"Oh? The aura seems somewhat similar to your bloodline. Could it be Queen Medusa? In that case, I must go!"
Gu Changqing was taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled as he spoke.
Though he didn't understand why Queen Medusa had arrived here earlier than expected, her presence confirmed one thing for him: the Heavenly Flame of the Green Lotus was definitely here.
"Ah?"
Qing Lin stared at Gu Changqing in bewilderment. Why wasn't her brother afraid? She knew he was strong, but the aura they sensed was terrifying!
"Come on, let's go meet this Queen Medusa together."
Gu Changqing led Qing Lin and the others deeper into the desert.
"Hissss—!"
From beneath the scorching magma, a massive purple serpent with half of its tail missing shot out of the molten sea. In the blink of an eye, the serpent transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her body oozing with an alluring and seductive charm.
The intense heat of the magma had burned away her robes, leaving her flawless, curvaceous figure exposed. Her body was a testament to beauty itself, with ample, towering peaks, a smooth and slender waist like snow, and a mesmerizing curve between her waist and hips. She was a woman capable of bringing kingdoms to their knees.
But despite her unrivaled beauty, Queen Medusa appearance was tragic at the moment.
Her once flawless skin was marred by red, blistering burns. Even her once proud, towering twin peaks were now stained with a crimson hue. Her purple snake tail, which had been her pride, was now missing large patches of scales, exposing the cooked flesh beneath.
The most heart-wrenching sight of all was her once elegant snake tail—now reduced to only half of what it once was!
"Damn it! That Heavenly Flame of the Green Lotus lies too deep beneath the magma. With my strength diminished and my tail lost, I can't retrieve it safely. And if he comes to my Serpent Tribe's Holy City, I'll be helpless!"
Queen Medusa seethed with frustration. Two months ago, she had ambushed Gu Changqing, only to be severely injured herself.
Returning to her tribe, she feared that Gu Changqing would soon come for revenge, bringing calamity upon her people. She had ordered her entire tribe to search for traces of the Heavenly Flame within the Tagore Desert, hoping to evolve quickly to counter the impending threat.
Fortune favored her efforts when one of her tribe's elders discovered a record in their ancient texts, a detailed account from their ancestors of the Tagore Desert and its mysteries.
The record confirmed that there was indeed a Heavenly Flame deep beneath the desert—the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Upon learning this, Queen Medusa had rushed here without hesitation, hoping to secure the flame. But to her dismay, the flame resided in a place far too deep, and with her severely weakened state and half her tail gone, she couldn't retrieve it safely.
"It seems I must return and forge something that can suppress the flame and prevent it from acting up."
Reluctantly, Queen Medusa decided to retreat, planning to create an artifact that would subdue the Heavenly Flame and allow her to claim it without further risk.
What she didn't realize was that her knowledge was incomplete. She was unaware that a jade piece could easily cut through the green lotus' roots, and instead of using that method, she had relied on brute force. Each time she attempted to remove the flame, the lotus absorbed her energy, leaving her drained and on the verge of death several times.
Boom—!
Just as Queen Medusa was about to leave, the desert ground above her suddenly split apart, torn asunder by a tremendous force. Out of the fissure stepped a tall, imposing figure.
"It's him!"
Seeing the young man, Queen Medusa pupils constricted, and without hesitation, she turned to flee.
"Hahaha, Queen Medusa! Since you're already here, why not stay a while and keep me company?"
Gu Changqing's voice boomed with laughter as his hand stretched out, resembling a radiant sun hanging high in the sky. His palm swiped downward.
Boom!
The desert for a hundred meters around shifted, as if summoned by Gu Changqing's command, collapsing towards the fleeing Medusa Queen.
"Serpent Burst!"
Queen Medusa was not one to be easily subdued. With a flurry of hand seals, a massive purple serpent formed from her Dou Qi surged from her body and exploded in the desert, creating a massive crater. In an instant, she dashed into the crater, vanishing from sight.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Gu Changqing leapt forward, crossing hundreds of meters in a single bound to catch up with her.
"Suppress!"
Once again, Gu Changqing manipulated the powers of the world, pressing them down upon the fleeing queen.
"Thousand Serpent Spear!"
Queen Medusa let out an enraged cry as her hands conjured a long spear shaped like a serpent. The spear, forged from her vast Dou Qi, bore countless snarling serpent heads along its length.
"Die!"
With a furious thrust, the spear shot towards Gu Changqing. In that moment, the illusion of countless serpents materialized, snapping and biting at him.
"Interesting. But you won't hit me."
Gu Changqing chuckled with amusement, his figure disappearing in the blink of an eye. When he reappeared, he was directly above the Queen Medusa bare, alluring body. With a swift motion, he stomped down on her smooth, jade-like back.
Boom!
Queen Medusa was crushed into the ground.
"How dare you!"
As a proud queen of the Serpent Tribe, being stomped on like this was an unbearable insult. Her fury exploded as she shifted into her true serpent form and lunged at Gu Changqing with a savage bite.
"Tsk tsk, such a temper. Today, I'll make sure you know your place!"
Unfazed, Gu Changqing flashed around her, delivering powerful punches and kicks, each strike landing on her serpent body with crushing force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each impact left Queen Medusa howling in fury and pain, her once elegant form now battered and bruised. She felt utterly humiliated and cornered.
She wanted to retaliate, but none of her strikes could touch him. She tried to flee, but no matter how fast she moved, Gu Changqing was always one step ahead.
It was as if she were a mere plaything in his hands.
Bang!
With another powerful punch, Gu Changqing slammed Queen Medusa into the ground, stepping on her head, grinding it under his foot.
"Rage Surge!"
Queen Medusa roared, her body erupting with purple light. A terrifying power, equal to that of a Dou Ancestor, surged from her body. Her form swelled, and before Gu Changqing's eyes, her severed snake tail regrew rapidly.
"Human, you've succeeded in angering me! Today, I'll tear you apart and devour you!"
Her purple eyes burned with ferocity and madness. Gu Changqing's continuous provocations had pushed her beyond reason. Even if it meant using the forbidden Rage Surge, which would forever cripple her future progress, she was determined to kill him and avenge her pride.
Otherwise, the humiliation would never fade from her heart!