At the very instant the cloaked figure shattered Medusa Queen's energy form, both Yue Mei and Mo Basi surged with fury. Mo Basi suddenly turned, shouting to the countless guards on the city walls below, "Kill these humans!" Upon hearing Mo Basi's command, the guards on the walls erupted into a thunderous chorus of outrage. With their toxic spears tightly gripped, the serpent people retreated two steps before suddenly charging forward, hurling their spears into the air. Instantly, a dense downpour of toxic spears rained down from the sky, targeting the cloaked figure and the ancient river's companions. The sharp rushing wind created a piercing sound, making listeners' ears ache slightly. Gazing at the ever-expanding dragon vortex, the cloaked figure waved indifferently, as if brushing away mosquitoes. Instantly, the jade-colored vortex surged forth with powerful force, and the relentless barrage of toxic spear rain pouring down from the city walls was shattered and scattered by the vortex's intense suction. Occasionally, a few spears pierced through the storm, but they no longer posed any threat to the group of ancient river figures behind. His eyes, beneath the cloak, remained fixed on the wave after wave of toxic spear rain being launched from the city walls, now blocked and deflected by the storm. He slightly turned toward Guo He and the others, and said calmly, "Proceed inside. Queen Medusa is likely at a critical moment now. At such a time, she is especially vulnerable. If you wish to obtain the divine flames, this is your only opportunity." "Heard this, ancient River slightly furrowed his brow, paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. He wasn't the kind of person who hesitated—when decisive action was needed, he never let a trivial sense of duty cost him a fleeting opportunity." "Old Lion, Feng Li, go ahead—hold off on Mu Basa and the other two. I'll enter the city to seek the strange flames!" With a sudden, powerful gesture, Ancient River spoke firmly. "Ha! Well, if you say so, then let's make a real show of it. After all, you're the big-spender—worse the injuries, the better the reward!" Yan Li grinned widely and laughed heartily. At this, Ancient River shook his head, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on his face. His body trembled slightly, and his massive aura wings slowly unfolded behind him. With a foot pressing through the air, he surged forward, heading straight toward the city. "Hold on!" Seeing Ancient River's movement, Yue Mei and Mu Basa on the city walls instantly leapt into action, blocking his path with cold expressions. "Hehe, your opponents are us!" A powerful gust of wind surged forward, crashing directly toward Yue Mei and her companions. Yan Li and Feng Li swiftly dodged the force, quickly stepping in front of them and smiling as they blocked the attack. "Medusa Serpent Guards, hold him!" Seeing Guo He again intent on charging straight into the city, Yue Mei's face grew cold. She turned to the city walls and coldly commanded. "Yes!" A crisp, cold response echoed, followed by several streaks of light swiftly rising from the walls and instantly intercepting Guo He. "Kill him!" The dozen Serpent Guards, dressed in somewhat unusual attire, stared at Guo He with cold, venomous eyes, like a serpent coiled in fury. With a single sharp command, they simultaneously launched themselves into motion, their powerful gusts of energy merging as they soared through the air. As the energy blended in an unusual way, its intensity surged dramatically, multiplying exponentially. Gathering a calm gaze upon the advancing dozen snake warriors, ancient River merely glanced over and instantly discerned their strength—two Du Ling and a dozen Da Doushi. Even with their unusual, powerful consecutive attack technique, this level still fell far short for River. With the utmost speed, he repelled the intruder and was about to surge into the city when a fierce surge of energy suddenly erupted from below, causing his face to pale. His wings flapped vigorously, and he stepped back swiftly, narrowly avoiding a spear launched skyward. "Captain of the Medusa Serpents, Hua Shēn!" A graceful figure darted into the air, the woman shouting coldly. "Battle King... Hmph. Indeed, the Serpent people have many strong warriors," Ancient He remarked, slightly sensing the strength of the woman before him, and sighed with a touch of resignation. The woman seemed intent on pressing forward without engaging in conversation, drawing the sharp spear with one hand and sweeping her tail through the air—then charging straight at Ancient He with an unstoppable force. Yet as Gǔgē was preparing to set out for battle, the cloaked figure suddenly appeared, softly saying, "She's mine. Go seek the Strange Fire—we don't have much time left. Once Queen Medusa completes her evolution, I believe we'll only be able to run as far as we can." "Understood," Gǔgē nodded quickly, eager to see the cloaked figure, and then, with a look of growing frustration from Huāshé, darted into the city like a flash. "Queen Medusa is quite cunning. I don't know how she managed it, but she's divided the essence of the Heterogeneous Flame into four parts, each part now located precisely at one of the four corners of the city. If we search for them one by one, it will surely take a great deal of time," the Pharmacist elder chuckled. "Ah, a clever woman... Then what shall we do now?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, sighed, and asked with a look of concern. "Hehe, don't worry. Though her methods are quite refined, I've been working with the Heterogeneous Flame for so many years that I can still detect subtle differences in its essence." There was a quiet sense of pride in the Pharmacist elder's laughter. "Which corner?" Relieved, Xiao Yan quickly asked. "East!" the Pharmacist elder replied swiftly. "Hehe, then Guo He must have gone the wrong way," Xiao Yan burst out laughing, his face full of satisfaction, since he had clearly seen Guo He flying northward earlier. His feet swiftly tapped across a rooftop, allowing him to nimbly dodge several flying serpentine spears. He glanced down at the chaotic city below, then flapped his purple cloud wings, heading eastward. After carefully gliding for nearly ten minutes, a massive temple gradually came into view. "It's inside here—be cautious, the intensity of the hetero-fire is growing stronger!" The reminder from Master Yao echoed in his mind as the temple appeared. "Hm." He nodded slightly, gradually slowing his flight and swiftly darting into a dark passage, eyes half-closed as he observed the temple's imposing defenses. "Don't waste time—move quickly. If Queen Medusa succeeds in her evolution, I won't be able to handle her now, and then I'll only have to flee!" Master Yao spoke firmly. "Hm." Nodding quickly, Xiao Yan quietly slipped past the temple, using the old Dr. Yao's assistance to mask his aura, and darted into a corridor, rushing toward the spot indicated by the old man. Thanks to the old Dr. Yao's powerful spiritual perception, whenever patrol squads were about to encounter him, Xiao Yan managed to narrowly evade them. This thrilling series of dodges lasted nearly ten minutes before the view suddenly opened up—before him lay a small, clear lake. At the center of the lake stood a small island, surrounded by rippling waters, with no bridges or pathways connecting it. Standing at the lake's edge, Xiao Yan glanced at the crystal-clear water, licked his lips, and gently扇ed his wings. Yet as his body just entered the water by about one meter, an odd energy surge suddenly propelled him forcefully back into the lake. As his body was about to touch the lake water, Xiao Yan's heart suddenly tightened, and a surge of unease flashed through him. By reflex, he tossed out a jade ruler from his storage ring and lightly tapped his foot on it, using the buoyancy to propel himself back toward the lakeshore, his body pressed against the surface. Standing just barely safe at the edge of the lake, Xiao Yan turned to gaze at the jade ruler, which had been swiftly eroded into nothingness within an instant, and involuntarily swallowed hard. "There's no choice but to resort to the most straightforward method—just like last time when I entered the molten lake. I'll envelop you with my unique fire. Hurry up and reach the small island as quickly as you can; otherwise, you'll be completely corroded and reduced to ashes." The Yeerold paused, then sighed with resignation. "Then let's go—time is precious!" Xiao Yan, excited, rubbed his hands vigorously, urging him on. The Yeerold nodded lightly, and gradually, a pale, crisp flame began to swirl around his body, eventually fully enclosing him. "Damn it—let's give it everything we've got!" Standing at the edge of the lake, Xiao Yan gazed at the clear waters, clenched his teeth fiercely, and then closed his eyes, plunging into the lake with a loud splash.