As she watched the purplish-black ruler arc brimming with searing force, a trace of gravity surfaced on Queen Medusa's beautiful face. She held her energy-condensed sword across her body, and multicolored energy spilled from within her, enveloping her in a rainbow barrier.
The enormous ruler arc descended from the sky just as the barrier took shape. When its razor-sharp edge struck the barrier, everyone heard a thunderous explosion resound through the air. Then the fierce blast drove the barrier straight into the desert.
At this sight, not only were the Snake-People soldiers below, who revered Queen Medusa as a deity, astonished, but even Yao Ye was taken aback. Knocking Medusa out of the sky was a glorious feat that even Jia Xingtian had never accomplished, yet this mysterious figure, whose strength was only at the Dou Wang level, had actually managed it.
Unlike the others, whose faces were filled with shock, Xiao Yan remained perfectly calm. The Flame Splitting Wave Ruler was powerful, but more than an entire rank separated him from Queen Medusa. Hoping to defeat her outright with that move was rather unrealistic. Besides, he could sense that her barrier had blocked most of the ruler arc's power. Medusa, sheltered within it, might well have suffered little damage.
Soon, Queen Medusa flew up from the sand below, though she now looked somewhat disheveled. Clearly, she had not expected Xiao Yan's ruler strike to achieve so much. Looking up at Xiao Yan opposite her, she said slowly, "An Earth Tier Dou Technique? I really did underestimate you."
Xiao Yan remained unmoved by Queen Medusa's praise. As he sensed her current condition, his heart sank slightly. After being driven into the ground by the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, her breathing had grown somewhat hurried, but she had suffered few injuries.