The Humble Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake

"Young... Young Master!"

Qing Lin's voice trembled with fear as she pointed toward the seemingly calm wall of magma on the right. "I... I can sense a very vicious aura. It feels like... like something is charging at us!"

The moment her words fell—

"BOOM!!!"

The wall of magma on the right suddenly exploded!

Scorching magma splashed out like a torrential downpour, only to be blocked by the invisible force field surrounding Shen Wen and evaporate.

Accompanied by a deep, savage hiss, a colossal creature burst through the magma and thrust out its head!

A gigantic snake!

Its entire body was fiery red and covered in hard scales, with two ferocious snake heads growing from its body!

Four vertical pupils glinted with cruel, bloodthirsty red light as they fixed upon the five "uninvited guests" in the passage. Its forked tongues flicked with loud hisses, carrying the pungent stench of Fire Toxin.

A Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake!

Yet the instant this savage beast, which ruled over the magma, saw the five people in the passage—

A strangely human-like... stiffness and fear flashed through all four of its vicious snake eyes almost at once!

Although Shen Wen and the others had not deliberately released their auras, the instinct born from the level of life itself—

Allowed the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake to clearly sense that these five humanoid beings each possessed terrifying power that could easily crush it!

Especially the young man standing at the front, gazing at it with calm eyes. He made even its soul tremble!

"Hiss... whimper?"

Its originally imposing roar turned into a low growl filled with confusion and fear.

The Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake hesitated for barely a moment.

Both heads recoiled in unison as it tried to burrow back into the safety of the magma and flee.

"I hadn't even gone looking for you, yet you came to me yourself. You're courting death!"

Shen Wen gave a soft laugh. At the instant the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake was about to disappear into the magma—

His free left hand casually reached out. It looked slow, yet it struck first despite moving later, accurately grabbing the tip of one snake tail!

That tail was thicker than an adult man's thigh, covered in fiery red scales and blazing hot.

But Shen Wen's palm seemed forged from diamond. He paid no heed to the heat as his five fingers hooked tightly around it!

"Get out here!"

Shen Wen did not even make an obvious exertion of strength. He merely gave it a casual tug.

"BANG!!"

The enormous Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake was like a little loach caught by the vital spot.

It was forcibly dragged entirely out of the magma without the slightest ability to resist.

It crashed heavily onto the hard ground of the lava passage with a pained muffled thud, sending countless sparks flying.

Dazed from the blow, it swayed both heads and let out aggrieved, frightened whimpers as it tried to struggle.

But it discovered that the hand gripping its tail contained irresistible strength.

It could barely even wriggle.

After restraining the savage beast, Shen Wen turned to Qing Lin, who had once again clutched the corner of his robe tightly in fright. His tone was gentle.

"Qing Lin, look into its eyes. Focus your mind. Try to sense it, communicate with it, and control it."

"Your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are the sovereign of all serpents. A mere Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake should submit to you."

Following his instructions, Qing Lin concentrated with all her might. Her Green Eyes stared fixedly into the vertical pupil of one of the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake's heads.

She felt a faint heat in her eyes, while a strange force stirred deep within her pupils, as though something was about to break free from its cocoon.

However, things did not go smoothly.

That power did not entirely obey her command. It was like a slippery fish that could not be held.

Whenever she tried to guide it into establishing a connection with the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake—

It always fell just short, making it difficult to accurately seize and entwine the other party's soul core.

She could sense the agitation in the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake's soul and its instinctive resistance—the savage aura belonging to a Dou Ling Demonic Beast.

Even suppressed by fear, it still formed an invisible barrier that hindered her attempts to go deeper.

She tried once, then twice...

Each time, she felt she was only a little short, yet that controlling power always failed to condense at the crucial moment.

Qing Lin's small face turned slightly pale from intense concentration, and fine beads of sweat appeared at her temples.

She did not want to disappoint Young Master. She stared even harder at those snake eyes, nearly pouring all of her mind into them.

Yet the more anxious she became, the more sluggishly that power moved.

After repeated failures, Qing Lin grew increasingly anxious and flustered. She could not help secretly glancing at Shen Wen.

A thin mist had already gathered in her large eyes, filled with grievance and self-blame. She was afraid of seeing disappointment on Shen Wen's face.

Shen Wen took in all of her efforts and embarrassment. There was no impatience on his face as he simply smiled. "Looks like the first time is still too much of a stretch.

Fine. Since you can't do it now, there's no point keeping it alive.

We might as well kill it. There are plenty of snake-type Demonic Beasts ahead anyway. I'll find you one more suitable to practice on."

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered the ears of every "person" present.

Especially the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake!

Though it could not understand human speech, its perception of killing intent and danger was extremely sharp!

Shen Wen was smiling, but the killing intent behind his words instantly pierced through the Inner Heart of the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake, already filled with fear!

"Hiss-whimper—!!!"

Its powerful instinct to survive made it release a shrill, mournful cry.

Although it did not understand exactly what that strange spiritual force trying to invade its soul was, it knew clearly—

The source of that power was the frail young girl before it, whose aura felt both familiar and terrifying!

Live! I have to do something!

Under the immense threat of death, the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake erupted with unprecedented "wisdom" and cooperation.

It no longer passively endured, nor did it try to resist. Instead, it awkwardly attempted to mobilize its own relatively weak and chaotic spiritual power.

It actively tried to accommodate Qing Lin's spiritual force.

It even lowered both of its ferocious snake heads slightly.

The vicious light in its vertical pupils vanished completely, leaving behind only pleading and submission as it gazed pitifully at Qing Lin.

Qing Lin was already panicking because of Shen Wen's words when she suddenly felt a faint but distinct strand of spiritual power, carrying an ingratiating intent.

It proactively made contact with her unanchored power.

For a moment, she did not know what to do and looked blankly at Shen Wen.

"Do you feel it? It's actively cooperating with you." Shen Wen's voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying a steadiness that put her at ease.

"Don't panic. Gather your mind and condense your scattered spiritual power. Hold it like a thread, then follow the 'bridge' it has offered you.

Go deep into its soul core and leave behind your mark."

Shen Wen began guiding her in detail. His voice seemed to possess a strange magic that soothed the panic in Qing Lin's heart.

He concisely explained the techniques for using Soul Power—how to sense, how to condense, and how to control.