As Chen Yang opened his hand, a cluster of seven-colored flames rose from his palm. Seeing this, the Sky Swallowing Python, which was already leaning affectionately toward Chen Yang, let out a cheerful cry. As if teleporting, it appeared above Chen Yang's palm, circling over the flames while chirping.
"The flame of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, so that's how it is!" Inside Xiao Yan's body, Yao Lao suddenly realized the truth. At this moment, Chen Yang also shook his head, secretly asking the System if it had rigged things for him behind the scenes.
The flame of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, which he had obtained back in the Magical Beast Mountain Range because Xiao Yan devoured the Purple Flame, had come back like a boomerang today.
Because of this seven-colored flame, the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python that Medusa had evolved into now considered him one of her own kind.
"Little guy, why don't you follow me from now on?" Chen Yang reached out and tapped the little snake's head, speaking with a smile.
"Wuu wuu..." The Sky Swallowing Python let out a cheerful cry, flew onto Chen Yang's shoulder, and curled up. Its large eyes looked at the others, melting everyone's hearts with its cuteness.
"Even though I know she evolved from the infamously fierce Queen Medusa, I have to say, few women could resist such a cute creature..." Yun Yun looked at the Sky Swallowing Python, suppressing the urge to reach out and touch it as she spoke bitterly.
"Sir... are you planning to take away our Queen Your Majesty?" The Grand Elder looked at the already abducted Sky Swallowing Python and asked Chen Yang cautiously.
"Yes, do you have an objection?" Chen Yang glanced at the old snake and said indifferently.
The Grand Elder swallowed hard. She looked at Chen Yang, then at the Sky Swallowing Python, which had turned its head to rub against Chen Yang's temple. She shook her head with a bitter smile. "This old one only asks... that you take good care of the Queen Your Majesty!"
The Grand Elder could see that their Queen had been struck silly by the lightning, and because of that colored flame, she was incredibly close to this young Dou Zong.
Not to mention that they were currently powerless to stop him, even if they were to suddenly explode with power and all Breakthrough to Dou Zong, the Queen would probably end up helping this human anyway.
Fortunately, this young Dou Zong didn't seem to be a person of malicious Heart-Nature, and the Queen was extremely close to him. Letting her follow him might even bring some benefits.
"Ask the person beside me, when have I ever mistreated my own people?" Chen Yang pointed at Xiao Yan and said to the Grand Elder.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan hurriedly shook his head: "Brother Yang treats me like a second father. I won't be able to repay Brother Yang's kindness in this lifetime!"
Chen Yang glanced at Xiao Yan: "Go use that Lotus Pedestal to collect the Green Lotus Core Flame, then we'll leave this place."
Xiao Yan nodded and took out the Lotus Pedestal to collect the Heavenly Flame.
Meanwhile, Chen Yang snapped his fingers, returning the Qi he had taken from the four old snakes' bodies.
As the feeling of strength returned, the four Elders didn't show the slightest disrespect toward Chen Yang. Instead, they became even more reverent. Only after experiencing that sense of powerlessness did they realize just how monstrous a Dou Zong truly was.
Once Xiao Yan had collected the Heavenly Flame, the three of them returned to the city. At this time, outside the temple ruins, Hua She Er and Yue Mei were waiting anxiously, fearing they would receive news of the Queen's death.
"Hua She Er!" Chen Yang stood in the air, looking down at Medusa's captain of the guard, and suddenly called out.
"Present!" Hua She Er replied subconsciously.
"Bring me your Queen's storage ring!" Chen Yang commanded.
"This..." Hua She Er wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
"Go get them!" Just then, the Grand Elder, flying out from the ruins, looked at Hua She Er and instructed.
"Yes!" Since the Grand Elder had spoken, Hua She Er took the opportunity to comply. She was terrified that Chen Yang might suddenly turn hostile.
Hua She Er quickly flew back to Medusa's palace and returned two and a half minutes later with two storage rings.
"Of these two storage rings, one is the Legacy item of successive Queens of Medusa, and the other is Her Majesty's private one!" Hua She Er said softly as she handed the two storage rings to Chen Yang.
"Mm!" Chen Yang took the storage rings and scanned them with his Soul Power.
The space in both storage rings wasn't very large, about fifty cubic meters. In Medusa's private storage ring, Chen Yang saw some women's clothes... well, the styles were quite conservative.
In the Queen's Legacy storage ring, Chen Yang discovered about half a liter of ice spirit cold spring.
He wasn't sure where Medusa had gotten this from. In the original story, there was a whole pool of ice spirit cold spring on Medusa's island in the middle of the lake, so this half-liter was just a drop in the bucket by comparison.
"Everyone, until we meet again!" Having fully achieved his goals with the Snake-People Tribe, Chen Yang cupped his hands to the gathered snake-people and stepped out into the sky.
"Until we meet again!" Xiao Yan and Yun Yun also cupped their hands to the snake-people, then either spread their Dou Qi Wings or used their Green Swallow Wings to catch up with Chen Yang... Watching Chen Yang and the others depart until their backs were no longer visible, Hua She Er and Yue Mei turned anxiously to the four Elders: "Elders, what about the Queen Your Majesty..."
The Grand Elder waved her hand upon hearing this: "The Queen Your Majesty did indeed succeed in her evolution, but she was injured by the lightning strikes. That Dou Zong couldn't bear to see the Queen perish because of it, so he used a secret technique to protect her and took her away to heal her injuries."
The Grand Elder was spouting nonsense; any lie would do as long as it fooled them.
They couldn't exactly say that the Queen had been struck silly by lightning and then started acting clingy the moment she saw that man, could they?
Where would the Snake-People Tribe's dignity go if they did that?
"That's right. That Dou Zong is also a Seventh-Rank Alchemist. He obtained a Heavenly Flame on this trip, so I believe the Queen Your Majesty will be able to return to the Snake-People Tribe very soon." The Second Elder also joined in the fabrication, though she wasn't just spouting random nonsense.
First, Chen Yang had just displayed that seven-colored flame. Second, anyone who went to such great lengths to obtain a Heavenly Flame was highly likely to be an Alchemist!
"That man is indeed an Alchemist. I previously encountered a group of human experts in the oasis outside the tribe, and even the Pill King Gu He of the Jia Ma Empire fled in panic upon seeing him!" Yue Mei added. The Second Elder was momentarily stunned—she hadn't expected her fabrication to actually hit the mark.
"Once we return, keep your mouths shut. You can decide for yourselves what to tell the people below!"
"While the Queen is away, the Fourth Elder will be in charge of the Snake-People Tribe's affairs!"
The Fourth Elder was the previous Queen Medusa, so this was simply returning to her old profession.
"Yes!"
...When they came, Chen Yang and Xiao Yan had traveled for over a month, stopping frequently along the way.
But for the return trip, the three of them only took half a day.
Standing outside Stone Desert City, Xiao Yan couldn't help but marvel that the speed of a Dou Zong was truly terrifying!
The Tagor Desert under the moonlight was much colder than during the day.
Yun Yun looked up at Chen Yang. The events of today gave her a feeling that this was what life was supposed to be like.
In the past, Cultivating alone or handling the Sect's affairs, although she was busy every day, it felt as if she were living for others.
In those days, she was more like the Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect than Yun Yun.
"Yun'er, you're not in a hurry to return to the Cloud Mist Sect, are you?" Chen Yang asked with a smile as he led Yun Yun by the hand toward the city gate.
"Yanran doesn't need much of my guidance anymore, and there aren't many affairs in the Sect. I want to... slack off for a bit longer!" Yun Yun turned her head to look at Chen Yang, her eyes sparkling with a touch of girlish playfulness.
"Then slack off it is!" Chen Yang laughed and pulled Yun Yun into his arms. "In a few days, once Xiao Yan has adjusted his condition and devoured the Heavenly Flame, we'll first head to Yan City to deal with the Mo Clan, and then we'll return to the Imperial Capital together."
Leaving a cancer like the Mo Clan of Yan City on the Fighting Qi Continent was a huge detriment. Wiping them out—and letting Yun Yun do it personally—would be a great piece of Karma!
"Has the Mo Clan offended you in some way?" Yun Yun also knew of the Mo Clan. Mo Cheng had once been an Elder of the Cloud Mist Sect and still sent annual tributes to the Sect.
"They haven't offended me, but they've offended the people of the world..." Chen Yang then recounted the Mo Clan's crimes, citing the Sand Mercenary Group as his source of information.
After hearing this, Yun Yun was furious, and Xiao Yan was equally filled with righteous indignation.
"To think there are people with such conduct on this Fighting Qi Continent, they are simply unworthy of being human!" Xiao Yan was enraged, wishing he could take his xuan heavy ruler and hack Mo Cheng to death right now. Well... with his current strength, even without Yao Lao, he could probably do it.
"I'll go to the Mo Clan right now and clean them out!" Yun Yun even drew her sword, ready to take action immediately.
"No rush!" Chen Yang raised his hand to stop them. "I've received word that Mo Cheng of the Mo Clan will be celebrating his birthday soon, and the Cloud Mist Sect is on the guest list. They should be quite restrained for the time being."
Looking at their angry expressions, Chen Yang smiled: "When the time comes, we'll kill him at his birthday banquet to appease those who died because of his evil experiments. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?"
Yun Yun and Xiao Yan thought about it for a moment and both nodded.
"Once I've devoured the Heavenly Flame, I'll use a Heavenly Flame version of the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler to give that son of a bitch a birthday greeting!" Xiao Yan said fiercely.
"Alright, you'll take the lead then!" Chen Yang said with a smile.
"Definitely..."