"You want to capture me?" Protector Wu sneered, and a jet-black iron chain, like a venomous snake, struck towards Medusa. At the same time, the black mist fluctuated violently, and an unusual jet-black energy surged out, sweeping towards Queen Medusa along the iron chain.
Naturally, one should pick the softest persimmon. This Protector Wu, with his strength of an eighth-level Dou Zong, knew he was no match for Jiang Liu, this mysteriously appearing powerhouse. However, he knew Medusa. If he could capture her in one fell swoop, he could use her as a threat to escape.
Jiang Liu coldly watched the Protector Wu, making no move. He also wanted to test whether Medusa was worth cultivating. She might be pleasing to the eye, but that wasn't enough; he didn't want a pretty face by his side. Medusa, her gaze indifferently fixed on the surging black energy, knew her time to prove herself had come. With a flick of her slender hand, seven-colored energy flowed forth continuously.
Medusa's current strength is far greater than in the original story. She has fully transformed and gained all the supernatural powers of the ancient mythical beast, the Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python.
From her slender, jade-like hand, a vast expanse of seven-colored energy surged forth like a tidal wave, coiling in the night sky before her and rapidly condensing into a gigantic seven-colored python tens of meters long.
This giant python had every scale clearly visible, making it indistinguishable from a real demonic beast. It exuded a fierce aura, and its vertical snake eyes were filled with killing intent as sharp as swords, as if it possessed intelligence.
The black iron chain came quickly, but the seven-colored giant python seemed to be even faster. Medusa pointed with her slender hand and coldly shouted, "Go!"
With a delicate shout, the wind and clouds in front of Medusa changed, and her eyes shot out a beam of seven-colored light. With a flick of her seven-colored giant python tail, her massive body moved instantly, like a bolt of lightning, and she shot out fiercely towards the black iron chain that the guardian had attacked.
A black venomous snake made of iron chains and a giant python made of seven-colored battle qi collided.
A burst of light erupted, and a massive explosion suddenly appeared between the two. The protector's expression immediately turned solemn, then extremely ugly. His full-force attack, delivered with the strength of an eighth-level Dou Zong, had actually been blocked by Medusa, who had just entered the Dou Zong realm.
A ripple of energy emanated from the explosion, shredding all the nearby purple bamboo. However, despite the powerful explosion, the iron chain showed no signs of breaking, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary object.
But it did not gain the upper hand; on the contrary, the seven-colored giant serpent attacked again.
escape!
He had considered it, but the dense clusters of fireflies behind him truly made his scalp tingle.
Even a Dou Wang's strength couldn't withstand the attack of this tiny ball of flame. Han Feng, a peak Dou Huang, was killed with a single palm strike.
Such strength left him utterly despondent.
Originally, he had hoped to capture Medusa in one fell swoop, using such a beauty as leverage to make her somewhat wary. Now it seemed that not only would it be impossible to capture Medusa quickly, but even a one-on-one fight between the two of them might not be enough. With this thought flashing through his mind, Protector Wu did not hesitate at all. He turned around, his body erupting with black mist, black iron chains protecting his body, and then, like a black streak of light, he suddenly shot towards the sky.
He no longer cared about the attacks that might be launched into his back; he could only leave it to fate and hope to escape alive.
As for Chao Jiangliu's challenge, he was terrified ever since he saw Jiangliu kill Han Feng with a single palm strike and then devour the strange fire.
Seeing Protector Wu flee, Medusa snorted coldly, her slender hand suddenly clenched, and a seven-colored light shone, causing the space above her head to suddenly distort, and Protector Wu's fleeing figure slowed down considerably as a result.
"Medusa, how dare you? Aren't you afraid the Soul Palace will exterminate your snake-people race?" The black mist in the sky roared in exasperation.
After distorting space, the seven-colored giant python, which was battered and bruised from colliding with the iron chain, soared into the air, letting out a deafening roar. It opened its huge mouth, actually trying to swallow Protector Wu whole!
"What's there to be afraid of?" Medusa sneered.
Feeling the seven-colored giant python devouring him from behind, Protector Wu gritted his teeth, turned around and struck back with a palm. The vast black energy transformed into a strange bird resembling an eagle or a wild goose, swooping down.
"boom!"
The two collided again, unleashing another earth-shattering explosion, instantly collapsing a large section of the bamboo forest that stretched for miles. At that moment, the entire Maple City trembled violently, and some of the weaker individuals in the city were so shocked by the sudden thunder that blood trickled from their ears.
Visible ripples of energy immediately spread across the sky.
With a sinister grin, the Protector Wu launched himself into the sky using the impact.
Chapter 156 Soul Search
Protector Wu grinned maliciously, using the impact to propel himself into the air. A glimmer of hope for escape shone in his eyes as he whispered, "You think you can stop me with just Medusa? Haha... It's too late. Medusa, and the unknown powerhouse, you will surely suffer the Soul Palace's revenge..."
"Really?" A clear male voice suddenly rang in Protector Wu's ears.
“You…” Protector Wu suddenly turned around, their eyes met, and his eagle-like eyes immediately revealed a deep look of horror.
"Get down!"
Jiang Liu slapped the protector, and the beast crashed down even faster, raising a cloud of dust.
When he staggered to his feet in the deep pit, the black aura protecting him had completely dissipated, and half of his face was swollen high, a truly pitiful sight!
I felt like half of my face had lost all feeling, and when I touched it, I felt a pain that went deep into my bones.
Pain means there is still hope. If there is no sensation at all, then there is really no hope, and even the nerves have died!
"Soul Palace... Hiss... Do you really want to be enemies with the Soul Palace? I'm just a minor protector of the Earthly Fiend Palace. Above me is the Palace Master, and above the Earthly Fiend Palace is the Heavenly Gang Palace. The three main palaces of Heaven, Earth, and Man contain countless Dou Zun and Dou Sheng powerhouses. You are nothing but frogs in a well. This is like throwing an egg against a rock..."
Jiang Liu snapped his fingers and said to Medusa, "The Earthly Fiend Hall, the Heavenly Gang Hall, and the three great halls of Heaven, Earth, and Man—you see, without me questioning him, he revealed them one by one."
"You..." Protector Wu roared in fury, aggravating the injuries on his face. He gasped, "Anyone who leaks the secrets of the Soul Palace will be punished by the Soul Palace. It's better to die in battle than to live a life worse than death. So don't expect to get any information out of me!"
"I knew you wouldn't tell, and I never thought you could, but do you think I wouldn't get the information just because you don't tell me?"
Jiang Liu revealed a mocking smile, silently recited an incantation, and pressed his palm down on the miserable head of Protector Wu. His large, futon-like hand covered the top of the head, and a stream of energy penetrated into it.
For Jiang Liu, the cultivation methods practiced on the Dou Qi Continent had significant drawbacks.
Humans possess three treasures: essence, energy, and spirit. Cultivation revolves around these three treasures, accumulating and strengthening them until a qualitative change occurs, leading to transcendence and the attainment of immortality.
All cultivators of "Shushan" take attaining immortality as their lifelong goal, which ultimately boils down to cultivating the "Primordial Spirit." However, the power system of Dou Qi only focuses on essence and qi, pursuing powerful attack capabilities, and rarely involves the Primordial Spirit. Only when one reaches the Dou Sheng realm can one touch upon the cultivation of the "Primordial Spirit."
Even if the Soul Palace has the ability to capture souls, it has little to do with the primordial spirit.
Therefore, although this Protector Wu was already at the Dou Zong level, his divine sense was very weak, and his sea of consciousness could not withstand the invasion of Jiang Liu's primordial spirit.
In an instant, the already miserable face contorted with even more pain, and his eyes rolled back, leaving only the whites of his eyes visible.
After enduring the torment of soul-searching, Jiang Liu threw it away a few minutes later. The face was contorted in agony, and black blood flowed from its seven orifices. It was dead.
Jiang Liu summarized and organized the information he had obtained. The Soul Palace was divided into two halls: "Tian Gang" and "Di Sha".
The Earthly Fiend Hall is under the jurisdiction of ordinary Heavenly Venerables of the Soul Hall, equivalent to a branch hall. The hall master is only a Dou Zun in strength.
Among them is the Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Palace Branch Hall of the Lost Soul Mountain Range, and the Old Ghost of Star Picking, whose strength is a Five-Star Dou Zun.
soul
The Northwest Branch Hall of the Palace, honoring the elders, Qin Tian.
There are also Qinghai Soul Venerable, Mu Gu Elder, and others, all of whom are at the Dou Zun realm.
The Heavenly Gang Hall, the main hall of the Soul Hall, is divided into three halls: Heaven, Earth, and Man. It is a gathering place for the strong members of the Soul Hall, including many Battle Saints.
He had never met the Palace Master or the Deputy Palace Master, given Wu's status and identity, but he knew a little about the nine Heavenly Venerables of the Human Palace.
The Great Celestial Venerable's name is unknown; everyone simply calls him "Great Celestial Venerable," and he is at the Dou Sheng realm. The Second Celestial Venerable is a half-saint, known as the "Bone Nether Saint." The remaining individuals, such as Blood River, Prison Land, and Demon Rain, are all peak Dou Zun level experts.
As for the exact location of the Soul Hall, this Protector Wu knows the location of all the Earthly Fiend Halls, but as for the Heavenly Gang Hall, he only knows the location of the Human Hall, which is located at the junction of the southwestern region of Central Continent, deep in a mountain range called "Burial Corpse"!
I also learned more or less about some of the secrets of Zhongzhou, including three pieces of information about the Strange Fire.
Firstly, the Pill Tower, considered a "holy land" by all alchemists, contains an independent space called the "Star Domain," within which the "Three Thousand Burning Flames" are sealed. Ranked ninth among the strange flames, those who possess this flame have an exceptionally special ability: the legendary "Three Thousand Star Physique." Some powerful individuals who have fought against those who possess the Three Thousand Burning Flames refer to it as the "Undying Body," possessing extremely strong regenerative abilities.
Secondly, there is the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, ranked twelfth on the list of strange flames. It has been passed down by the Burning Flame Valley for hundreds of years, and the powerful figures of each generation have left an indelible blood and soul mark on the source of the fire. Unless one has cultivated the Burning Flame Valley's treasure-suppressing technique, "Azure Nether Flame Technique", even if one obtains the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, it is absolutely impossible to keep it for one's own use.
Thirdly, there is Yao Chen, the old man in the protagonist Xiao Yan's ring, who possesses the "Bone Spirit Cold Flame," ranked eleventh among the strange flames.
Seeing that Jiang Liu remained motionless with his eyes closed, Medusa whispered, "Master, let's leave here first! Making such a commotion will surely attract powerful figures from Canaan Academy to investigate..."
"Alright!" With that, Jiang Liu opened his eyes and flicked away two flames, instantly burning Medicine Emperor Han Feng and Soul Palace Protector Wu to ashes. And from the ashes, each revealed a deep blue ring, shimmering with a faint blue light.
Medusa picked them up one by one and said, "These are high-level storage rings; there are quite a few good things inside."
With that, he handed it over to Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu opened it and found it contained alchemy materials and several martial arts cultivation manuals. This level of spatial ring was nowhere near as good as the storage space created by "Escape One". He took one storage ring and threw the remaining one, along with the materials he didn't need, to Medusa.
"These things are useless to me, you can take them! Don't refuse, even if you don't need them, take them back to your tribe... Let's go! Someone's coming!"
After saying that, he grabbed Medusa, mounted his sword, and soared into the sky.
Having obtained the "Fallen Heart Flame" and the "Sea Heart Flame," there was nothing left in the Black Corner Region worth Jiang Liu's stay. As for the female protagonist "Xun'er," Jiang Liu had only glanced at her and had not yet obtained the ancient clan's inherited strange fire.
"Go to Yunlan Sect and see if there's any news about Xiao Yan..."
The Xiao clan, one of the eight ancient clans, has now declined. Since he has already taken so many opportunities from the protagonist, Jiang Liu doesn't mind taking another strange fire from him.
Moreover, as the protagonist, Jiang Liu wanted to see whether the chosen one of this world was stronger, or whether he, the transmigrator, was stronger.
Chapter 157 News of Xiao Yan
Yunlan Sect is located in the famous mountains and rivers of the southern part of the Jiama Empire, occupying a cave!
Thick, milky-white clouds swirl around the mountains, creating a breathtaking panorama of strange peaks, bizarre rocks, and waterfalls cascading through the clouds—a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
Jiang Liu rode his sword through the air and saw ancient trees towering below, their branches as strong as dragons, waterfalls roaring, streams babbling, and a blue stone-paved road winding into the depths of the beautiful fairy mountain. There were many palaces hidden among the grass and trees, in perfect harmony with nature.
In sunny or shady places, there are artificially cultivated medicinal fields where ginseng is as thick as a child's arm, Ganoderma lucidum hangs with nine leaves, and many other unnamed herbs shimmer and sparkle, exuding a fragrant aroma that is refreshing and invigorating.
Wisps of white mist drifted in from the mountains, and pavilions and towers appeared and disappeared in the depths of the fog, tinged with a vibrant red. Jiang Liu circled the Yunlan Sect on his sword, and then a beautiful figure appeared in the clouds behind the mountain.
A graceful figure stood on the edge of a towering cliff, lost in thought as she gazed at the sea of clouds. A crimson sun slowly emerged from the clouds, causing the mountain mist to surge and swirl. In the morning sun, the woman, dressed in white, was as pure as snow, her robes fluttering in the wind like a fairy about to ride the wind away.
Like a secluded orchid in a valley, elegant and refined, she possesses an ethereal quality. Her beautiful eyes sparkle, her words unspoken, as pure and pristine as a snow lotus on an iceberg. She exudes a serene and otherworldly beauty, blending perfectly with the surrounding natural scenery, as if she were a part of the essence of heaven and earth.
"You seem even more ethereal these past few days. What's wrong, something on your mind?"
Jiang Liu landed on the edge of the cliff on his sword, looking at Yun Yun's slightly furrowed brows and said.
Upon seeing that it was Jiang Liu, Yun Yun lowered her sword and frowned, saying, "Master, your words that day have brought a great calamity upon my Yunlan Sect!"
"A major disaster?" Jiang Liu was taken aback, then said, "You encountered Xiao Yan?"
"A prodigy from the Xiao family of Wutan City, possessing extraordinary talent, began practicing Qi cultivation at age 4, achieved the ninth level of Dou Qi at age 10, and successfully condensed a Dou Qi vortex at age 11, becoming the youngest Dou Zhe in the family's history. However, starting at age 12, he inexplicably regressed to the third level of Dou Qi for three consecutive years, gradually becoming a despised and useless person. Two years ago, he began to show his talent again, breaking through to the seventh level of Dou Qi within a year, shocking the entire city. Now..."
Looking at the clouds drifting across the sky, Yun Yun sighed and said, "He's already at the Dou Ling level, and his strength is increasing at an astonishing speed. Moreover... he possesses two different kinds of strange fire! My Yunlan Sect has offended him several times, and Yanran and he are now sworn enemies. Furthermore, the Grand Elder Yun Leng was killed by him. It seems there's no way to salvage the situation."
Jiang Liu frowned as well. He had obtained the "Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame" that should have belonged to him, so where did he get this strange flame from?
"Two kinds of strange fire? One of them should be the bone spirit cold fire, a pale white flame! What is the other one?"
Yun Yun smiled wryly, "It is the eighteenth ranked Heavenly Thunder Fury Flame. The power of the two different flames combined is comparable to a strike from a peak Dou Wang."
"Heavenly Thunder Fury? He really is a person with great fortune!" Jiang Liu smiled bitterly. The protagonist is the protagonist, the chosen one of the plane favored by heaven and earth. How could his opportunity be easily cut off by someone?
He snatched the "Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame," and in the blink of an eye, he obtained the higher-ranked "Heavenly Thunder Fury Flame." After seizing the "Fallen Heart Flame," what other strange flames will he obtain?
"Where is he now?" Jiang Liu asked.
"I don't know. He fought with our sect's Grand Elder, was seriously injured, and fled. Now his whereabouts are unknown!" Yun Yun shook her head and said.
"Enough! This whole thing started because of me. If he shows up again, you, a mere three-star Dou Huang, won't stand a chance. Want to get stronger? Just like her, break through to the Dou Zong level!" Jiang Liu pointed at Medusa.