She walked to a relatively clean spot, sat down with her legs drawn up, hands clasped around her knees, and rested her head on her folded arms.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the lava below, churning like a sea of blood.
One hand kept stroking the strand of hair Xiao Yan had tucked behind her ear. The corners of her mouth curved up, all on their own, into a faint smile.
She didn't know what she was thinking. But her ears had turned very, very red.
---
The scene shifted back to outside the Qi Refining Tower.
Well. No. The Qi Refining Tower was gone now. All that remained was a massive, gaping crater.
At the edge of that crater, only Xiao Tian stood, staring at the seal before him. Medusa stood behind him.
Wen Yan and Elder Hai had already returned to the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm. The Grand Elder had been thoroughly puzzled by their sudden appearances and disappearances, but he knew better than to ask too many questions. Those were other people's secrets. If he pried too deeply and they turned hostile, he wouldn't be able to handle the fallout.
"What are you thinking about?"
Medusa watched Xiao Tian, lost in thought.
"Nothing. Just thinking about how powerful that Heavenly Flame was. The explosion turned this whole place into a wasteland."
Xiao Tian didn't say what he was really thinking. Mentioning the Dou Di's cave dwelling would serve no purpose right now.
"It's true. The Green Lotus Core Flame, before, had no intelligence, and I was still badly injured absorbing it. I had to recover for a long time. But this one… this one had a mind of its own. It's far more dangerous."
If anyone understood the searing agony of a Heavenly Flame, it was Medusa. She had been burned terribly when she absorbed hers. She had nearly died refining it. Even now, just remembering it made her body tremble slightly.
Xiao Tian felt her tremor and took her hand.
Medusa felt the warmth of his grip. A strange sense of safety rose in her chest, pushing back the fear.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Feeding us dog food in broad daylight."
Yun Yun's teasing voice drifted over from the side. Han Yue stood silently beside her.
When Han Yue had tried to rush into the battlefield earlier, it was Yun Yun who had appeared and stopped her. Xiao Tian had arranged for Yun Yun to protect her—and Xiao Yu, and the rest of Boundless Gate—well before the fighting started. These people were the future blood of the Heaven Punishing Divine Palace, the future pillars. He would not let the scum of the Black-Corner Region corrupt them.
"Who is she?" Medusa's gaze swept toward the silver-haired woman following Yun Yun.
"Sister Cai Li, hello. My name is Han Yue."
Han Yue had already been briefed about Medusa on the way here.
Hearing the way Han Yue addressed her, Medusa instantly understood—this was the "beauty" Xiao Tian had been hiding. But seeing how sensible she was, and how properly she spoke, Medusa approved of her immediately.
"Since you call me sister, if you ever need anything, just come to me. I'll take care of it."
"Thank you, Sister Cai Li." Han Yue smiled sweetly. It seemed she had successfully infiltrated the inner circle.
"Hmph. I think you're just jealous." Medusa nodded at Han Yue, then turned to Yun Yun, tilting her chin up with practiced arrogance. She even lifted Xiao Tian's hand—the one still holding hers—and gave it a few demonstrative shakes.
"Oh yes. Very jealous."
Yun Yun smiled and gently stroked her belly.
Medusa had thought Yun Yun was backing down. Then she saw that gesture. She froze.
She understood exactly what Yun Yun's silent motion meant. Silent flaunting was always the deadliest.
Han Yue watched the two bicker and wisely chose silence.
Yun Yun had already told her about Xiao Tian earlier. About everything. She now knew he had many confidantes around him, and the news had initially left her stunned. But she was a latecomer to this circle, and she wasn't a rigid person. Yun Yun's words had made her feel accepted. If they had no objections to her joining, what grounds did she have to object?
Besides, being with Xiao Tian was already a step up for her. Setting aside his status as a Dou Huang at his age, his backing power was far beyond anything the Han Family could match. It would crush them without effort. Her family's highest combat strength was only a Five-Star Dou Zong. There was no comparison.
And more than any of that—she had truly fallen in love with him.
When she saw how extraordinary the people around him were, she had initially planned to quietly leave. But Yun Yun had seen through her thoughts during their conversation. Under Yun Yun's careful guidance, she had let go of that idea.
Now Han Yue watched Yun Yun and Medusa bicker. But it looked less like a power struggle and more like two people teasing each other.
She glanced at Xiao Tian, who was staring up at the sky, pretending he saw nothing. An amused smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
She kept watching the two of them, still puzzled. Why had Medusa gotten so unhappy when Yun Yun touched her belly? Han Yue looked between them—Yun Yun gently stroking her stomach, that unmistakable maternal glow on her face—and suddenly, about eighty percent of the reason clicked into place.
Medusa stared at Yun Yun's face, so full of maternal warmth and happiness. Then she turned her resentful gaze toward Xiao Tian.
Before, when they hadn't yet crossed that line, she had never felt this emotion. Now the situation was different. They were together. They had sealed their bond completely.
Xiao Tian caught Medusa's expression and knew exactly what it meant. He even felt a similar resentful stare coming from the space beside him.
He touched his waist. With the system's blessing, he had nothing to fear physically. But under their combined stares, a small, stubborn part of him still felt a twinge of guilt.
"Ahem. I should go help with the aftermath."
He coughed lightly, already calculating the quickest escape from this smoke-free battlefield.
He had barely taken a step when an invisible force locked his body in place.
"Xian'er… there's really no need for this, is there?"
He knew exactly who had restrained him. Among everyone present, only Xiao Yi Xian—already a Dou Zun—could fully immobilize him. No one else had that power.
Medusa raised both hands in a gesture of complete innocence. "I have something to say about this. I feel it most deeply."
She leaned in close, her shoulder pressing against Xiao Tian's, her voice dipping into something honeyed and dangerous. "What's wrong? Not willing?"
"What a pity. I prepared so many things you wanted before…"
Her breath was warm against his ear.
"I suppose I'll just have to burn them all. What a shame."
That voice wrapped around his mind like silk, carrying Medusa's innate charm ability—the one that hit harder than any aphrodisiac ever could. And she had said she prepared "a lot." Things he had brought out before. Things she had flatly refused.
Now she was telling him she wanted to use them.
If he hesitated for even one more second, it would be an insult to… passion itself.
"I am a gentleman," Xiao Tian declared, his expression turning righteous. "How can I possibly go against a woman's wishes? This is simply my duty."