"An alchemist?"
Medusa, sitting on her royal throne in her chambers, lazily opened her bewitching eyes.
"Even you were no match for him?"
"Your subordinate... is ashamed!"
Although Hua She'er had only just advanced to the Dou King rank, she possessed the bloodline of a giant snake, and her strength was in no way inferior to the new generation of the Jia Ma Empire's top ten experts.
If even she was no match, then probably only the leaders of the eight major tribes were qualified to fight him.
"Bring him to see me," Medusa said listlessly, her enchanting body slowly stretching behind the curtain, as if stretching her waist.
"Yes!"
Hua She'er quickly arrived at the city gate. She looked at Han Feng, who was standing alone outside the city wall, and felt a little timid in her heart.
Even though she was surrounded by a group of burly male Snake-Person guards, Hua She'er still did not feel very safe, as if her memory was still stuck in the panic of having her life in Han Feng's hands.
Taking a deep breath, Hua She'er summoned her courage and walked out of the city gate. Her snake tail swung rapidly as she came to Han Feng's side.
"The Queen has agreed to see you. Come with me."
Han Feng nodded and followed her into the city.
When the Snake-People in the city saw this human, Han Feng, appear, they all hid by the side of the street. Some looked on with curiosity, some with scrutinizing gazes, and a small portion were extremely hostile.
This was a common phenomenon in the Snake-People tribe. Most of them were not particularly hostile to the human race, but due to public opinion, their perception of humans was not very good.
A small number of them were extremely hostile because they had been persecuted by humans.
This was similar to the humans of the Jia Ma Empire. Only those humans living near the Tagor Desert were very hostile to the Snake-People, while the further inland one went, the less strong the concept of Snake-People was, so curiosity was more common.
Han Feng followed Hua She'er all the way to the Snake-Person Royal Tower. After passing through the heavily guarded walls, he arrived inside the high tower.
"The Queen will receive you here. Please wait a moment."
After speaking, Hua She'er hurried away.
Seeing her somewhat nervous appearance, Han Feng smiled and said nothing more.
He had wanted to see how the Snake-People Tribe treated their guests, but he didn't expect that there wasn't even a cup of tea.
Han Feng took out a water flask from his storage ring. After taking a few sips, he heard a rustling sound approaching from a distance.
Putting down the water flask, Han Feng turned his head and saw a snake woman wearing a gorgeous crown and a purple-red gauze dress walking out from behind a screen.
The tail behind her swished, moving nimbly.
A pair of eyes, tender as water yet contemptuous of all beings, looked at the human in the hall. A clear, cold, and enchanting voice sounded.
"Are you that sixth-grade alchemist?"
Looking at the queen of the Snake-People Tribe before him, Han Feng subconsciously overlapped her with the noble and domineering figure from his previous life.
The current Medusa had a little less dominance and a little more immaturity.
"It is I. Does Queen Medusa know of me?"
Medusa smiled lightly.
"My eyes are not yet blind. I am well aware of the commotion in Desert City."
"But you dare to come to my Snake-Person Holy City alone. Are you not afraid of death?"
Medusa came before Han Feng, her eyes fixed on him, as if trying to pressure him in this way.
"I have come this time with no ill intentions. Is Queen Medusa going to make things difficult for me?"
Han Feng was neither servile nor overbearing, and he even felt a little like laughing in his heart.
If the high and mighty Northwest Empress from his previous life were to see the current Medusa stooping so low as to use a low-level tactic like seduction to oppress others, she would probably be so ashamed that she wouldn't know where to hide.
Seeing Han Feng's calm eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips, Medusa frowned slightly.
"Your Jia Ma Empire and my Snake-People are like fire and water. So what if I make things difficult for you?"
"I am not from the Jia Ma Empire."
"Hmm?"
Medusa's expression froze, and the majesty she had just built up instantly collapsed.
"I understand the Queen's feelings. If you were to go to the Jia Ma Empire alone, they would probably make things difficult for you as well. After all, the two countries are hostile, and true equality cannot be achieved."
Han Feng said naturally.
This was not hard to guess. In matters of state, both sides always considered things from their own standpoint.
To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself.
"You're not from the Jia Ma Empire?" Medusa's tone softened slightly.
"I am Han Feng, from the Black-Corner Region."
"The Black-Corner Region!"
Medusa's face changed abruptly, and the seductive aura around her instantly dissipated.
As a famous lawless zone on the Dou Qi Continent, the Black-Corner Region was quite well-known.
Many cultivators wanted by major powers would go there to seek refuge, because almost no country could mobilize a large amount of resources in the Black-Corner Region to hunt down a person.
It was an extremely chaotic place, a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones. No expert who came out of there was easy to deal with.
Medusa looked at Han Feng with suspicion. She had previously thought that he was a kind and gentle person.
But now, it seemed that he was probably a smiling tiger!
No matter how sincere Han Feng's attitude was at this moment, it seemed a bit fake to Medusa.
Sometimes, one's origin and reputation were still very important.
"You want the Sand Mandala?" Medusa returned to the topic without changing her expression, her body slowly slithering away from Han Feng.
"Indeed."
"Then what can you give me in return?"
Han Feng thought for a moment and asked in return, "What is it that the Queen desires?"
Medusa was silent for a moment. "How about helping me refine a sixth-grade pill?"
Han Feng and Medusa looked at each other for a long time before he finally nodded.
"If you provide the ingredients yourself, I can refine it."
A trace of surprise flashed in Queen Medusa's eyes, as if she hadn't expected him to agree so easily.
"Alright then. After you finish refining the pill, I will offer you the Sand Mandala with both hands."
The two reached a deal, and Han Feng was led to a quiet room.
A quarter of an hour later, Medusa came to the quiet room with a storage ring and a pill formula.
"Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill, a mid-level sixth-grade pill. Are you confident?" Medusa asked, handing the pill formula to Han Feng.
Han Feng first browsed through the pill formula and then nodded.
This should be a legacy pill formula of the Snake-People Tribe, so Han Feng had never seen it before, but the refining method was not difficult.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I will await your good news."
After leaving the quiet room, the expression on Medusa's face became a bit solemn.
The Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill was a choice that every generation of Queen Medusa had to face.
In order to produce a powerful offspring, the previous Queen Medusa would take a secret formula pill after becoming pregnant.
The secret formulas were divided into high, middle, and low grades.
The low grade were some pills with considerable energy, mostly fifth-grade.
The middle grade was the sixth-grade Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill.
The current Queen Medusa was the product of being nourished by the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill.
Back then, in order to invite a sixth-grade alchemist to refine the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill, the Snake-People Tribe had almost exhausted their entire fortune.
Now, for Medusa to obtain the opportunity for Han Feng to refine a pill with just a single fifth-tier ingredient, the Sand Mandala, could be said to be a huge gain.
However, Medusa was not so happy at this moment.
According to the clan rules, after each generation of Medusa had exhausted her potential and could no longer advance, she would be required to mate with a strong expert and bear offspring.
If she could not break through soon, then she too would be forced to accept such a fate, passing the heavy mission of the Snake-People Tribe to the next generation.
Medusa was a Snake-Person who refused to admit defeat. She hoped that in her own era, she could completely change the fate of the Snake-People Tribe.
And to do that, she had to break through the shackles of the Dou Emperor and advance to Dou Ancestor!
Calculating by the normal cultivation speed, Medusa didn't know how long it would take to touch the threshold of the Dou Ancestor realm. After all, this was a watershed realm, and many peak Dou Emperor experts could only stop here for their entire lives.
Fortunately, the Snake-People Tribe had a long legacy and had left behind a precious method for advancing to Dou Ancestor.
Temper the body with a Heavenly Flame, refine the old body, be reborn in fire, and return to the ancestral king!
Without a doubt, this was a precious secret method for physique advancement. By using the opportunity of breaking through to Dou Ancestor to reshape the body and improve one's physique and aptitude.
Once successful, the future would be limitless.
The Queen Medusa of the previous life had succeeded, evolving into the only King Snake of that era, the "Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python"—a top-tier magical beast bloodline with the potential to advance to Dou Saint in the future.
The current Medusa had also begun to search for the materials for the secret method of advancement.
The Ice Spirit Cold Spring was collected for this very purpose.
The Snake-People patrolling all over the desert were also dispatched to search for a Heavenly Flame.
Once Medusa found a Heavenly Flame, she would not hesitate to choose to advance using the secret method.
Even if she died, she would have no regrets.
Her only worry was that she would not be able to find a Heavenly Flame. If she couldn't find one, then the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill would likely become the fate she had to choose.
The sixth-grade Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill was an expensive luxury for all previous generations of Queen Medusa, but for the current Medusa, it was just the last resort.
————————
In the quiet room, Han Feng analyzed the pill formula once again.
With his knowledge of alchemy, he could naturally tell that this was a pill for nourishing a fetus.
"Could Medusa be pregnant?" Han Feng thought to himself.
After all, it was rare for the Snake-People Tribe to have a sixth-grade fetus-nourishing pill. If it wasn't for the queen to take, it would be too extravagant.
After checking the integrity of the medicinal ingredients and finding everything in order, Han Feng started the cauldron to refine the pill.
However, the moment he summoned the Green Lotus Sea Heart Flame, Medusa, who was standing outside the door, suddenly turned her head.
"A Heavenly Flame?!"
In the quiet room, Han Feng's alchemy was entering its final stage.
During these three days, Medusa had accompanied him outside the entire time, not daring to leave a single step.
She really wanted to go in now, but she was worried about disturbing Han Feng and causing him to fail in his alchemy.
Finally, along with a tyrannical pillar of energy shooting out from the top of the royal tower, the wind and clouds of heaven and earth changed. The sixth-grade Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill was successfully refined!
The moment Han Feng opened the stone door, Medusa came over.
"Queen Medusa, what are you..." Han Feng's expression was strange. Wasn't this a bit too eager?
"The Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill. I have lived up to my mission."
Han Feng took out the pill and handed it to Medusa.
However, Medusa didn't even look at the pill, but just stared straight at Han Feng, making him feel a little creeped out.
"You have a Heavenly Flame?"
Looking at Medusa's burning gaze, Han Feng subconsciously felt a little guilty.
He had indeed snatched the Heavenly Flame that originally belonged to Medusa.
But she shouldn't know, right?
"I do indeed have a Heavenly Flame. What does Queen Medusa want to say?"
"I want to ask you to do me another favor."
Medusa glanced at the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill, feeling that it was now useless.
"Whatever you want, I can promise you."
"As long as it doesn't harm the Snake-People Tribe," she added.
Han Feng was taken aback, then stuffed the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill into Medusa's hand.
"Queen Medusa, let's complete the previous transaction first before we talk about anything else."
Medusa frowned slightly and reluctantly accepted the Snake Marrow Bone-Shedding Pill, which greatly puzzled Han Feng.
What was going on? She was clearly the one who wanted this pill before, so why did she look so reluctant now?
He should get the Sand Mandala first.
After a moment of silence, Medusa did not go back on her word. She took out a medicinal herb from her storage ring, which was exactly the Sand Mandala.
"Here, for you."
Han Feng took this rare, warm medicinal herb and put it into his storage ring.
Finally got it done.
Now he could give Hai Bodong an explanation.
"I wonder what favor Queen Medusa wants me to do?"
"I want a Heavenly Flame," Medusa said seriously.
Han Feng was completely stunned and looked at her in shock.
"Is Queen Medusa joking with me?"
"I'm serious."
Medusa's brow furrowed, as if to emphasize her attitude.
Now it was Han Feng's turn to be at a loss.
"Does the Queen not know how important a Heavenly Flame is to an alchemist?"
"Moreover, if a refined Heavenly Flame is forcibly separated again, it will have a huge impact on the cultivator, and their cultivation level may even drop."
Medusa's eyes dimmed a little, as if she also understood that this was a request that the other party could not possibly agree to.
"As far as I know, the Snake-People Tribe is yin and cold in nature and should have no use for a Heavenly Flame, which is an extremely yang object. Why does Queen Medusa want a Heavenly Flame?"
Han Feng sensed a few clues. The current Medusa's snake tail was a dark purple, different from the color of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python described. She probably had not yet completed her evolution.
Could the problem lie with the Heavenly Flame?
Medusa was not very willing to answer Han Feng's question, because it involved the secrets of the Snake-People Tribe.
But... if she didn't seek Han Feng's help now, who knew when she would be able to find a Heavenly Flame again.
After some struggle, Medusa finally revealed a sliver of the secret in her heart to the man before her.
"My Snake-People Tribe has a method of evolution..."
Medusa told him everything about the secret method, and Han Feng listened quietly.
"As long as I succeed, I will be able to advance to Dou Ancestor. At that time, the Snake-People Tribe will surely defeat the huma..."
Getting excited, Medusa subconsciously stopped and glanced at the man beside her.
She had almost forgotten that this person was a human.
Han Feng smiled awkwardly. "Is Queen Medusa asking me to help you become stronger so that you can go and deal with my human race?"
Medusa looked ahead with a blank expression, feeling a little embarrassed in her heart as well.
"It's only the humans who are enemies of my Snake-People Tribe..." Medusa suddenly explained.
"I'm not stupid enough to make an enemy of the entire human race. When I find a suitable place for my Snake-People Tribe to live, then we will not interfere with each other. Anyway, it has nothing to do with your Black-Corner Region."
Han Feng nodded slightly.
"That would be acceptable."
"You agree?"
Medusa looked at Han Feng, her voice tinged with hope.
Han Feng glanced at Medusa.
"Let me see that secret method first."