16
The remnant soul of Saint Qing Ling had not completely dissipated; to guide her in fully stabilizing the power of the Inheritance, it temporarily resided within this mark.
A faint yet clear stream of information was transmitted through the mark into the depths of Queen Medusa's mind.
After reading this information, a flicker of obvious astonishment uncontrollably flashed across Queen Medusa's stunning and majestic face.
Immediately, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
That high and mighty queenly posture, looking down upon all living beings, could not be maintained for a moment.
It revealed a complex expression, filled with helplessness, annoyance, and even a hint of... amusement.
"Ancestor... really..."
"Forget it, let's return to the tribe to stabilize the situation first."
She withdrew her gaze from Wutan City and turned her eyes toward the direction of the Holy City of the Snake-People.
Queen Medusa's emergence from seclusion was like a massive boulder thrown into the seemingly calm lake of the Jia Ma Empire.
The pressure of a Dou Zun level caused all forces within the Empire to feel a bone-chilling cold.
This forced them to begin re-evaluating the future power structure and their own positioning.
And the ambiguous relationship between Queen Medusa and Xiao Qing, along with the flickering cyan mark on the back of her hand,
indicated that the return of Her Majesty the Queen would bring about far more than just a simple reunion after a long separation.
Chapter 145, Revisit the Black-Corner Region, Meeting Medusa
On a morning two months later, inside the Xiao Family villa in Wutan City.
Xiao Qing looked at Gu Xun'er, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin before him, and instructed in a calm tone:
"I need to take Xiao Yan and the others to Jia Nan Academy to get them settled, and handle some matters in the Black-Corner Region along the way."
"You all stay in Wutan City and cultivation with peace of mind."
Having stayed in the Xiao Family for over two months, his cultivation had already reached the Peak of Dou Zong, and after this trip, he could begin preparing for a breakthrough to Dou Zun.
Gu Xun'er's gaze was calm, as if she had already guessed what Xiao Qing was going to do, and she said softly:
"Brother Xiao Qing, be careful in everything. The people of the Soul Hall act deceitfully, so do not be careless."
Little Fairy Doctor clenched her fists, her eyes determined: "Big Brother, I will work hard to cultivation and strive to be able to help you in the future!"
Qing Lin nodded obediently and said in a low voice: "Brother, come back soon."
In front of the Xiao Family's main gate, the three Xiao brothers, along with Xiao Yu who had unexpectedly obtained a spot, stood together, their faces filled with excitement and trepidation.
Xiao Yu was particularly excited; she hadn't expected to also receive the opportunity to study at Jia Nan Academy.
Xiao Qing waved his sleeve casually.
The space in front of him rippled like a calm water surface after a stone was thrown into it; a stable and deep passage slowly formed, with different auras faintly emanating from the other end.
"Let's go." Xiao Qing stepped in first.
Xiao Yu covered her small mouth, her eyes wide open, her voice trembling with disbelief:
"A... a space passage? Cousin Xiao Qing, what... what kind of strength do you have?"
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were also full of shock; they knew this cousin was very strong.
But seeing him tear through space so effortlessly and construct a stable passage still exceeded their imagination.
This method, I fear even the legendary Dou Zong could hardly achieve it, right?
Xiao Yan looked at the space passage, his eyes bursting with extreme brilliance, a voice shouting in his heart:
"Is this a true expert? Controlling space with a mere gesture! I must become as strong as Cousin!"
Xiao Qing took the four of them into the space passage, and their figures instantly vanished.
Such exquisite control over the Spatial Power had already surpassed the scope of an ordinary Dou Zun.
Relying on precise positioning of space, the group soon arrived at the outskirts of Jia Nan Academy.
Xiao Qing personally brought the four to the academy and handled the enrollment matters.
He introduced Xiao Yan to the Elder Huo who had been waiting for a long time.
The Elder Huo was a spirited old man; after sensing Xiao Yan's soul Power, which far exceeded that of an ordinary person,
a trace of satisfaction flashed in his cloudy eyes, and he stroked his beard, nodding at Xiao Qing: "Not bad, he is a good seedling; this old man will teach him well."
While settling the few, Xiao Qing's soul Power inadvertently swept across the depths of the Inner Court.
He felt two obscure fluctuations that were currently attacking the bottleneck, their auras already surpassing that of an ordinary Dou Zong.
"It's The Two Elders, Qian and Bai; it seems they are on the verge of a breakthrough, and the foundation of Jia Nan Academy is about to strengthen again."
Xiao Qing's heart stirred, but he did not disturb them.
Meanwhile, far away in the Holy City of the Snake-People in the Tagor Desert.
Queen Medusa had quickly arranged all the affairs within the tribe with thunderous methods.
The pressure belonging to a Dou Zun was released without reservation, making all the Snake-People Elders and warriors submit willingly, not daring to have the slightest objection.
After dealing with tribal affairs, the ten-year agreement surfaced in her heart.
Simultaneously, the figure of the only human male who had defeated her in a head-on confrontation also emerged.
Going there this time, besides fulfilling the agreement, she also had the intention of verifying the results of her three years of bitter cultivation and exploring the other party's current strength.
Black-Corner Region, outside Peace Town.
Xiao Qing had just walked out of the range of Peace Town and was preparing to set off for the Mountain Range of the Dead Souls, but his steps paused slightly.
He looked up at the distant horizon, where a familiar and powerful aura was approaching at an extremely fast speed.
In just a moment, a brilliant nine-colored stream of light streaked across the sky like a meteor, landing precisely on the open ground not far in front of him.
The rosy light slowly converged, revealing the figure of unparalleled grace within.
It was none other than Queen Medusa!
She was still wearing a luxurious purple dress, which outlined her graceful and alluring curves to the fullest, her face peerless.
Those light purple eyes were even deeper than three years ago, naturally carrying majesty and a hint of soul-stirring charm in their movement.
Queen Medusa looked at Xiao Qing standing before her, feeling the aura on his body that was as calm as the sea, yet faintly made her feel a trace of pressure, and a flash of shock could not help but cross her heart.
"Three years, leaping from Dou Wang to Nine-Star Dou Zong? What kind of terrifying Cultivation speed is this?"
But immediately, feeling the vast Dou Zun power within her own body, she was relieved.
No matter what, she was now a Dou Zun, her cultivation far surpassing his.
Her red lips parted slightly, her voice carrying a unique magnetism, and she got straight to the point: "This Queen has come to fulfill the agreement."
Xiao Qing met her gaze with a calm expression.
Three years unseen, her elegance was even greater than before, and the Dou Zun aura around her was solid and powerful.
A faint smile appeared on his face, and without small talk, he directly issued an invitation:
"It just so happens that I am going to eliminate a potential threat. Will you come with me?"
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
Their gazes met in the air, as if invisible sparks were colliding and probing.
Queen Medusa looked at the young man before her, whose aura was calm, and who now even made her feel a faint pressure.
Scenes of her defeat back then flashed through her mind, along with certain instructions from Saint Qing Ling's remnant soul.
Finally, the corners of her lips curled into a cold and beautiful arc, and she spat out a single word decisively:
"Good!"
Without any extra nonsense, the two figures instantly turned into streams of light, speeding toward the Mountain Range of the Dead Souls at the border of the Northwest Region of Central Plains and the Black-Corner Region.
One was a Nine-Star Dou Zong Peak who possessed multiple Laws, and the other was a One-Star Dou Zun powerhouse with an ancestral bloodline; both were astonishingly fast, leaving faint traces of spatial fluctuations in the air.
On the outskirts of the Mountain Range of the Dead Souls, cold winds howled and black mist swirled, giving people an ominous feeling.
Xiao Qing and Queen Medusa hid within the the void, concealing their own auras.
Xiao Qing closed his eyes, his Late Stage Spirit Realm soul Power spreading silently like the finest invisible spider web.
It easily penetrated the hidden barrier that shrouded the entire mountain range and was capable of interfering with and obstructing soul detection.
In his soul perception, everything in the depths of the mountain range clearly emerged.
A sinister black hall sat in the deepest part, and around the hall, countless illusory soul bodies emitting cold auras were patrolling in an orderly fashion.
In the core area of the hall, two particularly powerful soul fluctuations were as conspicuous as torches in the darkness.
One aura was solid and heavy, carrying a bloody scent, at about the Two-Star Dou Zun level, while the other was slightly more floaty and unstable, obviously having just broken through to Dou Zun not long ago.
Besides this, there were no fewer than thirty auras belonging to the Dou Zong level scattered throughout the hall.
Xiao Qing opened his eyes, looked at Queen Medusa beside him, and clearly informed her of the situation he had detected via soul transmission:
"Hall Master Venerable Minghe, Two-Star Dou Zun; Deputy Hall Master Venerable Tianyou, One-Star Dou Zun; thirty-two Protectors at the Dou Zong level."
"I can silently break the barrier outside. Our goal is to directly eliminate the two leaders."
A trace of surprise flashed in Queen Medusa's eyes; she had not expected Xiao Qing's soul Power to be so powerful that it not only penetrated the barrier but also investigated the internal situation in such detail.
She nodded slightly, a sharp look flashing in her light purple eyes, and with a trace of arrogance and probing Battle Intent, she transmitted back:
"That Two-Star Dou Zun, leave it to this Queen! The other one, and those small fry, you handle them?"
She intended to use this opportunity to weigh Xiao Qing's true combat power now.
Queen Medusa knew of Xiao Qing's terrifying combat power, capable of fighting across ranks.
Xiao Qing looked at her, understood the thoughts in her heart, and with a calm smile on his face, responded concisely: "Sure."
It was just an opponent who had just entered the Dou Zun level; with his current foundation and multiple Law powers, even in a head-on confrontation, he had the confidence to kill him.
He also wanted to see what level of strength Queen Medusa had reached after her breakthrough to Dou Zun and further bloodline Awakening.
The two looked at each other, both seeing cold killing intent in the other's eyes.
The Spatial Power around Xiao Qing began to fluctuate obscurely, preparing to tear through that layer of the barrier.
Queen Medusa gripped her jade hand slightly, nine-colored rosy light quietly condensing in her palm; the terrifying Dou Zun aura was restrained but not released, yet it had already caused the surrounding space to produce subtle tremors.
Above the Mountain Range of the Dead Souls, the dark clouds seemed to thicken even more.
Two Peak experts from the Jia Ma Empire joined forces here because of an agreement.
A hunt targeting the Soul Hall Branch Hall was about to begin.
And the Soul Hall Branch Hall deep in the mountains remained immersed in its usual gloom and tranquility, completely unaware that the shadow of destruction had already quietly shrouded it.
This battle was not only to eliminate threats and seize the soul Origin, but also the first joint effort between Xiao Qing and Queen Medusa, testing their relationship and tacit understanding.
Chapter 146, Destroy Soul Hall, soul Origin, breakthrough to Dou Zun
Above the Mountain Range of the Dead Souls, cold winds howled.
Xiao Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, his Late Stage Spirit Realm soul Power like an invisible giant hammer, smashing fiercely toward the invisible barrier shrouding the mountain range.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound that could only be perceived on the soul level came, and that soul barrier, which was sufficient to block an early-stage Dou Zun,
shattered instantly like glass struck by a heavy blow at this moment, turning into countless soul fragments and dissipating into the air.
"The barrier..."
"The barrier is broken!"
Terrified shouts from low-level Protectors of the Soul Hall immediately came from the mountain range.
Two tyrannical auras instantly soared into the sky from the black hall deep in the mountains.
Leading them was an old man dressed in gray robes with a sinister face; he was the Hall Master of this Branch Hall, the Two-Star Dou Zun Venerable Minghe.
Beside him followed a Black-robed man whose aura was slightly more floaty; he was the One-Star Dou Zun Venerable Tianyou, obviously having broken through not long ago.
Venerable Tianyou had a fiery temper; as soon as he came out, he roared: "What kind of small fry dares to come to my Soul Hall to run wild! You are simply courting death!"
Venerable Minghe's gaze swept over Xiao Qing, flashing with a trace of confusion at first, but then, as if recalling something, a ferocious and greedy smile appeared on his face: