Chapter 343: Magical Beast Family

Xiao Yan didn't bother with politeness; he gathered all the corpses into his storage ring. After all, these were renowned experts from the Northwest Region—each of their storage rings likely contained valuable items. Besides, he couldn't harvest their spiritual souls here.

How could Xiao Yan possibly pass up a chance to loot?

"Qing Lin, let's go back. The remaining matches of this Sect Grand Meeting probably won't happen today." Xiao Yan patted Qing Lin's small head and smiled.

After a moment's thought, Qing Lin nodded and turned to She Tianhao: "Mansion Master, I have matters to attend to today and must request leave from the Heavenly Snake Mansion for a while."

She Tianhao's eyes flashed with ferocity as he growled, "Qing Lin, think carefully—I've treated you well in the Heavenly Snake Mansion."

Xiao Yan stepped forward, standing before Qing Lin, smiling calmly: "Mansion Master of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, don't try to demand repayment for favors. Qing Lin didn't receive your mansion's resources for free—she'll fulfill her promises, thus repaying your cultivation support."

She Tianhao gritted his molars so hard they nearly shattered, his voice low and venomous: "Xiao Yan! Is the Yan Alliance determined to oppose my Heavenly Snake Mansion?!"

Xiao Yan shrugged indifferently: "The Yan Alliance isn't mine alone. Why don't you ask Medusa Queen if she'll agree?"

Medusa cast a sidelong glance at this audacious fellow, then looked at Qing Lin, and said slowly: "She carries the bloodline of my Snake Tribe—she is naturally a subject of my Snake Empire."

Medusa's meaning was clear: Qing Lin would be under her protection. Anyone who dared touch Qing Lin would face Medusa's wrath.

"Good, good, good! Fine Yan Alliance! Fine Medusa!" She Tianhao waved his hand, glancing coldly at Qing Lin: "Qing Lin, remember what you promised the Heavenly Snake Mansion."

Ignoring She Tianhao's threat, Medusa glanced at the deer-snake behind him, sneering slightly, then narrowed her eyes.

"Ah!" With a hiss, the deer-snake who had once betrayed the Snake Empire instantly ignited an invisible heart fire within him—his entire body turned crimson, steaming with a sizzling white vapor.

In mere seconds, the deer-snake died, reverting to his true form: a giant python with deer antlers on its head. Half a minute later, he was reduced to black charcoal.

A single glance—and a Dou Huang was dead.

"Betray me, and this is your fate. No one can save its life." Medusa's Snake Empire had long been at odds with the Heavenly Snake Mansion—now she directly executed the traitor.

Seeing the deer-snake's death, Hua She Er and Yue Mei were stirred with emotion—they too deeply despised such traitorous, profit-driven scoundrels.

"Hmph!" She Tianhao's eyes flickered with venom, but his Heavenly Snake Mansion lacked the strength to wage war against the Yan Alliance. He waved his hand and led all his disciples away.

Seeing She Tianhao depart, Medusa flicked her sleeve, lightly stepping on empty space until she stood atop the head of the Deep Sea Jiao Beast.

The Deep Sea Jiao Beast could only shrink its head—daring not to complain. Just moments ago, two Dou Zong of the Third Star had been killed by Medusa, with no chance to escape—how dare it speak up? One wrong word and it would be dead instantly.

Too terrifying!

Not long after, the Deep Sea Jiao Beast also carried all members of the Yan Alliance away from this place.

Though the protagonist had left, everyone present understood one thing: the Northwest Region had been turned upside down!

"If… if Medusa successfully defends the final Sect Grand Meeting…"

Sssss! Everyone realized one thing: the Yan Alliance was now only one step away from dominating the Northwest Region.

If Medusa could single-handedly defend against all the Sect Masters of the Northwest Region, it would mean the Yan Alliance was first in both the Young Generation and among Alchemists!

It wasn't even just one step away anymore—many present Sect Masters were already considering whether to join the Yan Alliance.

Just like in the last edition: not all Northwest Region Sect Masters attacked the Heavenly Snake Mansion's defense. Only Thunder Sect, Shi Ming Sect, and Yao Gu Sect sent challengers—and they overthrew She Tianhao.

After all, who wants to provoke such a powerful Faction without cause? Who isn't afraid of retaliation?

So in reality, the Yan Alliance only needs to withstand the challenges from Thunder Sect, Shi Ming Sect, and the Heavenly Snake Mansion to succeed!

The other Sects will naturally retreat.

As expected, not long after, the Heavenly Snake Mansion released word: the Sect Grand Meeting would resume tomorrow.

After all, though the Yan Alliance was strong, it was impossible for the Heavenly Snake Mansion, Thunder Sect, and Shi Ming Sect to submit to them—just as the former Heavenly Snake Mansion had been besieged.

In Medusa's chamber within the Yan Alliance Mansion.

"Keep staring, and I'll pluck out your eyeballs." Medusa's face was icy, her eyes cold as she glared at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at Medusa, disgruntled: "What's wrong with looking? Your Three-Flame Serpent Body owes at least half its success to me!"

"Besides, you've advanced too fast—far beyond my estimates. What if there are side effects? That'd be a nuisance."

Xiao Yan scrutinized Medusa Queen, seated in the chair, her stunning beauty, even boldly sweeping his Soul Force over her. Crack! The cup on the table shattered instantly; Medusa's aura surged uncontrollably.

I've had enough of you!

"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan swallowed hard, pulling his head back: "From what I see, your Three-Flame Serpent Body is perfectly refined. Your rapid advancement is likely due to the fusion of Heavenly Flames, greatly boosting your Cultivation Realm."

"Tsk tsk tsk—I didn't expect you'd obtained a portion of the Heavenly Flame's power." Xiao Yan hadn't forgotten: just now, Medusa killed the deer-snake with a single glance—that was the power of the Falling Heart Flame.

But only a tiny fraction of its power—Medusa had not inherited the Falling Heart Flame's accelerated cultivation effect.

Xiao Yan didn't hesitate—he sat directly across from Medusa, picked up a cup, and poured himself tea.

Tap tap tap. Xiao Yan tapped his fingers on the table, then asked seriously: "Can you handle those Heavenly Snake Mansion bastards?"

Medusa's delicate eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Xiao Yan, coldly asking: "Do you want to unify the Northwest Region?"

Medusa had little interest in unifying the Northwest Region—she sought strength only to protect her subjects from war. Unlike the Heavenly Snake Mansion, she had no desire to return to Zhong Zhou.

"Not exactly unifying the Northwest Region. In another year or two, I'll leave Jia Ma Empire to attend the Pill Gathering in Zhong Zhou. Besides, Zi Yan's family is there—I need to see how things stand with them." Xiao Yan didn't hide it, speaking plainly.

"So if we can resolve some threats, better to do it within these two years."

Xiao Yan couldn't stay long. The next Pill Gathering is in three years, and he must also visit the Burning Flame Valley to obtain the full Three Mystical Heavenly Flames Transformation.

If in two years, the Soul Hall and Ya Fei still haven't found Puti Huati Yan, Xiao Yan would have to take Xiao Yixian to Dan Tower to seek a second solution—or find a way to delay things further.

Medusa thought for a moment: "I'm not certain. Those three old men are all Star Seven Dou Zong, just like me—I've never tested my true strength."

Shi Nian, Sect Master of Shi Ming Sect; Ting Hao, Sect Master of Thunder Sect; and She Tianhao—all Star Seven Dou Zong. To successfully defend, Medusa must face all three.

One-on-one, she was confident she could defeat any one of them—but against all three? Uncertain.

"Then don't force it. When I can refine Seven-Grade Mid-tier Pills, the Yan Alliance will be secure—and I'll feel more at ease leaving for Zhong Zhou." Xiao Yan didn't press. When the Heavenly Flame Elder revived, the Yan Alliance would gain another major general—and Xiao Yan would feel more reassured.

"What is Zi Yan's true form?" Medusa looked at Xiao Yan. Just now, Zi Yan had fought three opponents at once—Mulan's Three Elders—and still dominated, especially with that Purple Light and Space Power, which even surprised Medusa.

A Dou Huang controlling Space Power? That terrifying physical strength surpassed even a Dou Zong. Medusa couldn't help but wonder: what was Zi Yan's true form?

After thinking, Xiao Yan judged Medusa trustworthy and said: "That girl's true form is the Grand Void Dragon."

"Grand Void Dragon!" Medusa's eyes revealed a flicker of surprise—even her composure betrayed astonishment. Clearly, those four characters carried immense weight among Magical Beasts.

"What's wrong? You're a Seven-Colored Devouring Sky Serpent—an ancient beast—and you possess the Three-Flame Serpent Body. Your bloodline should be no inferior to the Grand Void Dragon." Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.

Medusa shook her head and explained slowly to Xiao Yan: "The Grand Void Dragon Clan holds a unique status among Magical Beast races. The so-called Three Great Demon Beast Families of Zhong Zhou—the Nine Underworld Earth Serpent Clan and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan—are merely distant offshoots of the Ancient Heavenly Snake and Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. Neither are true descendants of the Ancient Heavenly Snake or Ancient Heavenly Phoenix."

Xiao Yan frowned and said, "You mean the third generation?"

Mei Du Sha nodded and continued, "Yes, so none of them call themselves Heaven Phoenix or Heaven Snake. Only the Grand Void Dragon Clan—they are the direct descendants of the Ancient Dragon, inheriting its Space power, hence the name Grand Void Dragon Clan."

"Meanwhile, the Ancient Dragon was the first Magical Beast to reach Ten Rank."

"Ten Rank?! You mean Dou Emperor!"

"Yes, you humans call them Dou Emperors; we Magical Beasts call them Divine Beasts."

Xiao Yan's heart tightened—he had never heard these secrets before. No wonder the Demon Beast Three Great Clans were called that; originally, Xiao Yan thought it was because these three families were the strongest among Magical Beasts.

Now that she said it, he realized the Demon Beast Three Great Clans were the same as the Dou Emperor Families—they were in fact the Eight Ancient Dou Emperor Clans.

But that wasn't entirely right, because from the perspective of the Dou Emperor Families, today's Magical Beasts had only the Grand Void Dragon Clan as a true Divine Beast lineage; the Nine Underworld Spirit Python Clan and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan were no longer considered so, strictly speaking.

Xiao Yan guessed that the Tun Tian Mang Zong might, like the Grand Void Dragon Clan, have inherited the Ancient Heavenly Snake's ability to swallow heaven and earth, hence the name Tun Tian Mang. Or perhaps the Tun Tian Mang Zong was another Divine Beast Bloodline altogether.

After all, in ancient times, there were not only eight Dou Emperors; but during the Emperor An Era, for some unknown reason, all Dou Emperors suddenly vanished, and some of those Dou Emperor Families disappeared from history.

"Hey, Xiao Yan! How much longer are you going to chat? Don't you dare try to hoard all the Medicinal Materials!" At this point, Zi Yan, growing impatient after waiting a long time, ran over and pounded on the door.

After all, Xiao Yan had taken all his storage rings; Zi Yan didn't want the Corpse Soul Bodies, but she wanted her share of the Medicinal Materials inside the rings.

Mei Du Sha glanced at Xiao Yan, as if asking: You're stealing Medicinal Materials from Zi Yan?

Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose and opened the door. "Coming. Let's go divide the spoils."

"What spoils? This is called rewarding merit according to achievement." Zi Yan crossed her arms and said.

"You've even learned idioms now?"

This time, Xiao Yan had reaped a great harvest; after all, whether the Bone Spirit Sect, the Golden Goose Sect, or the Mu Lan Valley, all had come to attend the Sect Grand Meeting and participate in the Alchemist competition, so they brought plenty of Medicinal Materials just in case.

Especially the Bone Child Elder—Xiao Yan couldn't help but shed tears of emotion; he not only gave him the Strange Flame, but also Soul Points, and now even gifted Xiao Yan several Seven-Grade Medicinal Ingredients, leaving Xiao Yan overwhelmed with gratitude.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan had hoped to steal even more Medicinal Materials for himself, but Mei Du Sha could no longer watch—she immediately activated a Space Lock to pin Xiao Yan down and handed most of the Six-Grade Medicinal Ingredients over to Zi Yan.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth in fury, but he had no chance of defeating Mei Du Sha.

"Damn it, Mei Du Sha! One day, I will surely take revenge!"

Qing Lin's return naturally delighted Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, for they had found Qing Lin in the Desert long ago and raised her for many years—they had grown deeply attached.

Although the atmosphere was now filled with joy, Xiao Yan knew the real challenge awaited tomorrow.

Early the next morning, the Sect Grand Meeting resumed, but the atmosphere across the Shan Mai had clearly changed from before.

The onlookers surrounding the mountain range wore solemn expressions; if the Yan Alliance failed to withstand the challenges from the major Sects of the Northwest Region, or if they voluntarily abandoned their bid to unify the Northwest Region, then the Northwest Region would remain as it was.

But if the Yan Alliance successfully defended the arena and defeated the leaders of all major sects, the result would be a complete reshuffling of the Northwest Region—henceforth, the entire Northwest Region would belong to the Yan Alliance, and all sects would either disband and merge into the Yan Alliance or become subordinate sects, paying annual tribute, forever under the dominion of a colossal power controlling their fates.

The original ten platforms had now been reduced to just one; the ten major sects no longer needed to choose—everyone held their breath, for this single arena battle determined the fate of every sect!

"The Yan Alliance has arrived!"

Suddenly, someone in the Shan Mai cried out, and all eyes turned to the horizon, where a massive blue dragon beast glided through the clouds, slowly flying toward the mountain range.

Seeing the Azure Sea Dragon Beast, everyone knew—the Yan Alliance had arrived!

With a thunderous boom, the Azure Sea Dragon Beast landed heavily in the center of the arena, directly on the only arena—the meaning was unmistakable.

"Everyone, make your challenge! This first place is ours—the Yan Alliance claims it!"

(End of Chapter)