Chapter 49: Medusa's Gaze
"Brilliant!" Lu Bu exclaimed as he stepped inside.
"Hey! We're taking this route for convenience, not so you can loot everything!" Yue Mei quickly protested. If Lu Bu emptied this treasury, the consequences for her would be disastrous.
"I know, I know…" Lu Bu replied absentmindedly, though his eyes lingered on the treasures lining both sides.
Yue Mei's lips twitched in frustration. For the first time, she regretted choosing this route perhaps another path would have been better.
"Huh? Sand Mandrake?" Lu Bu suddenly stopped in front of a shelf of dried medicinal herbs. Inside the box lay five plants, precisely the ones mentioned in his agreement with Hai Bodong: find the Heavenly Flame for Hai Bodong, and in return, obtain Sand Mandrake.
"Thank you, nature, for your generosity!" Lu Bu said with a heartfelt sigh, shamelessly storing the Sand Mandrake into his storage ring.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Yue Mei was furious. Calling these treasures, stored in the sacred temple, a "gift from nature" was outright shameless!
"It won't happen again, I promise!" Lu Bu said with mock sincerity, his tone dead serious. "Now let's move quickly before we run into trouble."
"Move!" Yue Mei growled in frustration.
At that moment, a wave of powerful energy burst out from the temple, emanating into the sky over the Holy City. Medusa had appeared to confront Gu He's group.
"Her Majesty has appeared!" Yue Mei exclaimed with joy. Had Medusa abandoned the idea of using the Heavenly Flame to evolve?
"Don't get your hopes up it's not possible," Lu Bu said, dashing her optimism with a bucket of cold water. "That's just her energy projection. Her true body is still inside the temple… Hmm?"
Lu Bu's brow furrowed slightly as something occurred to him. "Is this one of your Snake People's unique Dou Techniques?"
Yue Mei froze, her face stiffening. Without answering, she grabbed Lu Bu's hand and pulled him forward hastily. "No, it's nothing! Stop asking! Let's find the Heavenly Flame it's just past the treasury and into Her Majesty's bamboo grove!"
"Wait a second!"
As they reached a platform, Lu Bu abruptly halted, his gaze fixed on a grayish scroll that emitted a peculiar soul aura.
"What's this?" Lu Bu asked with a grin, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Medusa's Gaze, a mid tier Earth class Dou Technique… Dammit, you can't touch that!" Yue Mei tried to block him, but Lu Bu had already grabbed the scroll.
"Let's make a trade." With a flick of his finger, Lu Bu tossed a jade bottle onto the stone platform.
Yue Mei hesitated, torn between duty and desire. Inside the bottle was a six tier Emperor Extreme Pill, a treasure beyond value for the Snake People Tribe, who had no alchemists of their own.
Still, the Dou Technique scroll wasn't irreplaceable it could be remade.
"Brilliant!" Lu Bu chuckled, thrilled with his newfound loot. This trip to the Snake People Tribe was proving highly profitable.
"Move it! Stop staring and go!"
Having witnessed Lu Bu's audacious antics, Yue Mei didn't dare delay any longer. Dragging him along, she quickly led him out of the treasury.
Ahead of them lay a small lake with an island at its center, where a lush bamboo grove grew. Medusa herself was inside.
…
Outside the temple, the Snake People's three Dou Kings, along with Medusa's projection, confronted Gu He and his group.
By all accounts, the Snake People's strength was formidable: eight Dou Kings and one Dou Emperor, with Medusa at the peak of Dou Emperor strength. Meanwhile, Gu He's group consisted of two Dou Kings and two Dou Emperors. In theory, there was no way the humans could retreat unscathed.
Yes, two Dou Emperors. In addition to Yun Yun, Gu He himself was a Dou Emperor.
Though known as the "Pill King," Gu He was a sixth tier alchemist, which naturally placed his Dou Qi cultivation at the sixth rank as well. While he was more of a scholar than a warrior and barely able to match a peak Dou King in battle, his presence still carried weight.
Thus, while the Snake People Tribe's six peak Dou Kings and Medusa seemed overwhelming, the combined forces of the Jia Ma Empire its royal family, Yun Lan Sect, and Alchemist Association boasted at least five Dou Emperors. Including noble families, they had ten to twenty Dou Kings at their disposal.
The Snake People could likely take down the Jia Ma Empire, but not without sustaining heavy losses. At that point, the surrounding empires of Mulan, Falling Goose, and Cloud Mist would swoop in like vultures, picking apart the Snake People Tribe.
This precarious balance of power was why none of the factions had made a decisive move. They hated each other but could do little but tolerate their mutual existence.
Medusa's determination to evolve was her gamble to break this deadlock. Her ultimate goal was to lead the Snake People Tribe out of the desolate Tagore Desert a land of scorching heat, scarce resources, and relentless sandstorms. If given the chance, who wouldn't trade such misery for green hills, clear waters, and fertile lands filled with abundance?
That said, Gu He and his group hadn't come to fight but to negotiate. As a sixth tier alchemist, Gu He's reputation alone was enough to ensure the Snake People wouldn't resort to violence. To him, a peaceful retreat seemed entirely plausible.
However, Gu He and his companions had no idea that Medusa intended to use the Heavenly Flame for her evolution. As a result, their deal was doomed to fail.
Looking up at the breathtaking figure hovering in the sky, Gu He's heart ached. Bowing slightly, he proposed, "I am willing to trade two six tier Dou Spirit Pills and one seven tier Shape Shifting Pill in exchange for the Heavenly Flame. What does Her Majesty think of this offer?"
The three Dou Kings of the Snake People Tribe were visibly tempted. A Dou Spirit Pill could elevate a Dou King by one entire rank without injury or pain a priceless treasure!
For the Snake People, who lacked alchemists, such pills were a luxury beyond imagination. Among the eight tribe leaders, only one or two had ever tasted a Dou Spirit Pill. Leaders like Mo Ba Si, Hua She, and Yan Ci had never even seen one. Even Yue Mei, waiting inside the temple, had never had the privilege.
"What a tempting offer…" Medusa murmured, her lips curling into a seductive smile that momentarily entranced everyone present.
But then her tone turned icy. "I refuse."
"Why?!" Gu He's face darkened with shock and frustration. The offer was unimaginably generous what could possibly lead her to reject it?
"Heh." Medusa cast him a dismissive glance, refusing to elaborate.
"Hua She, Mo Ba Si, escort them out!" she ordered coldly with a wave of her hand.
Gu He's face alternated between green and white as he sighed in defeat. Medusa's fearsome reputation was well known throughout the surrounding nations. Her strength was undeniable, and the group had no choice but to obey.
However, just as Gu He signaled for his group to retreat, Yun Yun, seated atop her magical beast, abruptly vanished and reappeared behind Medusa. Her slender, white hand pressed against Medusa's back.
"How dare you?!"
"Damn humans! How dare you disrespect Her Majesty?!"
"You bastards, I'll kill you!"
The three Dou Kings roared in fury, their attacks surging forward like hurricanes. Gu He and his companions rushed to intercept the Snake People's retaliation.
"You are not Medusa… or rather, you are not her true body, are you?" Yun Yun said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Without waiting for a response, she released a surge of Dou Qi from her palm. The energy burst through Medusa's projection, causing it to dissolve into specks of light.
"As expected of a Dou Emperor you managed to see through my projection…"
Medusa's cold, murderous voice echoed from above, chilling the hearts of everyone present.
(End of Chapter)
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