“What’s going on?” Gu He, who had retreated a distance earlier, cautiously returned to the side of the black-robed figure after the terrifying aura dissipated, and inquired carefully, “Didn’t she evolve successfully? What happened?”
“The evolution must have encountered some issues. That aura has completely vanished,” the black-robed figure said with a slight shake of their head, their voice gentle.
“Failed?” Gu He was stunned for a moment, then heaved a sigh of relief mixed with both regret and joy, his eyes fixed on the temple as the green smoke gradually dissipated. His brows furrowed, “The aura of the Heavenly Flame… it’s gone too?”
“The energy fluctuations inside have calmed down. Could the Heavenly Flame have been destroyed by Queen Medusa?” the black-robed figure said with a hint of hesitation.
“It shouldn’t be possible. Although Queen Medusa is powerful, destroying a Heavenly Flame is still beyond her reach,” Gu He shook his head, well aware of the power of Heavenly Flames as an alchemist.
“Let’s wait for the smoke to clear and search thoroughly,” Gu He said with a frown, his tone resigned.
“Old River, how are things?” Two streaks of light flew into the city from beyond the walls, stopping beside Gu He and the black-robed figure. Yan Shi’s gaze swept over the temple below, his voice grave, “That aura just now?”
“It was Queen Medusa’s aura. It seems there was an issue with her evolution. Perhaps… it has already dissipated,” Gu He pondered.
“Phew…” Yan Shi and Feng Li let out a long breath of relief. The terrifying aura earlier had left them with no desire to fight, and such a level of power was beyond their reach.
“What should we do now?” Feng Li’s eyes scanned the city, the countless hostile gazes causing his brows to furrow. Looking up, he saw Yue Mei and Mo Bas casting cold glances at them, their occasional looks towards the temple filled with anxiety.
Even though Yue Mei and Mo Bas were brimming with killing intent, they did not attack. Under their command, countless snake-man warriors armed with spears leaped onto the rooftops, their cold eyes fixed on the few people in the air. In this holy city of the snake-men, there were many strong warriors. When it came to Dou Wang-level experts, they outnumbered Gu He’s group, but what they lacked was a Battle Emperor-level expert to counter the black-robed figure. If not for the fear of massive casualties, they might have already attacked Gu He and the others.
Thus, Yue Mei and the others did not attack directly, instead, they commanded their warriors to surround Gu He’s group, seemingly intending to keep them in the city.
“They are waiting for the leaders of other tribes to arrive. If all eight tribes’ people come, even with Yun Zongzhu, we will be at a disadvantage. Five Dou Wang-level experts are enough to trouble a Battle Emperor, and then our situation will be perilous. This is their territory, and the Medusa Snake Guards are not to be underestimated. They may not stop us, but they can certainly cause problems,” Yan Shi said, his eyes scanning the snake-man warriors on the rooftops.
Gu He nodded, understanding the situation. But he was reluctant to retreat without obtaining the most important thing. After a moment of thought, he murmured, “Let’s wait. The purple barrier is about to dissipate. Once it does, we’ll enter and search quickly. If we find the Heavenly Flame, we’ll take it and leave. If not, we’ll withdraw.”
Seeing Gu He’s determination and the black-robed figure’s lack of objection, Yan Shi and Feng Li exchanged a glance and nodded reluctantly.
With no further objections, Gu He exhaled, glancing at Yue Mei and Mo Bas, their faces icy, and fixed his eyes on the now faintly visible barrier. His powerful Dou Qi began to flow rapidly.
In the vast city, the atmosphere was tense, all eyes on the crumbling purple barrier. Their hearts were taut like coiled springs, unable to relax.
The purple barrier covered a large area, slowly becoming more ethereal. After several minutes of silence, the black-robed figure suddenly turned, their eyes fixed on the western sky, saying softly, “Another snake-man warrior is coming, likely one of the leaders of the eight tribes.”
At these words, Gu He and the others’ expressions changed, turning to see a red figure flashing towards the city. Soon, a male snake-man enveloped in red Dou Qi appeared in the sky, his gaze sweeping over the area before settling on Gu He with a grim expression.
“Damn humans, how dare you enter our holy city!” The newcomer, extremely temperamental, roared upon seeing Gu He and the others. His red Dou Qi surged around him, making him look like a fire-creature.
“This is Yan Ci, the leader of the Fire Snake Tribe, one of the eight tribes. Though he is short-tempered, his strength is among the top. Many empire experts died at his hands during the war with the Jia Ma Empire. He is a formidable opponent,” Feng Li said, his brow furrowed.
Hearing this, Gu He frowned, “So they now have three Dou Wangs, but fortunately, Hua She’er, the captain of the Medusa Snake Guards, is temporarily out of action.”
“The barrier is about to break,” the black-robed figure said, focusing on the purple barrier, which was a manifestation of Queen Medusa’s full power. Even a Battle Emperor would find it hard to break through, so they could only wait for it to dissipate.
Upon hearing this, Gu He and the others tensed, ignoring the flaming Yan Ci, and focused on the increasingly ethereal barrier.
In the sky, Yue Mei and Mo Bas were delighted to see Yan Ci, quickly explaining the situation to him. Enraged, Yan Ci’s red Dou Qi flared, almost like solid flames. Clenching his fists, veins bulging, he fixed his blood-red eyes on Gu He and the others, roaring, “Human scum, I will wash away today’s humiliation with your blood!”
Ignoring the furious Yan Ci, Gu He and the others focused on the barrier. In a flash, the purple light burst, scattering tiny energy fragments across the sky.
As the barrier shattered, Gu He and the others dashed into the temple, still shrouded in green smoke.
Angry roars erupted from the snake-men, and countless shadows leapt onto the rooftops, rushing into the temple, their shouts for the queen echoing through the city. The holy city was now in chaos.
Using their memory, Gu He and the others quickly navigated to the small island. With the flying restriction lifted due to Queen Medusa’s disappearance, they landed on the island unimpeded.
Their feet touched the ground, and they quickly scanned the area, finding no trace of the Heavenly Flame or Queen Medusa. The black-robed figure picked up a charred scale, frowning, “Was she really burned to ashes by the Heavenly Flame?”
“Damn it, where’s the Heavenly Flame?” Gu He’s soul perception swept the island, but found no trace of the Heavenly Flame. Anger flashed across his face.
The black-robed figure stood up, sleeves swishing, creating a fierce wind that dispersed the green smoke. The island became clear, revealing smooth, deep craters, evidence of the destruction.
“No Heavenly Flame!” Yan Shi said, his eyes scanning the empty island.
Feng Li’s palms released a torrent of wind blades, repelling the attacking snake-men. Turning back, he urged, “We need to go, now! Another snake-man warrior is coming!”
Hearing this, Gu He gritted his teeth, exhaling, “Let’s go!”
Yan Shi and Feng Li breathed a sigh of relief. As they prepared to retreat, the snake-man forces surrounding them suddenly stirred. Glancing over, Gu He’s eyes narrowed. In the distant sky, a figure holding a green lotus seat was running, the strange green flame burning on the lotus.
“Heavenly Flame!” Gu He roared, his anger rising. They had risked their lives, only to be used by someone else. Roaring, “Damn it! We were used as pawns!”
“Chase!” With a fierce gesture, Gu He’s Dou Qi surged, his wings flapping as he chased after the figure. The black-robed figure and Yan Shi followed closely behind.
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