Triple Flower Pupils Awaken, Green Lotus Flame Obtained

Qing Lin only felt her vision blur, and the world spun as the scenery around her changed. She let out a startled cry and tightly clutched Xiao Yao's lapel with her small hand.

Just then, a charming yet extremely wary woman's shout rang out!

"Who goes there?! How dare you sneak around here!"

Yue Mei, a snake woman with a breathtakingly voluptuous figure and a seductive, bewitching face, floated in midair. Her narrow snake pupils were filled with vigilance and a trace of barely perceptible gravity as she stared fixedly at the two mysterious figures who had appeared out of nowhere.

Yet Xiao Yao did not even spare her a proper glance.

"Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, Immobilization!"

Xiao Yao pointed from afar at the suspicious Yue Mei!

"Buzz—!!!"

An invisible, irresistible mysterious ripple spread outward! Yue Mei, whose Dou Qi had been surging within her as she prepared to launch a thunderous strike at any moment, suddenly stiffened!

Her snake pupils filled with incomprehensible shock and terror!

She... could not move!

Whether it was the surging Dou Qi within her or her alluring body brimming with explosive strength, everything seemed to have been frozen in that instant by an invisible hand!

Xiao Yao ignored the beautiful snake statue and shot straight toward the central region of the desert Yue Mei had been investigating!

Guided precisely by the Lesser Heavenly Secret Technique, he soon found the true entrance to the underground Heavenly Flame hidden beneath endless yellow sand atop an utterly unremarkable sand dune!

Without the slightest hesitation, he formed a sword gesture with his right hand. Golden Mana condensed at his fingertips into a dazzling three-foot sword aura!

He slashed down at the sand and rock layers, baked by the blazing sun until they were as hard as refined iron!

"Open!"

"Rumble—!!!"

The golden sword aura tore through everything in its path! In an instant, it cleanly split apart the hundred-meter-thick sand layer and the hard rock beneath it! Passages seemingly leading straight into the abyss of the earth appeared with a thunderous roar!

Holding Qing Lin, who had already been shocked speechless, Xiao Yao leaped directly into the scorching passage!

Protected by an immortal energy barrier as they passed through the dark tunnel, the two were greeted by a vast underground magma world overflowing with violent fire-element energy!

Scalding magma flowed below, and enormous bubbles occasionally rose from its depths before bursting with a boom, sending sparks flying through the air.

"Roar—!!!"

The instant the two appeared, a violent roar filled with fury at an intruder entering its territory erupted from the boiling magma!

A gigantic Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake, nearly the size of a small mountain and sporting two enormous heads lined with grim fangs, burst from the magma and lunged at them in flames hot enough to melt steel in an instant!

"Y-Young Master! W-Watch out!"

Qing Lin's pretty face turned deathly pale. How had she ever seen such a terrifying creature before? Instinctively, she shut her eyes tightly and buried her little head deep in the warm chest that gave her her only sense of safety.

Yet the violent impact she expected never came.

The entire world seemed to fall silent.

All she heard was Xiao Yao's encouraging voice by her ear.

"Qing Lin, open your eyes and look into its eyes."

"Don't be afraid. You are far stronger than you imagine. Your talent makes it your natural servant. Try commanding it with your eyes. Make it submit before you!"

Though Qing Lin's heart was still filled with bone-deep terror, her nearly blind, unconditional trust in Xiao Yao gave her the courage of her life. She poked her little head out from his embrace and opened her jade-green eyes.

She stared fixedly at the hideous Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake, which had already rushed before them with its two gaping maws wide enough to swallow an elephant!

Driven by her desire to survive and Xiao Yao's encouragement, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were fully awakened!

"Buzz—!!!"

Within her previously clear and beautiful jade-green pupils, three mysterious emerald points of light resembling unopened flower buds suddenly emerged! They began to rotate slowly and eerily!

A special spiritual force filled with ancient nobility and absolute commanding will suddenly erupted from her small eyes!

The jade-green glow instantly entered the mind of the enraged Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake!

"Hiss—!!!"

The Fire Spirit Snake, previously so ferocious and arrogant, suddenly froze in midair!

All the vicious light in its snake pupils, once filled with brutality and killing intent, vanished in an instant! Its massive body slowly lowered both heads and let out ingratiating hisses toward the tiny girl who seemed so insignificant in its eyes!

"I... I succeeded?"

Qing Lin stared in disbelief at the absurd yet utterly real sight before her. Then unprecedented excitement surged through her heart!

She could clearly feel that a wonderful spiritual connection had formed between herself and the powerful magical beast before her! She could sense its thoughts and emotions. As long as she wished it, a single thought could influence or even completely control all of its actions!

"I... I really... did it!" Her voice trembled with excitement.

"Not bad. Well done." Xiao Yao rubbed her head, his eyes filled with approval.

He knew that Qing Lin could only barely tap into a sliver of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils' origin power due to the sudden stimulation. She was still far from being able to wield it freely at will.

It seems I must refine the Tong Zhen Qi Ling Pill for her as soon as possible, Xiao Yao thought. Once she can fully awaken these divine pupils, she can even use any snake clan powerhouse she subdues as a "power bank" to increase her own strength. Her cultivation speed will soar by leaps and bounds!

Come to think of it, I should be able to find a cultivation method for Fiery Golden Eyes in the shop. If Grandpa Lu can refine a weakened version for me, I'll be invincible too. This is kind of exciting!

After calming Qing Lin, who was still in an extremely excited state, Xiao Yao turned his gaze toward the true center of this magma world.

There, an incomparably huge lotus platform made of azure lotus petals that radiated a gentle green light floated silently.

At the center of that azure lotus platform swayed a palm-sized green flame, its entire body a lush jade hue as though carved from the finest emerald. It radiated a terrifying heat capable of warping space itself!

The Green Lotus Core Flame!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Grandpa Lu's voice sounded in his mind at just the right moment. "Kid, your luck isn't bad. This mortal flame of the lower realm has gathered the fire essence of this world's core for ten thousand years. It has some rather unique properties."

Xiao Yao stepped forward. Immortal energy surged as he circulated his Cultivation Method and began collecting this Heavenly Flame that had driven countless Alchemists mad. The green lotus swayed, emanating endless violent intent from the Heavenly Flame.

At that very moment, an unexpected change occurred!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Golden Samadhi True Fire Seed, which had floated silently like an old monk in meditation ever since it appeared, began to tremble violently!

A surge of sentience suddenly emerged, and irrepressible joy filled Xiao Yao's heart.