The Queen: Who Are You Slandering Behind Their Back?

"Little Friend Lu gained some insights and needs to enter seclusion for a while longer." Hai Bodong released a trace of his presence, revealing his cultivation as a Three-Star Dou Emperor.

More than a decade ago, he had already been a Five-Star Dou Emperor. Medusa's technique had sealed him all these years, and though he had finally broken the seal, his cultivation had regressed as a result.

Yun Yun's delicate brows drew together slightly. She placed one hand on her sword as her presence surged. "Are you wary of me?"

"It's just been a long time since I fought a Dou Emperor. My hands are itching for a fight." Hai Bodong's black hair fluttered.

Yun Yun snorted coldly. "When we face the people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion, you'll have your chance to fight."

Hai Bodong thought she had a point and withdrew his presence. "Little Friend Lu said he'd be quick. We just need to wait a little longer."

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, three golden lotuses revolving slowly in his pitch-black eyes.

He had stripped the Snake Seal out of Hai Bodong's body with his Purifying Lotus Triple Flower Pupils and devoured it with his eyes.

Now, within his pupil space, a dark-purple, snakelike mass of energy lay curled up, giving off a faint glow.

Fine scale patterns rippled across the surface of the seal, like a miniature Purple Nether Flame Snake lying asleep.

"Refine!"

Lu Yuan drove the Purifying Lotus Triple Flower Pupils with all his might.

The Snake Seal's energy was rapidly broken down. His pupils captured and absorbed it, transforming it into essence, Qi, and spirit and integrating it into his soul power, physical strength, and dantian cultivation.

The instant this energy entered his body, Lu Yuan felt a cold, heavy surge of yin-attribute energy pour into his limbs and bones, but with his bloodline controlling it, that was no great problem.

This energy contained not only the two stars' worth of Dou Emperor Dou Qi Hai Bodong had lost, but also a trace of Queen Medusa's Soul Imprint.

Boom!

Lu Yuan felt the Dou Crystal in his dantian advance rapidly.

Cyan Dou Qi surged and roiled, and his meridians transformed under the onslaught of violent energy.

The Dou Crystal began to grow, advancing from Seven-Star Dou Wang to eight stars, then nine, until he was only one step away from becoming a Dou Emperor.

At the same time, his soul realm improved markedly, reaching the bottleneck of the Late Mortal Realm.

His soul perception spread out. Even without reinforcing it with Dou Qi, he could sense everything within a li.

With Dou Qi reinforcing it, his perception could cover all of Desert City.

"The day I break through to Dou Emperor should also be when my soul realm breaks through to the Perfected Late Mortal Realm."

Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and rose to stretch his limbs. His joints let out a series of cracks.

The Dou Crystal in his body had already been honed to the utmost, but breaking through to Dou Emperor still required a tremendous accumulation.

After Xiao Yan raised his cultivation to the peak of Nine-Star Dou Wang by devouring the Fallen Heart Flame, he only reached the bottleneck after a life-and-death battle with the Hall of Souls and Yun Shan. Then he spent a year in seclusion before breaking through.

At his current pace, he was already doing very well.

"Yun'er, Elder Hai, sorry for the wait." Lu Yuan walked out of the secret chamber and came to Yun Yun's side.

"Did you break through to Nine-Star Dou Wang?" Yun Yun asked, concern in her eyes.

Had Hai Bodong not been present, she would have wanted to ask whether Lu Yuan had received another part of the inheritance.

But on second thought, that could not be right either. Lu Yuan had said that dual cultivation was a prerequisite for triggering the inheritance.

"Mm." Lu Yuan took Yun Yun's hand and made no attempt to hide it. "The Snake Seal Queen Medusa left behind contained the Dou Qi that was devoured from Elder Hai over the years. I purified and refined it, and the effect was comparable to taking two Dou Ling Pills."

The warmth from his hand made Yun Yun's body stiffen for a moment.

Now that her strength had returned, breaking free would have been effortless.

But she did not do so. Her earlobes reddened as she turned her head slightly and thought, There's an outsider here. I can't make him lose face. It's not that I acknowledge my relationship with him.

"I lost two stars of cultivation, and you gained two. So my cultivation ended up benefiting you." The corner of Hai Bodong's mouth twitched.

What he had lost was two stars of Dou Emperor cultivation, while Lu Yuan had gained two stars as a Dou Wang. It felt like a waste.

"Don't be distressed, Elder Hai," Lu Yuan said with a smile. "I know of a treatment called the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill. It comes in both fifth- and sixth-tier varieties. In your case, you only need to take a fifth-tier Purple Spirit Recovery Pill to recover the two stars of cultivation you lost."

"Although your cultivation was sealed these past years, it wasn't without benefits. Because you persistently wore down the seal, your meridians became exceptionally tough, and your Dou Qi became exceptionally condensed. The tempering of your will affects your soul power, so breaking through to Dou Zong in the future will be easier for you than for most people."

"Oh?" Hai Bodong had not expected to hear good news, but he was even more curious about Lu Yuan's knowledge. "Little friend, you even know about breaking through to Dou Zong?"

The Jia Ma Empire had not produced a Dou Zong in a very, very long time.

"I know a little, but there's no use talking about that now." Lu Yuan glanced at the sky and said, "The most pressing matter is to rescue my person first."

"Lead the way, little friend. I'll be sure to hold one of them off for you." Fighting spirit rose in Hai Bodong's eyes.

With his Dou Emperor cultivation restored, he needed a fierce, satisfying battle to announce the Ice Emperor's return.

"Hold them off?" Lu Yuan shook his head gently. "That's not enough. Since they dared to snatch my person, we have to make sure they stay. We'll find another helper first."

After leaving that special poison on Qing Lin that day, Lu Yuan could roughly sense her current location through his Purifying Lotus Triple Flower Pupils. She was still on the outskirts of the Tagor Desert.

He still had time to seek Queen Medusa's cooperation.

"Let's go."

Lu Yuan and Yun Yun formed wings from their Dou Qi and soared into the air.

Hai Bodong immediately formed Dou Qi wings and caught up without asking any more questions.

But as time passed and they ventured deeper into the Tagor Desert, Hai Bodong could not help flying forward to ask, "Little friend, if we go any farther, we'll reach the Snake-People Tribe's territory. Where is the helper you're looking for?"

Lu Yuan looked straight ahead and answered calmly, "At the Snake-People Tribe's temple. I'm looking for Queen Medusa."

"What!?" Hai Bodong was so frightened he nearly turned around on the spot. The blood in his body froze, and his voice trembled. "You said you're going to see..."

"Queen Medusa." Lu Yuan turned to look at Hai Bodong, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Yun Yun had also been waiting for this moment and looked at Hai Bodong with great interest.

"You're crazy!" Hai Bodong stopped flying and clenched his fists. "That woman kills without batting an eye. Asking her to cooperate is like asking a tiger for its skin. You'll come to a miserable end."

"If you don't have any other friends, I can step in and ask Old Man Jia to help."

"But if you're looking for Queen Medusa, forgive me, I can't accompany you."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan hovered in midair and said confidently, "Elder Hai, there's no need to be afraid. I'm completely certain I can get Queen Medusa to help. We'll be fine visiting the Snake-People Tribe's temple."

"No, absolutely not." Hai Bodong shook his head and raised a hand. "Little friend, if you insist on seeing Queen Medusa, I absolutely won't accompany you."

"That woman kills without batting an eye, is ruthless and vicious, and can't tolerate a grain of sand in her eye..."

Hai Bodong described Medusa as a peerless female devil.

Lu Yuan and Yun Yun exchanged a glance. She transmitted her voice with Dou Qi. "You're awful. Aren't you going to stop him?"

"I didn't expect him to have so much to say either. There's no point stopping him now," Lu Yuan replied.

Just then, a voice rang out across the sky. "Hai Bodong, I never knew you thought I was so frightening."

Hai Bodong: ???