The path ahead was blocked, and the terrifying magma lake loomed before them. "There's no way forward, and this magma lake is horrifying. What do we do?" Xiao Ding said, sweat dripping from his brow. The intense fire attribute energy clashed harshly with his wood attribute cultivation, making him deeply uncomfortable.
"Young Master, there's something in the magma. Its strength is slightly greater than Sha Luo from the Sand Mercenary Corps," Qing Lin said from Xiao Heng's arms. She relished the feeling of being held by him, clinging tightly to his body.
"So, a Dou Ling-level beast," Xiao Yan remarked.
"It's normal for a magical beast to guard a place with a Strange Flame. Little Yan-zi, go lure it out," Xiao Heng said.
"How am I supposed to lure it? It's all magma—there's no way to get through!" Xiao Ding asked, puzzled.
"Big Brother, Little Yan-zi has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Trust him," Xiao Heng said, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Leave it to me!" Xiao Yan declared. A pair of cyan wings sprouted from his back—though he'd lost the Purple Cloud Wings, he'd acquired the Cyan Cloud Wings.
"Is that Dou Zhi Qi forming wings? Could it be…?" Xiao Ding gaped, stunned.
"Big Brother, those are from a flight fighting technique," Xiao Heng explained, briefly outlining the basics of such techniques.
"I see," Xiao Ding nodded, understanding dawning.
"Go on, Little Yan-zi. Draw the beast toward us," Xiao Heng urged. The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake is just Qing Lin's future enforcer, after all.
"Here I go!" Xiao Yan dove toward the magma without hesitation. Just before touching it, he executed a deft maneuver, pulling up vertically to soar into the air. The heart-stopping move left Xiao Heng and the others on edge.
"Big Brother, don't worry. That guy wasn't forged in life-and-death battles for nothing," Xiao Heng reassured. A cluster of blue flames materialized above them, steadily absorbing the surrounding fire element energy, easing the strain on Xiao Ding's wood attribute constitution.
"Sigh, as the eldest, I'm the one holding you back," Xiao Ding said, shaking his head helplessly.
"Don't say that," Xiao Heng comforted.
Xiao Yan, enveloped in purple flame Dou Zhi Qi, used his soul force to probe for the beast in the magma. The magma contained fire poison, and with his relatively weak Dou Zhi Qi cultivation, Xiao Yan relied on antidote pills to cope. Flying through the magma, he soon felt the heat overwhelming him. One more spark, and I'll be a roasted Xiao Flame!
The beast in the magma noticed Xiao Yan. A fourth-tier magical beast, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, equivalent to a human Dou Ling, wasn't about to let a mere Dou Shi buzz around its territory like a pesky fly.
The once-calm magma lake erupted into chaos. The magma near Xiao Yan exploded, sending a shower of fiery rain cascading down. Xiao Yan dodged frantically, fleeing for his life. Just as he escaped the fiery deluge, a piercing hiss echoed behind him. A gaping, bloodthirsty maw lunged, forcing Xiao Yan to pour more Dou Zhi Qi into his wings, boosting his speed to evade the beast's jaws. With the magma beast hot on his tail, its relentless hissing filled the air as Xiao Yan raced toward Xiao Heng's position.
"Third Brother, isn't this getting too dangerous?" Xiao Ding, watching from afar, said with concern.
"Big Brother, Little Yan-zi's potential far exceeds what you or I can imagine. We have to trust him," Xiao Heng said calmly. Qing Lin, nestled in his arms, began to wonder if Xiao Heng and Xiao Yan were truly brothers.
"You're right," Xiao Ding said, forcing himself to stay composed. Third Brother's Dou Huang strength must see things I can't.
Realizing the "fly" was nearly as fast as itself, the magma beast switched to ranged attacks, firing several blasts of scorching flame energy at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan barely dodged the onslaught using a movement fighting technique from Yao Lao. Without Yun Yun's encounter in the Magical Beast Mountain Range—where she was accompanied by two Dou Wang subordinates—Xiao Yan hadn't acquired the Burst Step technique. But Yao Lao never lacked fighting techniques below Di Class, especially fire attribute ones. He limited their use to prevent Xiao Yan from becoming overly reliant.
Heart pounding, Xiao Yan narrowly evaded the attack. "Teacher, when are you going to step in? Your disciple's about to bite the dust!" he pleaded.
"No rush. You can handle it," Yao Lao replied, his tone devoid of worry.
"Damn it, here we go again! I didn't even steal your stuff!" Xiao Yan cursed as a barrage of molten rocks flew toward him. Each dodge was a hair's breadth from disaster. To Xiao Ding, watching from afar, Xiao Yan was dancing on the edge of the underworld.
"Now that's thrilling!" Xiao Heng remarked, reveling in the spectacle. Xiao Ding shot him a helpless look.
The viscous, blood-like magma churned, dark red bubbles bursting one after another. Sparks sprayed like crimson meteors streaking through the air. Amid the grating sound of grinding bones, a massive figure emerged on the magma's surface. It was a serpentine beast, its four-to-five-zhang-long body coiling like a scarlet python. Each red scale gleamed with a metallic sheen, edged with translucent molten crystals that clinked faintly as it moved.
Most terrifying were its heads—unlike ordinary beasts, it bore two ferocious heads.
The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was wreathed in blazing flames, the air around it warping faintly from the heat. As it moved, the magma parted to either side. It let out a deafening roar, the sound laced with scorching air that melted nearby rocks into glowing liquid. Its killing intent enveloped them like a tangible force.
Suddenly, the beast slowed. Its twin heads unleashed two pillars of molten flame toward Xiao Yan. He dodged the first, but the second was unavoidable.
At the last moment, bolstered by the Tian Class fighting technique Ghost Possession, Xiao Yan miraculously burst through the fiery pillar. The tranquil magma lake erupted into a volcanic frenzy under the attack's ferocity.
"He's done for!" Xiao Ding sighed, convinced Xiao Yan was finished.
"He won't die," Xiao Heng said, his expression unchanged. Qing Lin, clutching his arm tightly, found the scene terrifying.
A black dot grew larger—Xiao Yan finally reached the tunnel's entrance, battered and disheveled. Glancing at the composed Xiao Heng and thinking of that ghostly old man, he thought, You two are the real master-disciple pair. I nearly got roasted!
"Little Yan-zi, you okay?" Xiao Ding asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. It's up to you now," Xiao Yan said, looking at Xiao Heng as the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake charged toward them.
"Qing Lin, it's your turn. Stare it down!" Xiao Heng said, setting down the girl clinging to him.
"Huh…?" Qing Lin froze, stunned at the idea of facing such a fearsome beast.
"Look into its eyes," Xiao Heng prompted.
"Okay!" Though she harbored a sliver of doubt, Qing Lin trusted Xiao Heng and followed his instructions.
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