Chapter 46: Threatening Queen Medusa

Lin An felt an overwhelming urge to slap himself; he had never imagined that the Green Lotus Core Flame he longed for was not in Medusa’s possession at all. It was still quietly lying somewhere in the Tagor Desert.

“So that’s how it is. It seems we were too rash,” Lin An remarked, feigning indifference.

“If the Green Lotus Core Flame you seek is not here, then you should leave at once!” Medusa declared. After such a commotion, to end up with this result—Medusa herself had not anticipated it. She had even prepared for a fierce battle in her heart. Yet, now that events had taken this turn, she found reason for satisfaction.

Just when Medusa was certain Lin An and his companions would depart, she realized that none of them showed any intention of leaving.

“Although the Green Lotus Core Flame is not in your possession, Queen Medusa, I hold in my hand something that can help you break through to the Dou Sect realm without the flame, and without any risk to your life. I wonder if Your Majesty would be interested,” Lin An suddenly spoke.

Though Medusa was deeply shaken by his words, she kept her composure, not betraying a hint of emotion even inwardly. Something that could help her break through to the Dou Sect realm safely, and without the Green Lotus Core Flame—she had never heard of such a thing, and did not believe Lin An could produce something so miraculous.

“You think I’ll believe you?” Medusa asked coldly.

“Shouldn’t you try before deciding whether to believe or not?”

“How do you propose I try?” Medusa’s brow furrowed as she questioned him.

“Is this how the Serpentfolk treat their guests?” Lin An replied, deliberately deflecting her question.

“You may all withdraw,” Medusa instructed her people. “If they truly intended to attack our tribe, no matter how many of you stay, you would not be able to withstand a Dou Sect expert.”

Her people knew she spoke the truth and soon dispersed, though they did not withdraw too far, wary that Lin An’s group might attack their queen unexpectedly.

“Come, then. I too would like to see how you intend to help me break through to the Dou Sect realm,” Medusa said, descending from the city wall. Twisting her serpentine body, she made her way into the temple.

Lin An smiled and, accompanied by Yao Chen and the others, followed closely behind her.

Before long, they entered the inner sanctum of the temple—a vast, empty hall.

“There’s no one else here now. Say what you will,” Medusa prompted.

“The Serpentfolk’s bloodline isn’t much different from that of the magical beast clans. The reason you’re restricted to the Dou Emperor realm is that your bloodline is too weak. That’s your limit,” Lin An explained. “No matter how extraordinary your talent, it is held back by your blood.”

“If you wish to break through, you must inherit a stronger bloodline!”

“I’m well aware of all this,” Medusa interrupted him. “But you still haven’t said how you can help me attain the Dou Sect realm. Can you give me a stronger bloodline just like that?”

She would not be swayed by a few words of common knowledge.

“I can grant you a powerful bloodline. Once you possess it, the Dou Sect realm will be just the beginning. Even reaching the Dou Saint realm will become a simple matter,” Lin An declared, his words startling in their audacity.

“A powerful bloodline? The Dou Sect merely a starting point?” Medusa scoffed. “Do you take me for a fool, or think that my people are easily deceived? Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?”

With time, the Serpentfolk’s blood had grown thinner and thinner. Only by a stroke of luck had Medusa’s own blood reverted to its ancestral strength, allowing her to become a Dou Emperor and defend her tribe. Without her, the Serpentfolk would not even be able to maintain a foothold in the barren Tagor Desert.

To gain a powerful bloodline was no easy feat. Otherwise, she would not have risked her life for the Green Lotus Core Flame, seeking to transform herself in a near-suicidal bid for the Dou Sect realm.

“For you, what I say may sound like fantasy. But for me, it is a trivial matter,” Lin An replied, unruffled by her skepticism.

“What do you want?” Medusa asked. She knew that if Lin An offered something so valuable, her people would have to pay a steep price. Nothing came without a cost.

If it was within the Serpentfolk’s means, she would exhaust the treasures of all eight tribes to obtain such a bloodline. After all, if one among them could reach the Dou Sect realm, it would mean everything to the Serpentfolk. They might even escape this desolate desert and live somewhere fertile—a dream she had always cherished. No one willingly chooses to dwell in such a wasteland.

“My demand is simple: from now on, you must submit to me and obey my commands. After all, I trust only my own people,” Lin An replied.

“Impossible!” Medusa rejected him without hesitation. To submit meant handing the entire Serpentfolk tribe into his hands—she was no fool.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse. Hear me out,” Lin An continued. To grant someone a powerful bloodline, they must submit wholeheartedly or already belong to the Hall of Yama; only then could they accept the bloodline he bestowed. If there was any wavering, the recipient would be torn apart by the power of the new bloodline.

Lin An had realized that only those who wavered and were willing to submit could become his subordinates and receive the gifts of the Hall of Yama. Otherwise, they would become nothing more than points for the Hall’s souls.

Medusa nodded, allowing him to continue.

“Are you aware?” Lin An said, “The Cloud Mist Sect, the Jia Ma Imperial family, the Nalan Clan, and even the sixth-tier Alchemist King Gu He—all have submitted to me. I also command a seventh-tier alchemist…”

“Imagine if I gathered all that strength, along with Yun Shan who has reached the Dou Sect realm. How many days do you think your Serpentfolk tribe could withstand?”

His tone turned icy as he looked at Medusa, his words chilling and unyielding.