108: Inheriting the Reverse Scale, Blood Boiling

Inside the stone chamber, the air seemed to solidify.

Medusa's gaze was drawn like a magnet, fixed intently on the dark-golden scale held in the palm of the ancient statue. That scale was no larger than a fist, yet it seemed to bear the weight of countless ages and Supreme majesty; every profound pattern upon it seemed to elucidate the highest mysteries of the serpent race's power.

The Origin Reverse Scale of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent Emperor!

For any serpent Bloodline, this was an unimaginable Supreme Sacred Object! What it contained was not merely incomparably pure Origin power, but possibly also fragments of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent Emperor's Legacy memories and Bloodline imprint! If she could successfully achieve Fusion, its benefits would even far exceed the Physical Body reconstruction offered by the blood essence demon fruit!

Medusa's breathing (Soul fluctuation) quickened, her purple eyes flickering with excitement, longing, and a hint of instinctive reverence. The Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Bloodline within her boiled and roared at this moment, emitting silent shouts and worship!

Li Ao also felt the majestic and ancient pressure emanating from that Reverse Scale, as well as the intense fluctuations from the depths of Medusa's Soul. His heart tightened, knowing that this was likely a tremendous Opportunity for Medusa, but also accompanied by unknown risks.

"Your Majesty, be careful of deception," he reminded her, his Soul perception meticulously sweeping every corner of the stone chamber, especially the statue.

Medusa took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging Bloodline, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor: "It's fine. This object is of the same Origin as my Bloodline; the sensation cannot be false. This might be the key to my Physical Body reconstruction, or even... Bloodline evolution!"

She walked step by step towards the statue. With each step closer, the seven-colored rune on her forehead brightened a bit, and the seven-colored halo around her became even more dazzling. The dark-golden Reverse Scale also seemed to sense the approach of a kindred Bloodline, beginning to tremble slightly and emit a soft, friendly glow.

As Medusa reached the statue and slowly extended her ethereal jade hand, just about to touch the Reverse Scale—

"Buzz!"

The entire stone chamber suddenly shook! The eyes of the human-shaped part of the ancient statue, which had been silent for countless millennia, suddenly lit up with two golden flames! A terrifying will, far more vast, more majestic than before, as if it transcended all living beings, descended with a crash, enveloping the entire stone chamber!

"Disturbing the Emperor's slumber, coveting the Sacred Scale... shall be punished!"

A grand, ancient, and utterly emotionless thought, like thunder, exploded directly in the depths of Li Ao and Medusa's Souls!

Immediately after, the dark-golden Reverse Scale held in the statue's hand flared with brilliant light. A golden ray, condensed to the extreme, as if composed of countless tiny golden serpent shadows, shot towards Medusa's forehead like a spear of judgment, carrying the Emperor's majesty that could destroy everything! This attack was not a physical assault, but a direct test targeting the Soul Origin and Bloodline! If one's Bloodline was impure, will was not firm, or Soul was not strong enough, they would instantly be assimilated and devoured by this golden light, becoming nourishment for the Reverse Scale!

"Your Majesty!" Li Ao's expression changed drastically, and he was about to intervene!

"Don't come over!" Medusa suddenly shouted, and in her purple eyes, there was no fear, but rather a surging Battle Intent and the pride of a ruler! "This is my test! Only by relying on my own Bloodline and will can I gain the Emperor's recognition!"

Instead of retreating, she met the destructive golden light, pushing her Soul Power and Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Bloodline to their limits! The rune on her forehead seemed to burn, and a seven-colored glow soared into the sky, forming a huge and noble phantom of a Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python behind her! The phantom let out a silent roar towards the heavens, exuding an ancient and noble aura that was no less than that of the Emperor's will!

"I am a descendant of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, the current Medusa Queen! How dare a mere remnant will presume to judge me?!"

Her clear and majestic voice echoed through the stone chamber. Her Soul body advanced instead of retreating, actively meeting the golden beam of light!

"Boom—!!!"

The golden light and the seven-colored Soul light collided fiercely!

There was no sound, but a visible shockwave of Soul and Bloodline energy spread out from the point of impact! The blurred murals on the stone chamber walls instantly became clear, as if ancient ancestors and strange beasts roared in the light and shadows!

Li Ao was forced back several steps by the shockwave, his Qi and blood churning, his eyes filled with shock. He stared intently at Medusa in the center of the light cluster; if she showed any signs of weakening, even if it went against her wishes, he would immediately use the Annihilation Rule to forcefully intervene!

Within the light cluster, Medusa's Soul body endured unimaginable pain and pressure. The Emperor's will contained within the golden light, like countless red-hot steel needles, pierced her Soul, interrogated her Bloodline purity, and crushed her will. At the same time, an incomparably pure, Supreme Heavenly Serpent Origin power tried to merge into her Bloodline, undergoing a deep-level transformation and sublimation!

This was an extremely perilous tug-of-war! Either she would be assimilated and devoured by the Emperor's will, or she would, by virtue of her own strength, conquer this will and completely achieve Fusion with the Reverse Scale!

Medusa clenched her teeth (a mental act in her Soul body state), her beautiful face slightly distorted by extreme pain, but her purple eyes were like the hardest amethyst, unwavering, filled only with indomitable pride and firm conviction!

She was Queen Medusa! The ruler of the Snake-People Clan! The Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python with a Supreme Bloodline! How could she submit to the will of a deceased Emperor?!

"For me... Fusion!"

She let out a cry from the depths of her Soul. The phantom of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python suddenly expanded, opening its massive mouth, and actually began to actively devour the golden beam of light! She no longer passively endured, but instead sought to refine this will and seize its power and Legacy!

This was an extremely crazy act! But it was also the spirit an Emperor should possess!

Under her frenzied counterattack, the golden Emperor's will also seemed to feel threatened, becoming even more violent, madly impacting her Soul defenses.

Time passed bit by bit in the stalemate.

Li Ao could see that Medusa's Soul body, amidst the intertwining golden and seven-colored light, sometimes became transparent, sometimes incredibly solid, and her aura fluctuated violently. His heart was in his throat.

After an unknown period, the violent golden light finally began to gradually weaken, while the seven-colored glow became increasingly dazzling! The form of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python phantom behind Medusa seemed to have undergone a subtle change, becoming more slender and noble. Faint dark-golden patterns subtly appeared on its scales, and its majesty grew even stronger!

She was gradually gaining the upper hand!

Finally, at the moment the last trace of golden light was completely swallowed and refined by the seven-colored Soul light—

"Buzz!!!"

The dark-golden Reverse Scale let out a joyful hum, actively detaching from the statue's hand, transforming into a stream of light, and instantly disappearing into the center of Medusa's Soul body's forehead, perfectly merging with the seven-colored rune!

Boom!

A vast energy, far more majestic, purer than before, and imbued with the Emperor's majesty, erupted like a bursting flood from the depths of Medusa's Soul Origin! Her Soul body rapidly solidified and expanded at a visible rate! Within the seven-colored glow, a noble dark-golden color was intermingled, and a terrifying pressure, transcending all serpents, swept through the entire stone chamber like a storm, even breaking through the chamber's confines and stirring up the energy storm of the shattered land outside!

Her Soul Power began to surge wildly!

Peak One-Star Dou Zong... Two-Star Dou Zong... Three-Star Dou Zong... and finally, it steadily settled at the level of Five-Star Dou Zong! Moreover, the essence of her Soul, having merged with the heavenly serpent emperor's reverse scale, underwent a complete transformation, becoming more profound, noble, and filled with endless potential!

The light gradually receded.

Medusa slowly opened her eyes.

At this moment, her Soul body was solid like glazed jade, with a mysterious glow of intertwined seven-colors and dark-gold flowing throughout. Her beauty was still captivating, but the majesty and cold allure in her brows seemed to have been imbued with divinity, making it impossible to look directly at her. The rune on her forehead had completely changed, transforming into a complex, profound, dark-seven-colored serpent-shaped imprint that exuded a faint Emperor's majesty!

She had successfully achieved Fusion with the Reverse Scale. Not only had her Soul Power surged, but her Bloodline had also undergone an unimaginable purification and sublimation! Although she had not yet reconstructed her Physical Body, at this moment, her strength, just with this Soul body, had undergone a world-shaking transformation!

She felt the surging, vast power within her, as if she could control the universe. A hint of intoxication flashed in her purple eyes, then quickly returned to clarity, her gaze falling upon Li Ao, who had been guarding her, his face showing concern.

"I did not fail," she said, her red lips parting slightly. Her voice was still cool, but now carried an indescribable, magnetic majesty.

Li Ao looked at the completely new, powerful Medusa before him, feeling a sense of relief in his heart, and also genuinely happy for her. He smiled slightly: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, your Bloodline has advanced further."

Medusa nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the statue, which had become dim after losing the Reverse Scale, then looked towards the depths of the stone chamber: "There seems to be another way out of here."

When she achieved Fusion with the Reverse Scale, she received some fragmented memories, giving her a vague understanding of this ruin.

Li Ao's spirits lifted: "Can we find a way to leave here?"

"I think so," Medusa said, pointing to a seemingly complete wall on the other side of the stone chamber. "My senses tell me that behind it... there is a path leading to the core of the ruins, and perhaps also a way to leave this place."

A new lease on life in a desperate situation, and greatly increased strength! The path ahead seemed to show a glimmer of hope once again!