Subdue It!

Ning Chen didn't even spare the dying Snake King a glance.

His top priority had always been the Nether Poison Fire!

Strike while it's down and finish it off!

Without the slightest pause, Ning Chen flipped his hand again.

A peculiar, crystal-clear jade slip appeared between his fingers, as if a strand of silver flame were sealed inside it, flickering gently.

[Soul Ascension Experience Card (One Minute)]!

This item could greatly enhance the user's soul power and perceptiveness for a short time!

This was Ning Chen's true trump card!

The simplest, most direct, and most effective way to subdue a Heavenly Flame in a short time was to attack it with soul power and seize control of its origin!

Crack!

The jade slip shattered.

A cool yet immense invisible force surged into the space between Ning Chen's brows.

His soul power rapidly soared in an instant. The world in his sight seemed to grow clearer. The paths of energy as it flowed—and even the faint fluctuations of the Nether Poison Fire's origin at its core—were all reflected in his mind.

"Now!"

Silver light flashed in Ning Chen's eyes, and his immense soul power condensed into a nearly formless yet incredibly resilient needle.

Taking advantage of the perfect moment, when the Nether Poison Fire had just been wounded and its aura was unsteady, the needle crossed the space in the blink of an eye and stabbed straight into the source flame at the very core of the mass of dark-green fire!

Hiss—!

As if cold water had been poured into boiling oil, the Nether Poison Fire's origin shuddered violently, letting out a shrill cry of defiance and fury that pierced the soul!

It instinctively summoned all its power. The dark-green flames blazed wildly, trying to resist and dissolve the invading soul force.

But Ning Chen had prepared far too well!

The Wu Wu Kai System handled defense, the Heavenly Net Spirit-Restricting Array prevented escape, and the Dou Qi of a Seven-Star Dou Huang pressed the attack.

And now, this soul strike—far beyond the Nether Poison Fire's current level of intelligence and precisely aimed at its most vulnerable moment—became the final straw!

The soul needle pierced through the layers of defenses the Nether Poison Fire had instinctively formed, then struck with pinpoint accuracy into that flickering core of dark-green flame!

"Form the mark!"

Ning Chen focused all his mental strength and carved a soul imprint that belonged solely to him into the core of its origin.

"Hum..."

The Nether Poison Fire's struggle and resistance came to an abrupt halt, and its dark-green flames suddenly froze.

Then, like a docile pet, it slowly reined in all its ferocity and venomous aura.

It floated quietly in midair, with only a barely perceptible silver glimmer flickering at the heart of its flame—the light of the soul imprint.

Success!

Ning Chen slowly exhaled, feeling the clear and close soul connection he had established with the mass of dark-green flame. At last, a relieved smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The Nether Poison Fire was his!

"Although it ranks only twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, it's still a wondrous treasure born of heaven and earth—a true Heavenly Flame."

Ning Chen watched as the dark-green flame flew into his palm of its own accord, leaping gently like a well-behaved sprite, and couldn't help sighing.

After admiring and playing with it for a while, he took out a special cold-jade bottle he had prepared in advance and carefully sealed away the Nether Poison Fire, which had restrained most of its power.

Only then did Ning Chen turn his gaze to the two dead and one wounded Black Scale Snake Kings by the black pool below.

Three sixth-tier magical beasts, each equivalent to a Five-Star Dou Emperor, could have ruled over a region and founded a sect in the Northwest Continent. Now they had met such a miserable end. It was hard not to feel a twinge of pity.

Such was the law of the jungle.

"Since you're already dead, I may as well put your remains to one last use."

Ning Chen took out a sharp, specially made dagger. His figure flashed as he began the practiced work of dissection.

Scales, Magic Cores, blood essence, venom glands, gallbladders... He sorted every valuable material and put them into his Storage Ring one by one.

A sixth-tier magical beast was a treasure from head to toe, especially a rare venomous king beast like this. Its materials were worth a fortune.

After processing the two corpses, Ning Chen walked toward the Black Scale Snake King sprawled in the mud, barely clinging to life, its snake-pupils unfocused.

The dagger gleamed coldly as he moved to finish it off, but a thought suddenly crossed Ning Chen's mind, and he stopped.

Wait... A living sixth-tier magical beast, gravely wounded and on the verge of death... And, more importantly, a snake-type magical beast...

An idea flashed through his mind.

He remembered there seemed to be an item in the system shop...

A moment later, Ning Chen put away the dagger and instead took out a fragrant healing pill. With a flick of his finger, he sent it into the Black Scale Snake King's fearsome jaws, barely preserving the last flicker of its life.

Then he quickly opened the system shop and spent some Amazement Points to redeem a one-use restraint item called the Beast Restriction Ring.

It was a collar-like object with a dark golden metallic sheen, its surface engraved with intricate sealing runes.

Ning Chen activated it. The dark gold collar flew out by itself and precisely fastened around the Black Scale Snake King's thick neck.

The runes flashed, tightened rapidly, and sank out of sight.

The Black Scale Snake King's massive body trembled slightly, then went completely limp. Its life force was firmly locked in place, and it fell into a deep sealed state resembling suspended animation.

Ning Chen waved his hand, stowing it in a high-grade storage bag specially meant for living creatures. Then he spread his wings and flew back.

Several miles away, in a hidden spot shrouded by thick poisonous miasma.

Xiao Yi Xian clutched the Protective Jade Slip Ning Chen had given her, anxiously gazing toward the direction where the terrifying explosions and roars had come from.

The earth-shaking commotion had long since died down, but Ning Chen still hadn't returned.

As every second passed, her heart tightened further.

Could something have happened to him? He was strong, but he was up against a Heavenly Flame and several Dou Emperor magical beasts...

All kinds of dreadful thoughts churned through her mind.

Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip, a look of determination flashing through her eyes. She was just about to risk activating the Wind Riding Boat and head over to investigate when—

A somewhat unsteady figure staggered out of the poisonous miasma. It was Ning Chen!

But his face was as pale as paper, his aura weak, and his clothes torn in several places. He looked utterly disheveled, as though he might plummet from the sky at any moment.

"Ning Chen!"

Xiao Yi Xian's face turned deathly pale. She cried out and, without another thought, activated the Wind Riding Boat's shield and flew forward, catching the "weakened" Ning Chen in her arms.

She hurriedly helped Ning Chen onto the boat and let him lean against her. Her little hands, cold to the touch, searched him in a panic as her voice grew choked with tears.

"Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Pills... Right, where are the pills..."

Xiao Yi Xian was so frantic that she had no idea what to do. She only lowered her head to search for the wounds she imagined were there, completely missing the mischievous smile curling across Ning Chen's "pale" face as he leaned against her shoulder.

"Mm... Looks like I'm pretty badly hurt. You'll have to examine me carefully..."

Ning Chen spoke in an intentionally feeble voice and even gave a "weak" cough.

Xiao Yi Xian grew even more anxious. She looked up, eyes brimming with tears, about to say something—only to meet Ning Chen's bright eyes, full of teasing amusement. He didn't look weak at all.

"You... You tricked me?!"

Xiao Yi Xian froze for a moment, then realized what had happened. In an instant, her worry turned to embarrassment and indignation. Her fair cheeks flushed visibly red, all the way to her ears.

She shoved Ning Chen away and glared at him, both embarrassed and angry.

"Do you know how worried I was just now? You... You jerk!"

Seeing her flustered and indignant, eyes still red but looking especially lively, Ning Chen couldn't help bursting into laughter. The tension from the battle vanished at once.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'm fine. I didn't get hurt at all."

After laughing, he grew serious.

"I got it. I've successfully subdued the Nether Poison Fire."

At his words, Xiao Yi Xian's anger was instantly replaced by overwhelming joy and disbelief.

"Really?! You... You really subdued a Heavenly Flame?"

Though she had been prepared for it, hearing him confirm it still left her deeply shaken.

"I was just lucky."

Ning Chen nodded and briefly explained what had happened, leaving out the system and other details. He only said that he had succeeded through sheer luck, using an array, a soul technique, and a few trump cards.

"We shouldn't stay here. That commotion was too loud; it might attract more trouble. Let's leave the Nether Swamp and find somewhere safe to rest."

Ning Chen spoke seriously as he led her back onto the Wind Riding Boat.

"We'll probably have to stay in the Chu Yun Empire for a while. You'll need to study its poison arts systematically, so you can better control and use your constitution—and prepare to refine the Nether Poison Fire in the future."

Xiao Yi Xian pushed aside the turmoil in her heart and nodded earnestly.

For her, the chance to study poison arts systematically would undoubtedly help her better control her Woeful Poison Body and improve her strength.