Su Tian's mind.
Did this woman bring me here because she wants to drain every last drop of my blood?
The idea was rather far-fetched.
But Su Tian could think of no other explanation.
I'm done for. Completely done for! There's no saving me now!
Bitterness filled Su Tian's mouth. He could almost see the grim reaper beckoning to him.
Damn it! Tiancan Tudou never mentioned Queen Medusa having such a twisted obsession in his book!
At that moment, Su Tian wanted nothing more than to drag Tiancan Tudou over and let him experience this thrill for himself.
Meanwhile, Queen Medusa paid no attention to Su Tian's shifting expressions.
She seemed to have eyes only for the glob of golden blood hovering in midair.
"Is this what you wanted?"
After a long while, Queen Medusa slightly furrowed her delicate brows. A trace of solemnity appeared on her face as she spoke softly.
Those words were clearly not directed at Su Tian.
No sooner had she spoken than a grating voice rang out through the palace. Like stone scraping across glass, it sent an intensely unpleasant sensation through Su Tian's entire body.
"This old woman's senses were right after all."
Then four elderly figures slowly emerged from the shadows behind the throne.
Su Tian was startled by their sudden appearance.
These four were hiding in the shadows, yet I never sensed even a trace of their auras!
Though the pressure they now exuded was weaker than Queen Medusa's, it was still more than Su Tian could bear.
Clearly, all four were at least Dou Wang experts!
At that thought, Su Tian felt he had figured out who they were.
Elders of the Snake-People Tribe?
Queen Medusa's next words confirmed Su Tian's guess.
"Great Elder, is this what you were after?"
The old woman in the middle gave an ugly, almost sinister smile and nodded. Excitement showed on her face as she spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Heh heh, indeed. At first, I thought it was merely an illusion, but to think it truly exists!"
"Great Elder, what do you mean? Is there some secret behind this that I don't know about?"
Queen Medusa furrowed her delicate brows, puzzled by the words of the Great Elder and the others.
Although the blood was golden, Queen Medusa could detect nothing else unusual about it.
Yet earlier, when Su Tian had awakened his Emperor Clan bloodline and unleashed the aura of that extraordinary phenomenon, the Great Elder had secretly sent her a voice transmission.
She was to bring whoever had caused the phenomenon back to the Snake-People Tribe alive, without fail!
That was how everything Su Tian had experienced earlier had come about.
"There are certain things I cannot draw conclusions about just yet. However..."
The Great Elder shook her head slightly without answering Queen Medusa's question.
Then the Great Elder paused and abruptly turned her gaze toward Su Tian, a faint glimmer of excitement flashing in her eyes.
"Until we have an answer, confine this boy in the Snake Prison for now."
After finishing, the Great Elder seemed to remember something and added solemnly.
"Remember, you must keep him alive!"
Hearing the Great Elder's words, Queen Medusa froze briefly, the confusion on her stunning face deepening.
"Very well. I understand."
Though she did not understand the Great Elder's intentions, Queen Medusa could only nod in agreement.
Given the standing of the Great Elder and her companions within the Snake-People Tribe, Queen Medusa would naturally not refuse such a request.
Still, after hearing those words, Queen Medusa found herself a little more curious about Su Tian.
As for Su Tian, after getting down from the wall, he quietly watched the Great Elder and the others converse with Queen Medusa. He dared not make the slightest sound, hoping they would treat him as nothing more than air.
After all, every one of them was either a Dou Wang expert or a Peak Dou Emperor.
Any casual strike from them would probably kill Su Tian on the spot.
"Boom!"
Just then, the Great Elder suddenly waved her hand, sending a streak of black energy shooting toward Su Tian.
Su Tian's expression changed drastically at the sudden attack.
What the hell! Didn't you say you'd keep me alive? How can you go back on your word just like that?!
With no time to think, Su Tian hurriedly stamped his foot against the ground and frantically retreated.
Why does every last one of these snake-people fight so dirty?!
At the same time, the Dou Qi within him rapidly surged through his body, forming his Dou Qi Armor once more.
By then, the black energy was already upon him.
"Pfft!"
Without giving Su Tian any chance to dodge, the black energy struck him squarely in the chest.
Even his Dou Qi Armor could not withstand the Great Elder's attack.
A bloody gash instantly appeared across Su Tian's chest, and he was sent flying backward once again.
A stream of golden blood immediately spurted from his wound.
The Great Elder's eyes flashed at the sight. She abruptly clenched her withered right hand, unleashing a powerful suction force.
"Whoosh!"
Before Su Tian's eyes, that stream of golden blood came to hover quietly in the Great Elder's hand in the blink of an eye.
Before you continue