After a long while, Xiao Xue, having recovered for the most part, exhaled a mouthful of stale air and slowly opened her eyes.
The moment she opened her eyes, she met Medusa's complicated gaze.
Xiao Xue: "???"
After all, Xiao Xue had no idea that when she gained three points of [Poison Resistance], she had fallen into a state similar to [Enlightenment].
Therefore, Medusa's behavior seemed rather strange to Xiao Xue.
She thought about how Ah Li was currently offline, which, in the eyes of outsiders, meant her strength had greatly diminished.
The Netherworld Poison Flame had also been subdued by her; all internal and external crises had been resolved.
She and Medusa were still in an underground world with no witnesses... This place looked perfectly suitable for murder and silencing any witnesses.
If she were to 'accidentally' perish within this secret realm, even if she truly possessed a formidable 'background,' it would likely never be traced back to Medusa, would it?
The cautious Xiao Xue couldn't help but become more vigilant, quickly performing an [Introspection]... It seemed Medusa hadn't done anything underhanded while helping her clear her meridians just now?
She wasn't sure; she needed to check again.
Medusa had a 'prior record,' after all, so Xiao Xue had to remain vigilant.
While guarding against Medusa, she secretly began stimulating the Bone Chilling Flame within her heart.
Even if Ah Li was currently offline, she still had ways to deal with Medusa.
Should Medusa make any suspicious move, she could immediately [Level Up] and simultaneously activate the Bone Chilling Flame crystal she had previously left inside Medusa's body.
If the Bone Chilling Flame were to erupt inside Medusa, it would definitely gravely injure her in an instant.
After all, regardless of the strength level, the interior of the body is the most vulnerable area.
If crucial internal organs were damaged, their strength would certainly plummet significantly.
Following that, two more three-colored Fire Lotuses would be enough to roast Medusa into snake jerky.
A Fire Lotus formed by combining a strand of cat hair plucked from the Nether Spirit Cat with the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame and the Bone Chilling Flame;
Its power would only be greater than the previous three-colored Fire Lotus, which had been created using an Earth Fire Lotus Seed to produce a wisp of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Just as Xiao Xue was weaving conspiracy theories in her heart, she saw Medusa sigh, pausing mid-sentence, hesitating again, before finally speaking:
"...Did you just have another [Enlightenment]?"
Xiao Xue: "..."
That's it???
I was thinking about killing without blinking, and you're asking if my eyes are dry?
After calming down, Xiao Xue realized she had been slightly paranoid.
If Medusa had intended to harm her in this underground world, there would have been no need to wait until after she released [Moonlight] to make a move.
After all, Medusa didn't know that she could instantly restore her health and Dou Qi.
In the eyes of an ordinary person, immediately after she finished casting [Moonlight], in her moment of extreme weakness,
facing the counterattack of the Poison Flame Spirit was practically a death sentence.
If Medusa had genuinely harbored malicious intent, she could have simply refrained from acting then and reaped the spoils from the sidelines.
Therefore, it was likely that when she was allocating her attribute points just now, she had caused some external phenomenon, leading Medusa to believe she had another "Enlightenment."
Medusa's intense stare earlier was probably just simple astonishment.
Thus, Xiao Xue suppressed the restless Bone Chilling Flame in her heart, nodded casually, and said lightly, "Yep, pretty amazing, right?"
I'm incredibly awesome.jpg
Medusa gave a forced laugh and said nothing more.
Xiao Xue's growing strength meant the gap between the two of them was shrinking... She wasn't sure if that counted as a good thing.
She estimated that once Xiao Xue reached the Dou Zong rank, or even Dou Huang, she would head to the Central Region.
And if, by that time, she was still just an ordinary Dou Zong... Medusa felt a sudden sense of urgency in her heart.
After all, to put it nicely, her relationship with Xiao Xue was currently that of a boss and an employee.
To put it less nicely, her life, and the fate of the entire Snake-People Race, were currently in Xiao Xue's hands.
Xiao Xue and the forces backing her had only chosen to recruit her because they valued the fact that after her evolution, she was guaranteed to reach the Dou Zun level.
Right now, she was still quite a bit stronger than Xiao Xue.
At the very least, without using her Dou Zong level trump cards, Xiao Xue still couldn't defeat her.
But if Xiao Xue were to decide she was useless and mediocre, and then remembered their past grievances and sought revenge... As she thought this, Medusa couldn't help but shiver.
It seemed that cultivation had to be prioritized immediately.
Once they returned to the Snake-People Empire, she had to seize every moment to cultivate and break through to Dou Zun as soon as possible.
"...Xiao Xue, should we return to the Jia Ma Empire now?" Medusa looked at Xiao Xue and asked tentatively.
"Alright..."
Xiao Xue slowly stood up and stretched lazily.
Although there were still many good things in this underground world, they weren't going to sprout legs and run away.
Whether it was the medicinal ingredients for the Little Doctor Fairy or the snake-type magical beasts prepared for Qing Lin, she could come back for them later.
However, just as Xiao Xue was about to agree, she suddenly froze slightly.
Her Soul Power, which had reached the Great Perfection of the Mortal Realm, sensed a friendly fluctuation.
It seemed as if some kind of unknown entity was radiating goodwill toward her.
Seeing Xiao Xue freeze, Medusa instantly grew tense, and the Seven-Colored Long Spear appeared in her hand.
Then, Medusa and Xiao Xue watched as the ancient tree above their heads slowly sprouted a new branch.
Medusa subconsciously raised her spear to stab, but Xiao Xue held her back.
"Don't be nervous. It doesn't seem malicious."
Xiao Xue had a profound intuition that the inexplicable goodwill originated from the ancient tree above them.
At the same time, Xiao Xue felt immensely shocked in her heart.
This ancient tree was actually still alive!
Having been burned by the Netherworld Poison Flame for so many years, the tree had miraculously survived, which was truly baffling.
From the memories of the Poison Flame Spirit, Xiao Xue had gained a general understanding of what happened back then.
That Dou Zun level Poison Master had attempted to refine the Netherworld Poison Flame right beneath this ancient tree.
However, failing to refine it, he was instead turned into a Flame Slave by the Netherworld Poison Flame.
The ancient tree, unfortunately, became collateral damage, suffering years of scorching by the Netherworld Poison Flame.
Furthermore, the surrounding hundred meters had become barren due to the restrictions left behind from the attempt to refine the Netherworld Poison Flame years ago.
In fact, if it hadn't absorbed a portion of the ancient tree's energy, the Netherworld Poison Flame Spirit wouldn't have been able to reach the six-star Dou Zong level.
In the Dou Qi Continent, plants actually possess cultivation bases, and the cultivation of some plants is quite formidable.
For example, the Bodhi Ancient Tree, though affected by the negative emotions of a Dou Di and not having developed complete sentience;
its strength was actually considered the greatest below the Dou Di level.
The Bodhi Ancient Tree once joined forces with a Dou Di expert, and together they launched an attack that killed another Dou Di.
Although the outcome was mutually destructive, it was clear that the Bodhi Ancient Tree possessed strength capable of rivaling a Half-Step Dou Di.
After all, during the final Battle of the Two Emperors, even a peak nine-star Dou Sheng was incredibly fragile before a Dou Di.
Whether it was Gu Yuan or Zhu Kun, Soul Heavenly Emperor could swat them away with a single palm.
Therefore, without the strength of a Half-Emperor, one fundamentally lacked the qualifications to participate in a Dou Di level war.
The ancient tree currently above Xiao Xue and Medusa was also a tree with a cultivation base.
Although far inferior to the Bodhi Ancient Tree, it still possessed Dou Zun level strength.
However, it had been contaminated by the Netherworld Poison Flame, and it had no means of resolving the issue.
This was typical for plants; although their cultivation might be high, their methods weren't necessarily powerful.
Even the Bodhi Ancient Tree was affected by a Dou Di's negative emotions, and if it hadn't encountered Xiao Yan, it might have even lost itself.
This ancient tree, meanwhile, had been tormented by the Netherworld Poison Flame for several years.
A tree has no hands; after being contaminated by the Netherworld Poison Flame, it could only defend passively.
In this regard, it was somewhat similar to the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
Fortunately, the Netherworld Poison Flame could only refine the energy within its branches and leaves, being powerless against the core of the trunk.
The Flame Spirit, lacking sufficient strength, could only drool over the massive energy contained within the ancient tree's interior.
—This cat is a vegetarian.
Moreover, even refining the energy in the branches and leaves had allowed it to possess the strength of a six-star Dou Zong, far exceeding its own limits.
Unfortunately, being 'young and having poor teeth,' it couldn't chew through the concentrated energy within the ancient tree's trunk.
It was precisely because the Flame Spirit wanted to absorb energy from the ancient tree that it hadn't directly burned it to ashes.
Otherwise, how could a tree possibly withstand the cumulative scorching of a Heavenly Flame.
Even if its strength was comparable to a Dou Zun, it wouldn't be able to.
The Netherworld Poison Flame and the ancient tree had been engaged in a long-term tug-of-war for several years—one wanting energy, the other refusing to yield it.
This constant torment had left the ancient tree feeling quite suppressed and uncomfortable.
By coincidentally subduing the Netherworld Poison Flame this time, Xiao Xue had naturally helped the ancient tree resolve a huge problem.
Therefore, the ancient tree was radiating goodwill towards Medusa and Xiao Xue, who had rescued it from the sea of flames.
Furthermore, this tree was actually a peach tree.
---
Xiao Xue grasped Medusa's wrist, which held the spear, pressing down on Medusa's restless hand, signaling her to relax.
Due to their height difference, it looked as if Xiao Xue was leaning against Medusa.
However, neither of them realized that there was anything unusual about their current posture.
Both Medusa and Xiao Xue stared wide-eyed, utterly shocked by the scene before them.
This was because the ancient tree above their heads was completely dead wood.
At this moment, all of its other branches remained in a withered state.
Only the single branch directly above Xiao Xue's head had burst forth with vibrant, beautiful peach blossoms.
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