Battle Through the Heavens: Rising from Canaan Academy

"What exactly do you want?" Medusa's eyes flashed coldly. She had now realized that the man before her had another motive.

Qin Chen slowly walked up to Medusa and said with a hint of amusement, "Your Majesty, how about we make a deal?"

"You went to all this trouble to capture me just to make a deal?" Medusa looked as though she had heard a joke, a trace of mockery appearing on her stunning face.

"No, no, no. I did this to show my sincerity."

"Sincerity?"

Medusa snorted coldly, her gaze full of disdain. "Your sincerity is using such despicable means to imprison me here?"

Qin Chen's smile remained unchanged. "Your Majesty, you want to use the power of Heavenly Flame to evolve, don't you?"

"How do you know?"

Medusa's voice suddenly rose, and a flicker of incredulous shock flashed through her eyes.

Using Heavenly Flame to evolve was an absolute secret of the Snake-People Tribe. She had never revealed this thought to anyone. Even the snake guards closest to her knew nothing of it. How had this human man before her learned of it?

"That is why I said this is my sincerity."

Qin Chen crouched down until he was level with Medusa and continued, "If I had simply told you that I wanted to help you evolve, would you have believed me?"

Medusa remained silent. The man before her was right. Even if he had been willing, she would never have allowed him to participate so easily in her evolution process.

That was why her first thought upon seeing Qin Chen had been to seize the Heavenly Flame from him.

After a long while, Medusa raised her eyes to Qin Chen. Much of the hostility between her brows had faded. "What exactly is this deal you speak of?"

Seeing that Medusa's attitude had softened, Qin Chen stated his purpose. "I am an alchemist. With the help of my pills, your chances of successfully evolving can increase considerably."

"In exchange, I need to use the medicinal ingredients accumulated by the Snake-People Tribe over the years to refine pills and improve my alchemy."

"What do you think of this deal?"

The Refreshed Old Man Hai

Upon hearing this, Medusa fell silent. Light and shadow flickered in her purple eyes as though she were weighing the pros and cons of the deal.

After a long while, she slowly spoke. "Can you answer a few questions for me?"

"That depends on what you ask." Qin Chen's expression was calm.

"What grade is your alchemy?" Medusa asked with a frown.

"Sixth grade." Qin Chen chuckled as he answered.

"Sixth grade?!" Medusa's purple pupils shrank, her voice filled with surprise.

It was no wonder she was so shocked. Alchemists were already scarce, one in ten thousand at best.

Those who could reach the sixth grade were even fewer in number. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, there was only one: the Pill King Gu He.

Yet this seemingly young human man possessed such terrifying alchemical skill?

Seeing that Medusa seemed unconvinced, Qin Chen added, "Your Majesty, you have already witnessed my soul power and Heavenly Flame. You should be able to make some judgment about my alchemy as well."

Medusa was silent for a moment. Recalling the powerful soul force she had felt earlier, as well as the Heavenly Flame that had made her heart tremble, the doubts in her heart gradually faded.

With that in mind, Medusa asked her final question. "You want to improve your alchemy through pill refinement. Why not go to another empire? Why seek out my Snake-People Tribe instead?"

"Well..."

Thinking of that refreshed Ice Emperor, Qin Chen could not help teasing, "The rulers of other empires are all a bunch of old geezers. How could they possibly be as pleasing to the eye as Your Majesty?"

Qin Chen was not lying. He was doing this for Medusa.

More precisely, for Medusa after her evolution. With a Dou Zong expert like her by his side, he would be able to do many things he wanted to do but lacked the strength to accomplish.

"..."

Medusa looked disdainfully at Qin Chen, who was laughing heartily. If her movements had not been restricted, she would have lashed him with her tail.

"Fine, I agree." In the end, Medusa still accepted Qin Chen's deal.

After all, he was a sixth-grade alchemist, enough to make even the Queen of the Snake-People Tribe take him seriously. There was also the most helpless fact: she was currently a prisoner and had no right to bargain.

This human's background was far too mysterious, and some of his methods were things she had never even heard of. Before investigating him thoroughly, it was unwise to make an enemy of him.

"Your Majesty truly understands the situation. May our cooperation be pleasant." As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Chen removed the seal on Medusa and handed her a pill.

After receiving the pill, Medusa did not inspect it. She directly placed it between her red lips. The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth, and a gentle yet pure energy slid down her throat into her abdomen, swiftly spreading through all four limbs and her entire body.

Feeling the changes within her body, Medusa finally believed Qin Chen's words completely. Though this fellow spoke frivolously, his alchemy was indeed extraordinary. The quality of this pill was far purer than any healing pill she had seen before.

Medusa took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in her heart. Her tone regained some of a queen's coldness. "What do you plan to do next? Return to Snake-People Holy City with me?"

"We definitely have to go to Snake-People Holy City."

However, Qin Chen's lips curved into a meaningful smile, and his tone suddenly shifted. "But before that, I would like to ask Your Majesty for a small favor."

Medusa's slender brows furrowed slightly. "What favor?"

"Does Your Majesty still remember the Ice Emperor you sealed?" Qin Chen asked with a smile.

Medusa nodded faintly. "You mean that unlucky fellow who wandered into the desert by mistake decades ago?"

Qin Chen nodded.

"You want me to help him remove the seal, don't you?" Medusa already understood.

"That's right."

Qin Chen chuckled, his tone certain. "I think this should be very simple for Your Majesty."

"Where is that old fellow now?"

"He is in Stone Desert City, not far from here. Your Majesty, follow me."

Qin Chen took hold of Qing Lin, who had been waiting at the side for a long time, and headed out of the cave first. Watching their backs, Medusa followed them as well.

In a spacious room within the Sand Mercenary Group.

Hai Bodong sat alone by the window, holding a strange black pen as he carefully worked on a map.

This had originally been Rob's private residence, but ever since he learned that Hai Bodong would be staying here, he immediately packed up his belongings and respectfully gave up the room.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Just then, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Hai Bodong asked indifferently.

"Old Hai, it's me. I brought you a surprise." Qin Chen's smiling voice soon came from outside the door, laced with a hint of mischief.

Hai Bodong's hand holding the black pen paused slightly. He looked toward the tightly shut door, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

He put down the pen, rose to his feet, and walked to the door, slowly pulling back the latch.

"You brat... Medusa Queen?!"

Before Hai Bodong could finish speaking, the figure standing outside the door made his pupils constrict sharply.

Qin Chen and Qing Lin stood to the side. The former wore a smile as though watching a show, while standing before Hai Bodong was a woman with a graceful figure and peerless beauty.

She was the nightmare etched into his bones—Medusa Queen.

"Y-You... You... You!!!"

The instant he saw Medusa, Hai Bodong was so shocked that he could barely speak. He stumbled back again and again, his legs trembling.

Although the Dou Qi in his body was functioning normally, he could not summon even the slightest thought of resisting.

Looking at the old man who no longer had the bearing of an expert, Qin Chen teased, "Don't be nervous, Old Hai. Her Majesty won't hurt us."

Hai Bodong's gaze shifted back and forth between Qin Chen and Medusa before finally settling on Qin Chen. His voice trembled with disbelief. "Qin Chen, what exactly are you trying to do? Do you know who she is?"

Medusa's narrow eyes swept calmly over Hai Bodong. She understood why Qin Chen had made her stand before the door. Then, a meaningful curve appeared at the corner of her lips as she said lazily, "What? Does the great Ice Emperor not welcome me?"

"You... You two..."

Medusa's teasing words left Hai Bodong's face alternating between green and white. Having lived for so many years, when had he ever received such "treatment"?

"Alright, stop scaring him. Hurry and remove his seal." Feeling that it was about enough, Qin Chen stepped in to smooth things over.

Medusa turned her head and glanced at Qin Chen, her eyes filled with strangeness, as though saying: Weren't you the one who scared him first?

Qin Chen spread his hands, an innocent expression appearing on his face.

I didn't. Don't make things up!

Medusa snorted softly. Though dissatisfied, she turned her gaze back to Hai Bodong.

Her slender fingers moved swiftly, and a complex rune rapidly formed before her. As Medusa injected the final strand of pale purple Dou Qi into it, the rune's light surged, transforming into a dim streak of light that flew toward Hai Bodong's brow.

At the sight of this, Hai Bodong's body tensed instinctively. But recalling their earlier conversation, he forcibly suppressed the unease in his heart.

Breaking the Seal

The instant the rune touched his skin, a gentle yet powerful force seeped into Hai Bodong's brow and merged with a dark cyan snake mark that had lain dormant within him for years.

As the rune gradually fused into the seal, the dark cyan snake mark began to glow faintly, then swiftly melted away like snow beneath the blazing sun.

Hai Bodong could clearly feel the seal that had clung to him like a parasite for so many years gradually loosening under the guidance of that gentle force. Violent icy Dou Qi continuously erupted from within his body.

Bang!

Hai Bodong's aura, originally at the peak of Dou Spirit, surged rapidly. In an instant, it broke through the barrier and entered the realm of Dou King.

It did not stop there. His aura continued to soar until it finally halted at the level of a two-star Dou Emperor.

Feeling the surging Dou Qi in his body, Hai Bodong felt utterly refreshed.

If Medusa had not been present today, this refreshed Ice Emperor would have burst into wild laughter and shouted, "This damned seal has finally gotten lost! This old man is a Dou Emperor again!"

But now...

This old man did not dare say another word, afraid that Medusa might give him another Serpent Sealing Curse.

Gulp.

Hai Bodong swallowed, unsure what he should do now.

"Old Hai, our deal was that I would help you remove the seal in exchange for the remaining fragment of the map in your possession. That is correct, isn't it?" Qin Chen's voice sounded at just the right moment, breaking the delicate silence in the room.

"That is indeed correct."