"Of course not. My goal is worth far more than that."
Xiao Tian quickly regained his composure and refused with a smile. "However, if you drink a cup with me and then suppress your cultivation to fight me, I'll tell you the truth."
"You're that desperate to fight me?" Medusa looked at him playfully. She had wanted to teach this audacious young man a lesson for days, but never got the chance. Now that he was offering it himself, she couldn't hold back her excitement.
"We'll only know who's stronger after we fight. I also want to test my current strength."
Seeing the eager look on Medusa's face, Xiao Tian felt something was slightly off.
"Let's go. I'll take you to a place where no one will disturb us."
Xiao Tian followed Medusa and soon arrived at a desolate area filled with towering boulders.
"A good place," Xiao Tian sighed, looking around.
"Then let's begin quickly." Medusa immediately suppressed her cultivation to the Two-Star Dou Ling realm. A slender red sword appeared in her hand.
The two stood on separate boulders, facing each other.
Xiao Tian also summoned his sword and charged straight at Medusa.
In an instant, both turned into afterimages, constantly clashing in mid-air. The sound of weapon collisions and Dou Technique explosions echoed through the sky.
During the fight, Medusa felt the overwhelming suppressive force of Xiao Tian's sword energy and gradually fell into a disadvantage. She had no choice but to continuously raise her cultivation level to see just how strong Xiao Tian truly was.
"Sword Slash!"
"Fire Snake Arrow!"
A crescent sword slash collided with a red fire snake-shaped arrow. Both attacks were repelled by the violent energy fluctuations. The two fighters separated and stared at each other from a distance. Medusa had now raised her cultivation to Seven-Star Dou Ling.
"I didn't expect your combat power to be this terrifying."
"This is only the beginning."
Medusa's Seven-Star Dou Ling was no ordinary Seven-Star. Even while suppressing her realm, her Dou Huang physique, battle experience, and talent remained. She was a genius capable of fighting above her level — a Seven-Star Dou Ling fighting a Dou Wang was nothing difficult for her.
The two turned into streaks of light once again and clashed fiercely.
When they separated the next time, much of Xiao Tian's clothing was torn, revealing his muscular physique. Medusa, however, remained unharmed because she had raised her cultivation again — this time to Nine-Star Dou Ling.
"No martial ethics," Xiao Tian said, looking at his torn clothes with a face full of black lines as he stared at Medusa.
"Haven't you heard? The prettier the woman, the less trustworthy her words," Medusa replied unyieldingly. Her eyes secretly glanced at Xiao Tian's exposed physique for a brief moment.
"I've roughly figured out my current strength level. Let's decide the winner with one final move," Xiao Tian said seriously.
Seeing his sudden seriousness, Medusa knew the next attack would be real. She immediately prepared herself.
Xiao Tian's sword flew into the sky and transformed into a massive magic array above Medusa. A several-dozen-zhang-long giant sword emerged from the array, emanating a terrifying aura of destruction.
Medusa felt a powerful energy lock onto her. She knew she could only block it head-on.
"Serpent's Descent!"
A giant black hole-like vortex appeared in front of her. From within it, a ten-zhang-long red giant snake roared out and charged toward the massive sword.
Xiao Tian clenched his hand. The giant sword plunged downward. The red snake also soared into the sky.
The two powerful Dou Techniques collided violently in mid-air.
In the end, the giant snake was annihilated. The sword, having lost much of its energy, continued stabbing toward Medusa.
Medusa quickly formed a Dou Qi shield in front of her. The sword and shield clashed. Both were damaged, but the remaining force still sent Medusa flying backward.
Xiao Tian activated World Piercer Needle, instantly crossing over thirty meters and bypassing the energy fluctuations. He caught Medusa with one hand under her shoulder blade and the other supporting her snake tail.
He slowly landed on the ground. Seeing a trace of blood at the corner of her lips, he placed her tail down and held her with one arm.
A fifth-grade healing pill appeared in his hand — naturally a "selfless contribution" from Gu He's storage ring.
Medusa recognized it as a high-grade healing pill that also contained rich life force. She looked at Xiao Tian with flickering eyes, then opened her mouth and swallowed it.
After she recovered slightly, Medusa immediately left his embrace and turned her back to him. A faint blush appeared on her face.
In over two hundred years, this was the first time a man had touched her so intimately. The more she thought about it, the redder her face became — even her earlobes turned scarlet.
Looking at Medusa's back, Xiao Tian asked gently, "How are you now? Are you okay? Why didn't you unseal your Dou Qi to resist?"
"Hmph, I felt like it. None of your business," Medusa snorted lightly. She then unsealed her full cultivation, summoned her Dou Qi wings, and transformed into a streak of purple light, flying away without even asking about his goal. Only flying sand was left in her wake.
"That move of yours… no Dou Wang below four stars could withstand it," her voice drifted back from afar.
Xiao Tian looked at the direction she disappeared in and scratched his head in confusion.
...
Two more days passed in the blink of an eye since the battle with Medusa.
At a supply point in the Tagore Desert, Xiao Yan arrived to replenish his freshwater supplies.
"Have you heard? Pill King Gu He brought one Dou Huang, two Dou Wangs, and four Dou Lings to the Snake-People Tribe, but they were all detained after causing trouble in the city."
"What I heard is that Gu He knew Queen Medusa had a Heavenly Flame and tried to snatch it, but they were suppressed and captured by Medusa and two mysterious experts."
Xiao Yan listened to the mercenaries' conversation with interest. After hearing nothing more useful, he left.
"Teacher, do you think the news about the Heavenly Flame is true?" he asked Yao Lao.
"I cannot be sure. But if Pill King Gu He really came here, it might be true. We're not far from the Snake-People Tribe's territory. We can sneak over later and investigate."
Yao Lao pondered for a moment.
"Then let's go ask around. This is the first time we've heard news of a Heavenly Flame. I might need Teacher's help to conceal my aura at that time."
Xiao Yan chuckled.
"Hmm."
Yao Lao nodded.
...
In the Snake-People Temple, inside the courtyard of Xiao Tian's residence.
Xiao Tian sat at a stone table, slowly sipping wine.
A purple figure descended gracefully from the sky and landed on the stool opposite him.
For the past few days, Medusa had been frequently visiting to probe his true purpose. Through their repeated exchanges, the two had gradually become more familiar.
"Does Your Majesty wish to have a drink?" Xiao Tian asked with a smile, raising his wine cup.
Medusa leaned forward on the table, looking at him with charming eyes. "If I drink with you, will you finally tell me your real purpose?"
Xiao Tian's gaze involuntarily drifted to the alluring snow-white expanse revealed by her posture.
Noticing his stare, Medusa quickly sat back upright. A faint blush flashed across her beautiful face.