The dying sun bathed the Tagore Desert in a crimson veil, casting a blood-red glow over the sands.
High above, two formidable auras clashed, their energies rippling outward. The ever-present desert winds, as if sensing the tension, hushed into an uneasy stillness.
Xiao Bai hovered in the air, his brows furrowed, his gaze icy as he studied the figure before him—familiar yet alien.
What's happened to Cai Lin to make her like this? His mind churned with confusion.
"Human, what do you think you're doing?"
Yue Mei mustered her courage and stepped forward, trembling under the weight of the colliding auras. Despite her fear, worry for her queen, whose condition seemed dire, drove her to speak.
"You're Yue Mei, right? For Cai Lin's sake, step aside and stay quiet, or I'll thrash you too!" Xiao Bai shot her an impatient glance.
"My Snake-People's eight commanders are on their way—all Dou Wangs. You—"
"Enough, Yue Mei. Stand down!" Medusa stepped forward through the air, cutting her off with a calm but firm tone. "This is between me and him. Stay out of it."
"But, Your Majesty…"
Yue Mei's protest was silenced by a sharp look from Medusa, her authority absolute.
"What? Are my words no longer law?"
Yue Mei's lips quivered, but she retreated reluctantly, a chill settling in her heart. This queen… she's terrifying.
As Yue Mei withdrew, Medusa's narrowed, enchanting eyes lifted to the black-robed figure before her.
"Confused about why I've changed?"
Sensing Xiao Bai's unrestrained aura, a faint smirk tugged at her lips, her voice laced with a teasing edge.
She had to admit, this man deserved both her and her other self's attention. According to her memories, in just over two years, he'd soared from a Da Dou Shi at their parting to his current strength.
"Explain," Xiao Bai said, squinting at her exquisite face, now radiating a demonic allure. His hands clasped behind his back, his tone neutral.
Since she'd brought it up, he'd hear her out to understand what had happened to Cai Lin. Acting blindly might backfire.
"This is all thanks to you!" Medusa's smile carried a playful glint, her voice soft. "Without you, I wouldn't be here."
"Because of me?"
Xiao Bai's brows knit tighter. He sifted through memories of his time with Cai Lin, but nothing stood out as unusual.
"Can't figure it out?" A sly spark flashed in Medusa's autumn-water eyes. She chuckled, "Fair enough. Our souls share a strange resonance, but it's only emotional, not memory. It's normal you wouldn't know."
As Xiao Bai's expression darkened, her smile grew, each gesture brimming with seductive charm. She seemed to revel in his frustration.
"Want to hit me?"
Her red lips parted, her face alight with provocative allure. Tilting her head, she purred, "Forget whether you can beat me. Even if you could…"
"Would you bear to strike this queen?"
Her voice dripped with temptation, her slender fingers tracing the curves of her enticing figure.
She and Cai Lin were one soul—Xiao Bai could sense her emotions, and she his. Though she knew little of him, she was certain that, without fear of harming Cai Lin, he wouldn't be standing here talking calmly.
Xiao Bai stared at the suddenly bewitching Medusa, momentarily entranced.
But he snapped back, his face clouding over, his brows so dark they seemed to drip ink.
This woman had piqued his curiosity only to dodge the question, refusing to explain what had happened to her.
Fine, then.
Just as he prepared to act, Yao Lao's aged voice reached his ear. Glancing back, he saw Zi Yan and Xiao Yan had returned.
"I see," Xiao Bai murmured after hearing Yao Lao's explanation, doubts swirling in his mind.
"Damn that old fossil, ruining my plans!"
Medusa's eyes flashed with fury, realizing Yao Lao had spilled her secret to Xiao Bai.
In that fleeting moment of Xiao Bai's distraction, she'd thought her ploy was working. But an unexpected interruption had derailed her.
Her plan had been to make Xiao Bai see her as Cai Lin. That way, his formidable soul force wouldn't probe her consciousness, and she'd remain Queen Medusa—and his Cai Lin.
His soul strength was her greatest concern. Though his Dou Qi lagged behind hers, his soul force unnerved her. If he used it, and Cai Lin cooperated from within, she'd be suppressed again.
"So, you're not Cai Lin?"
Thunder rumbled around Xiao Bai, his voice soft but laced with unmistakable anger.
"Hmph!" Medusa's eyes dimmed, her tone cold. "She is me, and I am her. Her emotions and memories are mine. What she can do, I can do. I am Queen Medusa and Cai Lin!"
"Will you still raise a hand against me?"
"That's not for you to decide. I'll free Cai Lin, and we'll see the truth!" Xiao Bai's face remained impassive, his tone resolute.
Her words gave him a headache, reminiscent of split personalities from his past life. But in this cultivation world, both personas seemed aware of each other, not entirely ignorant.
The priority was to bring Cai Lin back. This Medusa's unpredictable nature made her hard to deal with.
"Hah, what a joke!"
Medusa sneered, brushing a lock of hair from her chest. Her violet-tinged, demonic eyes glinted with frost. "You may be the man I've chosen, but with your mere peak Dou Wang strength, you're no match for me!"
"Uh…"
Xiao Bai's surging aura faltered, caught off guard. He hadn't expected this to come from her mouth.
This persona, while equally proud, lacked Cai Lin's tsundere denial. She was far more direct.
"Bet you think I'm bolder than her!"
Seeing his reaction, the coldness in Medusa's eyes softened, replaced by a radiant smile.
Hands behind her back, her lips curved proudly. "Love is love. As a queen, if I can't admit I like someone, how can I call myself a ruler or lead my tribe to glory?"
"I'm not that weakling!"
In that moment, Medusa's presence was commanding, her charisma overwhelming, exuding regal dominance.
Yue Mei, anxiously watching, covered her lips, staring in disbelief. Her eyes sparkled with awe, a surge of admiration rising within her.
"This big sister's so cool!" Zi Yan tilted her head, gazing at the stunning yet majestic figure in the sky, her eyes shining with envy. I want to grow up and be like her!
… Xiao Bai.
The original Cai Lin was already domineering, but this one was on another level—bolder, brasher!
Staring at the heroic, captivating queen, a rogue thought crept into Xiao Bai's mind. Maybe… I should just stick with this one.
"Pah! Xiao Bai, get a grip! Cai Lin's still in there, and you don't know her state!"
He mentally scolded himself, shaking off the wayward thoughts.
"Release her," he said, taking a deep breath, his voice steady.
"Heh…" Medusa's eyes turned frigid, locking onto him. Her voice was like a chilling wind from the netherworld. "So, you've chosen to side with her after all?"
Xiao Bai paused, then said firmly, "Yes."
"Hmph!" Medusa's exquisite, demonic face darkened, fury flaring. "Then let's settle it with strength! Defeat me, and you can see your precious Cai Lin!"
Her aura surged, and with a flick of her hand, a gold-red longsword appeared, its tip aimed at Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai's expression grew grave.
He'd sensed it earlier—her body, Cai Lin's, had reached two-star Dou Zong, and with her Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python physique, she was no ordinary two-star Dou Zong.
As the tension thickened, a faint dragon's roar emerged, barely audible at first but growing louder with time.
Zi Yan, hearing it, seemed dazed, an inexplicable urge to join the cry stirring within her.
"Teacher, what's Brother Bai up to?"
Xiao Yan, pale and clutching his ears, found no relief. The strange sound seemed to pierce his skull, resonating in his soul.
Above, the black-robed figure stood still, enveloped in a halo of five-colored light, as if preparing something.
"I'm not sure," Yao Lao said hesitantly. "This dragon roar is peculiar, like a sonic Dou Technique, but it's not just Dou Qi. It's infused with… immense soul force!"
Yao Lao could see what Xiao Yan couldn't—since the sound began, waves of soul energy had rippled from Xiao Bai, weak at first but growing stronger, merging and amplifying with each surge, creating a resonant force.
"What a strange Dou Technique. And his soul force… it's touching the Spiritual Realm!"
Yao Lao marveled. Xiao Bai's Dou Qi wasn't the only thing advancing rapidly—his soul force was keeping pace.
Soul force growth was notoriously slow. Some lingered at the peak Mortal Realm for decades, never glimpsing the Spiritual Realm's threshold.
Medusa, outwardly dismissive, betrayed a flicker of caution in her eyes. She waited for Xiao Bai to strike first, planning to counter and subdue him swiftly.
But his stillness puzzled her.
When the dragon roar began, she ignored it—its initial impact was negligible. But as it intensified, she sensed something amiss.
The soul waves, like ocean tides, made her soul tremble faintly, the roar's inherent power unsettling her mind.
Xiao Bai, meanwhile, was thrilled. He'd planned to use Thunder Dragon Rift, but the dragon roar sparked a new idea.
His strongest techniques stood little chance against a two-star Dou Zong Medusa, and his goal wasn't to fight to the death but to force her to relinquish control, letting Cai Lin resurface.
A Dou Qi duel was pointless and likely unwinnable unless his Great Five Elements Divine Light could land a hit.
But even if it could, it was a one-shot deal. Against Medusa's spatial mastery, a second strike would be near impossible.
A single blow wouldn't weaken her significantly—the gap was too wide. A fresh Dou Zong might've been manageable, but not this.
Then, a flash of inspiration hit, blending the fire lotus explosion's impact with his past-life physics knowledge: resonance.
Since refining Little Gold Dragon's essence, his body carried a trace of dragon bloodline power.
Could the dragon roar from his Dou Techniques, combined with soul force, create a sonic attack targeting the soul?
He tested it without hesitation—and it worked.
Thank you, great physics teacher!
Xiao Bai carefully tuned the soul ripples emanating with the dragon roar, aligning them to a single frequency. As they spread, the sonic waves grew stronger, amplifying.
Medusa felt the roar's intensity spike, the soul impacts strengthening. She couldn't wait any longer.
Though Cai Lin remained silent in her consciousness, she wouldn't underestimate her. If Cai Lin sensed an opening, she'd strike without mercy.
Her longsword surged with energy, and a crimson sword beam, sharp and unstoppable, slashed toward Xiao Bai.
The sonic waves scattering through the air parted like water before the sword's energy.
Feeling the gust above, Xiao Bai's wings twitched, dodging. The sonic waves faltered, the dragon roar losing its rising momentum.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed below, sand erupting.
As the dust cleared, Xiao Yan's eyes twitched, pupils shrinking.
This is a Dou Zong's destructive power?
A hundreds-meter-long gash scarred the desert, nearby dunes flattened by the shockwave.
And this was just a casual swing. What would her full strength unleash?
"Here to subdue me and free Cai Lin? What're you waiting for?"
Seeing Xiao Bai's sonic waves weaken, Medusa's eyes gleamed with triumph. Striking from a distance, she disrupted him, her tone mocking.
Had she not suffered at his hands before, wary of his soul force, she'd have captured him already.
Xiao Bai dodged her playful attacks, silent, the dragon roar seemingly fading.
"Hmph! If you'd left and stayed gone, I might've had to track you down later. But since you came back, don't think about leaving. Come with me to the royal city!"
Noticing his increasingly ragged dodges and weakening soul fluctuations, a smile flickered in her narrowed eyes.
With a thought, the space around her rippled, and she teleported behind Xiao Bai, her hand reaching for him.
Xiao Bai, sensing the spatial shift, grinned as if he'd been waiting. He spun around.
"ROAR!"
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