Chapter 105: Yun Yun of the Misty Cloud Sect!

"Empress Medusa?!" Upon hearing this familiar name, Qing Lin flinched, her tone betraying a sense of fear.

"Oh, Qing Lin, judging by your tone, do you know this Empress Medusa?" Qian Mo asked, feigning ignorance.

Qing Lin nodded, her face turning slightly pale as she said, "Empress Medusa is the leader of the Snake-people tribe in the Tagor Desert, and her cultivation is terrifyingly powerful."

Qing Lin looked up at Qian Mo and asked, "Brother, you aren't planning to go find her, are you?"

"Yes, that's right. If I don't find her, how else will I get my Green Lotus Core Flame back?" Qian Mo said nonchalantly, clapping his hands. Qing Lin lowered her head in silence. Seeing this, Qian Mo pursed his lips into a smile and said, "What, Qing Lin, do you not trust your brother's strength? A mere Dou Huang is nothing in my eyes."

"A... mere Dou Huang?" Qing Lin repeated with difficulty, swallowing hard before saying, "I see, Brother."

"Then let's set off." With that, Qian Mo reached out, scooped up Qing Lin, and stepped into the sky. Qing Lin was once again lost in the exhilaration of the wind rushing past her face.

---

Deep in the desert, in a gloomy and humid area, stood a grand sand city. The coolness, the humidity, and the presence of water—these three environmental features perfectly suited the survival of one type of creature: snakes!

Indeed, this was the tribe of the Snake-people, the residence of Empress Medusa.

From within a room, an angry female voice roared, "Damn it! Why can I still not refine this Green Lotus Core Flame!!" After a pause, she formed a seal with her hands and shouted at the Green Lotus Core Flame floating in the air, "I refuse to believe that I, the Empress, cannot handle a mere Heavenly Flame like you!"

The owner of this voice was none other than the long-lived ruler of the Snake-people, Empress Medusa.

Outside the sand city, an explosion rang out. *Boom!*

"Damn humans, don't you dare disturb Her Majesty the Empress!" Not far from the sand city, a sharp, murderous female voice shouted. The snake-woman held a crimson longsword, and with two translucent wings on her back, she was a Dou Wang! Only those at the Dou Wang level or above could manifest wings with their Dou Qi.

As the dust cleared, a man in white and blue robes emerged—an older man, likely middle-aged. He hovered in mid-air with Dou Qi wings, a strange flame manifesting in his right hand. This flame appeared to be a Heavenly Flame, but in reality, it was merely a high-tier Beast Flame. Compared to a Heavenly Flame, which is nurtured by the world over countless years, a Beast Flame grown within a biological body is worlds apart. There is simply no comparison.

The middle-aged man was followed by three others. Two were slightly older, and judging by their auras and the wings they flew with, they were also Dou Wang experts. The third was a person whose face was covered by a black cloth, making it impossible to tell their gender. All four hovered in the air, clearly demonstrating that they were all experts at the Dou Wang level or higher.

"I am Gu He, the Pill King of the Misty Cloud Sect. I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Snake-people. I have come only because I heard that Empress Medusa has obtained a Heavenly Flame, and I wish to conduct a business deal. I ask that you please inform her." The middle-aged man leading the group bowed to the snake-woman above. This Pill King Gu He was a peak Dou Wang, only a step away from the Dou Huang realm. Once he obtained and refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, he would be able to step into the true Dou Huang realm.

"Our Empress is busy, and it is impossible for her to trade with despicable humans like you! You had better leave!" the snake-woman said coldly, filled with hostility.

Gu He frowned. Having spoken politely only to be met with such unreasonableness, his tone shifted. "I am determined to obtain the Heavenly Flame. If it must come to this, then don't blame me for what happens next."

"Gu He, why waste words with them? Let's just finish this!" the two male Dou Wangs behind him urged.

The snake-woman laughed in anger. "Ha! You humans are all the same. 'Trading'—what a load of nonsense! Greedy humans, prepare to die!"

With that, she summoned several snake-warriors, raised her crimson longsword, and joined by others wielding large blades, they charged at Gu He and his party.

"Be careful," said the veiled person who had remained silent until now. It was a clear, refined female voice.

The three men replied in unison, "Yes!"

It was evident that this veiled woman was their leader or the one with the highest cultivation.

---

"Brother, I don't know why, but I really like the environment here," Qing Lin said to Qian Mo as the surroundings changed significantly.

She couldn't explain it, but the sense of comfort she felt here was growing stronger, unlike anywhere else they had been.

Qian Mo thought to himself that the comfort she felt was because they were approaching the territory of the Snake-people. The humidity and gloominess were perfect for snakes, and he suspected it was linked to the snake genes she inherited from her father.

Not wanting to bring up painful memories, Qian Mo said, "Perhaps it's because you've lived in the high-temperature desert since you were young, and this humid, gloomy environment provides such a contrast that you find it more comfortable."

"I see," Qing Lin nodded.

Qian Mo breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he had managed to gloss over it. He looked ahead, squinted his eyes, and muttered, "There seem to be sounds of fighting ahead, right near the sand city of the Snake-people."

He picked up the pace.

---

By this time, Gu He and his group had failed to gain much of an advantage against the snake-warriors and were looking a bit exhausted, though the Snake-people had suffered many casualties. Ultimately, it took the veiled woman intervening to subdue the lead snake-woman.

"Damnable humans, you deserve to die! Empress Medusa will never let you go!" the snake-woman screamed, blood leaking from her mouth as she lay on the ground.

The veiled woman frowned. "We mean no harm; we came to negotiate, but you pushed us every step of the way."

"Heh, a trade? That's what you call it, but if the trade fails, you'll just resort to robbery! That is the greed of you humans!" the snake-woman shouted, unwilling to yield.

Gu He stepped forward, his tone no longer calm—perhaps due to the bruises he’d sustained. "Hmph! A Heavenly Flame is an ownerless object, and the strong shall possess it! If we resort to force, it is only because you forced our hand."

The snake-woman laughed bitterly. "How ridiculous! You humans will meet a miserable end!"

Gu He drew his sword, preparing to strike the snake-woman down, but the veiled woman blocked him with her hand. "We came for the Heavenly Flame. We have already killed several of the Snake-people; let's not create further complications. Obtaining the flame is the priority. If we are too late and Empress Medusa refines it, we will be in trouble."

Gu He nodded slightly, lowering his sword. "That is true." He cast a cold glance at the snake-woman on the ground.

Seeing that they were not going to kill her, the snake-woman used a secret technique of the snake clan to flee the scene.

"Sect Master!" Gu He blurted out to the veiled woman once the snake-woman had vanished.

It turned out the veiled woman was their Sect Master. Gu He was from the Misty Cloud Sect, and since the current Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect was a woman, the person he addressed was none other than Yun Yun!

---

"Forget it, let her go. She is severely injured and won't be able to do much," Yun Yun said, glancing at the spot where the snake-woman had disappeared. She was simply too kind-hearted to finish her off, though it wouldn't have much impact.

"Yes, Sect Master," Gu He replied, pulling a cloak from his storage ring and putting it on.

"Let's go. We must hurry, otherwise, this trip will have been in vain." Yun Yun leaped toward the Sand City, and the three men hurried to follow.

---

A figure appeared inside the sand city, collapsing to the ground. Holding her wounds, she took out a hemostatic pill and swallowed it. It was the same snake-woman who had just escaped.

"Du Yue, are you alright? Who hurt you like this?" A deep voice emerged from the shadows as a man twisted out, looking at the injured Du Yue with great urgency.

"Quick, gather the people in the city and the elders! Humans have come to take the Heavenly Flame, and we cannot let them disturb Sister Medusa!" Du Yue said after swallowing the pill, her wounds beginning to stabilize.

"What? Those damnable humans again! So those injuries were caused by them?!" The man’s fists clenched, his voice dark with murderous intent.

Du Yue nodded, biting her lip. "Go quickly! They will be here soon. There are three Dou Wangs among them, and one who should be a Dou Huang. You must be careful and try to stall them until Sister Medusa finishes refining! You must hold them back!"

The man narrowed his eyes. "A Dou Huang? Like Empress Medusa? I don't believe they are stronger than her. Even the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, a four-star Dou Huang, was severely injured and had his cultivation sealed by Empress Medusa."

"Regardless, do not be careless!" Du Yue warned, terrified that his arrogance would get him killed.

"I understand. You focus on healing. I am a Dou Huang myself; I won't be foolish enough to throw my life away." The man nodded. He was She Tian, leader of the first regiment of the Snake-people—a one-star Dou Huang!

The second regiment leader, She Yun, was a six-star Dou Wang, and the third regiment leader was the severely injured Du Yue, an eight-star Dou Wang.

The figure vanished from the great hall and appeared before the gate.

"Regiment Leader She Tian!" the snakes below shouted.

She Tian stood on the steps. "Everyone, gather! I have something to say!"

The crowd was filled with confusion but obeyed, sensing that something major was about to happen.

"We have received intelligence that greedy humans have injured our third regiment leader, Du Yue, and intend to seize Empress Medusa’s Heavenly Flame. There are three Dou Wangs and one Dou Huang. Everyone, prepare to defend the city! Buy time for the Empress, and kill them if you can!" the man shouted in a dark, booming voice.

"Yes! Regiment Leader! We will complete the mission, even if it costs us our lives!" the crowd roared in fury.

"Good! Let those greedy humans see that our Snake-people are not to be bullied!" She Tian shouted his final command.

---

"Sect Master, the Snake-people's Sand City seems to have strengthened its defenses. It seems word of our arrival has already spread," said the man in the black robe behind her.

"It must be the news the snake that escaped brought back," said the other black-robed man. Both were seven-star Dou Wang experts.

"I should have killed her earlier. Now that they know we are coming, it won't be so easy to get the Green Lotus Core Flame," Gu He said, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist.

Yun Yun glanced at Gu He with a strange look in her eyes and said in a clear, charming voice, "Sometimes, there is no need to be so murderous. Not everything is decided by killing. Let's go. We have come with sincerity; let's try to negotiate and see what conditions they have."

Gu He understood her meaning but asked softly, "Sect Master, what if they simply refuse to give it up?"

"Then we will have to take it by force. I will try to hold off Medusa for you. She is at the peak of the Dou Huang realm and will not be easy to deal with. You must be quick, or we will have to return to the sect," Yun Yun said directly.

"Yes," the three replied.

In the sand city, a defense had been formed. She Tian stood at the high point, watching the four figures flying toward them. He narrowed his eyes and shouted to the troops below, "Fire!"

Receiving the order, the troops immediately fired their flaming arrows.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

"Careful!" Yun Yun shouted.

"Damn Snake-people! Attacking without even saying a word?!" the three men cursed as they saw countless flaming arrows raining down from the sky. They summoned their blades to defend themselves.

Yun Yun, however, merely narrowed her eyes. She gripped her slender, green-red Jade Peak Sword. With a leap, she soared into the sky. "Wind Extremity: Tidal Whirlwind!" As she collided with the countless arrows, she swung her sword, creating a whirlwind like an underwater tornado that smashed into the incoming projectiles.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

Countless arrows were snapped and shattered by the powerful force of the whirlwind, the debris falling to the ground.

The people on the city walls watched as their volley was so easily deflected, and panic began to spread.

*Tch, as I thought. It seems I must take action myself.* She Tian had known all along that ordinary arrows would be ineffective against a Dou Huang. When Yun Yun attacked, he knew she was the Dou Huang Du Yue had spoken of, while the others were mere Dou Wangs.

"Elders, go and stall those three Dou Wangs. I will deal with the Dou Huang," She Tian said to the elders standing beside him.

"Yes, General." The elders were all peak Dou Wangs; together, they could even contend with a normal Dou Huang.

Yun Yun pointed her sword downward toward the city. "We have not come to be your enemies; we have come to make a trade!"

She Tian spread his black wings and flew into the sky. Hearing her, he sneered, "Ha! Ridiculous! You injure our people and kill our warriors, and that is what you call a trade?" He summoned a large blade, pointed it at Yun Yun, and unleashed a massive wave of killing intent.

Yun Yun frowned. "We stated our intentions, but they blocked us and were the first to show hostility. If you were in our position, you would have done the same."

"In that case, enough talk!" She Tian broke the stalemate and charged at Yun Yun with his blade.

Yun Yun’s gaze sharpened. "If that is how it must be, then we shall fight!"

"Die, you damnable human! Take this!" She Tian raised his great blade and shouted, "Earth-tier Advanced: Earth-Shattering Rock!" In an instant, he formed a massive whirlwind of sand and stone, shaping it into a giant, sharp rock. He leaped down, plunging toward Yun Yun with both the blade and the rock.

Seeing the incoming attack, Yun Yun’s expression turned serious. Her feet shimmered with green light. "Swallow Step!" She executed an Earth-tier movement technique, twisting her body and stepping lightly on the falling rocks to leap upward. As she reached She Tian, she struck out. "Wind Extremity: Crimson Sword Strike!"

A crimson airflow gathered at the tip of her Jade Peak Sword, turning the blade a deep red. She held nothing back, intending to end the fight quickly. She knew this was merely to buy time for Medusa; if she could take down these people, the rest could be dealt with later.

Seeing the sword strike coming toward him, She Tian was startled. *Not good!* He felt her desire for a swift victory. As a one-star Dou Huang, he could not afford to lose his momentum. He leaped forward, his blade shifting from white to a deep brown. *If she wants to fight, so be it!* "Desert Great Annihilation!" he roared, unleashing his strongest strike.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

*Boom!*

The two attacks collided in the sky, the massive explosion echoing throughout the entire sand city.

The explosion kicked up a massive cloud of dust that enveloped the sky.

The people in the city watched the sky, while Gu He and the others stopped their fighting to look up as well. Everyone was focused on one question: who had won?

As the dust slowly dissipated, a figure fell from the sky. His clothes were shredded, blood flowed from his mouth, and he was covered in Dou Qi armor. *Gah!* A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth.

It was She Tian. He could not believe that he, a Dou Huang, had been defeated so easily and so miserably.

Meanwhile, Yun Yun’s Jade Peak Sword had vanished. She held one arm with the other hand, her veil had been blown away by the explosion, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

Yun Yun landed, and Gu He and the others hurried over, shouting, "Sect Master!"

"I am fine," Yun Yun said, taking a healing pill from her storage ring. "Protect me."

"Yes!" The three men released their Dou Qi to stand guard around her.

Yun Yun bit her lip, swallowed the pill, and sat down to regulate her breath.

On the other side, several elders rushed to She Tian and caught him. "She Tian! She Tian! Where is the pill?" Another elder quickly took out a pill and placed it in She Tian's mouth. Because the injury was too severe, even the healing pill could not restore him quickly.

---

"Looks like it's over," Qian Mo said, holding the dazed Qing Lin as he watched from high above.

Qian Mo had arrived long ago, but since there was a show to watch, he had chosen to watch it first. Now that the show was over, it was time to get down to business.

Qian Mo frowned. "It seems this is the butterfly effect; the plot has advanced slightly." He shook his head. *Whatever, not worth worrying about.*

Holding Qing Lin, he flashed into the city. Since the snakes were all focused on the battle outside, no one was guarding the interior. Following the aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame, he found a hidden location. The door was closed, and the aura inside was intense.

"Looks like this is the place." Qian Mo pushed the door open and walked in.

"Who?!" Medusa was shocked that the door had been pushed open so easily. *How is that possible?!* she thought. She turned around to see a young man in white robes holding a little girl.

Qian Mo scanned the room, used a burst of energy to lock the door behind him, and looked at the long tail in front of him—the snake-woman. "I presume you must be the one who shook the entire Tagor Desert: the leader of the Snake-people, Empress Medusa."

Medusa’s face darkened. "Since you know who I am, you dare to be so bold? You are looking for death!" With that, she launched a cloud of poison mist at Qian Mo. Qian Mo stood still and flicked his hand casually. "Medusa, your constitution is Yin; you cannot refine the Green Lotus Core Flame. If you force it, your body will be reduced to ashes. You should know that better than I do."

Seeing Qian Mo so easily disperse her deadly poison, Medusa was shocked. She narrowed her eyes and said, "So what if I do? Only this Heavenly Flame can help me break through to the Dou Zong realm and take human form! And even if it does, it’s none of your business!"

"Simply put, you want a human form, right?" Qian Mo paused before continuing, "Medusa, how about we make a deal?"

"Why should I make a deal with you?" Medusa was furious, her snake tail thrashing.

"Why?" Qian Mo’s expression darkened. "Because I could kill you easily at any moment."

"Kill me? Arrogant! Provoking me will cost you your life!" Medusa was stung by his arrogance. She unleashed her Dou Qi, and one could feel the exquisite, demonic aura radiating from her.

She launched a series of green, snake-shaped energy attacks at Qian Mo.

Qian Mo moved slightly, vanishing from where he stood and reappearing behind Medusa. He looked up at the Green Lotus Core Flame floating above, then looked back at Medusa’s back, smiling with a ghostly charm. "Truly beautiful!"

"Bastard! How dare you be so insolent! You are truly looking for death!" Medusa’s face darkened, and endless killing intent erupted. She had never been insulted by a man like this before. The fact that this detestable human dared to tease her so directly had truly enraged her.

In her fury, she launched an attack at Qian Mo.