While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Chapter 102 The Wealthy and Powerful Cao Family

In the pale light of dawn, a nearly two-meter-tall eagle soared across the sky.

On its back stood a girl in a black dress.

Beside the eagle, a middle-aged man with a stern expression walked leisurely through the air.

Walking in the air is the most direct manifestation of ability after advancing to the Dou Zong level, and can be regarded as a symbol of a Dou Zong powerhouse.

"Fourth Uncle, why are we slowing down?"

"Because we are already inside the Gama Empire. Although this empire in the Northwest Continent is not strong, its territory is quite vast. We are unfamiliar with the area, and it would be too time-consuming for us to search on our own. We need to find someone to ask. Fortunately, someone is coming from behind."

Although the cold-faced man was incredibly powerful, he patiently explained the girl's doubts.

As soon as he finished speaking, he completely concealed his aura.

Along the way, Cao Xi had gained a clear understanding of the strength and situation of the Northwest Continent.

A Dou Zong expert is someone that countless people in this region can only look up to.

Therefore, if he doesn't conceal his aura, few people dare to approach him.

Sure enough, after he had subsided, he sensed two more powerful auras emerging from the city he had just passed through, approaching at breakneck speed.

Soon, even the girl standing on the back of the flying eagle could see three figures appear in her line of sight as she turned around.

Leading the pack was a handsome young man dressed in a white robe.

He looked very young, but the pair of magnificent and dazzling ice-blue battle aura wings on his back indicated that he was a powerhouse above the Battle King level.

Behind him were two women, one older and one younger, flying very close together, looking like a mother and daughter, or perhaps sisters; their relationship was not yet clear.

These two women are also quite strong.

Soon, the three spotted them waiting in the distant sky, concealing their presence. After a moment's hesitation, they cautiously approached.

On the other side, as the distance grew closer, Chen Xiao could see the two people and one beast waiting more and more clearly.

The Dou Zong aura that was sensed earlier was actually emitted by that middle-aged man, but his specific strength was unknown.

Even Queen Medusa, who followed closely behind, could not see through him.

On the back of the eagle stood a tall, slender girl in a black dress. She was clearly young, but her figure was very well-developed. She exuded a cold and arrogant aura, her skin was as white as snow, and her long black hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

Her face was slightly thin, but exceptionally delicate, like porcelain, and very eye-catching.

She stood on the back of the eagle, gazing into the distance. Her long, slightly languid eyes revealed an innate allure, captivating and enchanting.

"Greetings, senior."

After glancing at each other, Chen Xiao and the other two greeted each other first.

Even the aloof Queen Medusa was no exception at this moment.

After all, although she has successfully evolved, she has not yet shed her snake form and needs a little more time.

In other words, she is not yet a true Dou Zong powerhouse, so she dares not be impolite.

"Don't be nervous, I just have something I'd like to ask you."

Cao Xi spoke slowly, a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes.

Chen Xiao and Zi Yan need no further explanation; their age and strength are already surprising enough.

Cao Xi could also sense that Queen Medusa's condition was very strange. It seemed that she had crossed the barrier of Dou Zong, but had not been able to fully advance to Dou Zong.

However, one thing is certain: all she lacks is a little time.

"We have come to the Jia Ma Empire to search for a man named Chen Xiao in Wutan City. Have you heard of him?"

Listening to the middle-aged man's words, Queen Medusa and Zi Yan both had strange expressions, not understanding what was going on.

If you're here to find Chen Xiao, why don't you recognize him?

And, by sheer coincidence, they happened to find Chen Xiao to inquire about it, which was truly amusing.

Chen Xiao already had some guesses about the identities of these two people, and upon hearing this, he became even more certain.

"Replying to Senior, Chen Xiao is my friend. I can make some connections for you. May I ask who you are, Senior...?"

"Zhongzhou, the Cao family... no, tell him that Miss Qinglin sent us," Cao Xi replied.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao had no more doubts.

Qing Lin alone, at present, is not enough to command such respect from the Cao family.

But since Qinglin was always with Xun'er, his status was different. Even though the Cao family was one of the five great families in Zhongzhou Danyu, they were still insignificant in front of the ancient clan.

The gap between them is like that between the Xiao family of Wutan City and the Yunlan Sect.

Even more outrageous than that.

Therefore, Cao Xi's current attitude is quite understandable.

The girl beside Cao Xi was also slightly moved at this moment.

She only knew that the Cao family had recently welcomed several distinguished guests, which made the entire family attach great importance to it, but she didn't know what those distinguished guests talked about with the Cao family's senior management.

The very next day, she was told good news: in the distant Northwest Continent, there was an unclaimed strange fire, and her family would send someone to bring her there to collect it.

There is no need to elaborate on the preciousness of strange fire. It is definitely worth spending a few months on it, because even for high-level beast fire, finding a suitable one sometimes takes more than a few months.

In comparison, collecting different types of fire is much more cost-effective.

And so, under Cao Xi's escort, she arrived in the Northwest Continent.

Along the way, Cao Xi repeatedly warned that the person who came to find them was special. For this reason, he even made a special trip to Canaan Academy to inquire. Such a serious attitude made the girl very curious.

Now, I finally understand a little more.

Among the distinguished guests who visited the Cao family, one seemed to be named Qinglin.

"Does the senior have any proof?"

"There is a letter written by Miss Qinglin herself."

Cao Xi took out a letter from his storage ring and gestured to it, but his gaze kept sizing up Chen Xiao, making him even more suspicious of his identity.

With his exceptional eyesight, Chen Xiao was able to determine that the handwriting on the letter was not Qing Lin's, but Xun'er's.

He immediately smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting again.

"Senior, I am actually Chen Xiao."

Having confirmed that the other party had come under the guidance of Xun'er and Qinglin, Chen Xiao no longer concealed the truth.

A slightly serious smile appeared on Cao Xi's cold face.

"Haha, I guessed it. The moment I saw young friend Chen Xiao, I had my suspicions. Before coming to the Jia Ma Empire, I went to Canaan Academy. There is a young man from my Cao family who is cultivating there. Young friend Chen Xiao should be very familiar with him. From him, we learned more about young friend Chen Xiao."

Cao Xi was friendly and addressed him as a young friend, showing no airs of a powerful Dou Zong.

Under these circumstances, the initial contact between the two parties proceeded in a fairly harmonious atmosphere.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly and looked at the letter in his hand.

Without hesitation, Cao Xi used his fighting spirit to control the energy and send it to Chen Xiao.

While Chen Xiao was reading the letter, Cao Xi spoke up to introduce the situation.

"My name is Cao Xi, and I am the fourth in the Cao family. Young friend Chen Xiao and the two of you can simply call me Fourth Elder. This is Cao Ying, a junior in the family, who has some talent."

Cao Ying smiled and nodded, bowing slightly in greeting.

Everyone present, except for her, was at least at the Dou Wang level.

Moreover, her identity is quite extraordinary, and she is connected with those distinguished guests. Under these circumstances, it is only natural for her to adopt a humble attitude.

Chen Xiao had finished reading the letter, put it away, and nodded slightly in response.

Cao Ying, the enchanting woman of the Cao family…

This person's talent is beyond words. She broke through to become a fighter at the age of seven and became an alchemist. This alone is enough to make countless people ashamed, not to mention her terrifying talent in alchemy.

Suddenly, Chen Xiao remembered some stories he had told Queen Medusa a few years ago. After thinking about them carefully, he was sure that no names had been mentioned at the time, and then he felt relieved.

Beside him, Zi Yan smiled and waved in return.

Once she was certain that the two were not enemies and were connected to Chen Xiao, she was no longer nervous.

Queen Medusa nodded slightly; she valued Cao Xi, the Dou Zong, more than Cao Ying…

In her eyes, Cao Ying's talent was indeed quite good. She looked to be only a teenager, but she already had the strength of a Great Dou Master. She was the most talented person she had ever seen besides Chen Xiao.

However, in any case, he is just a junior.

Moreover, she had heard Chen Xiao mention that there was an even more extraordinary demoness in Zhongzhou.

Therefore, her reaction was calm.

"Young friend Chen Xiao, you should now know why we've come. Why don't we find a place to sit down and talk?"

"That's how it should be, Fourth Elder, please wait a moment."

Chen Xiao nodded in agreement, then looked at Queen Medusa beside him.

He transmitted his voice, saying, "A long time ago, I considered how to deal with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. After some thought, I selected two forces. For some reason, I am more than 90% confident that they will not try to seize it, nor will they endanger your Serpent-People race. Therefore, to make it easier to deal with the strange flame later, I want to bring them into the Holy City. What does Your Majesty think?"

Medusa glanced at Chen Xiao. "What if?"

just in case…

Chen Xiao shook his head.

The probability of this is infinitely close to zero.

The Cao family is wealthy and powerful; they could obtain the strange fire openly and honestly by paying a small price. Why would they risk the entire clan by using force?

"Do what you want; it's none of my business."

Without any further communication, Queen Medusa left a single sentence before slowly shrinking in a burst of light, transforming back into a small, seven-colored snake. At a speed that Cao Xi couldn't even see clearly, it darted into Chen Xiao's sleeve.

She has successfully evolved and is now at a crucial stage in advancing to the Dou Zong realm. She would not have shown herself if she hadn't sensed the appearance of a Dou Zong expert and been worried about unforeseen events.

Seeing Queen Medusa's actions, Chen Xiao remained silent.

Medusa seems a bit off today.

However, considering that he had seen it before and even tried it out by accident, Chen Xiao understood somewhat.

The Medusa Queens of the Serpent People share a common trait: they either live out their lives alone or, after falling in love with a man, remain devoted to him until death.

Given his purely cooperative relationship with Queen Medusa, these two transgressions would have likely been met with hostility from her if she hadn't been so cautious.

With a sigh, Chen Xiao came back to his senses.

"Fourth Elder, Miss Cao Ying, please come with me. Let's talk in another place."

Upon returning to the Holy City, Chen Xiao expected that the elders of the Snake-People tribe would become wary and try every means to inquire about him.

However, somewhat unexpectedly, the elders did not reappear from beginning to end. Instead, Flower Snake came out to greet them and arranged accommodations for Cao Xi and Cao Ying. It is unknown whether she received a reminder from Queen Medusa.

Fifteen minutes later.

With the trivial matters settled, the four of them gathered at the small building where Chen Xiao was temporarily staying.

After taking his seat, Cao Xi waved his hand, creating a barrier that isolated the outside world from sight and sound.

Without any beating around the bush, he took out four fragrant sandalwood boxes from his storage ring, opened them one by one, and instantly, a rich aroma of elixir filled the room.

"Young friend Chen Xiao, when Miss Qinglin and the others came to my Cao family, they said that with your cultivation speed, by the time Cao Ying and I met you, you would most likely have already broken through to the Dou Wang level. Therefore, based on this information, before Cao Ying and I came to the Northwest, our family prepared four pills that you might need in the future."

"These are the Spirit-Fighting Pill, the Imperial Extreme Pill, the Sect-Breaking Pill, and the Sect Origin Pill. This is the Cao family's sincere offering!"

"Of course, that's not all. We know how much a strange flame can help an alchemist. In addition, young friend, you can also propose some conditions, and we will discuss them slowly. We will definitely give you a satisfactory result."

Look, both families wanted to exchange for different flames, but Gu He in the original timeline only verbally explained it to Queen Medusa, while the Cao family directly presented the pills.

It's like having a card worth 10 million gold coins and actually having 10 million gold coins piled in front of you. The two feelings are completely different.

It has to be said that Chen Xiao was inevitably tempted by the four pills on the table.

(End of this chapter)