"Great Elder, there is no need to spell out the hatred between our Snake-People Tribe and humanity. You understand it yourself. In making this decision, have you considered the future of the Snake-People Tribe?"
Queen Medusa abruptly sat up from her languid recline, her eyes blazing with anger as she confronted the Great Elder.
She found the Great Elder's decision utterly unbelievable.
The hatred between humans and the Snake-People Tribe had already become irreconcilable. Yet now, the Great Elder proposed marrying a human to Queen Medusa. If the tribespeople learned of this, they would find it just as incomprehensible.
Moreover, the Great Elder hated humans no less than Queen Medusa did, and that hatred had festered in her heart for far too long. That was precisely why her decision had come as such a shock to Queen Medusa.
"The future of the Snake-People Tribe?"
An unusual gleam suddenly flashed through the Great Elder's clouded yellow eyes as she murmured those words.
Then she let out a long sigh. A faint, bitter smile surfaced on her withered, bark-like face. Looking directly at Queen Medusa on the throne, she spoke in a low voice, each word unwavering.
"There are things you do not need to know yet. But remember this: everything this old woman has done has been for the future of our Snake-People Tribe!"
Hearing those ringing words and that resolute tone, the anger on Queen Medusa's beautiful face faltered. For a moment, she did not even know what to say.
After all, no one understood the Great Elder's painstaking devotion to the Snake-People Tribe better than Queen Medusa.
For the Great Elder to make this choice for the tribe's future, she might well have endured a fierce inner struggle herself.
At that thought, Queen Medusa lightly pressed her red lips together. Her expression grew conflicted, and she slowly lowered her head.
Silence settled over the Divine Hall.
Watching Queen Medusa lean against her throne with her head bowed, the Great Elder sighed inwardly once more.
She had watched Queen Medusa rise, step by step, to her present position. Naturally, she understood the pride in her heart all too well.
Yet now, for the future of the Snake-People Tribe, she had to be forced into marriage with a human.
Even if that human possessed an extraordinarily heaven-defying bloodline dating back to ancient times.
Even if that bloodline might lead the Snake-People Tribe to greater heights.
Queen Medusa knew none of this.
All she knew was that joining her bloodline with a human's would be a profound humiliation.
After all, given the deep hatred accumulated between the Snake-People Tribe and humanity, she naturally loathed the blood that flowed through humans' veins.
And the blood flowing through Queen Medusa's veins was the exceedingly precious Medusa Bloodline.
Combining the Medusa Bloodline with a human bloodline to produce offspring was something Queen Medusa absolutely could not accept!
Moreover, Su Tian was merely a One-Star Great Dou Master, while Queen Medusa was a Peak Dou Emperor.
With her pride, how could she calmly accept such a reality?
"Perhaps you are right. But this decision..."
After a long silence, Queen Medusa slowly raised her alluring face. Resolve shone in her eyes, as though she had made her final decision. She drew a deep breath, her voice carrying the faintest tremor.
"I will never agree!"
As those words rang out, an icy aura erupted from Queen Medusa. In an instant, an immensely powerful pressure swept through the entire Divine Hall.
Even someone as powerful as the Great Elder could not help a slight change in expression upon feeling that formidable pressure.
A fleeting, distant glimmer passed through her eyes.
At the same time, the Great Elder silently murmured to herself.
I hope that when you learn the whole truth someday, you will not blame this old woman. No matter what, I hope the Snake-People Tribe can reach unprecedented heights under your leadership.
The Great Elder's feelings toward Queen Medusa were deeply complicated.
She had watched Queen Medusa grow from childhood to her present stature, an achievement exceedingly rare throughout the Snake-People Tribe.
Even among the successive inheritors of the Medusa Bloodline, this generation's Queen Medusa had reached heights that could not be underestimated. The fearsome reputations of both her and the Snake-People Tribe had spread even throughout the Jia Ma Empire.
It was precisely this that had given the Snake-People Tribe some breathing room to survive in the Tagor Desert.
After all, wiping out the Snake-People Tribe would cost the Jia Ma Empire a staggering amount of manpower and resources.
Queen Medusa's strength and fearsome reputation also filled the empire's powerful figures with dread. Thus, apart from occasional clashes of varying severity, the two sides maintained a delicate balance.
It could be said that only under this generation's Queen Medusa had the Snake-People Tribe truly gained a chance to survive.
Yet this woman, renowned equally for her beauty and her ferocity, now had to marry a human boy in exchange for hope for the tribe's future.
Precisely because the Great Elder understood all this, her feelings were all the more tangled. But matters had reached this point, and she had no choice.
No matter how deeply Queen Medusa might resent her.
The Great Elder had already resolved to marry Su Tian and Queen Medusa, combining their two different bloodlines to create an opportunity for the Snake-People Tribe to reach entirely new heights.
As for the secret hidden within Su Tian's bloodline, the Great Elder did not intend to reveal it to Queen Medusa just yet.
This was not the right moment. Queen Medusa was still fiercely resistant, and telling her now might only have the opposite effect.
The Great Elder intended to wait until Queen Medusa had calmed down somewhat before proceeding with the matter.
Boom!!!
The Great Elder drew a deep breath. Resolve appeared on her withered, bark-like face, and an aura second only to Queen Medusa's erupted from her body.
It seemed to contend against Queen Medusa's pressure on equal footing, silently conveying an unyielding determination.
"Your marriage to Su Tian is a decision reached jointly by this old woman and several other elders. Today, I am informing you, not asking your opinion!"
As she listened to the Great Elder's heavy, hoarse voice, Queen Medusa's heart slowly sank.
"Great Elder, I..."
"Remember this: as Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe, you shoulder not merely your own fate, but the future and mission of the entire tribe!"
Before Queen Medusa could finish, the Great Elder cut her off sharply.
"Therefore, certain matters concerning the tribe's future are not yours to decide. I believe you should have understood this long ago, and should already have prepared yourself."
After hearing those words, Queen Medusa fell silent.
The Great Elder was right. From the moment she became this generation's Queen Medusa, many things had ceased to be hers to decide.
Whatever the matter, Queen Medusa had to put the Snake-People Tribe's interests first. Often, she envied her childhood self, so carefree and unburdened.
Her happiness and marriage were just such matters.
These, too, were not things Queen Medusa could decide for herself.
Even if Su Tian had never appeared, according to the tribe's wishes, Queen Medusa would most likely have ended up with Mo Bass, producing the next generation of the Medusa Bloodline.
At these thoughts, a bitter smile appeared on Queen Medusa's alluring, breathtaking face.
So this is... what helplessness feels like?
Ever since reaching the Peak Dou Emperor realm, Queen Medusa had not tasted helplessness for a very long time.
Now, despite being a Peak Dou Emperor, she still could not offer any rebuttal to the Great Elder's decision.
No matter what, she still belonged to the Snake-People Tribe, to the place that had raised her. Even if she had to sacrifice her own happiness, she had to safeguard the entire tribe's future.
If only I could become a little stronger...
The formidable pressure radiating from Queen Medusa gradually receded, and she slowly lowered her head.
A persistent gleam surfaced in her beautiful eyes, shining with a stubborn refusal to yield.
No matter the time, strength will always carry the greatest authority!
Queen Medusa drew a deep breath. Determination appeared on her face, beautiful enough to drive others wild. Her eyes flickered as though she had thought of some mad plan.
In that case, I might as well stake everything this time!
A secret method recorded in an ancient book surfaced in Queen Medusa's mind. Perhaps this will be my chance to transform!
With her pride, Queen Medusa would never admit to being inferior to anyone, whether in talent or strength.
Now, the Great Elder wanted to trade Queen Medusa's happiness for some unfathomable opportunity to lead the Snake-People Tribe to new heights. Naturally, Queen Medusa refused to simply submit.
Even if the plan in her mind was utterly insane, with nine chances of death for every one of survival.
For her happiness, her freedom, and control over her own life, Queen Medusa still wanted to gamble everything-even her life!
As long as she could escape this marriage agreement and prove that her own strength could also lead the Snake-People Tribe to new heights, she believed the Great Elder would understand her wishes.
"What you have said, Great Elder... I..."
After a long silence, Queen Medusa drew a deep breath. When she raised her head again, all her emotions had been concealed deep within. She looked calm, as though she had chosen to accept the facts before her.
Even so, the bitterness and sorrow in her heart remained visible on her face.
"I understand."
As those words left her lips, Queen Medusa seemed to lose every ounce of strength. She slumped back onto the throne, resting against it as her delicate hand lightly supported her pale brow.
Seeing the dejection and despondency Queen Medusa displayed, the Great Elder's heart ached terribly, but she could not allow any of it to show.
She merely nodded faintly in response. Only then did her stern expression soften a little, and she spoke quietly.
"For the next few days, rest well and do not think too much. Naturally, I will give you some time to adjust. Leave the remaining matters to this old woman."
"Sorry for the trouble, Great Elder. I am a little tired."
Queen Medusa half-closed her beautiful eyes and nodded lightly. With a gentle wave of her hand, she reclined on the throne and spoke languidly.
The Great Elder hesitated briefly at the sight. She understood what Queen Medusa meant, and it would not do to push her too hard now.
After a moment's thought, the Great Elder nodded. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the Divine Hall, disappearing from sight.
Only after the Great Elder left did Queen Medusa slowly open her eyes. Looking in the direction of her departure, she pondered briefly.
Then determination appeared on Queen Medusa's face. She slowly rose, her elegant purple serpent tail swaying slightly. Her shoulders trembled, and Dou Qi Wings instantly sprang forth.
"If my senses were not mistaken, that violent, unusual disturbance should have come from that direction."
Queen Medusa gazed toward a certain direction beyond the Divine Hall. Her red lips moved as she murmured, "That direction seems to be near Stone Desert City. There appears to be a human city there..."
After pondering for a moment, Queen Medusa clenched her teeth. At the thought of following the Great Elder's arrangements and marrying a human boy, every trace of hesitation vanished from her eyes.
Whoosh!
Queen Medusa drew a deep breath and immediately concealed her aura. Even the Great Elder might not detect her whereabouts with a cursory sweep of her senses.
Then her shoulders quivered, and her Dou Qi Wings beat instantly. Her figure seemed to turn into a phantom, vanishing from the Divine Hall in a flash.
By the time anyone looked again, Queen Medusa's graceful figure had already disappeared into the distant sky.
If Su Tian had been present, he would probably have recognized her destination immediately.
Stone Desert City.
That was none other than the place where a heavenly flame grew!
And that heavenly flame was called the Green Lotus Core Flame!
Before you continue