Crack!
As the tide of divine flame engulfed Xiao Hua and Queen Medusa, a sharp sound like shattering glass echoed amidst the roaring inferno.
Queen Medusa lifted her gaze, her enchanting pupils narrowing as she noticed a large crack spreading across the outer protective shield. Blazing tongues of flame began to seep through, distorting the air within the barrier.
Bang!
A moment later, the shield exploded into fragments like shattered glass, vanishing into the flame. In the next instant, a torrent of radiant fire surged in with devastating force, crashing down on Xiao Hua without mercy.
Queen Medusa, however, remained untouched. She was encased within a second protective barrier—one that Xiao Hua had formed solely for her. Yet even that shield bore a faint crack, trembling under the overwhelming pressure. But just as the fissure threatened to spread, it suddenly sealed itself, as if reinforced by a surge of power.
"You... are you insane?" Queen Medusa exclaimed, her voice trembling with fury and concern. She realized that Xiao Hua had diverted his strength to reinforce her shield, leaving himself exposed to the flames.
"Release this barrier right now! This Queen doesn't need—!"
"Shut up!" Xiao Hua snapped, cutting her off with a sharp yell. The power of the flame storm was too overwhelming—he couldn't protect them both. So, without a moment of hesitation, he chose to shield her.
She wanted to shout again but her words caught in her throat as she looked at him. Despite the searing flames consuming him, his face remained calm, resolute, and unwavering—his eyes filled with unshakable determination.
The radiant flames raged like a celestial tide, crashing down on Xiao Hua's body with unrelenting force. His robes were instantly incinerated, and searing wounds split open across his flesh as the divine fire devoured everything in its path.
Yet, he stood firm—unmoving, unyielding. Veins bulged along his arms as he poured every drop of Dou Qi into sustaining the barrier around Queen Medusa.
His scorched and trembling back was the only thing standing between her and annihilation.
For a brief moment, the light in his eyes flickered under the unbearable heat. But his stance never wavered. A ragged breath escaped his lips, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, hissing as it met the inferno. The acrid scent of burning flesh filled the air, but Xiao Hua endured the torment in silence—not for pride, not for honor, but solely for the woman he shielded.
Queen Medusa stared, wide-eyed and stunned, as a faint ripple stirred within her heart.
She had always carried herself with pride—haughty and unyielding in her strength. It was that very pride that drove her to shoulder the burden of relocating her people alone, willingly risking her life to evolve into the Heaven Swallowing Python, despite the near-impossible odds and looming threat of death.
Even when Xiao Hua offered her the Zong Breaking Pill, she had refused. Her pride and status would not allow her to show even a moment of weakness.
With her status and reputation, few dared speak candidly to her, much less raise a hand to protect her should an even mightier foe appear. She had grown accustomed to standing alone, proud and untouchable—unprotected not out of choice, but by nature of who she was.
Yet now, this young man… he had done what no one else ever had.
Without hesitation, he had stepped between her and the wrath of divine flames. He had shielded her without concern for himself.
And when she shouted at him to stop, he had silenced her—not with fear, but with fierce resolve, cutting her words with a sharp command, as if protecting her was something that needed no justification.
He stood like a knight before his queen—not out of duty, not as a subordinate would—but because of a promise he had made not to her, but to her people. And even then, he held to it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She did not speak. She could not. The words never came.
A quiet warmth bloomed in her chest, unfamiliar and tender. She did not understand this feeling, nor could she name it. But its presence was soothing—gentle and calm, like a quiet tide washing away the sharp edges of her pride and fear.
For the first time in a long while, Queen Medusa felt she didn't need to concern about her status or strength—not while standing behind this back.
Moments later, the seemingly endless tide of divine flame finally began to recede, its brilliance fading into the air like the remnants of a dream. As the last embers vanished, Xiao Hua's figure swayed, then fell to his knees, his strength utterly spent.
"Xiao Hua!" Startled, Queen Medusa rushed forward, catching his body before it hit the ground. Her arms instinctively wrapped around him, her expression filled with unspoken concern.
"Child… that was rather reckless even for you," a serene, celestial voice drifted down to them.
Queen Medusa looked up sharply. Her eyes met Lady Azure's calm gaze, and in an instant, her own narrowed—killing intent quietly stirred in their depths.
The waves of divine flame may have lasted only a short while, but in that fleeting time, something within her had shifted. The cold wall of pride in her heart had cracked, ever so slightly.
A faint chuckle escaped Xiao Hua's lips, followed by a soft, rasping breath. "Ha ha… it's my fault, Sister Azure. I asked without thinking…"
His voice was weak, but his tone carried no blame—only a tired warmth. He could sense the guilt that lingered in Lady Azure's voice, and so he reassured her, taking responsibility without hesitation.
Technically, he wasn't wrong. Had he taken a moment to introduce Lady Azure and Lady Xue Yue beforehand, perhaps Queen Medusa wouldn't have acted so impulsively. She would have understood the difference in strength between them and known not to provoke her.
Or perhaps… if he'd simply paused to consider the teasing smile on Lady Azure's lips, he might have recognized the deeper meaning behind it. After all, the idea of spiritual fusion wasn't unfamiliar—not when it so closely resembled how Queen Medusa herself had merged with the Heaven Swallowing Python in the novel.
"Xiao Hua! Are you okay?!"
"Xiao Hua, don't you dare die on me!"
"Young Master Xiao Hua!"
Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan rushed forward, panic etched across their faces, with Qing Lin following closely behind. Without hesitation, Little Fairy Doctor knelt beside him and began checking his condition, her brows furrowed in worry.
Zi Yan quickly pulled out several healing pills from her storage ring—the ones Xiao Hua had given her for emergencies—and pressed them into his hand with trembling fingers.
Qing Lin, silent but no less anxious, pulled out a robe and gently draped it over his scorched body, shielding him from the cooling wind as her green-coloured eyes remained fixed on his face, filled with concern.
"Enough. I will help him with healing so calm down." Lady Azure sighed softly, her mood is low and quite depressing. She stared at Xiao Hua and said, "Just went to sleep and rest. Rest assures, child. I wouldn't harm the lass again."
"Then, I will take your words for it…Sister Azure." Xiao Hua smiles weakly and closed his eyes, his consciousness gradually swallowed by darkness as he was too exhausted to even raise his eyes.
…
After Xiao Hua lost consciousness, Lady Azure swiftly retrieved several storage rings that he had previously stored inside the Mysterious Heaven Ring before rushed out to protect Queen Medusa.
The ring was designed to protect itself by retreating into its owner's spiritual sea when danger arose.
With practiced ease, she selected various medicinal ingredients from each ring and began refining them into a medicinal bath.
As she carefully prepared the bath, her voice softened as she spoke to Queen Medusa. "I apologize for my earlier behavior. I know I have no right to be upset, especially when I was the one who spoke without consideration of you."
Queen Medusa was momentarily startled by Lady Azure's words but quickly shook her head. "It's alright. I also owe you an apology—for attacking you."
"There's no need for you to apologize," Lady Azure replied, shaking her head. "If anything, I deserved it."
Queen Medusa let out a quiet sigh and turned her gaze toward the small valley. As her eyes swept across the scenery, a faint sense of amazement flickered in her expression.
It wasn't the dense medicinal energy that caught her attention—it was the fact that the small valley remained completely untouched by Lady Azure's overwhelming power. As she looked around, her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed a faint ripple in the air.
Before unleashing that torrent of destructive flames, Lady Azure had silently locked the surrounding space in a swift manner, preventing the flames from damaging the valley.
Queen Medusa couldn't help but marvel at the precision of her spatial control. It was as if such mastery came to her as naturally as breathing.
Once her emotions had settled, Queen Medusa began to sense something oddly familiar in Lady Azure's aura. It felt so familiar, yet elusive. The strange, indescribable feeling stirred confusion within her, and though she wished to ask, she hesitated, unsure of how to properly address the woman.
Noticing Queen Medusa's hesitation, the Little Fairy Doctor stepped forward and gently introduced the two women.
"She is Lady Azure, and the other is Lady Xue Yue. Both of them are people Xiao Hua values more than his own life. The three of them share a bond as sworn siblings, with Xiao Hua being the youngest."
She paused, then added, "Lady Azure is the one who taught Xiao Hua pill refinement and alchemy, while Lady Xue Yue guided him in the arts of spiritual arrays."
"She's the one who taught Xiao Hua alchemy?" Queen Medusa was visibly startled upon hearing Lady Azure's introduction.
She stood there, dumbfounded, as the realization sank in—the woman before her was the very person who had guided Xiao Hua on his alchemical path, shaping him into the person he had become today.
After all, Xiao Hua was already a Tier 8 Alchemist. Given his youth and talent, it wasn't far-fetched to believe he would one day reach Tier 9. It was no wonder Queen Medusa was so shocked.
What she didn't yet know, however, was that Xiao Hua was already on the verge of becoming a true Tier 9 Alchemist—he would soon refine his first Tier 9 medicinal pill.
Even so, to have nurtured such a prodigious talent to the level of a Tier 8 Alchemist… Queen Medusa couldn't help but wonder—was the lady before her a Tier 8 Alchemist herself? Or perhaps… even a Tier 9?
'More importantly… could she be a peak Dou Zun? Or perhaps… even a Dou Sheng?' Queen Medusa couldn't help but recall the terrifying strike Lady Azure had unleashed earlier.
Though it lasted only a few moments, its might was overwhelming—so much so that Xiao Hua was left in a severely weakened state. As for herself, Queen Medusa had felt utterly helpless beneath the waves of divine fire that surged toward her.
It was truly terrifying. She was certain that, had Xiao Hua not shielded her, she would have been reduced to ashes in an instant.
"I am neither a Dou Zun nor a Dou Sheng, little girl. I come from beyond this plane, practically an outsider of Dou Qi Continent." Lady Azure said calmly, as though reading her thoughts.
"Beyond this plane…? An outsider?" Queen Medusa was stunned, completely lost by the meaning of those words.
It was only after the Little Fairy Doctor patiently explained Lady Azure's origins that she finally began to understand what it meant to hail from the world beyond their own.
"To think the Dou Qi Continent is merely one of many lower planes…" Queen Medusa lifted her head, her bewitching eyes gazing toward the sky, filled with disbelief and awe.
She believed Little Fairy Doctor's words—there was no reason for them to fabricate such an extraordinary lie. Yet, that very truth made her recall the strange familiarity she had sensed from Lady Azure.
Queen Medusa had used the Green Lotus Core Flame to evolve—she knew its aura at the back of her head. And now, she realized the trace of similarity she had felt from Lady Azure was not a coincidence.
'So… she is the origin of all flames. No wonder she carried the scent of the Green Lotus Core Flame,' Queen Medusa mused, finally connecting the dots. Only now did she truly grasp just how terrifying the woman before her was.
If Lady Azure was the origin of all flames, then the Green Lotus Core Flame was nothing more than an imperfect imitation. It wasn't that Lady Azure's aura resembled the Green Lotus Core Flame—rather, it was the flame that carried a faint echo of her essence.
Her gaze shifted to the white-robed woman who had remained silent since her arrival. An icy pressure lingered around her, far colder than Queen Medusa's own Yin bloodline. That chilling aura was enough to send a shiver down her spine.
Suddenly recalling something, Queen Medusa turned to Little Fairy Doctor and asked, "When you said Xiao Hua is receiving guidance in spiritual arrays… does that mean this 'Great Thousand World' specializes in arrays the same way the Dou Qi Continent does with alchemy?"
"That's right. If alchemists are the most respected profession in the Dou Qi Continent, then Spiritual Array Masters hold the highest esteem in the Great Thousand World," came a calm voice—not from the Little Fairy Doctor, but from Lady Xue Yue herself.
"It's true that arranging spiritual arrays is easier in lower planes like the Dou Qi Continent," she added evenly. "That's because the energy here is far less dense and complex compared to the rich, intricate forces of the Great Thousand World."
"I see…" Queen Medusa nodded slowly, a flicker of awe and respect flashing in her eyes as she looked at Lady Azure and Lady Xue Yue.
She had never imagined that simply by staying at Xiao Hua's side, she would come to learn so much about not only her own world—but the greater realms beyond.
The group gradually fell silent, allowing Queen Medusa time to process the revelations she had just received about the nature of their world—and the vast universe beyond.
Several hours passed in quiet reflection.
Then, Lady Azure spoke, her voice breaking the silence as she appeared beside Xue Yue. With elegant grace, she sat down, her movements fluid and refined.
The medicinal ingredients had been fully refined, and a potent medicinal bath had been prepared for Xiao Hua and put him in.
"His condition has stabilized," she said softly. "It will take about a week for him to make a full recovery."
"A week? It seems you still held back," Xue Yue remarked coolly, casting a sideways glance at Lady Azure. Though her voice remained cold and distant, there was a faint trace of relief hidden within—it comforted her to know that her sister had exercised restraint.
She was well aware that with Lady Azure's true strength, Xiao Hua could have remained unconscious for an entire month.
"By the way," Lady Azure said, shifting her gaze toward Queen Medusa, "should I take it that he's promised to protect you?"
"He did… but the promise was made towards my people rather than me," Queen Medusa replied with a soft nod. Her eyes lingered on Xiao Hua, who lay immersed in the medicinal bath, her expression filled with both concern and relief.
"No wonder our little brother chose to protect you," Lady Xue Yue said with a faint sigh, shaking her head. "He's the kind of person who never breaks a promise once it's made."
"That was a close one. I was honestly a little anxious that Lady Azure might burn Sister Medusa…" Zi Yan wiped her forehead—though there wasn't a trace of sweat, just recalling the moment made her feel as if there was.
Queen Medusa could only let out a bitter chuckle at her words. She knew Zi Yan hadn't stepped in because everything had happened too quickly—even she herself hadn't had time to react. And truthfully, even if she capable of reacting, she cannot do anything to stop the tide of divine fire.
"So, what other viable methods are there to help with her condition?"
A calm voice suddenly echoed, and they turned in surprise to see Xiao Hua awake. Though his eyes were open, his complexion was still pale—it was clear his condition hadn't fully stabilized and would still require a full week to return to its peak.
His voice was firm, but Queen Medusa could clearly sense the exhaustion behind it. A pang of guilt welled up in her heart.
Lady Azure and Lady Xue Yue weren't surprised to see Xiao Hua awake. After all, his body possessed the Celestial Ancient Frost, which passively nourished him with energy. As long as his injuries weren't fatal, he would recover consciousness quickly and rarely succumb to exhaustion.
"The other viable methods would be much more difficult for her," Lady Azure said with a soft sigh, gently shaking her head. "Her spirit wasn't strong to begin with."
Her tone held no mockery—only calm honesty. It was simply a fact. Magical Beasts, though blessed with immense physical strength, were generally lacking in spiritual power unless they were born with a natural affinity or trained specifically in that path.
"The minimum required would be a sixth-tier medicinal pill. Even then, the process demands a set of rare and unique ingredients that are extremely difficult to come by in a small empire like this one," she added with a faint frown.
Xiao Hua could only smile bitterly at the situation. Despite possessing a vast collection of medicinal ingredients—each one unique and acquired through the Gacha—amazingly, not a single one could help with Queen Medusa's current condition. Her affliction was far too peculiar, a truly unique case.
Even if they scoured the major cities or ventured deep into the wilderness, finding the necessary ingredients would be an incredibly difficult task. The materials required to refine a pill capable of treating her condition were exceptionally rare and nearly impossible to obtain in this small empire.
If he still had the Devil Sprouting Fruit, there might have been a chance. But after repeatedly refining high-tier medicinal pills to attract Pill Lightnings—using the power of heavenly tribulation to temper himself—he had long since used up his supply.
"We don't have to act immediately. We can search for the ingredients over time, but for now, let's just be patient,"
Queen Medusa said, shaking her head gently to reassure them. Even she understood how difficult it would be to find the necessary ingredients for a remedy tailored to her condition.
"For now… I'll stay by your side," she added, her voice calm yet firm. "In my current state, remaining alone might only invite trouble."
She could choose to disappear, to conceal herself from the world. But her heart whispered otherwise.
Even she couldn't fully grasp the reason—a quiet, unfamiliar ache stirred within her every time she imagined leaving Xiao Hua behind. She could not explain it, not even to herself. It was as though her heart, no longer fully her own, insisted on this path.
That quiet yearning—restless when apart from him, yet strangely soothed in his presence—rose and fell like a tide within her, persistent and unbidden. She had never known such emotion could take root in her. Now, it anchored her steps.
"Naturally. None of us would object," Xiao Hua replied with a faint smile, shaking his head gently.
"That's right! We can spend more time together, Sister Medusa!" Zi Yan raised her arms cheerfully, her bright voice brimming with joy.
But just as she spoke, a seven-colored glow suddenly surged from Queen Medusa's body. The group froze in surprise before exchanging glances—and then let out soft, helpless chuckles, shaking their heads with exasperated smiles.
How could they not understand? The Heaven Swallowing Python inside her simply couldn't hold back any longer—it yearned to see the outside world.
Even so, they couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Queen Medusa, who still lacked full control over her own body.
As they were thinking about this, the seven-colored glow within Queen Medusa's body suddenly flared up. Her body moved once again—and in the next moment, the enchanting, bewitching, and overwhelmingly stunning figure transformed back into a small, white-colored snake just over a foot in length.
The Heaven Swallowing Python, now returned to its serpent form, flicked its tail slightly and appeared beside Xiao Hua in a flash of lightning-like speed.
The small white snake extended and retracted its tongue at him, its mesmerizing eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.
Naturally, Xiao Hua understood her intentions and smiled bitterly. He took out several jade bottles filled with Amethyst Essence. As soon as he opened them, the Heaven Swallowing Python lunged forward and devoured them all without hesitation.
"Little one, I hope you'll switch back to Queen Medusa's form when I begin transferring the Snake-People," Xiao Hua said softly, gently stroking the serpent's smooth scales. "It will help reassure them, seeing that their beloved queen is safe."
The small python paused for a brief moment, seemingly contemplating his words, before giving a slight nod. Thankfully, she agreed—otherwise, earning the trust of the Snake-People would have been far more troublesome, even with the support of their commanders.
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