The situation took a sharp turn

The air in the great hall seemed to solidify, and time slowly passed amidst Medusa's struggles.

Finally, her tightly clenched jade fingers slowly relaxed, and she whispered, "...Alright, this King agrees to your terms."

She raised her eyes to look at Shen Wen, her tone carrying a final hint of insistence: "However, the four elders of my clan are fierce in temperament and will never easily accept subjugation to the human race.

Can it be... that after you help me purify my bloodline and break through to the Dou Ancestor realm, I will personally use my Dou Ancestor strength to persuade them?

At that time, the resistance will be much smaller."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen shook his head without hesitation, directly rejecting it: "Impossible.

If I help you achieve Dou Ancestor, and you go back on your word, wouldn't I be doing all the work for nothing, toiling in vain?

Why should I take that risk?"

Medusa eagerly stepped forward: "This King can establish a soul contract! If I go back on my word after a successful breakthrough, I will willingly accept the punishment of soul annihilation!"

'soul contract'

As these four words left her lips, a blush instantly appeared on Cao Ying's enchanting face, who stood beside Shen Wen.

Her fate with Shen Wen had begun with that contract binding both their souls.

Now, she had successfully refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, and that contract had long since automatically dissolved.

Hearing Medusa mention it now, an inexplicable pang of bitterness and a sense of gain and loss arose in her heart.

She subconsciously glanced at Shen Wen, who stood calmly beside her.

Shen Wen nodded: "Alright. It shall be as you say."

He turned his head and gestured to Cao Ying, "Madam, the contract scroll."

Cao Ying composed herself and took out a soul contract from her storage ring.

Shen Wen looked at Medusa and said: "The contract content is as follows: Cao Ying will take the lead, using the Green Lotus Core Flame to help you purify your bloodline.

If successful, you, Medusa, must lead the entire Snake-People Clan to submit to me, Shen Wen, without error.

If the purification fails and you die as a result, the contract will automatically become void. How about it?"

Medusa took a deep breath, knowing this was Shen Wen's final bottom line.

"...Alright."

At once, she said no more.

Cao Ying unfurled the soul contract scroll, and Medusa forced out a drop of vital blood containing her soul aura, which merged into the scroll.

As mysterious runes lit up, an invisible soul shackle instantly formed, deeply branded onto the soul origins of both individuals, and the contract was established!

With the contract established, Medusa no longer delayed and immediately led everyone to the most central forbidden area of the Snake-People Tribes Sacred City.

A vast bamboo forest.

Medusa led the five into the bamboo forest, deeper into it, and moments later, it suddenly opened up.

The surrounding bamboo forest encircled a small, clear lake.

In the center of the lake was a small island, with shimmering water all around, and no bridges leading to it.

There was also a bamboo forest on the island. Dan Chen, holding Qing Lin, and the five landed on the island.

"It's right here. This is the cultivation ground for our clan's successive queens," Medusa said.

She took off her robes.

Within the lush green bamboo forest, her perfect, full, jade-like body exuded a thirst-inducing allure.

Her slender waist seemed too small to grasp, yet amidst its slight slenderness, there was a sense of suppleness. Her flat and delicate lower abdomen had not a single ounce of superfluous flesh.

"What are you doing?"

Cao Ying subconsciously blocked Shen Wen's view, wanting to obstruct him, but Shen Wen had already seen everything clearly.

Cao Ying stared at Medusa, thinking this beautiful snake truly had no shame, actually stripping in front of Shen Wen!

Medusa rolled her eyes at Cao Ying, "My robes, so they don't get burned..."

"You! Don't you see Shen Wen is still here?" Cao Ying gritted her silver teeth, this fellow.

Should she just burn her to death during her evolution?

"If it succeeds, I'll be his. If it doesn't, I'll die. Can I worry about so much?"

Medusa chuckled softly,

Purple light erupted around her, and her delicate body rapidly stretched and transformed in the glow, instantly turning into her true form.

A massive and beautiful Purple Nether Flame Snake, coiled in the center of the pool, its pale purple snake eyes looking at Cao Ying.

Shen Wen said: "Madam, you must not hold anything back. Directly activate the primordial power of the Green Lotus Core Flame and completely engulf her.

Only with the most domineering and purest power of the Heavenly Flame can the years of accumulated yin and cold impurities deep within her bloodline be thoroughly burned and cleansed, breaking down to rebuild, thereby stimulating that deeply hidden ancient bloodline."

Cao Ying nodded.

Discarding her previous distracting thoughts, she actually wanted Medusa to successfully overcome her tribulation, because if she did.

Although there would indeed be another 'rival in love' by her side, her husband would also gain a capable helper!

She stepped forward, forming complex hand seals, and within her Qi Sea, the green fire lotus vibrated violently.

"Boom—!"

Torrential green flames swept out from Cao Ying's body.

The terrifying high temperature instantly warped and boiled the air around the pool, even causing ripples in space.

That scorching green sea of fire instantly transformed into a massive flaming crucible, slowly contracting and engulfing the enormous Purple Nether Flame Snake in the center of the pool.

"Hiss—!"

Engulfed in flames, the extreme pain made the Purple Nether Flame Snake, into which Medusa had transformed, let out a mournful hiss. Her massive snake body writhed frantically in the pool, and her hard purple scales made "sizzling" sounds under the scorching of the Heavenly Flame, even beginning to char and curl.

Her massive snake body writhed frantically in the pool, and her hard purple scales made "sizzling" sounds under the scorching of the Heavenly Flame, even beginning to char and curl.

The green sea of fire churned, and the Purple Nether Flame Snake, into which Medusa had transformed, thrashed violently within it, emitting painful hisses.

However, after only a moment, she endured the burning pain, suddenly raised her snake head, and in a painful, low growl, said: "Not enough! Shen Wen!

This flame... it's still not enough!

It's only scorching my surface; it can't penetrate to the bone marrow and reach the core of my bloodline!"

Shen Wen's brows immediately furrowed. He looked at Cao Ying, who was fully maintaining the flames, and said in a deep voice: "Madam, use the Crimson Emperor Fire Sovereign Qi to fuel the Heavenly Flame!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying dared not delay.

Crimson-golden Dou Qi surged out from within her body, pouring into the Green Lotus Core Flame.

With the augmentation of Dou Qi.

The already violent green flames deepened in color, and their temperature suddenly soared again!

"Hiss—!"

The even more intense pain made Medusa let out a terrifying hiss.

Even tiny cracks began to appear on her massive snake body, as if it could be torn apart by the terrifying flames at any moment.

But she stubbornly held on, her snake eyes filled with unwillingness and determination, and she growled again in a hoarse voice: "Still... not enough! Far from it!

If this continues... let alone purifying my bloodline... I won't even touch the threshold of the bloodline... I'll just be burned alive!"

Sweat was already beading on Cao Ying's forehead. She felt Medusa's aura becoming unstable under the terrifying scorching.

Anxiously, she looked at Shen Wen: "Husband! The power of the Heavenly Flame is almost at my limit!"

Shen Wen's expression was solemn. He could tell Medusa was not exaggerating; the yin and cold within the Snake-People Clan's bloodline were extremely stubborn.

Furthermore, the ancient bloodline within the Purple Nether Flame Snake itself was very scarce.

With the current intensity of the Heavenly Flame that Cao Ying could unleash, it was indeed difficult to shake its core.

If they forcibly delayed or lacked sufficient power, the backlash from a failed purification would arrive instantly. Medusa would at best have her cultivation completely crippled, and at worst, perish on the spot!

And most critically, the soul contract they had established stated, "Cao Ying helps Medusa purify her bloodline."

If the purification process couldn't even truly begin, and Medusa died or was severely injured due to insufficient power.

The delineation of responsibility in this situation was ambiguous, and no one knew how the soul contract would judge!

If it were to be judged that Cao Ying "failed to successfully help," or even "caused the failure," the consequences would be unimaginable!

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!