"Teacher, you really... came back?"
Xiao Yan took two steps forward, his gaze carefully sweeping over Elder Dan from head to toe. His concern was plain to see. "How are you feeling? Is there anything uncomfortable or sluggish about this newly reborn body?"
Elder Dan withdrew the terrifying aura around him, gently descended from midair, then patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder and said warmly:
"I've never felt better."
"That Senior Qingxu is truly incredible. He practically possesses the power to reach heaven and earth."
"I'll never forget this kindness for as long as I live."
Dou Sheng experts were the strongest beings in existence beneath the legendary Dou Di, yet the other party had brought him back from the dead and transformed him into a Dou Sheng expert with nothing more than a drop of Divine Spring Water.
Such methods had clearly surpassed the entire world.
After marveling at Senior Qingxu's abilities, Elder Dan turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan:
"This Fortune was originally a chance bestowed upon you by Senior Qingxu. I merely benefited from it."
"But don't worry. Now that I've returned, I'll do everything in my power to clear your Dao Path and help you reach the true pinnacle!"
"We'll start by reclaiming the Green Lotus Core Flame!"
With Queen Medusa at the Peak Dou Emperor Realm, even if master and disciple joined forces, trying to snatch the flame from the Snake-People would have been fraught with danger.
But now, he had become a Dou Sheng expert.
Taking the Green Lotus Core Flame back from Medusa would be as easy as reaching into a bag.
"Good."
Xiao Yan nodded seriously. He did indeed need the Green Lotus Core Flame to raise the rank of the Flame Mantra.
Elder Dan swept out a hand, and a surge of immense power enveloped Xiao Yan. In an instant, they vanished from where they stood.
Deep within the Divine Hall, in the Snake People Race Holy City.
A massive Seven-Colored Energy Cocoon hovered at the center of the altar, radiating an aura that shifted between violent and feeble. Faint, anguished cries could be heard from within.
Queen Medusa was inside the cocoon, locked in the most perilous struggle against the Green Lotus Core Flame and the awakened primordial soul of the Heaven Swallowing Python within her. Her condition was extremely unstable.
Inside the Divine Hall, Yue Mei and several other leaders and elders watched the Energy Cocoon with grave expressions. They were frantic with worry, yet dared not approach.
Suddenly.
"Vmmm..."
In front of the altar at the center of the Divine Hall, space silently parted to either side like a curtain of water.
Two figures, one old and one young, appeared out of thin air as if they had stepped out of a painting.
The elder wore black robes and had black hair. His face was youthful and handsome, but his eyes were as deep as the ancient Starry Sky. Simply standing there, he seemed to have the world bowing around him, with all creation trampled beneath his feet.
Every Snake-Person in the Divine Hall, including Yue Mei and the other Dou Wang experts, felt their souls freeze at the very sight of him. Even their blood seemed to stop flowing.
It was the instinctive fear and submission brought on by an absolute difference in the level of life itself.
The young man wore a black shirt and had a resolute face. A strange, enormous sword was strapped to his back. He looked around curiously, his gaze eventually settling on the Seven-Colored Energy Cocoon.
"Who... are you...?"
Yue Mei bit through her tongue with force, only then managing to clear her head for the moment. Her heart, however, was filled with trepidation.
The other party had ignored every defense and sentry in the Holy City to appear directly in this forbidden inner sanctum. Just the aura he exuded was enough to leave them powerless against him. His strength was clearly beyond imagination.
Dan Chen paid them no mind. He stared directly at the Seven-Colored Cocoon on the altar, his powerful voice carrying throughout the hall.
"Queen Medusa, I am Dan Chen. I've brought my disciple, Xiao Yan, to pay you a visit."
"Dan Chen? That Venerable Dan?"
An elderly Snake-Person elder cried out in shock. The others wore expressions of disbelief as well.
As far as they knew, Venerable Dan had died long ago. Yet here he was, alive and standing before them.
What was more, judging from his words and the aura he exuded, he had become a Dou Sheng expert.
An existence of this level was utterly beyond their imagination, let alone anything they could hope to stop.
At Elder Dan's words, the Energy Cocoon's fluctuations abruptly intensified.
Immediately afterward, Queen Medusa's voice rang out from within, filled with shock and pain:
"Dan Chen, I never expected you to become a Dou Sheng. Why have you come to see me with your disciple?"
"I come in peace. In fact, I have a great opportunity to offer you."
Dan Chen continued, his hands clasped behind his back. "You're using the Green Lotus Core Flame to force an evolution, hoping to attain the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Body."
"This method may let you enter the Dou Zong Realm, but it will leave you with endless troubles."
"The primordial soul of the Heaven Swallowing Python within you is violently rebelling, fighting your consciousness for control. Even if you're lucky enough to succeed, your soul will be damaged, leaving you trapped at the lower levels of Dou Zong for the rest of your life, with no hope of advancing further."
"Am I right?"
Within the Energy Cocoon, Queen Medusa fell silent.
Dan Chen had indeed struck at the deepest fears and worries in her heart.
She knew that forcing this transformation was no different from dancing on the edge of a blade. But with her people's living space shrinking day by day, she had no choice but to do it.
"That's true. What is this opportunity you speak of?"
Queen Medusa knew she couldn't hide anything from a Dou Sheng, so she simply admitted it.
At that, Dan Chen continued:
"I can help you perfectly fuse with the soul, gain complete control of your Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Body, and eliminate all its hidden dangers. You'll enter the Dou Zong Realm in the best possible condition, with a solid foundation and a chance to reach Dou Zun in the future."
"What are your terms?"
Queen Medusa was certainly tempted, but she knew that kindness never came without a reason. The other party must want something from her.
"I have two conditions." Dan Chen held up two fingers. "First, I need to take half of the Green Lotus Core Flame's Origin Fire Seed for my disciple, Xiao Yan, to refine."
"Second, after your evolution succeeds, you must follow my disciple, Xiao Yan, for ten years to repay This Saint's Grace. After ten years, you may stay or leave as you wish. I won't stop you."
He could see that if Medusa completed her transformation, she might even have the potential to become a Dou Zun expert one day. So he wanted to secure a powerful ally for Xiao Yan.
"What?" Queen Medusa's voice rose sharply, filled with indignant disbelief. "You expect me to become the follower of a mere Dou Wang?"
"That's absolutely impossible!"
Medusa had always been proud. Even in dire straits, she was unwilling to bow her head.
"Medusa, I'm not negotiating with you. I'm giving you the best choice available."
"If I wanted to take the Heavenly Flame by force, it would take no more than a flick of my hand. I wouldn't need to negotiate terms with you."
"Besides, if your transformation fails without my help, your Snake People Race will likely cease to exist under the pressure of the Gamma Empire."
Dan Chen's tone remained calm, but it carried incomparable confidence.
After all, Dou Sheng experts stood at the pinnacle of the entire continent, let alone in this tiny Tagor Desert.
"Follow my disciple for ten years in exchange for a flawless evolution, a boundless future, and the safety of your people. It's not a bad deal for you."
"What's more..." Dan Chen changed tack. "My disciple, Xiao Yan, possesses an unrivaled cultivation technique and has had extraordinary encounters. His future achievements will be limitless."
"Following him may prove to be an even greater opportunity for you. Think it over carefully."
Silence stretched on within the Energy Cocoon.
Queen Medusa was torn by inner conflict.
Her dignity and pride made it hard to accept, but she knew every word Dan Chen had said was true.
If she refused, both her people and she herself might be destroyed.
If she accepted, she would suffer temporary humiliation, but gain the perfect evolution she had dreamed of and a bright future.
Besides, despite his young age, Xiao Yan's cultivation was already nearing the Dou Huang Realm. He was truly one of a kind.
If she followed him, perhaps it really would be an opportunity...
Before you continue