Hearing the piercing, desperate cry of Queen Medusa emanating from within the strange flame, Xiao Yan instantly shivered all over, his gaze piercing through the bamboo leaves to the azure flame above. There, the massive purple serpent was wildly rolling its body. Within Xiao Yan's line of sight, it was clear that the scales on the serpent's body began to rapidly distort as soon as it entered the strange flame, eventually being scorched black and falling off lifelessly from the serpent's body. As the scales fell, bright crimson blood gushed out. However, just as the blood appeared, it was instantly vaporized by the terrifying heat of the strange flame, leaving behind stark, vivid streaks of blood on the serpent's body. "Squeak... squeak..." Standing on the island, Xiao Yan could even hear the squeaking sounds emanating from the strange fire. Due to the rapid loss of blood, the massive body of the purple serpent was visibly shrinking with each passing moment. It was unimaginable how much agony the current Queen Medusa was enduring—her cries of desperate, wild shrieks, once so proud and powerful, now filled with sheer terror. Under the fire's relentless assault, the pain was no longer confined to her body; her very soul was being scorched as well. The suffering was truly terrifying. From a stone platform at a distance, Xiao Yan, gazing intently at the flame, appeared pale. The piercing, almost heart-stopping cries of the queen had deeply shaken him. Indeed, this woman was truly stubborn and utterly driven to madness. Due to the sheer magnitude of the disturbance caused by Queen Medusa, her piercing cries echoed throughout half the city. At once, countless Serpentoid warriors leapt onto rooftops, their faces filled with awe, gazing in horror at the blazing purple light. Some attempted to advance, only to be repelled by the fierce, formidable purple radiance, forced to stand outside, anxiously watching the massive purple serpent writhing violently within the green flames from afar. Turning to glance around at the figures who had been disturbed, Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brows, gazing at the jade-like flame that had nearly warped the space around it, and inwardly pondered. "Ah well... just wait. This form of Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame has been stirred into a frenzy by Queen Medusa's presence. Anything within its reach will inevitably be scorched into nothingness." Yao Lao sighed helplessly. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan directed his gaze downward toward the area beneath the jade flame, only to find that the small pool once filled with Ice Spirit Cold Spring had now turned into a dark, hollow space. A rough estimate revealed the depth to be at least fifteen meters. Moreover, the bamboo groves surrounding the strange flame had instantly turned to ash; with a gentle breeze passing through, vast stretches of bamboo forest had been reduced to mere plains. "What a devastating force..." Wiping the sweat from his face and feeling the air around him growing increasingly hot, Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly. He summoned the purple flame silk robe to his surface and retreated several steps before feeling slightly more comfortable. Within the jade-like flames, Queen Medusa's piercing cries, which had soared for nearly half an hour, gradually softened. At this moment, perhaps due to her strength being nearly depleted, the massive body of the purple serpent had almost ceased its rolling. Once adorned with elegant purple scales, its body was now blackened and scorched. The original length of over ten zhang had been reduced to just two or three zhang, making it hard to imagine how many bones and streams of blood had been consumed by the strange fire within its form. Beyond the purple light shield, an increasing number of serpentine people stood on the rooftops around, gazing in quiet wonder at the swirling purple flames. At a certain moment, a mournful, resonant cry echoed throughout the entire city, instantly casting a somber atmosphere over the most sacred city of the serpentine people. Within the jade flames, Queen Medusa lay motionless, her body steadily being consumed by the earth-originating lotus fire. A faint, smoky aroma of burning gradually seeped out. "Has it failed…?" Suddenly, a cloaked figure materialized beside ancient River, gazing at the now motionless queen, immersed in the strange fire, and breathed a quiet sigh of wonder. After a brief pause, she slightly bowed toward the direction where the queen lay. Though Queen Medusa's nature was equally proud and reserved, this monarch—willing to endure the burning of the alien fire for the sake of evolution—deserved, in her view, a measure of respect. "Oh...," gazing at the jade-colored flames, the ancient river beside her also sighed softly. Had this once formidable Medusa queen—long a source of great concern for the elite warriors of the Dega Empire—met such a dramatic fall? Indeed, it was quite dramatic. The entire city, as the queen's piercing cry faded, gradually settled into a profound silence. Moments later, a wave of hostile glares shifted toward the ancient river and the cloaked figure in the air. Unmoved by those glares, the cloaked figure quietly gazed at the jade-colored flames in the distance. After a while, the dark brows beneath his cloak furrowed slightly, and he lifted his head, gazing at the sky, now noticeably dimmer. A moment of quiet contemplation passed, and in his clear, composed voice, a sense of gravity emerged: "Something's off." "What do you mean?" At this, the ancient river's expression tightened, and she quickly asked. "The celestial and terrestrial energies have suddenly surged and become restless," the cloaked figure said, gazing upward. Seeing this, Guhe also quickly lifted his head and turned his gaze toward the sky. His face then paled as he noticed that the previously clear sky had suddenly grown dark, with dense clouds gathering from nowhere and slowly enveloping the heavens. The sudden change left everyone stunned, gazing in bewilderment at the unusual sight above. "Thund—!" A booming thunder erupted within the clouds, with silver lightning darting wildly, resembling long serpents of gleaming silver. "What on earth is happening?" Guhe, sensing the fierce energy contained within the clouds, swallowed hard and asked, his voice dry and hesitant. The cloaked figure stared intently at the dark clouds in the sky, speaking in a steady tone: "I once read an ancient text that recorded a legend: when some legendary-level beast creatures were born or promoted, their immense internal energies often became misaligned, triggering unusual celestial phenomena. However, these legendary beasts were exceptionally powerful—some of the finest among them even rivaled human masters at the Du-Zong or Du-Sheng levels. On the current Dragon Qi Continent, such legendary beasts seem to be increasingly rare. Given the current situation, it's most likely that the phenomenon is being caused by Queen Medusa." "Wait a moment, even if she successfully evolves, the prolonged exposure to the strange fire has undoubtedly depleted her energy. At this crucial time, the wisest course of action would be to find a quiet place to rest and recover." The cloaked figure gently shook his head, pondering. "That... sounds reasonable. Let's see." Hearing this, Furukawa hesitated slightly before nodding. As he was about to lift his head, a tremendous roar erupted from the dark cloud above, instantly brightening the heavens. A massive silver lightning bolt surged forth from the clouds and plunged through the purple light barrier, striking directly into the cluster of green flames. The lightning arrived swiftly and departed just as quickly. While the thunderous echoes still resonated in their ears, the dark clouds above began to rapidly dissipate, and within moments, the intense sunlight once again enveloped the city. The rumbling in the ears gradually subsided, and countless people quickly turned their gaze toward the purple light screen. However, after the lightning strikes had fallen, a faint green mist began seeping out from the island, simultaneously obscuring everyone's view. "The green mist is vaporized from the interaction between the lightning and the unusual fire—it's impermeable to spiritual energy, completely isolating what's inside," Ancient Hei shook his head, frowning as he scanned the screen with his spiritual perception. "Just wait for it to dissipate," the cloaked figure said calmly. Ancient Hei nodded, yet the qi circulating within him began to surge steadily, ready to retreat at any moment. "Such a terrifying lightning strike..." Rising to his feet, Xiao Yan gazed at the now bare island, unable to help but take a deep breath of cool air. "What happened inside?" Dusting off the dirt from his body, Xiao Yan frowned slightly at the thick, emerald mist surrounding him, then slowly stepped forward into the midst of it. As he moved deeper toward the island's center, the emerald flames in the sky reappeared, though now they had returned to their original fist-sized form, calmly hovering in midair and continuously shifting in shape. Shifting his gaze from the flames to the ground below, he saw the massive serpent, now completely blackened, lying motionless—its cold body unmistakably that of a dead one. "Has it failed?" Looking at this severely shrunk, scorched serpent, Xiao Yan sighed. Could a once-great Duke of Battle-level warrior have vanished so completely? "Ah well, let's attend to the emerald flame instead." Shaking his head slightly, Xiao Yan stepped around the giant serpent's body and reached the area beneath the strange flames. Just as he was about to ask the Ye-Lao how to proceed, a faint cracking sound suddenly echoed from behind. Hearing this unexpected sound, Xiao Yan's body instantly stiffened, and he slowly turned to face the source of the sound. At that moment, his pupils narrowed to the size of needles.