Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

"Don't worry. You're a queen, and you deserve a queen's dignity. I, Xiao, won't tarnish your pride," Xiao Bai said calmly, noting the defiant pride and resolute acceptance of death in Medusa's eyes.

When someone fears neither death nor threats, what leverage remains? Medusa's sole vulnerability was her tribe. Using that could force her compliance, bending her to his will. But Xiao Bai refused such tactics. He had his own pride. With women, he might employ cunning or charm, but he'd never cross a moral line. That way, even if truths surfaced later, they'd share a knowing smile, cherishing the memory. Base methods would breed pain, not joy.

Medusa, hearing his words, maintained her stoic facade, but her heart eased slightly. Xiao Bai ignored her, approaching the cyan lotus. Drawing a jade knife from his storage ring, he sliced delicately where the lotus seat met the stem. The seat fell, and he caught it with soul force, testing its surface—surprisingly mild, not searing.

Remarkable, Xiao Bai thought, marveling at the floating cyan lotus, a teal flame flickering atop it. The Heavenly Flame's power was terrifying, yet the lotus tamed its might. After removing the seat, the remaining stem voraciously absorbed fire energy, spewing it from its tip like a lost outlet, thickening the surrounding fire energy.

Sensing the shift, Xiao Bai glanced down at the jade-like stem standing upright. Reminds me of myths from my past life—didn't that lotus's stem become a legendary spear? He shook his head, dismissing the thought. This thing was cut with a jade knife. A weapon? More like a joke.

"Kid, you're not planning to dig up the root too, are you?" Yao Lao drifted over, concern in his voice.

"Fifty paths of the Great Dao, forty-nine remain, one escapes. Even the heavens leave a thread of life. I, Xiao, wouldn't cut off all hope. Relax," Xiao Bai reassured, glancing at the tense old man.

Yao Lao relaxed, knowing some alchemists preserved a spark of life for rare treasures. Curious, he asked, "Where do you get all these profound sayings, kid?"

"Read more books, Yao Lao!" Xiao Bai said with mock pity, then added earnestly, "Look, I treat you as a dear friend, but if I toss out a line you don't get, how'll we chat? Make friends? Right?"

Yao Lao's fists clenched at Xiao Bai's smug look. If I had a body, I'd thump you! A teen lecturing me on reading? I've read enough to bury you! "Take this queen," Xiao Bai continued, gesturing at Medusa. "When I took the flame, her blank, shocked look screamed ignorance about harvesting the Green Lotus Core Flame. If she tried, she'd brute-force it, probably leaving the lotus behind!"

"That's the cost of not reading enough!"

Medusa's face darkened, fury rising. This jerk's calling me an illiterate barbarian? "Human, I'm at your mercy. Kill me if you will, but watch your words!" she hissed, teeth gritted.

Xiao Bai ignored her, holding the flame-laden lotus, his gaze sliding to Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong stepped back, waving his hands. "I know I'm uneducated—spare me!"

Xiao Bai smacked his lips, unsatisfied. The group itched to smack him. This human (kid) is insufferable! "Enough joking. Let's get to business," Xiao Bai said, his mirth fading, turning to Medusa.

She braced, knowing he'd address her fate. Despite her cold exterior, her heart wavered. Who chooses death if they can live? But some fates were worse than death, unacceptable to her.

"I won't kill you," Xiao Bai said after a steady gaze, his voice even.

Medusa's emotions didn't flicker, her eyes fixed on the black-robed human. He's not killing me—there's a catch. "I want you—" "Impossible!" she cut him off, her voice iron, her enchanting face resolute, phoenix eyes icy. Men, all with filthy minds. His earlier claim of not humiliating her had briefly swayed her, but now? Just another beast.

Xiao Bai rolled his eyes. She didn't even let me finish! "I want you to do three tasks for me!" he blurted quickly, sensing her gathering energy for a self-destructive burst. This ruthless woman—hard on others and herself. What forged that temper?

Realizing her mistake, Medusa dispersed the energy, her eyes flickering with indecision. Three tasks were acceptable, but she hesitated, not for herself—she'd die before yielding to vile demands—but for her tribe. What if he targets the Snake-People?

"No worries, I won't harm your tribe. Just need you as a fighter," Xiao Bai said, reading her concern, then teased, "Fighting's your forte, isn't it?"

Relief washed over her, followed by rage. Mocking me again! "Fine, I agree!" she snapped. "But you must promise to unseal me after, and return my crown!" The crown itself was trivial, but its two heritage gems were sacred to her tribe's ancestors—she couldn't lose them.

Xiao Bai, reminded, retrieved the crown from his ring. "Tch, isn't this heavy to wear?" he mused, feeling its weight. Snake patterns adorned it, with two red stones embedded as eyes. Probing with soul force, a red glow repelled him, mysterious and unyielding. Intrigued, he unleashed his full soul force, but the stones held firm, forming a half-meter spherical barrier that slowly repelled his energy.

"Soul Phantom Stones! I've only seen them once," Yao Lao said, drifting over, nostalgia in his eyes.

"Soul Phantom Stones?" Xiao Bai asked, puzzled. The novel never mentioned these. "Kid, read more books! You're clueless, and how am I supposed to chat with you?" Yao Lao quipped, smirking.

Xiao Bai groaned inwardly. Petty old man. "You're right, Yao Lao. I'm young, not as worldly as you," he said smoothly, unfazed. A true man bends and stretches. "Tell me about these Soul Phantom Stones."

Yao Lao cursed silently. Thick-skinned brat—no fun to jab! Medusa, eyeing the crown, inwardly scoffed. Shameless human. She grew wary. If this scoundrel doesn't unseal me after, what then? Regret nibbled—had she agreed too hastily?

"I learned of them exploring an ancient cave," Yao Lao said. "The owner left one there. His records said Soul Phantom Stones block soul attacks below the Spirit Realm. Only Spirit Realm souls can breach them. They're not from the Dou Qi Continent, so few know of them."

"Not from here?" Xiao Bai's curiosity spiked. From another continent? A Dou Emperor's relic? But why would a Dou Emperor need such stones? For heirs? "How'd you know they're foreign, Yao Lao?"

"Not sure. The cave's owner noted it briefly," Yao Lao said, frowning. Seeing Xiao Bai's interest, he continued, "The cave was a fallen powerhouse's tomb, with a stele mentioning an ancient war, resisting foreign invaders."

"Ancient war? Foreign invaders?" Xiao Bai's surprise deepened. The last Dou Emperor, Tuoshe, buried much of prehistory. Beyond Yao Lao's soul, only two Dou Emperors appeared in the novel's Bodhi Tree visions, both perishing together. Where were the ancient eight clans' Dou Emperors? In the Greater Thousand Worlds, or dead? Did extraplanar demons invade?

"What else did the stele say? Remember anything?" Xiao Bai pressed.

"Why care about ancient history, kid? That war was tens of thousands of years ago," Yao Lao said, puzzled.

"I love stories! Spill it!" Xiao Bai urged.

"Don't know," Yao Lao snapped, then softened at Xiao Bai's frown. "Not hiding it—I really don't. The stele was shattered. I glimpsed a fragment, that's all."

"Wasted! You should've grabbed it—priceless history!" Xiao Bai chided.

"Heh," Yao Lao sneered. "Clueless kid. If I'd lingered, I wouldn't be here now."

"With your old strength, you had to flee?" Xiao Bai raised a brow. A Dou Saint battle in that cave?

"I was just a Dou Zong then," Yao Lao said, hands behind him, gazing wistfully skyward, reminiscing youthful days.

Xiao Bai blinked, catching the theatrics. Pretending to be profound? Just a Dou Zong, he says! Glancing at Hai Bodong and Medusa, both yearning for Dou Zong, and Medusa, now a captive for it, he ignored Yao Lao's posturing. Storing the crown under Medusa's murderous glare, he turned to her, holding the flame. "With your current strength, you can start evolving. Ready?"

"You're using the flame to help me evolve?" Medusa's composure cracked, shocked. This human's helping me? She'd abandoned hope for the flame, aiming to fulfill his tasks for freedom and seek other evolution paths. Why's he aiding me? "What's the catch?" she asked coolly.

"Sharp! You're learning to ask first," Xiao Bai teased, eyeing her disheveled hair. "But no catch this time."

Winking mischievously, he knew softening his approach—balancing force with favor—was key. A stick and a sweet date. Her skeptical eyes deepened, and he met them with a cryptic smile. "Don't doubt my motives. You're too weak now to help me. Evolving will boost your strength, making you more useful, right?"

"Weak?" Medusa's voice dripped venom. A six-star Da Dou Shi calls a peak Dou Huang weak? Fists clenched, she seethed. This jerk mocks my learning, my fighting, now my strength!

"Wanna hit me? Get stronger then. I'll be waiting," Xiao Bai said, grinning at her shifting expressions—green to white, like a Sichuan opera mask. I love her wanting-to-kill-me-but-can't face.

Her retribution? He didn't care. Without his novel-based aid, he'd hit Dou Zun before she reached Dou Zong. Staring at him, Medusa's defiance wavered, her captive state sinking in with a pang of defeat.