Xiao Yu's expression shifted slightly, growing grim. He had never expected to encounter Queen Medusa here.
His main reason for coming to the southern desert was that it lay far from where the Snake-People Tribe lived. No matter how much commotion he caused, it would be difficult to alert their experts.
But he had still been too young and inexperienced. He had failed to make his arrangements seamless.
He had never considered whether someone might witness the commotion he caused and spread word of it, drawing the attention of the desert's inhabitants.
And so, through a series of coincidences, the strange phenomena produced by his fusion technique training had still caught Queen Medusa's attention. This was the situation he had least wanted to face.
But it was too late to say anything now. All that remained was to see whether he could shake Queen Medusa off.
Boom!
At that thought, Xiao Yu pushed his speed up another notch. A ring of air burst outward from his body, leaving an afterimage behind. In a single breath, he flew more than a thousand meters away.
"Hm?"
Medusa, who had been about to catch up, was astonished. How had this Dou Wang's speed suddenly increased so much?
That was not a speed a Dou Wang should possess. Even most low-level Dou Emperors might not be able to move that fast.
Now her interest was piqued. All the more reason to find out what could allow a Dou Wang to reach such speeds.
Medusa then unleashed the true speed of a Peak Dou Emperor and gave chase.
Xiao Yu had great confidence in his speed. In his mind, even Queen Medusa might not be able to catch him.
But when he looked back, Medusa had already caught up.
"This is bad!"
Seeing the situation turn against him, Xiao Yu hurriedly circulated his Lightning Attribute Dou Qi, transforming his flaming Dou Qi Wings into lightning Dou Qi Wings.
He was truly about to bring out the ultimate speed he had kept as his trump card.
Seeing the change in Xiao Yu's Dou Qi Wings, Queen Medusa murmured in surprise, "Can he go even faster?"
If this human Dou Wang could increase his speed again as he had just done, she might not be able to catch him.
To prevent that from happening, Queen Medusa immediately raised her hand and unleashed a Dou Technique.
"Ten-Thousand Snake Prison!"
A mid-level Mystic-tier Dou Technique, the Ten-Thousand Snake Prison was unique to the Snake-People Tribe.
Before Xiao Yu could accelerate, red energy snakes appeared all around him, blocking his path.
In an instant, countless little red snakes linked head to tail, forming a cage that trapped him.
Seeing the snake heads emerging through the gaps in the cage, constantly flicking their tongues at him with a vicious hunger to devour their prey, Xiao Yu had no choice but to stop.
He was already trapped. Even if he broke free, escape would be difficult now.
Medusa had used those few moments to move in front of him.
"Human Dou Wang, you're quite the runner. Go on, run again. Let this queen see."
Medusa looked down at Xiao Yu, trapped inside the cage, and spoke with a hint of arrogance.
At her words, Xiao Yu's expression grew even uglier. He cursed inwardly, What rotten luck today. To think I'd run into this walking calamity even here.
Then his expression changed in an instant. With a smile carrying a trace of respect, he said, "Queen Medusa, what is the meaning of this? I don't know how I have offended you. If I have, I am willing to offer an apology."
As the saying went, one did not raise a hand against a smiling face. Sometimes, a little courtesy to avoid an unnecessary battle was nothing to be ashamed of.
Seeing his sudden change of expression and hearing his amicable words, Medusa maintained an expressionless face, though inwardly she felt somewhat amused.
Then she said unhurriedly, "As a human Dou Wang, you secretly entered the Tagor Desert, home of my Snake-People Tribe. Tell me, what should this queen do with you?"
Fuck!
Xiao Yu cursed inwardly. That excuse was downright lousy. There were plenty of Dou Wangs in the Tagor Desert, and even Dou Emperors were not unheard of. Hadn't Ice Emperor Hai Bodong been here over twenty years ago? (In the original novel, Hai Bodong himself said he had lived in seclusion in Desert City for over twenty years.)
Uh... Hai Bodong's fate hadn't exactly been good, though. He'd been sealed for over twenty years...
Although Medusa's excuse deeply annoyed him, Xiao Yu still smiled. "That reason is hardly convincing."
The corners of Medusa's lips rose. "Indeed. That is not sufficient reason for this queen to detain you."
"This queen wishes to know the cause of the strange phenomena that have appeared here recently."
"I imagine you must know something-or perhaps you obtained something? It may even be that you caused those phenomena yourself. Am I right?"
Sure enough, Queen Medusa had been drawn here by the strange phenomena from his training.
Xiao Yu began to feel a headache coming on. Judging by Medusa's words, she had decided he was involved in this matter and would not let him leave easily.
If he said it had nothing to do with him, Medusa certainly would not believe him. If he admitted his involvement, she probably would not let the matter rest until she had gotten to the bottom of it.
Xiao Yu's sudden silence only made Queen Medusa more certain that this man was deeply connected to the matter.
"What? Are you thinking up a story to deceive this queen?"
Medusa looked at Xiao Yu with disdain, clearly having seen through his intentions.
Xiao Yu's eyes shifted. Then he gritted his teeth and said, "Queen Medusa, this matter concerns my secrets, so I cannot reveal it. If you insist on keeping me here, then we can only settle this with a fight."
"Oh? You wish to fight this queen? Then let me see what means you possess to dare boast so shamelessly."
"It seems a fight is unavoidable today. In that case, allow me to experience Queen Medusa's fearsome reputation firsthand."
Since Medusa refused to let him leave, Xiao Yu stopped wasting words. He had offered courtesy before resorting to force, giving her all the respect she could ask for.
Besides, with his current strength, it was not as though he could not put up a fight against her.
Immediately, a terrifying chill poured out of Xiao Yu's body. The Thunderclap Twin Wings behind him turned ice blue and blue silver, replaced by the Extreme-Breaking Ice Flame and Blue-Silver Cold Lightning.
The temperature within a hundred meters began to plummet, as though the depths of winter had arrived.
Under that freezing chill, the Ten-Thousand Snake Prison rapidly iced over. Xiao Yu swept his hand, and a pulse of Dou Qi shattered the frozen cage.
Although the Ten-Thousand Snake Prison was not a particularly high-tier Dou Technique, when Medusa used it, an ordinary Dou Wang would still find it difficult to break free.
"So it really was you!"
That ice-blue flame was exactly the same color as one of the phenomena Yin Shi had described to her. She did not believe it was a coincidence.
Seeing Xiao Yu break free so easily, Medusa knew that he was by no means comparable to an ordinary Dou Wang.
But no matter how formidable he was, he was still only a Dou Wang.
Queen Medusa raised her fair hand and pointed forward. A streak of red light shot toward Xiao Yu at tremendous speed.
A light flashed from Xiao Yu's Storage Ring, and a greatsword appeared in his hand. Coating it in ice-blue Dou Qi, he slashed horizontally, destroying the streak of red light.
Seeing this, Medusa gathered Dou Qi in her hands, condensing it into two oddly shaped red short swords, then charged at Xiao Yu.
Clang!
The greatsword collided with the short swords, producing a thunderous crash.
The force astonished them both. Medusa had not expected a Dou Wang to possess such strength, while Xiao Yu was startled by the sheer weight and power of Queen Medusa's attack.
After their brief clash, the two pulled back some distance, then became streaks of light. Like lines of two different colors, they repeatedly crisscrossed through the sky. Every exchange produced an enormous crash, revealing just how formidable they both were.
The energy shock waves from their blows whipped up sand and dust within a thousand meters. The churning air formed fierce hurricanes that ravaged the boundless desert.
For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.
Before you continue