Chapter 30: Luo Bu Terrified into Incontinence, Queen Medusa Takes Flight

Out in the desert, Xu Guang, Xiao Ding, and the others were waiting with eager curiosity.

Suddenly, a clamor erupted from behind. A group of men pushed past the surrounding mercenaries, led by Luo Bu, the leader of the Desert Mercenary Group.

"Luo Bu, what are you doing here?" Xu Guang stepped through the crowd to face him.

Luo Bu put on a smile. "City Lord Xu, my men told me you obtained an elixir from that lord that can accelerate cultivation. Is that true?"

Xu Guang replied expressionlessly, "It is, but it has nothing to do with you. You were the ones who chose to withdraw yesterday."

Luo Bu waved his hand dismissively. "That’s not the way to look at it. We’re all developing in Shimo City. When there’s something good..."

"Get lost," Xiao Li interrupted bluntly. "We’ve been working hard for a full day and night. You think you can just show up and claim a share with a few words? Dream on!"

"Xiao Li, is it your place to speak here?" Luo Bu’s eyes narrowed.

Xu Guang chuckled. "Vice-leader Xiao’s words represent my own."

"City Lord Xu, you’re being unreasonable... Wait! You—you’ve leveled up?!" Luo Bu was about to issue a threat, but mid-sentence, he felt the aura emanating from Xu Guang and his expression shifted violently.

"I was fortunate enough to earn the favor of that lord," Xu Guang said, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he observed Luo Bu’s face, which looked as though he had swallowed something foul.

Luo Bu’s face crumpled into a grimace of pure wretchedness. In just a single night, Xu Guang had managed to pull ahead of him. Damn it, what kind of luck had this guy stumbled upon? If he had known this would happen, he never would have walked away yesterday!

Behind Luo Bu, the leaders of other mercenary groups, who had planned to use their numbers to pressure Xu Guang and the others, saw their complexions turn ashen. The two sides fell into a stalemate, neither daring to speak.

Just then, a dull rumble erupted from a distant dune. A few mercenaries standing atop it didn't even have time to react before a powerful surge of energy blasted them dozens of meters into the air. Before their screams could fully fade, their bodies were engulfed in cyan flames, turning into nothing but ash before they even hit the ground.

"What is that?" Xiao Li was startled, his expression tightening with anxiety. Xiao Ding instinctively gripped his weapon, staring fixedly at the figure shooting into the sky. Xu Guang and Luo Bu, forgetting their standoff, looked toward the area with mounting dread.

The mere shockwave of the blast had sent men flying dozens of meters, and that eerie flame had melted them in an instant. If such a person—or such a fire—were to descend upon Shimo City, they would all surely die.

Soon, a massive purple serpent with shimmering, iridescent scales burst from the ground. A terrifying, overwhelming aura erupted across the entire region.

"Queen Medusa!"

Xu Guang, Luo Bu, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and the others had their expressions change instantly. Without even a chance to struggle, they collapsed to their knees on the sand, unable to withstand the crushing pressure.

Luo Bu’s face was deathly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably as he stared at the figure in the sky. "Why would Queen Medusa come to Shimo City? Damn it, we’re all going to die!" he cursed under his breath. Having operated in this region for so long, he had never once encountered the Queen in person. She was a terrifying existence whose very name made the powerful figures of the Jia Ma Empire tremble.

"It must be that guy from yesterday! He’s the one who lured Queen Medusa here. He’s probably already dead!" As the image of Hun Cang flashed through his mind, Luo Bu cursed internally. *Why provoke Queen Medusa? Does he think just because he has a bit of talent at a young age that he can act so recklessly?*

Just then, Luo Bu caught a glimpse of black mist erupting from that same area. The thick fog churned, obscuring his vision, but he could see chains shimmering with a metallic luster lashing out at the giant purple serpent. The serpent lashed its tail with a force that seemed capable of shattering space itself, striking the encircling chains. It broke five of them, but was immediately bound by the rest.

"Give up, Medusa. If you were at your peak, I might fear you, but as you are now, you are no match for me," a voice echoed from within the black mist.

On the ground, Luo Bu blinked. "Why does that voice sound so familiar?"

"You idiot, you can’t even recognize that lord’s voice?" Xiao Li heard him and couldn't help but mock him.

*That lord is a Dou Huang? I refused the orders of a Dou Huang yesterday?* A chill crawled up Luo Bu’s spine. Despite being in the middle of the scorching desert, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Why is there such a foul stench here?" someone behind Luo Bu muttered, pinching their nose.

Luo Bu didn't dare look up anymore; he buried his head in the sand and began frantically scooping more sand over himself, trying to hide. This sight drew snickers from Xu Guang and the Xiao brothers. Who would have thought that the arrogant and overbearing leader of the Desert Mercenary Group would one day be scared into wetting himself?

However, once the laughter faded, a lingering fear took hold of the three men. The lord from yesterday had looked so young—who could have believed he was a Dou Huang, capable of battling Queen Medusa and holding his own?

*Young... a Dou Huang...* A frantic thought flashed through Xiao Li’s mind, and he cast a questioning look at his brother, Xiao Ding. Xiao Ding wore the same expression. The two locked eyes and looked back at the thick black mist in the sky, a flicker of anticipation growing in their hearts. *Could it be our brother’s eldest brother?*

The giant serpent spoke in a cold, human voice: "If I hadn't been injured, you, a mere five-star Dou Huang, would be delusional to think you could harm me."

"Medusa, talk is useless now. I advise you to surrender," Hun Cang replied with a faint smile.

Having left the vicinity of the magma, he no longer needed to expend his Dou Qi to resist the intense heat, and his internal energy was recovering rapidly. Queen Medusa, on the other hand, had also left the lava, but she was still suppressing the terrifying heat of the Green Lotus Core Flame. Furthermore, she had been injured earlier while trying to seize it. Hun Cang was confident that if he waited just a little longer, he would be able to subdue her.

He had certain thoughts about this "beauty snake." Everyone mocks Xu Xian, but faced with the beauty of Bai Suzhen, who wouldn't want to be Xu Xian? And compared to Bai Suzhen, Queen Medusa’s innate, bone-deep allure was truly hard to resist.

*He’s wearing me down!* Realizing Hun Cang’s intent, Queen Medusa unleashed one final powerful strike, shattering the chains on her body before darting rapidly toward the depths of the desert.

*As expected of a fierce beast on the verge of breaking through to the Dou Zong realm...* Hun Cang exclaimed in surprise, not expecting her physical strength to be so great that she could break his soul chains.

The countless tendrils of black mist retracted into his body, condensing into a pair of massive Dou Qi wings. Hun Cang gave chase; the Green Lotus Core Flame was right before his eyes—there was no reason to give up now.

As the two Dou Huangs vanished into the distance, the people below let out a long, collective sigh, feeling as though they had narrowly escaped death.