Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Queen Medusa's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent; she would not allow him to escape so easily.

She formed an ancient and profound hand seal, her body surging with red battle aura. Behind her, a giant red python, formed entirely from pure energy, suddenly appeared, its eyes bloodshot and radiating a ferocious, primordial aura.

With a flick of her jade finger in the direction Hai Bo had fled eastward, the giant red energy python let out a silent hiss, and its massive body shot through the air at a speed exceeding that of lightning, causing ripples in the space wherever it passed!

Hai Bodong sensed the terrifying energy fluctuations behind him, enough to freeze one's soul, and was so frightened that he pushed his escape speed to an unprecedented limit.

However, the giant red python followed him closely and eventually got there first!

"puff--!"

The giant energy python slammed into Hai Bodong's back, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood. His body trembled violently as he felt a strange and domineering sealing force, like countless venomous snakes, frantically drilling into his meridians and dantian, relentlessly eroding and sealing his foundation of fighting spirit.

He endured the excruciating pain that nearly made him faint and the weakness that caused his cultivation to plummet. Using the force of the impact, he actually increased his speed slightly, turning into a black dot and disappearing into the horizon.

"Hmph!" Queen Medusa snorted coldly, about to give chase and completely eliminate this formidable enemy who had injured her people and might know the clues to the strange fire.

Just then, a Snake-Man Battle King flew over swiftly and respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, the commander who was unconscious... he has awakened!"

Queen Medusa paused, halting her pursuit. She glanced in the direction Hai Bodong had disappeared, a hint of reluctance flashing in her beautiful eyes, but weighing the pros and cons, the news of the strange fire was clearly more important.

She finally gritted her teeth, gave up the pursuit of the heavily wounded and fleeing Hai Bodong, turned around and transformed into a streak of red light, speeding towards the clan's territory.

Above the desert, only the raging aftershocks of energy and a devastated battlefield remained, telling the story of the thrilling battle between the Emperors.

Although Hai Bodong managed to escape, the powerful seal left by Queen Medusa was like a persistent affliction, destined to stay with him for a long time and become the painful price he paid for this desert journey.

Other forces also suffered heavy casualties, with the Jia Ma Empire losing many Dou Wangs.

Chapter 29 Queen Medusa's Change

Two figures stood suspended in mid-air above a desolate sandy field. The intense sunlight scorched the sand, and the air itself seemed to distort slightly due to the high temperature.

Su Baichen, dressed in pristine white, stood out starkly from the dusty, sandy environment.

Beside him stood Queen Medusa, whose fame was as great as her beauty and whose infamy was equally renowned.

Today, she wore a purple brocade robe that perfectly accentuated her graceful curves. Her stunning beauty was enhanced by the sunlight, making her even more alluring. However, the occasional flash of majesty in her purple eyes reminded others of her noble status as the leader of the snake-people.

"Sir, according to the subordinate who investigated the injury, the source of the strange fire's fluctuations should be below this area." Queen Medusa turned her head slightly and said to Su Baichen, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible respect, and even a somewhat overly proactive enthusiasm.

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen glanced at the seemingly ordinary sand below, nodded slowly, and said nothing more.

He had already sensed the intense and pure fire energy hidden deep underground.

During this time together, thanks to the presence of the colorful butterfly, the attitude of the snake people, who had previously had a tense relationship with Su Baichen, especially Queen Medusa herself, has changed significantly towards Su Baichen.

From initial concerns to current trust and reliance, the honorific title "Sir" has become the common way the Snake-People address Su Baichen.

"Yes, I can already sense that powerful fire-type energy of heaven and earth," Su Baichen said calmly, his voice undisturbed. "Although it is hidden very deep, its unique heat and vitality cannot be faked. It should be right beneath this sandy ground."

Upon hearing this, Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes flashed with a glint of light, and she volunteered, "The earth's crust is hard, and ordinary methods are not enough to quickly break through it. In that case, I will clear the way for you, sir."

Before she could even respond, a dazzling red light erupted from her body, enveloping her like a burning flame. A powerful energy surge swept outwards, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly.

Within the crimson light, Queen Medusa's figure rapidly blurred and elongated. As the crimson light gradually dissipated, the once alluring woman vanished, replaced by an enormous purple serpent!

The giant python's body writhed, its scales shimmering with a cold, metallic luster. A powerful aura, befitting a sixth-tier magical beast, emanated from it, causing the snake-man elders behind it to instinctively lower their heads.

This is Medusa Queen's original form before evolution—the Purple Flame Serpent! A sixth-tier magical beast, with a fire-oriented attribute, it has an innate and extremely strong affinity for flames.

In her original destiny, she was to use the power of the strange fire to undergo a perilous evolution, transforming her into the even more powerful Seven-Colored Sky-Devouring Python. However, this evolution also brought the dangers of soul fusion, causing her body to be temporarily dominated by the newly born Seven-Colored Sky-Devouring Python's soul, which led to her later entangled and complicated encounters with Xiao Yan…

As Su Baichen gazed at the powerful and wildly beautiful purple python before him, his thoughts drifted away.

He recalled Queen Medusa's coldness, domineering nature, and subsequent changes in the original storyline. Comparing this to the current queen, whose demeanor had softened due to her sister Cai Die's safety, making her less aloof and cold than in the original story, and even quite warm and proactive towards him, he couldn't help but feel a strange unease and sigh inwardly:

"The survival of the butterfly has changed many things. Her temperament is no longer so extreme, and now she has even found the Green Lotus Earth Core Flame ahead of time... I, this butterfly that accidentally entered this world, with a gentle flap of my wings, seem to have indeed changed the course of many things."

Just as Su Baichen's mind raced, Queen Medusa, who had transformed into her true form as the Purple Nether Flame Serpent, let out a low hiss, and her mental fluctuations entered Su Baichen's mind: "Sir, I'm about to begin! Please follow me shortly!"

Before the words were finished, the enormous purple snake body suddenly moved, like a purple mountain range, carrying immense force, and crashed violently into the hard sand and stone ground below!

Boom! ...

A deafening roar suddenly erupted, like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

The entire sandy area trembled violently, and the point of impact exploded instantly, sending countless grains of sand and soil soaring into the sky like a fountain, forming a huge mushroom cloud of smoke and dust that blotted out the sun.

As the lingering smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a huge black hole with a diameter of more than ten meters appeared on the once flat sand. Its edges were smooth and its bottom was unfathomable, as if it led straight to the earth's core, emitting bursts of scorching earth energy.

Su Baichen was speechless for a moment when he saw this simple and crude way of clearing the way.

During this time, Queen Medusa mostly displayed her alluring side or discussed clan affairs in front of him. Although she was still majestic as a queen, it was rare for her to directly show the wild side of her true power, which made him quite unaccustomed to it.

After all, the queen had been so warm and welcoming to him lately that he sometimes felt she was quite different from the ruthless, proud, and aloof Medusa he remembered.

"Such initiative and efficiency have saved me a lot of trouble." Su Baichen shook his head slightly, suppressing that strange feeling.

He could sense that the passage had been opened and was extremely deep.

A moment later, Su Baichen's powerful soul perception detected that Queen Medusa had reached the depths of the earth and stopped.

Without further delay, he transformed into a streak of white light and instantly plunged into the bottomless cave.

The inner walls of the cave were smooth, obviously caused by the high temperature erosion when the Purple Flame Serpent forcefully impacted it.

Su Baichen's body plummeted rapidly, the surrounding temperature rose higher and higher, and the pungent smell of sulfur began to permeate the air.

In a short while, the view suddenly opened up. He had passed through a long passage and arrived at a huge underground space.

Queen Medusa has transformed back into human form and is standing on the shore of a bubbling, dark red lava lake.

The lava lake was vast, and the heat waves swept over us, turning the entire underground space a fiery red.

Upon seeing Su Baichen land, Queen Medusa immediately pointed to the lava lake ahead, her tone grave: "Sir, the unique energy fluctuations of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame become exceptionally clear here, and its source must be beneath this lava lake."

Queen Medusa paused for a moment before continuing, "However, it seems that some kind of fire-type creature is lurking in this lake. Its aura is not weak. As soon as I approached, I felt a faint soul force locking onto me."

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen turned his gaze to the churning lava, his soul power spreading out like mercury, instantly piercing through the scorching magma. A slight smile appeared on his lips; he already knew what the living beings Queen Medusa had spoken of were.

The two-headed fire spirit snake. In the original story, it was this creature that "led" Xiao Yan to the birthplace of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

"Yes, I can already sense it." Su Baichen's tone was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "Hiding and revealing is not the way to treat guests. I'll 'invite' it out. It has lived here for a long time and must know the exact location of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. It's good to have it lead the way for us, which will save us from searching slowly in this magma."

After saying that, Su Baichen casually raised his right hand and gently grabbed down at the vast lava lake in front of him!

Without any earth-shattering display, an invisible yet immense and vast fighting spirit surged forth instantly, condensing in the air into a gigantic, semi-transparent energy hand!

This palm was solid and tangible, with clear lines, radiating a terrifying pressure, as if it could seize mountains and stir up rivers!

Ignoring the terrifyingly high temperature that could melt metal, the giant energy hand plunged directly into the churning lava, grabbing at something hidden deep within the lava as easily as taking something out of a bag!

Chapter 30 The Unlucky Two-Headed Fire Serpent (Data Requested)

Deep within the lava, in a relatively calm area, the molten lava flows slowly like viscous blood.

The two-headed fire spirit serpent, a fourth-tier magical beast that usually reigns supreme in this underground lava region, is now tightly curled up behind a huge dark red rock. Its two ferocious heads are lowered, and its four snake eyes are filled with undisguised fear. Even the fire attribute energy that was originally active around its body has become chaotic.

Its simple intelligence was completely unable to comprehend why such terrifying beings had repeatedly invaded its lair today.

First, there was the giant purple serpent (the true form of Queen Medusa) that exuded a similar but more advanced and terrifying fiery aura. Just a fleeting glimpse of its aura was enough to make it tremble from the depths of its bloodline.

Then, a seemingly tiny human man appeared, but the invisible pressure emanating from him was even more suffocating than that of the giant purple snake, as if a single thought from the other party could cause its soul to be scattered.

Its only thought now is to hide, desperately concealing all its aura, disguising itself as a lifeless volcanic rock, and praying that these two evil stars will leave quickly and restore peace to its lava domain.

Its pitiful wisdom was filled with the simplest wish: "You can't see me, you can't see me, go away, go away..."

However, the wish was beautiful, but the reality was cruel.

Just as the two-headed fire serpent was trembling and almost embedded itself into the rock, an indescribable and terrifying force, far beyond its comprehension, descended like an invisible shackle!

Before it could even react, it felt a tightness all over its body, as if the flowing magma had turned into an indestructible crystal, imprisoning it firmly.

It raised its two heads in terror, and its four snake eyes instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints!

"Hiss!" (Holy crap, what's going on?)

A giant, translucent hand, composed entirely of pure energy, ignored the scorching, viscous magma and reached straight for it as if it were penetrating clear water!

The immense pressure emanating from that giant hand prevented it from even having the slightest thought of resistance, and its very soul wailed.

(The two-headed fire serpent was filled with despair, wanting to cry but having no tears. In its simple mind, only one thought was frantically echoing: "I'm just sitting at home, and a hand comes down from the sky! What did I do to deserve this?!")

Without giving it any chance to struggle, beg for mercy, or even scream in fear, the giant palm of fighting spirit closed its five fingers and, as if picking up a pebble, easily scooped the massive two-headed fire spirit snake out of its supposedly safe hiding place.

The giant hand contained irresistible power, pulling it apart the thick lava and rapidly lifting it upwards.

The two-headed fire spirit serpent felt dizzy and was being dragged along by that force, breaking through layers of magma. It watched helplessly as it moved further and further away from its safe nest, rapidly approaching the source of those two terrifying auras.

Its two heads drooped limply, unable to even emit a symbolic breath of fire, leaving only boundless fear and resigned despair.

…………

"Crack-!"

As lava cascaded down like a waterfall, the massive body of the two-headed fire spirit serpent was easily lifted out of the lava lake by the giant palm of battle qi.

The molten lava slid down its crimson scales and dripped back into the lake with a hissing sound.

The anticipated scenario of the monsters being startled and then retaliating in a rage, or at least staring at each other in fear and dread, did not materialize.

On the contrary, this fourth-tier magical beast, which was a dominant force in the surrounding area, immediately did something that caught the attention of both Su Baichen and Queen Medusa as soon as it was freed from the giant hand that imprisoned it.

Instead of revealing its fangs, its two ferocious heads lowered simultaneously in an extremely awkward yet trying-to-perform posture, cautiously approaching Su Baichen. Its four originally fierce snake eyes were now filled with fawning expressions, and it hissed softly, the sound gentle and melodious, forming a huge contrast with its huge size and ferocious appearance.

His demeanor was exactly as if he were saying, "Big Boss, your arrival is truly a great honor! Is there anything I, a humble snake, can do for you? Please give me your orders, and I guarantee I will provide impeccable service!"

Su Baichen and Queen Medusa exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of speechlessness and a wry smile in each other's eyes.

With their keen eyesight, they could naturally tell that this two-headed fire spirit serpent had an extraordinary bloodline. If they had the opportunity to nurture it properly, it wouldn't be difficult for it to grow into a sixth-tier magical beast in the future.

Most monsters are unruly, especially those with ancient bloodlines, who value their dignity highly. (This is just a aside; it doesn't actually have any special bloodlines.)

But this one in front of me... its posture is too low, it's simply shameless.

Su Baichen's lips curled into a playful smile as he deliberately teased, "Oh? That's strange. Logically speaking, magical beasts of your level should have at least some backbone, right?"

"Even if you're outmatched, it's normal to roar and show off. How come you're like this the moment we meet?"

Upon hearing this, the two-headed fire serpent immediately began shaking its two heads wildly like rattles. A deep sense of grievance welled up in its four eyes, and its hissing became rapid, as if it were desperately trying to defend itself: "Spirit? What is that? Can it be eaten? To talk about spirit in front of you two is tantamount to courting death! Great sirs, my respect for you is as vast and boundless as this lava lake. I only wish to serve you, and have absolutely no other intentions!"

Its simple mind underwent the most intense process of its life the moment it was pulled out.