"What method?"
Medusa's voice trembled—barely perceptible, but there.
Her grip on Xiao Jietian's hand tightened unconsciously.
Xiao Jietian studied her expression. Then, softly, he smiled.
He patted her hand gently.
"I have a method. But it will likely be extremely painful."
"Pain?" A flicker of disdain crossed her lips. "That is the one thing this king fears least."
She had endured her body being incinerated when she first refined the Heavenly Flame. Pain was nothing.
Living without strength—that was agony.
Her dream had always been to lead the Snake-People tribe to prosperity, to find them a homeland worthy of their existence. She would not be stopped by mere pain.
"What if it's the pain of soul tearing?" Xiao Jietian's voice was quiet. "If you cannot endure it, you may vanish into nothingness."
He sat up straighter, his gaze sharp, assessing.
Medusa's body trembled—involuntarily, briefly.
She was no alchemist. But she knew enough about souls. Soul tearing was a hundred times more agonizing than tearing flesh.
Yet her expression hardened.
She drew a deep breath.
"Soul tearing?" Her voice was steady now. Resolute. "This king fears nothing. I would rather endure such pain than continue like this."
A pause.
"What is the cost?"
She knew nothing in this world was free.
What does he want?
The Snake-People tribe? With Boundless Heavenly Hall's current strength, he could annihilate them in a single night if he wished.
The only bargaining chip she had left…
Xiao Jietian released her hand.
A scroll materialized in his grip—ancient, emanating a faint, ethereal glow.
The Soul Stripping Scroll.
"We will discuss my price after you succeed." His voice was calm. Unreadable.
Then his hand moved.
His fingers caught her chin, tilting her face upward.
His voice dropped—cold, sharp as a blade cutting through winter air.
"But you must endure. If you die…"
A pause.
"The Snake-People tribe behind you will lose their reason for existence."
Medusa's eyes met his.
His voice was ice. His words were threat.
But beneath it all—she heard it.
Concern.
Fear of losing her.
She lowered her gaze.
"…Mm."
Her voice was soft. Submissive.
Hypocrite, she thought. You call me tsundere, but look at yourself.
Xiao Jietian released her chin.
With a wave of his hand, two objects appeared.
A massive Monster Egg—lusterless, utterly devoid of life signs.
And a jade box.
Medusa's curiosity immediately seized her. She rose, approached the egg, and crouched down to examine it.
"What is this for?"
Xiao Jietian watched her—this proud, fierce queen, now squatting on the floor like a curious child peering at a fascinating treasure.
He smiled.
"This," he said, "is where you will place the little one. She will be reborn from within."
Medusa shot him a glare.
It was not a cold glare. It was not a hostile glare.
It was the kind of glare a woman gives a man who has just said something incredibly stupid.
Her voice dripped with exasperation.
"This king is viviparous. Not oviparous."
A pause.
"…If you don't want to tell me, fine. This king will discover this egg's secrets on her own."
She returned her attention to the egg, her fingers tracing its surface.
Still crouching.
Still oblivious to how the posture affected the man standing above her.
Xiao Jietian gently slapped his own cheek.
Focus.
A snake beauty of unimaginable allure… and absolutely no self-awareness.
If she knew what I was thinking right now, she'd probably stab me.
"That egg is for the little one," he said, returning to his chair.
He unrolled the Soul Stripping Scroll, studying its edge. The instructions were simple enough.
The user channels soul power into the scroll, guides its energy into their Sea of Consciousness, and selects the soul to be severed.
Medusa and the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python existed as two souls, but they were intricately fused—bound since the moment of their shared emergence.
Splitting them would cause severe soul deficiency.
The scroll also contained a prescription: a pill specifically designed to replenish the soul after using the Soul Stripping Scroll. It would not work for other soul injuries.
And the main ingredient…
A wisp of energy drawn directly from the scroll itself.
"What do I need to do?"
Medusa had risen. She leaned forward, hands braced on the table, body tilted slightly toward him.
Her ample chest pressed against the fabric of her dress.
Half-revealed.
Xiao Jietian's thoughts scattered.
He was plummeting into an abyss—and he did not want to be saved.
Silence.
"…Hello?" Medusa frowned. "Did you hear me?"
She followed his gaze.
Downward.
Her face ignited.
She straightened immediately, arms crossing protectively over her chest.
Xiao Jietian, caught red-handed, immediately turned his head toward the window.
"The sky is really white today."
A pause.
"…I mean, the snow is really heavy today."
Medusa's expression was a masterpiece of disbelief.
"Snow." Her voice was flat. "In the Eternal Heaven Realm. Which does not have weather."
"…It's a very special snow."
She wanted to punch him.
"Fei Yan." Xiao Jietian composed himself, his expression suddenly solemn. "I must criticize you."
Medusa blinked.
"We are discussing serious matters," he continued, voice heavy with reproach, "and you are greatly hindering our progress."
Medusa: "???"
You—
You're the one who—
I was just standing there—
Her eye twitched violently.
He reaps all the benefits, and it's MY fault?
"Ahem." Xiao Jietian cleared his throat, sensing her rapidly approaching detonation point. "Please, sit. I'll explain the procedure."
Medusa inhaled.
Exhaled.
Business first. Punishment later.
She sat.
Xiao Jietian explained the Soul Stripping Scroll in meticulous detail.
Medusa held the scroll, carefully sensing its aura. It pulsed with dense, concentrated soul energy—and something else. A pull. An allure.
It felt as though it wanted to draw her own soul into its depths.
"After you sever the little one's soul," Xiao Jietian said, "you will guide her into this Monster Egg. She will gestate within and be reborn."
Understanding dawned in Medusa's eyes.
So that's its purpose.
No wonder the egg bore no life signs, yet was not dead. It was not empty—it was waiting.
She hesitated.
"Then… will a new soul emerge within it? To compete with her again?"
She thought of herself. Of the little one. Of the endless struggle for dominance that had defined her existence for so long.
What if the same fate awaits her?