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**
"You still haven't fully recovered. Are you really going to risk everything and fight to the death? This old man will gladly accompany you!" The gray-robed youth snorted coldly, his gaze filled with chilling intent.
Wei Yang, however, didn't seem in a hurry to strike again. Instead, he asked curiously, "That pitch-black, chilling energy around you—what exactly is it? When combined with the Azure Nether Flame, its power doesn't fall short of a Heavenly Flame at the same level."
"Hehe, nothing special. Just the Nine Nether Cold Qi. Naturally, it's not as mighty as a Heavenly Flame. But when paired with the Azure Nether Flame, it can barely be considered on par," the gray-robed youth replied somewhat smugly.
"Nine Nether Cold Qi? A kind of heaven-and-earth treasure?" Wei Yang nodded in realization.
That wasn't surprising.
While Heavenly Flames were indeed heaven's favored treasures, they weren't the only extraordinary wonders of nature.
Things like Ice Spirit Cold Fountain, Heavenly Cold Qi, and now this Nine Nether Cold Qi used by the gray-robed youth were all part of that broader category. Like Heavenly Flames, their power could vary in strength.
The weaker ones might barely contend with Heavenly Flames for a short time, while the stronger ones might not fall short at all compared to a flame of the same tier.
For instance, Ice Spirit Cold Fountain was a relatively common treasure, not particularly rare or precious, and its power was rather ordinary.
But Heavenly Cold Qi was on another level—far rarer and significantly stronger. It was a heaven-and-earth treasure capable of rivaling a Heavenly Flame.
If memory served, in the original story, Han Feng had once used Heavenly Cold Qi to suppress and even seriously wound the otherwise unstoppable Fallen Heart Flame, forcing it to retreat to the underground magma world—only to end up being seized by Xiao Yan.
Had Han Feng not brought out Heavenly Cold Qi to deal such a blow to the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Yan would never have subdued it so easily.
As for this Nine Nether Cold Qi, its power also appeared formidable. At the very least, Wei Yang had never heard of it before, indicating its rarity.
...
Many thoughts raced through Wei Yang's mind in a flash, though only a moment had passed in the real world.
Looking at the gray-robed youth, Wei Yang shook his head, a trace of pity appearing in his eyes. "You asked earlier if I was going to fight you to the death. It's not me who'll be doing that. Someone else will."
"Hm?" The gray-robed youth's heart skipped a beat, sensing something. He quickly shifted sideways and turned his head toward the space behind him, shouting, "Who's sneaking around back there? Come out!"
Wei Yang also turned to look with a faint smile.
In the originally calm void, the air suddenly twisted.
A curvaceous and graceful figure slowly emerged from the distortion, stepping into view.
A cold, melodic voice rang out calmly from her lips: "As you wish."
The woman wore a purple brocade robe with gold embroidery. Her long legs were straight and slender, and her voluptuous figure was full of curves. Her peerless face was accentuated by a pair of long, narrow amethyst eyes that exuded nobility and authority as they glanced coldly around.
Her gaze swept past the gray-robed youth and paused on Wei Yang. The icy expression on her face softened slightly, and a stunning smile bloomed—like a glacier melting.
She gave a slight bow. "Mister Wei."
"You came," Wei Yang nodded with a gentle smile.
It was Medusa.
She arrived at just the right time. With her here, Wei Yang didn't need to risk everything. As a One-Star Dou Huang, he was better off playing a support role.
And as a dignified Tier 6 alchemist, getting dragged into desperate life-and-death battles all the time was far too undignified.
The gray-robed youth grew uneasy and asked Medusa coldly, "And who might you be?"
"This Queen—Medusa." Her smile disappeared instantly, her haughty demeanor returning. She replied indifferently.
"Medusa?" The gray-robed youth inhaled sharply.
Of course he had heard that name before.
The Queen of the Snake-People. A fearsome figure known across several surrounding empires.
He never expected she had now stepped into the Dou Zong realm.
A shadow flickered in his heart.
Another Dou Zong!
What the hell is wrong with this Jia Ma Empire?
All I wanted was a sixth-tier pill formula! Why does it feel like I've kicked a hornet's nest?
"Medusa, I don't recall ever offending you," the gray-robed youth said with a frown. "My business in Jia Ma Empire has nothing to do with your Snake-People Clan. Must you intervene?"
"You indeed didn't offend my clan, and your presence in the Jia Ma Empire has nothing to do with me," Medusa replied casually, casting him a sidelong glance. "However, you took something that belongs to me."
"Took something from you?" The gray-robed youth was startled, then frowned, "You must be mistaken. I've never even seen you before. When would I have taken anything from you?"
Medusa didn't even bother answering. Instead, a multicolored glow began to gather in her palm.
Soon, that rainbow-hued light condensed into a long, dazzling Seven-Colored Serpent Sword.
"Mister Wei, dead or alive?" Medusa raised the sword and casually asked Wei Yang.
"Either's fine," Wei Yang responded nonchalantly.
"Understood." Medusa smiled faintly and nodded.
"Medusa, you—!" The gray-robed youth was furious.
Whoosh!
In response, a multicolored sword light, several meters long, slashed down toward him.
"Damn it, Medusa—!" The gray-robed youth roared in fury, unleashing his green-white flame that surged up once more, enhanced by the Nine Nether Cold Qi. With a powerful palm strike, he shattered the incoming sword light.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Once again, several streaks of sword light slashed through the air.
"Ah~" The gray-robed youth was furious, but he was completely helpless. He could only continue fighting Queen Medusa, his face full of frustration and confusion.
Wei Yang, meanwhile, stood with his arms crossed, watching with a cheerful smile.
Inside his body, his cultivation method was silently running at full speed, drawing in the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy and the essence of the setting sun to replenish the Dou Qi he had expended earlier.
Unfortunately, it was already dusk. If it had been earlier in the day, his recovery would've been much faster.
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed from the void, and terrifying shockwaves of energy rippled out intermittently.
Brilliant seven-colored light clashed continuously with blue-white flames, causing the surrounding space to tremble with wave after wave of distortions.
This was a battle at the Dou Zong level.
It was fierce.
Wei Yang floated quietly to the side, arms still crossed, watching calmly.
On the battlefield, the gray-robed youth was clearly at a disadvantage, barely managing to hold his ground.
Even Wei Yang himself wouldn't have lasted long against Medusa—let alone that kid.
Just then—
Hmm?
Wei Yang slightly turned his head, looking toward the direction of the imperial capital.
There, at the edge of the sky, a burly figure was stepping rapidly through the air, heading straight toward them. Beside that figure was a familiar graceful silhouette clad in pale green.
It was Du Jiao and Qing Lin.
It seemed they had already taken care of their opponents and rushed over right away.
With Du Jiao here, Wei Yang finally felt completely at ease.
After all, Du Jiao was a Six-Star Dou Zong!
Wei Yang's gaze extended farther, toward the horizon beyond his vision. The faint fluctuations of battle from that direction seemed to be gradually weakening as well.
That must be where Xian'er and the others were fighting. Their side was likely wrapping up too.
After all, it was four versus three—and with overwhelming advantage.
Swish!
Before long, Du Jiao arrived at Wei Yang's side with Qing Lin in tow.
"Young Master."
Seeing Wei Yang's slightly disheveled robe and tousled hair, Qing Lin's smiling expression froze. She quickly asked, worried, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Just used up a bit too much Dou Qi," Wei Yang waved it off casually.
Hearing this, Qing Lin felt a bit more at ease. But she still carefully examined him from head to toe. Only after confirming that he wasn't injured did she fully relax.
Then, ignoring the nearby battle, Qing Lin started fussing over Wei Yang's robes, straightening them meticulously.
"Wait till the fight's over, no?" Wei Yang said.
"Oh." Qing Lin replied, but her hands didn't stop, continuing to tidy him up.
Seeing this, Wei Yang chuckled and let her be.
Glancing at the gray-robed youth, who was about to lose the battle, Wei Yang asked offhandedly, "What about that Dou Zong?"
"Du Jiao ate him," Qing Lin replied matter-of-factly.
"Uh…"
Wei Yang was speechless and glanced at Du Jiao, who stood like an iron tower with a blank face.
A Dou Zong, just like that—eaten?
What a waste. This guy shoves everything into his mouth.
The corpse of a Dou Zong is worth a lot of money.
"Young Master, something wrong?" Qing Lin looked up, puzzled.
"It's nothing. You guys did well," Wei Yang praised and patted her head.
"Hehe~"
Qing Lin immediately beamed with joy, her eyes curling into crescent moons.
Wei Yang only felt a slight pang of regret before brushing it off.
It was just a One-Star Dou Zong corpse. Let it be.
At least it didn't go to waste—Du Jiao ate it, so consider it nourishment.
If it could help Du Jiao shorten the time needed to break through to Seven-Star Dou Zong, then it'd be a huge gain.
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