On their way to the Imperial City, Xiao Ming noticed Medusa flying next to Zi Yan and froze in midair. Seeing Xiao Ming's reaction, Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan also stopped.
"What are you doing following us? Do you really think I won't kill you?" Xiao Ming asked.
Zi Yan looked confused and replied, "Xiao Ming, Sister Medusa is a good person. She has been good to me. Why do you want to kill her?"
Xiao Ming almost burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Only Zi Yan could say that Medusa was a good person. Medusa was a fearsome figure in the surrounding empires, and anyone on the border trembled upon hearing her name. Even Hai Bodong, a Dou Emperor, fled faster than a rabbit after seeing Medusa.
However, it was also true that Medusa had been really good to Zi Yan, feeding her, and even playing with her.
Seeing Zi Yan's confusion, Xiao Ming thought it would be better to explain the situation. "Remember when I entered the Tager Desert in search of medicinal herbs? The first thing I did was to go straight to the Sacred City of the Snake-People Tribe to exchange the Sand's Datura with Medusa. I had good intentions, but this woman colluded with her subordinate to provoke me, wanting me to stay in the Snake-People Tribe to refine pills for her. If it weren't for your sake, I would have taught her a lesson."
"Ah?!"
Zi Yan was shocked, carefully thinking about what she and Medusa had done these days. It seemed like such behavior really did fit Medusa's character.
"Sister Medusa, aren't you going to explain?"
Watching Zi Yan shuffle her feet nervously, Queen Medusa frowned and grabbed her by the arm, saying, "You ungrateful child! I've been nothing but good to you. Are you planning to turn on me?"
"This... it's not like that." Zi Yan stuck out her tongue and tried to act cute.
"Hmph!" Medusa snorted at her before turning to Xiao Ming. "It's true that my Snake-People Tribe made a move against you back then, but you didn't suffer any losses, did you? Not only did you seal the Grand Commander of my Snake-People Tribe, but you also took my Tribe's precious Sand's Datura. So this matter has long since been settled."
When she mentioned the Grand Commander of the Snake-People Tribe, her face twisted with displeasure.
This time she had come to the Jia Ma Empire to suffer a great loss. Not to mention the Grand Commander had died, but now even that Xiao Yan had seized the opportunity to flee.
"I know that Xiao Yan and you are from the same clan. As long as you tell me their location, I will naturally leave," said Medusa.
Xiao Ming's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this. How could he possibly know where Xiao Yan had fled to? Even if he knew, he wouldn't tell her.
"Xiao Yan has already left. If you want to find him, you'll have to do it on your own. I don't know his location, and following us won't help you find him."
Despite Xiao Ming's clear message that she should stop following them, Medusa remained adamant.
Firstly, she did not know where Xiao Yan had gone, and secondly, even if she wanted to look for him, she would have to go to the Imperial Capital to find him, where Xiao Yan might be traveling on a flying magical beast. Thirdly, she was very anxious, even more so than Jia Xing Tian.
The Tager Desert, where the Snake-People Tribe was located, was a harsh environment, surrounded by four empires, and before she assumed the Queen's position, these empires had often waged war against them, abducting the women of the tribe to make them slaves.
After becoming the Queen, she resorted to iron-fisted methods to maintain the current situation. But now, in the empires around the Snake-People Tribe, several Dou Ancestors had appeared, while she was still stuck at peak Dou Emperor, unable to advance for a long time due to her magical beast physique.
If things continued like this, the Snake-People Tribe would be annihilated by the various surrounding empires sooner or later.
This was also the reason why she had chosen to take the risk of offending Xiao Ming at that time and later on, helping Xiao Yan by coming to the Jia Ma Empire.
She could not simply return with the corpse of the Grand Commander and give up like this.
"Xiao Yan asked me for help with the Misty Cloud Sect matter, and in return, he agreed to lend me his Heavenly Flame. Now that I can't find him, shouldn't you, as a clanmate, take responsibility?"
"Heh, What do you want?" Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes.
"I can exchange a seventh-tier pill recipe with you for the Snake Sacred Soul Advancement Pill from back then, and I will provide the medicinal materials to refine it." Even though she talked about taking responsibility, Medusa still suggested an exchange, still longing for that pill.
"I can't refine it, even if you provide the materials." Xiao Ming replied, feeling exasperated.
The Snake Sacred Soul Advancement Pill was a high-grade seventh-tier pill that could not be refined easily. Even if offered a reward, he didn't have the time to refine it for Medusa. He still had to go to the border of the Jia Ma Empire to "pick up" a corpse to revive Venerable Tian Huo.
Seeing that Xiao Ming did not agree, Medusa looked at Zi Yan.
Zi Yan stretched out her small hands and expressed that she could not help her. Although she also wanted to ease the relationship between the two of them, she knew that Xiao Ming could not refine high-grade seventh-tier pills.
Otherwise, she would have already urged Xiao Ming to refine a Transformation Pill for her.
Seeing that even Zi Yan refused, Medusa was at a loss.
After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Can't you lend me your Heavenly Flame for half an hour? As long as you agree, you can choose any treasure from my Snake-People Tribe's collection."
When she finished speaking, Medusa gently nudged Zi Yan, hoping that she could help speak for her.
But before she could speak, Xiao Ming had already flown away.
Evolving using Heavenly Flame sounded good, but if she failed, she would be reduced to ashes.
...
When he returned to his residence in the Imperial Capital, Xiao Ming relaxed, no longer feeling Medusa's aura around Zi Yan. If possible, he didn't want to have another conflict with Queen Medusa.
Zi Yan didn't have many friends, and it would be difficult for her if Queen Medusa continued to persist, so it was best that Medusa understood when to retreat.
After spending some time with Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Ming headed to the secret room. Removing the snow-white storage ring from his finger, he waved it and a soul body floated out.
"Xiao Ming, you called me so early, don't you need to take a break?" Yao Tian Huo asked.
"No, it's better to refine the fierce spirit as soon as possible." After saying that, he shook his palm and an invisible flame appeared in front of him.
Yao Tian Huo nodded heavily at his words, his face filled with a grave expression. He extended his hand, causing the Fallen Heart Flame to float in front of him. With a flick of his finger, the white ring shook violently, and an unusually violent and fierce aura immediately burst out from it.
A thick mist of blood gushed out from the white storage ring, condensing into a bloody figure in the middle of the secret room.
When the bloody figure appeared, an extremely strong ferocity spread. Fortunately, both Xiao Ming and Venerable Tian Huo were not ordinary people, and this negative emotion failed to invade their minds.
As soon as the fierce spirit condensed, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Ming and Venerable Tian Huo. Perhaps because the impression Yao Tian Huo left on him was too deep, the fierce soul roared and immediately tried to flee from the secret room.
"Hmph, trying to leave?" Seeing the fierce spirit's action, Venerable Tian Huo let out a cold snort.
With a squeeze of his palm, the Fallen Heart Flame in front of him quickly spread out and immediately turned into a fiery net that flashed and rushed towards the fierce spirit like a hungry wolf, enveloping it completely.
On their way to the Imperial City, Xiao Ming noticed Medusa flying next to Zi Yan and froze in midair. Seeing Xiao Ming's reaction, Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan also stopped.
"What are you doing following us? Do you really think I won't kill you?" Xiao Ming asked.
Zi Yan looked confused and replied, "Xiao Ming, Sister Medusa is a good person. She has been good to me. Why do you want to kill her?"
Xiao Ming almost burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Only Zi Yan could say that Medusa was a good person. Medusa was a fearsome figure in the surrounding empires, and anyone on the border trembled upon hearing her name. Even Hai Bodong, a Dou Emperor, fled faster than a rabbit after seeing Medusa.
However, it was also true that Medusa had been really good to Zi Yan, feeding her, and even playing with her.
Seeing Zi Yan's confusion, Xiao Ming thought it would be better to explain the situation. "Remember when I entered the Tager Desert in search of medicinal herbs? The first thing I did was to go straight to the Sacred City of the Snake-People Tribe to exchange the Sand's Datura with Medusa. I had good intentions, but this woman colluded with her subordinate to provoke me, wanting me to stay in the Snake-People Tribe to refine pills for her. If it weren't for your sake, I would have taught her a lesson."
"Ah?!"
Zi Yan was shocked, carefully thinking about what she and Medusa had done these days. It seemed like such behavior really did fit Medusa's character.
"Sister Medusa, aren't you going to explain?"
Watching Zi Yan shuffle her feet nervously, Queen Medusa frowned and grabbed her by the arm, saying, "You ungrateful child! I've been nothing but good to you. Are you planning to turn on me?"
"This... it's not like that." Zi Yan stuck out her tongue and tried to act cute.
"Hmph!" Medusa snorted at her before turning to Xiao Ming. "It's true that my Snake-People Tribe made a move against you back then, but you didn't suffer any losses, did you? Not only did you seal the Grand Commander of my Snake-People Tribe, but you also took my Tribe's precious Sand's Datura. So this matter has long since been settled."
When she mentioned the Grand Commander of the Snake-People Tribe, her face twisted with displeasure.
This time she had come to the Jia Ma Empire to suffer a great loss. Not to mention the Grand Commander had died, but now even that Xiao Yan had seized the opportunity to flee.
"I know that Xiao Yan and you are from the same clan. As long as you tell me their location, I will naturally leave," said Medusa.
Xiao Ming's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this. How could he possibly know where Xiao Yan had fled to? Even if he knew, he wouldn't tell her.
"Xiao Yan has already left. If you want to find him, you'll have to do it on your own. I don't know his location, and following us won't help you find him."
Despite Xiao Ming's clear message that she should stop following them, Medusa remained adamant.
Firstly, she did not know where Xiao Yan had gone, and secondly, even if she wanted to look for him, she would have to go to the Imperial Capital to find him, where Xiao Yan might be traveling on a flying magical beast. Thirdly, she was very anxious, even more so than Jia Xing Tian.
The Tager Desert, where the Snake-People Tribe was located, was a harsh environment, surrounded by four empires, and before she assumed the Queen's position, these empires had often waged war against them, abducting the women of the tribe to make them slaves.
After becoming the Queen, she resorted to iron-fisted methods to maintain the current situation. But now, in the empires around the Snake-People Tribe, several Dou Ancestors had appeared, while she was still stuck at peak Dou Emperor, unable to advance for a long time due to her magical beast physique.
If things continued like this, the Snake-People Tribe would be annihilated by the various surrounding empires sooner or later.
This was also the reason why she had chosen to take the risk of offending Xiao Ming at that time and later on, helping Xiao Yan by coming to the Jia Ma Empire.
She could not simply return with the corpse of the Grand Commander and give up like this.
"Xiao Yan asked me for help with the Misty Cloud Sect matter, and in return, he agreed to lend me his Heavenly Flame. Now that I can't find him, shouldn't you, as a clanmate, take responsibility?"
"Heh, What do you want?" Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes.
"I can exchange a seventh-tier pill recipe with you for the Snake Sacred Soul Advancement Pill from back then, and I will provide the medicinal materials to refine it." Even though she talked about taking responsibility, Medusa still suggested an exchange, still longing for that pill.
"I can't refine it, even if you provide the materials." Xiao Ming replied, feeling exasperated.
The Snake Sacred Soul Advancement Pill was a high-grade seventh-tier pill that could not be refined easily. Even if offered a reward, he didn't have the time to refine it for Medusa. He still had to go to the border of the Jia Ma Empire to "pick up" a corpse to revive Venerable Tian Huo.
Seeing that Xiao Ming did not agree, Medusa looked at Zi Yan.
Zi Yan stretched out her small hands and expressed that she could not help her. Although she also wanted to ease the relationship between the two of them, she knew that Xiao Ming could not refine high-grade seventh-tier pills.
Otherwise, she would have already urged Xiao Ming to refine a Transformation Pill for her.
Seeing that even Zi Yan refused, Medusa was at a loss.
After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Can't you lend me your Heavenly Flame for half an hour? As long as you agree, you can choose any treasure from my Snake-People Tribe's collection."
When she finished speaking, Medusa gently nudged Zi Yan, hoping that she could help speak for her.
But before she could speak, Xiao Ming had already flown away.
Evolving using Heavenly Flame sounded good, but if she failed, she would be reduced to ashes.
...
When he returned to his residence in the Imperial Capital, Xiao Ming relaxed, no longer feeling Medusa's aura around Zi Yan. If possible, he didn't want to have another conflict with Queen Medusa.
Zi Yan didn't have many friends, and it would be difficult for her if Queen Medusa continued to persist, so it was best that Medusa understood when to retreat.
After spending some time with Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Ming headed to the secret room. Removing the snow-white storage ring from his finger, he waved it and a soul body floated out.
"Xiao Ming, you called me so early, don't you need to take a break?" Yao Tian Huo asked.
"No, it's better to refine the fierce spirit as soon as possible." After saying that, he shook his palm and an invisible flame appeared in front of him.
Yao Tian Huo nodded heavily at his words, his face filled with a grave expression. He extended his hand, causing the Fallen Heart Flame to float in front of him. With a flick of his finger, the white ring shook violently, and an unusually violent and fierce aura immediately burst out from it.
A thick mist of blood gushed out from the white storage ring, condensing into a bloody figure in the middle of the secret room.
When the bloody figure appeared, an extremely strong ferocity spread. Fortunately, both Xiao Ming and Venerable Tian Huo were not ordinary people, and this negative emotion failed to invade their minds.
As soon as the fierce spirit condensed, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Ming and Venerable Tian Huo. Perhaps because the impression Yao Tian Huo left on him was too deep, the fierce soul roared and immediately tried to flee from the secret room.
"Hmph, trying to leave?" Seeing the fierce spirit's action, Venerable Tian Huo let out a cold snort.
With a squeeze of his palm, the Fallen Heart Flame in front of him quickly spread out and immediately turned into a fiery net that flashed and rushed towards the fierce spirit like a hungry wolf, enveloping it completely.
