"What do you feel now?"
"I want it! But I'm scared!"
Hearing this, Xiao Bai looked into her eyes thoughtfully. Did she desire the lightning, or was it the Yi Wood Qi?
He retracted the green light at his fingertip and replaced it with a flickering silver arc of lightning. "What about now? How do you feel?"
Qing Lin shook her head. "I don't feel that way anymore."
Xiao Bai nodded in understanding. It seemed that her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils craved the Yi Wood Qi, not the lightning.
He then raised his fingers into a sword gesture, a faint green glow swirling around them. Slowly, he moved his hand closer to Qing Lin's forehead. Seeing her instinctively flinch back in fear, he spoke in a serious tone, "Don't move!"
Upon hearing this, Qing Lin quickly suppressed her body's instinctive fear, standing still while staring at the approaching green light with wide eyes.
Xiao Bai's fingers stopped a few inches from her forehead, going no further. At that moment, the three tiny dots in Qing Lin's eyes gradually grew brighter.
Suddenly, when the three dots reached a certain level of brightness, a meter-long emerald-green conical beam burst from her pupils.
The instant this green light appeared, the Fire Spirit Serpent on the ground trembled violently, feeling an overwhelming sense of terror descend upon it. Its body pressed firmly against the ground, shivering uncontrollably.
A primal instinct screamed within it—under no circumstances should it be caught in that beam, or its life would be over!
Xiao Bai squinted slightly. This was like being blinded by high beams while driving in his past life—his eyes nearly went blind from the sudden brightness.
He then felt a strange sensation from the mist on his fingertip, as if something wanted to consume it but couldn't quite reach it.
The disturbance in his body made it clear—Qing Lin's eyes were trying to absorb the Yi Wood Qi from his hand. However, Xiao Yi seemed unwilling to comply.
It was as if the little creature was displeased that something was trying to steal its energy, and it attempted to break free. But with Xiao Bai holding it down, it eventually calmed.
Soon after, Xiao Bai felt the green mist at his fingertip being slowly absorbed. Meanwhile, the emerald light in Qing Lin's eyes became denser, extending to a length of over three meters before finally stopping.
Seeing that she had stopped absorbing the Yi Wood Qi, Xiao Bai withdrew his hand and spoke in a deep voice, "Look at the snake on the ground! Envelop its heads with your gaze!"
Although Qing Lin didn't understand the reason, she obediently followed his instructions. Lowering her head, she directed the green beam toward the serpent's two enormous, ferocious heads.
The trembling Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent immediately froze, its terrified gaze dulling as it lay motionless on the ground.
The emerald light then condensed, forming two three-petaled floral marks that imprinted onto the snake's foreheads.
"Tsk, tsk… The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils truly are the nemesis of serpent-type magical beasts!" Yao Lao marveled as he observed the once-hostile Fire Spirit Serpent now displaying a docile demeanor.
A mere little girl, barely a first-stage Dou Zhi Qi, just subdued a Rank Four magical beast. It was beyond astonishing!
"Indeed!" Xiao Bai couldn't help but feel a little envious. Twelve years in this world, and I'm only a six-star Great Dou Master. Meanwhile, Qing Lin's cheat ability makes my "advantages" look tame.
"Young Master... this feels so strange," Qing Lin murmured, pointing at the snake. "It's like... I'm connected to it now. I can feel its thoughts!"
"Don't be afraid! Your eyes are special—they're called the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, the bane of all serpent-type magical beasts. It's perfectly normal for you to sense it!" Xiao Bai reassured her, patting her head.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the two stunned figures standing not far away. His expression turned serious as he ordered, "Keep what happened with Qing Lin today a secret. No one must hear of this!"
Hai Bodong and Xiao Ding nodded solemnly. They didn't understand the full implications, but Xiao Bai's commanding presence left no room for debate. Since he had insisted on secrecy, it was clearly of great importance.
Hai Bodong looked at the timid little girl who had once handed him steamed buns, his perception of her completely transformed. He wondered if now was the perfect time to invest in her future.
But then he glanced at Xiao Bai standing beside her and immediately dismissed the thought. Forget it—I can't afford that kind of investment!
Xiao Ding, meanwhile, felt his entire worldview shaken. *Xiao Bai, a fourth-tier magical beast, and now a girl with a special constitution? Is this even the same world I grew up in?*
And that girl—she had lived in Stone Desert City for years! He'd heard rumors about her but never imagined she'd turn out to be such a monstrous talent.
"Judging by the intensity of the fire energy here and the presence of this fire-type beast, there's a high chance that a Heavenly Flame exists in this area," Hai Bodong said, refocusing on their mission.
"Xiao Bai, you mentioned before that we'd have to go through magma. Does that mean the Heavenly Flame is underground?" Yao Lao recalled what Xiao Bai had said when they first made their deal.
"That's right! That Tian Can Zi told me it's beneath the underground magma," Xiao Bai replied. He inwardly praised his own foresight. Tian Canzi is such a convenient scapegoat—he could push all the responsibility onto him. After all, it wasn't like anyone here would know who he was.
"Young Master, if you're looking for a Heavenly Flame, Qing Lin might know where it is," Qing Lin suddenly spoke up after hearing Hai Bodong's words and realizing Xiao Bai's goal.
"Oh? Then tell me, Qing Lin!" Xiao Bai already knew the truth, but it was better for Qing Lin to say it. After all, the underground magma covered a vast area, and pinpointing the exact location would save them a lot of time.
"Little Fire knows the exact location of the Heavenly Flame!" Qing Lin pointed at the Fire Spirit Serpent.
"Little Fire?" Had she already given it a name that quickly?
The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent shrank back slightly in fear when it noticed Xiao Bai's gaze on it.
"Xiao Ding, stay here with Qing Lin. Elder Hai, come with me. Once the Fire Spirit Serpent leads us to the Heavenly Flame, you two must leave this place immediately. Return straight to Stone Desert City. Do not delay.!"
Xiao Bai's expression was solemn as he instructed Xiao Ding. Ever since he started practicing The Heavenly Heart Perception Chapter, he occasionally entered a state of unity between Man and Heaven. His spiritual intuition had become highly sensitive, and this time, he had a strong premonition that things might not go smoothly.
And in the Tagor Desert, there was only one person who could make him feel this way.
Seeing how serious Xiao Bai was about this, Xiao Ding realized the gravity of the situation and nodded firmly in agreement.
"Lead the way!"
Xiao Bai nudged the Fire Spirit Serpent with his foot. Although it had been beaten nearly to death, he hadn't finished it off. In this magma-filled world, it was still useful as a guide.
He then nodded at Hai Bodong, conjured a yellow-gray protective light shield around himself, and leaped downward.
Following the Fire Spirit Serpent, the two of them dove deeper. As time passed, the temperature around them steadily rose, and the color of the magma gradually changed. It was no longer just fiery red but now carried a faint tinge of green.
"Xiao Bai, it's definitely the aura of a Heavenly Flame! Haha…" Yao Lao's excitement grew as he sensed the changes in the surrounding energy.
—
Meanwhile, deep in the Tagor Desert…
A figure with crimson energy wings soared through the sky, heading straight for their location.