The temple room was filled with the delicate fragrance of pills, yet an almost stifling silence hung in the air.
Hai Bodong clutched the Imperial Extreme Pill, its golden light rippling across its surface. His aged face was flushed with excitement, and his breathing came in heavy bursts.
It was as if he wasn't holding a pill, but the lifeline that would lead him to a higher realm.
Now he looked at the pill, now at Lin Chen, who had picked up his book again and wore an air of complete nonchalance.
His Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a word.
This gift was too precious! It was so precious that even he, the former Ice Emperor, felt it was almost too much to accept—yet he was more than happy to take it.
Queen Medusa's slender fingers brushed lightly over the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill, which shimmered with a faint purple glow.
Though the pill was cold to the touch, it seemed to hold a burning warmth within. Even her heart, hardened like iron after years of storms, stirred with an indescribable emotion.
Her old injuries and hidden ailments had plagued her for years, even hindering her attempts to reach a higher realm.
Now the solution was in her hands, yet the one who had granted it all was a mysterious ten-year-old boy, frightening in his capabilities.
She lifted her enchanting, bewitching eyes, her complicated gaze settling on Lin Chen.
She tried to glean some hint from his calm, impassive profile, but found nothing.
What did he want?
Yun Yun's breathing was growing steady and strong at an astonishing rate.
The effects of the Top-Grade Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill had exceeded all expectations, its rich green light enveloping her.
As it healed her internal injuries, her long lashes began to flutter more and more fiercely.
At last, after a faint moan, she slowly opened her eyes.
Her beautiful eyes were initially clouded with confusion and weakness, but soon cleared.
Then shock flooded them. She could clearly feel that the severe injuries in her body, which should have kept her bedridden for months,
had already healed by seventy or eighty percent! The remaining medicinal power was still nourishing her meridians.
It had even improved her cultivation!
Th-this was the effect of that top-grade pill?
She instinctively looked toward Lin Chen by the table, the "little brother" she had previously thought was just an ordinary child.
But now, that calm profile, those profound eyes, and the godlike skill with which he had casually refined a peak sixth-tier pill... Every detail shattered her understanding of the world.
She struggled to sit up. The movement still tugged at her injuries, causing a faint ache,
but she was otherwise fine.
"You... who are you...?"
Yun Yun's voice was hoarse from her recent recovery, but the shock and confusion in it were unmistakable.
Lin Chen set down his book and looked at her.
"Are you healed?"
Yun Yun nodded instinctively, her beautiful eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"Thank you... little... senior, for saving my life and giving me the pill."
"Yun Yun will never forget this kindness. May I ask your honored name, senior?"
"For this grace..."
She could no longer treat him as an ordinary child. One who had attained mastery could be a teacher; given his strength and ability, calling him senior was only fitting.
"Lin Chen."
He interrupted her with a quiet reply.
"I did it on a whim. Don't dwell on it."
On a whim?
A bitter smile touched Yun Yun's lips.
He had casually refined a top-grade sixth-tier pill?
He had casually rescued her from the aftermath of an attack by four Dou Emperors?
That "whim" of his was simply too earth-shattering.
She took a deep breath, forcing down the tumult in her heart, and stood up.
Then she bowed solemnly to Lin Chen.
"Whatever the case, Senior Lin, Yun Yun will always remember your life-saving kindness."
"If you ever have need of me, Yun Yun of the Misty Cloud Sect will spare no effort to help."
She knew it wasn't appropriate to remain here. The Snake-Person Holy City was, after all, forbidden territory for humans.
Though she didn't know how Lin Chen had managed to let her recover here in safety,
staying too long would be inconvenient, and there were matters at the sect that needed her attention.
"Senior Lin, Elder Hai, Queen Medusa,"
Yun Yun turned to the others in the room, her manners impeccable.
"My injuries are no longer serious. I shouldn't impose on you any longer, so I'll take my leave."
Queen Medusa merely glanced at her and said nothing.
Hai Bodong was still lost in the joy of having the Imperial Extreme Pill and nodded distractedly.
Lin Chen only replied, "Mm," then said no more.
Yun Yun bowed to Lin Chen once more and gave him a long, deep look.
It was as if she wanted to etch the face of this mysterious boy into her memory. Only then did she turn away
and leave the Snake-Person Holy City as a streak of green light.
The impact of everything that had happened today would take her a long time to process.
After Yun Yun left, the room fell silent once more.
Hai Bodong carefully put away the Imperial Extreme Pill, rubbed his hands together, and sidled up to Lin Chen.
His face was wreathed in smiles.
"Lin Chen, kid... uh, Senior Lin Chen?"
"What should we do next...?"
He had already made up his mind to stick with Lin Chen. The boy was practically a walking treasure trove and an impregnable backer!
Lin Chen paid no heed to the change in how Hai Bodong addressed him. Instead, his gaze shifted to Queen Medusa, who had remained silent all along.
"Queen Medusa,"
he began, his voice calm and even.
"How about we make a deal?"
Medusa's heart stirred. Her bewitching eyes turned to him, and her red lips parted.
"Oh? With your abilities, what could you possibly need to trade with me for?"
Her tone held a trace of probing self-mockery. He could casually give away even a top-grade sixth-tier pill; she couldn't imagine what she had that might move him.
"I'll purify your bloodline and help you achieve a perfect evolution."
Lin Chen's words were brief and clear, yet they exploded beside Medusa's ears like a thunderclap!
"What?!"
Medusa's delicate body jolted. For the first time, a violent emotional shift crossed her icy face.
Her serpent eyes suddenly narrowed, locking onto Lin Chen.
"You... what did you say?!"
"A perfect evolution?!"
The Snake-People Tribe's bloodline was cold by nature. Breaking through the bottleneck at Peak Dou Emperor and evolving into the legendary Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python was as hard as ascending to heaven!
She knew all too well the agony of being tempered by Heavenly Flames and the immense risks involved.
In the original story, she had relied on tremendous luck and the Green Lotus Core Flame to barely succeed.
And even then, she had been left with the hidden danger of her soul not fully fusing with her new body.
A perfect evolution? That existed only in the hazy memories passed down through her bloodline!
"That's impossible!"
Medusa instinctively retorted, but when she met Lin Chen's calm, dark eyes, which seemed able to see through everything,
her denial sounded feeble. This boy had already created too many miracles.
"You wanted to temper the impurities in your bloodline with Heavenly Flames and awaken your ancient bloodline."
Lin Chen spoke calmly.
"But ordinary Heavenly Flames are violent and hard to control. One careless mistake, and you'll be burned body and soul."
"My Red Lotus Karma Fire is a flame of karma, a purifying blaze."
"It burns away sin, impurities, and the filth obstructing evolution."
"It won't harm pure bloodlines or souls. On the contrary, it will benefit them greatly."
He raised a finger. A strange blood-red flame flickered at its tip.
Its pure will to cleanse and judge made Medusa's soul shiver with a sense of comfort.
"I can control the karma fire and precisely cleanse every impurity and every trace of cold, foul energy in your bloodline."
"It'll bring out the full potential of your Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline. The process will be painful, but your life will never be in danger."
"Even if the evolution falls short of perfection, I can keep your soul intact and rebuild your body."
Lin Chen's voice carried a power that inspired belief.
"In return, you'll owe me a favor."
"A favor you must repay whenever I need it in the future."
Medusa fell silent. Shock, longing, doubt, and struggle churned within her.
She longed to become stronger, to lead the Snake-People Tribe out of the desert, and to break free from the shackles of her bloodline!
The temptation of perfect evolution was irresistible to her.
And Lin Chen's assurances—especially that her life would never be in danger and that he could keep her soul intact—struck at her greatest fears.
As for the favor... She looked at Lin Chen and smiled bitterly.
"With your strength and alchemy skills, what could you possibly need from a 'mere' Dou Emperor like me in the future?"
She truly couldn't understand.
"That's my concern."
Lin Chen's tone remained unchanged.
"You only need to answer one question: is the deal on or not?"
Medusa closed her eyes, her long purple lashes trembling faintly.
A moment later, she snapped them open, determination and resolve flashing in her gaze!
"Fine! I accept!"
"If you truly can help me achieve a perfect evolution, I, Medusa, and the entire Snake-People Tribe will honor this favor!"
Her words were decisive, carrying all the authority of a queen.
"A wise choice."
Lin Chen nodded.
"Prepare a chamber with absolute silence. We'll begin now."
There was no time to lose. Medusa suppressed her excitement and lingering unease, then immediately arranged everything herself.
Soon, inside a secret chamber deep in the Holy City, its walls covered with powerful wards,
Queen Medusa sat cross-legged, regulating her condition
and raising her aura to its peak.
Lin Chen stood before her, while Hai Bodong nervously guarded the entrance (though he felt there was no need with Lin Chen here, he still wanted to show he was doing his part).
"The process will be painful. Guard your mind and circulate your cultivation technique to guide your bloodline power."
Lin Chen warned her.
Medusa nodded solemnly, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
Lin Chen said no more and formed a hand seal.
"Hum—"
The Red Lotus Karma Fire surged out of his body, but it didn't erupt violently.
Instead, it transformed into an enormous, slowly rotating blood-red lotus platform,
which gently lifted Medusa and enclosed her within its heart.
The karma fire burned, but carried not the slightest hint of violent destruction.
It held only the purest power of purification.
"Argh—!"
Though she had been prepared, the agony of purification that came from the depths of her bloodline and Soul Origin
still forced Medusa to let out a muffled groan!
Her delicate body shook violently, and cold sweat instantly covered her smooth forehead.
Her peerless face twisted in pain, but she still clenched her teeth and circulated her cultivation technique.
Under the burning Red Lotus Karma Fire, wisps of pitch-black impurities, carrying an intensely cold aura,
were forced from her body. They let out silent screams in the flames
and were utterly purified and annihilated!
Seven-colored light began to flicker across her body, growing brighter and brighter.
An aura far older and more exalted than before began to slowly awaken!
Lin Chen's expression remained calm. His Spirit Realm soul power precisely controlled every trace of the karma fire.
Like the most masterful artisan, he carefully sculpted an unparalleled treasure.
Purification, refinement, awakening... Every step was flawless.
Time passed, little by little.
Even Hai Bodong, outside the secret chamber, could feel the ancient aura within steadily rising, sending a shiver through him.
Along with that purification ripple—faint, yet utterly pure—he felt his heart pound with both alarm and excitement.
At last, after an unknown amount of time had passed...
Inside the secret chamber, Medusa's pained expression gradually eased. A trace of comfort and rapture even appeared on her face.
Her body grew almost transparent in the Karma Fire, and a faint seven-colored sheen showed through her bones and meridians.
Beautiful and divine.
Her once-wild, alluring body seemed to reach a perfect peak as the Karma Fire purified and reshaped it.
Then... it began to slowly dissipate!
It wasn't destruction. Rather, all her essence, all the power of her bloodline, and her Soul Origin...
were being tempered by the Karma Fire and condensed to the utmost!
The light of the Red Lotus Karma Fire gradually drew inward as well.
At last, all the light and flames receded, converging at a single point.
Lin Chen extended his palm.
At the center of the lotus platform, where Medusa had been, a tiny snake appeared, no thicker than a finger.
Its entire body shimmered in dazzling seven-colored hues, and its translucent scales were like a work of art.
The little snake had its eyes closed, curled up in silence, a faint, precious glow radiating from its body.
A pure and powerful aura of ancient bloodline flowed slowly from it.
It had fallen into a deep slumber, its breathing even.
With every breath, the seven-colored sheen flowed across its body, and its aura grew faintly stronger.
This was the process of body and soul uniting after the bloodline's perfect evolution.
When it awoke, the true, perfect Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python would appear!
The evolution had succeeded!
Lin Chen gently lifted the sleeping Seven-Colored Little Snake.
He could sense the immense potential within her, as well as Medusa's sleeping soul.
He left the secret chamber.
Hai Bodong hurried over at once, asking anxiously,
"Did it work?"
When he saw the Seven-Colored Little Snake in Lin Chen's hand, his eyes widened again.
"This... this is..."
"Perfect evolution. Body and soul have united. She only needs to sleep for a while before she fully awakens."
Lin Chen gave a brief explanation.
Hai Bodong sucked in a sharp breath as he looked at the little snake, whose aura made his heart tremble.
When he turned his gaze back to Lin Chen, it was filled with awe—and even fear.
A heaven-defying means of changing fate like this was unheard of!
"Get ready. We're leaving."
Lin Chen said.
"Where to?"
Hai Bodong asked instinctively.
Lin Chen glanced at him.
"Have you not always wanted to recover your strength? We have the Imperial Extreme Pill now."
"As for me..."
He weighed the sleeping Seven-Colored Little Snake in his hand, then carefully placed her in a jade box that could nourish the soul and put it away.
"First, we'll go to Black Rock City and get me a sixth-grade alchemist certification."
He said it as casually as if he were talking about going to buy groceries.
Hai Bodong: "!!!"
Get... get a sixth-grade alchemist certification?!
And "first"?!
He felt that his heart had taken too many shocks today and was nearly numb.
But seeing that Lin Chen looked completely serious, Hai Bodong could only swallow.
Then he nodded firmly.
"Good! I'll get ready right away!"
Before long, a streak of icy blue light and a subtle streak of blood-red light departed from the Snake-Person Holy City in the Tagor Great Desert.
They sped toward a major city in the eastern part of the empire:
Black Rock City!
Before you continue