After taking a deep breath, the two went back to watching Queen Medusa's dance, this time with a lethargic and spiritless expression.
"By the way, does Xiao Yan still want to drink water? But that water over there is from the snake woman's bath," El said casually, his eyes still fixed on Queen Medusa's dance.
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed, but his gaze still refused to leave the queen's graceful movements. "Seriously! I don't want to drink that water!" he whispered.
El smiled faintly and glanced at Xiao Yan and said softly, "But, Ji can purify that water with the Heavenly Flame. It should be clean again."
Xiao Yan let out a long breath, his tone of voice full of reluctance. "Still, I will not drink it, even if I am dying of thirst. And one more thing, you should not use the Heavenly Flame for such strange things!"
El returned to silence, choosing not to argue further. His eyes returned to watching Medusa's mesmerizing dance.
"Hahaha... "
Suddenly, the sound of loose laughter echoed in Xiao Yan's mind, the voice of Yao Chen, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his disciple's situation.
Xiao Yan frowned, feeling annoyed. "Master, what's so funny?" he asked in his mind, puzzled to find his teacher so amused. "Why do you sound so happy?"
"Hahaha... You two's friendship makes me think of an old friend, Feng Zun Zhe! Hahaha..." replied Yao Chen in a nostalgic tone, as if enjoying this moment more than he should.
"Old friend, Feng Zun Zhe?" muttered Xiao Yan softly, feeling even more curious.
"I'll tell you later," Yao Chen replied in a casual tone. "More importantly right now, try to pay close attention to that snake girl while dancing."
Xiao Yan frowned, then turned his gaze back to Queen Medusa's gracefully swaying waist.
The red light from the torch flames reflected the exotic silhouette on her body, emphasizing the movements of each dance.
"The dance is indeed beautiful... But, what does Master mean?" asked Xiao Yan in his mind, still not understanding the direction of his teacher's speech.
After a few seconds of silence, Yao Chen's voice rang out again, this time in a more serious tone. "I feel like I've seen that dance before... Could that snake girl be Queen Medusa?"
Xiao Yan was startled, reflexively stepping back a few steps. In an instant, a white-colored energy barrier enveloped his body like a thin layer of water, completely disguising his existence.
This was Yao Chen's Soul Strength, which was emitted from within the ring to conceal Xiao Yan's breath and existence.
On the other side, Yao Chen's voice sounded in his mind, the tone serious and full of vigilance. "I just remembered something important about this dance."
Yao Chen began to explain in a serious voice. "Once Queen Medusa reaches the peak of Dou Huang, there is a possibility of her undergoing a rare evolution, if lucky enough."
Xiao Yan frowned, listening intently.
"If that evolution is successful, not only will she obtain a fully human body, but her strength will also surge to the level of Dou Zong," Yao Chen continued.
Xiao Yan's eyes widened slightly, realizing how great the impact of this process was.
"However, the chances of success are very low..." Yao Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "And more importantly, the core of this evolution requires something very specific 'Heavenly Flame'."
Xiao Yan's heart beat faster. Heavenly Flame? It was not only something rare, but also one of his own goals.
"But remember, this evolution is extremely dangerous," Yao Chen added in a warning tone. "If it fails, not only will its strength vanish, it could lose its mind or even disintegrate completely."
Xiao Yan gulped, sensing a serious air in this situation. Thus, what he was currently witnessing was not just an ordinary ritual... but rather an attempt to achieve evolution that risked everything.
The dance performed by Queen Medusa at this moment was not merely a beautiful movement, but rather the Dance of Blessings, a sacred ritual to summon the ancestral spirits.
El, who already understood the situation, kept up her act. She feigned surprise, then turned to Xiao Yan with a puzzled expression. "Xiao Yan, what's wrong, is this protective energy? Ji just found out that you have such an ability."
Xiao Yan looked at El with a serious expression, then without saying anything, he approached and again peered at Queen Medusa from behind the rock crevice.
Without much ado, Yao Chen in the ring let El enter his Dou Qi barrier, disguising El's existence and breath from being detected by the queen.
In the silence, Xiao Yan finally whispered, "Ji Lan, do you know who she is?"
El, who was still in his acting mode, tilted his head slightly with an innocent expression. "Who is it? Isn't it just a snake girl taking a bath while dancing?"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath before exhaling heavily. "She... No, that snake girl is Queen Medusa."
El heard that statement and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as if trying to calm himself in this unexpected situation.
After a few seconds, El looked back at Queen Medusa who continued to dance gracefully. In a calm yet meaningful tone, he whispered, "This is... serious..."
Xiao Yan, still focused on the figure in the center of the pond, unhesitatingly nodded. "Yes, it is really serious."
Although the situation was dangerous, this was a golden opportunity to find out the whereabouts of the Heavenly Flame.
Xiao Yan did not choose to retreat, El simply went with the flow and simultaneously completed the Side Mission he had obtained.
Meanwhile, Queen Medusa was still dancing the Blessing Ritual. In one light leap full of grace, her body spun in the air, accompanied by her long tail that swayed with intoxicating movements, as if dancing with the surrounding energy.
As her tail touched the surface of the water again, the flames on the stone pillars went out in unison, as if obeying the Queen's command.
Slowly, Medusa raised her hand to the sky. Instantly, mysterious energy gathered at the center of the pool, creating ripples that spun faster and faster.
The shimmering water turned into a glowing vortex, before finally exploding upwards in a burst of fiery red energy.
From within the vortex, a giant serpent spirit rose into the sky, its red scales glowing mystically, emitting an echoing hiss that shook the entire Oasis.
However, Queen Medusa had not stopped dancing, even though a giant red Ancestral Spirit had appeared before her. Her movements remained graceful, as if dancing was not only a ritual, but also a tribute to the spirit.
El, who remained calmly watching the situation, slowly patted Xiao Yan's shoulder. "Get ready. We have been discovered. There is no chance of finding out the whereabouts of the Heavenly Flame from here."
Xiao Yan turned his head with a serious expression, beads of cold sweat flowing down his temples. "Damn... In that case, let us leave now!"
However, before Xiao Yan could move, El gave him a quick glance and then returned to watching Queen Medusa from behind a rock crevice. "You go. Let Ji take care of this."
Xiao Yan stiffened. "Ji Lan... Are you sure? She is not just Dou Huang at the peak. She's Queen Medusa."
El smiled faintly. "Take it easy. Ji has a plan. You'd better go first."
Xiao Yan looked at El doubtfully, but finally nodded slowly. With a serious expression, he took out two jars of medicine. One red and one white, and handed them to El.
"This red jar contains pills to recover wounds quickly, while the white one is to recover energy," Xiao Yan explained.
El glanced at the jars before taking them without hesitation. "Ji understands. Thank you."
Without wasting any time, Xiao Yan immediately turned around and left the place, while El kept the two jars of medicine given by Xiao Yan and stayed behind, preparing to complete the side mission.