"What the fuck?"
"Is that still Lord Yue Mei? My heart is about to melt. Too bad I'm just a noob, Lord Yue Mei won't spare me a second glance."
"Who is this person, to be treated so preciously by Lord Yue Mei!"
"Are you guys idiots? Hasn't Lord Yue Mei recently transformed? Legend has it that only by consuming a Metamorphosis Pill can one completely shed their snake tail and turn into a human form. Clearly, Lord Yue Mei must have taken the Metamorphosis Pill. And perhaps the pill was given to Lord Yue Mei by that lord."
"Yeah. Within such a short period of time, too many things have happened to our Snake-People Tribe, including the miracle before. All the elders have changed, one by one, as if they've received incredibly good news, so elated."
The members of the Snake-People Tribe were abuzz with discussions.
Filled with excitement by the atmosphere in the tribe, they were thrilled.
They had a premonition that the Snake-People Tribe might rise to power once again, and this time it would be unprecedentedly strong.
...
"Queen, have you really made a breakthrough? Are you now a Dou Zong Expert?"
In the grand hall of the Snake-People Tribe, several elders had gathered. Hearing this news, they were moved to tears.
A strong one had finally emerged again in the Snake-People Tribe!
The emergence of a Dou Zong Expert was enough to protect the Snake-People Tribe for centuries, and the weight on their shoulders instantly lifted.
In the past, they were worried that the major powers of the Jia Ma Empire might join forces against the Snake-People Tribe. They are a race, not just a simple force. If the tribe were to fall into decline, it would be incredibly difficult to rise again.
That's why there was so much concern when Queen Medusa wanted to transform with the help of the Strange Fire. If anything happened to Queen Medusa, there would be no future for the Snake-People Tribe.
And now that Queen Medusa has become a Dou Zong, how could they not be thrilled? The strength of the Snake-People Tribe is intimately connected with each and every one of them. Only with a powerful tribe could they possibly achieve higher status.
Although winning over Xu Ran could bring opportunities to the Snake-People Tribe, Queen Medusa becoming a Dou Zong could fundamentally raise the ceiling of the entire tribe's potential.
No matter how strong an outsider is, they are ultimately still an outsider.
Moreover, with Queen Medusa's breakthrough to Dou Zong, the dilute Sky-Swallowing Python bloodline would become richer once more, benefiting future generations of Queen Medusas, and those with high concentrations of the Sky-Swallowing Python bloodline would find it easier to make their own breakthroughs to Dou Zong, thus enabling a positive cycle of continuous improvement for the race.
"Hmm, with Lord Xu Ran's help, I easily made the breakthrough. Lord Xu Ran is truly a master beyond compare!" Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes were filled with reverence.
In her entire life, she had never admired anyone like this.
This feeling of being able to outshine the sun and moon with a wave of her hand, she couldn't forget it even now.
Not until that moment did she realize how insignificant she was. There were so many strong ones in this world, and Xu Ran was one of them.
Queen Medusa's mind was full of Xu Ran's shadow, the image of Xu Ran's true form, massive enough to contend with the heavens and the earth, was eternally etched in her mind.
"Space power."
With a gentle point from Queen Medusa, her body had already moved ten meters away, and then she sat on the throne at the highest place.
"This is the power of space! This is the space power that only a Dou Zong Expert can control. There is no doubt that the Queen is a Dou Zong Expert now."
"Haha. Heaven blesses our Snake-People Tribe. Our tribe will surely prosper again and become a great clan."
The elders of the Snake-People Tribe danced and gesticulated as if they were mad.
They had waited for this day for too long.
They waited for a true Dou Zong Expert to lead them towards prosperity, waiting for countless years. Yet, they could only watch as the Snake-People Tribe declined with each passing year, forced to shrink within this barren desert, making it increasingly difficult to produce strong warriors.
"However, what surprises me the most is Lord Xu Ran. He truly is a great figure. The Queen had just gone to see him, and immediately after returning, she became a Dou Zong. This is too fast. I originally thought that even if he had exceptional abilities, it would still take a tremendous amount of effort to help the Queen make a breakthrough to become a Dou Zong Expert, but I didn't expect him to be so formidable."
"Yes. I've heard that when a Seventh Rank Alchemist prepares to make Elixirs, they wait until the right time, place, and people are ready before they begin, and even then, making Elixirs is fraught with difficulties, running the risk of failure if one is not careful. But that lord managed to make an Elixir suitable for Queen Medusa in such a short period, which is truly unimaginable."
"However, since Lord Xu Ran has made this Elixir, we of the Snake-People Tribe should not let him make such an effort in vain, we should present the treasures of the Snake-People Tribe as a reward, not to dishearten Lord Xu Ran!"
"But I'm afraid that the things of the Snake-People Tribe may not be to Lord Xu Ran's liking."
The elders continued to discuss. But what treasures did the Snake-People Tribe have? Aside from the Queen... cough cough... Now that the Queen had already become a Dou Zong Expert, it wasn't appropriate for them to speak as bluntly as before.
"Lord Xu Ran did not make any Elixir. His strength is so immense that it's beyond the imagination of any of us. Even without Elixirs, he solved my problem," Queen Medusa exclaimed.
As the strongest of the Snake-People Tribe, she had always been extremely proud, looking down on the Douhuang (Battle Emperor) Strong Ones of the Jia Ma Empire.
Yet faced with the immensely powerful Xu Ran, even she, in all her pride, had to bow her head.
She would never be able to reach such a level, even if she spent her entire life trying.
The Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python too had its limits, and even if she were fortunate enough to evolve into a Nine-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, she still could not reach such heights.
"Could it be that Lord Xu Ran is a Dou Zun Expert?"
When Queen Medusa, who had just made the breakthrough to Dou Zong, still held such admiration and respect for Xu Ran, the Snake-People Tribe elders were greatly surprised.
After all, the Queen was now an exalted Dou Zong Expert!
"No, what would a Dou Zun be before Lord Xu Ran?" Queen Medusa elevated her snow-white neck proudly. Although a Dou Zun is strong, compared to Lord Xu Ran, it's like the difference between a firefly and the bright moon.
"Then, could it be the legendary Dou Saint Expert?" The elders of the Snake-People Tribe gasped in shock. Dou Saints were legendary experts, and in the entire Northwest Continent, a Dou Zun was already enough to reign supreme, while Dou Saints... were almost unheard of.
Only in Zhongzhou, that land replete with strong ones, might a Dou Saint Expert possibly emerge.
Moreover, those Dou Saint Experts were elusive beings, as difficult to see as a dragon's head.
"I do not know. I'm not certain, but I feel that Lord Xu Ran might even be stronger than a Dou Saint. I cannot imagine there being anyone in this world more powerful than Lord Xu Ran. Perhaps, Lord Xu Ran is the most powerful being of our time," Queen Medusa's beautiful eyes gleamed with admiration."
Queen Medusa did not know how strong those peerless experts out in the world were, but to her, Xu Ran was already invincible.
"Sss sss."
The elders of the Snake-People Tribe hissed in astonishment. They had thought that Xu Ran's status as a Seventh Rank Alchemist was terrifying enough, but who could have imagined... the most powerful being of the current era! Didn't that mean that with such an existence supporting them, it could be possible for the Snake-People Tribe to venture to Zhongzhou under his protection in the future?