Chapter 360: Chapter 359: Deal
"Hmph. You don’t want me to touch it because you’re afraid I’ll summon you, aren’t you?" Shen Haoran said, giving the Snake Emperor a spiteful look.
"I’m going to touch it anyway. What are you gonna do about it?" Shen Haoran muttered under his breath. With that, he stroked the Five-Colored Scale again.
Feeling the warmth of Shen Haoran’s finger, the Snake Emperor’s expression darkened. Without another word, she flicked out a sharp blast of Powerful Qi, aiming straight for Shen Haoran’s arm!
SWISH...
With a soft whoosh, the sharp blast of Powerful Qi tore through Shen Haoran’s sleeve and struck the wall, leaving a deep gash on the stone surface.
Shen Haoran stood frozen on the spot, staring at his torn sleeve and swallowing hard. ’It was so close. Just a little more and that blast of Powerful Qi would have sliced my hand right off!’
"Are you crazy?! Why’d you attack without a word?!" A moment later, Shen Haoran finally snapped back to his senses and cursed, pointing at the Snake Emperor’s nose.
"I told you, if you touched it again, I would cut off your hand. That was just a warning," the Snake Emperor said coldly.
"You... you... you... you truly have the heart of a viper! How vicious!" Shen Haoran said, staring at the Snake Emperor’s frosty face.
"I *am* a snake," the Snake Emperor retorted with a comeback Shen Haoran couldn’t refute.
Looking at the utterly frigid Snake Emperor, Shen Haoran could only swallow his anger. ’After all, her power is greater than mine, and I still need to ask a favor of her soon.’
"So, how do I use this thing?" he asked, opening his palm and pointing to the Five-Colored Scale.
"This is my Lifebound Snake Scale. You just need to convey your thoughts with your Spiritual Thought, and I’ll know," the Snake Emperor said. Seeing the Five-Colored Scale reminded her of Shen Haoran’s touch, and her face flushed red.
"Should’ve said so earlier!" Shen Haoran grumbled in dissatisfaction before putting the Five-Colored Scale away.
The Snake Emperor ignored Shen Haoran’s displeased expression. She picked up a cup of tea from the table and asked coldly, "Speak. What did you summon me for?"
Hearing the Snake Emperor get down to business, Shen Haoran also sat down. The displeasure on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a wide, beaming smile as he looked at her.
"Wipe that look off your face, or I’ll gouge your eyes out," the Snake Emperor said coldly, seeing Shen Haoran’s sleazy smile.
"Don’t always be so quick to resort to violence. It’s better for a woman to be a little more gentle, you know," Shen Haoran said earnestly. But just as the words left his mouth, a CRACK sounded. Shen Haoran watched as the teacup in the Snake Emperor’s hand, along with the tea inside it, slowly turned to stone before she crushed it into dust.
Seeing this, Shen Haoran didn’t dare spout any more nonsense and quickly said, "Actually, I summoned you because I have a favor to ask!"
"I’m busy!" the Snake Emperor refused outright.
Shen Haoran wasn’t surprised by her blunt refusal. ’It would be great if the Snake Emperor were that easy to deal with!’
Then, Shen Haoran took out two Jade Boxes from his Storage Ring. Inside the boxes, two Spirit Medicines lay quietly. They were the very ones he had requested from Luo Xiaowen.
"This is a Seven-color Exquisite Fruit, and this is a Cyan Wood Vine. Both are primary Spirit Medicines for refining the Transformation Pill. If you agree to my request, how about I give these two Spirit Medicines to you?" Shen Haoran said softly.
The Snake Emperor’s eyes lit up when she saw the two Spirit Medicines. The Transformation Pill was a Seventh Grade High Level Pill, and the ingredients to refine it were all top-grade among rare Spirit Medicines. Finding them required a great deal of time and effort. The Snake Emperor had no friends or influence among humans, so searching for those Spirit Medicines alone would take who knows how long.
Seeing the change in the Snake Emperor’s expression, Shen Haoran rejoiced inwardly. ’Looks like this might work.’
The Snake Emperor pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "First, tell me what it is you want."
"I want you to help me kill someone," Shen Haoran said softly.
At his words, the Snake Emperor’s brows furrowed. "The person you want to kill must be quite strong if you have to ask for help."
"That’s right. He’s a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse," Shen Haoran admitted frankly.
Upon hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the Snake Emperor gently shook her head. "A Spirit Emperor Powerhouse? You think they’re so easy to kill? Once you reach that tier, killing an opponent is no simple matter. Who doesn’t have an ace or two up their sleeve? After all, anyone who has managed to cultivate to the Spirit Emperor Tier is bound to be formidable."
Looking at the Snake Emperor’s sullen expression, Shen Haoran sighed. He had expected she would say as much. After all, two Spirit Medicines weren’t enough to make her risk her life to kill a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse for him.
"Then you should have no problem just keeping him busy, right?" Shen Haoran asked, settling for the next best thing.
"Keeping a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse occupied? That shouldn’t be a problem," the Snake Emperor nodded. Killing a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse was difficult, but just tying one down couldn’t be simpler.
Seeing the Snake Emperor agree, Shen Haoran let out a long sigh of relief. ’Now someone will help deal with the strongest expert in the Hehuan Sect. Our chances of eradicating the Hehuan Sect this time should be at least eighty percent!’
Shen Haoran then gave the two Spirit Medicines to the Snake Emperor. He wasn’t afraid she would go back on her word; after all, he was still the one who had to refine the Transformation Pill. After that, Shen Haoran explained his plan to her.
However, the Snake Emperor was completely uninterested in Shen Haoran’s plan. She couldn’t be bothered with the details. As long as she kept the Spirit Emperor Powerhouse from the Hehuan Sect occupied and ensured Shen Haoran’s safety, everyone else was outside her consideration.
Looking at the Snake Emperor’s indifferent expression, Shen Haoran realized that explaining all that to her was like playing a lute to a cow—no, playing a lute to a *snake*. He decided not to waste any more breath and shooed her away. "Alright, alright, you can go. I’ll call for you when I need you."
Seeing Shen Haoran dismiss her, the Snake Emperor didn’t linger. With a flash, her figure vanished from the room.
"What a venomous woman," Shen Haoran couldn’t help but mutter after the Snake Emperor disappeared.
But the moment the words left his lips, the air in the room shimmered, and the Snake Emperor reappeared before him, her beautiful eyes locked onto him.
"Uh... Lady Snake Emperor, I didn’t say anything. You didn’t hear anything, okay?" Shen Haoran said awkwardly.
But the Snake Emperor completely ignored him. Instead, she asked, "The Divine Martial Blood Pool is about to open?"
Hearing this, Shen Haoran froze for a second, then nodded mechanically. "Yeah, it is."
Seeing Shen Haoran nod, the Snake Emperor’s face lit up with ecstasy. She immediately said to him, "Take me to the Divine Martial Blood Pool!"
Hearing this, Shen Haoran pursed his lips. "And why should I take you just because you tell me to?"
However, the moment he finished speaking, a green light flashed in the Snake Emperor’s eyes. The table behind Shen Haoran was instantly petrified, then crumbled into a pile of stone dust.
"GULP!" Seeing this, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but swallow. He looked at the Snake Emperor—a woman with a stunningly beautiful face but a vicious heart—and quickly changed his tune. "I’ll take you! Of course, I’ll take you! It’s just... only Martial Artists below the Spirit Aspect Stage can enter the Divine Martial Realm!"
"That applies to you humans. I have my own way of getting in!" the Snake Emperor snorted. With that, her form shifted, and she transformed into a small, five-colored snake, slithering into Shen Haoran’s sleeve.
