"What method?" Medusa's voice trembled slightly, and her hand unconsciously tightened around Xiao Tian's.
Xiao Tian studied her expression, a faint smile touching his lips. He gave her hand a gentle, reassuring pat. "I have a method. But it may bring you excruciating pain."
"Pain? That is the one thing this King fears least."
At Xiao Tian's words, a flicker of disdain crossed Medusa's lips. She hadn't flinched even when her body was being incinerated by the Heavenly Flame. For her, living without strength was the truest agony. Her dream was to lead the Snake-People Tribe to a land where they could truly thrive, to restore the glory of her people.
"And what if it is the pain of having your soul torn apart? If you cannot endure it, you may vanish like smoke."
Xiao Tian straightened in his seat, his gaze searching Queen Medusa's eyes.
Hearing this, Medusa's body gave an involuntary shudder. Though she was no Alchemist, she knew well enough about the soul. The tearing of one's soul was a hundred times more excruciating than the tearing of flesh.
Yet her expression swiftly hardened into resolve. She drew a slow, deep breath and met Xiao Tian's gaze. "Even if it is soul-tearing—this King fears nothing. I would rather endure such pain than continue as I am. What does dying matter?"
"Tell me. What are your conditions?"
Medusa understood that nothing came without a price. Everything in this world carried a clear cost. She simply didn't know what bargaining chip she could possibly offer. The Snake-People Tribe? If Xiao Tian wished it, with the current strength of his Pure Heaven Divine Palace, he could annihilate them whenever he pleased.
That left only one other condition…
Xiao Tian ignored the flicker of inner turmoil on her face. He released her hand, and a scroll materialized in his grasp—the Soul Stripping Scroll the system had rewarded him long ago.
"What I want… we will discuss that after you succeed. Naturally, you must do your utmost to endure. If you die, then the Snake-People Tribe behind you will also lose its reason for existing."
He lifted her chin with one hand, his voice like a cold wind rising from an abyss. Yet though his tone was ice, Medusa could hear the fierce concern buried beneath it. She gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, her voice laced with an uncharacteristic submission.
Inwardly, she scoffed, *Hmph! He calls me tsundere, but isn't he exactly the same?*
Xiao Tian withdrew his hand and gave a wave. A Monster Egg and a jade box materialized—one upon the floor, the other on the table. The Monster Egg was the one devoid of any signs of life.
Medusa gazed at the enormous egg on the ground, curiosity getting the better of her. She crouched down to examine it. "What is this for?"
"This," Xiao Tian said with a grin, watching her crouch before it like a puzzled child, "is for putting you inside. So you can be reborn."
Medusa shot him a glare—one that was somehow both fierce and utterly alluring. That single, captivating glance nearly sent Xiao Tian's soul drifting out of his body.
He snapped himself back to the present and reached out, resting his hand gently on her hair as she leaned close to the egg. She was still crouched, still studying it. She felt the warmth of his hand atop her head but paid it little mind, her attention fixed on the puzzle before her.
"What foolish talk is this? This King is viviparous, not oviparous! If you don't wish to explain, then so be it. This King will certainly uncover the secret of this thing on her own."
When she tilted her head up to look at him, they were suddenly very close. An unbidden image flickered through Xiao Tian's mind. He gently patted his own face to clear his thoughts. Truly, she was worthy of her title as the Snake-People's most enchanting queen—she could make a man lose himself without even trying.
If Medusa knew where his thoughts had wandered, she would have rolled her eyes so hard they might have never come back down. His mind was full of filth, and he had the nerve to blame *her* for it.
"This Monster Egg is for the little one," Xiao Tian said, settling back into his chair.
He picked up the Soul Stripping Scroll, examining the instructions along its edge. The method was, in truth, quite straightforward. The user needed only to channel their soul power into the scroll, guide the energy within into their Sea of Consciousness, and then select the soul to be separated.
Although Medusa's soul and that of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python existed as distinct entities, they were tightly intertwined. One could even say that the two had been fused from the very moment of their joint emergence.
The scroll also recorded certain subsequent requirements. Because the soul-splitting would cause a deficiency, a prescription for a pill to replenish the soul was also listed. This pill, however, was only suited to mending the specific type of soul deficiency caused by the Soul Stripping Scroll. Furthermore, refining it required a wisp of energy extracted from the scroll itself to serve as the main ingredient.
"So… what do I need to do?"
Medusa rose to her feet, leaning forward with both hands planted on the table. Her body tilted slightly toward him, her ample bosom half-revealed as she stared intently at Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian felt as though he had been swallowed by an abyss. He was drowning.
When Medusa received no reply, she looked at him in confusion—and found his eyes fixed, unblinking, in one particular direction. She followed his gaze. Her face instantly flushed crimson. She straightened up immediately.
Seeing that the "scenery" had vanished, Xiao Tian cleared his throat and pointedly turned his gaze elsewhere. "The sky is very white today."
"Pah. The snow is really heavy today," Medusa shot back.
A network of dark lines traced across her forehead. She wanted nothing more than to plant her fist square in his face.
"Cai Li, I must criticize you now. We are discussing serious matters, and you are greatly hindering our progress."
Xiao Tian arranged his features into a mask of utmost seriousness, fixing her with a look that said this was entirely her fault.
Medusa: *??? Blame me? You've said everything, you've taken all the benefits, and now it's my fault?*
"Ahem. Please, sit down first. I'll explain what you need to do."
Seeing that Medusa was on the verge of detonating, Xiao Tian wisely retreated.
Realizing he was finally going to address the matter at hand, Medusa temporarily reined in her temper. She would give him "color" to see later.
Xiao Tian meticulously explained the usage of the Soul Stripping Scroll. Medusa took the scroll into her hands, carefully sensing the aura that radiated from it. It held a rich soul presence—and an almost magnetic pull that seemed to draw her own soul toward it.
"Once you strip the little one's soul away, guide her into this Monster Egg. That way, she will be able to gestate and be born anew inside."
Understanding dawned in Medusa's eyes. So that was the purpose of the egg. No wonder it held no life signs, yet was not truly dead—it contained something mysterious and profound.
"Then… will another soul appear inside to compete with her again?"
Medusa thought of her own situation with the little one, and worry crept into her voice.