"Second Commander…"
Qing Lin stared blankly at Xiao Li, then looked at the calm-faced Lin Ran. She quickly got down from Lin Ran's arms and joined Xiao Li in offering a deep bow.
Though still somewhat confused, she wasn't stupid. From the mysterious woman who had appeared out of nowhere earlier to the way everyone treated her, Qing Lin realized that all the chaos within the Mo Tie Mercenary Group… likely revolved around her.
"Serve me loyally, like a dog or a horse?"
Lin Ran looked at Xiao Li with great interest. He knew all too well what kind of person this second brother of the Flame Emperor was.
Ruthless, decisive, vengeful to the bone—willing to risk his life by consuming the Devour Life Pill just to take revenge!
A man like that harbored almost nothing in his heart aside from familial bonds. If one could harness him for their own use...
"Xiao Li is well aware of his own meager strength, and the Mo Tie Mercenary Group is already in tatters. There is little benefit I can offer you, my lord. But your life-saving grace is greater than the heavens. All I ask is to do whatever I can to repay your kindness."
Xiao Li spoke with a deep voice and genuine sincerity.
His elder brother Xiao Ding was dead. The Mo Tie Mercenary Group had been reduced to a band of broken men. If they couldn't rely on Lin Ran now, only death awaited them.
Xiao Li did not want to die.
He and Xiao Ding had left the Xiao family long ago and built the Mo Tie Mercenary Group in Stone Desert City just to provide their third brother—whose Dou Qi had mysteriously vanished—a place to survive.
Now that Xiao Yan had finally returned to normal, even more talented than before, how could Xiao Li, as an older brother, abandon him now?
He was unwilling!
He wanted to return to the Xiao family with Xiao Yan, to restore its glory. He wanted to follow Xiao Yan in wiping clean the shame of the Three-Year Agreement. And most of all, he wanted vengeance for his elder brother.
No matter what, he couldn't die here. He had to seize this one and only lifeline!
"I heard from Xiao Yixian that you've come to the Tagor Desert. We've survived in this desert for many years. Though weak, we know it well. I wish to serve as your vanguard and ease your burden, my lord!"
"Oh?"
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Your mercenary group's strength is mediocre at best. Even with your knowledge of the Tagor Desert, I doubt it will help much with what I'm after."
Hearing this, Xiao Li's heart tightened, and his face grew tense. Yet he still spoke in a low voice, "May I ask what it is my lord seeks in the Tagor Desert?"
"Queen Medusa."
Lin Ran's reply was flat, but those two simple words struck everyone present like thunder, stunning them into silence.
Near the desert, Queen Medusa's fearsome name could send shivers down any human's spine. In the past, she had once razed several cities alone. Her notoriety reached such heights that children would stop crying at the mere mention of her.
Countless injured mercenaries forgot their pain, eyes wide and jaws slack as they stared at the calm, handsome young man before them.
Is this guy in a rush to die?!
"Surprised?" Lin Ran smiled faintly and shook his head. "Medusa might have a fierce reputation, but she's just a minor Duo Huang. Nothing to fear."
Minor Duo Huang?!
Big bro, that's a Duo Huang we're talking about! A one-man army! There are only a handful of Duo Huang in the entire Jia Ma Empire, and each is a legendary figure!
How could you casually call her a minor Duo Huang?
"Actually, for someone like the boss, Medusa really is just a small Duo Huang…" muttered Bai Ya, clicking his tongue. With Lin Ran's Dou Zong strength, Medusa indeed wasn't worth worrying about.
"But the boss wants to find her because…"
Boss?
Lin Ran gave Bai Ya a strange look. Since when had this fellow started calling him that?
Suddenly, Lv Yi raised her head in alarm and cried out, "My lord, do you intend to obtain Queen Medusa's blood essence?!"
Back in Black Rock City, she had learned of Lin Ran's interest in high-level magical beast blood and cores. He was even willing to trade high-tier pills for them.
Ironically, she had once offered the blood of the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor at an auction… and now that beast was one of Lin Ran's subordinates.
"That's right. I need high-level beast blood. Medusa is the closest and most accessible target for me at present."
Lin Ran nodded calmly.
The group exchanged looks, collectively inhaling sharply.
The Queen Medusa of legend—the fiercest, most terrifying killer in the Jia Ma Empire—was being hunted like prey. It felt like something out of a dream.
"Queen Medusa's blood essence… then doesn't that mean I might have a chance to get close to her too…?"
Bai Ya mumbled excitedly, quickly raising his hand. "Boss! I've been to the Tagor Desert. I know where Queen Medusa's palace is!"
"Oh?"
Everyone turned toward Bai Ya with curiosity.
Lin Ran arched a brow. "Tell me."
"Queen Medusa's original form is the Amethyst Winged Serpent. Her palace lies at the center of the Tagor Desert. Her serpent race is filled with powerful warriors—numerous Dou Wang, a dozen Dou Ling, and four Duo Huang including Medusa herself."
"Each of the four Duo Huang is from a different serpent lineage. If you're after blood essence, boss, you could gather all four types."
"Excellent."
Lin Ran looked pleased. Bai Ya was quite tactful.
"But there's one thing," Bai Ya added grimly. "Queen Medusa is rarely in her palace."
"For the sake of her people and to break through her bottleneck, she's often wandering across the Jia Ma Empire and even the wider Northwest Continent in search of opportunities. There's a good chance we'll arrive and find her gone."
"No, she won't be gone…"
A soft, timid voice rang out suddenly.
"My lord… I sensed an incredibly powerful aura east of Stone Desert City some time ago."
Under the crowd's gaze, Qing Lin instinctively shrank back, her small face growing even more anxious. She stammered, "I… I'm not sure if I sensed correctly. But around three months ago, there was a powerful presence that lingered east of the city for a night. It felt… somewhat similar to my own bloodline. Compared to it, even these two lords fall short."
She pointed toward Lv Yi and Bai Ya.
"Oh?!"
The group stirred.
Lv Yi and Bai Ya were both Duo Huang—Lv Yi had just advanced, but Bai Ya was a seasoned six-star Duo Huang and had taken the Demonization Pill to boot.
If Qing Lin sensed something far stronger than them, and that aura felt related to her bloodline, who else could it be but Queen Medusa?
"I'm not entirely certain…" Qing Lin said quietly. "But I sensed she stayed just one night in the eastern region. The elemental energy there turned extremely violent. And… it seemed she was injured when she left."
(End of Chapter)