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**
Swallowing hard, Xiao Yan still couldn't believe it. This seemingly harmless and beautiful little snake in front of him—this thing—would one day grow into an ancient beast capable of standing against the legendary power of a Dou Sheng.
"Uh… no, wait! If she really is Medusa, then why does she look like…" Xiao Yan stared at the snake's crystal-clear eyes, which were as pure and clean as those of a newborn child, and asked in confusion.
"Even this old man doesn't know," Yao Lao said awkwardly. "Maybe she got struck stupid by that bolt of lightning during her evolution."
"..." Hearing that, black lines immediately appeared on both Xiao Yan's and Wei Yang's foreheads.
Wei Yang rubbed his temple and offered an alternative, "Maybe it's just temporary memory loss. Or perhaps during the evolution, her primary consciousness fell into a deep sleep. What we're seeing now might be a secondary consciousness, or a fragment of her soul."
"Mm, the brat makes some sense… Maybe that's it," Yao Lao said, although he couldn't be sure either.
Xiao Yan licked his lips, unable to suppress a ripple of excitement in his heart. After all, this was a Dou Zong-level existence—and in the future, she could grow into a being that rivals a Dou Sheng!
And now, this little thing… actually seemed to want to be close to him?
He spoke softly, "Master, I don't think it means any harm. It actually feels like it wants to get close to me. Why not put away the Bone Chilling Flame?"
"…Alright, but be careful," Yao Lao hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
As his voice fell, the pale-white flame that had been wrapped around Xiao Yan's body quickly extinguished.
Once the fire had completely vanished, Xiao Yan tightened his slightly sweaty grip, staring cautiously at the colorful little snake in front of him. Carefully, he tested the waters: "Your Majesty the Queen?"
The little snake didn't respond to the title at all. Instead, it blinked its eyes, which were as clear as crystal, flicked its tail, and slowly floated toward Xiao Yan, swimming through the air.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan could only brace himself and stand frozen in place, his heart pounding. He was terrified that even the slightest movement might provoke her.
"Brat Wei, don't let your guard down. If anything goes wrong, we strike immediately," Yao Lao's tense voice whispered in Wei Yang's ear.
"Relax," Wei Yang replied, his tone layered with meaning.
…
The seven-colored little snake circled Xiao Yan twice, showing no signs of aggression, which made both Xiao Yan and Yao Lao breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
After another spin of its tail, the little snake suddenly hovered above Xiao Yan's palm. Its crystal-clear eyes locked onto the ring on Xiao Yan's finger with a hint of greedy curiosity. Then it raised its little head and let out a few soft hisses—surprisingly gentle, almost like it was acting cute.
"Uh…" Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. "I'd bet anything—this can't be Medusa. With her proud personality, how could she act like this?"
Noticing the little snake's behavior, Xiao Yan squinted slightly, a strange glint flashing through his eyes. "She seems interested in something inside my storage ring."
As he spoke, Xiao Yan swiped a finger across the ring, and several items appeared in his palm.
The seven-colored snake leaned over, scanning the items. Then, with a few flicks of her tail, she shook her head repeatedly, clearly unimpressed. It was obvious that what she wanted wasn't there.
Xiao Yan returned the items and patiently began taking out things from the ring one by one.
Finally, after a moment, when he pulled out a small jade bottle filled with purple liquid, the curled-up little snake instantly appeared in his palm as if teleporting. With a flick of her tail, she popped open the lid, stretched her tiny head inside, and licked at the contents with her tongue.
"This is… Amethyst Lion Birth Essence? I didn't expect that to be what she needed," Xiao Yan murmured in surprise.
Wei Yang shook his head when he saw this and chuckled silently to himself.
Perhaps… this was fate between Xiao Yan and Medusa.
As for Medusa, he didn't feel much for her one way or another. He never had any intention of getting in the way between her and Xiao Yan.
…
Using the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence as bait, Xiao Yan quickly managed to coax and trick the seven-colored little snake into staying with him.
They continued on their journey.
By afternoon.
They had already left the territory of the Snake-People Clan and arrived at a desolate, uninhabited area.
This region was a buffer zone between the Snake-People Clan and the Jia Ma Empire.
Within hundreds of li, there were no oases or signs of life. Even the usual desert creatures like sand snakes or scorpions were rare here. As such, this place was seldom visited by human mercenaries or snake-people, making it feel especially deserted.
"Let's do it here," Yao Lao said. "Brat Wei, I'll need your help again to weaken the Green Lotus Core Flame."
"No problem," Wei Yang nodded.
With a flip of his hand, Xiao Yan summoned a lotus flower into his palm.
Holding the lotus in his hand, he gazed at the calm, green flame burning silently at its heart. Then he looked at Wei Yang and gritted his teeth. "Brother Wei, just like we discussed—please weaken it to about the level of a Dou Wang."
"Are you sure? After this, I'll be leaving," Wei Yang said. "If we follow the senior's suggestion, the safest route would be to weaken it to the level of a high-tier Dou Ling. That would give you at least a fifty to sixty percent chance of success."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and nodded. "I've already decided. Let's do it as we planned."
As he spoke, he handed over the Green Colored Lotus Platform to Wei Yang.
Wei Yang took the lotus platform, shrugging. "Alright then. Up to you."
"Sigh, what a foolish kid," Yao Lao's figure slowly drifted into view, sighing helplessly.
Clearly, there was a safer and more reliable path—but Xiao Yan chose the more dangerous one.
All just to preserve more of the Green Lotus Core Flame's power.
"I have no certainty when I face the Yun Lan Sect ten months from now," Xiao Yan clenched his fists. "I need stronger power to support me! Master, don't try to stop me. Let's do it as we said."
"Fine. Follow your heart, then," Yao Lao shook his head and gave up on persuading him.
What Xiao Yan said wasn't wrong. No one could predict the outcome of the confrontation with Yun Lan Sect in ten months. Keeping as much power as possible was the right move.
"You both back up a bit," Wei Yang said as he cradled the lotus in one hand and formed seals with the other, lifting the seal from the lotus' core. "I'm about to begin."
"Mm." Xiao Yan and Yao Lao's expressions grew serious, and they quickly backed away, standing about a hundred meters away.
Wei Yang drew the Green Lotus Core Flame from the lotus and then pushed the lotus base itself, turning it into a streak of green light that returned to Xiao Yan's hand.
Boom!
Whoosh—
Freed from the lotus' constraints, the Green Lotus Core Flame instantly seemed enraged. The green fire flared violently, swelling with the wind. In the blink of an eye, it expanded from a flame the size of a palm into a blazing tower nearly ten meters high.
Its aura surged to roughly the level of a high-tier Dou Wang.
Within the sea of green flames, a black sun, taller than a man, slowly emerged, enveloping Wei Yang completely and shielding him from the scorching flames. His voice echoed from within:
"Senior, Xiao Yan—I'm about to begin. Step back further."
Xiao Yan and Yao Lao exchanged a glance and quickly retreated another hundred meters.
"Still not enough. Back further," Wei Yang's voice came again.
"We're already two hundred meters away. We still have to move?" Xiao Yan stared at the black sun wreathed in green flames, puzzled.
"Heavenly Flames clashing is no joke! Listen to him. Fall back another hundred meters," Yao Lao's ethereal figure floated back further.
So they retreated yet another hundred meters.
"That should be enough. Stay alert, especially for the black light—it's an indiscriminate attack. I'll be focused on dealing with the Green Lotus Core Flame and won't be able to hold back too much power," Wei Yang warned.
"Got it," Xiao Yan replied, and a layer of purple Dou Qi swiftly spread over his body like a gauze-like robe.
Yao Lao's ghostly form was also soon wrapped in a pale-white flame, shielding his soul body.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the black sun within the green flames burst with dazzling light. Eerie black radiance surged outward, swallowing the green flames completely.
In an instant, a radius of several hundred meters was blanketed in pitch-black light.
Even Xiao Yan and Yao Lao were instantly engulfed by the blinding darkness.
"Not good!" Yao Lao exclaimed the moment the black light struck. In a flash, his figure dove into Xiao Yan's body.
Boom!
A layer of pale-white flame erupted and instantly enveloped Xiao Yan's body.
Sizzle—
When the freezing white flame met the burning black light, it was like boiling oil splashing into icy water—an instant, violent reaction. The air filled with crackling, sizzling sounds.
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