Lin Yuan looked at Queen Medusa, a glimmer of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty truly lives up to your reputation for wisdom. To be able to deduce things to this extent, it seems you already have a fair understanding of my way of doing things."
"That's right. My real target is Yun Shan—Dou Ancestor Yun Shan," Lin Yuan said solemnly, though in his heart he quietly added, a temporary target.
"Hiss—"
Although she had already suspected it, hearing Lin Yuan confirm it made Queen Medusa draw in a sharp breath. After a moment of silence, she said with emotion,
"So that old man really has broken through to the Dou Ancestor realm. We've been rivals for many years now. In this region, it has always been myself, the old monster of the imperial family, and Yun Shan locked in constant contention. I never expected that Yun Shan would be the first among us to break through to Dou Ancestor."
Thinking of Yun Shan's breakthrough, a sense of urgency arose in Queen Medusa's heart.
Yun Shan's advancement meant that the balance of power among the surrounding factions—stable for many years had been disrupted. The human side now had an additional Dou Ancestor, which was extremely unfavorable for the Snake-People Tribe. A chain of changes was bound to follow.
She did not doubt the authenticity of the information Lin Yuan had provided. After more than a month of interaction, she had gained some understanding of the man before her. Although he used a false appearance and a false name, his intelligence had proven highly reliable.
Thinking of this, Queen Medusa asked,
"You once said that you might have a great battle with a certain Dou Ancestor, and that you wanted us to intercept him if he tried to escape. Is that Dou Ancestor you were referring to Yun Shan?"
"Yes, it's him," Lin Yuan replied frankly.
"Why?" Queen Medusa asked, puzzled. "Do you have some grudge against him? Is it really worth scheming against him like this?"
As far as she knew, Yun Shan had been in secluded cultivation within the Misty Cloud Sect for a long time. By all logic, he should have had no dealings with the man before her. Why, then, such elaborate planning?
Lin Yuan shook his head and smiled lightly.
"Most of the time, grudges are not my reason for scheming against others."
Queen Medusa did not continue questioning him. Though she was curious, her intuition told her that probing further into this man's secrets would be extremely dangerous. Today's gains were already substantial: she had confirmed Yun Shan's breakthrough to Dou Ancestor and learned that he was the target of the first task Lin Yuan and the Snake-People Tribe had agreed upon.
"What do you plan to do next?" Queen Medusa asked.
"Of course, to collect the spoils of war," Lin Yuan replied. "Gu He delivered himself right to our doorstep—how could I not accept such a gift? Let me be clear first: this entire plan to lure the enemy was my doing, and Yun Yun was also captured by me. I contributed the most, so I have priority in choosing the spoils. I want Gu He's Transformation Pill."
"You really know how to pick," Queen Medusa narrowed her eyes. "That pill is probably the most precious item in his entire collection." She then said calmly, "Gu He was captured by me. By rights, that should be my spoil of war."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Queen Medusa. After a moment, he laughed freely.
"It seems we have another disagreement. Then let's use the old method, settle it with strength. One battle to decide who gets the Transformation Pill."
"You—"
A wave of frustration surged in Queen Medusa's heart. Since Lin Yuan had taken office as an elder, the two of them had sparred many times. She knew very well the gap in combat strength between them. In her current state, before undergoing evolution, defeating him was simply impossible.
"Hmph. Alchemist Elder, things between you and me won't always be like this. One day, I will make you regret it," Queen Medusa said coldly. Leaving behind this harsh declaration, she flew straight toward the Snake-People Sacred City.
Withdrawing his gaze, Lin Yuan looked at the unconscious Yun Yun in his arms, a trace of amazement flashing in his eyes. This woman was indeed a beauty no less than Queen Medusa. But when he thought of her future experiences, two words surfaced in his mind—Empowerment.
"Dou Qi is truly miraculous," Lin Yuan mused inwardly. "To think it can be bestowed upon another. The lifelong cultivation of a peak Dou Venerate, given to a Dou Ancestor, can actually create an Eight-Star Dou Venerate in such a short time." As he sighed, he could not help but feel a hint of envy at Yun Yun's fortune.
Envy aside, Lin Yuan knew clearly that such an opportunity had nothing to do with him. Thinking back to how Yun Yun was still willing to sacrifice herself for others in moments of danger, he understood that this was precisely why she had earned the favor of that senior. This was fate, cause and effect, each sip and bite already determined by heaven.
However, on this continent, fortune might create powerful individuals, but it could not create the very strongest. There was no need for him to envy others; he only needed to steadfastly walk his own path.
"Enough. I should focus on what's in front of me," Lin Yuan thought, his eyes flashing with anticipation.
"The stage is set. Yun Shan, now all that's left is for you to take the stage."
Several days later.
A shocking piece of news spread rapidly among the upper echelons of the Jia Ma Empire: Pill King Gu He had led several experts to forcibly enter Snake-People territory, only to be decisively defeated and captured by Queen Medusa. Among those captured were Misty Cloud Sect Master Yun Yun, Pill King Gu He, Lion King Yan Shi, and five Dou Spirit experts. Only Windwalker Feng Li managed to escape by sheer luck.
The Snake-People Tribe soon released word that they intended to negotiate with the relevant factions of the Jia Ma Empire, demanding ransoms for these captured experts and inviting the leaders of their respective factions to enter the desert for talks.
For a time, undercurrents surged throughout the Jia Ma Empire, as the attention of all major factions converged on this matter.
Within the grand hall of the Misty Cloud Sect, the First Elder, Yun Leng, was pacing back and forth. Suddenly, a middle-aged man with the cultivation of a six-star Dou Spirit walked in. He cupped his hands toward Yun Leng and respectfully called out, "First Elder."
"Yun Xiong, has the news been confirmed?" Yun Leng suppressed his impatience and asked in a deep voice.
Yun Xiong nodded and replied gravely, "I have already confirmed it with Feng Li. The news currently circulating is true. The Sect Master and Elder Gu He have most likely fallen into the hands of the Snake-People Tribe. That day, they went to the Snake-People territory intending to exchange for an Heavenly Flame with Queen Medusa, but during the negotiations, Queen Medusa suddenly turned hostile and attacked. The Sect Master chose to stay behind to cover the retreat, and everyone scattered to flee. From the looks of it now, only Feng Li managed to escape successfully."
"Hiss—" Yun Leng sucked in a sharp breath. "The Sect Master and Master Gu He have both fallen into the hands of the Snake-People Tribe. This is serious trouble. This matter is of great importance. It seems I must go to the rear mountain to seek out the Old Sect Master and inform him of the situation. Only he can handle this."
"Should we not first try to negotiate with the Snake-People Tribe? Didn't they say they're willing to let each faction ransom back the captured people?" Yun Xiong asked, puzzled.
"Hmph." Yun Leng snorted coldly, disdain flashing across his face. "How can the words of the Snake-People Tribe be trusted? What if we go there and they detain us as well? Perhaps that's exactly what they're planning."
As Yun Leng spoke, his thoughts became increasingly clear. "Without sufficient strength to serve as a deterrent, participating in negotiations would be extremely dangerous. This time, no one closely connected to the imperial family was captured, so that old fellow Jia Xing Tian certainly won't lend a hand. Without an expert capable of matching Queen Medusa, going to negotiate would be nothing more than a one-way trip to death. But if the Old Sect Master makes a move, heh heh…"
Thinking of Yun Shan, and recalling the scene of him standing in midair that day, Yun Leng could not help but reveal a proud smile, the reverence on his face growing even stronger. As the First Elder, the only person he truly acknowledged was Yun Shan. Moreover, Yun Shan had bestowed upon him a special honor, the flute that allowed direct contact with him.
"That bunch of foolish Snake-People will never imagine this, will they? The Old Sect Master has already broken through to the Dou Ancestor realm. Daring to offend my Misty Cloud Sect, this time we'll make them fail in their scheming and suffer the consequences instead. The power of my Misty Cloud Sect is far beyond what a mere Snake-People Tribe could ever imagine."
With this thought, Yun Leng carefully straightened his attire and headed toward the rear mountain.
In the rear mountain stood a majestic peak towering into the clouds, shrouded in mist like a celestial realm. This was precisely the place where Yun Shan, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, was in seclusion cultivating. Yun Leng respectfully arrived before the stone steps, performed a salute, and then called out loudly, "Sect Master, Yun Leng has urgent matters to report!"
A moment later, a hazy yet majestic voice drifted down from the cloud-covered peak:
"Come up."
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