After retreating a distance, Nie Yuan retracted his battle wings and landed on the soft sand from the sky.
He turned around and looked at the city silhouette on the distant horizon.
"It's obviously impossible to sway Queen Medusa with just a few words, but if I speak too bluntly, my identity might be exposed."
Nie Yuan wanted to see a spectacular show, so he naturally didn't want to reveal it in advance.
He wasn't too worried about not seeing Medusa now; he could always wait for Yun Yun and the others to arrive, and then he would still have a chance to enter the city.
"Actually, this is good. I'll leave an impression on Medusa first, and when she encounters a crisis, I'll show up to prove it to her. Her emotional value will definitely be raised infinitely."
Nie Yuan comforted himself and chose a spot in the desert to cultivate in peace.
The fire elemental energy in the desert is extremely concentrated, even more so than in the Yunlan Sect or the Imperial Capital.
Cultivating here won't delay anything at all.
...
On a small island where a bamboo forest grows.
A charming and dignified figure stared intently at a cluster of blue flames in the distance.
After a moment, her eyes regained focus, a slight smile played on her lips, and she murmured with unwavering confidence, "My future is not bound by anyone!"
After a period of recollection, Medusa remembered who the owner of that aura was.
Medusa was somewhat surprised that he was able to break the seal on her snake.
But to her surprise, the other party actually dared to step into her territory alone.
What? Now that you've regained your strength, you want to seek revenge on me?
But the strength of a Douhuang is far from enough...
...
Time flows like water, passing by silently.
In a city bordering the desert, a group of people are digging in the sand.
Soon, a passage appeared.
Immediately afterwards, three figures with somewhat similar appearances emerged from the crowd. Two of them, accompanied by a petite girl, jumped down from the entrance.
The rest of the people stood guard at the cave entrance.
After a while, those figures emerged one after another.
The youngest man looked disappointed.
After packing their things, the group entered the city marked "Stone Desert City".
The next day.
As the morning sun slowly rose from the horizon, a young man carrying a black ruler walked out of the city. After glancing at the city, he headed into the depths of the desert without looking back.
...
Yunlan Sect.
There was a house where the temperature was several degrees hotter than in other places.
Some disciples would slow down when passing through this place, trying not to make the slightest noise.
"It's done! It's finally done!"
The Yunlan Sect disciples walking by were startled and subconsciously looked at the tightly closed door. Excited and loud voices were coming from inside.
Squeak.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a wave of heat rushed out.
A middle-aged man with an extraordinary demeanor stepped out.
"This disciple greets Elder Gu!"
The disciples bowed.
"You can take these Qi-Nourishing Pills and distribute them among yourselves."
Gu He waved his hand, throwing out two porcelain bottles, and then strode away, disappearing before the eyes of the stunned disciples.
Only after his figure disappeared from sight did they come to their senses, their faces showing excitement as they began to scramble for the pills.
Guhe paid no attention to any of this.
During a previous trip to gather herbs, he inadvertently discovered the aura of a strange fire. Following the trail, he found only a few pieces of seven-colored scales attached to it.
Gu He immediately recognized them as snake scales that only fell from the body of Medusa, the queen of the snake people. From then on, he guessed that the strange fire might have been taken by Medusa.
As an alchemist, Gu He's desire for strange fire is undoubtedly strong.
For a long time, he had been contacting his friends and gathering everyone to prepare to go to the Snake-People Clan to seize the Strange Flame.
But the final step was always missing: the auxiliary pills needed to refine the strange fire.
Now...it's finally done!
"Speaking of which, I have to thank Nie Yuan. If it weren't for the medicinal herbs he gave me, the pills might not have been completed so quickly."
Gu He was secretly pleased. With a swift and confident stride, he could already see the residence of Sect Master Yun Yun in the distance.
Facing the pavilion, Gu He said loudly, "Sect Master, Gu He requests an audience."
The door opened automatically.
Seeing this, Guhe stepped inside.
On the steps, Yun Yun sat at the table. "Elder Gu, what is it?"
"Sect Master, we can depart now!"
Gu He's face was beaming with undisguised joy, and even his tone of voice was filled with excitement.
Yun Yun had always known about the preparations, and upon hearing Gu He's meaning, she understood and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Yun Yun was originally looking forward to obtaining the strange fire, thinking that it could help Nie Yuan solve the problem of the seal.
Because the other party will be affected by the sealing curse, which is related to me.
Resolving this matter will lessen some of the guilt I feel.
But later, when Nie Yuan made intimate gestures towards another woman in front of her, her thoughts changed.
This time, we must obtain the strange fire, but not to absolve ourselves of the debt we feel in our hearts.
Instead, we want Nie Yuan to apologize!
He clearly didn't see it with his own eyes, and he didn't even have any evidence. So why is he slandering me in public?
"Sect Master, these are some pills to replenish your Qi and detoxify. If a battle breaks out with the Snake People, you will be under the most pressure. Please keep these safe. If you need more, I have more."
Guhe took out a bunch of jade bottles and carefully placed them on the table.
After glancing at them, Yun Yun pondered for a moment and chose to put them all away.
Afterwards, Gu He and Yun Yun prepared to leave the sect.
"Sect Master, if you are away for a long time, what will happen to the affairs of the sect?"
When an elder saw the two, he rushed forward.
Yun Yun had a headache; she never had to deal with these things before.
Nie Yuan is truly despicable. I'm going to help him get the strange fire and restore his strength, but he won't even come back to the sect.
After silently blaming herself, Yun Yun frowned and asked, "Before Nie Yuan took over, who handled these matters of the sect?"
The elder paused for a moment, then said, "Reporting to the sect master, it is the First Elder, Yun Ling."
"During my absence from the sect, I will have him manage it in his place."
Yun Yun said directly.
The elder hesitated, "But the sect leader gave strict orders..."
"I'm handling this now. The sect leader you mentioned isn't even willing to return to the sect!"
Yun Yun's eyes sharpened instantly. What was wrong with Nie Yuan's words? The more Nie Yuan opposed something, the more she wanted to do it. Didn't he like to control her?
She refused to believe it. She could also cultivate to the Douhuang realm, and her talent was no less than Nie Yuan's. Could it be that her ability to manage the sect was inferior to Nie Yuan's?
Besides, it's just a matter of arranging for Yunling to take over the sect. How could it possibly bring any trouble to the sect?
Seeing that Yun Yun was angry, the elder did not dare to argue back.
He had originally intended to mention Nie Yuan's assessment of Yun Ling, but it seems there's no need now.
Yun Yun, her face contorted with anger, left Yunlan Sect with Gu He.
After meeting up with the others in the capital, the group boarded pre-prepared flying magical beasts and flew towards the center of the Tagor Desert.
...
In the desert, Xiao Yan trained while searching for traces of the snake people.
"An oasis? Great! We can finally replenish our water supply."
Upon glancing ahead, Xiao Yan's spirits lifted.