"Hua She'er."
Just then, a languid voice that sent a tingling sensation through the body slowly rang out in the palace.
Su Tian snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. Queen Medusa had not left with the Great Elder and the others.
At that moment, Queen Medusa reclined on her throne, her beautiful eyes half closed, seemingly paying no attention to Su Tian in the hall.
Su Tian was about to speak to ease the awkward atmosphere when he suddenly sensed a chilling cold emanating from beside him.
"Your subordinate is here!"
Immediately afterward, an icy voice drifted out.
Su Tian froze, then instinctively turned his head slowly, only to discover that Hua She'er had appeared like a ghost and was standing right beside him.
"Holy shit! Lady, are you a ghost? How do you walk without making a sound?"
Even with Su Tian's courage, he could not help jumping in fright. He cried out and hurriedly backed away several steps, putting some distance between himself and Hua She'er.
At his words, a chilling glint filled Hua She'er's eyes, and murderous intent flared.
"Shut up!"
Hua She'er snorted coldly, and her figure vanished from the spot like a ghost.
Su Tian's expression changed at once.
Why do all the women of the Snake-People Tribe turn hostile at the drop of a hat?
Although he inwardly groaned without end, Su Tian dared not let his guard down. His expression grew grave.
With a thought, fiery-red Dou Qi surged out of his Dou Crystal.
In the blink of an eye, his Dou Qi Armor appeared.
"Pathetic!"
Before Su Tian could even breathe a sigh of relief at forming his Dou Qi Armor, a cold snort suddenly sounded behind him.
His heart jolted. He had clearly not expected Hua She'er to be so fast.
Just then, Hua She'er thrust out her delicate hand. Pitch-black Dou Qi gathered over it, radiating a powerful, icy aura as her palm slammed toward Su Tian's back.
Su Tian wanted to dodge, but how could his speed compare to Hua She'er's, when she possessed the strength of a Dou Wang?
At that moment, his only choice was to take her palm strike head-on.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Su Tian immediately drew a deep breath, determination surfacing in his eyes.
I'll fight this crazy woman with everything I've got!
Su Tian raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist again. The Dou Qi within his body instantly gathered over it, and a scorching aura burst outward.
Boom!
Then Su Tian stamped down hard, abruptly lunging a step forward.
With Hua She'er underestimating him, his swift response allowed him to seize the opportunity and put several steps between them.
"I never hit women!"
Su Tian spun around, his right hand clenched into a fist and wrapped in Dou Qi, then smashed it toward Hua She'er's approaching palm.
Despite what he said, he held nothing back in that punch.
It was still an utterly straightforward punch, packed with formidable force.
Facing Hua She'er, a Dou Wang, Su Tian dared not be careless in the slightest.
After all, Hua She'er was not the Great Elder. Given her hatred of humans, she would probably show Su Tian no mercy whatsoever.
Naturally, Su Tian could not afford to let his guard down. Even as he threw his punch, his feet were already positioned to retreat at any moment.
All this took long to describe, but it happened within just a few breaths.
Pfft!
The instant fist met palm, Su Tian let out a muffled grunt. An unnatural flush rose to his face, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
Clearly, Su Tian had come off far worse in this exchange.
Thud, thud, thud...
The two separated as soon as they collided. Su Tian staggered backward more than a dozen steps before barely managing to steady himself.
At that moment, his lowered right hand trembled uncontrollably, an aching numbness spreading through it.
Had Su Tian not already broken through to One-Star Great Dou Master,
Hua She'er's merciless palm strike might well have shattered his right hand.
After all, Hua She'er was a genuine Dou Wang expert, and unlike the Great Elder, she left no room for mercy in her attacks.
At that thought, Su Tian could not help feeling somewhat fortunate.
Damn it! I'll remember this grudge!
Su Tian drew a deep breath before the intense aching numbness in his right hand finally eased somewhat.
Watching Hua She'er a short distance away, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. For the first time, a trace of icy killing intent rose in his heart.
Previously, when Hua She'er had rescued him from Yue Mei, he had felt some goodwill toward her.
But her attack just now made it clear that she intended to kill him.
With that being the case, Su Tian naturally had no inclination to cherish a beauty and spare her.
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"Hmph. A mere One-Star Great Dou Master, yet you managed to take my palm strike head-on. I really did underestimate you back then."
Hua She'er seemed unconcerned by the coldness in Su Tian's eyes. Her red lips curled slightly as she sneered.
"But your good luck ends here!"
With that, Hua She'er's body quivered slightly, and her figure vanished again. An icy aura instantly spread, completely enveloping Su Tian's surroundings.
Seeing Hua She'er brimming with murderous intent and preparing to attack him again, Su Tian's temper flared as well.
"Don't think I'm afraid of you!"
Su Tian barked coldly. Unable to endure this any longer, he forcibly suppressed the aching numbness in his right hand, and scorching Dou Qi instantly surged out of his body.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Fiery-red Dou Qi poured forth wildly, enveloping Su Tian's entire body in the blink of an eye. Flames churned around him, making him look like a man made of fire from a distance.
Over this fiery figure, his Dou Qi Armor grew increasingly solid, as though it were tangible, its strange patterns clearly visible.
In an instant, a scorching aura filled the entire palace.
Even the icy chill emanating from Hua She'er seemed to diminish a little.
Su Tian's expression grew solemn, his spiritual perception vigilantly monitoring every stir around him.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a faint rush of air stirred behind Su Tian.
His eyes flashed, and a cold smile curved his lips. "Still trying to feint east and strike west?"
The next moment, instead of turning around, Su Tian clenched his right fist and hurled a punch straight into the empty space before him.
Just as his fist was about to strike that seemingly deserted spot, Hua She'er's figure eerily appeared.
"Your perception is actually this sharp?"
At the sight, Hua She'er could not help exclaiming in surprise. A trace of astonishment flashed across her cold, beautiful face.
Clearly, she had not expected Su Tian to react so quickly.
Just as Su Tian had said, Hua She'er had tried to use her speed to create the illusion of a sneak attack from behind.
Her true attack, however, was concentrated in front of him.
Unfortunately for Hua She'er, Su Tian had unexpectedly seen through her scheme.
"Back off!"
Su Tian paid no heed to Hua She'er's surprise. Steeling himself, he gathered strength in his right fist once more and slammed it toward her beautiful face.
He showed no inclination to spare a beauty when he attacked.
"You merely got lucky and saw through my attack. Is that what gives you the nerve to be so arrogant? Utterly laughable!"
Hua She'er sneered. Although Su Tian's sharp reaction had exceeded her expectations, that alone was nowhere near enough to make her wary or afraid.
"Thousand Snake Bone-Eroding Palm!"
In an instant, icy, pitch-black Dou Qi gathered over Hua She'er's delicate hand, giving off a foul stench.
Su Tian frowned slightly at the sight. Dimly, he seemed to see countless little snakes of black energy taking shape over her hand, continually flicking their slender tongues.
Not good! This move is poisonous!
A trace of that foul odor entered Su Tian's nostrils, and a powerful wave of dizziness immediately swept through his head. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, finally regaining his clarity.
The next moment, Su Tian hurriedly shifted his feet, swiftly drawing away from Hua She'er.
Yet the instant he moved, Hua She'er followed close behind like a maggot clinging to bone, her fair, delicate hand shrouded in foul-smelling, pitch-black energy.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
As she closed in on Su Tian, Hua She'er thrust out her delicate hand, striking toward his chest.
Su Tian wanted to dodge, but Hua She'er had locked firmly onto his aura.
Now, he had nowhere left to retreat!
"If you've got the guts, kill me here today, right in front of Queen Medusa!"
Countless thoughts churned violently through Su Tian's mind. Just as he prepared to stake his life on a desperate struggle, he inadvertently caught sight of Queen Medusa reclining on her throne from the corner of his eye. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and shouted furiously.
As though afraid Queen Medusa might not hear him, he even deliberately amplified his roar with Dou Qi.
"You're courting death!"
Su Tian's words had clearly enraged Hua She'er completely.
She instantly accelerated, slamming her delicate hand viciously toward his chest.
"Enough."
Just as Hua She'er's palm was about to land, a languid voice drifted lightly through the air, as though merely telling children to stop roughhousing.
At the same time, a purple energy barrier abruptly appeared over Su Tian's body.
Boom!
The next moment, Hua She'er's palm slammed down, her attack erupting with a thunderous, muffled crash that echoed through the palace.
Hua She'er's expression changed, and she was forced backward uncontrollably.
Su Tian, by contrast, stood there completely unharmed, without retreating even a single step.
"This little fellow still has some value. As for his life, you may not take it for the time being. Do you understand?"
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