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For Bai Lin, this was a choice made out of helplessness. This terrifying man, who suddenly appeared and possessed twenty types of Heavenly Flames, could effortlessly destroy their Snake-People tribe… Three Elder of the Dou Emperor rank had already verified this fact with their lives.
No matter what she chose, she would die. However, if she didn't cooperate, she could prevent the other party from achieving their 'experiment' goal and verifying some hypotheses… But the price for this would be the lives of her entire tribe.
She only hoped now that the other party would keep his promise, leave Dou Ancestor-level fighting strength for her tribe, cultivate a new 'Queen Medusa,' and prevent the tribe's lineage from being cut off… Different Snake-People tribes also had conflicts, and without corresponding strength, their tribe would not be able to hold onto what they currently possessed.
Moreover, choosing to cooperate did not necessarily mean death. Being able to freely select a suitable Heavenly Flame from twenty types was probably a luxury no 'Queen Medusa' throughout history had ever enjoyed.
'In this regard, perhaps I am the first to enjoy such treatment…' Bai Lin gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Your Majesty, what happened?" A Snake-Person wearing green clothes and green scales rushed in, looking somewhat flustered.
She was Bai Lin's personal guard captain and had just been inspecting the city's defense system. Feeling the fluctuations here, the rapidly rising and quickly subsiding Dou Qi fluctuations, she hurried back.
The strong smell of blood, emanating from the three Snake-People Elder who had been shredded in the main hall, assailed her, causing her expression to change drastically.
Upon seeing the unharmed Bai Lin in front, she slightly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Bai Qing, you've come just in time…" Bai Lin said this, then looked at Huang Tao:
"You said you would help me elevate a clansman to Dou Ancestor strength. Does that still count?"
Huang Tao smiled, "Of course, it's not a difficult matter…"
"Then let it be her…" Bai Lin explained the whole situation to Bai Qing, then asked her:
"Are you willing to help me protect our tribe and cultivate the next 'Queen Medusa'? This will sacrifice your future potential."
Bai Qing glared at Huang Tao with red eyes, "Your Majesty, I'll stop her, you leave quickly…"
Bai Lin sighed, and softly said, "Be rational, his power is not something we can contend with… For me, this might even be an opportunity."
Bai Qing opened her mouth but said nothing.
Huang Tao took a step forward and said, "Have you discussed it? If so, let's begin."
"I need you to fulfill your promise and give power to Bai Qing," Bai Lin said with a firm tone.
"Alright…"
Huang Tao's cheek suddenly split open, and a translucent, starlight-colored worm with twelve rings crawled out.
Seeing this scene, both Bai Qing and Bai Lin involuntarily felt a chill down their spines.
This small worm transformed into a stream of light and flew onto Bai Qing's shoulder. The latter endured with great effort to avoid attacking it.
A powerful energy surged from the Worm of Spirit into Bai Qing's body.
"Don't just stand there, quickly refine it. Refine as much as you can."
Hearing the reminder, Bai Qing disregarded everything else and immediately coiled her snake body, activating her cultivation technique.
The surging energy, like a bursting dam, poured into her meridians, causing a painful expression to appear on Bai Qing's face. Another streak of starlight flew out from Huang Tao's body and entered Bai Qing's body.
This Worm of Spirit helped Bai Qing control the energy, gradually sealing away the slightly violent, excess power that would cause damage to her meridians.
The pain on Bai Qing's face gradually eased, becoming peaceful, and her aura rapidly increased at a clearly perceptible rate.
This enhancement was done by 'Body filling' (Body filling, Infuse the body, Infuse energy into the body), transferring the power of the Worm of Spirit to Bai Qing, similar to how the former Sect Master of the Flower Sect, 'Grandma Hua,' transferred her power to Yun Yun in the original work.
However, compared to 'Grandma Hua's' power transfer, Huang Tao's method was cruder, and the Dou Qi contained within that Worm of Spirit was inherently mixed, making it difficult for Bai Qing to refine it and perfectly assimilate it for her own use.
The Worm of Spirit, which had been resting on Bai Qing's shoulder, fell to the ground with a 'plop,' twitched once, then lay still, lifeless.
The Worm of Spirit that had merged into Bai Qing's body flew back as a stream of light, re-integrating into Huang Tao's body.
Bai Lin extended her hand, sending her Dou Qi into Bai Qing's body to examine her current condition. Bai Qing remained still, allowing her to proceed.
After a while, Bai Lin withdrew her Dou Qi and murmured:
"Peak Dou Emperor… There's also a vast amount of energy sealed within her body. The Seal has a crack, and energy will continuously leak out… After complete refinement, it should reach the level of a four to five-star Dou Ancestor…"
She felt relieved and was quite satisfied with this result. Aside from the mixed quality of the Dou Qi, it had not caused any adverse effects on Bai Qing's body.
"This is a Transformation Pill… It's the resource compensation I promised for your tribe." Huang Tao tossed a jade bottle to Bai Qing, who subconsciously reached out and caught it.
After a pause, he continued, "Also, your 'Queen Medusa' needs elixirs during gestation, right? Do you have the medicinal ingredients? I can refine two of the highest-grade ones for you."
"You're also an Alchemist?" Bai Lin suddenly looked up, her eyes shining as she stared at Huang Tao.
He shrugged, "I haven't refined any before, but I can probably manage it."
Bai Lin gazed at him, then smiled helplessly, "Mr. Hughes Tao, with all due respect, at the price you offered, there was no need for force."
"A Dou Ancestor expert resolved the worry of power vacuum in a tribe after a failed evolution, and two secret elixirs provided the tribe's future… Most tribes cannot afford the highest-grade seventh-rank elixirs to cultivate the next 'Queen Medusa'."
"If you casually find a 'Queen Medusa,' as long as she has some ambition, some yearning for evolution, and some sense of responsibility for her tribe, she could be persuaded by you…"
"But there are also those who are not so ambitious, who fear death more, and would reject my proposal… Your attitudes, your feelings are not within my consideration. I only want the result… Clearly, my method is faster," Huang Tao responded.
Bai Lin pondered for a moment. If the other party had not resorted to force at first, but instead sought to trade through enticement, what would she have done?
'I should have hesitated for a long time, perhaps ten days to half a month before giving a reply, and even if I agreed, I would have haggled to see if I could gain more benefits… After all, not every 'Queen Medusa' has the courage to go all out…'
The hatred in her eyes towards Huang Tao faded considerably, and she softly said, "When do we begin?"
"Let's talk after I've refined the elixirs you need… Hmm, next time, perhaps I can try trading first, 'First courtesy, then force'," Huang Tao replied.
'Then why was it 'force' right from the start for me?' Bai Lin opened her mouth, silently complaining.
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