In the mountains and forests, the concept of time is rather vague, and within this tranquil valley, it is even more so. Now, it has been one month since Xiao Yan closed himself off for meditation, yet the valley remains utterly still—neither a single ripple nor a sign of movement. Even the massive, luminous purple cocoon formed by Zǐ Yán continues to emit a steady, gentle glow, showing no signs of breaking free. To Medusa, this is deeply frustrating; she had underestimated the immense energy required for Zǐ Yán's advancement. Sitting cross-legged upon the great stone, she rested her hands on her chin, gazing at the cocoon for a while before naturally turning her gaze toward the cave, which is now piled high with scattered stones. When she saw no signs of change there either, she sighed softly. On the third day after Xiao Yan closed himself off, his aura began to become faint and intermittent. A few days later, it completely vanished—so subtle that even with her full strength, Medusa could only barely sense the delicate, thread-like presence within the valley. She knew that Xiao Yan was now firmly on his way to becoming a Battle Emperor, and the moment his aura truly disappeared would mark his official ascension to that rank. "Ah, these two—how they wear on one!" Medusa sighed, then turned her gaze away and slowly closed her eyes, settling into her meditative state. Such monotonous waiting and guarding could only be endured through constant practice. Otherwise, it truly would test one's patience beyond measure. And thus, day after day, life within the valley flowed steadily and without ripple, untouched by any outside commotion—offering Xiang Yan and Zi Yan the most serene environment for their advancement. This calm, however, began to show subtle fluctuations about two months after Xiang Yan entered meditation retreat. The source of these changes, surprisingly, stemmed from Xiang Yan himself. That day, Medusa, as always, spent her time in cultivation and vigilance. Just as she was about to enter her training state, she suddenly sensed the valley's energy surging like boiling water, violently agitated. She was taken aback, and swiftly traced the source of the disturbance—there, precisely at Xiang Yan's meditation chamber. "This guy..." Medusa's brows furrowed slightly. She could feel the dense energy throughout the valley rushing fiercely toward the cave, and the rate of convergence was accelerating rapidly—until, finally, a massive energy vortex several zhang in diameter had formed in the upper part of the valley, with the cave at its very center. "How immense is the energy required for his advancement?" gazing up at the towering vortex, Medusa was momentarily stunned. While she had personally witnessed the transition from Duelist King to Duelist Emperor, she knew the process demanded substantial energy—yet never had she seen it unfold with such intensity, as if the heavens themselves were being relentlessly drained, as in the case of Xiao Yan. Of course, Medusa was unaware that, typically, a common Duke-level cultivator ascending to the Emperor rank did not seize terrestrial energy with such frenzied intensity, as their absorbed energy merely underwent refinement through their internal cultivation techniques. Xiang Yan, however, was different. His body housed not only the powerful and resolute "Burned Decree" cultivation technique but also three distinct types of hetero-flames. These hetero-flames continuously safeguarded his physical form. Any energy drawn from the heavens had to pass through these three successive barriers before entering his body. As a result, a stream of energy as thick as an arm was reduced to a mere strand the size of a thumb after traversing these three stages. Upon further refinement through the "Burned Decree" technique, this thumb-sized strand was then further condensed. Consequently, the volume of energy ultimately absorbed by Xiang Yan naturally diminished significantly. Of course, although the volume had shrunk, this brought countless benefits to Xiao Yan. With such refined qi, his foundation at the Sovereign Rank would be significantly more solid than that of ordinary Sovereigns—a crucial advantage for his future advancement to higher ranks. The drawback, however, was that he required far more substantial and formidable energy to ascend, which was precisely why the unusual phenomenon had occurred earlier. A vibrant vortex of energy rotated slowly in the sky, continuously drawing in surrounding terrestrial energy. As the vortex's suction force intensified, even energy from beyond the valley began to subtly converge toward the small valley. This development naturally caught Medusa's attention, who's face slightly changed. The mighty beasts of the beast mountain were both numerous and highly attuned to energy fluctuations; such a strong disturbance would surely draw them all. As Medusa's face subtly shifted, the violet light cocoon formed from Zhiyan seemed to respond to the intense fluctuations of the surrounding celestial and terrestrial energies, instantly bursting forth with a powerful violet glow. Beneath this glow, the dense celestial and terrestrial energies within the valley began to disperse, surging fiercely toward the cocoon. For a moment, the valley echoed with roaring energy currents, two powerful suction forces sweeping across the sky, forcibly drawing and absorbing every available energy, thereby significantly intensifying the suction within the valley. Even the celestial and terrestrial energies beyond the valley began to rapidly converge toward its depths. As the residual traces of Medusa's hand seal faded, a strange, subtle undulation emerged in the space above the valley. After a while, the space became increasingly distorted, and the vibrant energy vortex gradually faded beneath this distortion. "Space seal!" Medusa's expression grew steadily more serious as the undulations intensified. After a long moment, her hand seal suddenly transformed, and she issued a deep, resonant command. With the command, the surrounding space instantly solidified, and then a distinct ripple spread rapidly outward, eventually enveloping the entire expanse above the valley. As this ripple expanded, the intense suction emanating from within the valley began to fade and recede. Only then did Medusa feel a sense of relief, lowering her gaze to the valley below—now utterly empty and bare. With a gentle motion, she descended slowly toward the valley floor. As her form reached a certain threshold, the space suddenly began to ripple, and Medusa’s silhouette gradually faded into it. "Thus, even if someone or a beast flies overhead from the valley, as long as their strength doesn't surpass mine, they'll be unable to detect what's going on within. Ah, truly two troublesome individuals." Once again settling onto the massive stone, Medusa sighed and murmured to herself. As her words settled, she slowly closed her eyes, beginning to recover from the immense expenditure she had sustained. Time passed quietly beneath this day after day of stillness, and without realizing it, three months had now elapsed since Xiao Yan had gone into seclusion. Yet the two within the valley still showed no signs of emerging—this left Meidusa quite helpless. Time flowed as swiftly as sand between fingers. When the fourth month of the valley's days approached, one day while practicing meditation, Meidusa suddenly opened her eyes, her face now cold and composed. Suddenly, a seven-colored serpent scale appeared on the smooth expanse of her forehead, continuously radiating a soft, shimmering glow. Gently touching the scale with her delicate fingers, Meidusa's breath for the first time grew somewhat disordered. This scale had been formed from a strand of her soul, stored within the Serpent People's Soul Altar. The altar's priests could ignite this strand to signal her—typically only when a true crisis struck the clan would they take such action. For as long as Medusa has served as the chieftain of the Serpentine people, this has been the first time she's been summoned using such a method. Clearly, something momentous has befallen the Serpentine people. Taking a deep breath, Medusa rose to her feet, yet when her gaze settled upon the luminous cocoon and the cave, she paused, hesitated, and after a long moment of contemplation, did not immediately depart. Instead, she ascended into the sky above the valley, exerting every ounce of strength to reestablish an even more secure spatial barrier. "The defenses I've imbued will safeguard your progression here. The Serpentine people appear to have faced a great calamity. I must return now. Once I've resolved the matter, I will come back." Only then did Medusa finally exhale in relief, placing the scrolls she had gathered upon the great stone where she had once practiced. She gently touched the increasingly scorching, vibrant seven-colored serpent scales on her forehead, her face gradually radiating a coolness and a surge of fierce intent. With a subtle movement, she surged through the spatial barriers and vanished swiftly.