Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

"What's wrong?" Medusa turned around, intending to scold him, but after seeing the shock on Xiao Fan's face, she suppressed her anger.

She was very curious about what had happened to make this usually calm and collected little guy make such a commotion.

Xiao Fan didn't hear Medusa's voice at all. At this moment, he discovered that the mark that originally belonged to the Eagle Protector in his body was emitting a scorching aura. This aura meant that the party that planted the mark was sensing the location of the mark.

“Oh no…”

Although Xiao Fan has completely neutralized the control effect of the mark on him, this is still the best opportunity for him to infiltrate the Soul Palace. It would be a pity for him to give up this opportunity.

But now that he is in the inner courtyard, he can't get out at all. The Eagle Protector can't sense his location, and might directly detonate the mark. Or even if he gets out later, it will cause the Eagle Protector's trust to decrease.

"Ding! New mission triggered: Take control of the Eagle Guardian. Mission rewards: 200 Battle Qi, 2000 Source Coins, 100 Experience Points; Failure penalty: -300 Battle Qi, -5000 Source Coins, and random loss of one of your five senses. Mission time limit: five days!"

Depend on!

Just as Xiao Fan was hesitating and about to give up on entering the Soul Palace, the system's voice appeared in his mind again.

Control the Eagle Guardian? I'm just a Dou Ling, and you expect me to control the life and death of a peak Dou Huang? Are you kidding me? Also, this failure penalty seems intentional, doesn't it? Not to mention the loss of Dou Qi and Origin Coins, you also immediately lose one of your five senses?

This is forcing Xiao Fan to complete this task!

"What's wrong?" Medusa asked calmly, noticing Xiao Fan's face turning red and white in turns. She narrowed her eyes, realizing he had encountered some difficulties.

Xiao Fan, anxious, did not notice the change in Medusa's tone. He glanced at Medusa and then gradually calmed down.

The Eagle Protector's strength should be that of a high-level Dou Huang, or even a peak Dou Huang. I only have the strength of a Dou Ling, so it's impossible for me to subdue the Eagle Protector. And right now, I don't have the opportunity to acquire the subduing techniques of a Dou Huang.

Even if he managed to temporarily subdue the Eagle Protector with external force, he still wouldn't be able to implant a mark in the Eagle Protector's mind. In short, the difference in their strength was too great. Even if he could implant a mark, Xiao Fan's mark could at most severely injure the Eagle Protector, and it would be impossible for him to directly control the Eagle Protector's life or death.

The only people he can rely on now are Medusa and Yao Lao, but Yao Lao is currently in a soul state. Against Eagle Protector, who is at the peak of Dou Huang, he might be able to be restrained, since the Soul Palace has many ways to restrain souls.

Medusa has only just broken through to the Dou Zong level, and now she only has a good impression of me because of the Devouring Python's soul. Her strength is not at its peak. She can win, but it may still be a bit difficult to subdue Protector Eagle, after all, he is a powerful protector of the Soul Palace.

"Could this task be something the system did on purpose?"

Xiao Fan frowned. This task was clearly beyond his current capabilities to complete!

Having exhausted all his methods, Xiao Fan still couldn't find a way to restrain the Eagle Protector. Unwilling to give up, Xiao Fan was about to carefully search the system for any useful methods when Medusa interrupted him.

"What exactly happened?" Xiao Fan hadn't recovered from Medusa for a long time, still lost in thought. When Medusa reached out, Xiao Fan found himself unable to move.

Medusa held him rooted to the spot, his eyes wide open.

Seemingly realizing that Xiao Fan's mouth had also been sealed shut, Medusa waved her hand again. Xiao Fan took a breath, considered his words carefully, and then slowly said, "I have an enemy whose strength should be at the high-level Dou Huang or the peak of Dou Huang. I want to cause him trouble."

Medusa: ......

"Are you tired of living?" Medusa glared at Xiao Fan, annoyed. "Do you think experts at this level are as common as cabbages? And you're going to cause him trouble..."

"Even if you have an irreconcilable blood feud with him, with your talent, I think you can defeat him fair and square in five years at most. Why go looking for trouble with him now?"

Xiao Fan knew that Medusa was right, and he didn't want to completely break ties with the Eagle Protector right now, but the system only gave him five days to complete the mission, so Xiao Fan had no other choice.

“I know you’re right, but… I have no choice right now, I have to deal with him.”

Rubbing his temples, Xiao Fan looked at Medusa: "Um..."

"Why should I help you?" Medusa interrupted Xiao Fan, seemingly having seen through his thoughts.

Yes, why should she help me? I haven't even refined the Spirit Fusion Pill that I promised her yet. Besides, this time the opponent is no less than Medusa before her breakthrough.

“However…” Medusa noticed the disappointment in Xiao Fan’s eyes, her tone shifting, a sly glint in her eyes. “If you agree to one condition, I might consider it…”

"What are the conditions?" Hearing that things had taken a turn for the better, Xiao Fan immediately asked. In any case, Medusa was the strongest force he could find right now. If he couldn't even recruit Medusa to his side, then he would really have to give up on this mission.

"I need you to promise that for the next three years, you will be my superior!"

Chapter 145 Three Conditions

Xiao Fan stared wide-eyed at Medusa.

"What, you're not willing?" Medusa stared at Xiao Fan, her eyes slightly narrowed, and spoke calmly, her tone carrying a hint of threat.

Xiao Fan shook his head and said to Medusa with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, please don't joke around."

"Who told you I was joking?"

Medusa glanced at Xiao Fan sideways, leaned against the windowsill, and looked at him with admiration in her voice.

“You are the most talented human I have ever seen. When I was undergoing my tribulation, you were just a Battle Master, but now, only a few months later, you have already become a Battle Spirit.”

The more Medusa talked, the more she felt that Xiao Fan was a rare talent.

"Moreover, not only has your strength improved remarkably, but you have now entered the realm of a fifth-grade alchemist, comparable to Gu He of the Jia Ma Empire. If we continue to let you continue like this, I wonder what kind of achievements you can attain?"

Hearing Medusa's words, Xiao Fan inwardly groaned. His strength had increased so much mainly because of the system, and now the system was giving him such a tricky task, which was why Xiao Fan was in a dilemma.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be foolish enough to break ties with the Eagle Protector with his current Dou Ling level strength. After all, the Eagle Protector's strength is undeniable, and besides, he also has to consider the presence of other powerful figures from the Soul Palace in the Black Corner Region.

The worst-case scenario is that there might still be a Black Heart Old Man in the Black Skull Tomb. The entire Black Skull Tomb is the territory of the Soul Hall. If it is discovered, not only will we have to face the Eagle Protector, but also the powerful figures in the Black Skull Tomb.

"Your Majesty is too kind to me." Xiao Fan looked at Medusa, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"I'm just a lowly Battle Spirit, not much help to you. Besides, if you have any requests, I generally can't refuse, can I?"

"Hehe." Medusa leaned against the window, smiled at the serious expression on Xiao Fan's face, and Xiao Fan's refusal was within her expectations.

The three-year condition was just a casual remark; she would be truly astonished if Xiao Fan actually agreed...

Seeing Xiao Fan's changing expression, Medusa knew that this enemy must be extremely formidable, yet also incredibly important to him. Even if Xiao Fan didn't speak, she... no, it was the little guy inside her who wouldn't refuse. She was just using this opportunity to ask for some benefits.

"In that case, I can agree to help you, but you have to agree to three conditions." Medusa crossed her arms, rested one hand on her chin, looked at Xiao Fan, and said calmly.

After thinking it over, Xiao Fan decided that exchanging three conditions for Medusa's help was a worthwhile deal, since she was currently the strongest fighter on his side.

"Sure," Xiao Fan agreed readily. "Go ahead and say it."

"The first condition is that you must hurry up and do your best to refine the Spirit Fusion Pill I need." Medusa's slender fingers circled around her chin for a while before she finally spoke, "I haven't thought about it yet. I'll tell you when I've thought it through."

After all, the Spirit Fusion Pill is related to the soul within her body. Only by fusing the soul of that little guy within her body can her strength truly reach its peak, and in this way, the soul of the Devouring Python within her body will no longer affect her will.

Now, Medusa believes that although she has developed some goodwill towards Xiao Fan because he helped her overcome her tribulation, she is still more influenced by the soul of the Devouring Python within her, and naturally wants to get rid of this influence as soon as possible.

"Alright then." Xiao Fan nodded. Anyway, Medusa's strength was undeniable, and he couldn't resist her. As the saying goes, since he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it.

As for the first condition, I had already agreed to it before. Although I hadn't tried my best to find the materials, the last remaining material is indeed not commonly found on the market.

We still need to appease this beautiful snake, otherwise, if things go wrong, given Medusa's personality, she might just throw me into the snake-people's territory to be fed to the snakes.

The Snake-People Queen, who was only a Douhuang at the time, was already renowned throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire. Do you really think she was just a pretty face?

It's important to know that many powerful figures in the Gama Empire have died at her hands; her reputation for beauty and her fearsomeness are practically synonymous.

Having resolved the issue of Medusa's combat strength, the next step is to consider how to deal with the Eagle Guardian.

First, the location of the battle must be chosen in a secluded place. This is relatively simple. I have the mark of the Eagle Guardian in my body. After we get out, I should be able to use the mark to lure him over.

The real battle begins after we've tricked them into coming.

First, we must ensure that we can subdue the Eagle Guardian. Although Medusa has advanced to the Dou Zong realm, defeating the Eagle Guardian is not a problem. The key now is whether we can subdue him.

After all, if the Eagle Protector saw that things were not going well and ran away, even Medusa probably wouldn't be able to stop him. Xiao Fan was aware of this.

"System, is there any way to stop the Eagle Protector from escaping?"

Unable to come up with a solution himself, Xiao Fan consulted the system. After all, it was a task triggered by the system, so it was best to ask the system itself.

As Xiao Fan finished speaking, the system panel reappeared in front of him, but this time the shop panel was opened by default.

Xiao Fan: ......

The system offers quite a few choices, for example:

The Heaven-Binding and Earth-Binding Net. It can restrict all laws and powers within the space. Once caught in the net, whether it is a Great Luo Golden Immortal or a Heavenly Emperor, one can only surrender helplessly. Price: 100 Source Coins.

Yama Incense. Once lit, it forces all living beings within a hundred miles into a deep sleep, regardless of their cultivation level or soul strength. Price: 10 Origin Coins.

There are also some lower-end options, like this:

Five Directions Anti-Air Formation. After use, it can seal off the internal space, temporarily blocking the space. Drawback: The formation breaks if any of the five formation flags are missing. Price: 15,000 Source Coins.

Xiao Fan's brows twitched as he looked at the options. They'd given so many choices, but the first two were really just to broaden his horizons, right? Such high prices—who could afford them?

As for the last Five Directions Anti-Air Formation, Xiao Fan felt it was more reliable, at least he could afford the last one with his current Source Coins.

Looking at my remaining Source Coins, after not using them for so long, the total amount of Source Coins I've accumulated is now 27820.

If you buy the Five Directions Anti-Air Formation, you'll still have over 12,000 Source Coins left.

One Earth-rank summon can be performed with 1 Source Coins. Unfortunately, in the current Battle Spirit, the Earth-rank summon section is still grayed out and unlocked.

Earth-rank summoning corresponds to Dou Huang and Dou Zong. Xiao Fan can only summon after he advances to Dou Wang, so there is no way to do it. You can buy it directly from the store, but the amount of source coins required is about half as much again.

It's fair to say that both have their advantages. Summoning templates are cheaper, but the items they drop are unreliable. The in-game store is a bit more expensive, but you can directly trade for the items you need.

Having chosen the Five-Party Anti-Air Array for trading, Xiao Fan's balance shrank by more than half, and five small and exquisite flags appeared in Xiao Fan's system space.

Chapter 146 Five Directions Anti-Air Formation

He took out the array flags of the Five Directions Anti-Air Array that he had just exchanged from the system space.

"what is this?"

Medusa asked curiously as she looked at the five flags that had suddenly appeared in Xiao Fan's hand, which were faintly surrounded by a spatial aura.

The five flags in Xiao Fan's hand are five different colors, corresponding to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

The gold flag corresponds to the element of metal, the green flag to the element of wood, the blue flag to the element of water, the red flag to the element of fire, and the black flag to the element of earth.