Six-Star, Heading into the Depths of the Tagor Desert

"Snort!"

As the three small green dots in Qing Lian's eyes transformed into three extremely tiny green flowers, a cold snort rang out from her rosy lips.

As the three eerie green flowers appeared, a burst of intense, eerie light suddenly shot out from them, illuminating the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in front of them.

After being illuminated by this somewhat eerie light, the massive body of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake suddenly stiffened, and its two giant eyes stared at the little girl in front of it with a hint of fear.

An eerie, ghostly light slowly moved across the body of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, finally stopping at the center of the foreheads of the two serpent heads.

After the eerie light stopped moving, it began to slowly shrink. As the range of the eerie light became smaller and smaller, the light contained within it became brighter and brighter.

When the ghostly light shrank to about the size of a palm, a flash of light appeared, and two small green flowers were imprinted on the two heads of the Fire Spirit Snake.

After the flowers appeared, the eerie light gradually disappeared. A moment later, the tiny flowers in the Qing Lian's pupils quickly faded away, and in an instant, they returned to their normal form.

Immediately afterwards, Qing Lian's body swayed, her eyelids drooped, and she finally fell backward into a familiar, warm embrace.

"Young Master, what happened?"

Qing Lian was embraced by Xiao Yuan, her pretty face slightly flushed, and she blinked her emerald green eyes.

"You've subdued this Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake."

Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow, casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled as he stuffed a healing pill into Qing Lian's mouth.

She wasn't seriously injured, but forming a contract with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had drained her strength.

After all, although the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils can forcibly establish a contract with a serpentine magical beast, if the magical beast to which the contract is signed is far stronger than the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils's master, then the probability of success is extremely small, and there is even a possibility of backlash.

"Huh? Me?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian blinked and looked to the side with a blank expression.

The enormous Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake stood there dumbfounded. When its gaze swept towards the direction of the Qing Lian, its ferocity and savagery vanished involuntarily, replaced by a gentle and submissive demeanor.

"Huh? Really?!"

Soon, Qing Lian was surprised to find that she had actually established a strange connection with this terrifying giant and was able to sense its thoughts.

"By the way, young master, are you alright?"

But then, Qing Lian noticed that most of Xiao Yuan's clothes had turned black, and asked with a worried expression.

"Hehe, how could I possibly get burned by fire? I'm fine."

Xiao Yuan felt a burning pain in his back, grinned, and said with a smile.

"Snort!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian pouted and gave a soft snort, then looked at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake with an unfriendly expression.

Sensing that Qing Lian's gaze was gradually turning cold, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake lowered its head and kept making whimpering sounds.

"Why don't you just die?"

Qing Lian opened her small mouth, and the words she spoke made the huge body of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake tremble.

Its four large eyes were filled with a longing for life.

Clearly, it didn't want to die.

"Never mind, I'm really fine. How are you feeling?"

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan helplessly rubbed Qing Lian's little head and asked softly.

"I'm fine, young master. I just feel a little tired. I'll go back and get some sleep later."

Qing Lian shook her head, nestled in Xiao Yuan's arms, and said with a soft smile.

Immediately afterward, she turned to look at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, her expression turning much colder. She said in a deep voice, "Young Master is kind-hearted and won't stoop to your level. What are you still standing there like an idiot for? Do you really want to die?"

Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake: "???"

Then, the azure light on the forehead of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake suddenly intensified, and in an instant, its huge body rapidly shrank, then transformed into a wisp of azure light, shooting into Qing Lian's sleeve.

"You better behave yourself, or I'll make you kill yourself."

Qing Lian patted her sleeves and said softly.

"Hiss..."

The faint hissing sound carried a hint of dissatisfaction and grievance.

Xiao Yuan released Qing Lian and then casually took out a white cloak from his Storage Ring and put it on.

His clothes were burned beyond recognition, and he did have some burns on his body, but fortunately, these injuries were not serious for him.

After waiting for a moment, a sound of water breaking came from the lava lake. Xiao Yuan looked over and saw Xiao Yan's figure, which was enveloped in white flames, slowly appear in his line of sight.

"How about it?"

Xiao Yuan went up to him and asked with a smile.

"Alas, just as Third Brother predicted, Medusa has probably gotten there first with the Green Lotus Core Flame."

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xiao Yan turned his head and looked at the Magma World in the vast cavern, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Then, Xiao Yan turned around and took out a Seven-Colored Snake Scale from his Storage Ring, and handed it to Xiao Yuan.

"Seven-Colored Snake Scale, it really is her..."

Looking at the colorful scales, Xiao Yuan also sighed.

Xiao Yan nodded, pursed his lips, and said softly, "The whereabouts of the Heavenly Flames have now been completely clarified. Next, I plan to go directly to the depths of the Tagor Desert. If there is an opportunity... I plan to take the Heavenly Flames back from Medusa."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, the evolution of Medusa is extremely dangerous. There will definitely be some opportunities that we can take advantage of. I'll go with you. We also need to gather herbs for Hai Lao. I estimate that the Sand Mandala is deep in the Tagor Desert."

"Okay, let's go up first."

Xiao Yan was naturally not surprised by this. When he came down earlier, his Third Brother brother had implied that if he couldn't find the Heavenly Flames here, he would go to the depths of the Tagor Desert.

Moreover, the infamous Medusa, known for her fierce beauty, is also quite intriguing.

When Xiao Yuan and his two companions successfully returned to the ground, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's faces clearly showed signs of impatience.

Seeing them come up, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly surrounded them, asking, "Did you find the Heavenly Flames?"

"Alas, Medusa beat us to it!"

Xiao Yan shook his head regretfully.

"So we plan to go deep into the desert to see if there is any chance to retrieve the Heavenly Flames."

Xiao Yuan chimed in from the side.

"Go deep into the desert? Steal the Heavenly Flames from Medusa?"

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stared wide-eyed at their two audacious younger brothers.

These two little rascals, do they really not know what death means?

"Hehe, don't worry, big brother. I just want to give it a try. Even if I fail in the end, I'm confident I can escape with my life."

Xiao Ding smiled at Xiao Yan Ding and offered words of comfort.

"Yeah, don't worry, I might even have reinforcements this time!"

Xiao Yuan also smiled meaningfully.

"You guys... sigh!"

Seeing his two younger brothers' insistence, Xiao Ding frowned for a long time before shaking his head helplessly.

"Squeak..."

The door was gently pushed open amidst the flickering lamplight. Xiao Yuan exhaled a breath of alcohol, closed the door behind him, got into bed, assumed a cultivation posture, first expelling the alcohol from his body, and then began his cultivation with a series of hand seals.

Since they were leaving the next day, that night, he and Xiao Yan were caught by Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and forced to drink heavily. As expected, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were also drunk under the table by Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yan escaped this calamity because he had to continue his journey the next day.

After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yuan took out three fine jade bottles from his Storage Ring.

There are three Earth Fire Lotus Seed in total.

It was given to him by Xiao Yan on his way back to his residence.

I originally gave him six.

However, Xiao Yuan didn't take it all; he only kept half.

After all, the Earth Fire Lotus Seed is more suitable for Xiao Yan, who needs the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Besides, what kind of older brother would compete with his younger brother for cultivation resources?

"However, I'm close to breaking through, so eating one should be enough, right?"

After feeling the abundant energy within his Qi Mansion, Xiao Yuan stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, took out a Earth Fire Lotus Seed, and popped it into his mouth.

The moment the Earth Fire Lotus Seed entered his mouth, Xiao Yuan's face, which had a faint bronze hue, suddenly turned as red as a volcano. Wisps of white mist rose from above his head, making him look quite terrifying.

In Xiao Yuan's perception, the Earth Fire Lotus Seed transformed directly into a surge of scorching energy, which rushed down his throat with a ruthless force.

Soon, the scorching energy transformed from the Earth Fire Lotus Seed rapidly flowed into Xiao Yuan's meridians, and intense heat instantly swept through his body.

But Xiao Yuan remained completely calm. With a thought, Heavenly Flames rose up, enveloping and protecting his meridians, and began to refine the energy transformed from the Earth Fire Lotus Seed.

Under the refinement of the Heavenly Flames, the scorching energy began to penetrate into Xiao Yuan's meridians and internal organs, and specks of emerald-like blue light appeared.

Feeling the meridians becoming wider and more resilient, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.

These Earth Fire Lotus Seed are known as the essence of Fire Spirit, forming only once every hundred years. The energy within them is of both high quality and quantity, making them an extremely coveted treasure for fire-attribute cultivators.

Because the energy within was so immense, Xiao Yuan couldn't even actively control its operation. He could only passively let it rampage through his meridians. In any case, with the protection and refinement of the Heavenly Flames, he would eventually be able to absorb it all.

It is unknown how much time has passed, but this pure energy has not only completely healed the injuries Xiao Yuan sustained during his battle with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake during the day, but has also greatly enhanced Xiao Yuan's physical attributes, reaching the limit that can be enhanced to date. Even so, there is still one-third of that pure energy remaining.

However, by this point, Xiao Yuan was able to control this energy relatively easily, circulating the Fire Essence Art's cultivation path and beginning to absorb it.

With a change in the hand seals he was forming, Xiao Yuan began to refine and absorb this energy, drawing it into his Qi Mansion.

Time continued to flow. The energy within Xiao Yuanqi's mansion became increasingly abundant.

The selfless practice continued from the dead of night until dawn before finally ending.

As the last wisp of energy was poured into his Qi Mansion, Xiao Yuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes.

"Six-Star Dou Shi".

Feeling the abundant Dou Qi within his body, Xiao Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

The energy of this Earth Fire Lotus Seed was far greater than he had imagined. This advancement not only brought him to Six-Star Dou Shi, but he even had some energy left over. He was confident that he could reach seven stars within half a month.

"It's dawn, time to go."

She rolled out of bed and was about to get up when the door was pushed open.

"Young Master, are we leaving?"

Qing Lian walked in, her emerald eyes gleaming with disappointment, and said in a low voice.

"Hehe, it's just a temporary departure. The road ahead is not easy, and even if I take you with me, I can't protect your safety. So, I can only leave you here for the time being."

"After Xiao Yan and I retrieve the Heavenly Flames, we'll come back. Then, you can come with me."

Xiao Yuan smiled upon hearing this, stepped forward, gently patted Qing Lian's head, and said softly.

"Oh, then I'll wait for you."

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian lowered her eyelids slightly and said in a deep voice.

"Hehe, don't you have the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake with you? Your eldest and second brothers should take care of you too. My maid is not to be bullied by others!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan gently patted Qing Lian's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Yes, thank you, young master. I will also work hard to become stronger!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian nodded obediently, three small dots appearing and disappearing in her emerald green pupils.

"Hehe, okay! I believe you can do it!"

Xiao Yuan smiled upon hearing this, and then, with Qing Lian's help, changed into a clean and tidy outfit before striding out the door.

"Oh, and remember to say goodbye to my two older brothers for me. I guess they'll understand, right? Hehe, Qing Lian, good luck!"

Turning his head slightly and chuckling softly, Xiao Yuan walked straight out. Immediately afterward, Xiao Yan appeared from the side and followed. The two figures, one in black and one in white, walked together out of the courtyard.

Watching that dashing figure gradually disappear from sight, Qing Lian gently stroked the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake on her arm and whispered, "Young Master, you must come back!"

On the highest rooftop within the mercenary group, Xiao Li rested his chin on his hand, watching the two figures walk out of the courtyard. He smirked and said, "These two little guys, no wonder they're brothers born together, their personalities are exactly the same!"

"Hehe."

Leaning against a pillar, Xiao Ding smiled slightly, his gaze fixed on the two figures, one in black and one in white, and murmured softly, "These two little guys have become so strong in the blink of an eye. It seems we have to work harder too, otherwise we'll only be dragging them down in the future!"

"Yes, that's right!"

Xiao Li nodded upon hearing this, agreeing with a touch of emotion.

The mercenaries of the Sand Mercenary Group have all been incorporated into the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Now is the perfect opportunity for them to expand their power! Perhaps when Xiao Yuan and the others return next time, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group will become the undisputed number one mercenary group in Shi Mo City!