His mind grew hazier by the second. His vision blurred, unfocused and unsteady.
Staggering as though drunk, Xiao Se looked around in confusion—until his gaze finally locked onto Medusa Queen standing ahead of him.
Then he walked toward her.
At last, his reason was completely crushed beneath the raging fire within him.
This time, he had fused two different Heavenly Flames. On top of that, for years he had relied on Qingling Fire Ganoderma Paste—an elixir with heavy side effects—to aid his cultivation. The backlash of the fire erupting inside him was more than ten times stronger than what Xiao Yan endured in the original story.
Although his astonishing willpower had suppressed it for quite some time, it had finally exploded.
Hearing the hurried footsteps behind her, Medusa Queen—who had just fallen into deep thought after seeing the black-robed figure—instantly snapped back to her senses. A sharp sense of danger rose in her heart. Before she could react, Xiao Se had already reached her and grabbed her from behind.
In a certain inn at the edge of a desert town.
A middle-aged man sat solemnly on a long bench beside a wooden table. Not far from him stood a shadowy figure in black robes and a mask.
"Find this person. Then bring her back to me."
Beneath the mask came a low, hoarse voice that lingered beside the middle-aged man's ear, causing him to frown slightly.
He did not turn around. Instead, he calmly poured himself a cup of tea and said indifferently, "The Mittel Clan has always valued its reputation. Once we find her, I will hand her over to you."
"Hmph. I hope so."
The masked figure let out a cold snort, flicked her snake tail, and turned to leave the inn.
After she departed, the middle-aged man pulled out a wanted notice from beneath the table and fell into contemplation.
On it was a portrait of a face almost identical to Medusa Queen's.
After a long silence, the man looked toward the direction the masked figure had disappeared and muttered slowly,
"Since when did the Snake-People Tribe produce a second Dou Huang?"
The next morning. Bright sunlight bathed the land.
Within the Vast Sea Barrier, Medusa Queen lay weakly in Xiao Se's arms. The two of them were covered only by a wide black robe embroidered with golden trim. Around them, torn clothing was scattered everywhere.
Xiao Se looked at Medusa—who appeared even more alluring than the day before—and for a moment, he truly did not know what to do.
At that moment, Medusa Queen slowly awakened. Seeing Xiao Se holding her, she lifted her cold, beautiful face and examined him carefully.
Their eyes met.
From her gaze, Xiao Se saw anger, unwillingness… and a trace of hidden embarrassment.
"About yesterday… it was an accident. An accident…" Xiao Se swallowed nervously and forced a dry laugh.
"Heh. You think one word—'accident'—is enough to laugh it off?" Medusa said coldly, her expression frosty.
If she had chosen not to leave when he gave her the chance yesterday, that could be blamed on her own hesitation.
But after the fire inside him had subsided, he still hadn't stopped…
That was far more questionable.
Though, toward the end… she had also become somewhat immersed in it.
Of course, she would never admit that.
Hearing her words, Xiao Se's face darkened slightly. The corners of his mouth twitched.
"Then… how about I marry you?"
He felt a bit annoyed with himself as well. He had clearly given her time to leave, yet things still ended up like this.
Sinful.
(Well done.)
Sixteen years of cultivating his so-called indestructible virgin technique—gone just like that.
The moment those words left his mouth, Xiao Se clearly felt Medusa Queen stiffen violently in his arms. Her body turned rigid for a brief moment before gradually softening again.
"Let me go first," she said calmly.
"Ah… right."
Xiao Se hurriedly released her, giving an awkward laugh. He quickly glanced around and changed the subject.
"So… where were we teleported to?"
"If nothing unexpected happened, this is the Tagor Desert from twenty years ago," Medusa replied coolly.
Under Xiao Se's gaze, she stood up and turned her back to him. She stretched her sore body slightly, then activated her seven-colored energy, reforming a red dress around herself.
"Twenty years ago?"
Xiao Se froze for a moment before quickly reacting.
Wasn't this the time when Hai Bodong was sealed and Die died in the original story?
"Yes." Medusa nodded slightly. After a brief pause, she added, "My strength hasn't fully recovered yet. I need you to help me with something. With your soul perception, if you go now, you might still make it in time."
"To save your sister?" Xiao Se asked.
"Yes." Medusa nodded again. "Yesterday, I saw myself from twenty years ago. If nothing has changed, my sister hasn't been found by the Snake-People Tribe yet."
"A life is at stake. Let's leave immediately."
Xiao Se wasted no time. He quickly dressed, withdrew the Vast Sea Barrier, and put on a black cloak as well.
In the Tagor Desert, he might run into Hai Bodong. He did not want anything to happen that would cause Hai Bodong to recognize him in the future at the Gu Tu Shop.
"As I thought—it was you."
Seeing his outfit, Medusa Queen seemed to understand and murmured softly before turning into a streak of light and slipping into the pouch at Xiao Se's waist.
Just like him, she did not want her interference to alter the future. If something changed and her sister died as a result, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Hearing her words, Xiao Se neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply shrugged.
Golden Dou Qi wings burst from his back. With a powerful flap, he shot into the sky like a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon.
As he soared through the sky, the immense soul power of a seventh-tier mid-level alchemist spread silently across the Tagor Desert under the effect of the Guiyuan Soul Art, scanning everything without restraint.
Recalling the original story, Die had been discovered by Hai Bodong somewhere near Shimo City. Xiao Se immediately adjusted his direction and flew toward it.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed.
A powerful—and familiar—aura was rapidly approaching him.
Moments later, he saw the figure clearly.
"Black robe. White mask. Iron claw gloves. Snake tail. Red wings. It's her. Medusa Queen from twenty years ago."
While Xiao Se observed her, Medusa Queen from twenty years in the past was also observing him.
From his aura, she judged that this mysterious cloaked figure was a Dou Huang—and a very powerful one at that. Far stronger than Hai Bodong, whom she had encountered not long ago.
She estimated his strength to be no lower than a seven-star Dou Huang.
Against an ordinary Dou Huang, even one at peak level, she would not feel the slightest fear.
But the instinct of her magical beast bloodline screamed at her.
The mysterious man before her was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
(End of Chapter)
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