"You want to see Her Majesty the Queen? With just you lot? How laughable."
Mo Ba Si rejected them without hesitation, even lacing his tone with mockery.
"Heh, looks like you don't want your other arm either."
Yan Shi, who had just been held back by Gu He, sneered and said,
"Old He, you're still the same—why waste words on them? Just destroy this city. Let's see if that woman dares not to come out then."
"You think you can?" Yue Mei also mocked.
As she raised her arm, all the snake-people soldiers on the city wall aimed their crossbows directly at Gu He's group.
Flame Lance and the other tribal leaders all summoned their weapons in response.
Gu He stopped Yan Shi once more. Sweeping his gaze across the city, he exhaled lightly before shouting, his voice infused with Dou Qi, echoing thunderously throughout the entire city:
"Your Majesty the Queen, I am Gu He of the Jia Ma Empire. I have not come here to wage war but simply to speak with you. Please, grant us an audience."
Seeing Gu He's sincere approach, the tribal leaders hovering above the city wall—Mo Ba Si, Yue Mei, Flame Lance, and the others—frowned slightly.
However, none of them spoke up to stop him. Under the current circumstances, having Her Majesty come forward might indeed be the best course of action.
Given Her Majesty's strength, if the intruders truly intended to use force, they would leave here with far more than they bargained for.
But several minutes passed with no response from within the city.
Unwilling to give up, Gu He shouted once again, but still, no one answered.
"Looks like I was right. Queen Medusa was seriously injured. There's no way she could have recovered in just a few days. She must be in seclusion to heal," said Hai Bodong, cloaked in black.
As soon as he said this...
The expressions of the eight tribal chiefs changed.
Yue Mei recalled the three lockdown orders from the royal palace and the failure of anyone to see the Queen—perhaps it really was true.
"Bullshit!" Flame Lance roared.
"How could Her Majesty possibly be seriously injured? Once she comes out, we'll slaughter all of you humans without leaving a single one alive!"
Yan Shi gave a cold laugh.
Gu He and the others raised their eyebrows slightly. They already knew each other's identities well. Hai Bodong had long told them about Queen Medusa's condition. Given the situation, it might indeed be true.
Silver moonlight shone upon the land, illuminating their tense expressions.
Just as Gu He was hesitating about whether to take action...
A violent surge of natural energy suddenly erupted above the royal palace!
Everyone immediately looked up. The once clear night sky, with its bright full moon, suddenly turned dark.
A vast amount of Dou Qi began to swirl into a massive, visible vortex above the palace, rushing downward in torrents.
The sudden phenomenon stunned everyone, their faces filled with confusion.
Suddenly, a cloaked figure stepped forward. Clearly a woman based on her frame, she raised her black robe slightly, revealing a slender and elegant snow-white chin as she cried out:
"This is bad—Queen Medusa is breaking through!"
Her voice was cold yet pleasant, tinged with alarm.
According to her knowledge, Queen Medusa was already an eight-star Dou Huang. If she succeeded in this breakthrough, she would reach nine-star Dou Huang—the peak of the Dou Huang realm.
Even at eight stars, she had managed to keep all of the Jia Ma Empire's elites at bay beyond the desert in the previous battle.
If she broke through to nine stars, her power would become truly terrifying.
"We can't let her succeed!" Hai Bodong shouted, unleashing the aura of a five-star Dou Wang.
Though Gu He had used pills to help suppress his injuries, Hai Bodong had still dropped a rank during their journey.
As Hai Bodong released his aura...
Yan Shi, the silent Wind Walker Feng Li, fellow elite Lei Na of the Jia Ma Empire's top ten powerhouses, and four nine-star Dou Ling mercenaries Gu He had hired at great cost—all unleashed their pressure.
The sky, which had previously felt tense but stable, now turned electric with hostility.
And when the black-robed woman revealed her aura—
Mo Ba Si, Yue Mei, and the other tribal leaders' expressions changed drastically.
They were utterly shocked.
Gu He no longer hesitated and shouted:
"Finally! I've been dying to beat that filthy, pitch-black snake to death!"
Yan Shi cursed as he charged toward Mo Ba Si.
Seeing the humans strike first, Yue Mei's face twisted in rage. She turned abruptly to the guards on the wall and roared:
At her command, countless serpent guards fired their crossbows in unison. A dense rain of arrows darkened the sky, streaking straight toward Gu He and his companions.
The whistling wind from the arrows was so sharp it made one's ears ache.
Glancing at the storm of arrows, Gu He calmly said:
"Sect Leader Yun, this one's yours. Ice Emperor, let's go!"
The black-robed woman known as Sect Leader Yun nodded. A delicate white hand emerged from her sleeve, and with a flip of her palm, a cyan longsword appeared.
A powerful cyan tornado formed before her, instantly tearing the rain of arrows into scattered fragments.
Gu He and Hai Bodong took the opportunity to fly toward the palace.
"Stop them!" Yue Mei ordered.
Just as she was about to fly up, Feng Li stepped in her way.
Lei Na blocked Flame Lance.
The black-robed woman, alongside one of the nine-star Dou Lings, engaged five of the tribal chiefs.
The remaining three nine-star Dou Lings charged toward the soldiers on the wall.
"Impudence! Do you think the serpent tribe will let you humans run wild here?"
At that moment, the three great elders of the serpent tribe, each wearing a terrifying fanged mask, burst out from the depths of the palace and charged toward Gu He and Hai Bodong.
"Elder Jia, your turn!"
Gu He, eyes calm, looked into the void above and called out.
A ripple stirred in the sky—and a gray-robed old man appeared before everyone's eyes.
The serpent tribe's forces fell into chaos.
The eight tribal chiefs' pupils constricted.
The black-robed woman's expression darkened.
Gu He... was connected to the royal family of the Jia Ma Empire.
Even Hai Bodong was stunned—he hadn't expected Gu He to bring Jia Xingtian himself.
Looks like Gu He had gone all in to obtain the Heavenly Flame.
But now, it might be hard to explain things to Yun Yun later.
"Elder Jia, I'll leave them to you."
Gu He glanced at the three great elders, then continued flying toward the palace alongside Hai Bodong.
"Just don't forget what you promised me," the gray-robed old man chuckled.
"I won't." Gu He replied without turning back.
"You're not going anywhere!" The three great elders tried to intercept Gu He and Hai Bodong.
But the gray-robed elder stepped in front of them.
"Your opponents... are me."
Chen Mo watched the two men flying toward the palace and teased the person beside him:
"Scared, Commander Yue Nu?"
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