"Don't worry. It will not happen. Only her soul will dwell within—nothing else will trouble her. Furthermore, a new body will be nurtured inside, shaped entirely by her bloodline. This will bring the little one nothing but benefit. There is no harm in it whatsoever."
When Medusa heard Xiao Tian's firm assurance, a wave of emotion surged through her. Her heart, so long armored in ice, seemed to melt into something soft and pliant. She had never even heard of such methods, such treasures. That alone told her how difficult it must have been for Xiao Tian to obtain them.
"Thank you, Xiao Tian."
She stepped forward and pressed herself into his embrace, leaning against his chest, breathing in his warmth and his scent as though she could draw strength from them.
"There is no need for such words between us. I believe you will succeed." Xiao Tian's hand moved gently across her back, a quiet comfort.
"First, steady your heart. Then we will begin."
Medusa pulled away and sat cross-legged upon the floor. With a wave of Xiao Tian's hand, the nearby tables and chairs slid silently aside, leaving a wide, open space.
After five or six slow breaths, she parted her lips and murmured, "I am ready. We may start whenever you wish."
"Good. Open the scroll… then…"
Xiao Tian repeated the instructions in a low, steady voice. Medusa gazed at him with an intensity that seemed to carve his features into her memory. Then she lifted the scroll in both hands and pressed it gently against her smooth forehead.
Strange, rippling waves of power began to pour from the scroll, drilling into her. As the energy entered, her delicate brows drew together. A shadow of pain crossed her face, and her complexion paled.
Outside the Eternal Dream Palace, the other women had already gathered, their faces set in solemn vigilance. Their sharp eyes swept the surroundings without pause. Xiao Yi Xian's figure materialized directly above Xiao Tian's palace, seated cross-legged in the void, the oppressive aura of a Dou Zun pulsing steadily overhead.
The women exchanged glances, their unspoken prayers written in their eyes. *Cai Li. Sister Cai Li. You must succeed.*
"Hold steady. Anchor your mind. Do not give in." Xiao Tian's voice, laced with worry, reached her ears.
Medusa kept her eyes tightly shut, absorbing the scroll's energy even as she feigned ease. "This Queen is not so fragile. A little pain like this is nothing."
But she forced down the chaos roiling in her mind and body. The true trial was about to begin. She gathered the strange energy and directed it toward the place where her soul and the little Seven-Colored Snake's soul lay intertwined.
That energy was like countless fine needles, churning through her Sea of Consciousness, piercing into the very fabric of her soul.
Medusa's expression twisted in agony. She clenched her teeth, refusing to cry out. Fine beads of sweat bloomed on her forehead and slid slowly down her cheeks. The strands of hair at her temples were soaked through with cold sweat and clung to her skin. Her open hands curled into fists, her nails biting deep into her palms. Blood oozed from the cuts, staining her fingers red, but she was utterly unaware of it.
Time lost all meaning. The pain did not lessen—it only grew sharper, more merciless. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Low, agonized groans escaped from her throat. Her consciousness spiraled downward, sinking into an endless, lightless abyss, surrounded on all sides by terror.
Xiao Tian, seeing she had reached the breaking point, acted without hesitation. He took the Soul Pill from the jade box and placed it gently between her lips. The moment it touched her tongue, the pill dissolved into a stream of pure energy that surged upward toward her head.
And at that precise moment—when she stood on the knife's edge between survival and oblivion—she saw a figure wreathed in holy light appear before her. It blazed like the midday sun, driving back the darkness. It reached out its hands toward her, offering to pull her from the abyss.
She lifted her head. Through the blinding radiance, she saw Xiao Tian's face. Handsome. Refined. Filled with concern and quiet encouragement. His expression seemed to say, *I am here. You have nothing to fear.*
In that breath between life and death, Queen Medusa finally understood the truth she had so long refused to admit. An indescribable power surged through her. She reached out and grasped his outstretched hand as though it were the last thread of hope in the universe.
Her resolve hardened into something unbreakable. Feeling Xiao Tian's presence and the strengthening flow of the pill, she knew he was still there, still fighting beside her. She endured.
"Does a mere pain of the soul think it can make this Queen retreat?"
And under that relentless perseverance, she felt it at last—the complete separation of her soul from that of the Seven-Colored Little Snake.
The pain began to recede. She had endured. The critical step was complete.
The remaining power of the pill began to mend her damaged soul, making it whole again. Her scattered consciousness slowly gathered itself.
The little Seven-Colored Snake's soul, though not yet fully mature in mind, was far from ignorant. She had heard the conversation between Xiao Tian and Medusa. Seeing Medusa's success, she smiled and reached out with her tongue to lick Medusa's soul gently upon the face.
"Little one, I bear the pain, and you reap the reward. You are getting quite the bargain," Medusa's weary soul murmured to the little snake before her, a soft laugh escaping her.
The Seven-Colored Little Snake pressed closer, nuzzling against her as if offering comfort.
Xiao Tian watched the anguish on Medusa's face ease into something gentler, and a long breath of relief escaped him. But the work was not yet finished.
"Cai Li, send her soul into the Monster Egg."
His voice cut through the haze. Medusa gave a faint nod. The little snake's soul was still too frail and thin to survive direct exposure to the outside world—it would dissipate in an instant.
She wrapped her own soul around the little one's and drew it out from the depths of her Sea of Consciousness. Xiao Tian moved swiftly, enveloping them both with his own formidable soul force. He guided the little snake into the Monster Egg, even separating a thread of his own soul power to sustain her. His face drained of color, turning deathly pale. Then he crushed another pill and fed its essence into the egg, nourishing the little one's recovering soul.
As the Seven-Colored Little Snake's soul settled into the egg, dark clouds began to churn and gather above the Eternal Dream Palace. Lightning coiled and flickered within them, ready to strike.
"What is the meaning of your presence here? In this place, I am the master. All of you—scram!"
Xiao Tian's furious roar split the heavens. At his words, the black clouds dissolved into nothing, replaced by a blaze of brilliant sunlight.
Seeing that every step had been completed, Xiao Tian allowed himself a tired, satisfied smile. He looked at Medusa, still seated cross-legged before him. Her soul condition was stable. No unforeseen troubles had arisen. *With me, the Son of Fortune, and the auspicious Qilin protecting her, how could anything possibly go wrong?*
Medusa's soul had recovered enough. As Xiao Tian studied her, her eyes slowly opened. But this time, those eyes held something different—a feeling she no longer bothered to conceal.
Under Xiao Tian's curious gaze, Medusa's crimson lips parted. And the words that came next surprised him, and sent a strange thrill racing through his heart.