The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake That Wanted to Improve

At Su Baichen's words, a rare trace of clear surprise crossed Queen Medusa's cold, stunning face.

Her gaze could not help but fall once more upon the floating Cyan Lotus Pedestal, as well as the entire slowly rotating, spiritually vibrant Giant Cyan Lotus.

Earlier, all her attention had been drawn to the cluster of dancing cyan Heavenly Flames at the lotus's heart, and she had assumed that was the only opportunity this place held.

As for the pedestal and giant lotus supporting the Heavenly Flames, she had merely regarded them as a peculiar formation born of heaven and earth. Though she found them wondrous, she had not looked into them further, much less considered that they themselves were also rare treasures.

If she had truly come alone this time to collect the Green Lotus Core Flame, then with her usual decisive nature, she would certainly have taken the source of the Heavenly Flame directly and left at once after succeeding, never lingering here for long.

Even if she had later learned that the Giant Cyan Lotus was also a treasure, she would not have noticed the Green Lotus Pedestal if she could not take it away.

In that case, this Green Lotus Pedestal would likely have been inadvertently left behind beneath the magma, a pearl buried in dust.

At that thought, Queen Medusa's eyes shifted slightly as she looked toward the calm and composed Su Baichen beside her.

When she had proposed coming alone to collect the Heavenly Flame, Su Baichen had been firm in his stance, insisting on accompanying her personally.

Though she had not objected at the time, she had vaguely felt that he was making too much of it. With her strength, even though collecting an ownerless Heavenly Flame carried risks, it was not something she could not handle.

Only now did she suddenly understand that Su Baichen's insistence on coming along was likely not merely to ensure that the collection of the Heavenly Flame went without a hitch. On a deeper level, perhaps he had feared that she would, as she nearly had now, fail to recognize a treasure when she saw one and miss these natural wonders born alongside it.

His meticulousness and breadth of vision were far beyond hers.

An indescribably complicated feeling quietly passed through Queen Medusa's heart. It was not displeasure; rather, it carried a subtle sense of being carefully considered and silently protected.

Su Baichen paid no attention to the changes in Queen Medusa's expression. Instead, he turned his attention back to the quietly floating Green Lotus Pedestal.

He had previously read records concerning the Art of Artifact Refinement in the Heavenly Book and had roughly studied it, though it ultimately could not compare to the effort he had devoted to Alchemy or the attainments he had reached in it.

In the end, there had simply been too little time and too limited energy for him to attend to everything.

Still, with his current level in artifact refinement, carrying out an initial, simple refinement of the lotus pedestal was more than within his abilities.

The remaining fine work, such as deeper rune inscriptions and the construction of energy circuits, could be left until after they returned to the Snake-People Tribe, where he could study and refine it at leisure.

Su Baichen had already made up his mind. For now, he only needed to complete the basic refinement, making it easy to carry and initially control.

"All right, matters here are settled. Let's go." With a sweep of his sleeve, Su Baichen put away the pedestal, which had undergone preliminary refinement and now had its cyan glow contained, then spoke to Queen Medusa beside him.

The two of them then became two streaks of light and flew out of the Giant Cyan Lotus.

Outside the giant lotus, the magma lake continued to churn endlessly, while the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake restlessly swam in circles where it was, its four snake eyes occasionally turning toward the entrance of the giant lotus.

The reason it had not left was simple—it was waiting for its "payment."

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake knew full well that its bloodline was ordinary and its potential limited.

In the brutal magical beast world, where the strong preyed upon the weak, without some great opportunity or extraordinary fortune, even if it cultivated with all its strength, reaching the realm of a Tier 6 Magical Beast in this life would likely be its limit.

It was a magical beast with a fierce desire to improve and would never let slip even the slightest chance to increase its strength. Even if that chance came with unknown dangers, it was willing to take the gamble.

It wanted to improve too badly. The competition in the magical beast world was no less cruel than the scheming and strife among human cultivators.

Moreover, before they could fully assume human form, magical beasts, aside from their relatively long lifespans and stronger physiques, were often not at an advantage against human cultivators with their countless methods and strange techniques when fighting at the same realm.

Therefore, the "payment" Su Baichen had casually mentioned earlier was, in the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's eyes, very likely a crucial turning point in its life as a snake.

In order to break through the shackles of its bloodline, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had truly gone all out this time, obediently risking its life to guide two unfathomably powerful experts.

Just as its heart surged with both anticipation and unease, two figures finally drifted out from the Giant Cyan Lotus. They were Su Baichen and Queen Medusa.

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake perked up at once. It immediately swung its enormous body and swiftly went forward to greet them, its posture humble.

Having just flown out from the lotus pedestal, Su Baichen could not help but show a trace of surprise when he saw that this great snake was still honestly waiting outside.

"Oh?" He chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of teasing. "You're quite trustworthy. You didn't take the chance to slip away, and you're still here waiting for us?"

Hearing this, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake hurriedly nodded both heads as if pounding garlic, its expression devout, though a trace of irrepressible fear still lingered deep in its eyes.

It cautiously lowered its enormous body, pressing its smooth scales close to the surface of the magma lake to form a stable "stairway," signaling that Su Baichen and Queen Medusa could step onto its body and let it carry them out of this scorching underground world.

Su Baichen was slightly taken aback. With his current cultivation as a Dou Zun, directly tearing through space and returning to the surface with Queen Medusa was no more than a flick of the wrist.

But the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was so tactful and its service so attentive that he could not bear to reject its goodwill. He turned his head to glance at Queen Medusa, giving her an inquiring look. Queen Medusa parted her red lips slightly. There was no expression on her cold face, but she did not object either, merely nodding lightly.

Thus, the two of them lightly landed upon the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's broad back. Feeling their weight, the Fire Spirit Snake immediately began to carefully move its body, guiding the boiling magma around it and charging steadily upward, like the most skilled boatman breaking through the waves.

It moved extremely quickly, yet its body remained remarkably steady, striving to provide its "passengers" with the best possible experience.

Only after the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake carried the two of them through the surface of the magma lake, returned to the massive cavern beneath the desert, and finally escorted them safely to the surface through the winding passage did Su Baichen lightly leap down from its back, landing on the scorching sand.

"You little snake are rather well versed in the ways of the world," Su Baichen said, patting away dust that did not exist on his clothes, his tone teasing. "Such attentive service—you even brought us straight back to the surface. Not bad, very good."

Hearing this, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake hurriedly shook both large heads modestly, letting out hissing sounds. Yet its four eyes stared eagerly at Su Baichen, filled with barely concealed anticipation—for the promised "payment."

However, Su Baichen merely looked at it with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back, showing no intention of taking anything out.

Time passed bit by bit. The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake and Su Baichen stared at each other, and the anxiety in its heart grew ever stronger.

It did not dare urge him, but its hopes for the future made it feel as though countless claws were scratching at its heart.

Was he just going to leave like this?

Wouldn't that mean all its efforts had been for nothing?

Weren't human experts supposed to value their promises most?

Could it be... this lord was going to break his word?

At the thought of that possibility, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's heart was instantly filled with immense grievance.

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake wailed inwardly: "This snake is suffering... It worked so hard as a guide, dove through magma, endured scorching heat, only to meet a heartless customer. Did he want to freeload off this snake's labor? Where was the payment he promised? Boohoo, why was this snake's life so miserable..."