"Oh no!"
The Little Fairy Doctor, Medusa, Xun Er, and Qing Lin all tensed up inside. Ling Yue's words subtly revealed the information that Medusa and Xun Er knew each other. If Medusa did not know Xun Er, Ling Yue's line "Are you really going to fight with my young miss over this?" would have seemed very strange. After all, compared to a seemingly delicate and weak young miss, Ling Yue—the Dou Ancestor—would clearly be the more intimidating one.
"We can't let Aunt Ling continue speaking, or more information might be exposed."
"We also can't give Big Brother Xiao Ting time to think calmly. He's so smart—he'll definitely notice something fishy."
Xun Er made her decision instantly and spoke without hesitation. "Aunt Ling, Queen Medusa doesn't know me either, so there's no need to accuse her like this. Otherwise, outsiders might think the Ancient Clan acts so domineeringly and unreasonably."
"Treasures belong to those with fate. She left that energy barrier, which proves she discovered it first. But now that we've found it, there's naturally no reason to hand over something as precious as a Heavenly Flame."
"Why don't you tell us what compensation you want, Queen Medusa? This young miss can consider it appropriately."
Xun Er crafted an image of a reasonable, well-bred young lady. In reality, she was deliberately guiding Xiao Ting to interpret Ling Yue's words in the direction of "the Ancient Clan acts domineeringly." Because they were domineering, they naturally felt that any good thing should belong to their young miss. That explanation would make sense. At the same time, these words were a subtle reminder to Ling Yue to pretend she didn't know that she and Medusa were acquainted.
Ling Yue: "..."
Why did Miss want to hide the fact that she knew Queen Medusa from Xiao Ting?
Oh, right.
That day Yun Yun was also present, and Yun Yun's disciple had come to annul the engagement with Xiao Yan, which had made Xiao Ting quite angry. She was probably afraid Xiao Ting would misunderstand.
"Young Miss is really wronging herself for Xiao Ting's sake." Ling Yue secretly thought that Xiao Ting was lucky.
She withdrew her Dou Ancestor pressure and spoke indifferently, "Speak. What compensation do you want?"
"I don't actually need compensation." Queen Medusa secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This Queen does not need to keep the Green Lotus Core Flame forever. As long as you allow this Queen to take the Earth Core Flame to the Snake-People Tribe's Holy City for a period of time, I will voluntarily offer up the Heavenly Flame afterward."
Medusa expressed that she only wanted temporary usage rights.
"Borrowing it for a period of time? Logically, I could agree to that." Xun Er lowered her gaze in thought, then smiled and tossed the question to Xiao Ting. "Big Brother Xiao Ting, what do you think?"
A flash of doubt appeared in Xiao Ting's eyes, but his handsome face maintained a smile as he spoke warmly, "If Xun Er thinks it's acceptable, I naturally have no objections. However..."
Xiao Ting looked up at Medusa and asked in a probing tone, "Queen Medusa wants this Heavenly Flame to help with yout own evolution, right?"
A perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on Medusa's face. She glanced at Ling Yue before coldly asking back, "How do you know?" This was undoubtedly an indirect admission that Xiao Ting had guessed correctly.
"I read it in a book."
A look of recollection appeared in Xiao Ting's eyes. "The book said that extremes meet their opposite. The Snake-People Tribe's bloodline is cold in nature. When one's strength reaches a certain level, they can use a Heavenly Flame to stimulate evolution. However, this process has a ten-out-of-ten chance of death."
"But if one successfully breaks through this way, the path of cultivation afterward will be smooth sailing. It may even add a sliver of a chance to become a Saint. The key depends on the bloodline grade of the companion snake-type magical beast after evolution."
The girls: He's really good at acting. That book is probably called Battle Through the Heavens.
A hint of amusement flashed in Xun Er's eyes as she asked, "I've read extensively, but I don't recall seeing any book with this information. Which book did you see it in, Big Brother Xiao Ting?"
"Well..." Xiao Ting rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment before saying, "I think it was called Battle Through the Heavens. It had something to do with Heavenly Flames and even mentioned the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python in passing."
The girls: ! You really dared to say that.
"That's right. I wanted to use the power of a Heavenly Flame to break through my bottleneck in the most dangerous way possible." Seeing that Xiao Ting truly knew, Medusa openly admitted it. With a powerhouse like Ling Yue present, Xiao Ting could end her life with a single sentence if he wanted. There was no need to worry about the risks of exposing this information.
"If that's the case, I think Your Majesty could make a deal with me." A smile appeared on Xiao Ting's face.
"What kind of deal?" Medusa placed one hand on her hip, slightly puffing out her chest as her long hair danced in the wind.
"Your Majesty doesn't need to use the Green Lotus Core Flame for evolution." Xiao Ting looked at her with pure appreciation and revealed the plan he had prepared long ago. "With this Heavenly Flame, you have a ten-out-of-ten chance of death. However, if your companion snake-type magical beast's soul has fire attributes—for example, something like the Quiet Purple Flame Serpent—then the success rate could increase by ten to twenty percent."
Medusa: Whether I have one or not, you know very well in your heart.
"But it's still only ten to twenty percent. If the breakthrough fails, you will perish, and the Heavenly Flame will be left in the Snake-People Tribe. Retrieving it later would be troublesome and might cause unnecessary slaughter."
Medusa's expression stiffened. She hadn't considered this fact. In her heart, she was confident she could succeed in evolving.
At this point, Xiao Ting paused and summoned the Purple Beast Flame. "I possess a special flame that contains both flame and lightning powers. It can better stimulate your bloodline evolution and also give you some resistance when facing lightning tribulations."
"Once I break through to the Dou King level, this flame will have grown enough to help you evolve without causing you too much injury." "Moreover, this flame is filled with vast life force. It can repair some of your injuries during evolution, allowing you to face the lightning tribulation in a better state instead of being covered in wounds and rushing through it hastily."
"Finally, I know a senior who possesses the Bone Chilling Flame, which contains both ice and fire elements. If we combine it with the Bone Chilling Flame to assist your evolution, the process will be even smoother."
"If you cooperate with me, your chances of successfully breaking through will be over fifty percent."
Medusa's heart couldn't help but beat faster. If this plan were combined with the plane's blessing, she could evolve and break through even more steadily.
"Is this true?" Medusa's chest rose and fell, her voice becoming slightly urgent. (No acting skills at all—just pure emotion!)
"Of course. I never lie." Xiao Ting smiled and looked at Xun Er. "Especially not to beauties."
"You call this cooperation. What do I have to pay?" Medusa's breathing was slightly rapid.
"I haven't thought of anything specific yet. How about we agree that you'll help me with a few things that are within your ability and that you don't dislike?" Xiao Ting was prepared to cast a long line to catch a big fish. "For example, helping me kill a few people or going somewhere to compete for heavenly materials and earthly treasures."
"Agreed." Medusa answered without hesitation.
"Then it's a deal." Xiao Ting nodded with a smile. "In that case, I'll have someone take the Green Lotus Core Flame away later."
"How long will it take you to break through to Dou King?" Medusa suddenly asked.
"Breaking through to Dou King—at the latest, no more than two years." Xiao Ting left himself some leeway. "Your Majesty should be able to wait, right?"
"I can." Medusa knew Xiao Ting definitely wouldn't need that long and agreed readily.
"Then how will we contact each other at that time?"
…
…
PS: Support me and read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode