The concept of time was quite vague within the mountain forest. It was even more so within the quiet valley.

At this moment, one month had already passed since Xiao Yan had begun his retreat. However, there was not the slightest commotion within the valley. Even the enormous purple-colored light cocoon, that Zi Yan had transformed into, was still emitting a bright glow at a steady pace. There was not the slightest sign of her breaking the cocoon to come out of it. Medusa was also quite helpless in the face of this. She had somewhat underestimated the immensity of the energy that Zi Yan needed to advance.

Medusa fondled her chin as she sat cross-legged on an enormous rock. Her gaze paused on the light cocoon for a moment before involuntarily turning to the cave covered by a countless number of rock fragments. She could not help but sigh softly when she saw that there was still not even a little activity there.

Xiao Yan’s aura had become partially invisible three days after he took the retreat. After a couple of days, his aura was completely hidden. Even with Medusa’s strength, she could only vaguely sense the slight aura within the valley if she used all her strength. She knew that the current Xiao Yan was experiencing a period of undertaking the correct path from the peak of the Dou Wang class into the Dou Huang class. The moment his aura truly disappeared, he will have successfully advanced to an elite Dou Huang.

“Ugh, these two fellows really test one’s patience...” Medusa helplessly sighed. She could only withdraw her gaze and slowly shut her eyes as she also entered her training mode. She could only use training to pass time under the dull task of waiting and protecting. Otherwise, it would truly test one’s patience to the extreme.

The days within the valley passed by in this manner one after another. They swiftly flowed past without any great changes. Any noise from the outside world had difficulty spreading to this place. This provided Xiao Yan and Zi Yan the quietest environment to advance.

Some fluctuations appeared amid these quiet days around two months after Xiao Yan’s retreat. The source of this change was due to Xiao Yan.

Medusa was meandering through this day by training and protecting as she had been doing. However, just as she was about to enter her training mode, she suddenly felt the energy within the valley become like bubbling boiling water as it fluctuated intensely. She was immediately startled and she swiftly tracked the source. It was surprisingly the place where Xiao Yan was undertaking his retreat.

“This fellow...” Medusa knit her eyebrows slightly. She could sense that the dense energy within the valley was gathering within that mountain cave in a crazy manner. Moreover, the speed of this agglomeration was also increasing. In the end, it actually formed a large energy swirl in the air over the valley, which was dozens of feet wide. The middle of that swirl was the cave,

“Why is it that the amount of energy he requires to advance is also so large?” Medusa was stunned as she looked at that enormous swirl over her head. She could not help but feel a little absent-minded. It was not as though she had never experienced the advancement from a Dou Wang to a Dou Huang. That process did require an unusually large amount of energy. However, it did not occur like Xiao Yan’s crazy attraction of natural energy, no?

Of course, Medusa was unaware that an ordinary Dou Wang advancing to a Dou Huang would not require such wild energy snatching. This was because the energy that they absorbed could at the very most only undergo the refinement of the Qi Method within their body. However, it was different for Xiao Yan. There was not only a powerful and overbearing Qi Method like the ‘Flame Mantra’ within his body but there was also the existence of three types of ‘Heavenly Flames’. These ‘Heavenly Flames’ were protecting his body at all times. The natural energy that was pouring into his body would have to pass through these three checkpoints. Hence, an energy that was as thick as one’s arm would quickly be refined into a thread that was as small as one’s thumb after passing through these three checkpoints. Moreover, after the energy entered his body and underwent the refinement of the ‘Flame Mantra’ Qi Method, this thumb-sized energy would shrink again. In this way, the energy that Xiao Yan could absorb had naturally shrank greatly in terms of size.

Of course, the size might have shrank but that energy supplied Xiao Yan with limitless benefits. With such pure Dou Qi, his foundation in the Dou Huang class would be much firmer compared to an ordinary Dou Huang. This point would have a crucial use when he advanced to an even higher class in the future.

The drawback created by this process was that he required an even larger and more frightening amount of energy to advance when compared with an ordinary person. This was the reason that the unusual phenomenon from earlier appeared.

The colorful energy swirl slowly rotated in the air while the natural energy was repeatedly being absorbed. Following the pulling force from the swirl gradually becoming stronger, even the energy outside of the valley began to faintly agglomerate toward the small valley.

Medusa had naturally sensed this situation. Her pretty face immediately changed slightly. This Magical Beast Mountain Range had many powerful Magical Beasts. They were extremely sensitive to energy. The appearance of such an intense ripple in this place would definitely attract them over.

The purple colored light cocoon that Zi Yan had transformed into seemed to be affected by the intense ripple of the natural energy just as Medusa’s pretty face changed a little. It immediately emitted an intense purple glow. Under that purple light, a portion of the natural energy within the valley separated and wildly rushed toward the cocoon.

In a moment, the sound of energy whistling within the valley appeared repeatedly. Two wild suction forces swept over the sky and forcefully pulled over all the energy that they could absorb before swallowing it all. The suctioning strength of the valley soared, and even some of the external natural energy began to swiftly surge toward the valley.

“Ugh. These two fellows aren’t even willing to be quiet when they advance...” Medusa immediately shook her head helplessly when she saw this. Her body moved and appeared in the sky above the valley. She swept her pretty eyes around her before her hand suddenly formed numerous complicated hand seals. Her expression gradually became solemn.

While Medusa’s hands danced and formed numerous afterimages, the air above the valley suddenly fluctuated in a strange manner. A moment later, this space became very distorted. The colorful energy swirl was slowly covered under the distortion of the space.

“Space seal!”

The wiggling of space became more intense. Medusa’s expression also became increasingly more solemn. It was a long while later before her hand seal suddenly changed as she cried out in a deep voice.

When her cry sounded, the surrounding space suddenly solidified as an unusual fluctuation swiftly spread out. Finally, it covered the entire mountain valley. Following the spread of this fluctuation, the wild suction emitted from the valley was slowly hidden.

Medusa only sighed in relief after doing all of this. She lowered her head and looked at the valley only to see that it was void of anything. Her body moved and slowly made its way toward the valley. Space suddenly shook just as her body reached a certain boundary. Her figure gradually disappeared.

The disappearing Medusa slowly reappeared within the valley. She raised her head and observed the colorful energy ripple in the air. Her delicate hand rubbed the perspiration on her smooth forehead. Despite her current strength, she would still have to exhaust herself greatly in order to lock the space of this valley. However, it was fortunate that the activity in this place was hidden once again. Otherwise, it would inevitably attract various powerful Magical Beasts should time drag on. Although Medusa was unafraid, if the two people undertaking a retreat within the valley were affected by the battle, the results would be somewhat unfavorable.

“This way, even if there is a person or a Magical Beast flying over the valley, it would be difficult for them to discover any clues of the valley as long as their strength has yet to exceed mine. Ugh, these two fellows really don’t allow one to relax.” Medusa once again sat cross-legged on the enormous rock and laughed bitterly to herself.

After her voice sounded, Medusa slowly shut her eyes and began to recover from the great exhaustion from earlier.

The valley which space had been sealed hid those intense fluctuation with Medusa’s help. However, the enormous colorful energy swirl in the air did not disappear. Instead, it became increasingly more dense as time flowed by. The light cocoon within the valley and Xiao Yan in the cave repeatedly absorbed a large amount of energy from it.

Time quietly slipped by under this quietness where each day was a repetition of the previous one. Without realizing it, three months had past since Xiao Yan’s retreat. However, the two people within the valley still did not show the slightest sign of exiting their retreat. This caused Medusa to feel extremely helpless.

Time swiftly flowed by like sand between one’s fingers. When the time that elapsed within the valley had reached the fourth month, Medusa, who was in training, suddenly opened her eyes. Her pretty face was ice-cold. At this moment a seven colored snake scale suddenly appeared on her smooth forehead. Moreover, it was repeatedly emitting a faint colorful glow.

Medusa’s delicate hand gently rubbed the seven colored scale on her forehead. Her aura had turned somewhat chaotic for the first time. This scale was created from a tread of spirit that she had stored within the altar of the Snake-People Race. Only the shaman of the Snake-People Race could inform her of something through the burning of this thread of spirit. Normally speaking, this was a measure that the shaman would adopt only when the tribe was truly met with a great danger.

Despite having been the head of the Snake-People Race for so many years, this was the first time that this summoning method was used. From the looks of it, a big matter had indeed befallen the Snake-People Race.

Medusa inhaled a deep breath of air before suddenly standing up. However, when her gaze swept over the light cocoon and the cave, she hesitated for a moment. After musing for a long time, she did not immediately leave. Instead, she leaped up and used her entire strength to place an extremely secure Space Lock in the sky of this valley.

“I have increased the defenses for the both of you. It should be sufficient to protect the both of you as you advance here. This time around, it seems that the Snake-People Race have met with a great disaster. I must return to them. Once I settle my problem, I will return here!”

Medusa only sighed in relief after completing all of these tasks. She placed a scroll on the enormous rock where she trained. After which, she rubbed the hot seven colored snake scale on her forehead. A coldness and surging killing intent gradually surfaced on her pretty face. Her body moved, charged through the seal in the space, and swiftly disappeared...