20: Queen Medusa's favorability increases

Faint sounds, mixed with bloody froth, tapped against the silent air.

That figure swayed precariously, the charred back hideous and terrifying, looking as if it would shatter into ash any moment, yet he stood stubbornly, like a flag refusing to yield in a storm.

The hand Medusa extended froze in mid-air.

Her fingertips were only an inch away from that trembling, blood-stained back.

An emotion she had never felt before, sharp enough to make her heart clench, fiercely seized her.

It wasn't the frustration of a Queen's authority, nor the weighing of cooperative benefits, but something more primal and turbulent, which broke through the defenses she had built over centuries.

Why?

These three words echoed madly in her heart, but she could no longer voice them.

The answer was already branded before her eyes in blood and fire.

"Cough...!"

Li Ao coughed up another mouthful of foul blood, and the long saber stuck in the stone platform let out a groan of distress as cracks spread across it.

His aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, rapidly fading, and his eyes began to lose focus.

She could not wait any longer!

A hint of determination flashed in Medusa's purple eyes, and the extended hand hesitated no more, slamming down onto Li Ao's horrifyingly wounded back!

What she touched was a patch of scorching, sticky char, but what came back to her palm was a bone-chilling tremor.

"Hold on!"

Her voice was hoarse, carrying an urgency she herself hadn't realized.

She forcefully suppressed her turbulent emotions, her other hand rapidly changing seals.

The purple crystal above her head brightened intensely again, no longer attempting gentle communication, but forcefully drawing the azure flame cluster above —which had calmed slightly after the collapse of the fire python —with an undeniable, domineering intent!

"By my bloodline as the guide, inheriting the ancestors' will, absorbing the Heavenly Exotic Flame, forging the supreme Serpent Spirit!"

Ancient incantations spilled from her lips, every word resonating with the rules of the secret realm!

Purple light surged around her, forcibly establishing a violent energy bridge between her and the azure flame cluster!

"Buzz—!"

The Green Lotus Core Flame was enraged once more, churning violently, but this time, Medusa was no longer passively enduring the rejection; she was actively and frantically devouring and refining the terrifying fire-attribute energy that surged toward her!

"Ugh Ah—!"

A pain ten times stronger than before instantly swept over her entire body!

An unnatural scarlet flushed across her skin, and her purple brocade robe spontaneously ignited without wind, turning to ash, revealing the breathtakingly beautiful body beneath.

But now, fine azure flame patterns began to emerge on that perfect skin, as if they were about to ignite and incinerate her as well!

She was fighting for her life!

Forcing her evolution through the most aggressive means!

At the same time, the palm pressed against Li Ao's back burst with purple light!

A pure and gentle energy —the most fundamental Yin-cold energy of the Snake-People Clan Queen, mixed with a trace of vitality from the Exotic Flame she had just forcibly refined and slightly subdued —was recklessly channeled into Li Ao's nearly exhausted and collapsing body!

She was using the source power required for her own evolution to keep him clinging to life!

Li Ao's unfocused gaze suddenly sharpened for an instant, feeling the surge of cold, vital energy flowing in, like sweet dew sprinkled upon cracked earth.

He struggled to turn his eyes, looking at the stunningly beautiful face so close to him.

Medusa, at this moment, had her delicate brows tightly furrowed and her jaw clenched.

Her beautiful face was contorted by extreme pain, veins bulged on her temples, and sweat evaporated the moment it surfaced due to the high temperature.

Her normally cold purple eyes now burned with an almost frantic stubbornness, fixed intently on him, as if saying: You are not allowed to die!

An indescribable tremor, like an electric current, shot through Li Ao's heart.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but only managed a gasping sound.

Medusa stopped looking at him, fully circulating her cultivation technique.

While frantically devouring and refining the Exotic Flame, she continuously channeled the gentlest part of the refined energy to Li Ao, repairing his nearly ruined body.

This was an extremely dangerous process; with the slightest mistake, both of them would be annihilated by the clash of energies.

Time slowly passed amidst the extreme pain and delicate balance.

Li Ao's horrific charred wound on his back began to visibly squirm and heal under the nourishment of the life-filled energy.

New granulation tissue stubbornly pushed aside the dead skin; though slow, the process was incredibly firm.

The shattered bones inside his body were also forcibly realigned and fused by a powerful force.

Medusa's condition, however, worsened.

The azure flame patterns on her body became increasingly distinct, and she looked like a melting glass sculpture.

Her aura violently fluctuated between the Peak Dou Huang and some more profound realm, threatening to completely lose control at any moment.

Who knows how long passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity.

"Buzz—!"

A strange hum emanated from within Medusa's body!

The violent energy around her suddenly retracted!

The rampant azure flame patterns on her body swiftly internalized and settled, finally condensing into a small, lifelike azure flame lotus mark on her smooth forehead!

She abruptly opened her eyes!

The purple light in her eyes had faded, replaced by a deeper, more majestic... seven-colored flowing light!

A terrifying pressure, far exceeding the Peak Dou Huang, erupted from within her delicate body like an awakening ancient deity, instantly filling the entire secret realm!

The churning lava below calmed, and the violent fire-attribute energy in the space was subdued!

The evolution... succeeded?!

No, it was not completely successful yet!

Although her aura had surged, reaching a brand new realm, it was extremely unstable, waxing and waning.

The seven-colored light flickered in her eyes and around her body, clearly not yet fully stabilized.

But at this moment, she already possessed the power to temporarily control this space!

Her gaze immediately fell upon Li Ao.

Li Ao was still standing, supported by his saber, but his aura had stabilized significantly.

Although the horrific wound on his back was still hideous, it was no longer bleeding, and a thin layer of new skin had even grown over it.

His face was still pale, but his eyes had recovered their usual serenity, and he was quietly looking at her.

Their eyes met.

An indescribable tension permeated the air.

There was the daze of surviving a catastrophe, the unfamiliarity of surging power, and the hot, complex aftertaste left by their recent life-or-death dependence.

Medusa looked into his calm eyes, thinking of her desperate attempt to save him just moments ago, and of her current nearly naked state (her brocade robe having been incinerated).

In her seven-colored eyes, a fleeting trace of feminine embarrassment and helplessness flashed for the first time.

But she forcefully suppressed this emotion; the pride of a Queen quickly allowed her to regain composure.

With a wave of her fair hand, a purple gauze dress formed from energy instantly covered her graceful body.

Although slightly illusory, it concealed the tantalizing sight.

"How do you feel?" she asked, her voice carrying the ethereal majesty characteristic of her evolution, yet subtly laced with an almost imperceptible hint of concern.

Li Ao tried to move his body, which pulled at his wounds and caused him to frown slightly, but he still nodded: "I won't die."

His gaze fell upon the azure flame lotus mark on Medusa's forehead.

"You succeeded?"

"Initial fusion, not yet stable," Medusa replied solemnly, her seven-colored gaze sweeping toward the source of the Green Lotus Core Flame above, which was quieter but still emitted terrifying fluctuations.

"It is more violent than I imagined.

I can only temporarily suppress it; I cannot completely refine it.

I need time, and a safer location."

She looked at Li Ao, her expression complex.

"How much longer until you can move?"

Li Ao assessed his internal condition: "Half a day, and I can resume basic movement."

Medusa nodded, her gaze returning to the Green Lotus Core Flame, a hint of fervor and resolution flashing in her seven-colored eyes.

The Exotic Flame had not been fully collected, nor was her evolution completely stable.

The crisis was not yet over.

Yet, strangely, her heart felt much more settled now.

Because beside her was this mysterious and powerful man who had protected her with his life.

She sat down cross-legged, beginning to fully stabilize the newly attained realm known as 'Dou Zong', while simultaneously diverting a wisp of consciousness to guard the surroundings and... monitor the recovery of the person beside her.

The secret realm fell silent once more, but instead of being filled with killing intent, it flowed with a subtle warmth of shared survival and mutual reliance.

As Li Ao closed his eyes and fully circulated the Black Iron Hegemon Body to repair himself, the system's prompt sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Detected a significant increase in Queen Medusa's trust in the host, and a marked increase in favorability.

The host successfully protected the target during the Exotic Flame crisis and has preliminarily established a deep bond.]

[Reward: 2000 System Points, Black Iron Hegemon Body Third Stage Cultivation Technique Preview (Partial).]

[Warning: Queen Medusa's evolution is not fully stable, the Green Lotus Core Flame is still in a semi-uncontrolled state, and the external environment is unknown.

Please, host, recover your strength as quickly as possible to deal with potential changes.]