Lu Yuan, You're Praising Me to Death

"Yes, young master!"

Qing Lin nodded obediently, climbed down from Lu Yuan's arms, and stood before the frozen Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor.

The Sixth-Order Magical Beast was now encased in a thick layer of blue ice. Purple seal patterns could faintly be seen flowing within it. With three seals stacked upon it, it couldn't move a single scale.

Knowing full well how powerful the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were, it stared with slit pupils full of fear and unwillingness, but there was nothing it could do now.

"Contract!"

Qing Lin took a deep breath. The phantom images of three lotuses appeared in her jade-green snake pupils as she formed a seal with both hands.

Green beams shot from her eyes, and the power of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils gathered between Bai Ya's brows before penetrating his serpent soul. Empowered by the Heavenly Snake Great Emperor's power, it became a bloodline contract that branded itself deep into his soul.

Ten breaths later, the contract was complete.

"Enter."

Qing Lin formed a seal with both hands, and Bai Ya's enormous serpent body turned into a streak of light and entered her jade-green pupils.

From this point on, Bai Ya's cultivation would be absorbed by the pupil space and, after undergoing a transformation, merge into Qing Lin's body.

"Ngh!"

The instant the contract was completed, Qing Lin let out a muffled groan. Her vision went black, and her body went limp, falling backward.

The Eight-Winged Black Serpent was, after all, a Sixth-Order Magical Beast. Even with three additional seals placed on him, his soul realm would not be too weak. With only Dou Shi cultivation, Qing Lin found it extremely difficult to bear at her current stage.

Lu Yuan had been prepared and caught her in his arms.

"Have a good rest." Lu Yuan's voice was gentle as he reached out and covered the young girl's eyes.

Only then did he look up and see that Queen Medusa and the other two had already dealt with Lu Man and were dividing up the valuables in her Storage Ring.

"This whip refined from a sixth-order serpent bone is nice. I'll take it." Queen Medusa took only a long purple whip, and the smile on her face grew a shade brighter.

"I'll take these medicinal ingredients." Hai Bodong made his choice as well. "They might come in handy for refining the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill. Even if they don't, I can find someone to trade them with."

Yun Yun didn't compete for anything. She put away the remaining pills, cultivation method scrolls, and other items, intending to hand them over to Lu Yuan in private for him to distribute.

"Your Majesty, the deal is complete. When would you like to begin your evolution?" Lu Yuan asked.

"As long as I want to, I can start?" A light glimmered in Medusa's purple eyes.

"Of course." Lu Yuan nodded slightly and smiled. "I'm only providing a place. It's no trouble."

"Then naturally, the sooner the better." Queen Medusa put away the whip. "Will you come with me to the Snake-People Tribe's temple now?"

"Sure," Lu Yuan readily agreed. "But I have other matters to attend to. Once you've finished evolving, Your Majesty, I'll take you into the pupil space and leave. You'll need to tell your people that, so they don't make things difficult for me when I leave and cause an unnecessary conflict between us."

"Of course." Queen Medusa readily agreed.

"Yun'er, Elder Hai, come along too." Lu Yuan turned to look at the two of them. "The Snake-People Holy City isn't a place just anyone can enter. With Her Majesty the Queen leading the way, this is a rare opportunity."

Yun Yun barely hesitated. "All right."

Hai Bodong, however, froze. He instinctively looked at Queen Medusa, only to meet her purple eyes. Medusa wore a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"Well, I..." A chill ran down Hai Bodong's back. He opened his mouth, intending to say he wouldn't go.

But just as the words reached his lips, he remembered that he still needed Lu Yuan to find someone to refine the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill. So he said, "I'll go too."

Aside from the pill, he also wanted to befriend a genius like Lu Yuan. Perhaps he could make up for the dozen or more years he had spent sealed.

Though Medusa was frightening, she seemed easy to talk to in front of Lu Yuan. He felt it was worth taking the gamble.

"Then let's go." Medusa waved a jade hand and was the first to fly southwest.

Lu Yuan and the other two followed close behind, and the four flew deeper into the Tagor Desert.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of li away, in the central region of the Northwest Continent.

The Heavenly Snake Mansion stood deep within a vast swamp. Countless palaces and pavilions had been built upon advantageous terrain where giant serpents coiled. From a distance, it looked like an enormous python lying upon the land.

In the ancestral hall, the disciple on duty, responsible for watching over the soul tablets, was making his routine rounds when his expression suddenly changed.

A soul flame in one of the soul lamps had suddenly gone out, signifying that an elder had fallen.

The disciple on duty hurried out of the ancestral hall and went to the elders' council chamber to report.

"Elders, Elder Lu Man's soul flame has gone out, and Elder Bai Ya's soul flame is barely perceptible."

The elders responsible for handling mundane affairs in the council chamber that day all rose at once.

"Something happened to both of them?"

"It definitely wasn't an accident. Were they killed?"

"Who in the Jia Ma Empire could kill both Lu Man and a Sixth-Order Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor?"

The white-haired elder seated at the head raised a hand to quiet the clamor and spoke in a grave voice.

"Lu Man previously sent word that she had discovered information about the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils within the Jia Ma Empire. She and Bai Ya went together to find their owner. Now that they've both fallen, it's most likely connected to this matter."

Another elder frowned deeply. "The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are extraordinarily important to our Heavenly Snake Mansion. The mansion master is currently locked in a contest with those old fellows from the Heavenly Snake Empire. If we can gain control of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, our Heavenly Snake Mansion's influence on the Northwest Continent will increase considerably."

"We can't ignore this."

"We must send someone to investigate."

"But the Heavenly Snake Empire has been making one move after another lately. Rashly sending our sect's experts away could affect the bigger picture."

"Even so, we must do something. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are of vital importance, and the people of our Heavenly Snake Mansion aren't so easily killed."

"Exactly. What experts could a puny Jia Ma Empire possibly have?"

"..."

Everyone argued, each putting in a word.

Elder Bai tapped the table and pondered for a moment before saying, "Send Lu Ran."

The council chamber fell silent.

"Lu Ran recently broke through to Dou Zong, and he's Lu Man's own father." The white-haired elder raised his eyes and swept his gaze over the others. "There's no one more suitable."

"Indeed. In the Jia Ma Empire and even the major empires around it, no one can keep a Dou Zong from leaving." Everyone nodded, feeling the arrangement was sound.

"Then send word to Lu Ran and have him make a personal trip to the Jia Ma Empire." The white-haired elder rose, his gaze heavy. "Bring back the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."

"As for the people who killed his daughter and companion-"

"Deal with them while he's at it."

Lu Yuan knew nothing of any of this, and even if he had, he wouldn't have been afraid.

At that moment, with Queen Medusa leading the way, they proceeded without hindrance, heading straight into the heart of the Snake-People Holy City.

Sensing the presence of the experts appearing around them, Hai Bodong grew more uncomfortable the farther they flew. He hurried over to Lu Yuan's side and lowered his voice. "Schoolmate, she really won't make trouble for us?"

"Don't worry, Elder Hai." Lu Yuan turned to glance at him and smiled. "Her Majesty has killed people like cutting down hemp, and her fearsome reputation is known far and wide, but she keeps her word and honors her promises."

"There won't be a problem with anything she's agreed to."

"Heh." Queen Medusa's voice came from ahead. "You do know how to say pleasant things. You're much easier on my eyes than that fool Hai Bodong."

Lu Yuan's expression didn't change, and his tone remained normal. "I'm only telling the truth."

Queen Medusa turned her head. "But I think you're praising me to death."