When Yun Shan first heard the first half of Zhou Changqing's words, his brow furrowed in displeasure. He felt his handling of the situation had been more than generous to the three of them. If not for Zhou Changqing's prodigious talent, how could he have let them off so easily?
But as he listened to the second half and followed Zhou Changqing's gaze, he couldn't help but look as well.
It wasn't just him. As the center of attention, Zhou Changqing's every move was being watched. The entire crowd followed his line of sight.
Their eyes landed on a woman in a red dress, her figure full and graceful, her face veiled by red silk.
It was only then that a jolt went through the crowd. They finally remembered the woman who had arrived with Zhou Changqing!
Had they… somehow forgotten about her until now?!
A soft hum filled the air. Just as all eyes fell upon her, Queen Medusa's figure became transparent, then slowly faded away.
The crowd gasped, their heads instinctively snapping back toward Zhou Changqing.
And there she was. Queen Medusa's form had already reappeared by his side.
"Hiss! Such speed! Even I could barely perceive it!"
Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma were inwardly shaken, their thoughts reeling in silent horror. Aside from Hai Bodong, they were the only two Dou Huangs present. Jia Xingtian was even at the peak of the Dou Huang realm, yet even he had trouble keeping up with her movements.
If that was the case, then her true strength…
The thought made Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma's scalps tingle with dread.
Yun Shan's frown deepened as he stared at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere. He couldn't sense her specific cultivation realm at all!
"You… you…"
The one with the biggest reaction was Hai Bodong. The handsome, middle-aged man's normally composed expression was now one of wide-eyed terror as he took in Queen Medusa's appearance and attire.
His bizarre behavior instantly puzzled Yun Shan, Jia Xingtian, and the others.
Zhou Changqing and Xiao Yan, however, had to suppress a twitch at the corners of their mouths, feeling it would be rude to laugh. They knew exactly why Hai Bodong was acting this way.
Of course, it wasn't Hai Bodong's fault that he had only just noticed Queen Medusa. Since breaking through to the Dou Zong realm and evolving her dual bloodline, she was significantly stronger than her original counterpart at this point in time. Nearing the level of a two-star Dou Zong and possessing a profound, evolved snake-person bloodline, hiding her presence was almost trivially easy for her.
With her aura completely retracted and her presence minimized, it was no wonder Hai Bodong hadn't noticed her. Even Jia Xingtian and Yun Shan had failed to detect her at first, let alone anyone else.
Queen Medusa paid no mind to Hai Bodong's strange reaction. Her gaze fell upon Yun Shan, and her red lips parted slightly. "Old man, if you want to use your strength to bully my people, you'll have to ask for my permission first."
"You are… Queen Medusa?!"
The voice sounded familiar to Yun Shan. After a moment of thought, his calm expression was replaced by a deep solemnity. That solemnity intensified when he saw Queen Medusa's legs.
Upon hearing Yun Shan's words, most of the people present stared at Queen Medusa with looks of pure terror. Jia Xingtian and the others felt their eyes twitch, their faces filled with shock.
As for Hai Bodong, he reacted on pure instinct, blinking backward several times in retreat. He put as much distance as he could between them, terrified of what would happen if he was too slow.
Glancing at Zhou Changqing's faint smile, Yun Shan's brow relaxed slightly. He remarked with a sigh, "No wonder you were so fearless, young man. It turns out you have Queen Medusa as your backer."
"I just never imagined that someone with your temperament, Queen Medusa, would actually stand up for a human," Yun Shan added, turning his attention back to her.
Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes swept over Yun Shan. "And I never imagined," she said coolly, "that an old man like you would actually break through his shackles and advance to the Dou Zong realm."
"Haven't you also successfully evolved?" Yun Shan shot another glance at her legs, which had replaced her snake tail. "Since you've shown yourself, what are your intentions?"
"I have yet to fight anyone since my evolution. I will accept this challenge. It will be a good opportunity to familiarize myself with my current power." Queen Medusa raised a hand, stroking the metal guards on her fingers as a flicker of battle lust ignited in her eyes. "Old man, since you have entered the Dou Zong realm, do you dare to fight this Queen?"
"I would be delighted."
Even if he lost the fight, he couldn't lose face. Though Yun Shan was wary of the evolved Queen Medusa, he showed no trace of fear in front of the massive crowd.
Before his words had even faded, the two figures flickered and vanished, disappearing to an unknown location.
A battle between Dou Zong experts could sunder mountains and crack the earth at the very least, and tear space itself at its worst. If they fought here on the peak of the Misty Cloud Mountain, they would likely demolish the entire Misty Cloud Sect. Yun Shan would never choose to fight her here.
Queen Medusa, for her part, was mindful of Zhou Changqing's presence and feared that the aftershocks of the battle might harm him if she got carried away.
After Yun Shan and Queen Medusa disappeared, Xiao Yan finally relaxed. He walked over and slung an arm around Zhou Changqing's shoulders with a grin. "Old Zhou, I really owe you this time. If it weren't for you, today would have been a disaster."
"Heh, what's with the formality with your father?"
"Damn it! You old bastard, taking advantage of me again!"
"Hmm? You usually call me Old Zhou and I let it slide, but what should you be calling me now?"
"Godfather is amazing! Happy now?! Dammit!"
Having returned after Queen Medusa left, Hai Bodong heard their exchange and his eyelid twitched, completely speechless. One was a teenage Dou Wang and a Master Refiner. The other possessed the combat strength of a Dou Huang and was a Master Alchemist. Either one of them was a supreme prodigy in the Jia Ma Empire.
Yet here these two prodigies were, acting so childish in private. It was truly shocking.
Seeing Hai Bodong approach, Zhou Changqing and Xiao Yan dropped their playful expressions and greeted him. "Elder Hai."
Hai Bodong waved his hand, his gaze on Zhou Changqing complex. "You kid, you've managed to shock me once again. That's the notoriously fearsome Queen Medusa, yet she follows you around so quietly. Just how charismatic are you?"
"Hehe, you jest, Elder Hai. The Queen and I merely have a certain connection due to some prior circumstances. It's a mutually beneficial relationship, that's all," Zhou Changqing said with a polite smile.
Hai Bodong rolled his eyes. "You brat, not a single honest word out of your mouth. To have Queen Medusa follow you and even stand up for you… that's a feat no one in the entire northwestern region has ever managed."
"Forget it, I'm done talking to you two. I need to get some distance. It'll be bad news for me if that woman comes back and notices I'm here."
Shaking his head, Hai Bodong stopped bantering with Zhou Changqing. He spread his wings and flew toward the viewing platform where Jia Xingtian and the others were seated. Now that Queen Medusa had appeared, the outcome of today's events was all but certain. There was no longer any need for him to protect Xiao Yan. If even she was powerless to resolve this, his presence wouldn't change a thing.
Zhou Changqing shrugged and continued to chat idly with Xiao Yan as they waited for Queen Medusa to return.
Meanwhile, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere settled over the grand square. The members of the Misty Cloud Sect all wore grim expressions.
Yun Leng, in particular, felt a chilling cold spread through his heart that was far worse than the pain wracking his body. The situation had spiraled completely out of his control. A simple Three-Year Agreement had not only drawn out the old Sect Leader but had also involved the newly evolved Queen Medusa.
Regardless of the outcome of the battle between Dou Zongs, he, the Great Elder, would be held inescapably responsible. After all, the entire mess started because he had acted on his own authority to make the Three-Year Agreement such a grand and public affair.
He could already foresee the punishment the old Sect Leader would mete out once this was over. Losing his position as Great Elder would be a light sentence.
At this thought, Yun Leng forced himself to look up at the two figures chatting and laughing in the sky, a deep and venomous hatred rising in his eyes.
It's all because of you two little bastards! Just you wait! This isn't over