Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

The response to Xiao Fan came from Medusa within the strange fire. With an unknown force, she fiercely inhaled in Xiao Fan's direction. Although she never ate people, upon hearing this human's offensive words, even with her peak Dou Huang temperament, she still wanted to make him understand what the majesty of a queen was.

Seeing Medusa's gaping mouth, Xiao Fan was overjoyed. He wrapped his blood in his fighting spirit and threw it as far as he could towards Medusa!

Chapter 64: Successful Evolution?

Even while enduring the burning pain of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in the center of the strange fire, Medusa still wanted to bite this guy who dared to offend her to pieces.

Just as Medusa opened her mouth, although most of the blood enveloped by Xiao Fan's fighting spirit had evaporated after being baked by the strange fire, a small clump of blood still fell into Medusa's mouth.

Noticing the metallic taste in her mouth, Medusa assumed it was a provocation from Xiao Fan, and her anger intensified.

Her beautiful, diamond-shaped eyes exuded an even stronger aura of coldness.

Xiao Fan, watching from a distance, was startled by Medusa's gaze. "What kind of look is that? I'm saving you."

As Xiao Fan's blood flowed into her body, Medusa was surprised to find a warm current slowly flowing through her, a stark contrast to the burning pain outside. She felt that even the burning sensation from the strange fire outside her body had lessened somewhat.

Recalling what Xiao Fan had just said, which seemed to be an attempt to help her through this tribulation, Medusa, who had endured the burning of the strange fire, couldn't help but be tempted.

However, the thought of the man's offensive actions made it difficult for Medusa to make a request of him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fan, who was in the distance, saw Medusa swallow a clump of his blood and her mournful cries temporarily cease. He clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "It really worked!"

Immediately, Xiao Fan continued to control the flow of his blood, enveloping it and directing it towards Medusa's location. This gave him the illusion of feeding his pet snake. Glancing at Her Majesty the Queen's majestic figure, Xiao Fan shook his head: "This must be my imagination..." Although he said this, the meaning behind Xiao Fan's occasional glances at Medusa remained unknown to him.

Medusa, having just tasted the blood, saw the battle aura Xiao Fan was throwing at her and naturally knew what it was. She comforted herself, saying, "This isn't something I begged you to give me; it's something you willingly offered to me." Yet, her body eagerly welcomed Xiao Fan's blood.

With Medusa's cooperation, Xiao Fan's essence blood entered Medusa's body smoothly without much wear and tear. Medusa felt the warm current flowing through her body, along her meridians, into her limbs and bones. Where this energy flowed, the burning pain of the strange fire was also reduced.

"Just who is this guy? His mere blood has such powerful effects."

The pain in her body lessened somewhat, allowing Medusa to once again examine the human not far away. "Although he is considered above average in appearance among humans, his cultivation level is only barely at the Great Dou Master level." Medusa shook her enormous snake head, puzzled.

However, with the help of Xiao Fan's essence blood, Medusa's chances of surviving this ordeal have increased even further.

And so, Xiao Fan kept pumping his blood into Medusa's mouth from outside, afraid that he would faint from lack of blood. Xiao Fan also kept a close eye on his body and took out a blood-nourishing herb from his storage ring. Without even refining it, he put it directly into his mouth.

Xiao Fan once again gathered his blood into a blood sphere, enveloped it in his battle aura, and threw it into Medusa's mouth. At the same time, he shouted to Medusa, "With this sphere, you should be able to safely pass through this tribulation."

Medusa swallowed Xiao Fan's blood, glanced at the pale-faced man not far away, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes. With the help of Xiao Fan's blood, she now had a good chance to escape the encirclement of the strange fire. In other words, even if she wanted to continue devouring, she could go over and swallow and refine the human not far away to increase her chances. However, when Medusa looked at the pale face of the man, she showed a rare moment of gentleness. Then, she turned her head to look at the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in front of her, flicked her huge tongue, opened her mouth, and charged towards it again.

This time, with Medusa's devouring and the protection of Xiao Fan's essence blood within her body, the strange fire was no longer so terrifying. And as Medusa devoured, the originally clear sky was unknowingly covered by dark clouds.

"Holy crap, the lightning tribulation is coming."

Seeing the dark clouds overhead, Xiao Fan roared and ran towards the edge of the island. The lightning tribulation was incredibly powerful, and he dared not stay put. Moreover, Xiao Fan had already done his best to help Medusa. Regardless of whether it succeeded or not, he had to consider the upcoming battle for the Azure Lotus Core Flame. If he fainted due to excessive blood loss, not only would he lose the Azure Lotus Core Flame, but he might also be cut into pieces by the enraged snake-people.

The sky was filled with lightning, and even the people fighting outside the holy city stopped their battle. They all gathered around the temple, which was now enveloped in a pale purple light, keeping everyone outside.

In a secluded corner of the temple, Xiao Yan looked at the lightning overhead, swallowed hard, and asked in a trembling voice, "Teacher, what is this?"

The old doctor looked up at the sky full of lightning and said with a slightly surprised tone, "I once read an ancient book that recorded that some powerful magical beasts would be baptized by heavenly tribulations when they were born or advanced in rank. Once they passed through them, their strength would greatly improve. I never thought that I would actually have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes."

Amidst the azure light of lightning and strange fire, everyone saw a colossal purple body standing in the sky. Before their very eyes, bolts of lightning struck the purple serpent, tearing its skin and flesh apart. Its once beautiful purple scales were scattered in disarray and then vanished into thin air under the onslaught of the lightning.

As Medusa's roars gradually subsided, her charred body, battered and bruised, landed motionless in the center of the island. Immediately afterward, the calamity clouds in the sky vanished.

"Failed?"

Gu He looked at Medusa's vanished body and softly asked Yun Yun beside him.

"Somewhat something is wrong."

As Yun Yun finished speaking, a vast and terrifying aura rapidly spread outwards from the island, enveloping the entire holy city in the blink of an eye.

"Her Majesty the Queen succeeded?" Sensing the familiar feeling within this vast aura, the snake-people throughout the city were overjoyed, embracing each other and weeping. Then, they turned their hateful gazes towards Gu He and his group.

In their view, with Her Majesty the Queen's successful ascension, none of this group would be able to leave; they would all be buried here.

Gu He, who was forced back hundreds of meters by Medusa's overwhelming aura, turned to look at Yun Yun in shock and said regretfully, "She has successfully evolved. Let's leave now!"

Unexpectedly, Yun Yun shook her head and calmly said, "No rush, something's not right yet."

As Yun Yun's voice faded, Medusa's ethereal and vast aura vanished abruptly in the blink of an eye, leaving the snake-people in the city looking at each other in bewilderment.

Chapter 65 Acquisition of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame

Those outside the temple exchanged bewildered glances, but Xiao Fan, inside the island, was far from idle. The moment the lightning tribulation dissipated, the system's voice rang in Xiao Fan's ears.

"Ding! Mission complete. Reward: Medusa's favorability increased."

Upon hearing the system's notification, Xiao Fan didn't check it for the time being. After all, so many people outside were eyeing him covetously, and his target was the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

Xiao Fan followed the path he had just taken toward the location of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. The once vibrant bamboo forest around him had been reduced to scorched earth by the ravages of lightning.

After rushing for a while, Xiao Fan finally arrived at the center of the island. The small lake that was originally formed by pebbles had disappeared, replaced by a huge pit where Medusa's charred body lay.

Upon reaching the edge of the pit, Xiao Fan did not proceed further. Instead, he cautiously called out into the pit, "Your Majesty?"

Seeing the unresponsive "corpse" of Medusa, Xiao Fan was about to take a step forward when Medusa's enormous body instantly exploded, turning into a cloud of dust. What appeared next was a small purple snake, about two centimeters long, hovering in place.

Looking at the small purple snake floating there, Xiao Fan stared at it cautiously. They made eye contact, and before he could react, the small purple snake vanished from its spot. The next second, Xiao Fan found that the snake was already pressed against his shoulder.

A chill ran through him, and without his noticing, the little purple snake appeared out of nowhere right in front of him.

Turning his head to look at the small snake so close to him, Xiao Fan noticed that its body was covered with tiny, seven-colored purple scales, and its pale purple eyes gleamed with an eerie light. Even up close, Xiao Fan could smell the faint fragrance emanating from its body.

Xiao Fan could tell that there was no malice in its eyes, so he casually guessed that it was probably because he had helped Medusa overcome her tribulation earlier. Therefore, although Medusa had a new soul after her evolution, she still retained her goodwill towards Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan looked at the small purple snake before him, his expression filled with delight. He took out a jade bottle from his storage ring; it was the companion amethyst source he had obtained in the Monster Mountain Range. Initially, Xiao Fan had been eyeing the companion amethyst source because he wondered if he might have a chance to come into contact with Medusa's evolved snake form. After all, who wouldn't want to raise a cute and powerful little snake? A pet when it's young, a wife when it grows up... ahem...

Upon seeing the jade bottle that Xiao Fan had taken out, the little snake darted to the bottle in a flash, stuck its head into the bottle, and began to gulp it down.

After drinking about half a bottle, it looked up and let out a comfortable burp. Xiao Fan tentatively reached out his hand, and it wrapped itself around his arm and rested quietly.

After subduing the little snake, Xiao Fan went to the deep pit. Looking at the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame burning out of thin air, Xiao Fan nodded in satisfaction.

"I have finally obtained you, Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame."

Following the system's instructions, Xiao Fan slowly brought his hand closer to the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. As expected, it did not cause him any harm. Just like the Bone Spirit Cold Flame before, after Xiao Fan's palm touched the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the flame extended along his palm and slowly covered his entire body.

As Xiao Fan absorbed the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, he noticed that some strange energy was slowly increasing within his body. He knew that this was the origin of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, gradually forming within his body.

Before long, the essence of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame was imprinted into Xiao Fan's body. From now on, Xiao Fan could directly use the power of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, just like the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

As Xiao Fan absorbed the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the energy within his body gradually increased, quickly breaking through the original value of 573 and slowly reaching 690. In other words, Xiao Fan gained a level of cultivation by absorbing the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

"Ding! Mission complete. Rewards: 5000 Source Coins, 200 Experience Points, 300 Battle Qi Points. Please claim."

Just then, a notification that Xiao Fan had completed his mission rang in his mind.

However, Xiao Fan couldn't care less about collecting them now, because he knew that now was not the time to break through. There were a bunch of Dou Wangs outside, and even if he broke through to the Great Dou Shi, it would be useless. That's why Xiao Fan had prepared so many before, and even unified Mo City, all to obtain Dou Wang strength cards.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, who was already inside the temple, had arrived on the island and was having a mental conversation with Yao Lao. "Teacher, I'm afraid I'll have to leave the rest to you."

Just as the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame came into view, Xiao Yan and his group also noticed Xiao Fan, who was standing next to it.

"Senior brother?"

Because of the hidden aura of Yao Lao's soul power, Xiao Fan did not notice Xiao Yan's arrival. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Xiao Fan was overjoyed, finally waiting for him.

He feigned surprise and turned to look at Xiao Yan. At this moment, Yao Lao also emerged from Xiao Yan's body, looking at his disciple with astonishment.

Xiao Fan bowed respectfully to Yao Lao. Putting everything else aside, he had a deep impression of the first year he spent with Yao Lao and the others after being in this world for so long. The sense of loss and unease he felt when he first arrived in this other world was smoothed out by Yao Lao's teachings, so he truly regarded Yao Lao as his master.

Xiao Fan glanced at Xiao Yan, then interrupted him, saying, "Teacher, junior brother, now is not the time for reminiscing. There are a group of Dou Wang experts outside. The most important thing is to put away the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame first."

"Ah yes."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan remembered the most important thing about this trip. He then looked helplessly at Yao Lao, realizing he didn't know how to collect this thing.

Looking at Xiao Yan, Xiao Fan chuckled and said, "Didn't I give you information about the birthplace of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame? You brought the Azure Lotus Throne there with you, didn't you?"

Seeing the conversation between the two brothers, the old apothecary interjected, "That's right, Yan'er, take out that lotus seat. It's the best natural way to collect strange fire."

Xiao Fan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Yan put the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame back onto the Azure Lotus Seat. The light barrier around the temple had not yet dissipated, so the three of them could only wait for it to disappear before leaving.

Just as the three of them started chatting, the old apothecary's expression changed, and he said, "The light barrier is about to break."

Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance and nodded. Yao Lao then re-entered Xiao Yan's body, and Xiao Fan unhesitatingly used his Dou Wang-level battle power card. His aura instantly surged from the strength of a six-star Dou Shi to that of a six-star Dou Wang.

Although Xiao Fan had already mentioned that he possessed the abilities of a Dou Wang, seeing Xiao Fan's strength reach the Dou Wang level with his own eyes, Xiao Yan couldn't help but mutter, "Damn, Senior Brother, you're too monstrous!"

Xiao Fan glanced at Xiao Yan and chuckled, "So your current strength is still that of a Dou Huang!"

Xiao Yan replied, "That's different. My strength comes from my teacher."

Xiao Fan shrugged and said helplessly, "Same here, my strength isn't my own either."

"get ready!"

Just then, the voice of the old doctor faintly echoed in their hearts.

The protective light shield surrounding the temple also vanished in an instant, transforming into a sky full of light.

Chapter 66 The battle begins

As if to confirm what the old doctor had said, the light curtain outside the temple shattered as soon as the old doctor finished speaking.

Click!

Just as the light barrier outside the temple shattered, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan, holding the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, carefully made their way from behind the temple, using the undulating palace as cover and Yao Lao's spiritual power to conceal their presence, and sped towards the outside of the encirclement.

The snake-people surrounding the temple had all gathered around it, glaring angrily at Gu He and his group. Regardless of whether Her Majesty the Queen had successfully advanced, there was absolutely no way she would allow these humans to set foot inside the temple.

Gu He, who had just been forced back by Medusa's aura, flew to Yun Yun with lingering fear, his forehead still damp with cold sweat, and asked in a low voice, "What do we do now?"

Yun Yun closed her eyes and sensed the aura within the temple, her tone slightly regretful: "It seems... we failed. Medusa's aura has completely vanished." Hearing Yun Yun's words, Gu He breathed a sigh of relief, but after sensing the aura again, he asked in surprise, "Why has the aura of the strange fire also disappeared? Did Medusa destroy it?"