On the overgrown cliff face, a figure emerged strangely, entirely enveloped in a black cloak, so that ordinary observers could hardly tell whether it was male or female—only the pair of nearly impassive eyes, projecting from within the cloak, remained steady and emotionless, gazing unfeelingly upon the three figures in the valley. Xiao Yan and his companions were momentarily startled by this sudden appearance, having never expected anyone to dwell within the valley. With his eyes slightly narrowed, Xiao Yan sent his spiritual energy out in a sudden surge. Yet after a brief moment, he furrowed his brows in surprise—he discovered that, even when the distance between his spiritual energy and the figure was still several meters, his ability to perceive anything beyond had completely failed. This phenomenon had never occurred to him before in all these years. "Stay? No one has ever dared to address the King with such words!" Medusa also quickly regained her composure, a cold smile forming on her cheeks, with a subtle killing intent simmering in her eyes. At once, she snapped her jade finger, launching a ribbon of vibrant seven-colored energy from her fingertip that surged forth like lightning, cutting through the void and striking the dark figure. Beneath her cloak, her calm gaze briefly caught the streak of seven-colored energy rushing past. Her robe fluttered slightly without a breeze, and a thick gray mist surged forth from within her body. As this gray mist emerged, the surrounding grasses near the dark figure began to wither visibly, turning completely yellow and lifeless within moments. This change had not escaped Xiao Yan's notice; his eyes narrowed instantly. Clearly, this person was exceptionally skilled in toxic attacks—something he hadn't anticipated, even his internal qi being infused with potent poison. Gray mist surged forth, swirling around the figure before it. The seven-colored ribbon of energy darted swiftly forward, yet this strike—capable of making even ordinary Supreme King-level warriors hesitate to accept—began to strangely disintegrate as soon as it entered the mist. Within mere breaths, the entire seven-colored energy was completely broken down and vanished. "Leave the valley within ten breaths or perish!" As the radiant energy dissolved, Medusa's eyes flickered with surprise. Upon hearing the figure's voice, however, her expression grew colder, and a powerful aura gradually surged forth from within her. "Whether you stay or go today, your life is mine!" With a cold laugh, Medusa turned to Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, lowering her voice: "Step back—this man is heavily poisoned. Should you come into contact with him, you'll face complications!" Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, his thoughts racing—whom was this mysterious figure? With such formidable strength, he could hardly be an obscure figure within the Empire—then why had he never been heard of before? As Xiao Yan pondered, the tenth breath had already arrived. The shadow upon the mountain wall's eyes instantly grew cold. With a sweep of his sleeve, a thick wave of gray mist surged forth, spreading across the sky and then advancing directly into the valley. "You're dead!" The Medusa's eyes flashed with frost as she moved, instantly materializing in the air. Grasping her jade hand, a seven-colored energy serpent sword materialized, and with a point of her foot, she transformed into a slender thread, shooting straight toward the shadowed figure. Medusa's strength had initially struck the enigmatic figure as he made brief contact, yet he remained unmoved, his gaze impassive as she moved swiftly toward him. With a sudden motion of his sleeves, two exceptionally pale yet slightly elongated hands emerged. Within the palms, gray mist surged rapidly, then condensed swiftly—within a blink, the gray deepened into a silvery-purple hue, emitting a distinct, sharp tang of freshness. As the silvery-purple mist formed, the figure curled his fingers and released it silently, sending the mist rushing toward Medusa. The sharp, fresh scent diffused through the air. Medusa inhaled gently, her expression subtly shifting. She adjusted her hand seal, causing seven-colored energy to rapidly coalesce before her, eventually solidifying into a massive seven-colored serpent stretching seven to eight zhang in length. With a single wide opening of its great maw, the serpent swallowed the silvery-purple toxic mist whole. The gray-purple poison, once consumed, instantly erupted forth, and within moments, under the mutual assault, it too was extinguished alongside the energy great serpent. "Such a fierce poison..." Her slender eyes narrowed slightly, and a serious expression gradually settled upon the elegant, cool face of Medusa. She had never encountered someone capable of wielding poison so effectively—indeed, she had never seen anyone use it with such brilliance before. A thought struck her, and a shimmering, seven-colored energy membrane slowly seeped out from within her body, eventually fully enveloping her form. With a swift movement, she materialized once more—now directly upon the mountain wall—her lips curling into a cold smile as she drove her serpent-sword with a sharp, cutting wind straight toward the black figure's throat. Faced with Medusa's fierce assault, the shadow figure moved at all, stepping with an odd, light rhythm—just in time to deflect Medusa's sword attack. As he stepped aside, he clenched his hand, and gray mist coalesced there, eventually forming a long gray sword. A faint tang of bloodiness lingered on the blade, clearly indicating a potent poison. Clang! Clang! The two swords flashed and intersected, figures blurred and darted past one another. Stones rained down from the mountain wall, sparks burst forth, and fine cracks rapidly spread across the stone surface. Yet perhaps due to the fear of the shadow figure's potent poison, despite deploying most of her strength, Medusa still could not subdue him. In fact, the situation seemed to be turning into a stalemate. Who exactly is this man? How can he hold his own against Medusa on equal terms? Staring at the two figures darting across the cliff face, Xiao Yan's expression gradually grew serious. After all, Mei Du Sha's strength was only slightly inferior even to Yun Shan's at the time—yet this mysterious figure managed to hold her own. "This one is truly formidable... he's been able to hold his own against Cai Lin for so long. And the scent he emits—after just inhaling it, I feel genuinely dizzy," said Zi Yan, her brow furrowed, her hands resting on her forehead as a slight dizziness settled in. "He can't let this toxic aura continue spreading anymore, or else every living thing in this valley will be poisoned to death..." Xiang Yin pondered for a moment, then waved his sleeve, causing a vibrant emerald flame to surge forth from his palm and rapidly spread out, radiating intense heat. As the temperature in the valley rose swiftly, the air grew increasingly dry, and the unpleasant odor gradually dissipated. "Zi Yan, stay put and don't move!" After clearing the odor, Xiang Yin looked up at the battle unfolding in the sky, his eyes flashing with cold determination. He turned to Zi Yan and murmured, then slowly extended his fiery wings behind him, finally giving them a powerful shake, propelling himself upward with a sudden burst, heading straight toward the battlefield. In the sky, two dark figures darted past each other, vibrant hues of energy and strange gray mist blooming and colliding, producing a deep, resonant rumble, and releasing a sharp, pungent scent. The two blades clashed once more, sparks shooting forth. As Medusa and the shadow figure prepared to retreat, a figure suddenly darted in from below, his blazing gust of wind directly driving a punch toward the shadow figure. The sudden gust of wind did not stir the shadow figure in the slightest; instead, his body twisted strangely, and Xiao Yan's fist skimmed past his robe. The punch missed. Xiao Yan then swiftly retreated, reappearing instantly beside Medusa, his gaze slightly somber as he stared at the shadow figure, speaking calmly, "Who exactly are you?" The shadow figure gently stepped back, his composed gaze fixed on Xiao Yan. As his eyes swept over the young man's face, a brief moment of surprise flickered—then a subtle struggle emerged, before settling once more into calm indifference. "Leave this place!" "This friend, my name is Xiao Yan. This very place was discovered by me and one of my close friends years ago. This host—definitely not you!" Xiao Yan coldly remarked. "Xiao Yan... friend..." The gaze beneath the cloak flickered slightly, and the gray mist swirling around his body gently diminished. "Let me speak to him at length—though this poison is strange, King Medusa, killing him won't be difficult at all!" Medusa coldly stated, her eyes blazing with determination. Xiao Yan remained undisturbed, furrowing his brows as he observed the now strangely altered figure. He bowed slightly, his tone now more courteous: "I don't know your name. Perhaps I've heard of you before." The gaze beneath the cloak remained fixed on Xiao Yan's face. After a moment, his eyes slowly closed, and his form began to drift backward gently. Xiao Yan frowned, watching the now inexplicable figure, his mind growing increasingly alert. As the shadow figures gradually withdrew from the valley, their forms suddenly halted, and with a gesture of their hand, an object shot forth. Seeing this, Xiao Yan's face tightened slightly, and he stepped back swiftly, sending out a soft force that enveloped the flying object. Upon closer inspection, it was a jade vial. "Your two companions are strong—perhaps they are unaffected by the toxic mist. But the little girl below is not. This is the remedy that can dissolve the toxin within her body..." A voice, unusually hoarse beneath the black cloak, slowly emerged as the vial was released. Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, and glanced at Medusa. Together, they reached out with their eyes, drawing the vial toward them without touching it with their hands. "Since this place is where you and your friend sought it, I shall return it to you..." The shadow figure slowly turned around, and with a swift movement, vanished into the mountain range. Staring in astonishment at the dark figure now departing, Xiao Yan was taken aback, his brows furrowed, his eyes flashing with intensity. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately lifted his head, shouting at the fading black silhouette: "Little Healer? Are you?"