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--- Chapter 234 ---
As Han Yuan was being absent-minded, someone coughed a few times to wake him up.
Cough! Cough!
"Xiao Yuan, be mindful. Don't forget our goal for coming here." It was Yafei who returned with Hai Bodong.
Han Yuan snapped out of his thoughts. He gazed at Queen Medusa and felt her charm radiating like a beam before sighing, "Alright, I'd do you a favor in exchange for Green Lotus Core Flame."
"But a reminder, I wouldn't do you any favor that crosses my moral line and power."
Queen Medusa smiled in response, "Of course. I promise my favor won't cross your line."
At this moment, Yafei's instinct as a woman screamed. 'This snake woman is dangerous!'
Han Yuan nodded, stretching his hand to hold Queen Medusa's right hand as Water and Wood Dou Qi in his body rushed out and healed her injury one after another at a visible rate.
"W-What, my body... A-Aahn~!" Queen Medusa's eyes widened as she let out a lewd sound from her mouth, making Yafei and Hai Bodong blush.
"O-Oy, brat, what are you doing to her?" asked Hai Bodong with an accusing tone.
Han Yuan rolled his eyes, "Don't you see that I am healing her? Besides Wind and Lightning Dou Qi, I also have the five basic elemental Dou Qi in my body."
"Water and Wood Dou Qi can heal others, whether it is cleansing or healing."
"It is common sense."
"Hmm~!" Queen Medusa bit her lips and eyed Han Yuan longingly.
'Common sense, your head! Having Wind and Lightning attribute Dou Qi alone is already rare enough, but you actually have five basic elemental ones, too? You're not a monster, you're an anomaly!' Hai Bodong looked at Han Yuan and Queen Medusa back and forth in disbelief.
There is nothing about this brat that is common!
Even Yafei, who was used to Han Yuan's humble-brag, was speechless.
Queen Medusa tried her best not to moan, but the feeling of her battered body getting cleansed, healed, and rejuvenated by Han Yuan's Dou Qi is just too pleasurable.
But considering Han Yuan's body possesses tremendous vitality, his wood attribute is pure and potent. The blessing of the Ultimate Life Attribute is not to joke around.
In fact, after being treated by Han Yuan's Dou Qi, Queen Medusa not only felt better and energetic, but her scarred skin also became smoother with a bouncy texture.
Just imagine what would happen if she got Han Yuan's treatment daily, especially in private.
Thus, the queen of snake people felt she was slowly getting addicted to Han Yuan's seed, I mean, vitality.
"Your bloodline is impressive. I can feel that you haven't tapped into its full potential." Han Yuan commented while releasing Queen Medusa's fair hand.
Queen Medusa's face flushed as she calmed herself down. "You're right, but I felt like I can't do it."
"My cultivation has been stuck on 9-Star Dou Emperor for years now, and my bloodline wouldn't budge no matter how much I tried to break the limit with my Dou Qi."
"That's why I needed Heavenly Flame. Such a force of nature is capable of destroying that said limit."
Han Yuan calmly commented, "But you will get burned to a crisp in return, like a moth to flame, but a snake to a flame in this case."
"You don't have to mock me like that..." Queen Medusa said unhappily, but her alluring voice came off as bashful, which Hai Bodong thought was just his imagination.
'No, no, no, there is no way that cold-blooded snake woman could be shy like that.' Hai Bodong firmly thought.
Queen Medusa stretched her 'curvy' body slightly before sighing in relief, as she had never felt better than this. She focused her eyes back on Han Yuan and asked, "Before I bring you to the location of Green Lotus Core Flame, should we introduce ourselves first?"
"You may know me as Queen Medusa, but that's my given title and name as the ruler of snake people. But for you, you may call me Medusa exclusively..."
"Should I be honored?" Han Yuan chuckled.
"Yes, not many people could call me by my name." Queen Medusa proudly replied. Her name is 'naturally' feared because of her predecessor, and that's a badge of honor for her people.
"Then, Medusa, let me introduce myself, too." Han Yuan smiled at her.
"My name is Han Yuan, twelve years old, and I currently live in Wu Tan City."
"T-Twelve?" Queen Medusa felt she had misheard or something. She gave Han Yuan a disbelieving look. "You must be joking, right?"
If this is true, then she can at least be Han Yuan's grandmother. She is a few decades older than he is.
"No, no, no, I am really twelve." Han Yuan shrugged. "It is hard to believe that a twelve-year-old could beat the infamous Queen Medusa, but you and I knew the result."
"..." Queen Medusa felt her veins throbbing for some reason.
One word, frustration.
Hai Bodong felt a sense of deja vu watching this.
Even Yafei could only facepalm herself seeing this.
...
...
After Queen Medusa reorganized her thoughts, she accepted the fact that Han Yuan is only twelve. Of course, her emotions were still reeling inside after knowing his cultivation is only Dou Spirit, too, but she hid it.
She led Han Yuan, Yafei, and Hai Bodong to the hottest part of the Tager Desert as several volcanic pools welcomed them. This place is warm despite the desert's cold night.
Even then, this place is not any safer than the rest of Tager Desert. Queen Medusa told them a volcano may erupt once a day here.
"How dangerous..." Yafei mumbled.
Queen Medusa glanced at Yafei, "Don't worry, as long as you follow me, we can dodge the eruption."
She led them even deeper into the volcano-ridden land and stopped as soon as they reached a cracked plain. The sand here isn't as deep as the others.
"The Green Lotus Core Flame is below." She said to Han Yuan. "I originally prepared to wait until the Heavenly Flame is 'naturally' weakened due to the change of tectonic plate below, which shifts the heaven and earth energy."
"How long is it going to take if we use your method?" asked Han Yuan curiously.
"Three to four years." Queen Medusa replied helplessly. "These few years should be enough for me to prepare myself, but as you said, the force of nature, such as Green Lotus Core Flame, could burn me to ashes."
Han Yuan was quiet, calculating in his head. In the book, Queen Medusa successfully evolved her bloodline and became the long-extinct Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, though in return, her soul split into that of a 'newborn' one and her 'Queen Medusa' self.
Later, it was 'eventually' revealed that Queen Medusa's body contained the injured ancient souls of predecessors, and those predecessors were the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons!
So, strictly speaking, the lineage of Snake-People in Tager Desert, or at least Queen Medusa's lineage, descends from Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, a legendary Magical Beast!
And the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python could evolve once more into Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, a Divine Beast, and ancestor of snake beasts.
Divine Beast is not an 'ordinary' title.
"Actually, Medusa..." Han Yuan decided to show off his card.
"There might be a better way to break your limitations and evolve your bloodline."
"As you know, I have a Heavenly Flame, and it is the 22nd-ranked Ten Thousand Beast Flame."
Queen Medusa frowned, "Are you planning to lend me the Ten Thousand Beast Flame? I admitted it was a good idea, but it's weaker than Green Lotus Core Flame, and might not help me..."
Han Yuan sighed, "Oh, well, it seems you have a misconception about Heavenly Flame, Medusa."
"Whatever, I'm sure the rest of the experts also think the same."
"If you're only judging things based on how strong and explosive they are, at this rate, you're not going anywhere, Medusa."
"Heavenly Flame is a force of nature; in essence, they are the incarnation of their surroundings."
"For example, Green Lotus Core Flame is born deep in the lava. It's not just a Heavenly Flame, but the incarnation of subterranean fire. It holds both earth and fire attributes, making it very good to refine a weapon or artifact."
Han Yuan raised his finger, "Now, think about Ten Thousand Beast Flame. It might be only ranked 22nd in the whole Heavenly Flame List, but it has two characteristics, Blood and Beast, that make it the most important usage among Magical Beast and hybrid."
"Bloodline!" Medusa's eyes widened in realization.
"Don't tell me the Ten Thousand Beast Flame can affect Magical Beast's bloodline?"
"Correct, Ten Thousand Beast Flame possesses such an ability." Han Yuan grinned at her. "However, it was too energy-consuming. The amount of Heaven and Earth energy needed to improve, if not awaken, one's bloodline is enormous."
"Medusa, your bloodline is not ordinary, so it would take months, if not a full year, to see the result."
"A-A year?" Queen Medusa couldn't believe her ears. Her voice trembled slightly.
What her ancestor has been trying to achieve for 10,000 years actually can be done by Han Yuan in a mere year!
It sounded like a fucking joke.
Yet, the more Queen Medusa thinks about it, the more logical and possible it becomes; her poor heart couldn't calm down anymore.
She wished she could pounce on Han Yuan and ask him to help her right away, but that would be impossible.
Favor, yes, favor!
Queen Medusa remembered that Han Yuan agreed to give her his favor, but her rational mind refused to use it like this. She already planned to do something much more important with it.
B-But this is her ancestor's wishes.
Her wishes, too!
Queen Medusa struggled in her heart.
"Medusa, Medusa, are you listening?" Han Yuan waved his hand before her face. "Why the long face?"
"Don't worry, after I get my hand on the Green Lotus Core Flame, I will help with the Ten Thousand Beast Flame."
"But in return, I need you to join my faction."
"I will do it!" Queen Medusa agreed immediately, leaving Hai Bodong and Yafei speechless.
"I haven't even told you the name of our faction." Han Yuan replied helplessly.
"No need, as long as you're in this faction, it will prosper!" Queen Medusa confidently retorted as she had blind faith in him.
Han Yuan doesn't know what to say about this. He should be happy that he had recruited two high-potential experts into Martial Union, but neither of them is normal.
Oh, well, at least his Martial Union is going on the right path.
"Guard the area for me, I will be back soon," said Han Yuan as he jumped down into the bubbling lava pit.
Plop!
"Uh..." Hai Bodong nervously stared at Queen Medusa.
"Nice weather, am I right?"
"Shut your mouth, puny ice man." Queen Medusa returned to her prideful and arrogant self. Her eyes are as indifferent as the moon above them. "I only tolerate your puny existence because Han Yuan was here."
"You don't have to say 'puny' twice, you know..." Hai Bodong looked down sadly.
Queen Medusa ignored the sulking ice emperor and keenly glanced at Yafei, "You, lass, tell me everything you know about Han Yuan."
"His favorite food, his dislike, everything..."
"I want to know everything!"
'Bitch!' Yafei cursed in her heart.
...
...
Unknown to Han Yuan, Queen Medusa's interest in him is significantly high.
She's not joking around when she said yes.
Han Yuan swam deeper into the lava pool, spreading his spiritual power to locate the Green Lotus Core Flame. It didn't take a long time to find this Heavenly Flame, considering this Heavenly Flame is very rich in earthly elements.
After locking onto the presence of a massive Green Lotus deep in the lava pool, Han Yuan swam there swiftly. He arrived before the lotus platform made of precious minerals and natural Dou Qi.
"Open." He used his spiritual power to open the lotus platform, revealing a cyan-green flame shaped like a lotus.
BOOOOOM!!
However, as soon as Han Yuan tried to conquer the Heavenly Flame, the green lotus spewed a green flare and caused the surrounding lava to boil rapidly.
"Enma." Han Yuan didn't care about a little bit of lava.
Ten Thousand Beast Flame burst out from Han Yuan's body, wrapping him and the lotus platform.
"Settle down." Han Yuan stretched his right hand to the Green Lotus Core Flame, using the Monochrome Inner Star Sutra to devour this force of nature into his body.
The Green Lotus Core Flame struggled violently, but it was futile.
Han Yuan's power is like a chain that is locked onto its body firmly, leaving no way to escape.
Swoosh!
"Okay, and done..." Han Yuan devoured the Green Lotus Core Flame like he did to Enma, forcing it to live in his Dou Qi cyclone.
At this very moment, Han Yuan's inner dantian looks like a sparkling orbit of stars. The center is his Dou Qi core/star encircled by a golden sun, a blood red moon, and a newly added green lotus.
Then, Han Yuan's cultivation also improved because of the new addition of earth and fire attribute Dou Qi by the Green Lotus Core Flame, raising his realm to a half-step Dou King.
"Not bad." Han Yuan smiled, checking the lotus platform, which was made of precious material and also held the remains of Green Lotus Core Flame, such as the lotus's seed and fire's seed. Both are usable for cultivating fire Dou Qi, and could fetch a fortune somewhere.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared before Han Yuan's eyes.
[Ding!]
[The system detected that the "Task Master" has altered the Dou Qi Plane significantly, weakening the world's barrier between the Dou Qi Plane and the Douluo Plane]
[The more "plots" Task Master changed, the faster both worlds affect each other]
"Huh?" Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"Wait, so, you're telling me I haven't been able to hold a meeting with myself because I didn't change plots enough?"
[Correct]
"..." Han Yuan was speechless.
He had been developing quietly for five years, afraid of causing too much butterfly effect on this world, only to be told that said "butterfly effect" would help him.