"Found it." Xiao Huohuo's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
Xiao Yan stood at the edge of the cave entrance, looking down.
The cave was bottomless, with a faint light shimmering in its depths.
"I'm going downstairs." Xiao Huohuo walked over excitedly and said.
"Let's check the situation first. It seems there's more than one passage down here," Xiao Yan said. The moment he opened the passage, he discovered that there were countless underground passages below.
If you don't know the right path, trying to eliminate obstacles will probably take a very long time.
Qing Lin, who was standing to the side, spoke up again:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, I can sense that the strongest aura is contained in that passage; we should be able to find it."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huohuo could hardly hide her excitement and said to Xiao Li:
"Second brother, I'm leaving the rest of the way to you."
"Okay, then be Xiao Xin."
Xiao Li glanced at the mercenaries who were still stunned by Xiao Yan's terrifying combat power and nodded.
They didn't have many people this time, and they even encountered the Sand Mercenary Group along the way, so someone had to stay outside.
Moreover, just in case, Xiao Li had already sent a mercenary back to report the news via a detour.
Without further ado, Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo, carrying Qing Lin, leaped into the cave.
During their descent, Xiao Yan and the others discovered that the passage seemed to have been directly created by a powerful surge of energy, making it extremely smooth.
It took about half a minute before the two of them could see the ground.
"Whoosh!"
The Bone Spirit Cold Flame emerged from the darkness, emitting a faint light that illuminated the cave.
"Over here..."
Qing Lin closed her eyes and carefully sensed the surroundings. Among the dozen or so cave entrances, she chose one and led Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo inside.
Three figures continued forward in the dark passage, and as they descended deeper underground, the surroundings became increasingly cool.
The slope of the passage allowed them to feel that they were going deeper and deeper underground.
About half an hour later, the three of them suddenly realized that the icy feeling around them was gradually easing, and in its place, a scorching heat was slowly emerging.
This bizarre situation made Xiao Huohuo increasingly excited, and the excitement in his eyes was hard to hide.
Deep underground, the terrifying fire-attribute energy made him increasingly convinced that Heavenly Flames existed here.
As they moved forward, the surrounding temperature rose higher and higher. An ordinary person would not have been able to endure such high temperatures.
Soon, as they rounded a bend in the passage, their view suddenly turned crimson.
"Hiss~"
There's no way out.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan Xiao Yan. At the same time, his gaze swept over Qing Lin. Even without the protection of his Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he could feel that a faint layer of energy automatically appeared on Qing Lin's body, insulating her from the high temperature here.
How could that be?
Xiao Huohuo looked at the broken road ahead. At the end of the broken road was a vast underground space, beneath which red magma was constantly boiling.
There was no trace of Heavenly Flames at all.
"I'll go take a look."
As soon as Xiao Huohuo finished speaking, the Purple Cloud Wings on his back popped out, and he flew into the air, surveying his surroundings.
"There seems to be something inside the magma below!"
Just then, Qing Lin suddenly spoke.
Xiao Yan also sensed an aura of magma rapidly approaching upwards.
"Laugh!"
Lava rained down, and a huge, mysterious creature suddenly burst out of the magma, tearing at Xiao Huohuo who was in mid-air.
The magma, as red as blood, churned endlessly in the vast underground space.
Xiao Huohuo hovered in mid-air, his Purple Cloud Wings fluttering gently, his sharp gaze fixed on the boiling lava pool below. The attack just now came too fast; if he hadn't reacted in time and dodged to the side, he would probably have been dragged into the lava by that mysterious creature.
"What is that?" Xiao Yan stood protectively in front of Qing Lin, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame slowly rotating in his palm, the pale flames reflecting on his calm face.
Before the words were even finished, the lava pool churned violently once more!
"Splash--"
Two crimson tails pierced through the magma, and then, a huge head emerged—no, two heads!
This is a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, over ten zhang long, its entire body covered in fiery red scales, each scale reflecting a metallic luster under the light of the magma.
Two snake heads stood on either side, their four eyes like burning embers, fixedly locked onto Xiao Huohuo in the air.
" Fourth-Order Magical Beast!"
The Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Huohuo's mind, unusually tinged with solemnity.
" The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, the overlord of magma. It was just a Magical Beast when it was first born, but by feeding on magma, it eventually became Sixth-Order Magical Beast, comparable to Dou Emperor."
Kid, you're not strong enough to handle it right now.
Xiao Huohuo's expression changed slightly.
Fourth-Order Magical Beast is equivalent to a human Dou Ling expert, and in this magma environment, the Fire Spirit Snake's combat power will be greatly enhanced.
With his current strength, he is naturally no match for this Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.
"Teacher, it seems you'll have to step in." Xiao Huohuo said with a hint of helplessness.
"Then I'll handle it. This is not something you can deal with," the Yao Lao said in a deep voice.
"Relax."
Xiao Huohuo took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The next instant, a vast Spiritual Soul Power surged into his body, and the aura that originally belonged to the boy suddenly became ancient and profound.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had become weathered and sharp.
The Yao Lao master has possessed me!
The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake seemed to sense danger, and both heads emitted sharp hisses simultaneously.
The snake's mouth opened wide, and two crimson pillars of magma erupted, crossing each other as they hurtled towards " Xiao Huohuo " in the air.
Yao Lao controlled Xiao Huohuo's body, and with a gentle flap of his Purple Cloud Wings, he drew a strange arc in the air, narrowly avoiding the pillar of magma.
The pillar of fire grazed past, the terrifying heat distorting the air itself.
"Not bad speed, but it's nothing compared to my abilities."
The Yao Lao spoke calmly, his voice carrying an air of dominance through Xiao Huohuo's body.
He made a fist with his right hand, and a cold white flame emerged from his palm— the Bone Spirit Cold Flame that Yao Lao possessed.
At this moment, it displayed astonishing power in the hands of the Yao Lao.
The flames transformed into a white fire whip, its tip whipping through the air with a sonic boom as it lashed out at the left side of the Fire Spirit Snake's head.
The Fire Spirit Snake reacted extremely quickly, its head snapping to the side as the fiery whip grazed its scales, leaving a charred mark.
Where the scales shattered, magma-like blood seeped out, dripping into the magma pool with a hissing sound.
"Hiss--!"
The injury enraged the Fire Spirit Snake, causing its two heads to thrash wildly, and the entire lava pool to boil.
Countless magma spheres were flung into the air, engulfing the entire space like a torrential rain.
The Yao Lao apothecary's eyes turned cold, and the white flames instantly surged, forming a shield of fire in front of him.
The lava balls crashed into the shield and exploded, but they couldn't break through the defenses.
But at that moment, a cunning glint flashed in the eyes of the Fire Spirit Snake's right head—its true target was not Yao Lao in the air, but Xiao Yan and Qing Lin standing at the exit of the passage!
It had already sensed the trouble the human was causing in mid-air.
Possessing intelligence, it naturally wanted to attack Xiao Yan and Qing Lin first.
The snake's right head suddenly turned, opening its mouth to spew out a thin beam of fire.
The ray was extremely hot and incredibly fast, shooting straight at Qing Lin and his companion.
" Xiao Xin!" Xiao Yan's pupils shrank sharply.
Almost instinctively, he stood in front of Qing Lin, unleashing the full power of his Bone Spirit Cold Flame, which condensed into a thick ice crystal shield in front of him.
Two Soul Ring appeared on his body, and the illusory Soul Armor immediately hindered his entire body.
Flame rays struck the shield, the clash of ice and fire producing a piercing sizzling sound.
The ice crystal shield melted at a visible speed, and Xiao Yan's expression turned solemn.
The power of this fire ray far exceeded his expectations. Although the Bone Spirit Cold Flame was effective against fire, he still had to protect Qing Lin, making things much more difficult.
"Young Master Xiao Yan..." Qing Lin's voice trembled as she looked at the figure blocking her way.
Just as the ice crystal shield was about to shatter completely, a sudden change occurred!
Qing Lin's eyes suddenly changed.
Those eyes, which had been timid and evasive, now glowed with an eerie green light.
Deep within the pupil, three tiny green dots emerged, slowly rotating to form a three-petaled flower pattern.
Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, Awakening!
An invisible mental fluctuation emanated from Qing Lin's eyes. The moment the fluctuation swept over the Fire Spirit Snake, the previously ferocious Fourth-Order Magical Beast suddenly froze.
Both snake heads turned towards Qing Lin simultaneously, and the ferocity and killing intent in their four eyes quickly faded, replaced by confusion, submission, and even... fear.
This sudden and bizarre scene startled both Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo ( Yao Lao ).
In mid-air, Yao Lao manipulated Xiao Huohuo's body to land, a look of shock flashing in his eyes:
"What a lucky girl! The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils... it actually awakened at this time!"
The Fire Spirit Snake's massive body slowly sank into the magma, leaving only its two heads exposed, bowing down like a submissive servant. It didn't even dare to look directly into Qing Lin's eyes, but instead humbly lowered its head.
Xiao Yan dispelled the ice crystal shield and turned to look at Qing Lin.
The green light in the girl's eyes was slowly fading, but the invisible sense of majesty remained.
She stood there, her small, thin body seemingly resonating with the entire underground space.
"I... I don't know what happened..." Qing Lin stared blankly at her hand, "I just felt... that I could control it."
The Yao Lao's voice returned to normal; he had broken free of the possession, and Xiao Huohuo regained control of her body.
The boy stumbled when he landed; the possession by the Yao Lao had taken a heavy toll on his body.
" The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils is the nemesis of snake-type Magical Beast."
The Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Huohuo and Xiao Yan's minds, his tone unusually strange as he spoke:
"This girl was stimulated in a critical moment, so she directly awakened the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that attacked her became the first Soul Beast enslaved by her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."
"You've directly taken control of this Fourth Rank Fire Spirit Snake. Kids, you've struck gold!"
Xiao Huohuo's gaze towards Qing Lin became complicated.
Who would have thought that this mixed-race girl, who was always bullied, would possess such terrifying talent?
A Fourth Rank Magical Beast, comparable to a human Dou Ling, now obeys a girl who has never cultivated before.
" Qing Lin, can you ask it if there's any Heavenly Flames below?" Xiao Yan suddenly asked. Since Qing Lin controlled the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, he should be able to communicate with it.
Qing Lin nodded hesitantly, then looked at the Fire Spirit Snake, the three-flower pattern in her eyes brightening slightly.
The Fire Spirit Snake reacted immediately, its two heads sinking into the magma simultaneously, only to resurface a moment later.
"It said... there's a particularly eerie place down there, even it doesn't dare to go near it," Qing Lin whispered.
The three exchanged glances, Xiao Huohuo immediately realized something, saying:
" Qing Lin, can you not let him take me to that place?"
The emerald light in Qing Lin's eyes flickered again, and then the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake glanced at Xiao Huohuo with some disdain before its huge body slowly sank into the magma.
"Then be Xiao Xin."
Qing Lin slowly spoke, and Xiao Huohuo's face showed excitement. A cold white Heavenly Flames covered his body, hindering the high temperature of the magma.
Xiao Yan also felt a pang of curiosity; he too wanted to see with his own eyes the place where the Heavenly Flames was born.
Perhaps this is related to the mutation of his own Martial Soul?
Both of them were enveloped in white, Heavenly Flames. They took a deep breath and then leaped down into the magma.
This was Xiao Yan's first time entering magma, while Xiao Huohuo had already experienced it once before, back in the Fire Lizard Valley.
At the cave entrance, Qing Lin rested her chin on her hand, looking at the lava below with concern, waiting for the two to reappear.