The Spirit Snake's Treasure

"Young Master, I succeeded!"

Qingling collapsed into Yan Qingshan's arms, her exhausted face brimming with joy.

Yan Qingshan gently stroked her head and carefully held the weary girl. "All right, stop talking. Get some proper rest."

Yan Qingshan fed her a Qi Nurturing Pill, then gently soothed the girl. Qingling's eyes gradually closed, and with steady breathing, she drifted into sleep.

After Qingling fell asleep, the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake stood stupidly in place. Whenever its gaze swept over Qingling on the ground, the ferocity and savagery in its eyes would swiftly fade on their own, replaced by an unexpected gentleness.

"Shuguang, collect detailed data on the Fire Spirit Snake. Attempt to deduce a cultivation plan..."

Since Qingling was temporarily fine, Yan Qingshan held the sleeping beauty in his arms while directing the rock serpent pack to pull the trapped Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake free and gather information samples.

Yan Qingshan's Shuguang electronic auxiliary brain could analyze information through collected samples, then deduce feasible improvement plans. Whether for humans or magical beasts, as long as enough data was available, it could be used as a target for deduction.

Yan Qingshan had become an Eight-star Dou Practitioner in less than a year, and Shuguang deserved the greatest credit. Its calculations had made maximum use of every method Yan Qingshan could employ, achieving the limit of cultivation speed at the Dou Practitioner stage.

What Yan Qingshan needed to do now was collect samples from the Fire Spirit Snake and find a way to make this peak fourth-tier magical beast undergo another transformation. If this plan succeeded, a fifth-tier Fire Spirit Snake would become his greatest trump card during the early stages of cultivation.

A fifth-tier magical beast was an overwhelmingly powerful existence, even more difficult to deal with than a Dou Wang. With extraordinary intelligence, a formidable beast body, strength and speed beyond humans, and innate supernatural abilities, an ordinary Dou Wang simply could not compare with a fifth-tier magical beast.

Of course, ideals were plump while reality was skinny. It was far from easy for a fourth-tier magical beast to advance to the fifth tier, and the difficulty Yan Qingshan faced in achieving this goal was immense.

Although Shuguang could deduce and design an advancement plan, it could not cover every detail. Moreover, whether human or magical beast, specific data changed at every moment. Yan Qingshan himself was Shuguang's host, so it naturally understood his changes and could make fine adjustments.

However, when designing plans for other living beings, it was impossible to make real-time refinements, so much more had to be considered. So far, he had only tried collecting data and making deductions for Qingling and Xiao Yi Xian. As for Xiao Yi Xian, he did not even dare let her put the plan into practice.

"Hisss..."

The Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake was trapped in the ice pit and had difficulty moving, but its attitude toward Yan Qingshan, the fellow who had set it up, was anything but friendly.

Unfortunately for it, after some time had passed, the effects of the Drunken Dragon Grass had nearly reached their peak. Before it had much chance to resist, Yan Qingshan turned it into a limp noodle and forcibly dragged it out of the ice pit. After tossing the flaccid Fire Spirit Snake onto the ground, Yan Qingshan took out a series of collection tools.

He collected the Fire Spirit Snake's fangs, blood, skin tissue, and scales, even thoroughly examining every inch of its body. Yan Qingshan had not expected it to be a female snake. Still, for a two-headed snake, whether it had two separate minds was truly a troubling question!

When Qingling woke up, she found that she was still lying in her young master's arms. Shaking her groggy little head, she raised her face. Her cheeks were faintly red as her slender fingers rubbed her temples, and she suddenly asked softly, "Young Master, did we succeed?"

"You did very well!"

Yan Qingshan lowered his head and kissed Qingling's forehead. The little girl's rosy face was utterly adorable. Seeing this, the Fire Spirit Snake beside them became even more despondent. Its master had already been won over, and now it was about to fall into the hands of this great devil. What was it supposed to do? What was it supposed to do...

The Fire Spirit Snake was panicking. When it woke up, Yan Qingshan had been freely probing all over its body, taking out knives, tweezers, and other tools to cut and pinch at it again and again.

With its not-insignificant intelligence, it was naturally somewhat frightened. Yet it had been anesthetized by Yan Qingshan and could only watch helplessly, praying for its master to save it. But what was going on now? Its master had actually been won over by the other side. How bleak would its life as a snake be from now on!

"Young Master, the Fire Spirit Snake is really afraid of you! It told me not to let you get close to it again!"

Qingling nestled in Yan Qingshan's arms and giggled, finding it extremely amusing that the Fire Spirit Snake, which had been so formidable earlier, had surrendered so completely. Yan Qingshan merely smiled without replying. His blue eyes, glimmering with electricity, swept over the Fire Spirit Snake, making the great snake feel even worse.

After glancing at the Fire Spirit Snake, Yan Qingshan said, "This Fire Spirit Snake has accumulated sufficient energy and possesses quite a deep foundation. Theoretically, with a suitable guidance plan, it could advance into a fifth-tier magical beast. However, there is also a chance of failure. If it fails..."

"I'll listen to whatever Young Master says. Whatever Young Master wants to do is fine!"

Qingling answered brightly, replying before Yan Qingshan could even finish.

"You little thing!"

Yan Qingshan lovingly stroked Qingling's head. The little girl's trust in him was nearly blind, and he truly did not know what to say.

The Fire Spirit Snake beside them subconsciously curled in on itself. After forming a contract with Qingling, it shared some information from its master. Though it could not understand the conversation just now, it had a feeling that it was not anything good!

At the end of the underground passage, two human figures and dozens of snake shadows appeared once more before the lava lake. The enormous Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake now moved slowly behind Yan Qingshan and Qingling like a guard. Upon reaching the lava lake, it eagerly plunged inside, releasing waves of delighted hisses.

The lava lake was where the Fire Spirit Snake had been born and lived. Here, it could swiftly expel unfavorable conditions and recover from its injuries. Moreover, its combat strength would soar in this place; even a fifth-tier magical beast would be unable to defeat it in the lava lake.

"Master, I had the Fire Spirit Snake bring up the things it collected. Take a look and see whether there's anything useful..."

Qingling looked toward the direction in which the Fire Spirit Snake had disappeared, her jade-green eyes shining with an unusual light. The Fire Spirit Snake was the first snake-type magical beast she had truly contracted. Unlike the rock serpent pack from before, she had merely used her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to communicate and establish connections with the rock serpents; that did not count as a true contract.

After all, her current strength was still weak, and the number of snake-type magical beasts she could contract and control was limited. Yan Qingshan could not allow her to waste her precious early contract slots on Desert Rock Serpents with low potential. The cost-effectiveness was simply too low.

Although the number of snake-type magical beasts Qingling could contract would increase as her cultivation rose, what Yan Qingshan needed was strong combat power to safeguard them in the early stages. First- and second-tier rock serpents clearly did not meet that requirement.

After Qingling fully contracted a snake-type magical beast, she could establish a mental connection with it and borrow its spiritual power to cultivate rapidly.

Once her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils reached an advanced stage, she could even open an eye-space to store snake-type magical beasts within, carrying a pack of thugs around with her. If she was ruthless enough, she could even completely refine and absorb the snake-type magical beasts under her control. In the future, she would completely refine the Nine-Headed Heavenly Snake Soul, reaching the realm of a six-star Dou Zun in one stroke.

Splash! Splash!

Not long after the Fire Spirit Snake vanished, its two heads broke through the lava one after another, each carrying several items in its mouth.

Yan Qingshan intended to try guiding the energy within the Fire Spirit Snake and stimulate it to advance, but doing so would certainly require materials—especially precious Fire Attribute materials.

Yan Qingshan did not have enough materials on hand, but this was a place where Fire Attribute spiritual energy was active. There were generally many valuable materials within underground lava, and this entire area was practically the Fire Spirit Snake's territory. Magical beasts all had the habit of collecting good things, so it had naturally gathered quite a few items in its lair.

"Fire Spirit Crystal—high quality, very pure. Volcano Vine, and it even has golden patterns. Earth Core Fire Marrow Fluid sealed within an Earth Core Crimson Jade Pillar; it can temper the body, so it's a good item. Such a large piece of crimson jade is worth quite a..."

Yan Qingshan truly did pick out quite a few good things from the pile brought by the Fire Spirit Snake. Most were Fire Attribute spiritual materials, while spiritual herbs and medicinal plants were comparatively scarce. Then again, with such extreme conditions, how many plants could possibly survive here?

There were not many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that Yan Qingshan himself could use, but quite a few were suitable for the Fire Spirit Snake. "This is..."

Yan Qingshan held a section of a jade-green, lotus-root-shaped plant in his hand. Warm and soft, it glimmered with threads of green light and fiery energy.

It contained an incomparably abundant quantity of exceptionally high-quality Fire Attribute energy, yet it was also rich with a strange Wood-attributed life energy. Merely holding it made Yan Qingshan feel the Dou Qi within his body boiling with desire.

"Young Master, the Fire Spirit Snake says this is part of where a strange green flaming Green Lotus in the lava lake has taken root."

The Fire Spirit Snake before Qingling let out a series of hisses, and Qingling translated, "When the Fire Spirit Snake discovered that flaming Green Lotus, it sensed the powerful energy contained within it and instinctively opened its mouth to bite it. But the Green Lotus's green flames erupted and nearly burned it to death."

But it had not come away empty-handed. It had bitten off a piece of the lotus body, but the energy contained within was far too pure. Having suffered once, it no longer dared act recklessly."

"That idiot actually tried to bite a Heavenly Flame with its mouth. It was lucky not to have been burned to death."

After hearing the description, how could Yan Qingshan not know what Qingling meant by the green lotus? It had to be the most precious treasure within this lava lake—the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Every Heavenly Flame contained terrifying energy. If one erupted, even Dou Wangs and Dou Emperors could perish.

However, both the Fire Spirit Snake and the Green Lotus Core Flame had been nurtured by this lava lake, making them beings of the same origin. The Fire Spirit Snake had a high resistance to the Green Lotus Core Flame, and the reaction it had triggered in the Heavenly Flame had been relatively mild. That was why it had not been killed outright.

"A green lotus? Is it really a plant?"

After hearing Qingling's retelling, Yan Qingshan held the fragment of the green lotus in his hand, a strange gleam appearing in his eyes.

The Green Lotus Core Flame was a flame born within the earth's molten lava. It grew deep beneath the ground, tempered, fused, compressed, and shaped by the earth's fire countless times... It gained sentience after ten years, took form after a hundred, and became a lotus after a thousand. Upon reaching maturity, its color leaned toward azure, and a cluster of azure fire grew within its lotus heart. It was called Green Lotus Fire, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame.

The power of this flame was unfathomable. Near volcanic regions, it could even trigger volcanic eruptions, forming the destructive force of nature!

Yan Qingshan had originally believed that this Heavenly Flame, born in the earth's core and grown by absorbing lava energy, would be purely Fire Attribute. Yet this tangible fragment of lotus body contained dense Wood Attribute life energy as well. Perhaps... he could absorb it too...