Another Method of Evolution

Feeling the searing pain coming from her back, Medusa's beautiful brows drew tightly together.

At the critical moment, relying on her rich combat experience and exceptional cultivation, she narrowly avoided the vital areas.

Even so, her back took a heavy punch. The scorching pain spread throughout her body, slowing even her thoughts by half a beat.

She truly hadn't expected that an unremarkable human Dou Wang could actually injure her!

Back then, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, who had once shaken the Jia Ma Empire, had tried to challenge her, only to be defeated by her with overwhelming speed.

If Hai Bodong hadn't run fast enough, he would have received more than just a sealing technique.

"Human, you've successfully angered this queen!" Medusa's voice was like ice from the ninth heaven, cold enough to freeze a person's marrow.

Xiao Jin paid it no mind. Why did this woman seem to have a touch of chuunibyou about her?

Oh, and a bit of that domineering CEO air, too.

Medusa stopped holding back. The Dou Qi within her surged and circulated wildly like a turbulent river.

Xiao Jin was fully alert. Under his urging, the Mystic Tier High-level movement technique, "Ash Wind Step," operated at its utmost limit.

As a movement technique of the Earth Tier, "Calamity Fire Flash" was definitely more effective than "Ash Wind Step."

But the higher the tier of a battle technique, the greater the consumption.

Xiao Jin did possess combat strength comparable to a Dou Emperor powerhouse, but wanting to compete with Peak Dou Emperor Medusa in terms of Dou Qi reserves was simply wishful thinking.

He used "Ash Wind Step" to keep circling within the Green Lotus Space, narrowly avoiding Medusa's attacks every time.

In just five minutes, Medusa went from being confident of victory at the start to growing restless.

This was the Magma World, and it affected her far too much.

Simply staying here required her to expend a large amount of Dou Qi.

Not to mention that she had to maintain her protective barrier while engaging in a high-intensity battle.

How is this brat as slippery as a loach? Every time I think I can catch him, he slips away again.

Five minutes later, Medusa came to a halt and looked coldly at Xiao Jin. "What will it take for you to leave this Green Lotus Core Flame behind?"

Xiao Jin smiled. It seemed this woman could be reasoned with after all.

Strength was the foundation of every negotiation. If you didn't show some of your strength, people would assume you were relying on someone else to support you.

Only by overwhelming the other party in strength could you seize the initiative in the negotiations that followed.

He shook his head. "No matter what, I won't leave this Heavenly Flame to you. The energy of a Heavenly Flame is violent, while snakes are naturally cold in constitution. The two of you aren't compatible."

"Whether we're compatible or not is none of your concern. This Heavenly Flame is of great importance to me. No matter what price I have to pay, I must keep it."

"I know. You intend to use this Heavenly Flame to complete an evolution of your soul, correct?"

A cold glint suddenly arose in Medusa's eyes. Her voice was full of wariness. "How do you know about this?"

"Don't worry about that. I have my own information channels. Do you still intend to keep fighting? If not, why not hear out my proposed trade?"

Medusa fell silent for a moment. Her two soft arms slowly lowered and hung at her sides.

That meant she was no longer going to fight.

Only then was Xiao Jin satisfied. "I'll collect this Heavenly Flame first. We can talk after we leave."

"Don't push your luck!" Medusa was genuinely angry. "I'm not stopping because I want to watch you take the Heavenly Flame away from me. I stopped because I want to hear your trade!"

Xiao Jin curled his lips. Why couldn't this woman understand a good thing when she heard one?

Wasn't he trying to leave this place for Medusa's sake, too?

The magma had no effect on him at all. As for who would suffer by staying, that was something only they would know.

However, since Medusa didn't care, Xiao Jin wouldn't force the matter.

He brushed his finger over his Storage Ring and took out a jade box.

"Here. A Ninth-Grade Golden Pill, the Ancient Blood Origin-Returning Pill. It can help you complete your evolution while activating the Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline within you."

Medusa's expression cracked for an instant.

"A Ninth-Grade Golden Pill?!" She gave a soft snort. "Could such a miraculous treasure appear in the Jia Ma Empire?"

"You'll know once you look for yourself." He gently lifted one corner of the jade box. In an instant, the violent fire-element energy around them was dispersed.

Just a trace of the medicinal power that escaped was enough to suppress the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Aside from a Ninth-Grade Medicinal Pill, Medusa truly couldn't think of any other heavenly treasure capable of doing that.

By now, she believed him seventy percent.

Xiao Jin continued, "The Ancient Blood Origin-Returning Pill was refined using the Essence Blood of a Heaven-Swallowing Python that had reached the Peak Dou Sheng realm, fused with Ancient Phoenix Essence Blood and Yellow Springs Holy Water. If you consume it, the pill will continuously merge into your Soul Origin and Dou Qi Origin, like injecting living water into the source, constantly increasing the purity of your origins."

"In other words, after you consume it, the Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline within your body will be continuously activated and purified. Your soul power will also gradually increase, allowing you to reach the legendary level of the Nine-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python."

"At the same time, this pill can suppress the ferocious side within you, making you more stable in your future cultivation, giving you greater potential, and greatly increasing the chance of a successful breakthrough."

At first, Medusa had been listening quite happily. But when she heard the words "ferocious side," her pretty face instantly darkened.

It seemed that no matter what kind of woman she was, none of them liked being called a "tigress."

Her voice turned cold. "A Ninth-Grade Medicinal Pill is a miraculous treasure of heaven and earth. You're using such a treasure as a bargaining chip. What do you need me to pay?"

"I want you!" Xiao Jin said without hesitation. Before Medusa could get angry, he continued, "I have extremely powerful enemies. Once you break through to the Dou Sheng realm, I want you to become my companion in battle and help me resist those powerful enemies!"

"Powerful enemies? Even you and the force behind you can't withstand them?"

Xiao Jin smiled. "If I could withstand them, would I be making this trade with you? To tell you the truth, my enemies are a group of Dou Sheng powerhouses."

"I'll help you break through to the Dou Sheng realm, and you'll become my battle companion. Once I achieve victory, I won't make any demands of you."

"How can you be certain that I'll agree to your terms? What if I only pretend to cooperate, then join your enemies after breaking through to the Dou Sheng realm?" Medusa countered.

Xiao Jin laughed. "It won't come to that. Everyone says Queen Medusa's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Even if she hates the object of a trade to the bone, she won't go back on her word before the trade is completed. Besides, I'm not investing in only you. If my plan goes smoothly, I'll have no fewer Dou Sheng battle companions in the future than my enemies, and my side will even have a slight advantage in strength. Choosing me won't just help me; it'll help you as well."

"How so?"

"Your strength will increase, and the Snake-Person Race's living conditions will improve. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Medusa sank into silence. Only after a long while did she say, "With this pill alone, you can help me complete my evolution?"

Xiao Jin shook his head. "Of course not. Actually, the Snake-Person Race's method of evolution has its merits. You'll still need to shed your physical body through the Heavenly Flame, then use the power of this pill to temper your soul and bloodline. When you condense a physical body once more, that will be the day you break through to the Dou Zong realm. Moreover, during your future cultivation, because this pill will continuously release its medicinal power, your cultivation will advance twice as fast with half the effort, progressing by leaps and bounds!"

"Compared with your plan of relying on the Green Lotus Core Flame to forcefully break through, this method is considerably safer. Aside from still having to endure immense pain, it can be said to have no shortcomings."

"How you choose is up to you."