Looking at the blue lotus in front of her, Queen Medusa felt utterly hopeless. Even if she cultivated for another ten years, she still couldn't achieve such a skill!
"Is Heaven determined to destroy me? Fine, since that's how it is, I have no choice but to fight to the death! Senior, after I die, please don't make things difficult for the snake-people..."
Queen Medusa looked at Jiang Liu, smiled sadly, then bit her red lips with her pearly teeth, and slowly unbuttoned her brocade robe with her jade hands. Instantly, a perfect jade body, as if it were a masterpiece of heaven, was nakedly exposed in front of Jiang Liu.
"The Supreme Star, responding without ceasing."
Exorcise evil spirits and protect your life.
Wisdom is clear and bright, and the mind is at peace.
The three souls are eternal, and the spirit is never lost.
After reciting the "Calming Mantra" once, a clear spring flowed into Jiang Liu's sea of consciousness. He finally let out a long breath and thought to himself, "I admire myself... Come to think of it, how did I become Xu Xian? Could it be that I've always been pursuing catgirls and snakegirls? Impossible!... The Dao heart cannot be broken; they are all just beautiful skeletons, white bones and flesh. How can they disturb my mind..."
"Look, look, look... Holy crap, all eighteen positions can be unlocked! ...Lust is a knife above one's head, but if this knife is used well, it can temper my Dao heart!"
The lake water rippled gently, just like the heart of the river, creating waves. A breeze would pass, and it would return to calm. The beautiful body that countless men coveted was nothing more than fleeting smoke in the eyes of the river.
Every move Jiang Liu made, every glance, every expression was observed by Queen Medusa. When he finally looked at her with an open and honest gaze, as if she were a withered tree, Medusa knew she had been defeated—completely defeated, inside and out, in both hard and soft power. She gave a bitter laugh, slowly took a step forward, her beautiful eyes fixed on the blue lotus in mid-air.
She bit her red lips and murmured softly, "What's meant to be will be, and what's meant to be will be!"
Her beautiful eyes were slightly closed, and her long, jet-black hair cascaded down to her slender waist. Her hands were slightly clasped together, and her jade-like hands were constantly changing into strange hand seals. As her hand seals changed, the energy fluctuations between heaven and earth in the bamboo forest suddenly became more intense.
In an instant, his body was enveloped in a beam of light, completely engulfed by it. A dragon's roar resounded from within the light, which intensified, revealing a dragon over ten zhang in size.
A giant purple serpent was hovering in the air.
"This is Medusa's true form? She really is from another race! Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing are probably like this too!"
Above the sky, the enormous purple serpent looked down at the river, then let out a clear, low growl and swooped down towards the blue lotus.
After swallowing the "Azure Core Flame" whole, the purple snake let out a shrill scream, sending chills down the spines of the snake-people warriors watching from across the lake.
"Elder, shall we charge in?" Mobas's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his face contorted in pain.
"Evolution... Her Majesty the Queen has begun to evolve! Heaven help us, if she succeeds, our race will produce a Dou Zong!"
"Rise and fall are determined by a single thought, Elder. Are you sure he didn't harm a single warrior of your clan?"
The old woman gazed at the island and said, "Third Elder, I am well, and Yue Mei is well too. As for whether the Queen will be well, I don't know. At worst, the four of us will be buried with the Queen!"
...
The giant purple serpent let out a shrill scream, and wisps of blue flame seeped from its flesh. Its jade-like scales fell off one by one, and crimson blood gushed out. However, this blood was immediately incinerated into a wisp of blue smoke by the terrifying temperature of the strange fire.
The agony of being burned alive would be unbearable for most, but Medusa endured it. As the saying goes, those who achieve great things must be ruthless—ruthless not only to their enemies but also to themselves. Her piercing screams, which had been deafening for nearly half an hour, gradually weakened. Both her body and soul were exhausted, barely managing to withstand the burning flames.
"Let me lend you a hand!" In an instant, Jiang Liu placed a palm on the snake's head, activated the "Supreme Yin Profound Water Cauldron Body", and a wisp of cold air invaded Medusa's body, gathering the strange fire, then suppressing it, and then slowly releasing it, burning her body and soul.
After three days and three nights of continuous calcination, Jiang Liu suddenly opened his eyes, and with a swift movement, he grasped a blue lotus in his hand. At this moment, the originally clear sky suddenly became much darker, and a dark cloud, appearing from nowhere, slowly enveloped the sky.
"A lightning tribulation?!"
"Boom!" Lightning bolts, like silver snakes, darted through the dark clouds, about to deliver a fatal blow to the already dying giant purple serpent.
"I'll give away this wealth thoroughly! Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao of this small world is incomplete, so I can take advantage of it!"
Just as lightning was about to strike, Jiang Liu flicked his finger, and the lightning, which should have been a fatal blow, slowly struck various parts of the giant snake's body in more than ten separate strikes.
Just like a defibrillator in a hospital, Medusa was shocked by the electric current, and her heart, which was about to stop, suddenly started beating again.
"Um!"
A groan came from within the snake's body.
In an instant, the charred flesh was blown into powder by the wind. And at the very moment the giant serpent's corpse turned to dust, a vast and terrifying aura suddenly burst forth, rapidly enveloping the temple at an alarming speed.
"Her Majesty has succeeded!"
"A Dou Zong!"
Outside the island, the four elders were moved to tears, many leaders knelt on one knee, and countless snake people, upon sensing this aura, were overjoyed and let out earth-shattering cheers that resounded through the sky.
The giant snake's corpse was blown away by the wind, revealing Medusa's true form. The snake's tail was gone, replaced by a pair of jade feet that looked like they were made by nature!
Chapter 148 Ancient River
A long robe flew from Jiang Liu's hand and covered the jade-like body. Medusa opened her eyes, a sharp light shooting from her vertical pupils, but it was then concealed.
Jiang Liu lay on the throne, playing with the "Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame" in his hand, then swallowed it in one gulp, and looked at Medusa with great interest.
"You've successfully evolved, and I've obtained the strange fire I wanted. You see, fighting and killing won't solve anything!"
She covered her jade-like body with a long robe, but this hazy, revealing outfit was even more alluring. She bowed to Jiang Liu, her two large breasts swaying slightly, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, senior. May I ask what I can do for you?"
Jiang Liu tapped his fingers rhythmically and said, "Strange Fire! Do you know where there are still strange fires? Also, call me Mr. Jiang, or call me Abbot!"
Medusa tied up her long, black hair, revealing her stunningly beautiful face, and said with a light smile, "Then I shall address you as Senior Abbot! This strange fire is rare in the northwest region of the Dou Qi Continent. According to the information I have, the Burning Heaven Refining Tower of Canaan Academy in the Black Corner Region contains the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame. However..."
Her beautiful eyes darted around, and she lightly licked her lips with her tongue. Seeing Jiang Liu sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, she asked, "Master?"
Jiang Liu exhaled, and a surge of scorching air rushed out, making Medusa's hair slightly scorched, demonstrating just how high her internal temperature was. He made a hand seal and said, "I'm listening, you speak!"
Medusa's eyes revealed deep surprise and curiosity as she said, "However, Canaan Academy is not a place one can easily enter. Its founder, Mang Tianchi, is a half-saint... Does the Abbot have the confidence to fight him?"
They were tentatively probing Jiang Liu's strength.
"A demigod?" Jiang Liu slowly opened his eyes, two flames dancing in his pupils, falling into Medusa's eyes, instantly making her drenched in sweat, her back soaked with moisture.
He hurriedly said, "Master, although Mang Tianchi is the dean of Canaan Academy, he is also an elder of the Thunder Clan. He likes to travel around and is not in the Black Corner Region most of the time. He should be in the Central State now. The strongest of the rest of the academy is none other than the Grand Elder Su Qian, who is only a three-star Dou Zong!"
Seeing Jiang Liu close his eyes to cultivate again, Medusa wiped away a cold sweat. That one glance had made her feel as if she had been burned by the strange fire again, and it had burned directly into her soul.
"As for Zhongzhou, I don't know much about it. But the One Palace, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions may all contain strange flames."
"Alright, you can leave now! I'll use this place for some time of seclusion!"
"Then this young lady will take her leave!"
After Medusa left, countless flames erupted from Jiang Liu's body, constantly burning his flesh and refining the impurities within him once again.
After sitting in meditation for more than half a month, the four energies of wood, water, fire, and earth have stabilized. Among them, the "Supreme Yin Profound Water Cauldron Body" is the most powerful, overwhelming the other three, while the "Burning Heaven Flame Yang Cauldron Body" is the weakest and needs to continue to absorb strange fire to grow stronger.
"The ancient alchemy techniques are indeed extraordinary, with their transformations of the five elements and the ability to create a physical body within a cauldron. With my current abilities, combined with the power of the Yangzhou Cauldron and numerous magical treasures, I should have no problem fighting a Earth Immortal head-on. Dou Zun? Half-Saint? It's time to go and meet the strongmen of this world!"
Jiang Liu slowly stood up, then stepped onto the water and went ashore. As soon as he got off the boat, he saw Medusa rushing over.
"Abbot, are you leaving?"
"The world is so big, I want to go see it!"
Medusa smiled and said, "If the Abbot doesn't mind, I'm willing to help you retrieve the Fallen Heart Flame!"
"Oh! You want to come with me? You don't want the snake people anymore?"
"I have already reached the strength of a Dou Zong, and no one dares to step into the Dou Huang realm."
"This is our clan's territory. Who would dare to act recklessly in the Great Desert now? Moreover, a group of people recently entered the desert, their target clearly the strange fire I obtained. It's a good opportunity to establish our authority by dealing with them. Abbot, how about staying for a day or two?"
Jiang Liu thought for a moment about the plot he couldn't remember, then nodded and said, "Alright!"
...
"Master, this is a fine grape wine made by our clan!"
Yue Mei swayed her hips as she poured a blood-red wine from a ceramic jar, then added two ice cubes. As the river gently swirled around the glass, the ice cubes inside made a crisp sound as they touched the glass's sides.
The table was laden with delicious food. Jiang Liu casually picked up a piece of roasted meat. As soon as he took a bite, he felt the rich and sweet juices coating the meat. Then, he took another bite, and the plump and tender lamb was surprisingly easy to bite into. He could even clearly feel the delicious juices shooting out, splashing onto his teeth, and then dripping down in four or five drops. It was juicy, smooth, and flavorful.
Wine and meat, wine and meat! Eat meat in big bites and drink wine in big bowls!
Before him danced the swaying hips of beautiful snake-people, surrounded by fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women. Jiang Liu ate and drank his fill without any hesitation. Then, Medusa walked in from outside, followed by a group of people bound behind her, returning victorious.
"Master, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Medusa looked at Jiang Liu, who was sitting on her throne, without the slightest displeasure.
The bound men stared in shock at Jiang Liu, who was reclining on the throne.
"Medusa, now that you've reached the Dou Zong realm, I, Gu He, admit defeat..."
"So you are the Pill King Guhe?" Jiang Liu raised his crystal cup, took a sip, and said calmly.
"That is indeed me!"
Dan Wang Guhe wields immense influence in the Jia Ma Empire. His alchemy skills are unpredictable and miraculous, and countless powerful figures who wish to curry favor with him find no way to do so.
Not only is his alchemy skill amazing, but his own strength has also reached the level of Dou Wang, making him one of the top ten strongest people in the Jia Ma Empire.
In the Dou Qi Continent, alchemists are rare, but due to their noble status, they are subject to a clear ranking system, from lowest to highest, divided into nine ranks. Pill King Gu He is a sixth-rank alchemist, considered the foremost alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire.
"Master, what do you think should be done with these people?" Medusa asked with a smile.
"That's your private matter with them. I'll drink my wine, eat my meat, and look at my beautiful women. Isn't that right, Yue Mei?"
Jiang Liu raised his crystal glass, and Yue Mei promptly refilled it.
Gu He looked at Jiang Liu, then turned and said, "Queen Medusa, I'm here to exchange for a different kind of fire, not to fight. Don't go too far. A mere Dou Zong is nothing new to my Jia Ma Empire!"
"Even as a prisoner, you're still so stubborn. Gu He, you'd better start thinking about how to get out!"
Gu He gritted his teeth: "I have a seventh-grade Transformation Pill and two sixth-grade Battle Spirit Pills to exchange for our lives!"
"Hahaha..." Medusa sneered, "These are my spoils of war. You're using my things to redeem yourself. Isn't that going too far?"
"You?" Everyone clenched their fists.
Gu He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll refine three more grade six pills for you."
"Three pills? Three pills can only buy your life, they're not enough!" Medusa said domineeringly.
"Six stones, then let all of us go!"
"Haha... I'll remember your words, I'll go get it!"
Guhe and his group fled in disarray, while Jiang Liu and Medusa embarked on their journey to the Black Corner Region.
Chapter 149 Adding Fuel to the Fire in the Black Corner Region
Black Corner!