Word Count: 3,239 Words
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"Shameless? Nonsense! Don't be fooled by the current peaceful appearance of the Yan Alliance and these three factions of the Sky Serpent Mansion sitting down to discuss some arena competition. Under normal circumstances, this would be a direct invasion by the Yan Alliance into the Sky Serpent Mansion," an older-generation cultivator who had experienced such sect-annihilating wars sneered at the young people beside him.
"The reason such things haven't happened before was entirely due to the relative balance among these three major factions, or rather, the ten major factions. In previous Great Meetings of Factions, even the one led by the Sky Serpent Mansion's Old Mansion Lord, which was the closest the Sky Serpent Mansion ever came to victory, they still failed to push their opponents to this extent."
"That Medusa, who now wields two Heavenly Flames, is truly terrifying."
"Attack! This is our last chance!" She Tianhao shouted in a deep voice.
Clang clang clang, boom boom boom!!!
The instant his deep shout fell, all eight directions were sealed, and the energy of the world was suppressed. Medusa was completely trapped beneath the Heavenly Gate.
The massive Heavenly Gate pressed down heavily. Viewed from below, it resembled a gigantic guillotine, as if the heavens themselves had lowered a chopping blade to enact divine punishment.
The Heavenly Gate crashed down with Medusa standing at its center. In that instant, she had no path of escape, no road for retreat. After all, this was the protective grand formation left behind by the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint!
Although he had only been a Half-Saint, the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint was, in the end, a Dou Saint. The methods he left behind were absolutely earthshaking.
"The might of a Half-Saint..." Yun Yun's eyes flickered as she stared at the enormous Heavenly Gate in the sky and said slowly.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. He had seen a Dou Saint before. Excluding Hun Huzi and Hun Lao Gui, who had never openly displayed their strength, just the power of the Gu Clan elder when he fought Ling Quan had left him deeply shaken to this day.
The ability to open a wormhole in an instant, sensing from thousands of miles away and appearing in a flash, was definitely not something a Dou Venerate could perform.
"No, although this is a method left by a Dou Saint, it also depends on who is wielding it. Those three are merely Dou Ancestors in strength."
Xiao Yan shook his head. Though this thing didn't possess the full might of a Dou Saint, its power was likely unmatched and unstoppable below the Dou Venerate realm!
Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had already begun circulating, and the Flame Mantra within him surged. He had lent two Heavenly Flames to Medusa, but counting the Nihility Devouring Flame's Earth Seed Flame within him, he still possessed six kinds of Heavenly Flames.
This Heavenly Gate was a powerful sealing formation. He could not allow Medusa to be suppressed. If she couldn't withstand it, he wouldn't hesitate to hurl a six-colored Destruction Fire Lotus, blasting the entire Heavenly Gate along with the Sky Serpent Mansion to dust to rescue her.
The matter of unifying the North-Western Region would have to be considered in the long term.
Although it seemed the Yan Alliance could unify the North-Western Region even by dragging things out, one had to remember that in this world, there were always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. Delaying would inevitably lead to more complications.
Medusa narrowed her beautiful eyes. A seven-colored radiance immediately rushed high into the sky. A hissing cry resounded as a serpent figure covered in rainbow-like scales flew out from her body.
The Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was no ordinary member of the Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe. The seven-colored light it controlled was as terrifying as the mythical five-colored divine light.
A piercing sound rang out, followed by a rumble. From afar, it resembled a colossal seven-colored serpent defying the heavens, rebelling against the sky's shackles, as if unwilling to submit to divine judgment. It forcibly slammed into that massive Heavenly Gate.
Medusa held nothing back as she unleashed her most powerful bloodline Beast Technique. If one were to assign it a rank, her terrifying seven-colored serpent projection would definitely qualify as quasi-Tian Class, perhaps even having reached the Tian Class level.
Dong, dong, dong, dong!!!
The giant python slammed upwards fiercely. The Heavenly Gate actually couldn't descend any further; it was held back!
"What!"
"Damn it, is the Heaven Swallowing Python Tribe really this formidable? It can even block this!"
"Blood Serpent Secret Technique!" She Tianhao gritted his teeth, bit the tip of his tongue fiercely, and unleashed a Secret Technique.
Unleashing a Secret Technique always required paying a price. She Tianhao's blood qi surged within him; he was even willing to consume his own life force to execute this powerful Secret Technique.
"Sink for me!" She Tianhao roared. A green giant python also appeared behind him, pressing down heavily on the Heavenly Gate.
Puff!
A boom followed. In an extremely brief period, streaks of bloody wounds appeared across Medusa's body, coloring her clothes red.
She gritted her teeth and counterattacked once more. However, it wasn't just She Tianhao; Shi Nian and Ting Hao were also fighting desperately, both having unleashed powerful Secret Techniques to forcibly enhance their strength.
This resulted in Medusa still being unable to topple the Heavenly Gate, her body accumulating more and more wounds.
"You hold on for a bit. If you can't take it, I'll risk everything to blast that gate apart and get you out," Xiao Yan said at this moment, already beginning to channel his Spiritual Strength and fire control, preparing to merge six kinds of Heavenly Flames to create a Destruction Fire Lotus that surpassed the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame.
Meanwhile, She Tianhao and the other two were slowly pushing the Serpent Saint Heavenly Gate, and they were not in a hurry. As long as the Heavenly Gate landed, it could completely seal Medusa.
Moreover, even though there was still some distance to Medusa and it hadn't fully landed, the incomparably heavy Heavenly Gate grand formation was already injuring her.
Such a scene caused the onlookers, many experts, to suck in a cold breath, their hair standing on end. A Dou Ancestor expert couldn't help but mutter, "It hasn't even fully suppressed her yet, and Queen Medusa can't bear it from such a distance. If it were us, we'd probably have been crushed into meat paste already."
"Such an unparalleled suppression… I'm afraid even a peak Dou Ancestor would find it hard to escape!" someone couldn't help but exclaim in horror.
Medusa was a magical beast; her physical body was incomparably strong. Yet, even before it had completely pressed down, she was already covered in wounds. How could such a terrifying Heavenly Gate grand formation not make everyone shudder?
"Are She Tianhao and the others planning to completely seal Medusa?"
"It's possible. If they can seal Medusa, or injure her, damage her foundation, and prevent her from breaking through to Dou Venerate in the future, then the Yan Alliance will definitely not be able to unify the North-Western Region, and their ambitions will be crushed."
"What should we do?" Zi Yan's expression changed drastically when she saw Medusa was almost too unsteady to stand and could fall at any moment. "Should we intervene and help?"
"No, you just watch from here. If necessary, I will act." Xiao Yan gently shook his head and said; he had already made all preparations.
And just then, his heart suddenly trembled. An inexplicable feeling arose within him, a feeling that struck him as rather odd.
The mockery in She Tianhao's triangular pupils lasted for a moment, but in the next second, terror appeared in his heart.
When Medusa's hands made a flat, supporting gesture, a ball of green flame and a transparent flame suddenly rose.
His massive pupils abruptly contracted violently. An emotion, unmistakably shock, appeared in a remarkably human-like manner within those serpent eyes.
"This... this... what are you trying to do?! Damn it!" She Tianhao seemed to have guessed Medusa's intentions. He was stunned for a moment, then, as if his tail had been stepped on, a shrill, exasperated cry resounded through the sky.
As Medusa's gesture continued, Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong both wore strange expressions. This posture, this movement, two Heavenly Flames??!
Could it be!!
They fixed their eyes on her hands, took a deep breath, and felt as though a storm had been unleashed in their hearts.
Heavenly Flame Collision!
It was well known that Xiao Yan needed Spiritual Strength to control the firepower when unleashing the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame; meaning, to maintain balance, he would suppress the Heavenly Flames' power.
However, Medusa clearly had no intention of suppressing the Heavenly Flames' power; instead, she poured all her Dou Qi and strength into them!
Heavenly Flames were inherently tyrannical and extremely destructive. Between two Heavenly Flames, they were as incompatible as mortal enemies. When they collided, the final outcome would naturally be a brilliant explosion!
Medusa was still only a 7-star Dou Ancestor!
Faster than words could describe, Xiao Yan clearly sensed that Medusa had infused all her Dou Qi into the Fallen Heart Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame, urging them on. The usually docile energy factors within them suddenly became much more violent.
In contrast to the horror of Xiao Yan and the others, Medusa revealed a breathtakingly beautiful smile, though it was somewhat cold.
She unleashed her Spatial Strength, distorting the distance. Then, within that distortion, she fiercely clasped her hands together and pushed.
She Tianhao and the other two felt their scalps tingle.
"Retreat!"
Boom!
The destructive energy, combined with the attack of the seven-colored serpent figure, caused waves of fire to spread out from beneath the Heavenly Gate. This area of space rippled intensely. Not far away, as the ripples spread past a pillar of the Heavenly Gate, the pillar exploded. The broken cross-section was smooth like a mirror.
Brilliant green and white flames exploded in the azure sky, sweeping across like a fiery tide. In an instant, the temperature of this world rose sharply.
Within the Sky Serpent Mansion mountain range, countless people stared blankly upward at the terrifying wave of fire sweeping across the sky. Even with the Heavenly Gate's spatial suppression, the scorching heat of the fire wave still caused everyone to drip with sweat.
The audience on the mountain was silent. Everyone swallowed dryly, a shiver of dread spreading from the depths of their hearts. If that fire wave had been any lower, this place would probably have been razed to the ground by now, wouldn't it?
"What kind of maniac would do such a thing, smashing two Heavenly Flames together like this!" Everyone shuddered in unison, groaning helplessly in their minds.
"Look, the Heavenly Gate has been shattered by that serpent figure!"
The terrifying Heavenly Gate could no longer contain the heavenly might generated by the collision of the Heavenly Flames. After bursting into fragments, it could not bear the serpent figure's attack. The sky was flooded with fiery light.
Not only Medusa but even She Tianhao and the other two were submerged in the Heavenly Flames.
In the azure sky above, wave after wave of fire rippled outward from the center of the explosion. All flora and fauna within the surrounding area suffered devastating blows.
At this moment, Xiao Yan could not help but shout inwardly: She plagiarized my signature move!
Medusa had been with him for a long time. Back when she threatened him in the Sand Mercenary Company, demanding he hand over the Green Lotus Core Flame, he had used the method of Heavenly Flame collision, a self-destructive tactic, to counter-threaten her. In the end, the two reached an agreement. He would help her condense the Heavenly Flame Serpent Body, and she would protect him and no longer demand the Green Lotus Core Flame.
And now, well, she felt this move was indeed threatening.
'This snake beauty is truly a madwoman. Even I wouldn't dare to detonate Heavenly Flames at such close range with full power.' Xiao Yan muttered inwardly, feeling incredibly fortunate that Medusa was on his side. His Angry Buddha Lotus Flame was not something to be trifled with so recklessly.
And at this time, in the Sky Serpent Mansion's formation, Lu Man and Bai Ya both revealed expressions of terror. They exchanged a glance, then turned their heads to look at Xiao Yan opposite them.
"Five years ago, he wouldn't have been planning to use this move against us, would he?" Bai Ya couldn't help but recall five years ago, when they took Qing Lin away. They had both sensed Xiao Yan's desperate, life-risking gaze.
"It's possible. I remember that besides the Green Lotus Core Flame, he seemed to have a red-colored Heavenly Flame back then."
"Damn it, can this kid give birth to Heavenly Flames or what? How can he have so many?" Bai Ya couldn't help but curse in his heart, also feeling fortunate that he hadn't offended Xiao Yan and hadn't revealed Xiao Yan's matters. If he had offended him, he would truly be finished.
Back then, a sense of unease had risen in their hearts too.
If Qing Lin hadn't spoken up in time, the outcome would have been unpredictable.
The fire wave gradually spread thousands of meters into the sky before finally dissipating. In the sky, She Tianhao and the other two were all extremely battered, practically to the point of being mangled flesh and blood, their bodies more than half charred black.
The hard serpent scales protecting She Tianhao's body were thoroughly shattered by nearly half. His body was as black as charcoal, and dark red blood continuously seeped out, then dripped down like rain.
"Did that Medusa self-destruct?" More than half of Shi Nian's body was completely ruined, his flesh and blood burned away.
The three of them had already executed Secret Techniques, desperately pushing the Heavenly Gate, and were already at the end of their ropes, their Dou Qi exhausted. They hadn't had time to defend at all.
Who could have expected Medusa to pull such a stunt?
Their hearts were filled with incomparable dread toward Medusa at this moment.
Suddenly, space distorted. The three of them simultaneously sensed something and abruptly looked up.
Medusa was actually still alive!
It was just that the current Medusa had changed into a purple dress. Undoubtedly, Little Fairy Doctor hadn't been wrong; Heavenly Flames specialized in burning clothes.
Medusa didn't say a word. However, everyone could feel her icy coldness.
After detonating the Heavenly Flames in such a manner, the Heavenly Flame essences would naturally exhaust all their flames. Although they could absorb the energy of the world to recover, it required time, so they had already returned to Xiao Yan's body.
Medusa didn't delay. She appeared in front of Shi Nian in a flash. Her jade-like hand heavily slammed out. Although she no longer had the Heavenly Flames, she still possessed the strength of the Seven-Colored Devouring Heaven Python.
Seven-colored radiance burst forth. Her palm slammed onto Shi Nian's chest, and a series of cracking bones rang out. Already at his limit, Shi Nian fainted outright and crashed to the ground.
Bang!
She then dodged She Tianhao's feeble strike with a twist of her body. Her legs turned back into a snake tail, and in a motion akin to a fierce dragon lashing its tail, she smacked Ting Hao's back as he intended to join forces.
The horrifying sound of bones breaking made it clear that his spine was probably fractured into pieces.
In just one exchange, the two great experts, Shi Nian and Ting Hao, were defeated by Medusa.
She Tianhao gnashed his teeth as he stared at her. He could sense that Medusa was also at the end of her strength. Without the aid of Heavenly Flames, her Dou Qi was also nearly depleted. She definitely hadn't escaped the earlier Heavenly Flame collision unscathed.
However, he himself was in a similar state.
Finally, after a brief internal struggle, She Tianhao finally lowered his proud head and said in a deep voice, "I surrender."
She Tianhao slowly descended to the ground. He couldn't hold back his injuries and spat out a mouthful of blood. With the Heavenly Gate destroyed, he suffered a backlash that also harmed his Spiritual Strength. Continuing to fight would only worsen his condition.
Everyone in the entire mountain range fell silent. Countless people revealed incredulous expressions.
"So that means..."
"The Yan Alliance... this Yan Alliance, has completely won the Great Meeting of Factions?!"
"My heavens!!! The North-Western Region is going to be renamed the Yan Alliance!"
The experts from the Thunderbolt Sect and Profound Lion Sect finally reacted and rushed to find their respective leaders, administering precious pills in an effort to save them.
Meanwhile, the other Dou Ancestors of the Sky Serpent Mansion moved to assist She Tianhao, hastily feeding him medicinal pills. Many of them were glaring at Medusa. If she showed any sign of weakness, they might attack as a group.
Yet with Xiao Yan present, they were destined to have no chance.
Xiao Yan no longer hid it. A jade-white Life Flame slowly enveloped Medusa's body. Instantly, a vast life force poured into her body and began healing her, rapidly healing her wounds.
"Your injuries are very serious... I don't have any tier 7 medicinal pills on hand right now. Let the Life Flame restore some of your injuries first. I'll refine pills for you when we get back." Xiao Yan had noticed at once that after being blasted by the Heavenly Flames like that, Medusa's body was already covered in wounds.
If not for her Heavenly Flame Serpent Body, she would have died just now!
"Mm." Medusa didn't try to act tough either and nodded.
"Your Majesty!" Yue Mei and Hua She Er hurriedly supported Medusa. Tears had long filled their eyes.
Medusa gently wiped away their tears and revealed a rare smile. "I'm fine."
Jia Xing Tian and the others naturally remained vigilant against the other Dou Ancestors of the Sky Serpent Mansion, Thunderbolt Sect, and Profound Lion Sect, fearing they might launch a sneak attack.
For a time, the entire mountain range once again fell into a deathly silence.
After all, previous Great Meetings of Factions had no winners, so naturally, there were no referees, award ceremonies, or similar procedures. The Great Meeting of Factions didn't actually need to determine a first place, because everyone had eyes to see.
After the Great Meeting of Factions ended, that was when truly earth-shattering changes would occur.
By then, many of the faction leaders understood that if they did not want their own forces annihilated, if they did not wish for the fearful Queen Medusa to appear at their doors, they at least needed to prepare gifts to curry favor with the Yan Alliance, perhaps even become affiliated factions by submitting.
In the North-Western Region, no one could stop the Yan Alliance's advance anymore!
Not even the three greatest factions and their sect-protecting grand formation had managed to overpower Medusa. Who else could stand against her?
And so, this Great Meeting concluded in silence. The various factions, including the Yan Alliance, quietly departed one by one. This was because next was the time for the harvest.