The unnervingly beautiful woman perched atop the cobra's hood was utterly stunned when Ye Jingyu pulled out the cannon. Of course, the level-six Serpent King beneath her wasn't afraid of a mere cannon, but this entire canyon was saturated with marsh gas. While a single spark might not ignite the whole thing, the sheer destructive force of that cannon was terrifying. What if it did set something off? How would she possibly escape?

This was certainly not what she desired, nor what she was willing to endure. Thus, following her moment of shock, a flicker of dread crossed the woman's eyes...

Meanwhile, Nangong Shang had also halted his advance. It wasn't that he feared death, but he worried that if a massive fire erupted, Yi Ruoshui, who was behind him, would also be consumed by the flames...

"Are you out of your mind?" The voice that cut through the air belonged to the strange woman standing on the serpent's crown.

"Heh heh, I'm about to die anyway, what's wrong with dragging a few people down with me?" Ye Jingyu grinned wickedly. The Bayuan Power within him was already working to mend his fractured bones, but without some miraculous elixir, healing wasn't going to be swift...

Waves of searing pain washed over him, yet he grit his teeth, fighting to remain conscious.

"Do you truly believe a single cannon can frighten me?" Hearing Ye Jingyu's words, the eerie woman scoffed.

"If you're not afraid, feel free to try..." Ye Jingyu maintained that wicked smile on his lips.

"You..." Seeing Ye Jingyu’s utterly defiant, almost suicidal expression, the strange woman hesitated. Even Nangong Shang wavered; the concentration of marsh gas in this canyon was simply too high to ignore.

"Whoosh..." Just then, a soft sound sliced through the void, and instantly, a dark shadow materialized beside Ye Jingyu—it was Ni Bo, who had appeared from who knows where.

Immediately following, a streak of white darted to Ye Jingyu's side. Who else but Xiao Tao Tao?

Seemingly sensing the formidable auras emanating from Xiao Tao Tao and Ni Bo, the numerous small venomous snakes trailing behind the Serpent King, already intimidated, began to retreat. Even the colossal King Cobra showed clear signs of fear. As for the woman on the crown, when Xiao Tao Tao appeared, her eyes lit up entirely...

"Taotie! The legendary Taotie! Heavens, it really is a Taotie..." Exclamations of awe tumbled from the woman's lips, her face radiating pure ecstasy, as if she had stumbled upon a mythic treasure trove.

"Awooo..." Xiao Tao Tao merely snorted, its luminous green eyes dazzling in the gloom, projecting a terrifying pressure toward the massive Serpent King. It was furious—Ye Jingyu had been wounded by this brute. This lowly creature dared to injure Ye Jingyu; it was absolutely unforgivable.

Ni Bo, sensing Ye Jingyu’s injury, stamped his hooves repeatedly, issuing continuous whinnies, seemingly demanding justice for his master. Having survived and thrived in the harsh environment of the Hundred Burial Valley, he was naturally no ordinary steed. Both the strange woman and Nangong Shang couldn't help but scrutinize Ni Bo, who was emitting those low, guttural sounds.

However, the woman’s gaze quickly returned to the Taotie.

"You actually managed to subdue a Taotie?" Feeling the distinct hostility radiating from the creature, the woman’s expression shifted drastically as a realization dawned upon her.

"What do you think?" Seeing Xiao Tao Tao and Little Black Ni Bo appear to shield him at this critical juncture, the tension in Ye Jingyu’s heart finally eased. He knew that with Xiao Tao Tao present, there was no way he would suffer injury again.

With that, he swiftly returned the massive cannon to his Qiankun Bracelet. After all, he had struck it hard the last time; who knew if it might misfire? He certainly didn't want to be buried permanently in this location.

"Whoosh..." Upon hearing Ye Jingyu’s words, the eerie woman sprang directly down from the serpent's crown, her face beaming with delight as she charged straight toward him. As she ran, her long, pale-green hair billowed out behind her. She wore absolutely nothing, meaning that, as she neared...

The sight of those exquisite contours—even with Ye Jingyu’s killing intent momentarily subdued—caused a surge of reckless heat to rise. Good heavens, how brazen could she be? To run at him completely naked...

But Xiao Tao Tao paid this display no heed. Seeing the woman approaching, it assumed she was moving to attack Ye Jingyu and prepared to strike. Instead, the woman suddenly prostrated herself entirely before Ye Jingyu.

Without a word, she deeply kowtowed three times.

The sound echoed powerfully throughout the entire canyon. Both Ye Jingyu and Nangong Shang were stunned into silence. Had this woman’s mind snapped?

"You... you... what is the meaning of this?" Ye Jingyu was almost incapable of coherent thought. He simply could not comprehend why this woman, who moments ago intended to see him dead, was now acting with such profound reverence by bowing to him. Even if a woman’s moods changed faster than flipping a book, this speed was utterly excessive.

"This humble one is Gongsun Xiangyi. I beg the esteemed lord to grant me a single drop of Taotie blood..." As the woman who had just finished her obeisance looked up at Ye Jingyu, her face was earnest as she spoke.

"Uh..." Ye Jingyu was dumbfounded.

Ni Bo's black eyes swiveled, equally frozen in place.

The Taotie even forgot its anger, staring blankly at the woman kneeling nearby with its vivid green eyes, its mind cycling over and over: Why? Why is this happening?

Nangong Shang watched Gongsun Xiangyi’s actions with equal shock. He genuinely couldn't fathom why this figure, who had been so aloof and queen-like in the canyon, would suddenly prostrate herself before this outsider. Was it solely for a mere drop of Taotie blood?

"You... what do you need Taotie blood for?" Ye Jingyu found his throat oddly dry; Gongsun Xiangyi’s transformation was too abrupt for even his hardened nerves to process smoothly.

"To feed to Little Flower," Gongsun Xiangyi replied with utter sincerity.

"Little Flower?" Ye Jingyu frowned. Who was Little Flower?

"It is this one," Gongsun Xiangyi said, pointing toward the massive Serpent King behind her. Then, she began to recount the story of her and Little Flower.

Her name was Gongsun Xiangyi. The surname Gongsun belonged to the most renowned medical lineage on the Dou Hun Continent, with several world-famous physicians emerging from every generation. For instance, the most famous physician in the Eastern Continent today, Bai Gu Sheng, was Gongsun Sheng of the contemporary Gongsun family...