Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake

When they found Bear Two, he was still asleep! This guy had gotten along remarkably well with a group of mercenaries last night. He had drunk even more than Xiao Heng, and in the end, he had drunk an entire group of mercenaries under the table.

As for why they had only brought one guide, the Green Lotus Core Flame was buried underground. Although they had the map Hai Bodong had given them, in an environment filled with nothing but Yellow Sand, a map was useless without someone familiar with the area.

Bear Two, on the other hand, had to come. He was earth-attributed, so they would need him for digging later. Medusa would not be clearing the way for them this time, so the workload would likely be substantial. Besides, without Bear Two, Xiao Heng probably could not defeat that snake.

As for bringing Qing Lin—what a joke. Qing Lin still looked malnourished, and she probably could not even use her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils yet. Taking her along would only make her a burden, and he would have to divide his attention to protect her.

Still, even with Bear Two, Xiao Heng had little confidence in this operation. Defeating that snake would not be difficult; the hard part was controlling or killing it. Otherwise, once it retreated into the magma, it would become a major problem.

So this time, he was only here to try. If it did not work, he could simply retreat.

"Is this the place?" Xiao Heng looked at the Yellow Sand before him. It did not look like a place that would contain a Heavenly Flame at all.

The one guiding Xiao Heng was the big man from the entrance yesterday. He was still somewhat restrained around Xiao Heng. The scene of Xiao Heng defeating Xiao Li yesterday had truly left him at a loss.

"Yes, Young Master Xiao Heng. This is the place." The burly man answered with certainty. He had grown up here. As long as there was no mistake on the map, he could not possibly be wrong.

Xiao Heng closed his eyes and carefully sensed the area again. The fire-attributed energy here was indeed denser than elsewhere, though not by much. If he had not been especially sensitive to fire-attributed energy, he would not have noticed it at all.

"Mm. This should be it." He took out a porcelain bottle from his Storage Ring and handed it to the burly man. "There is a second-tier Recovery Pill inside. Take it. You can head back afterward."

The burly man hurriedly refused, shaking his head. "No, no, Young Master Xiao Heng. I only showed you the way. There's no need for any reward!"

Though he looked rather straightforward, he was actually quite thoughtful. This was the younger brother of the two leaders, and he was powerful as well. A few Gold Coins would have been one thing, but he did not dare accept a second-tier medicinal pill.

Xiao Heng tossed the pill bottle to him, and the burly man caught it in a fluster. Yet he still looked hesitant to speak. Even Bear Two could not stand watching anymore. "Just take it. Xiao Heng is an Alchemist. This pill is nothing to him."

Only after hearing Bear Two say that did the burly man carefully put away the pill. He was not familiar with Xiao Heng, but this bear had sat with him drinking last night! Its drinking capacity was incredible—it had drunk everyone at their table under the table. He could not help wondering where this young master had found such a magical beast. It did not look particularly strong, yet it could actually speak.

"Then, Young Master Xiao Heng, I'll be heading back first!"

Xiao Heng gave a grunt and let him leave. With the burly man's strength, there was no point in keeping him here. Besides, it would not be convenient for others to know about what came next.

After the burly man left, Bear Two looked at Xiao Heng in confusion. He had no idea why Xiao Heng had dragged him out of bed so early and brought him to this godforsaken place. "Xiao Heng, what are we doing here?"

Xiao Heng crouched down, pressing one hand against the sand as he carefully sensed where the fire-attributed aura was strongest. He occasionally moved to another spot, explaining to Bear Two as he searched, "I came here to find something. I may need you to fight later."

Bear Two nodded. He did not really understand, but he only needed to listen to Xiao Heng. He bobbed his bear head and said, "Okay."

Xiao Heng changed locations several more times before finally stopping behind a sand dune. He stood up and brushed the sand off his hands, then looked at Bear Two. "It's here. Bear Two, dig down!"

Bear Two agreed. Yellow Dou Qi surged over his body. Digging holes was not his specialty, but he was not stupid either. He was a fifth-tier magical beast with earth-attributed Dou Qi, so controlling this sand was no problem for him.

Under Bear Two's control, sand continuously surged up from underground. Before long, a passage two meters wide appeared before the man and bear.

"We're getting closer! Bear Two, keep digging!" Sensing the fire-attributed power grow denser and denser, Xiao Heng urged Bear Two to continue.

Bear Two could eat a lot, and he could be mischievous at times, but whenever it came to serious matters, he had always listened to Xiao Heng. If Xiao Heng told him to dig, he dug. If Xiao Heng told him to stop, he stopped. He never asked why Xiao Heng wanted him to dig a hole.

Because of the Heavenly Flame, Xiao Heng's perception of fire-attributed energy was terrifyingly sharp. That was why he could find the right direction by continually sensing the density of fire-attributed energy.

Finally, after Bear Two had dug for half a shichen with the strength of a Dou Wang, an underground sea of magma appeared before Xiao Heng.

Looking at the enormous expanse of magma before him, Xiao Heng knew that the Green Lotus Core Flame was beneath it. However, another huge problem lay ahead—the snake in this magma.

Beneath the bottomless magma, a crimson giant python slowly swam. Unlike ordinary pythons, this snake was covered in armor formed from magma. It split at the point seven inches below its head and actually had two heads. Its two gaping mouths spewed magma, utterly unafraid of the terrifying heat.

Suddenly, it sensed two unfamiliar auras within its territory. This undoubtedly enraged it. It sped up and swam toward those two auras.

As it swam, it suddenly sensed that the stronger aura had vanished. It did not think much of it. After all, no one here could be its opponent.

Xiao Heng stood at the edge of the magma, his expression solemn as he tightly gripped the Immortal Slaying Sword. His Purple Cloud Wings had already been activated, ready to take flight at any moment.

Suddenly, two enormous snake heads burst from the magma. With their bloody maws wide open, they lunged violently at Xiao Heng, carrying scorching magma in their mouths.

The Purple Cloud Wings flapped, and Xiao Heng rapidly retreated. The giant snake relentlessly pursued him without any intention of giving up. Xiao Heng's gaze turned sharp as he swung the Immortal Slaying Sword, sending a vermilion sword light slashing toward the snake.

Seeing such a feeble attack, the giant snake's cold pupils revealed a trace of mockery, as though it were saying: Such weakness, and you dare enter my territory!

The sword light struck the snake's head, but it did not harm it in the slightest. It disdainfully flicked out its tongue, intending to swallow this weak little thing whole with its next attack.

Suddenly, a powerful aura appeared. The giant snake instantly sensed that something was wrong and tried to pull back into the magma, but a bear five or six meters tall smashed one of its heads with a single punch.

Hiss...!

A pained wail came from the other snake head. The head that had been struck was already a bloody mess. It swayed twice before drooping limply, apparently finished.

Earth Stone Bears were magical beasts renowned for their immense strength and defense. Among magical beasts of the same rank, few could defeat them without a powerful bloodline, much less a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake a rank below Bear Two. If it could grow another head, then with the advantage of this terrain, it might have had some chance of defeating Bear Two. But now, this little snake was simply not qualified.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake hissed and twisted its body, trying to flee into the magma. But it had failed to evade Bear Two's fist even when it was uninjured, much less now.

Bear Two leaped onto its other head and delivered two more punches. Though he did not turn this head into the same state as the other, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake lost all ability to resist.

"Bear Two, that's enough!" Xiao Heng walked over, stopping Bear Two from beating the giant snake to death. This snake was still useful. There was no need to let it die now.

Walking up beside the snake's head, Xiao Heng formed hand seals with both hands. A wisp of vermilion flame appeared, entering through the snake's head and burrowing into its body before attaching itself to the giant snake's heart.

Every Heavenly Flame possessed its own unique qualities. Just as the Green Lotus Core Flame could trigger volcanic eruptions, the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame had its own special traits as well.

Born in a land of myriad beasts, the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame exerted a suppressive effect on all magical beasts. Though it had already fused with the White Lotus Fire, that characteristic remained. Xiao Heng was simply too weak right now—otherwise, the moment he unleashed the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame, this Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake would not even dare move.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake struggled frantically, but under Bear Two's suppression, it was useless. It could only watch helplessly as Xiao Heng sent that wisp of flame into its body.

Xiao Heng looked at the snake head and said, "I want you to take me down to find a flame. As long as you can lead me to it, I'll spare you and heal your injuries. Do you agree?"

After hearing this, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake stopped resisting. It had already felt the flame in its heart. It gave up struggling, seeming to have agreed.

"Alright, Bear Two. Let it go."

Hearing Xiao Heng's words, Bear Two also withdrew his Dou Qi. However, he did not shrink back to his previous height of just over a meter. Instead, he stared fixedly at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake from the side, lest it launch a sneak attack.

Feeling the bear leave its head, the Fire Spirit Snake hissed twice more. It wanted to flee, but its injuries had already left it unable to move.

Xiao Heng had considered how to deal with this snake before coming. Although the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame had a suppressive effect on Magical Beasts, his strength was still insufficient, so he could only resort to this method. Fortunately, Magical Beasts were still Magical Beasts. Though they had gained intelligence, they ultimately lacked the many twists and schemes of humans.

Taking out several porcelain bottles, Xiao Heng poured a green liquid over the injured head of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, then tossed several pills into its mouth.

After a while, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's injuries had visibly improved, and its other head swayed as it slowly lifted itself up.

Looking at Bear Two, that snake head showed obvious fear and shrank back slightly.

"All right, I'll treat the rest of your injuries later. First, take me to that flame."

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake nodded unwillingly. It had only barely recovered its ability to move. As for revenge, setting aside whether it could defeat Bear Two, the layer of flame attached to its heart alone made it dare not act rashly.

With a hiss, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake obediently lowered its head.

"Xiao Heng, you're going down there? Let me go with you!" Seeing that Xiao Heng was actually going beneath the magma, Bear Two glanced at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake and spoke anxiously.

It truly felt nice to have someone worry about him, but it was unsuitable to bring Bear Two down there. At such high temperatures, with the Heavenly Flames protecting him, he would be fine until his Dou Qi ran out. But Bear Two was different; earth-attribute defense was not nearly so sturdy in this magma. Thus, he explained, "Don't worry. I have Heavenly Flames, so I'll be fine. As for this snake, it won't dare do anything reckless. If it makes the slightest suspicious move, I'll deal with it instantly and come back up."

Hearing Xiao Heng's words, the Fire Spirit Snake immediately nodded obediently, indicating that it absolutely would not act recklessly and would definitely behave.

Seeing this, Bear Two could only agree. He roughly understood that his defenses would not be of much use in this magma. "Be careful."