"Buzz buzz..."
A surge of distorted spatial energy enveloped Yun Shan and Xie Biyan, causing their figures to vanish. No one could tell who had the upper hand in this terrifying clash of energy, but given how ferocious Xie Biyan's display of power was, many people had their own silent guesses.
Under the countless eager gazes, the energy fluctuations filling the sky slowly faded after a while, and the distorted spatial storm gradually began to show movement, becoming clearer.
High in the sky, two figures reappeared in everyone's line of sight. The condition of the two made many of the strong fighters gasp in shock.
Xie Biyan's upper body was already tattered from his transformation; now, there was nothing left of his clothes. His beast-like upper body was covered in tiny, faint bloodstains, and his face was pale, with traces of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Though Xie Biyan was in a sorry state, Yun Shan seemed to be in an even worse one. His tattered sleeves were pitch black, and his withered hands trembled slightly. A trickle of blood flowed from the palm of his hand, and his originally powerful aura had significantly weakened.
It was clear that in the previous earth-shattering collision, even though Yun Shan had taken the initiative to unleash a powerful attack, he had been severely injured by the backlash. This also indirectly proved how incredibly powerful Xie Biyan was in his current state.
"Everyone, back away!"
A cold glint flashed in Queen Medusa's eyes, and she let out a delicate shout as a seven-colored radiance surged around her body. Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian exchanged glances before retreating.
As the seven-colored light surged, a hundred-zhang-long seven-colored python appeared before everyone's eyes—a vastly magnified Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
This was the Snake People clan's ultimate trump card, the Snake Spirit Avatar. It allowed them to combine the snake soul that they cultivated within their bodies since birth with their physical form, transforming into the true form of a Magical snake beast. They would possess the powerful physique and divine abilities of a Magical beast, as well as the intelligence and techniques of a human, making them far stronger than either one alone.
In this form, Queen Medusa was absolutely formidable, exuding a savage aura that was no weaker than Xie Biyan's. Xie Biyan, who had been preparing to continue his assault, also showed a hint of wariness and even greater madness in his eyes.
"Five Snakes' Poisonous Killing Array!"
Queen Medusa's voice suddenly spread across the entire battlefield. The four great elders of the Snake People clan, who had been blocking the area in the distance, suddenly flew over.
The First Elder of the Snake People clan led the charge, arriving at the eastern position where Medusa and Xie Biyan were facing off. She was the first to rapidly form a series of dazzling hand seals. As the seals were formed, a massive, eerie green light quickly condensed in her palm.
The remaining three elders also took their places to the west, south, and north of Medusa and swiftly completed their hand seals. The Snake People's fighters had practiced this set of seals countless times, so as soon as they heard the command, they were able to complete the complex seals with incredible speed.
The powerful auras of the four peak Dou Emperor experts surged skyward. A faint, ghostly energy barrier connected them to Medusa. The four of them were quickly pulled behind Medusa, where they were protected.
The Snake People clan's Dou Techniques were a peculiar, self-contained system. In particular, some of their fusion Dou Techniques could combine the strength of multiple people and then release it all at once to counter higher-level opponents.
The mysterious Dou Technique they were currently using was composed of one Dou Ancestor and four peak Dou Emperors. One could only imagine how powerful this move would be.
"Five Snakes' Poisonous Killing Array! Activate!"
A burst of light erupted from the palms of the four Dou Emperor experts. Four enormous, eerie green energy pillars shot out from their palms, then began to intertwine. A massive energy pillar suddenly appeared in the sky.
As this huge energy pillar appeared, a fierce wind began to blow. A scent of blood and violence surged from the pillar. The energy pillar then transformed into a green snake nearly a hundred zhang long. The green snake merged with Queen Medusa's Seven-Colored Giant Python form, and Queen Medusa's aura suddenly skyrocketed again.
A gust of wind, visible to the naked eye, spun rapidly around the hundred-zhang Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Amidst the whistling wind, Queen Medusa's aura became terrifying, surpassing Xie Biyan's at this moment and even reaching the level of a five-star Dou Ancestor or higher.
"Queen Medusa!"
Xie Biyan roared and flew forward to attack. His pair of blood-bone pincers glowed crimson as they unleashed two pillars of crimson light.
"Roar—"
Queen Medusa's hundred-zhang Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python roared, and its long snake tail whipped down. A terrifying energy fluctuation surged from its mouth as it accumulated a seven-colored breath attack.
Peng…
Xie Biyan's Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor form was ultimately no match for the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Although it was a savage magical beast, it was completely suppressed by the Heaven Swallowing Python. With just one whip of its tail, it was slammed into the ground, and the resplendent, fiery breath attack completely engulfed the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor's position.
"These two guys are terrifying!"
The many powerful fighters watching from afar were all internally terrified as they watched the spatial ripples. Even Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian, who had put aside their pride to personally hunt down the experts of the three empires to resolve this threat, were secretly shocked by this sight. They exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with awe.
They had originally been wary of the Snake People clan, but after their alliance of convenience, they had tacitly decided to secretly form a united front, viewing the foreign Snake People with suspicion. But now, all that was left was deep wariness and a willingness to compromise.
The overall strength of the Snake People clan was already greater than that of the Jia Ma Empire, and Medusa was stronger than both of them. They had originally thought that the two of them together could contend with Medusa, but reality had given them a harsh slap in the face.
The formation Medusa used in conjunction with the four elders combined the Dou Qi of five powerful individuals, transforming her into the hundred-zhang Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. Her strength had soared to surpass that of a five-star Dou Ancestor, and with the unique bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, she could probably even contend with a seven-star Dou Ancestor.
What did a seven-star Dou Ancestor represent? It was the same concept as the Old Ground Demon Ghost. Ordinary Dou Ancestors could only barely keep their lives in front of them, and if they weren't fast enough to escape, they would lose their lives.
In the Black-Corner Region, Han Feng, the Gold and Silver Elders, and Mo Tianxing were able to force the Old Ground Demon Ghost to retreat for two reasons. One was that the old ghost had some reservations and didn't go all out. The other was that there was a problem with his lair, and he was in a hurry to return, which gave Han Feng and the others a chance to barely survive.
But now, the battle between Queen Medusa and Xie Biyan's Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor form was clearly a fight to the death. The surrounding space was sealed, and there were two Dou Ancestors watching nearby. There was no chance of escape now.
"Get out of my way!"
Within the seven-colored flames, the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor, Xie Biyan, struggled to resist. But he was clearly at a distinct disadvantage, suppressed by the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python.
Although they were still fighting, anyone with a good eye could tell that the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor would not be able to hold out for much longer.
…
A hundred li outside the Black Mountain Fortress, three figures shrouded in black robes could feel the energy fluctuations from that direction. A light barrier, created by a Dou Ancestor, blocked the path in front of them, preventing the strong fighters from the three empires from escaping this area.
"Yun Shan... the Jia Ma Empire... the Snake People clan... these guys have some nerve, using the Hall of Souls as a setup."
A sinister voice revealed a sense of anger at being played. The black robe of the leading figure among the three swayed in the wind. He stared at the hundred-zhang Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python and the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor fighting in the distance, his eyes filled with coldness and wariness.
A black-robed man with a slightly weaker aura said in a stern voice, "Protector Wu, we can't let this slide. We needed a series of battles between the four empires, not the complete annihilation of the three empires' forces in one battle. That bastard Yun Shan must pay the price."
The third person also spoke up, "That's right. We paid a heavy price to persuade the three empires to join us this time. Now that the strong fighters from the three empires have all perished, all the preparations we made for them and the countermeasures they had will be useless."
"Protector Tie, Protector Xuan, calm down. The matter with Yun Shan is far from over. However, we should first collect the souls of the dead here. Although it's not what we expected, these dead guys are all Dou Kings and Dou Emperors. Even Yan Luotian died earlier."
Protector Wu said coldly, then motioned for the other two to draw out the souls of the many dead strong fighters. After a Dou King-level fighter died, a ghost soul would form within a short period of time or within a few days. The Hall of Souls' goal was precisely these ghost souls.
"We can't just let Yun Shan and the Jia Ma Empire get away with this."
"But this Queen Medusa is terrifyingly powerful."
"What's there to worry about? This kind of secret art can only be used once in a short period of time. The three of us have higher cultivation levels than Yun Shan and the others. If we join forces, they're the ones who should be afraid."
…
As the three protectors of the Hall of Souls were discussing in secret, they failed to notice that behind them, a figure that seemed to have merged with the environment was coldly staring in their direction.
The figure did not launch an attack right away. Instead, they observed their surroundings and the actions of the three black-robed figures. They seemed to be confirming whether there were any other accomplices nearby, and also to figure out the best way to take down all these guys.
…
"Roar—"
Outside the Black Mountain Fortress, the battle between the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python and the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor was finally coming to an end. After the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's fierce snake tail attack shattered the crimson light, the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor was slammed into the ground. Its aura amidst the dust became extremely weak.
"Is it over?"
"There's probably no way for him to turn the tables now!"
"Queen Medusa is really terrifying."
"The Snake People clan's combined Dou Technique is also powerful, but the consumption for the four elders must be significant!"
Everyone was secretly talking amongst themselves. The energy aftershock from the battle was still terrifying, and only Dou King experts and above could still watch. Their eyesight was naturally not weak.
Behind the hundred-zhang Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, the four elders of the Snake People clan all looked pale, and their auras had weakened considerably. It was clear that sustaining this level of formation had taken a significant toll on them.