In the consciousness space of the Flame Mantra, a thin young figure floated slowly. The space was pitch-black, as if there was no concept of the five senses—he couldn't touch, hear, or see anything, leaving a sense of desolation.
Suddenly, within the darkness, a green flame quietly rose, banishing all the darkness and transforming into a green lotus flower within the now-bright space.
The green lotus wrapped around the figure of the young boy and began spinning rapidly, gradually shrinking until it turned into specks of white light, disappearing within the Flame Mantra space.
In the outside world, Xiao Se was resting quietly in Hong Kui's arms. His previously pale face gradually regained its usual glow.
Hong Kui, who had been carefully tending to Xiao Se, saw his complexion recover and a joyful tear slipped down her beautiful face.
A teardrop fell onto Xiao Se's forehead, causing his eyelids to flutter slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Hong Kui's tear-filled face.
"Brother, you're finally awake. Please don't leave Hong Kui again," a sorrowful cry echoed in Xiao Se's ears. He raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from Hong Kui's eyes, softly saying, "I'm sorry, Hong Kui, for worrying you."
The process of absorbing the Green Lotus Core Flame had been incredibly dangerous. Simply guiding the flame into his body had nearly cost him half his life, as the meridians throughout his body had been severely damaged.
Fortunately, the Fire Lotus Seed contained pure energy, which repaired his meridians. Without it, he wouldn't have dared to use the Flame Mantra to absorb the Heavenly Flame directly.
"How are you feeling now, Brother?" Hong Kui held onto Xiao Se's hand that had wiped her tears, her red eyes filled with concern.
Xiao Se nodded slightly and, after sitting up and crossing his slightly sore legs, he calmed his mind and entered a meditative state.
Focusing inward, Xiao Se was astonished to find that the absorption of the Green Lotus Core Flame had directly elevated his Flame Mantra from a high-level yellow tier to a high-level black tier—an entire major leap.
Not only that, but his cultivation had also jumped from a three-star Dou Shi to a six-star Dou Shi, surpassing the original protagonist by an entire star level.
Xiao Se smiled and said, "Although the process was dangerous, the rewards were worth it. My cultivation has now broken through to a six-star Dou Shi, and the Flame Mantra has evolved from the high-level yellow tier to the high-level black tier, advancing by a whole tier."
"Congratulations, Brother!" Hong Kui was overjoyed to hear that Xiao Se had reached the six-star Dou Shi level, especially considering how close he had come to losing his life during the absorption process.
"By the way, where's Queen Medusa?" Xiao Se looked around his body, but he couldn't find the seven-colored small snake.
"Brother, that woman seems to be coming this way," Hong Kui frowned and pointed to the distant sky, where a red light was rapidly approaching.
"Oh no, when did her soul power recover?" Xiao Se's spiritual senses probed, and upon realizing it was Queen Medusa, he couldn't help but exclaim.
As soon as he finished speaking, Medusa's graceful figure gently descended before him.
"Human, it seems you've awakened," Medusa said with a smile, her gaze making Xiao Se feel uneasy. Then her eyes shifted to Hong Kui, and she softly smiled. "No wonder you possess the strength of a peak Dou Huang at such a young age. You have a powerful soul protecting you. During your coma, she never allowed anyone to get near you."
"Medusa, stay away from my brother, or don't blame me for being rude." Hong Kui stood in front of Xiao Se, summoning a large blood-red bow. She pulled the string, and a red arrow formed, its tip pointed directly at Medusa.
Seeing the blood-red bow, Medusa's delicate brows furrowed, and a deep sense of dread flashed in her eyes. Although she had successfully evolved, her current state was unstable, and she could revert to her Swallowing Python form at any moment. But as the queen of the snake people, she would never back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult.
Just as Medusa was about to step forward, Xiao Se stood up and gently held Hong Kui's hand. He softly said, "Hong Kui, put it away. She won't harm me. After all, Queen Medusa is not someone who goes back on her word, right, Your Majesty?" As he spoke, Xiao Se smiled at Medusa.
Knowing the original storyline, Xiao Se understood that once the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python recognized someone as its master, Medusa no longer had full control of the body.
Although the Blood Lotus Pill and Soul Protection Pill had slightly lessened Medusa's soul damage compared to the original story, Xiao Se was confident that her soul was still weak. Therefore, he wasn't worried that she would attack him. It was better to offer her a way out.
Medusa paused briefly, then nodded and said, "Indeed. Although I don't like humans, I do value promises. Without your help, even if I had acquired the Heavenly Flame, I likely wouldn't have succeeded in evolving. So I won't make things difficult for you."
Xiao Se nodded and asked, "Is it possible for the Queen to bring Qinglin here now? Now that everything is settled, we should leave."
"During your coma, that little girl already left. Before leaving, she left a letter with the girl in red by your side," Medusa replied, frowning slightly when Qinglin was mentioned.
Hong Kui, realizing this, quickly took out the letter from her ring and handed it to Xiao Se. "Brother, this is the letter Qinglin left."
After receiving the letter, Xiao Se glanced at it and sighed, then stored it away. His premonition had come true. Still, going to the Sky Serpent Mansion would indeed offer Qinglin better training and growth, far better than wandering around with him.
"You don't seem surprised," Medusa asked, puzzled by Xiao Se's calm reaction to Qinglin's departure.
Xiao Se nodded slightly and sighed. "Qinglin only went where she belongs. There, she can grow quickly. I just hope the Queen won't reveal anything about Hong Kui.."
As he spoke, Xiao Se stored away the lotus platform behind him and spread his purple wings. With a slight flap, he soared into the sky, while Hong Kui turned into a red light and entered the demon sword tattoo on Xiao Se's right hand.
Just as Xiao Se was about to leave the island, Medusa's body suddenly shrank, transforming into a small, seven-colored light orb that swiftly flew towards him, stopping in front of him.
Seeing the small snake inside the orb, Xiao Se smiled and asked softly, "Little one, do you want to come with me?"
"Chirp, chirp," the little seven-colored snake nodded, coiling its thin tail and leaping into Xiao Se's embrace from the edge of his clothes.
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