Chapter 77: Absolute Power, Submission

Within the grand and majestic Snake-People Sacred Hall, Lin Ran sat calmly upon the throne that once belonged to Queen Medusa.

On either side of the hall, several snake-people stood trembling, their faces filled with terror. They had originally intended to reprimand and punish the audacious intruder—but before they could utter a single word, they were overwhelmed by a crushing, inescapable pressure. Their bodies instinctively quaked beneath it, unable to raise even the slightest hint of resistance.

At the center of the hall, four aged figures knelt, bound tightly by tendrils of crimson-gold Dou Qi.

They were the elders of the Snake-People Tribe.

'What is your purpose in storming into our Sacred City, sir?!'

Among them, the leading crone, with vertical pupils like a viper's, fixed her gaze on Lin Ran and spoke in a low, chilling tone.

The other three elders also glared at him, and the four merged their auras into a sinister, cold pressure. It was strong enough to rival a Dou Zong and was the only reason they could remain standing rather than collapsing to their knees under Lin Ran's might.

'Wait for Medusa to arrive. Then we'll speak.'

Lin Ran's voice was placid as his eyes swept over the four elders.

Each one was of Dou Huang strength—sixth-rank Magic Beasts—and each belonged to a distinct serpent bloodline. Conveniently, they were exactly what Lin Ran needed for the Heavenly Dragon Blood Pill.

But he wasn't in a rush to act. For now, he simply waited.

Soon after, Queen Medusa appeared at the hall's entrance. Her brows furrowed slightly at the scene before her, but she stepped forward and offered a shallow bow toward Lin Ran.

'Your Majesty…' murmured one of the elders.

The respectful gesture immediately changed the expressions of the four elders. The leading Grand Elder was just about to speak when Medusa silenced her with a sharp glance.

'May I ask how we should address senior?' Medusa asked softly.

She was also internally assessing Lin Ran's cultivation level.

She had already stepped into the Dou Zong realm. Combined with her successful evolution into a mythical beast—the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python—her strength now surpassed ordinary Dou Zong, enough to challenge even higher ranks.

Yet she couldn't sense Lin Ran's depth at all.

"Too deep… far too deep…"

Terrifying.

From the fact that he had casually aided her evolution and advancement, Medusa was certain—Lin Ran's strength far exceeded her own. He wasn't just a high-tier Dou Zong… he was something even more unfathomable.

With that realization, she lowered her eyes. The Snake-People Tribe could never contend with someone like him.

'Lin Ran.'

As Medusa studied Lin Ran, he was likewise admiring her unusual beauty.

At this moment, Queen Medusa wore only the golden-red silk robe he had gifted her. Her long green hair cascaded down her fragrant shoulders, stopping just above her plump, alluring hips.

That enticing figure, with its dramatic curves, resembled a perfectly ripened peach—radiating a sensual allure that made one's blood run hot.

And now, her former snake tail had transformed into two long, pale human legs. Her bare feet hovered half an inch above the floor, spotless and shimmering like flawless jade.

Just one glance inspired an almost primal desire to touch.

A stunningly bewitching serpent woman indeed.

'I must thank Senior Lin Ran for aiding me in advancing to the Dou Zong realm. If there's anything I can do in return, so long as it is within my power, I will see it done.'

'You're sure about that?'

Lin Ran smiled faintly, his eyes filled with predatory heat. That invasive stare made Medusa frown.

'So men truly are all the same… whether human or beast, no difference…'

'To be honest,' Lin Ran said lightly, 'when I helped you evolve, it was because I had my eye on the magic core in your head. In this remote corner of the northwest, finding a seventh-rank Magic Beast is no easy feat.'

His words instantly sent a chill down the spines of all present.

Medusa's slender body trembled. She stepped back two paces—only to realize the space around her had been completely sealed.

She struggled, but she couldn't move at all.

Just as she had overwhelmed those human cultivators earlier using the absolute might of a Dou Zong—now that same oppressive domination was being turned against her.

The roles were reversed.

She was now the one under the knife.

Lin Ran rose slowly from the throne and strolled forward. His long, graceful fingers gently lifted Medusa's delicate chin.

'But I don't like forcing things. Seeing how you're resisting, how could I possibly bear to hurt you?'

'What do you want from me?!' Medusa inhaled deeply, forcing herself to speak. 'If all you want is to humiliate me, then go ahead and kill me!'

'What spirit!'

Lin Ran clapped softly. 'But if Your Majesty were to die here, then what would happen to your Snake-People Tribe?'

'You…'

Medusa's flawless face froze.

A threat.

A naked, unabashed threat.

As Queen of the Snake-People, Medusa's devotion to her people was unquestionable. She hadn't risked her life to absorb a Heavenly Flame and ascend to Dou Zong out of selfish ambition.

She did it for the sake of her people—for the chance at a better life for her race.

From the moment she was born, she had never known warmth.

She grew up beneath the burning sun and the bitter chill of desert nights. Nature had frozen time in this wasteland, burying her in endless sand, lifting her with the wind only to let her fall again.

Comfort was never meant for a serpent queen.

Her life was bound to the dunes. Queen of the Snake-People for an eternity.

But she didn't want to continue this endless, repetitive cycle—stumbling forward in the dark, unable to see hope or the future.

The Green Lotus Core Flame was her only chance to break through to Dou Zong. Only by evolving into the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python could she lead her people away from this wasteland.

She feared neither pain nor death. She was willing to stake everything in the fire.

She was willing to sacrifice everything—for her tribe.

This was Medusa's fate. Her duty.

'Hmph.'

Lin Ran chuckled, the coercion in his eyes crystal clear.

"You're right. I am threatening you. I am coercing you. So what?"

You only have two choices.

Submit to power.

Or… everyone dies.

Pick one.

Medusa bit her lip, her gaze locked on Lin Ran's smirking face. The killing intent in her eyes could have pierced steel—but it was useless.

'Heaven knows no holidays; Hell has no breaks. Among the six paths, the human world is the hardest. And among humans, being a queen… is the most bitter of all.'

Behind her were millions of Snake-People, waiting for her to carve a path never walked before.

Her people—

They were the one thing she could never forsake.

(End of Chapter)