Chapter 192: The Medusa Queen Returns

Just as Yun Shan's attack was about to land, the cyan lotus platform suddenly surged with wisps of terrifyingly powerful cyan lotus fire.

The dreadful Infernal Heat of the erupting cyan lotus fire instantly swept away the Dou Technique Yun Shan had cast; the appearance of the cyan flames startled Nalan Yanran into a light leap backward, putting several dozen meters between them.

Fortunately, the terrifying flames were not aimed at her—otherwise that cyan fire alone would have been enough to burn her to death.

"What kind of flame is this? The Infernal Heat is so high!"

"Why do I feel like this flame is even more terrifying than Xiao Yan's red strange fire!"

The instant he saw the cyan lotus platform and the eruption of cyan flames, Gu He's expression shifted. He muttered to himself: "This cyan flame and that lotus platform... could it be the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire?!"

With a thunderous boom, Yun Shan's giant cloud-mist hand was instantly incinerated by the cyan lotus fire, and within those cyan flames, a graceful figure appeared, faintly visible.

Before anyone could collect themselves, a woman emerged from the cyan fire—ethereal as an immortal—and in a single step landed upon the green lotus. The instant her jade feet touched the lotus, a soft whoosh of fire sounded, and the cyan flames slowly gathered back into the lotus platform.

As the flames receded, the Medusa Queen was revealed wearing an exquisite purple-red long dress, her jade feet lightly treading on Space. Her red hair was so beautiful, so transcendent, like a fairy descending to the mortal world, and for a moment many gazed at her as if bewitched.

Xiao Yan had long anticipated that there would come a day when the Medusa Queen would have to take action, so he had previously asked Ya Fei at the Miter Merchant Guild to pick out a loose, exquisite, and regal long dress for this merciless queen.

Of course, when Ya Fei heard that Xiao Yan wanted a woman's dress, her priceless expression was another story entirely.

"Old fool, you can scram now."

A cool, enchanting voice—charming enough to make men's bones go limp—slowly rang out across the Guang Chang. Immediately, those with slightly weaker resolve flushed red as if caught in a blazing sunset.

It was as if the Medusa Queen's voice itself carried an inherent bewitching power.

Even though the Medusa Queen now wore a loose dress, it could not conceal her upright, perky hips and her alluring figure—full-bosomed and rounded at the rear—like a peach ripened to perfection, constantly exuding a scorching, intoxicating charm.

As his gaze drifted downward, Xiao Yan noticed that the Medusa Queen's original snake tail had, at some unknown time, transformed into two slender, fair human legs. Her snow-white little feet hovered half an inch above the ground, crystalline and immaculate, untouched by dust.

Although her original body had been destroyed by the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, over these past few months, nourished by the warmth of the green lotus and supplemented by the Ten Thousand Beasts Green Lotus Pill that Xiao Yan had refined, the Medusa Queen had at least gained the ability to take human form.

Countless gazes turned toward the source of the voice. When they saw the enchanting, alluring beauty standing beside Xiao Yan, they couldn't help but hold their breath. However, those who knew more—such as Hai Bodong—wore faces of pure terror.

"Me-Me-Me-Medusa Queen!!!!" Hai Bodong was like a frog that had just seen a snake, and he scrambled backward several steps in terror!

For the past twenty-something years, Hai Bodong had dreamed of the Medusa Queen every night—only they were nightmares.

Xiao Yan slowly turned his head to look at that perfect face combining cold beauty, allure, and enchantment beneath a head of red hair, and said lightly: "By age, you should actually be older than Yun Shan."

"Hmm!" The Medusa Queen's eyes seemed as if they wanted to devour someone as she stared at Xiao Yan, her snake pupils contracting sharply, as though about to launch an attack.

Mentioning a woman's age?! Are you tired of living?!

Xiao Yan guiltily looked away, not daring at all to face this beautiful queen.

With the appearance of the enchanting Medusa Queen, the Guang Chang fell into a brief suffocating silence.

The moment Hai Bodong shouted those five words, that brief string of characters leaving his mouth made everyone on the square shudder violently.

That name was known by ear to the vast majority of people in the Jia Ma Empire. That coldly beautiful and ruthlessly cruel woman had, in past wars against the Jia Ma Empire, personally slain countless renowned experts.

Half the reason the Jia Ma Empire's Top Ten Experts changed so frequently was because of her.

In this empire, only a very select few possessed the strength to stand against this enchantingly beautiful woman.

But even that was only standing against her—Jia Xingtian and Yun Shan had both challenged the Medusa Queen in the past, and both had fled back in disgrace.

Though not as miserable as Hai Bodong, it could only be said to be a barely adequate stand; defeating her was absolutely impossible.

This woman, with her ruthless methods that rivaled those of iron-blooded emperors, deterred several empires near the Ta Ge Er Desert from lightly starting wars.

Most people described her with words like terrifying, ruthless, and heartless.

Hai Bodong, who had originally been wondering what method Xiao Yan had up his sleeve, had now completely transformed into pure terror. He might be able to remain composed before Yun Shan, but before the Medusa Queen, he could never fully conceal the fear in his heart. The Battle in the Desert back then still left lingering dread in him to this day.

So Xiao Yan had told him to step aside because he was going to summon the Medusa Queen!

Xiao Yan's thoughtfulness moved Hai Bodong to tears of gratitude.

"Could the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire be on Xiao Yan now? What kind of Transaction does he have with the Medusa Queen?" Gu He speculated inwardly. The cyan flames just now were undoubtedly the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, and the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire itself belonged to the Medusa Queen.

"Could it be related to that evolution back then?" Gu He had guessed correctly.

The Medusa Queen had actually been hiding right beside Xiao Yan all along, and from the looks of it now, there was a certain relationship between them—the Medusa Queen was protecting Xiao Yan!

"You've successfully evolved? No, that's not right—your current strength is strange. You possess the ability of a Dou Zong, but your actual power doesn't seem to have reached a true Dou Zong." Yun Shan was indeed worthy of being a true Dou Zong—even if only a Dou Zong Yi Xing, and even though he hadn't reached Dou Zong for very long, he still possessed keen insight.

The Medusa Queen's jade feet lightly treading on Space proved she had already gained the ability of a Dou Zong, but her actual strength had only reached Half-Step Dou Zong, not yet a full Dou Zong.

"It's more than enough to deal with you." The Medusa Queen lightly brushed her hair. Even though her Cultivation Realm was now inferior to Yun Shan's, she did not fear dealing with a Dou Zong Yi Xing like him.

With a hum, the eerie light in the Medusa Queen's eyes made Yun Shan suddenly sense something was very wrong. He looked down to see gray-white rock layers rapidly spreading upward from his feet.

"Break!"

Yun Shan circulated the Dou Qi within his body, his hands rapidly forming seals. The surrounding air transformed into invisible scythes, swiftly stripping away the Medusa Queen's petrification.

"Hmph." Yun Shan gave a cold snort and stepped onto Space. With a bang, just as he was about to strike out with a palm, a graceful figure suddenly flashed past, and a slender, snow-white hand as fair as jade lightly flicked against Yun Shan's palm.

The moment they made contact, a violent, overwhelmingly fierce burst of energy erupted from the point of impact.

(End of this chapter)