"You die for me!"
Yun Ling instantly condensed his Dou Qi onto his fist and swung it ferociously toward Xiao Tian, who stood only a short distance away.
"Yun Ling, you are courting death! Daring to strike at him!"
Seeing Yun Ling launch a direct attack against Xiao Tian, Yun Yun immediately flew out in a boiling rage.
Yun Ling watched Xiao Tian standing motionless. A cruel grin spread across his face.
His fist tore through Xiao Tian's body, but no blood sprayed forth. Xiao Tian's form slowly dissipated before his very eyes.
"Damn it! An afterimage!"
Yun Ling howled in fury and frustration.
Suddenly, a cold wind gusted. Yun Ling felt a shiver race down his spine. He spun around sharply, only to find Xiao Tian already standing behind him, his face brimming with mockery at his utter overestimation of himself.
Under Yun Ling's horrified stare, Xiao Tian's flame-sheathed fist slammed heavily into his waist.
Yun Ling was instantly sent hurtling away, spitting blood. Faint fragments of internal organs were even visible within the crimson mist. Not only his internal organs—his kidneys were likely shattered beyond repair.
As he flew backward, a green figure materialized beside him and delivered a brutal whip kick to the retreating Yun Ling, instantly launching him in another direction.
Then, yet another violet figure kicked the airborne Yun Ling, who crashed violently to the ground.
Three Dou King elders rushed over.
"Those two kicks were truly satisfying. They even looked excruciating."
Xiao Tian observed that although Yun Ling had sustained numerous broken bones, he still clung to life. It was clear Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian had exercised restraint.
First a Fire Lotus to the face, and now a mixed double assault.
Truly pitiful.
"Yun Ling, by the authority of the Sect Master, I hereby strip you of your status as Grand Elder and all official powers."
Yun Yun gazed upon the fallen Yun Ling and spoke in a tone of ice.
Yun Ling's eyes bulged with fury. He attempted to speak, but only blood poured ceaselessly from his mouth. Not a single sound could escape him.
With this level of hemorrhaging, he would have been dead long ago in modern times.
"Take him away. He insisted on seeking death, making a complete mess of everything."
Yun Yun dismissed him with an indifferent wave of her hand. Two of the three Dou King elders bore Yun Ling away, while one approached Gu He.
Before departing, Gu He cast Yun Yun and Xiao Tian a profound look. Finally, he sighed as though a burden had been released from his shoulders and left the scene alongside the Dou King elder.
"Are you alright?"
Yun Yun came to Xiao Tian's side and scrutinized him from head to toe.
"Do you not know my strength? Dealing with a minor figure like Yun Ling is effortless. Look at how composed Xian'er is. Otherwise, with her power, Yun Ling would have been kicked to death the very instant he made his move."
Xiao Tian replied indifferently, lifting his gaze toward the heavens. A lingering aura still hung in the sky, evidence that someone had remained there watching.
"Was it Master?"
Yun Yun asked uncertainly, following Xiao Tian's gaze.
Xiao Tian nodded, a faint curl gracing his lips. It confirmed his suspicion that Yun Shan indeed valued Yun Ling more highly.
Yun Shan, hovering high above, had initially considered intervening to rescue Yun Ling. But after sensing Xiao Yi Xian's strength, he had retracted his raised foot and promptly departed.
Afterward, Yun Yun dismissed everyone, instructing them to return to their respective duties.
---
Within Xiao Tian's palace in the Eternal Dream Realm, Xiao Tian's aura surged violently. In an instant, he broke through to Six-Star Dou King.
After stabilizing his realm, Xiao Tian resumed his daily alchemy.
As time slipped by, Xiao Tian completed his alchemy, took a swift bath, and retired to bed.
The moment he lay down, a bewitching, aloof woman with flawless proportions, clad in a crimson dress, materialized beside him.
"Cai Li. You finally could not resist coming out?"
Xiao Tian sat up and smiled at the Medusa Queen who had appeared.
"I emerge when I wish to. You have no authority over me."
The Medusa Queen lifted her chin slightly as she spoke.
"Oh, truly? Then shall I instruct the little one not to release you, even if it means her death?"
Xiao Tian had already sensed that the two souls had begun merging, particularly since the Medusa Queen who appeared this time no longer bore a serpent's tail. In its place was a pair of long, straight legs that exceeded the length of his own life.
"Hmph."
The Medusa Queen was awash with shame and fury, wishing she could rip Xiao Tian's sharp tongue to shreds.
"What of me? Do you wish to curse me?"
Xiao Tian observed the Medusa Queen with keen interest.
"Curse you in secret? This King does not possess such idle time."
"I know you have been waiting for me. Hand over the item, and I will serve you for three years."
The Medusa Queen's eyes flickered as she spoke.
In truth, remaining by Xiao Tian's side for three years had initially been difficult to accept. But now, due to the ongoing soul fusion, she suddenly felt that three years was perfectly acceptable. She even felt a compelling urge to stay by his side forever.
Whether this was the influence of the soul or her own genuine sentiment, even she herself could no longer tell.
In Medusa's eyes, Xiao Tian was actually a suitable match, for any man worthy of being the Medusa Queen's consort had to be stronger than she was.
This was an ironclad condition observed by all preceding Medusa Queens.
Xiao Tian produced the purple-silver scroll and tossed it to the Medusa Queen seated upon his bed.
"This is the formula for the Soul Fusion Pill. As for the ingredients, you will need to gather them yourself. Of course, I can also assist you in collecting them, but you will have to pay a price. I am not in the habit of laboring for free."
"Hmph. I know that perfectly well without you telling me."
Though her tone remained haughty, the exquisite face staring at the scroll still bore a faint, irrepressible smile.
Although this man before her constantly bullied and coerced her, he always fulfilled his promises once conditions were established.
*Xiao Tian: Do not speak nonsense. I have never coerced you. You are far too prone to causing misunderstandings.*
"Cai Li, what realm are you in now?"
Xiao Tian studied the Medusa Queen. Her cultivation realm, as he perceived it, was profoundly chaotic.
"Mm. If I manifest in my true Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python form, I possess the strength of a Tier 7 Magical Beast. In human form, I am a Dou Ancestor."
The Medusa Queen pondered briefly before answering Xiao Tian truthfully.
"Cai Li, your strength is barely passable."
Xiao Tian used his hand to lift the Medusa Queen's smooth chin, chuckling. His voice brimmed with teasing and appreciation. "If you perform well in the future, I can bestow upon you some of the ingredients from the formula as a reward."
At these words, the Medusa Queen's eyes flashed with surprise. Obtaining the formula's ingredients was undeniably an irresistible temptation for her.
"Then how do you expect me to perform?" The Medusa Queen gently swayed her legs, a captivating smile playing upon her lips.
"I do not know. That is entirely up to you."
Seeing Xiao Tian speak in riddles, the Medusa Queen promptly and gently swatted away the hand resting beneath her chin. Her seductive gaze instantly turned icy. She spoke sharply.
"And what if I refuse?"
Xiao Tian seized the Medusa Queen's hands, flipped his body, and pressed her directly beneath him.
"You belong to me now. You must understand that I am the butcher and you are the fish. If you desire the Soul Fusion Pill, do not put on any queenly airs before me."
"Xiao Tian, you scoundrel! Release this King!"
Finding herself pinned beneath Xiao Tian, the Medusa Queen's brows instantly flooded with shame and indignation. She struggled unceasingly.
The Medusa Queen had never endured such treatment. For a moment, she forgot—or perhaps deliberately overlooked—that her strength had already recovered. She merely struggled with her physical might alone.
Xiao Tian, pressing the Medusa Queen down, let his gaze roam over her body and issued a threat. "We are still within the period of our transaction. You must behave obediently. Should you anger me, who knows what might..."
The Medusa Queen felt the weight of Xiao Tian's stare and, recalling certain past actions of his she had witnessed, her heart suddenly filled with panic.
Xiao Tian sensed the moment was sufficient. He released her hands and rolled off her.
"I will naturally fulfill what I have promised you. As for other matters, we shall discuss them later."
After uttering these words, the Medusa Queen immediately reverted to the Seven-Colored Little Snake. However, Xiao Tian failed to notice that before she transformed back, both her ears had flushed so crimson they seemed on the verge of bleeding.
"Later, you say?"
Xiao Tian's expression instantly became exceedingly peculiar.
Had the Medusa Queen known Xiao Tian's thoughts at that moment, she might well have desired to flog him to death with a small whip.
Outside a lavishly adorned building within the Misty Cloud Sect, several figures quietly emerged under the shroud of night and slipped into the distance.
At the same time, a woman arrived outside the door.