Cooperation, Each Taking What They Need

Medusa's gaze swept across the surroundings, finally landing on the alleyway where Ye Xiu was hiding.

"Get out here, now."

She spoke, her voice incomparably cold.

Ye Xiu did not move.

Medusa sneered and flicked her hand, sending a bolt of crimson Dou Qi descending from the sky, which slammed directly into the alley.

BOOM!

Debris flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

The alley was razed to the ground.

But after the dust settled, there was no one inside.

Medusa frowned.

Just then, a purple-gold light shot up into the sky from another direction!

Ye Xiu unfurled his flame wings, hovering in mid-air, face-to-face with her.

The two stared at each other across a distance of several dozen meters.

Medusa glared at him, her eyes terrifyingly cold.

"A human?"

She spoke, a hint of surprise in her tone.

The Snake-Person Race tribe was located deep in the desert; no human dared to come here, let alone sneak in in the middle of the night. Even if this person before her was a Dou Huang, coming to the Snake-Person tribe alone was a death sentence!

"Who are you? What are you doing in my Snake-Person Race territory?"

Ye Xiu looked at Medusa and smiled slightly.

"Just passing through, thought I'd take a look around."

"Take a look around?" Medusa sneered. "Do you think this is one of your human marketplaces? Don't take me for a fool!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the sound of rushing wind erupted all around.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Seven or eight figures shot up from various parts of the tribe, surrounding Ye Xiu tightly in the blink of an eye.

They were all Dou Wang!

Leading them was a sturdy Snake-Person man with muscular build, a scar on his face, and a long spear in his hand; his aura was around that of a five-star Dou Wang. Behind him followed several others, both men and women, all glaring at Ye Xiu with hostile intent.

"Your Majesty!" The man cupped his fists toward Medusa. "Your subordinate was late to protect you, please forgive me!"

Medusa waved her hand without speaking, her eyes remaining fixed on Ye Xiu.

The man turned to look at Ye Xiu, sizing him up from head to toe before sneering.

"A mere brat, and you dare to trespass in our Snake-Person Race territory? You're courting death!"

A female Snake-Person behind him chimed in, "Human, you had better confess honestly. Who sent you? What is your purpose? Otherwise, we will ensure you die without a complete corpse today!"

Ye Xiu swept his gaze over them: seven Dou Wang, plus Medusa, a peak Dou Huang.

This was quite the lineup.

But he was currently a four-star Dou Huang; with the help of medicinal pills, these people would have no way to stop him if he wanted to escape.

Therefore, even though he was surrounded by seven Dou Wang, Ye Xiu remained calm and composed.

Medusa looked down at him from above, her gaze no different than if she were looking at a dead man.

"Human, I will give you one last chance." Medusa spoke, her voice cold enough to freeze. "Speak, who sent you? What are you doing in my territory?"

Ye Xiu scanned the surrounding Snake-Person Dou Wang, then looked back at Medusa and smiled. "If I said I was really just passing through, would you believe me?"

"You're looking for death!"

The Snake-Person man with the long spear exploded with rage. He flicked his spear, his Dou Qi erupted with a boom, and he lunged toward Ye Xiu.

"Lord Mo Basi is making his move!"

"Kill him!"

The surrounding Snake-Person guards cheered.

Ye Xiu didn't even look at the spear, simply throwing a casual punch.

BOOM!

The moment his fist collided with the spear tip, Mo Basi's expression changed.

The power was too great—so great that he couldn't block it at all.

The long spear was knocked from his grip, and he was sent flying backward as if he had been rammed by a tier-six Magic Beast, slamming heavily into the ground and creating a massive crater.

Pfft—

Mo Basi spat out a mouthful of blood, lying in the crater unable to climb back up for a long time.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

The few Snake-Person Race Dou Wangs who were preparing to strike stood frozen in place, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Mo Basi was a five-star Dou Wang, ranking within the top five of the Snake-Person Race tribes, yet he had been beaten into this state by a casual punch from this person?

Medusa narrowed her eyes, staring at Ye Xiu.

"So young, yet a four-star Dou Huang?"

She spoke, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.

What?

A four-star Dou Huang?

The expressions of those Snake-Person Dou Wangs shifted completely.

This human looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, right? A four-star Dou Huang? Are you kidding me?

Ye Xiu ignored them and looked up at Medusa.

"Your Majesty, I think we can talk."

Medusa sneered, "Talk? You broke into my Snake-Person Race tribe at night, injured my people, and now you tell me you want to talk?"

"Then what do you want to do?" Ye Xiu asked, "Fight? You are a peak Dou Huang, and I am a four-star Dou Huang. If we really start fighting, half of your tribe will likely collapse. How many of your clansmen would survive that?"

Medusa's gaze turned cold.

She knew that Ye Xiu was telling the truth. If two Dou Huangs started fighting within the city, let alone the ordinary Snake-People, even these Dou Wangs would die in droves.

"What do you want to talk about?" Medusa asked.

Ye Xiu looked at her and said, "The Green Lotus Core Flame is in your hands, isn't it?"

Medusa's expression changed instantly.

"How do you know?"

The moment those words left her lips, it was as good as an admission.

Ye Xiu smiled, "I know many things. I also know that you don't want this Heavenly Flame for use, but for evolution."

Medusa stared at him with an extremely dangerous gaze, remaining silent.

Ye Xiu continued, "You want to rely on the Green Lotus Core Flame to evolve into a Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python, right? But the success rate of that thing, tsk tsk, calling it a narrow escape from death is an understatement. If anything goes wrong, you will be reduced to ashes."

Medusa's eyes grew colder and colder, and she began to feel curious about the origins of this young human before her, who was so clear about the most important secret of her Snake-Person Race.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Ye Xiu looked at her and said, word for word, "I am saying that I can raise your success rate to one hundred percent."

Medusa was stunned for a moment, then immediately sneered.

"Human, do you know what you are saying?" Medusa said, "Since ancient times, few have succeeded in evolving with a Heavenly Flame. You, a mere greenhorn, how dare you make such a boast?"

"Because I am a sixth-tier Alchemist."

After saying this, Ye Xiu took out the badge of the Alchemist Guild and tossed it over casually.

Medusa caught it and looked down.

Four silver ripples.

A genuine fourth-tier Alchemist badge.

But Ye Xiu had just claimed to be a sixth-tier.

Medusa looked up at him, "This is a fourth-tier badge. You dare to play games with me?!"

"I had the guild certify me, and they could only certify up to the fourth tier," Ye Xiu said, "But I am indeed a sixth-tier. If you don't believe me, I can refine a batch of sixth-tier pills for you right now."

Medusa stared at him for a long time.

The surrounding Snake-Person Dou Wangs didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

A sixth-tier Alchemist?

How many years had it been since the entire Jia Ma Empire had produced a sixth-tier Alchemist?

Medusa remained silent for a long while before saying, "Why would you help me?"

"Because I also want something," Ye Xiu said.

Medusa narrowed her eyes, "What thing?"

"There are too many eyes and ears here; it's not convenient to say," Ye Xiu shook his head, "That thing is useless to you, but useful to me. We each take what we need. You use the Heavenly Flame to evolve, and I take what I need and leave. I help you raise the success rate to one hundred percent, and you won't have to worry about blowing yourself up due to a failed evolution."

Medusa didn't speak, just looked at him like that.

Ye Xiu wasn't in a hurry either, just standing there.

After a long while, Medusa spoke, "You say you are a sixth-tier Alchemist, what proof do you have?"

Ye Xiu thought for a moment, took a pill out of his Storage Ring, and tossed it over.

"I refined this myself, a fifth-tier Fire-Element Pill. Take a look at the quality."

Medusa caught the medicinal pill and lowered her head to take a look.

The pill was round and plump with a smooth surface, faintly marked by a circle of red patterns.

Pill patterns.

Medusa's pupils constricted slightly.

As the queen of the Snake-Person Race, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable, so she naturally knew what pill patterns signified. They were the mark of a pill reaching its peak quality, something that could not be refined without decades of experience.

Yet, the human before her was only fifteen or sixteen years old.

She raised her head, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Ye Xiu had changed.

"Who exactly are you?"

Ye Xiu smiled. "Just someone who wants to strike a deal with you. How about it, Your Majesty the Queen, will you consider it?"

Medusa remained silent for a long time.

The surrounding Dou Wangs of the Snake-Person Race looked at one another, none of them daring to make a sound.

Finally, Medusa spoke: "Follow me."

After saying this, she turned and flew toward the depths of the tribe.

Ye Xiu's lips curled up, and he followed after her.