In the vast underground cave, an endless world of lava stretched before them. Fiery red lava slowly flowed, occasionally releasing huge bubbles that floated into the air before bursting with a "pop," scattering hot drops of lava like beautiful fireworks.
Standing at the end of the passage, Xiao Se was already covered in a layer of dou qi aura, gazing at the rolling lava with excitement, his throat trembling with anticipation.
"We've finally made it this far," he said firmly, extending his right hand and clenching his fist.
"Brother, something is coming from beneath the lava. It seems to be a magical beast," the soft voice of Long Kui suddenly came from the magic sword.
This time, it was Hong Kui speaking. Perhaps because she knew this journey was extremely dangerous, Long Kui had handed over control of her body to Hong Kui since they arrived in Desert City.
Hearing this, Xiao Se focused his gaze. With the help of his system's x-ray vision, he saw a black dot in the depths of the lava moving rapidly toward him. As it got closer, it revealed itself as a giant snake with two heads.
"It's a Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Hong Kui, I'll hand over control to you. Help me subdue this snake, but don't kill it. The Heavenly Flame is within the lava, and this place is vast. We'll need its help to find it quickly," Xiao Se instructed.
"Leave it to me, brother," Hong Kui nodded, waiting for the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent to attack.
Meanwhile, Xiao Se busied himself by releasing Qing Lin from the magical pouch.
Looking around at the sea of fire, Qing Lin couldn't help but swallow hard in shock.
Xiao Se turned to her and said, "Qing Lin, I'll explain the situation later. A fourth-tier magical beast, the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent, is coming soon. I'll control it, and you'll see if you can forcibly contract it like you did with the other magical beasts I caught for you."
"I'll do my best," Qing Lin replied with determination.
The two stood quietly, waiting for the snake to approach.
It didn't take long before Xiao Se's soul power detected the presence of the snake, even without his x-ray vision.
Qing Lin, with her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, sensed it too.
"Brother, it's coming!" Qing Lin gripped the hem of her dress, her green eyes fixed on the fiery lava, and shouted urgently.
"Stay here and don't move. I'll go subdue it," Xiao Se nodded. With a slight tremble, the purple wings on his back burst forth as he leaped into the air. In his mind, he called out, "Hong Kui, I'll leave this to you."
"Got it, brother," Hong Kui responded. The moment she spoke, the purple wings behind Xiao Se turned fiery red, and a strange red light enveloped his body. The intense heat that had been suffocating him vanished, replaced by a refreshing coolness.
As Xiao Se flew forward, the massive Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent surged out of the lava, baring its sharp fangs as it lunged toward him.
"You want to die?"
Seeing the snake charging toward him, Hong Kui took control of Xiao Se's body and conjured a massive blood-red scythe over two meters long.
With a swift upward slash, a red beam shot out from the scythe, striking the connection between the two heads of the snake.
A mere fourth-tier magical beast had no chance against Hong Kui, who could exert the power of a peak Douhuang. The snake was lifted off the ground by the force of the red light, its massive body slamming into the cave's ceiling.
"Boom!!!"
The ceiling trembled as rocks crumbled, and chunks of stone fell into the lava.
With a wave of her hand, Hong Kui dispersed the blood-red scythe, turning it into a long red energy ribbon that wrapped around the snake, binding it tightly.
Soon, the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent, now tied up like a dumpling, was dragged before Qing Lin.
"Brother, you look so beautiful," Qing Lin said, her eyes wide with admiration as she gazed at the transformed Xiao Se.
"Uh…" Xiao Se awkwardly smiled, pointing to the bound snake, its large eyes peeking out. "Qing Lin, give it a try."
"Okay," Qing Lin nodded obediently, closing her eyes as she recalled the scene of her first forced contract with a sand snake. She silently repeated to herself: I must help brother. I can't disappoint him.
Her green eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing three tiny green dots in each eye.
In an instant, Qing Lin's robes and hair fluttered in the air. After a moment, she smiled, her face brightening. "Brother, it's done."
Hearing this, Xiao Se looked into the eyes of the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Its once cunning and vicious eyes had become gentle and obedient. He released his grip, and the red energy ribbon vanished.
Freed from its bindings, the snake affectionately nuzzled Qing Lin, trying to please her.
"Qing Lin, ask it if it knows where the Heavenly Flame is," Xiao Se instructed.
Qing Lin nodded and communicated with the snake. Smiling, she said, "Little Fire says the Heavenly Flame is beneath the lava."
Xiao Se felt a surge of excitement but remained cautious. He pulled a fruit from his storage ring, wrapped it in his Vast Sea Protective Barrier, and tossed it into the lava. As expected, the lava didn't splash, and after a moment, he retrieved the fruit, unharmed.
"Good. The Vast Sea Protective Barrier's invisibility works even against the lava. Otherwise, getting into this lava, which is over ten thousand degrees, would have been impossible, let alone retrieving the Heavenly Flame."
Unlike Yao Lao, Xiao Se didn't have Bone Chilling Flame for protection, nor did he possess Medusa's snake bloodline to resist the heat of the lava.
As for whether Long Kui could withstand the heat, Xiao Se didn't want to gamble. If he asked, Long Kui would likely push herself beyond her limits, even at the risk of severe damage.
"Qing Lin, wait here for a while. I'll go with the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent to search for the Heavenly Flame," Xiao Se said, patting her head with a smile.
He chose not to put her back into the magical pouch. The underground lava world was unpredictable, and if a fierce battle caused the pouch to fall into the lava, it would be a disaster.
"Be careful, brother," Qing Lin nodded, then turned to the snake and said, "Little Fire, take brother to find the Heavenly Flame. Don't play any tricks, and hurry back."
Having spent over half a month with Xiao Se, Qing Lin knew the Vast Sea Protective Barrier's abilities and wasn't worried about him being swallowed by the lava.
The Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent hissed as it dove into the lava, its fiery red tail still visible.
Xiao Se quickly grabbed its tail, activated the Vast Sea Protective Barrier to shield himself, and plunged into the lava with the snake.
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