Deep within the hidden depths of the Snake-People Holy Temple lay a mysterious place where a Heavenly Flame had been sealed.
Stepping inside revealed an underground cavern so vast it defied imagination. The temperature was unbearably high, as if it could warp the air itself. Waves of heat rolled over them one after another, making it feel as though they stood inside a blazing furnace. The cavern walls were no ordinary rock, but a strange, dark-red crystal. Its surface resembled solidified magma, shimmering with a scorching glow and constantly radiating heat, as if every inch of it burned with boundless passion.
At the very center of the cavern stood an ancient altar, carefully built from black basalt. Floating above it was an exceptionally eerie Azure Lotus! Its petals were made of pure cyan flames, layered like a blooming flower. As it slowly revolved, it traced beautiful arcs through the air. At its heart, a deep-cyan flame burned quietly, resembling liquid jade—translucent and brilliant, yet concealing endless mysteries. The energy it radiated held both a terrifying power of destruction, as though it could reduce all things to ashes in an instant, and a surging vitality, as if it were the source of life itself, nurturing endless vigor. This was the renowned Green Lotus Core Flame!
Yet this peerless wonder of heaven and earth was bound above the altar by eight chains etched with flickering purple runes. The chains were made of pure energy, each one glowing with mysterious and formidable light. Their other ends were sunk deep into the surrounding crimson crystal walls, as if fused with them. Clearly, the Snake-People Tribe had employed some unimaginably powerful secret art to temporarily seal the wild Heavenly Flame here.
Below the altar stood a figure of peerless grace, motionless as a beautiful yet dangerous statue.
She wore a sumptuous purple brocade robe, its fabric as soft as the finest clouds in the heavens. It wrapped lightly around her breathtaking curves. The hem had not been sewn closed, falling slightly open to reveal a glimpse of smooth, snowy-white skin and a slender yet powerful waist, as if it were a work of art sculpted with painstaking care—softly beautiful yet full of strength. Below that was an enormous serpent's tail covered in fine purple scales, coiled lazily on the ground. Each scale gleamed with a cold light like a gemstone, radiating a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Her face was even more breathtakingly beautiful, the kind one could never forget after a single glance. Her skin was as fair and delicate as the purest snow of winter. Her dark brows were like a painting, and even their gentle arch brimmed with elegance and allure. Her fine nose rose like the tallest pine on a mountain peak. Her red lips were sensual, like the most exquisite petals, as though a slight parting would release their sweet nectar. Most captivating of all were her eyes: long, alluring purple eyes like a deep, starry sky. Their pupils seemed to contain endless celestial vortices, and their gaze swept over the world with such authority that everything beneath it seemed insignificant. Yet they also held a soul-stirring charm, enough to ensnare anyone who looked into them. Beneath that charm and majesty lay a trace of pain, hidden from view—the restrained agony of being scorched by the Heavenly Flame. It was like a flower struggling to bloom in a violent gale, stirring one's compassion.
Queen Medusa!
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the Green Lotus Core Flame bound tightly by the eight energy chains. Light shifted through her purple eyes, complex and profound. There was an endless yearning for power, like parched earth longing for rain; an unwavering resolve to face an evolutionary path with only one chance in a hundred of survival, like a moth flying fearlessly into a flame; and a trace of apprehension toward the unknown challenge, like someone feeling their way through darkness, courageous yet unable to quiet their unease. Using a Heavenly Flame to evolve her bloodline was a gamble with nine chances of death and only one of life. But for the Snake-People Tribe's bright future, for her people to claim a place on the Dou Qi Continent, she had no other choice. Now, she was fully focused on adjusting her condition, like a warrior preparing to march onto the battlefield. She quietly awaited the moment when she would resonate most perfectly with the Heavenly Flame, ready to make her final attempt and break through the shackles of her bloodline in one decisive blow.
"Hmm?" Just then, Queen Medusa's brows knitted slightly, like ripples forming on a still lake. Her purple eyes snapped toward the cavern entrance. In an instant, icy killing intent spread from her like a blizzard about to descend, freezing the air around her. "A rat with a death wish. You actually managed to sneak in here..." she murmured, her voice brimming with cold disdain.
In the shadows near the cavern entrance.
Xiao Zhan clung to the scorching crimson crystal wall like an agile gecko, his body perfectly blending into its surface, as if he were part of it. He had suppressed his aura to the utmost, like an extinguished candle with not a single spark escaping. Yet his heart pounded wildly in his chest, like a beast trapped in a cage, beating with a muffled, frantic rhythm. He had just gone to great lengths to infiltrate the heart of the Heavenly Flame's sealed chamber and had not even had time to catch his breath when he sharply sensed a terrifying pressure, like that of a primordial beast. It bore down on him like an invisible mountain and locked onto him completely! Queen Medusa's senses were so sharp that it seemed she could see through everything in the world.
[Warning! Locked onto by a Peak Dou Emperor expert (Queen Medusa)! Extreme danger!]
The system's alarm rang shrilly in Xiao Zhan's mind, tightening his nerves to the breaking point.
Run? Trying to escape right under the nose of an enraged Peak Dou Emperor, especially in a relatively enclosed space surrounded by hard crystal walls with nowhere to flee, gave him almost no chance of success. It would be like searching for a road that did not exist in a dead end. Fight back? That would be a dead end too. With his current strength, challenging Queen Medusa would be like throwing an egg against a rock—certain death.
In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through Xiao Zhan's mind. In the end, he made an extraordinarily daring, nearly insane decision: stay still! He circulated the breath-concealing technique granted by the system with all his might. It was his only lifeline. He compressed his vitality, Dou Qi fluctuations, and even his soul aura until he was nearly lifeless, like an ancient well on the verge of drying up, without a single ripple. He seemed to truly become a lifeless piece of crystal wall, merging with his surroundings in an attempt to find a sliver of hope in this desperate situation. He was betting that Queen Medusa cared far more about the Heavenly Flame than about a trivial "little bug" like him, and that she was in the crucial period before her evolution, unwilling to leave the altar's central area to pursue someone as insignificant as he was.
"Whoosh!"
A faint sound of something piercing the air rang out, so soft it was like a breeze brushing past one's ear! It did not come from Queen Medusa, but shot out from a crack in the crystal wall diagonally above Xiao Zhan! A closer look revealed a needle as fine as a cow's hair, pitch-black from end to end. A chilling soul fluctuation radiated from its surface, like a venomous snake from the underworld, bearing lethal malice. Its target was Queen Medusa's back, as if it meant to pierce the noble queen through!
It was the Soul Hall's infamous Soul-Eater Needle! This needle specialized in piercing Dou Qi defenses. Once it made contact, it would cling like a maggot to bone and corrode the soul, trapping its victim in endless agony and despair. It was a deadly killer of souls!
"Cowardly rat who hides your head and shows your tail! Get out here!" Queen Medusa snorted, her voice cold as frost, as if it could freeze the air. She did not even turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the Green Lotus Core Flame atop the altar, as if she paid no heed to the sudden attack. Yet her purple serpent's tail, coiled on the ground, lashed through the air like lightning, moving too quickly for the eye to follow!
"Smack!"
A sharp, clear crack rang out! The vicious Soul-Eater Needle was struck with pinpoint accuracy by her tail and burst apart, turning instantly into a dense cloud of black mist. It seemed to hold endless evil, but under the scorching heat around the altar, it vanished without a trace in an instant, like snow beneath the blazing sun.
At the same time, Queen Medusa raised her jade-white hand and grabbed at the crack in the crystal wall above Xiao Zhan. The gesture looked gentle, yet held enough power to destroy heaven and earth, like a divine hand descending upon the mortal world!
"Rumble!"
Under the impact of that invisible force, the solid crimson crystal wall proved as fragile as tofu. It shattered instantly, sending fragments flying in every direction. A figure shrouded in a broad black robe, its face blurred beyond recognition, was forcibly dragged out in a wretched state. Black mist churned around the black-robed man like a blazing dark flame, radiating a bizarre and dangerous aura. He let out a hoarse cry, equal parts fury and shock, his voice seeming to come from the depths of hell:
"Heh heh heh... As expected of Queen Medusa! Your senses are indeed sharp! But this Heavenly Flame belongs to the Soul Hall!"
A powerful aura burst from the black-robed man, surging outward like a rising tide. He had clearly reached the level of a Five-Star Dou Zong! Yet Queen Medusa's casual grab had evidently injured him; his aura was unsteady and chaotic, like a candle teetering in a gale.
Protector Wu!
"The Soul Hall?" Hearing that name, a cold light flared in Queen Medusa's purple eyes, bright and lethal as lightning in the dead of night. Killing intent almost solidified around her, freezing the air. "You dare covet this king's Heavenly Flame? You're asking for death!" she said coldly, her voice brimming with fury and authority, like a judgment from the highest heavens.
Her jade-white hands moved nimbly but swiftly through a series of seals. In an instant, purple Dou Qi surged from her like a violent storm. It quickly gathered in midair, shifting and transforming into a massive energy serpent dozens of yards long. Its powerful body flashed with mysterious, dangerous light across its scales. It bared its fangs and claws, radiating enough terror to destroy everything, then let out a deafening roar and shot toward Protector Wu like an arrow loosed from a bow! The entire cavern shook violently beneath the force, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The battle between two peak experts erupted like a volcano! Terrifying shockwaves of energy swept through the entire cavern like a raging tide. Wherever they struck, crystal walls shattered and stones flew in every direction, while the air filled with a pungent, scorched smell.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan, clinging to the crystal wall below, was like a tiny boat in a raging sea, fragile and helpless. The dreadful shockwaves struck him again and again like heavy hammers, churning his blood and making it feel as if his internal organs had shifted out of place. His protective Dou Qi flickered violently like a candle in the wind, on the verge of collapse. Worse still, Protector Wu had been blasted in precisely the direction where Xiao Zhan was hiding, pushing him toward an even more perilous abyss.
Protector Wu had evidently sensed the faint yet out-of-place aura of a "rock" on the crystal wall below. It stood out from the violent field of energy like a glimmer of light in the dark, instantly catching his attention.
"Hmm? Another rat?" Even as shock and fury gripped him, a cruel gleam flashed through Protector Wu's eyes, as if he had spotted prey within reach. Riding the force that had sent him flying, he twisted in midair and slammed a palm toward Xiao Zhan's hiding place. His pitch-black Dou Qi surged like a dense storm cloud, swiftly forming a gigantic ghost claw. The claw was hideous and terrifying, radiating a bone-chilling aura that corroded souls. Wherever it passed, the air froze into a thin layer of frost.
Ahead, Queen Medusa's terrifying pressure and the shockwaves of battle bore down like an invisible mountain, leaving him gasping for breath. Behind him, a Five-Star Dou Zong's furious strike stabbed toward his vitals like a sharp blade. There was nowhere to dodge. With death a hair's breadth away, Xiao Zhan felt as if he stood on the edge of a cliff, one misstep from being smashed to pieces.
A glint of madness flashed through Xiao Zhan's eyes, brimming with determination and fearlessness. Just as the enormous ghost claw was about to hit him—
"Roar!"
A deep, majestic dragon's roar, as if from ancient times, suddenly burst from within Xiao Zhan. It was not an actual sound, but a terrifying pressure rising from the depths of his bloodline, sweeping outward like a surging undercurrent. The Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art began operating automatically in response, as if sensing the threat to his life and unleashing its strongest power.
Although Xiao Zhan had only just begun learning this Heaven-Rank technique and was still groping his way through it, the trace of Dragon Phoenix pressure it carried was like the fierce gaze of an ancient divine beast. It naturally and powerfully restrained spiritual beings. The Soul Hall, which specialized in manipulating souls, was especially vulnerable to that pressure, like an ant facing an elephant—utterly helpless.
The enormous ghost claw, meticulously condensed from soul-based Dou Qi and carrying a sinister, terrifying aura, slammed down on Xiao Zhan like a black mountain. But the moment it came into contact with the Dragon Phoenix pressure, it began to melt rapidly like snow beneath the blazing sun. Ripples spread across its surface as it dissolved with a sizzling hiss, its power plummeting by thirty percent in an instant. Its original fierce attack was severely blunted.
"What?!" Protector Wu cried out in shock, his voice filled with disbelieving terror. He felt his soul tremble for an instant at the sudden dragon's roar, as if an invisible hand had clamped down on it and left it unable to move.
As the ghost claw's power weakened, Xiao Zhan immediately pushed Flowing Cloud Steps to its limit. His body moved like a nimble fish, like drifting clouds, becoming a warped afterimage as he slipped past the edge of the claw by the narrowest margin. He moved too fast for the eye to follow, as if he were a breeze passing through the space, coming and going without a trace.
At the same time, without hesitation, he hurled several poisonous Magic Cores he had taken from Snake-People corpses. He had been holding them ready in his hand, and now they flew toward Protector Wu like hidden weapons, tracing strange arcs through the air.
"Boom! Boom!"
The Magic Cores burst one after another beside Protector Wu's protective black mist, releasing clouds of poison that spread like a vast black net and wrapped around him. The poison was not powerful enough to cause a Dou Zong any real harm, but it was enough to throw the battlefield into chaos and leave Protector Wu scrambling for a moment.
"Bastard!" The unexpected poison and strange dragon's roar had thrown Protector Wu into a fit of frustration. His previously fluid movements faltered, like a jammed gear, losing their usual sharpness.
Just then, Queen Medusa's attack descended again like a torrential storm! The enormous energy serpent opened its jaws, revealing sharp fangs, and lunged in for a vicious bite like a beast from hell. Its momentum was so fierce it seemed about to swallow Protector Wu whole.
Protector Wu no longer had any attention to spare for Xiao Zhan, the "little rat." He roared as Dou Qi surged wildly through his body, devoting himself completely to the fight against Queen Medusa. At that moment, all he could see was her powerful figure; every bit of his attention was focused on the life-or-death battle.
Xiao Zhan seized this rare opportunity, gritting his teeth against the agony of the Dou Zong's attack grazing him. The flesh of his left shoulder was mangled, the bone exposed, and blood streamed down, staining his clothes red. The shock to his internal organs was agonizing too, as if a hammer were pounding inside him without pause. But he did not hesitate for an instant. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he bolted toward a narrow passage deeper inside the cavern, away from the battlefield! Every step was resolute; every second was a race against death.
"Where do you think you're going!" Queen Medusa's cold voice rang out like sudden thunder on a winter night, with a hint of unconcealed surprise—after all, she had also keenly sensed that extraordinary dragon's roar. Before the words had even faded, a purple Dou Qi lash swept toward Xiao Zhan's back with the force of a devastating storm!
Hearing the wind howl behind him, Xiao Zhan did not even turn his head, as if nothing behind him had anything to do with him. He swiftly flung a one-use Minor Teleportation Talisman he had received in a system gift pack. It was covered in densely packed, intricate runes, and he had been keeping it ready in his hand!
"Hum!"
In an instant, space rippled gently like a still lake disturbed by wave after wave. A heartbeat before the purple Dou Qi lash could reach him, Xiao Zhan vanished from the spot as if he had never existed, leaving behind only a faint afterimage.
"Spatial teleportation?" Genuine surprise flashed in Queen Medusa's purple eyes, like a shooting star crossing the night sky, gone in a moment. Then icy killing intent swallowed her gaze, sending a chill through anyone who saw it. "Whoever you are, you dared to trespass in the Holy Temple. You will die!" she roared, unleashing all her fury upon Protector Wu. The battle grew even more intense, the collisions of energy echoing through the cavern like thunder.
At that moment, Xiao Zhan felt the world spin around him, as if he had been thrown into an endless whirlpool. Every bone in his body felt dislocated, and the pain was unbearable. He crashed heavily onto the floor of a cold, damp, pitch-black passage that reeked of mildew. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely. The Minor Teleportation Talisman had sent him at random to some unknown corner deep within the Holy Temple, leaving him alone in a strange place to face an uncertain fate.
Magical Beast Mountain Range, an unnamed cliff.
"Haah... haah... We should be... safe for now..." Carrying Xiao Yi Xian on his back, Xiao Yan panted as he climbed a steep cliff. His steps were heavy and unsteady; each one seemed to take all the strength he had. At last, he found a concealed hollow hidden behind vines, like a safe harbor. Carefully, he lowered the delicate girl from his back, moving as gently as if afraid to wake a sleeping dream.
It had been more than half a day since they fled the valley. They had not dared to stop along the way, fleeing like startled birds until they finally managed to shake off any possible pursuers with Yao Lao's guidance. Xiao Yi Xian had been quiet the whole time, simply clinging tightly to his neck, her body trembling slightly like a frightened fawn. Her breathing had been soft and hurried, tinged with unease and fear.
Now she curled up alone in a cold corner of the rocks like a wounded little beast retreating into hiding. She hugged her knees tightly, as if they were the only thing she could rely on, and buried her face in them. Her thin shoulders shook silently yet violently, as though she were bearing endless pain in silence.
"You..." Looking at the girl's helpless state, the terrifying scene from earlier that day surged back into Xiao Yan's mind like a tide, leaving him with a jumble of feelings. Fear, like a cold snake, crept up his spine; but more than that, he felt an inexplicable ache and tenderness, like spring rain gently nourishing the soil of his heart. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly took off his reasonably clean outer robe. With the gentleness one might show a fragile treasure, he draped it over Xiao Yi Xian's trembling body.
"Th-thank you..." Xiao Yi Xian's muffled voice came from behind her knees, thick with tears and congestion. She still did not dare raise her head, as if afraid to face this cruel reality.
"Thank you for saving me earlier." Xiao Yan slowly sat down beside her, leaving a modest distance between them, as though it were a buffer between their hearts. "That mercenary... he deserved to die." Anger burned in his voice like a flame.
Xiao Yi Xian's body jolted violently as if struck by lightning, and she suddenly lifted her head! Her pale face was streaked with tears, like a painting soaked through. Her clear eyes were filled with pain and despair, like two fathomless, icy pools. "No! You don't understand! I'm a monster! A harbinger of misfortune! Anyone who gets close to me will... will..." Her voice caught, then fell silent. Once again, her tears poured out like a breached dam.
"You're not a monster!" Xiao Yan cut her off firmly, looking at her with the earnest conviction of bright stars in his eyes. "My teacher said you might have an extremely rare special constitution! You may not be able to control it right now, but that absolutely doesn't mean you're a monster!" His voice was steady and powerful, like a warm strength flowing into Xiao Yi Xian's frozen heart.
"A special constitution?" Xiao Yi Xian froze and stared at Xiao Yan through tear-filled eyes. Confusion and hope mingled in her gaze, as if she had glimpsed a ray of dawn in the darkness.
"Yeah!" Xiao Yan nodded emphatically. Although Yao Lao's exact words had been "an extremely troublesome and dangerous Woe Poison Body," Xiao Yan chose to believe his teacher's next words: "There may yet be a way to resolve it." "My teacher is very capable! He'll definitely find a way to help you! Trust me!" His voice brimmed with confidence and conviction, like a beacon in the night guiding Xiao Yi Xian toward hope.
Looking at the unreserved trust and determination in Xiao Yan's eyes, like the spring sun breaking through layer upon layer of gloom, Xiao Yi Xian's heart—long frozen and lost to despair—seemed to have received a tiny pebble tossed into a lake. In an instant, a faint ripple quietly spread. It was not strong, but enough to break the long silence. For the first time, someone had not looked at her with fear and disgust. Instead, they had sincerely promised to help her. That warmth was like a beam of light in the darkness, illuminating the world hidden beneath the clouds around her.
[Ding! Xiao Yi Xian's favorability toward Xiao Yan +15. Current favorability: 35/100 (Gratitude and the budding of trust).] (Xiao Zhan, unconscious far away in the desert, inexplicably received a system notification. Had the threads of fate quietly tugged at each other without anyone noticing?)
"All right. Let's rest for a while and treat our wounds." As he spoke, Xiao Yan took out the healing medicine Xiao Zhan had given him from his Storage Ring and gently handed Xiao Yi Xian a bottle. "Your hand... you scraped it on a rock earlier, didn't you? Put some medicine on it so the wound doesn't get infected."
Only then did Xiao Yi Xian slowly notice the small cut across her palm, which she had accidentally gotten in the confusion earlier. She quietly accepted the bottle, her fingertips lightly brushing its surface as she felt its warmth. The faint warmth in her heart seemed to grow just a little stronger, like a spark with the potential to set the prairie ablaze.
Just then, Yao Lao's grave voice rang powerfully in Xiao Yan's mind. "Boy, don't get carried away by all this emotion yet. There's something here! Behind that patch of vines to your left, there's a faint fluctuation from an energy barrier! It's extremely well hidden. If my soul perception weren't so powerful, I'd have almost missed it!"
Xiao Yan's heart clenched, as if struck by a cold arrow. He immediately turned a wary gaze toward the thick patch of vines to his left. They hung like a green curtain, concealing whatever lay behind them. Carefully, he reached out and parted them. Behind them stood solid rock, its surface smooth and seemingly unremarkable.
"Use your soul power to carefully sense the center of that rock wall!" Yao Lao instructed from the side, his voice steady and authoritative.
Xiao Yan did as he was told, concentrating fully as he extended a sliver of soul power, as if teasing apart a tangled thread. It drifted through the air like a delicate strand. Sure enough! At a spot on the rock wall that looked seamless and whole, he keenly "felt" an exceptionally faint energy barrier. It seemed to blend perfectly into the rock and would have been almost impossible to notice without a careful search, like a ghost concealed in the darkness.
"Is this... some kind of seal or illusion?" Xiao Yan blurted out in amazement, his voice carrying a note of unconcealed shock.
"Exactly! And it's a rather sophisticated technique, the work of at least a Dou Ling expert." Yao Lao sounded deeply intrigued, as though he had discovered a precious treasure. "There may well be something good behind it. Try to open it. Use your soul power to strike that energy node, as precisely as you control flames in your daily practice!"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, drawing on all his resolve until his chest rose and fell. He concentrated again and controlled that sliver of soul power, as fine and sharp as a needle, driving it hard into the invisible "node" at the center of the rock wall. The soul power sliced through the air, leaving behind a barely visible trace.
"Hum..."
In an instant, the rock wall gave a faint hum that echoed through the silent cave like an ancient bell. Then ripples spread across it like waves on a pool struck by a pebble, one ring after another, as if whispering an old tale. A moment later, a pitch-black opening just wide enough for one person to pass through appeared out of thin air before them. A cool breeze carrying dust and a musty odor wafted from inside, gently brushing their faces like an invisible hand.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian looked at each other. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. They both saw surprise and curiosity in the other's eyes. The surprise blossomed like fireworks across the night sky, brilliant but fleeting; the curiosity burned like a growing flame.
"Should we... go in and take a look?" Xiao Yi Xian asked softly, a note of timidity in her voice, like a frightened fawn. Yet deep in her eyes shone a spark of interest, as if her attention had been drawn away from her sorrow—a ray of light revealing the longing hidden deep within her.
Xiao Yan looked to Yao Lao. His voice held a note of excitement, like an explorer about to uncover a treasure. "Go in! I can sense a good energy signature inside. It might be a cave dwelling left behind by some predecessor! But be careful, and stay close to me!"
Xiao Yan nodded and took a Moonlight Stone from his Storage Ring. Its gentle glow was like the moon in the night sky, illuminating the darkness around the entrance. He held out his hand to Xiao Yi Xian, his voice gentle yet firm. "Stay close to me. Be careful."
Looking at the hand the young man held out to her, Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a moment, like a butterfly lingering among flowers. In the end, she gently placed her cold little hand in his, trembling slightly like a light snowflake.
Xiao Yan closed his hand around hers. He felt the coolness of her palm and its faint tremor, and a powerful urge to protect her rose within him like a surging tide. He led Xiao Yi Xian cautiously into the mysterious, uncharted cave, every step careful and resolute.
After they entered, the cave entrance slowly closed again as if it were alive. The vines fell back into place like a mysterious guardian, concealing every trace as though nothing had ever happened.
Before you continue