Ten Thousandfold Returns for Taking Disciples: Starting from Battle Through the Heavens — Chapter 47

Qin Hao asked curiously.

"Since Master Qin Hao cannot conveniently stay, would it be possible for you to take me with you instead? I can follow by your side, and when the time comes, I'll have to trouble Master Qin Hao to restore the source of my soul! Of course, our Snake-People Tribe is willing to pay the corresponding price and offer Master Qin Hao sufficient compensation!"

A look of determination appeared on Medusa Queen's face as her gaze fell upon Qin Hao.

"Oh? Follow by my side? Does Your Majesty trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I might harm you?"

Qin Hao did not seem particularly surprised upon hearing Medusa's choice.

"I don't know either, but I'm willing to take a gamble!"

Medusa said with a resolute expression.

"Since Your Majesty has made up your mind, then I agree!"

Qin Hao did not waste any words and nodded directly. Medusa's choice was clearly exactly what he wanted. He had evidently already been thinking of taking Medusa away with him.

Of course, it was not because he had been captivated by her beauty. The reason he wanted to take Medusa Queen away was because he had set his sights on the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python.

When he had come into contact with Medusa Queen, the system had not reacted. Clearly, this meant that Medusa Queen's talent in her current state had not been recognized by the system.

But Qin Hao believed that once Medusa broke through the shackles of her bloodline and evolved into a Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python, there would be a high chance of fulfilling the system's requirements.

Although Medusa Queen's cultivation was currently higher than his, and her personality was extremely forceful, under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for Qin Hao to take her as his disciple.

However, Qin Hao clearly already had a plan. Naturally, he did not intend to take her as his disciple while Medusa's soul was suppressed, because that would carry obvious elements of deception and could easily leave a knot in her heart. That was not something Qin Hao wished to see.

He had another plan. He believed that Medusa Queen would definitely be willing to acknowledge him as her master when the time came.

And if he could successfully take her as his disciple, it would bring him tremendous benefits at present.

Perhaps even greater benefits than taking Xiao Yan and the others as disciples.

Because at present, aside from the rewards for taking Xiao Yan and the others as disciples, the returned rewards from gifting them items—especially cultivation resources—were almost useless to Qin Hao at his current cultivation realm.

But Medusa was different. Once she completed her transformation, her cultivation would directly enter the Dou Zong realm. If he then gave her suitable cultivation resources, the quality of the returned items would be completely different for him.

At that time, he would be able to obtain a large number of high-tier cultivation resources in return. With those items, and relying on the heaven-defying Chaotic Heaven-Devouring Art, his strength would surely undergo an enormous leap.

"Then I shall thank Master Qin Hao in advance!"

Upon hearing Qin Hao's reply, a trace of joy appeared on Medusa Queen's face. She then handed over all the spiritual herbs needed to refine the pill, along with Qin Hao's payment, in one go.

After glancing over the resources Medusa had provided, Qin Hao revealed a satisfied expression.

"Not bad, very good. Leave the rest to me!"

Qin Hao did not waste any words. He directly had Medusa arrange a quiet place for him to begin refining the pill.

The Heavenly King Heart-Protecting Pill was roughly of the same grade as the Calamity-Dispelling Pill he had previously refined for Hai Bo Dong, and the difficulty of refining it was not much different. For the current Qin Hao, it was practically no challenge at all. Moreover, Medusa had provided five full sets of ingredients, clearly afraid that Qin Hao might fail.

More than an hour later, the phenomenon heralding the formation of a sixth-grade pill arrived as expected, immediately drawing Medusa's attention.

Medusa instantly appeared outside the secret chamber. Before long, under her expectant gaze, Qin Hao slowly emerged from the chamber.

"Master Qin Hao, did you succeed?"

A trace of hope appeared in Medusa's eyes.

"I did not fail your expectations!"

Qin Hao nodded faintly, then directly handed a porcelain bottle to Medusa Queen.

"Pill patterns!"

When she saw the cloud-like patterns on the pill inside the porcelain bottle, shock appeared in Medusa's eyes.

The way she looked at Qin Hao also changed further. She knew that the pill Qin Hao had refined for Hai Bo Dong before had likewise developed pill patterns.

To produce pills with pill patterns in two consecutive batches of sixth-grade pills—one could easily imagine how terrifying his alchemy skill was. At that moment, she also realized that Qin Hao's alchemy was far more formidable than she had imagined.

"I never expected Master Qin Hao's alchemy to have reached such a level!"

After calming her emotions, Medusa Queen could not help but speak.

"When does Your Majesty plan to begin?"

Qin Hao chuckled and asked directly.

"Since Master Qin Hao has already refined the pill, we shall begin immediately. I have already made all the other preparations. All that remains is Master Qin Hao's Heavenly Flame!"

Medusa said.

"Good!"

Qin Hao nodded. Then, led by Medusa, he headed directly behind the temple. Soon, an enormous lake appeared before him, with an island at its center.

Following Medusa Queen, Qin Hao arrived on the island. The entire island was surrounded by a bamboo forest, and the instant he neared it, Qin Hao felt an icy chill rush toward him.

At the center of the island was a massive pool filled with crystalline liquid. Above it, hazy water vapor continuously churned.

"Ice Spirit Cold Spring. Your Majesty has truly gone to great lengths, preparing so much Ice Spirit Cold Spring! Is this Your Majesty's method for resisting the Heavenly Flame?"

Qin Hao recognized the liquid in the pool at a glance. It was the incomparably precious Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

The Evolution Begins! Tragic! Seven-Colored Little Snake!

In the original story, Xiao Yan had paid no small price to exchange for just a small bottle of Ice Spirit Cold Spring in order to devour a Heavenly Flame. Yet Medusa had an entire pool of it.

The reason Medusa Queen had been able to withstand the power of the Heavenly Flame and successfully transform in the story was undoubtedly due in great part to this Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

At that moment, Qin Hao discovered four figures waiting beside the Ice Spirit Cold Spring. They were none other than the four great elders of the Snake-People Tribe, clearly there to protect Medusa Queen.

"That's right. I obtained it by chance in the past. It was precisely because of this that I made up my mind to use the power of a Heavenly Flame to evolve!"

Medusa Queen said.

Qin Hao then greeted the four great elders. Without further delay, he moved his thoughts and directly took out the Green Lotus Core Flame.

"The rest will depend on Your Majesty. Let me first wish Your Majesty every success!"

After handing the Heavenly Flame to Medusa Queen, Qin Hao spoke directly.

"Then I shall accept Master Qin Hao's kind words!"

Medusa said.

Then, to avoid suspicion, Qin Hao immediately withdrew from the area to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings later.

The four great elders formed hand seals with both hands. Soon, a barrier of light rose up, enveloping most of the island and forming a powerful protective formation.

At the same time, purple light bloomed from Medusa's body. Then, before Qin Hao's eyes, Medusa Queen instantly transformed into a massive purple serpent over a hundred feet long. An overwhelmingly fierce aura radiated from the great serpent.

The purple giant serpent coiled above the Heavenly Flame. The next moment, its enormous body crashed directly into the Green Lotus Core Flame.

In an instant, the Green Lotus Core Flame shone brilliantly and transformed into a sea of fire that engulfed the terrifying purple giant serpent.

The moment the Heavenly Flame touched her body, a shrill, miserable roar rang out.

Medusa Queen was clearly enduring unimaginable pain. Using a Heavenly Flame directly to temper one's body was an utterly insane act.

Even though the Green Lotus Core Flame ranked only nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, its power was still not something ordinary people could withstand.

Forget Medusa, who was at the peak Dou Huang realm—even a Dou Zong or a Dou Zun would be unable to endure the agony of being directly scorched by a Heavenly Flame.

Fortunately, her original body was sufficiently powerful, and she had the assistance of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring. Otherwise, before her bloodline could complete its transformation, she would likely have already been reduced to ashes.

In a sense, Medusa's actions were even more dangerous than Xiao Yan cultivating the Flame Mantra and devouring a Heavenly Flame.

Although Medusa had made many preparations in advance, especially by preparing so much Ice Spirit Cold Spring, even that could only suppress part of the Heavenly Flame's power.

Under the shroud of the raging Heavenly Flame, Medusa's body was being destroyed at a visible rate, and her life force continuously weakened.

In the blink of an eye, nearly two hours passed.

At this moment, Medusa's life force had weakened to the extreme. Yet Qin Hao could clearly sense a force enveloping her vitality, ensuring that the flame of her life had not completely gone out.

Almost instantly, Qin Hao sensed the source of that energy. If nothing unexpected had happened, it should have been the effect of the Heavenly King Heart-Protecting Pill he had refined for her.

At the same time, under the insight of his Double Pupils, he discovered that although Medusa had entered a near-death state, a mysterious bloodline power was beginning to awaken within her.

Her entire body had entered a mysterious state resembling nirvana. Clearly, the ancient bloodline within Medusa had begun to awaken.

Within Medusa's shattered body, a newly born force of life essence was also beginning to form.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

No one knew how much time passed. Just then, the natural energy of the surrounding world suddenly began to tremble violently, while energy from all directions frantically converged toward this place.

At the same time, the previously cloudless sky instantly became covered in dark clouds. Rolling thunder continuously resounded, and terrifying lightning serpents writhed through the black clouds.

"Heavenly tribulation..."

What had appeared was clearly a trial from heaven and earth—the legendary heavenly tribulation.

Medusa breaking through the shackles of her bloodline could be considered a defiance of the heavens in some sense, so naturally, she had to undergo the test of heavenly tribulation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

After gathering force for a full quarter of an hour, light suddenly burst from the tribulation clouds. Bolts of lightning then struck fiercely down at Medusa Queen one after another.

Medusa Queen had reached the most critical stage of her transformation and could not form any effective defense at all. She could only endure the terrifying heavenly tribulation head-on.

One bolt, two bolts, three bolts... seven bolts, eight bolts...

Only after nine bolts of tribulation lightning had struck did the tribulation clouds finally disperse.

Medusa's body crashed heavily onto the ground, leaving the range covered by the Heavenly Flame.

Medusa Queen's body had turned pitch-black. Of her original body, which had stretched over a hundred feet, less than thirty feet remained. Everything else had been destroyed by the Heavenly Flame and the tribulation lightning.

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing Medusa Queen's miserable state, grief immediately appeared in the eyes of the four great elders nearby. They could no longer sense Medusa's aura, and all believed that she had failed.

"Four Elders, please remain calm. Her Majesty is not dead yet!"

At that moment, Qin Hao appeared in the area. As for the surrounding barrier, it had already been shattered by the tribulation lightning.

"Hmm? Master Qin Hao, is that true!?"

Upon hearing Qin Hao's words, the elders' gazes immediately fell upon him, and a trace of hope appeared in their eyes.

"Of course it is!"

Qin Hao nodded. If his soul realm had not been powerful enough, even he would not have been able to sense Medusa's aura.