"What? Queen Medusa?!"
The two Dou Wangs trembled uncontrollably in fear.
As the saying goes: "A man's name is like the shadow of a tree."
Queen Medusa's fearsome reputation had been a deterrent to several neighboring nations for years.
Countless powerful human cultivators had fallen at the hands of successive Queen Medusas.
To humans, Queen Medusa was practically synonymous with death.
But no matter how powerful she was, there was still only one Queen Medusa.
The Snake-People tribe only had one Dou Huang powerhouse.
In contrast, humans had strength in numbers. That advantage alone kept the Snake-People confined to the depths of the Tagor Desert, never daring to venture out.
"Isn't Queen Medusa always holed up in the Snake-People's royal palace? Why would she come out now?" asked a surprised one-star Dou Wang.
"Ice Emperor, are you sure you didn't see wrong?" said another three-star Dou Wang, who knew Hai Bodong.
"I've fought Queen Medusa before. I wouldn't mistake her," Hai Bodong replied firmly.
With those words, the lower-level cultivators near the cave—those below Dou Wang—immediately started to panic.
They were mostly mercenaries from the city of Mo who had come over out of curiosity after hearing the commotion.
"Lord Ice Emperor, if Queen Medusa really came all the way out here from the Snake-People's palace... could there be some kind of treasure inside?"
The one-star Dou Wang, named Wang Yan, was also a tier-3 alchemist from a neighboring country. He had only stopped in Mo City to rest while passing through.
Despite his fearful expression, a trace of greed flickered in his eyes.
After all, Queen Medusa would never leave the desert's depths without a compelling reason.
The three-star Dou Wang was named Tie Gang. He had met Hai Bodong not long ago during a powerhouses' summit hosted by the Jia Ma Empire and the Cloud Empire. His gaze turned to Hai Bodong as he said:
Hai Bodong bent down, placing his hand on the sandy ground at the cave's entrance. After sensing for a moment, he spoke gravely:
"What violent fire-attributed energy... It's possible. There might really be a treasure inside."
With Hai Bodong's confirmation, Tie Gang and Wang Yan's eyes lit up. But then, realizing Queen Medusa might truly be inside, they quickly reconsidered—trying to snatch something from her would be nothing but a fool's dream.
Still, Tie Gang grew tempted and said, "Ice Emperor, how about the three of us join forces?"
Hai Bodong was arrogant and preferred to act alone. He was just about to refuse when he suddenly felt a violent surge of energy rushing up from underground.
"Not good. Fall back!"
With a cold shout, icy-blue wings of Dou Qi instantly formed on Hai Bodong's back. With a flap, he swiftly retreated into the air.
Tie Gang and Wang Yan's expressions also changed, and they quickly followed.
The next instant, a purple serpent shadow shot out from the cave, followed closely by a blazing pillar of lava.
The nearby onlookers didn't react as fast as the three Dou Wangs, and many were instantly consumed by the surging lava.
Nothing remained—not even bones.
The world fell silent. Not even a bird chirped.
Then, countless gazes locked onto the purple serpent shadow suspended in mid-air.
Most present didn't recognize that the Violet Flame Serpent was Queen Medusa's true form, and for a moment, they were stunned.
But Hai Bodong recognized it immediately. From the serpent's body, he could feel the same aura as Queen Medusa.
More importantly, he spotted Chen Mo on the serpent's back.
"That's Queen Medusa's true form!" he exclaimed.
"Queen Medusa's true form?!"
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. Then someone muttered in disbelief, "There's actually someone riding on Queen Medusa's back?"
No one knew who shouted it, but the crowd now noticed the serpent's body was missing several scales, with crimson blood seeping from the wounds.
"That... That's a Heavenly Flame!" Wang Yan stared at the blue lotus in Chen Mo's hand, his pupils contracting.
As a tier-3 alchemist, he had read about this flame before. His voice trembled with excitement as he declared:
"That's the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"
As his words fell, the crowd's breathing grew heavy.
Heavenly Flames weren't only incredibly tempting for alchemists.
For fire-attribute cultivators, they were peerless treasures of the natural world.
And Tie Gang happened to be one such fire-attribute cultivator.
The scene descended into chaos.
Queen Medusa, however, ignored all of them. After bursting out of the cave, she gave a cold snort and prepared to leave.
But Hai Bodong blocked her path.
"You intend to stop this Queen?"
A flash of red light, and Queen Medusa returned to her human form.
Wearing a regal red dress and crown, she exuded a commanding aura of cold arrogance, royal pride, and enchanting beauty.
Chen Mo, however, had seen the burn-like wounds on her back and felt an inexplicable pang in his heart. When he saw Hai Bodong blocking the way, a flicker of killing intent appeared in his eyes.
"That day, you had numbers on your side, and I had to retreat. Today... it's my turn."
Hai Bodong looked down and said to Tie Gang and Wang Yan, "I'm in."
Both Tie Gang and Wang Yan were overjoyed. Their Dou Qi wings formed on their backs, and with a flap, they rose into the air beside Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong's gaze shifted to Chen Mo, standing behind Queen Medusa. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"So you weren't a Dou Huang after all!"
He had already felt something off the day he left. And now, his suspicions were confirmed.
Chen Mo said nothing. Though he had used a Qi Concealing Technique, it was only enough to hide from Da Dou Shi or Dou Ling levels.
Someone of Hai Bodong's level could see through it easily.
"I'll handle Queen Medusa. That kid's yours."
Hai Bodong gave the order.
"No problem," Tie Gang and Wang Yan chuckled. Two Dou Wangs against an eight-star Dou Shi? Easy work.
Queen Medusa's expression turned dark. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't fear Hai Bodong.
But she had just fought the spirit of the Green Lotus Core Flame, suffered serious injuries, and expended a great deal of energy.
And now, she still had to protect Chen Mo.
She didn't believe Chen Mo could stand against two Dou Wangs.
Queen Medusa compromised, her voice icy: "What do you want?"
"I've always wanted to see for myself just how powerful the infamous Queen Medusa truly is!"
With his robes fluttering, an intense wave of cold energy erupted from Hai Bodong's body.
Queen Medusa's phoenix eyes turned cold. She looked back and said to Chen Mo:
"Hide behind this Queen."
But Chen Mo gently patted her smooth shoulder and replied calmly:
"Your Majesty, focus on dealing with Hai Bodong. Leave those two to me."
Queen Medusa's brows furrowed. She said coldly, "When this Queen tells you to hide, you hide. Why are you talking back?"
Chen Mo's face twitched. He had no choice but to activate a one-star Dou Wang experience card.
Instantly, a Dou Wang's aura burst forth from his body.
Queen Medusa was stunned.
Hai Bodong was stunned.
Tie Gang and Wang Yan? Even more stunned.
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