The iron chain, wreathed in black smoke, shot straight toward him.
In the next instant, the lightning serpent and the chain collided!
Tssch!
The seemingly enormous lightning serpent appeared to lose all its previous domineering power before the slender chain. With a soft hiss, the lightning serpent was effortlessly pierced, the chain exiting through its tail!
The speed was blindingly fast! Even Zhou Changqing struggled to react in time!
Fortunately, sensing the danger, his body reacted instinctively, leaning slightly to the left. But even so, the chain tore through his defenses as if they were rotten wood, piercing through Zhou Changqing's right chest!
Blood splattered instantly. Zhou Changqing felt a sharp pain in his right chest, followed by a dark, bone-chilling energy that began to spread rapidly from the wound.
His face twitched. Zhou Changqing grabbed the black chain with his hand and roared, "Get out!"
Immediately, Golden Lightning Dou Qi erupted from his Dan Crystal like a bursting dam, surging through his entire body to purge the sinister energy corroding him. His skin took on a brilliant golden sheen, with arcs of electricity dancing across its surface. His long hair whipped about as a blazing golden light illuminated the surroundings, making him look like a god or a demon.
Using all his strength, Zhou Changqing yanked hard with his left hand! He forcibly ripped the chain that had pierced his chest out of his own flesh and blood! The act brought with it a spray of blood and shredded flesh!
Feeling the chain's incomparably sinister chill in his left palm, Zhou Changqing mustered all his physical strength and squeezed, trying to crush it. Unfortunately, the iron chain remained completely unscathed!
"So this is the power of a Dou Zong expert? Truly terrifying!" Zhou Changqing lamented inwardly.
It seemed that whenever he had sparred with Medusa to test his strength, she had just been playing with him. Even though Medusa always struck quite heavily.
After all, while Protector Wu had conjured this chain casually, its power was enough to kill almost anyone below the rank of Dou Zong! Even though Zhou Changqing's strength was comparable to a mid-rank Dou Huang, and he could even contend with a high-rank Dou Huang, he was still rendered so helpless before this chain.
Mulling this over, Zhou Changqing quickly released the chain, clutched his wounded chest, and retreated hastily.
Suddenly, the chain floating in the air trembled. With a loud crack, the pierced lightning serpent shattered like fragile glass and dissipated completely. Immediately after, with a snap, the chain itself also broke apart.
Zhou Changqing looked up to see that Medusa had appeared at the other end of the chain at some point, her slender sword held in a downward-slashing posture.
It turned out that when she saw Protector Wu attack Zhou Changqing, an inexplicable rage had surged within Medusa. After being knocked back by Protector Wu, she had immediately flashed forward to sever the chain. Unfortunately, she was a step too late.
Now, Medusa's gaze toward Protector Wu was as cold as if she were looking at a dead man.
Protector Wu, on the other hand, looked at Zhou Changqing with some surprise. To survive one of his attacks was proof that the young man was no ordinary person. However, recalling the intelligence he had on Zhou Changqing, it began to make sense.
Honestly, a Dou Wang under the age of eighteen was an extreme rarity even in the Central Plains. Such monstrous talents invariably came from top-tier factions. A young prodigy of this caliber was naturally different from an ordinary Dou Wang; they almost always possessed the formidable strength to fight above their own rank.
At this thought, Protector Wu grew excited. The prospect of snuffing out a top prodigy today was something to look forward to.
"Heh heh, just wait patiently, little bug. Once I'm done with Medusa, I'll come and deal with you properly." Protector Wu let out a sinister laugh, brimming with confidence.
But in the next second, he abruptly turned his head to look in another direction. From there, a powerful aura was approaching at extreme speed!
The moment Protector Wu looked over, a slightly world-weary voice drifted from the distance.
"You disgusting monsters are truly everywhere. But with this old man here today, I'm afraid you won't get your wish."
"Who's there!" Protector Wu shouted sharply.
Before his voice had faded, a figure in black and white, riding a powerful air current, sped into view. The newcomer wore black robes with red trim. He had a young, handsome face with well-defined features. A deathly white Dou Qi emanated from his body, forming a pair of white Dou Qi Wings on his back. In his eyes, white flames flickered and swayed.
It was none other than Xiao Yan, his body under the control of Yao Lao!
Sensing the other party's aura and seeing the white flames on his body, the pupils in Protector Wu's crimson eyes shrank abruptly!
"It really is you! Yao Chen!" Protector Wu recognized Yao Lao's identity in an instant!
Xiao Yan's eyes, flickering with the Bone Chilling Flame, revealed a trace of disgust and cold killing intent. "It seems you rats have never given up searching for this old man all these years," he said icily.
Protector Wu had already recovered, the fear that had just appeared in his eyes replaced by a flash of excitement.
"Jie jie jie... Yao Chen, I didn't even have to look for you, and here you are, serving yourself up on a platter. The Hall of Souls suffered considerable losses because of you back then, yet you still managed a lucky escape. If I capture you today and bring you back to the Hall of Souls, the Hall Master will be overjoyed. The rewards will surely be generous."
"You want to capture this old man? A mere Earth-rank Protector like you? You people helped that beast attack me back then. Today, it's time to collect some interest on that debt." The killing intent in Yao Lao's heart intensified, his eyes filled with rage.
Hearing this, Protector Wu sneered dismissively. "If you had a physical body, I would turn and flee without a second thought. But as a mere spiritual body, how much of your strength can you even wield? Jie jie... The Hall of Souls has plenty of ways to deal with spirits."
"Even if I have less than a tenth of my former strength, it's more than enough to deal with a rat like you. Besides, it seems you've forgotten that I have an ally." Yao Lao didn't argue further, instead glancing at Queen Medusa. His meaning was clear.
Protector Wu also noticed Yao Lao's gaze, and his heart sank. He had been so caught up in the surprise of Yao Lao's appearance that he had forgotten about the troublesome Medusa!
Medusa met Yao Lao's gaze and gave a slight nod. Though proud, she didn't mind joining forces against Protector Wu, who was somewhat stronger than her. After all, she wasn't confident she could keep Protector Wu here on her own. If he were to escape, she herself might be fine, but he would become a huge potential threat to both the Snake-People Tribe and Zhou Changqing!
Therefore, this shadowy figure had to be completely eliminated!
Swish! Swish!
Having reached an understanding, Yao Lao, controlling Xiao Yan's body, and Medusa attacked Protector Wu at the same time!
An intensely cold, scorching flame and a brilliant scarlet energy beam, both carrying enough terrifying power to injure an ordinary Dou Zong, shot straight for Protector Wu!
Faced with such an assault, even Protector Wu, a four-star Dou Zong, didn't dare to underestimate them and responded with his full strength. The black smoke around him billowed wildly, forming two massive curtains dozens of feet wide to meet their attacks! Within the black curtains, countless shadowy human faces shrieked mournfully, clawing and struggling as if trying to escape. The sinister aura was enough to make one's hair stand on end!
Boom!
Bang!
Swoosh!
...
For a time, the three were locked in a chaotic battle. Various Dou Techniques were unleashed one after another, throwing the sky into utter turmoil!
The ground for miles around was devastated by the shockwaves of their battle, reduced to a field of rubble and ruins