Subduing the Flame Spirit Snake

"Qing Lin, you mustn't trust people so easily in the future. I'm truly afraid you'll be deceived by those sinister, cunning people who are full of lies," Xie Tianxiao said with a worried expression.

"Mm-hmm, Qing Lin won't. From now on, Qing Lin will only listen to Lord Tianxiao," Qing Lin replied obediently.

After spending the past few months together, Qing Lin was no longer unfamiliar with or afraid of Xie Tianxiao.

Even the way she addressed him had changed from simply "my lord" to "Lord Tianxiao."

Moreover, Qing Lin understood that Xie Tianxiao truly cared about her.

Not only had he taught her about cultivation on the continent, but he had also raised her from an ordinary person without any Dou Qi to the level of a one-star Dou Zhe.

He had never treated her as a maid he could order around at will in daily life, either.

Thus, Qing Lin had grown increasingly reliant on and fond of Xie Tianxiao.

"Is that so?"

Looking into her bright, clear eyes, Xie Tianxiao rubbed his forehead somewhat awkwardly.

He did like this little girl, Qing Lin, very much, and he did not want to give her up to Xiao Yan.

But for her to trust him so deeply after only a few months together, Xie Tianxiao did not know what to say.

Seeing Xie Tianxiao's expression, Qing Lin was somewhat puzzled. But as though she had thought of something, she softly said, "Um... Lord Tianxiao, Qing Lin thinks... we should go look for the Heavenly Flame."

"You're right. But we don't need to look for it. It's right below us."

Hearing Qing Lin's reminder, Xie Tianxiao came back to his senses and pointed at the ground.

The moment he had arrived, he had already sensed the powerful Heavenly Flame aura emitted by the Green Lotus Core Flame beneath the earth.

"But Lord Tianxiao, Commander Xiao and the others have all left. No one is here to help us dig. How are we supposed to go down and find the Heavenly Flame?" Qing Lin asked.

"Hehe... Have you forgotten how we got here?" Xie Tianxiao said with a slight smile.

How had they gotten here?

Qing Lin thought about it. She remembered that when they came, Xie Tianxiao had held her hand. Her vision had gone dark, then bright, and she had appeared here.

As for why, she had no idea.

"The reason we could arrive here instantly was because I used the power of space," Xie Tianxiao said with a smile.

"The power of space?"

Qing Lin looked somewhat lost. This was clearly the first time she had heard the term.

"That's right. It's a method that can only be mastered after one's cultivation reaches the Dou Zun realm."

"When your cultivation becomes strong enough in the future, you'll be able to use it too," Xie Tianxiao replied.

"Oh."

Hearing Xie Tianxiao's words, Qing Lin nodded.

Seeing that Qing Lin still looked confused, Xie Tianxiao did not explain further.

He merely took her small hand. Qing Lin blushed slightly but did not struggle.

Then, their bodies slowly distorted and vanished from the desert.

When they reappeared, they had arrived inside a massive underground cavern filled with fiery red magma and scorching heat.

"S-So terrifying... this magma."

Seeing the scene before her, Qing Lin unconsciously grabbed Xie Tianxiao's sleeve with her small hand and said nervously.

Feeling the little girl's movement, Xie Tianxiao smiled and rubbed her little head. "Don't be afraid. The Heavenly Flame hidden below is what caused the cavern to become like this."

"Besides, there's a little fellow beneath this magma. You should be able to sense it."

As Xie Tianxiao spoke, he pointed at the boiling magma.

"A little fellow?"

Hearing Xie Tianxiao's words, Qing Lin looked at him in confusion. Then, her emerald eyes turned toward the boundless expanse of fiery red magma.

Before long, as though she had suddenly discovered something, Qing Lin cried out, "Lord Tianxiao, Qing Lin thinks there seems to be some kind of creature inside that magma!"

"Although its aura is only faintly concealed... I can still sense it. It's very strong..."

Qing Lin stared fixedly at a spot within the endlessly churning magma.

Faint glimmers of eerie light emerged in her emerald eyes, as though they had pierced through the magma's obstruction and seen the mysterious thing hidden beneath.

"Mm, you didn't sense it wrong."

"It's a fourth-tier magical beast called the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake," Xie Tianxiao said with a faint smile.

A fourth-tier magical beast!

A trace of surprise appeared in Qing Lin's beautiful eyes upon hearing that. "Then, Lord Tianxiao, are you going to kill this magical beast?"

"No. Do you remember how I told you a few days ago that you possess the Azure Three-Flower Eyes?" Xie Tianxiao asked, looking at Qing Lin.

"Qing Lin remembers the Azure Three-Flower Eyes, but it's fourth-tier. Can I do it? Wouldn't I cause trouble for Lord Tianxiao...?" Qing Lin asked timidly.

During their time together earlier, Xie Tianxiao had briefly told Qing Lin that she possessed the Azure Three-Flower Eyes and could control serpent-type magical beasts.

Therefore, she understood that Xie Tianxiao wanted her to control this magical beast.

Hearing Qing Lin's words, Xie Tianxiao smiled slightly. "Of course not. Although Qing Lin has only just reached the Dou Zhe realm, controlling this little fourth-tier Flame Spirit Snake won't be a problem."

After saying that, Xie Tianxiao grabbed at the air. A serpent-type magical beast with two heads flew out of the magma and landed before them, its entire body unable to move.

"Hiss!"

After letting out a miserable shriek, the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake's entire body became immobile. It could only stare unblinkingly at Xie Tianxiao and Qing Lin with its four snake eyes.

After glancing at the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake, Xie Tianxiao said to Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, this fellow can't move now. Give it a try."

The reason he had restrained the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake was that he did not want it moving about and affecting Qing Lin's performance.

"Alright, Lord Tianxiao. Qing Lin understands."

Qing Lin answered obediently. Then, she locked eyes with the Flame Spirit Snake and began to sense the connection between herself and it.

A long while passed.

Seeing Qing Lin remain motionless, Xie Tianxiao was just about to ask when an eerie glow shone from her pupils.

Then, the three small green dots in her pupils transformed in an instant into three extremely tiny green flowers.

As these strange green flowers emerged, an even more intense eerie glow suddenly shot forth, enveloping the Flame Spirit Snake before her.

When it was illuminated by that somewhat bizarre glow, the Flame Spirit Snake's enormous eyes, which had been meeting Qing Lin's gaze, suddenly revealed fear, shock, and confusion, as though it had fallen into a wondrous state.

The eerie glow continued to move slowly across the Flame Spirit Snake's body before finally stopping at the center of the foreheads of its two heads.

After the glow stopped moving, it began to slowly shrink. As its range grew smaller and smaller, it eventually became only about the size of a palm.

And when the glow had shrunk to that size, two tiny green flowers slowly formed atop the Flame Spirit Snake's two heads.

After the flowers appeared, the eerie glow gradually began to fade. A moment later, it vanished completely, while the tiny flowers in Qing Lin's pupils quickly dispersed, returning her eyes to their previous emerald color.

Then, Qing Lin's body swayed, and her eyelids gradually drooped, making her look as though she were about to faint.

Thank you to [Luo Wu he] for the 100 Qidian Coins reward, [Zheng Tou] for the two monthly tickets, [Ting Chao], [No Explanation-_-II], and [Book Friend 20210525000527927] for one monthly ticket each, as well as everyone for their recommendation votes.