After enjoying a delicious meal he remembered, Chen Guan led his group on a revisit of his old haunts.
Although Qingshan City no longer resembled much of Qingshan Town, he still felt a strong sense of familiarity. He
was reminiscing about his heroic battles against the Snake King when suddenly, a group of heavily armed Serpentmen blocked their path. The weakest among them was barely at the Douling level!
Such a force was the cream of the crop in the northwest!
The crowd on the street quickly retreated to the sides, staring curiously but not fearfully. This demonstrated the profound shift in the relationship between the two tribes.
Sensing a familiar presence, Chen Guan approached with a calm demeanor.
Soon, the Serpentmen soldiers made way, and a voluptuous, exotic figure entered their view.
"Guard Commander Hua She'er, greets the Alliance Leader!"
"Greetings!"
With Hua She'er leading the charge, the soldiers saluted in unison, clapping their chests and cheering loudly.
Many of them had never even seen Chen Guan, but this didn't dampen their excitement, for his name had long been known throughout the tribes.
In the past, the Poison Sect was rampant, and poison masters flooded into the Tagor Desert. Without Chen Guan's assistance, the Snake People would have suffered severe damage!
The soldiers' shouts shuddered through Qingshan City, bringing a pin drop to a whisper.
His mind raced, and when the thought finally clicked, his astonishment was unconcealed.
Who else could the Snake People guard leader, Hua She'er, call him their leader?
"Commander Hua She'er, you've made such rapid progress after all these years. I almost didn't recognize you."
Chen Guan smiled gently at the astonished gazes of the crowd around him, greeting Hua She'er kindly.
He remembered that when he'd left the northwest, Hua She'er was still at the Dou Wang level, but now, upon seeing him again, he was a five-star Dou Huang powerhouse from the northwest!
"It's all thanks to Her Majesty the Queen and the Heavenly Alliance. This insignificant progress can hardly be compared to what the Alliance Leader has achieved."
Feeling that Chen Guan's attitude remained the same as before, Hua She'er relaxed considerably, speaking more casually, and replied with a smile.
Among the Serpent People, besides Queen Medusa, Chen Guan had the most contact with her, and their relationship was better than with the other tribal leaders.
Hearing this, Chen Guan laughed heartily, but didn't dwell on the topic further.
"Alliance Leader, Her Majesty heard of your return and sent me here to deliver a message, asking you to..."
"What?"
Chen Guan, perplexed by Hua She'er's hesitation, grew curious.
Hua She'er faltered, casting a sound barrier to block out the onlookers, then began to deliver the message with an averted gaze.
"Her Majesty said you should go see her!"
Chen Guan's smile faltered, then quickly returned to normal.
He turned to look at the others, who seemed to be stifling laughter, and scooped Zi Yan into his arms.
"This woman's nature is just that she loves to talk tough. I'm used to it. You two should stay with Hua She'er. Let Hua She'er arrange accommodations for now. Zi Yan and I will go see Die Yi first. Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of her. I'm just giving her face."
Ignoring the increasingly unconcealable smiles of the others, Chen Guan supported Zi Yan with one hand and, at an unhurried pace, strode towards the Serpent Tribe's Holy City at a steady pace of a hundred feet per step.
Until they left Qingshan City and climbed over one mountain after another...
"Girl, she's not really mad, is she?"
"It's possible. You didn't even go to see her the first thing you did when you got back. If I were Sister Die Yi, I'd be angry too."
"Zi Yan, I've been nice to you, haven't I?"
"Not bad, what's wrong?"
"Then it's your turn!"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely stand by Sister Die Yi!"
"Little traitor!" he
muttered all the way. Before they knew it, the Serpent Tribe's Holy City was within sight.
Atop the towering city walls, sentries stood every three steps and guards every five. Dou Wang-level squad leaders would periodically lead patrols, while Dou Huang-level warriors and above would survey the surroundings with their spiritual powers. The security was incredibly tight.
Chen Guan could even sense four remarkable auras lurking somewhere in the city.
Five Dou Zong masters!
With a moment's reflection, Chen Guan guessed their identities.
In all likelihood, these five were the former four elders of the Serpent People and the Grand Commander, whom he had once met.
Together with Queen Medusa, the Serpent People's collective strength now far surpassed that of the original coalition, making them a formidable force even in Zhongzhou.
However, their strength was still somewhat lacking in the face of Dou Zun masters.
Without alerting anyone, Chen Guan led Zi Yan quietly past the numerous defenses and into the Medusa Temple.
Standing at the temple's entrance, his gaze was immediately drawn to the graceful figure leaning against the throne.
Looking at that beautiful face, tinged with a hint of fatigue, Chen Guan's previous uneasiness vanished, leaving only heartache and warmth.
Leaving the little dragon behind, Chen Guan took a step forward, his figure already before the throne.
Zi Yan's disgruntled cry startled Medusa, who had closed her eyes to rest. Her beautiful eyes fluttered open, revealing a face so familiar to her very core. She
's really back!
Medusa suddenly sat upright, her face tense. As she was trying to formulate her words, she saw Chen Guan, seemingly a true disciple of Zi Yan, already shoving himself onto the throne with a playful grin.
"Gently, gently, don't disturb the baby!"
he muttered incoherently, one hand already encircling her slender waist, the other gently caressing her swollen belly. He tilted his head upward, as if to listen for any sounds from within, childish as a child who had just received a new and exciting gift.
Queen Medusa's carefully crafted words and stern expression instantly broke, a smile of unprecedented contentment plastered across her face.
In that moment, she seemed no longer the queen of the Serpent People, nor the powerful vice-leader of the Heavenly Alliance, but simply an ordinary wife whose duty was to support her husband and raise her children.
"Sister Dieyi, I missed you so much!"
The warm atmosphere was quickly shattered by the tactless Zi Yan, who, with her arms outstretched, sobbed, nearly bursting into tears.
Medusa smiled, raised her hand to touch Zi Yan's delicate hair, and pulled her to sit beside her, her doting expression no less than before.
Zi Yan took the opportunity to put her arm around Medusa's arm, giggling non-stop.
Seeing Chen Guan still hunched over and unwilling to straighten up, she pushed him to his feet with a measured expression.
Chen Guan gave her a disdainful look, then took Medusa's other hand and examined it closely.
The little dragon man, judging him by his own petty ways, thought he was playing tricks, but he didn't realize Chen Guan was examining Medusa and sensing the condition of the fetus within her.
Medusa noticed, smiled, and allowed him to proceed.
Zi Yan had been talking non-stop since she sat down, exclaiming with unbridled exaggeration about her concern. Medusa didn't point any of this out, but listened quietly with a smile.
"Sister Dieyi, look at the gift I prepared for you. Inside is the heritage of a sect called the Lion Nether Sect, containing thousands of rare medicinal herbs and numerous excellent elixirs. Chen Guan cried and begged me to give him some, but I refused."
"And here's another thing: this is a seven-colored hu plant I stole... from the Ancient Dragon Clan. Your true form is a seven-colored Sky-Swallowing Python, so it should be very useful to you." "
By the way, Sister Dieyi, in case you didn't know, I've found my clan. They're the Taixu Ancient Dragons, incredibly powerful, from the Warcraft Realm..."
Zi Yan babble excitedly, occasionally pulling out a little hidden treasure from her storage ring.
While she inevitably embellished her words with exaggerated wit and often fabricated them, it was still clear that she was deeply concerned about this meeting, with a mix of truth and fabrication.
Medusa had actually learned a great deal from Skyfire Venerable when he returned from his last resource escort, including the fact that Zi Yan's true form was the Grand Void Ancient Dragon.
But she remained silent now, feigning interest and listening attentively to Zi Yan's chatter, occasionally asking questions, a perfect supporting role.
Amidst Zi Yan's boasting, Chen Guan quickly inspected Medusa's interior.
Just then, Zi Yan's mouth dried, and she finally paused.
Medusa took this opportunity to glance at Chen Guan, her clear, autumn-water eyes revealing a questioning tone.
"It's even better than I expected!"
Medusa, relieved upon hearing this, smiled. "Because of the special relationship with the Serpent People, I didn't think much of the energy anomaly I felt before. But recently, it's been growing stronger and more unstable. At its peak, it's almost surpassed my own strength. Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying a bomb, not a child."
"You've evolved into a Seven-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python, so your pregnancy behavior is naturally different from that of a normal Medusa. The reason for the energy instability is simple. It means our child is almost here, in a month at most!"
Chen Guan clasped Medusa's hand, his face filled with anticipation.
This will be his first true blood relative on the Dou Qi Continent!
Medusa nodded gently, also looking forward to that day.
"Hehe, when the little one is born, I'll be their big sister, no, their aunt. I'll take them out to play, and in the future, the children of Sister Xiao Yixian and Sister Yunyun will all obey my orders. I'll be the boss, and I'll make them..."
Zi Yan imagined the future, her smile cunning, her intentions evident.
Before she could finish, Chen Guan quickly stopped her with his eyes.
If you can't speak, you don't have to!
After receiving the look, Zi Yan realized the problem and quickly shut up with
a wry smile. Medusa was mentally prepared. She felt funny when she saw Chen Guan, who was feeling a little guilty.
Then, the smile on her face deliberately became meaningful.
"Oh? From what Zi Yan said, Sect Master Yun and Little Medical Fairy are back too. Why don't you bring them with you?"
Knowing each other well, Chen Guan already understood Medusa's temperament very well. He knew that she was a little jealous, but definitely not as angry as she showed.
But this must not be said openly, just understand it in your heart!
Chen Guan glared at the little dragon man and didn't take up this sensitive topic.
"Master Jia, how are Pharaoh and the others doing now? And Sister Yaoye and the others? Since you're back, why not notify them all to come over for a get-together? They've all worked so hard for the development of the Heavenly Alliance over the past few years, and I owe you a huge thank you for their dedicated support
. Ziyan, why don't you go? It's perfect, don't you want to see Yaoyue?" The useless little dragon was abandoned without a second thought, and Chen Guan decisively assigned her a task.
Knowing she was a troublemaker, Ziyan sensed the tension and immediately accepted without hesitation, patting her chest and slipping away as a gesture of respect.
"Yes, I'll be right there!"
Seeing Ziyan's face filled with relief after being sent away, Medusa couldn't help but roll her eyes at Chen Guan, unaware of how seductive her gesture truly was.
Seeing this, Chen Guan felt a slight warmth in his heart. The savage in his human nature began to awaken. The filth within his spiritual sea urgently needed to be purged. This was a major taboo in cultivation and must be dealt with as soon as possible. Immediately, he waved his hand and closed the temple gate.
...
outside.
Zi Yan was leisurely preparing to head into the interior of the Jia Ma Empire.
However, before she could even begin her leisurely journey, she sensed several auras, quite formidable even in the northwest, darting towards them.
Soon, their figures materialized. Zi Yan, hiding in the void, immediately recognized the leader as none other than the Jia Ma Empire's former guardian deity.
Jia Xingtian! There were
also Fama, Hai Bodong, Yunshan, Nalan Jie, Nalan Su, Yao Ye, Yao Yue, and others.
Zi Yan had seen most of the group before; their appearances hadn't changed much over the years, making them easy to spot.
However, there was one exception: one trailed Jia Xingtian by half a step, flanked by two immensely burly figures, guarding him like Dharma protectors.
They towered over the others by more than a head!
Even more surprising was that both men were above Dou Zong level, one three-star, the other two-star, the strongest besides Jia Xingtian and Yunshan.
"That scent seems familiar..."
Zi Yan's nose wrinkled slightly, and after a long moment of thought, she still couldn't recognize it.
Setting aside the question, Zi Yan examined the young woman standing beside Yao Ye.
Though she had matured considerably, losing her former immaturity and possessing a more aloof demeanor, she could still barely distinguish her as the girl she had once clashed with Xiao Yan at the Yunlan Sect. "
Nalan Yanran!
Eight-star Dou Wang! This man and that Xiao Yan are truly a perfect match. Even after all these years, their strengths are still identical,"
Zi Yan muttered to herself, a bit speechless.
It would be difficult for an ordinary person to achieve such rapid advancement in just two or three years, but neither of them could be judged by common sense.
Xiao Yan's rapid ascension to the Dou Wang level was due to his return to Xingyun Pavilion, where he benefited from its vast resources.
Nalan Yanran, on the other hand, relied on the Life and Death Sect!
Perhaps she had also benefited from the resources brought back by Skyfire Venerable, but that was unknown.
After a brief listening, Zi Yan knew that Jia Xingtian and the others had already received the news of Chen Guan's return, which was why they had mobilized so many troops to come and meet him.
This saved Zi Yan a lot of trouble.
Glancing at Yaoyue, who had grown into a slender and graceful young woman, Zi Yan looked down at her toes, snorted softly, and left.
She wasn't envious or jealous!
She simply felt that it was inconvenient to talk with so many people around, so she might as well go back to the Warcraft Mountains to inform Chen Guan first, and then reminisce about the past.