"What's going on?" After retreating a few steps, only to return hesitantly to the black-robed figure once the overwhelming aura had vanished, Ancient River asked carefully, "She didn't evolve successfully, did she? How come?" "There must have been an issue with the evolution—the aura has completely disappeared," the black-robed figure shook his head slightly, speaking softly. "Failed?" Ancient River was momentarily stunned, then exhaled with a mix of relief and slight disappointment, his gaze fixed steadily on the temple's jade mist gradually dissipating. "The aura of the strange fire... how come it's also gone?" "The energy fluctuations inside have now settled. Perhaps the strange fire was destroyed by Queen Medusa?" the black-robed figure also expressed some hesitation. "That's unlikely. Though Queen Medusa is powerful, she still falls short of being able to extinguish the strange fire." "Gǔhé shook his head. As a master alchemist, he naturally understood the power of the strange flames best. "Wait until the mist clears, then search carefully," he said, frowning slightly with a touch of resignation. "Old He, how is it going?" Two streaks of light darted through the city walls and settled beside Gǔhé and the two of them, scanning the temple below. Yan Li said solemnly, "That energy we sensed a moment ago?" "It's the Queen of Medusa's presence—though it seems to have developed some issues. Perhaps... it's already dissipated now." Gǔhé mused. "Ah...," both Yan Li and Feng Li exhaled deeply, relieved. The overwhelming energy they had felt earlier had completely drained their fighting spirit—such a powerful being was simply beyond their reach and capabilities. "Now, what should we do?" Wind Li swept his gaze across the city, countless streams of hostility causing him to furrow his brows. He looked upward toward the more distant sky, where Yue Mei and Mo Basi were coldly observing their group, occasionally glancing toward the temple with a hint of anxiety. Though both Yue Mei and Mo Basi were filled with murderous intent, they had not yet advanced forcefully. Under their command, countless Serpent People warriors carried serpent spears, swiftly ascending to the rooftops, their cold eyes fixed firmly on the few figures in the sky. In this city, revered as a holy sanctuary among the Serpent People, there were indeed many Serpent People warriors. In terms of warriors at the Battle King level, there were more than enough—indeed, surpassing the number of those with Guo He’s party. The only deficiency, however, was the absence of a Battle Emperor-level warrior capable of standing against the cloaked figure. If not for their fear that the Battle Emperor might erupt into fury, causing heavy casualties, they would have already surged forward and decisively defeated Guo He and his companions. Therefore, the current Moon-Mei and others are not launching a direct assault, but instead directing their stronger forces to gradually encircle the ancient river's group, appearing to intend to hold them within the city. "They are waiting for the arrival of the other tribal chieftains. Once all eight tribal leaders have gathered, even with Yun as our chief, we will likely be at a disadvantage. Aside from our three of us, five Battle Kings alone would already pose a significant challenge to the Battle Emperors. At that point, our situation might not be very favorable—after all, this is their home territory. Moreover, the Medusa Serpent Guard isn't merely there as a show. Though they may not be able to stop us outright, creating some minor disruptions would certainly be manageable." With his gaze sweeping over the dense ranks of Serpent Guard warriors atop the rooftops, Yan Shi spoke calmly. Though he was naturally robust and straightforward, he was far from dull; after a brief moment of reflection, he had clearly grasped their strategy. Gǔhé nodded slightly. He naturally knew what the other was aiming for, yet with the most crucial thing still not secured, he felt reluctant to retreat just yet. After a brief pause, he murmured, "Let's wait a moment. The purple light shield is about to dissipate. Once it does, we'll immediately enter it and conduct a swift search. If we find any unusual flame, we'll take it and leave right away. If not, then we'll retreat." Seeing Gǔhé's determination and the black-robed figure showing no opposition, Yi Yánshī and Fēng Lí exchanged glances and eventually nodded in resignation. With both of them showing no resistance, Gǔhé exhaled gently, turned his gaze toward Yuè Mèi and Mò Bāsī, who stood at a distance with icy composure, and then fixed his eyes on the light shield, which was now beginning to fade in and out. His powerful qi began to flow rapidly through his body. Within the vast city, the atmosphere was slightly quiet, everyone's gaze fixed on the purple light shield that was slowly beginning to collapse, their hearts as taut as a stretched spring, unable to relax even slightly. The purple light shield enveloped vast stretches of sky and land, gradually becoming more ethereal. After this stillness persisted for nearly a minute, the cloaked figure in the sky suddenly turned his head, his eyes fixed on the western horizon, and murmured softly, "Another snake-people master has arrived. From the strength of his aura, he must be one of the leaders among the Eight Tribes." Upon hearing her words, Guo He and the others exchanged slight expressions of surprise, turning to look—indeed, they saw a red silhouette streaking swiftly toward the city. After about a minute, a male snake-people, fully enveloped in red qi, materialized above the city, scanning the sky before settling with a stern expression upon the faces of Guo He and his companions. "Damn humans! You dare enter our holy city?" The visitor's temper seemed exceptionally fiery. Upon seeing the group of ancient river people, he roared in fury, and the sound echoed loudly across the city sky. At the same time, the red qi surging from his body rose nearly a meter, making him appear like a blazing figure from afar. "He is the leader of the Flame Serpent Clan, one of the Eight Tribes—Insa. Though he's famously hot-tempered, his strength ranks among the top among all the tribal leaders. During the war between the Serpent Clan and the Gamma Empire, many imperial warriors fell at his hands, making him a particularly formidable opponent." Wind Li, frowning slightly at the sudden appearance of the Serpent Clan members, sighed slightly. "So, it appears they now have three Dragon Kings. Fortunately, the captain of the Medusa Serpent Guards, Hua She'er, has temporarily lost her combat ability." "The protective shield is about to rupture." The cloaked figure gazed steadily at the violet energy shield before him, murmuring that this shield had been cast forth with all of Medusa Queen's strength when she transformed into a serpent. Thus, even with her Duke-level prowess, it was difficult to breach it directly—only to wait for it to fade on its own. Hearing the cloaked figure's words, the members of Kuroha grew tense, no longer bothering to attend to the blazing flame surging from the fiery spike. They quickly turned and focused intently on the increasingly translucent purple shield. In the sky, upon seeing the sudden arrival of the fiery spike, Yue Mei and Mo Basi were overjoyed, swiftly moving to join beside him and then whispering to him in hushed tones, recounting in detail what had transpired in the city. Listening with a stern expression to Yue Mei and Mo Basi's words, the flames of red aura surging over Yan Ci grew increasingly intense, until they nearly took on the substance of blazing fire. Clenching his fists tightly, veins bulged prominently along his thick arms, his pupils glowing blood-red as he fixed his gaze unwaveringly on the ancient river group. Amid his low, thunderous growls, a surge of overwhelming fury and murderous intent pressed down: "A bunch of human scum! Today's humiliation shall be washed clean with your blood!" With the movements of ancient river's party, countless serpentine beings roared in fury, their shadows leaping and flashing across the rooftops before surging in waves into the temple. The cries of "Queen!" echoed throughout the city. At this moment, the holy city of the serpentine people had become largely disordered. Drawing upon their prior memories, ancient river's party swiftly navigated through the temple and reached the sky above the small island. Perhaps due to the disappearance of Queen Medusa, the flight restrictions that once held the area in place had completely vanished, allowing ancient river and his companions to land unimpeded upon the small island at the center of the lake. As their feet touched the ground, ancient river's party quickly scanned the surroundings, yet found neither any traces of strange fire nor the presence of Queen Medusa. The figure in black robes scanned the area with steady gaze, then suddenly knelt, picking up a blackened scale. Frowning slightly, the black-clad figure murmured, "Has she truly been reduced to ashes by the strange fire?" "Damn it, where's the strange fire?" Ancient River's spiritual perception swiftly enveloped the island, yet still no trace of the strange fire could be detected. Frustration creased his composed features. The black-robed figure rose to his feet, lightly sweeping his sleeves, and a powerful gust of wind erupted violently from where he stood. The surrounding green mist was instantly whipped away, clearing the vision instantly. As the green mist dispersed, the bare island was fully revealed to all. Gazing at the island's some deeply striking, smooth, and ominous craters, the group could easily imagine the extent of the destruction it had endured. "No strange fire!" said Yan Li, his gaze sweeping over the empty island. Feng Li unleashed a deluge of fine wind blades from between his palms, sending the snake people charging at the island flying. Turning back, he urged, "Move quickly! If you don't hurry, you'll be too late!" "In my sensing, another powerful Serpent-being is approaching!" Hearing this, Guo He clenched his teeth, then exhaled deeply after a moment, his face filled with resentment, and said firmly, "Move!" Upon hearing Guo He's words, Yan Li and Feng Li both relaxed. However, just as they were preparing to retreat, a sudden commotion erupted among the surrounding ranks of Serpent-beings from afar. Guo He's eyes narrowed instantly as he glanced casually—on the distant sky, a figure holding a jade lotus throne was racing wildly, with an eerie green flame continuously surging from the throne. "The Green Flame!" Fixing his gaze on the figure growing ever smaller, Guo He suddenly roared in fury. Having risked their lives to hold the Serpent-being at bay, they now found themselves merely pawns for someone else's gain. With his heart pounding in agitation, he bellowed, "Damn it! How dare they treat us like mere pawns!" "Chase!" With a powerful wave of his hand, ancient river's aura surged violently. His aura wings behind him flapped forcefully, and then he charged after that figure with relentless speed. Following closely behind were the black-robed figure and Yan Li.