She flees, she pursues, she finds it impossible to escape even with wings.
Even without relying on Ahri's strength, Xiao Xue is currently only a Dou Wang.
However, with the amplification of the full-state Bone Chilling Flame, she can fight a Dou Huang effortlessly.
Even a low-level Dou Zong would certainly not have a good time if hit by Xiao Xue's Bone Chilling Flame.
Integrating a complete Bone Chilling Flame into her heart brought Xiao Xue a transformation akin to being reborn.
Her Dou Qi, attack power, and alchemy skills have all been significantly improved.
One could say that after being "processed" and refined by the Heavenly Flame in her heart...
Her Water Attribute Dou Qi is essentially liquid Bone Chilling Flame!
Although Xiao Xue cannot yet exert the full power of the Bone Chilling Flame...
Her current attack power has definitely reached the Dou Zong level.
However, trying to break the defense of an Eight-Star Dou Zong, who is also a Demonic Beast with an inherently powerful physique like Medusa...
Without using the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus or Soul attacks, she would probably still be a bit lacking.
And Xiao Xue didn't want to kill Medusa directly right now; she just wanted to give her a good beating to vent her anger.
So, the moment Xiao Xue came out of seclusion and sensed the aura of life, Medusa understood the situation.
When she saw Xiao Xue drawing her sword and hacking at her, Medusa did not fight back, nor did she run.
Instead, she used her Dou Qi to defend, letting Xiao Xue hack at her for a while.
Not defending at all was still out of the question; even as a Demonic Beast, she couldn't withstand someone messing around with a Heavenly Flame like that.
Fortunately, Medusa was clever enough to seal the surrounding space in advance and dismiss the Elders and others.
Otherwise, if the fluctuations of Xiao Xue beating her up spread and were seen by the Snake-People Clan's Elders and other snake-people, she would be so embarrassed she'd shed her skin on the spot.
Once Xiao Xue grew tired and dissipated the ice sword in her hand, she reached out to Medusa: "Hand it over."
Medusa asked cautiously, "What?"
"The Snake-People Clan's stores, medicinal herbs and such—hand them over for me to keep. Any objections?"
Medusa shook her head hurriedly, then handed over her storage ring and a token.
No joke, how would she dare have any objections now?
If she displeased Xiao Xue again, the entire Snake-People Clan could be flattened.
Setting aside that dubious "background," if the current Xiao Xue went all out, she might not even be able to stop her.
Thus, Medusa very decisively followed her heart.
"Some of the Snake-People Clan's inventory isn't on me; it's kept in the Temple. Shall I take you to get it now?"
After handing the items to Xiao Xue, Medusa watched her expression and spoke cautiously.
Xiao Xue nodded somewhat impatiently, clearly unwilling to say more.
Medusa also wisely stopped talking and led the way.
Demanding the Snake-People Clan's inventory was naturally not a whim of Xiao Xue's, but a part of her own plan.
It seemed that before the Little Heaven Swallowing Python matured, it would be almost impossible to separate it.
In that case, she could only wait until it was close to maturity before making further plans.
The energy required for the Heaven Swallowing Python to reshape its body and even complete its transformation directly was immense.
Although Xiao Xue could Upgrade directly using experience points, it didn't mean that energy was useless to her.
Expecting her to provide the energy for the Little Heaven Swallowing Python's development and transformation, supporting it for nothing? Impossible.
Over so many years, the Snake-People Clan must have stockpiled many medicinal herbs and energy-rich items.
So, it's perfectly reasonable for her to take these things, right?!
The extra items would be considered interest.
Xiao Xue picked out some useful items from the Snake-People Clan's inventory, planning to send them back to the Xiao Family in a few days.
She left behind the things that were only useful to snake-people and of no use to the Xiao Family.
As for the medicinal herbs, Xiao Xue only picked those of the Fourth Rank and above.
She didn't take any lower-level herbs at all.
To be honest, the Snake-People Clan didn't have many good things.
Even though the Snake-People Clan now held a high status in the Alliance and received many medicinal herbs, it was still just so-so.
This remote corner of the Northwest Continent really didn't lack resources.
But those resources, or "opportunities," were not things ordinary people could encounter.
Even Medusa didn't have the qualifications to encounter those "opportunities."
Especially after meeting Gu Yuan and receiving a storage ring of Advanced medicinal herbs sent by Xun'er.
Xiao Xue looked down even more on the pittance of the Snake-People Clan.
Of course, part of the reason was that Xiao Xue's standards were too high.
After the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People Clan formed an Alliance and destroyed the Izumo Empire...
The Yan Luo Empire and the Mu Lan Empire had already surrendered to the Alliance to avoid following in the Izumo Empire's footsteps.
The current Alliance had already united several surrounding Empires.
Moreover, setting aside the Alliance Leader Xiao Xue and her "background"...
Gu He within the Alliance was a Peak Sixth Grade Alchemist.
An Alchemist of this level was enough for a Dou Zong to take seriously.
Thus, the Alliance's current power could not be considered small.
With Medusa, a Dou Zong, as their strongest combatant, the Snake-People Clan's resources were actually enough to make most factions in the Northwest Continent envious.
Old-guard factions like the Heavenly Serpent Mansion had long since noticed this fledgling Alliance power.
The reason they hadn't moved against the Alliance was firstly because the Alliance hadn't threatened their interests yet.
Secondly, if the Alliance Leader really had a powerful background, then attacking rashly would be seeking their own death.
Therefore, these factions were still in a wait-and-see period.
Otherwise, even with Medusa as a Dou Zong, the current Alliance would still be insufficient in front of those old-guard factions.
After all, in the original story, those who attacked the Yan Alliance included Dou Venerate-level experts.
Those Dou Venerate were not members of the Hall of Souls, but "natives" from certain factions in the Northwest.
Even if Medusa skyrocketed to a high-level Dou Zong, if those old-guard factions really wanted to move against the Alliance, the Alliance probably couldn't stop them.
Thus, this new power, the Alliance, and the old-guard factions of the Northwest Continent were maintaining a delicate balance.
Of course, Xiao Xue didn't care about these things.
After all, in a few more days, she would be able to establish a connection with the people from the Pill Tower.
When the time came, the Xiao Family would move their entire household to the Pill Tower's sphere of influence, regardless of what happened in the Northwest Continent.
Linking up with Gu Yuan would make many things much simpler.
Xiao Xue had originally planned to advance into the Central Plains using the Northwest Continent as a base and the Jia Nan Academy as a springboard.
Now it seemed that many steps could be skipped.
However, just because some things could be skipped didn't mean they had to be.
After all, if she left silently when the Pill Tower people arrived, she would only leave behind a "legend."
Data like [prestige value] would definitely be greatly discounted.
Although these would be made up for after she became an Emperor...
But ten million then and ten million now certainly have completely different values.
With Xiao Xue's personality, how could she not fleece all the wool she could before leaving?
So, Xiao Xue planned to do something big in these few days to fleece a wave of wool.
At the same time, she would resolve some potential hidden threats.
She figured that if those guys from the Hall of Souls found out the Pill Tower was contacting her, they wouldn't be able to resist jumping out, right?
After taking most of the valuable items from the Snake-People Clan, Xiao Xue didn't stay any longer and returned directly to the Xiao Family.
As for Medusa, she naturally followed along without further mention.
Inside the Xiao Residence.
Medusa still didn't show her face, and after meeting with Xiao Zhan and the others, Xiao Xue directly refused all visitors and began her "seclusion."
She refined a vat of medicinal liquid to bathe in, absorbing energy to nourish the Little Heaven Swallowing Python.
Then, she also used her communication jade token to send a message to the Alchemist Guild.
—The champion's prize for the Alchemist Convention would be changed to a seventh-grade pill, which she would publicly refine after the convention ended.
With this move, she estimated she could squeeze every last drop of [prestige value] out of the Northwest Continent for a Seventh-Rank Alchemist under twenty.
With the Alchemist Convention about to begin, it meant the Three-Year Agreement between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran was also approaching.
Xiao Yan should now be at the Peak of the Great Dou Master level, or even a Dou Ling, and he possessed two kinds of Heavenly Flames and an Earth-rank Cultivation Method.
So, if Nalan Yanran was the same as in the original story, there would be no contest at all.
However, since Xiao Yan and Xun'er had broken up, and the engagement with Nalan Yanran hadn't been annulled...
Xiao Xue was somewhat curious whether Nalan Yanran would become her sister-in-law.
As for her own side... she could only take it one step at a time.
Although a new life had suddenly appeared, the condensation of its body had only just begun.
Thus, the Little Heaven Swallowing Python hadn't yet had any obvious effect on Xiao Xue.
Aside from having a slightly larger appetite and a greater preference for spicy food, there were no changes so far.
So, having nothing better to do, Xiao Xue took Medusa to the desert to practice refining seventh-grade pills.
Since her Soul Power had already reached Peak Seventh Grade.
And the amount of medicinal herbs Xun'er had given her was quite substantial.
Thus, Xiao Xue's alchemy skills progressed rapidly, and she could soon attract Pill Lightning.
However, since the desert was located in the center of the Alliance's territory...
Under the intentional control of the Alliance, entry into the desert was temporarily prohibited.
What Xiao Xue and Medusa, the Alliance Leader and the strongest expert in the Alliance, were doing in the desert was naturally unknown to anyone.
However, there were all sorts of speculations about it in the outside world.
———
A low-grade seventh-grade pill could only attract the lowest level of Pill Lightning, with power roughly equivalent to a newly Advanced Dou Zong.
Only the Pill Lightning attracted by a high-grade seventh-grade pill would be comparable to a Five-Star Dou Zong.
Therefore, the Pill Lightning posed no threat to Medusa.
However, after being struck by lightning for several consecutive days, Medusa was also charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
—It was hard to say there wasn't a personal grudge involved.
But she also "found a blessing in disguise," using the natural power of the Pill Lightning to break through from the Peak of Seven-Star Dou Zong to Eight-Star.
Xiao Xue also gained several seventh-grade pills of quite high quality and acquired some experience in refining them.
A few more days passed, and Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and the others returned from Jia Nan Academy with Zi Yan.
The Alchemist Convention was also about to begin.
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