BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 316: The Sky Serpent Empire

Word Count: 2,993 Words

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A thin layer of sweat glistened on First Elder Su Qian's forehead. He knew he would be powerless to stop this woman if she decided to attack the Inner Academy with her overwhelming strength. Had he not placed such trust in Xiao Yan, he would never have allowed such a formidable figure to remain beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Everyone understood the principle that a wise man should not stand beneath a dangerous wall. Initially, Su Qian believed she would merely break through to Rank 7, and if anything went wrong, he could handle it.

But now, this aura clearly exceeded that of someone who had just entered the Dou Ancestor realm!

Buzz!!!

Suddenly, a seven-colored divine light surged from the base of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. The terrifying radiance pierced directly through the tower, through space, and shot into the sky!

The entire Inner Academy was bathed in a vibrant seven-colored glow in an instant. Although the light posed no harm to the human body, its sheer scale, enveloping every corner of the academy, struck a primal fear into the hearts of all the students.

"Could it be... the Fallen Heart Flame erupting again!" a student who had witnessed the past incident trembled as he spoke.

"Are you stupid? Didn't you read the inscription on the stone tablet? Senior Xiao Yan subdued the Fallen Heart Flame long ago," a fervent fan of Xiao Yan retorted.

"But didn't Senior Xiao Yan find a second flame and donate it to the academy? That's why the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower can be used again. Maybe it's that second flame acting up!"

"Listen, pal, putting other matters aside, the Fallen Heart Flame isn't multicolored. Besides, anything Senior Xiao Yan gave to the academy would definitely be safe."

Xiao Yan's fame now surpassed even that of the elusive Headmaster.

Moreover, very few people in the entire Inner Academy knew what truly lay beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

"She's about to come out..." the First Elder muttered, his tone heavy.

As soon as his words fell, the seven-colored light pulsed again. A radiant rainbow arc shot into the sky like a celestial bridge piercing the heavens, resembling the emergence of some ancient treasure.

One could discern from a distance, however, that the seven-colored light formed the shape of an incomparably massive python, its body stretching thousands of meters long!

"What in the world is that thing!"

"Look... I think there's someone inside!"

All students of Jia Nan Academy, including those from the Outer Academy, turned their gazes upward. Everyone stood captivated by the seven-colored light erupting from the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

Xiao Mei and Xiao Yu, as core members of the Xiao Clan, naturally knew that Queen Medusa had been cultivating beneath the tower.

After all, she was now an ally of their clan.

"So... so beautiful." Xiao Mei stared blankly at the graceful figure within the rainbow light. Even though she was a beauty pursued and admired by many in Jia Nan Academy, when she saw Medusa, who had successfully completed her evolution and condensed her Heavenly Flame serpent body, that beauty made her feel utterly outshone.

At this moment, Medusa was wearing that noble and magnificent long dress, with streaks of seven-colored rainbow light shimmering behind her, looking exceptionally beautiful.

Her figure was absolute perfection—full, rounded breasts straining against her attire, a slender waist that seemed almost too delicate to be real, and curvaceous hips that swayed with each subtle movement. Her skin glowed with flawless luster under the radiant light, while her delicate face, framed by cascading locks of deep, glossy black hair, carried an air of untouchable nobility. Her jade-like feet stood atop the rainbow as colorful light swirled around her mature, captivating body.

Her icy, imperious gaze only amplified her regal demeanor. Already stunningly beautiful and bearing the authority of a queen, her charm carried an aloof dignity that made others instinctively wish to kneel at her feet, bow their heads, and heed her every command.

Medusa's piercing gaze swept across the wide plaza. Surprisingly, her eyes landed first not on First Elder Su Qian, the strongest figure present, nor on the Qian Bai Two Elders hidden in the Book Collection Hall, but on Xiao Yu!

Xiao Yu instinctively took half a step back under the weight of that gaze. Yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, she bit her lower lip, squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin to meet Medusa's stare directly.

However, Medusa quickly retracted her gaze and glanced at the stone statue of Xiao Yan standing on the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. A formidable Spiritual Strength rippled outward, scanning every inch of Jia Nan Academy, yet finding no trace of him.

"Xiao Yan left over a year ago and returned to the Jia Ma Empire shortly after. He is not in the Black-Corner Region now," First Elder Su Qian spoke up, having sensed Medusa's Spiritual Strength sweep across the academy and guessing whom she sought.

Queen Medusa cast an indifferent glance his way. Just as she prepared to depart, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She turned toward Xiao Yan's statue below, her expression hardening as her lips pressed into a thin line. With a subtle gesture, she squeezed the air before her.

Boom!

The entire statue instantly turned into powder with a thunderous crash, then vanished, the fragments scattering into nothingness as if they had never existed.

As Medusa vanished along with the rainbow light, it seemed as though the vision from moments before had been nothing but a fleeting illusion.

First Elder Su Qian sensed her departure and exhaled a long breath of relief. He had initially assumed Queen Medusa's strength was at most that of someone newly ascended to the Dou Ancestor realm, but unexpectedly, her cultivation had reached the high-star Dou Ancestor stage!

1 to 3 stars was considered low-star, 4 to 6 stars intermediate-star, and high-star was naturally 7 to 9 stars.

Even Xiao Yan likely hadn't anticipated this. He had estimated that Queen Medusa would have just entered the Dou Ancestor realm, with strength equivalent to at most a 3-star Dou Ancestor.

However, he had overlooked a crucial factor. After Medusa joined the Yan Alliance, he had spared no effort using the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to continuously awaken her bloodline strength. Additionally, he had given her most of the Core-Fire Lotus Seeds, and with the little Fallen Heart Flame as her companion, Medusa had integrated the powers of three Heavenly Flames into one.

After her physical body fully advanced to Rank 7 and completely fused with her soul and bloodline, her strength blossomed like a chemical reaction, yielding extraordinary results.

The Ten Thousand Beast Flame activated the bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, the Green Lotus Core Flame evolved her soul, and finally, the Fallen Heart Flame refined her body. Even a pig could fly with such a combination!

Even Medusa herself hadn't expected her strength to increase so dramatically after complete fusion.

Su Qian shook his head speechlessly as he gazed at the powdered remains of the stone statue. He couldn't fathom why she held such a grudge against Xiao Yan.

Xiao Mei's eyes lingered on the spot where Medusa had stood while her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her robe. Her gaze dropped briefly to her own figure, specifically to the fullness of her own twin peaks, yet she realized with a subtle pout that she still fell far short of Medusa's level. There were aspects of maturity and effortless grace in Medusa's form that she couldn't yet hope to rival.

"Is she blaming Cousin Xiao Yan for not waiting for her?" she murmured.

Su Qian had a strange expression and shook his head, "She can't be that childish, can she?"

Only Xiao Yu wore a thoughtful look, her brow furrowed slightly as she stared at the empty space where Medusa had vanished.

Naturally, the news of Medusa's sudden appearance in the Inner Academy spread far and wide. Most people definitely discussed Medusa's beauty and the matter of her crushing Xiao Yan's stone statue in the end.

Many uninformed students, through rumors and exaggerations, gradually spun the story into one where Senior Xiao Yan had left Jia Nan Academy and dallied outside, attracting such a formidable goddess of wrath. The tale eventually evolved into one of Xiao Yan having a one-night affair and 'knocking someone up,' with the affected party tracking him down to the academy to demand justice.

Naturally, Xiao Yan, who was far away in the Sky Serpent Empire, could not possibly know about Medusa emerging from beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

...

"Phew, we've finally arrived."

After flying for seven days, the Yan Alliance group finally reached the capital city of the Sky Serpent Empire.

The capital was a massive ancient city of incredible prosperity, where diverse races gathered in abundance. Here, the number of magical beasts far exceeded that of humans, and the most numerous here were undoubtedly the Snake Race.

Here, one could see all sorts of snake races: the Snake-People Race, Horned Snake Race, Winged Snake Race, Crawling Snake Race, Giant Snake Race, and so on. The interbreeding ability of the Snake Race was definitely not weaker than that of the Dragon Race.

As Xiao Yan and his companions approached the capital of the Sky Serpent Empire, they could see from afar a gigantic, jade-green serpent statue in the center of the capital, piercing straight through the clouds.

The entire giant serpent was jade-green, not carved from ordinary stone. From a distance, one could only see its body but not its detailed features, as its upper half disappeared into the clouds.

An interesting aspect of the capital was that people didn't use clocks to tell time, but relied on the shadow cast by this enormous statue. The long, dark shadow moved slowly with the sun's journey, creating an indescribable sense of foreboding—as though, within the Sky Serpent Capital, one was always being watched by a giant serpent in the sky, with nowhere to hide.

The Sky Serpent Empire was named after this giant serpent statue. It was once rumored that this giant serpent was the statue of that Dou Saint from the Sky Serpent Mansion, built to commemorate his great achievements. Others said that this giant serpent retained the power of that Dou Saint from the Sky Serpent Mansion, guarding the Sky Serpent Mansion as its guardian deity.

Although it was said that the Sky Serpent Empire was protected by this statue, no one had seen this statue display its divine might over so many years. In fact, for a thousand years, the Sky Serpent Empire had been relatively peaceful and tranquil, without major wars, and no one had ever been able to attack the capital.

Seeing that giant statue naturally meant they were about to enter the Sky Serpent Capital.

Even someone as restless as Zi Yan felt quite fatigued by now, and even Yun Yun, with her calm temperament, showed signs of weariness. She had skipped the previous Great Meeting of Factions, partly because she had already made her name, but mainly because it was simply too far!

Xiao Yan couldn't help but rub his temples. One had to know, the Central Plains were even farther!

One had to pass through the Sky Serpent Capital, then travel further, cross the entire North-Western Region, and then fly more to reach the outskirts of the Central Plains!

"Let's land here. Flying is prohibited in the Sky Serpent Capital." Jia Xing Tian patted the scales of the Serene Sea Scaly Beast. With a roar, the Serene Sea Scaly Beast slowly descended onto a grassland outside the Sky Serpent Capital.

The massive body of the Serene Sea Scaly Beast landed with a thunderous boom, creating a huge crater in the ground.

"What's that noise!"

"Such a strong magical beast! Is that a dragon!"

"It looks like a Rank 6 flood dragon. With such an imposing aura, I wonder which faction has arrived riding such a beast."

The Sky Serpent Capital was not just the gathering place for the Great Meeting of Factions; it was also the most prosperous city in the entire North-Western Region. Located in the center of the North-Western Region, the Sky Serpent Empire was undoubtedly a necessary route for all other countries in the North-Western Region to conduct business.

Many powerful empires would have merchant caravans riding flying magical beasts through various empires, then selling and purchasing goods. freēwēbnovel.com

After establishing the Yan Alliance and occupying Feng City, the Miteer Auction House had such flying merchant caravans, traveling back and forth between the Snake-People Tribe, the Black-Corner Region, and the Jia Ma Empire.

Even in the Sky Serpent Empire, a magical beast with the strength of the Serene Sea Scaly Beast held a prominent position and could serve as an elder in the Sky Serpent Mansion. The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor that Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong had jointly dealt with in the past was only slightly stronger than the Serene Sea Scaly Beast.

The bipedal Serene Sea Scaly Beast strode its massive body slowly toward the city gate. After all, the Sky Serpent Empire was a nation of magical beasts, and the city gates here were more than ten times larger than normal, allowing even the Serene Sea Scaly Beast to pass through smoothly.

After sensing the strength of the people on the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's back, how would the guards dare to stop them? One didn't need to think to know that this was some first-rate faction coming to participate in the Great Meeting of Factions.

"What a powerful aura!"

"There must be a Dou Ancestor among them."

"I wonder which first-rate faction this is. I don't think I've seen this huge flood dragon before."

Nearly a hundred factions participated in each Great Meeting of Factions, and among them, only those with Dou Ancestor experts could be ranked as first-rate. Factions like those from the Chu Yun Empire and the Gold Geese Sect were considered first-rate, while the former Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People Tribe were regarded as second-rate.

When their group stepped into the capital city, their emotions varied. Zi Yan, Yue Er, and Nalan Yanran, being younger and also visiting the capital city for the first time, were extremely excited.

Upon entering the capital, Zi Yan couldn't help but look around in wonder, much like a country bumpkin entering a grand estate. She was especially shocked when she saw that the surroundings were full of magical beasts, and even the vendors and shop assistants were magical beasts.

To facilitate trade more conveniently, the magical beasts of the Sky Serpent Empire would all learn human language, making communication completely barrier-free.

"It really is mostly magical beasts!" Zi Yan looked around excitedly. It was her first time seeing a city inhabited by magical beasts, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship.

She wondered if her own homeland was also like this, with dragons everywhere!

Xiao Yan's sharp gaze, meanwhile, fixed on the giant statue at the center of the capital. He knew that was where the Sky Serpent Mansion stood, and where Qing Lin would be.

Several years had passed, and he still didn't know how that little girl Qing Lin was doing.

"Don't be anxious. You'll be able to see that little girl sooner or later. No matter what happens, we should try our best not to offend the Sky Serpent Mansion for now," Hai Bodong reminded Xiao Yan, afraid that he would directly rush into the Sky Serpent Mansion.

Xiao Yan nodded. He was not an impulsive person. Moreover, Bai Ya and Lu Man had made a promise back then to definitely give Qing Lin the best inheritance, education, and treatment.

If Qing Lin was doing well, then that would be that.

Xiao Yan remained silent. Yun Yun and Hai Bodong, who were accompanying him, did not disturb his thoughts. Only Zi Yan, Nalan Yanran, and Yue Er were excitedly looking around, curious about everything.

By the time they entered the capital, dusk had begun to settle. Yun Yun suggested, "Shall we find a place to stay first?"

Xiao Yan and the others had planned to stay for a while to attend the Great Meeting of Factions, so he wasn't in a hurry and simply nodded.

For factions with strength above the Dou King realm, especially those with Dou Ancestors, the Sky Serpent Mansion had arranged vast courtyards complete with large pools suitable for beasts like the Serene Sea Scaly Beast.

"These preparations are quite thoughtful." Xiao Yan was very satisfied. As the host, the Sky Serpent Mansion had done a good job. With over a hundred factions participating, each faction had an independent courtyard.

"Xiao Yan! Let's go out for a walk!" Zi Yan tugged at his sleeve, acting spoiled.

Xiao Yan nodded and said, "That's a good idea. I also happen to need to buy some medicinal ingredients. It would be best if I can buy them here."

"Let this old man accompany you. I visited the Sky Serpent Capital in my youth, so I'm quite familiar with it," Hai Bodong offered as he stood up, ready to serve as their guide.

"Yanran, you should go too and broaden your horizons," Yun Yun suggested, noticing Nalan Yanran's desire to join them.

"Then what about you, Master?"

"I'll stay here and wait for your return. I feel that my cultivation has reached a bottleneck. Perhaps I can break through to 8-star before the meeting begins," Yun Yun replied with a gentle smile.

In the end, Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong took Zi Yan, Yue Er, and Nalan Yanran, these members of the younger generation, toward the bustling streets.

Before leaving, Xiao Yan exchanged a discreet nod with Xiao Li and Xiao Ding. Shortly afterward, the two quietly left the courtyard.