The shriek remained high and piercing, soaring through the clouds. Amidst this ever-louder cry, three green spots within Qinglin's eyes suddenly flared with an intense, ethereal glow, transforming in an instant into three exceedingly delicate green flowers. As these strange green blossoms materialized, a powerful, shimmering light burst forth from their center, bathing the fire spirit serpent in its radiance. Under the effect of this peculiar glow, the massive serpent body instantly stiffened, its two great eyes wide with astonishment, fixed upon the little girl before it. The ethereal light moved slowly across the serpent's body, finally settling at the central foreheads of the two serpent heads. Once the light ceased its movement, it began to shrink gradually, yet as its area diminished, the intensity of the light within it grew ever brighter. The glow gradually shrank, until finally it had narrowed down to only the size of a palm. At that precise moment, when the glow reached that size, it ceased shrinking altogether, and then burst forth in a sudden surge of soft light, imprinting two small green blossoms onto the two heads of the fire spirit serpent. After the blossoms appeared, the glow began to fade gradually. A moment later, the delicate flowers within the azure eyes swiftly receded, and within an instant, the eyes returned to their usual vivid green. Once the eyes resumed their normal appearance, the body of the green-scaled serpent shuddered, then gradually slumped, and finally collapsed to the ground. After the green-scaled serpent had fallen, the massive fire spirit serpent remained motionless, as if stunned. Yet every time its gaze swept over the fallen serpent, the fierce and fierce expressions on its face naturally faded, replaced instead by a gentle, serene warmth. "By the gods—what the hell!" As the Flame Spirit Snake stood motionless, Xiao Yan finally broke through the air, his dark Xu Zhong Chi striking hard against its massive body, causing blood to splash forth and flesh to tear open... "Ah!" Once more struck, the Flame Spirit Snake finally regained consciousness, turning its enormous form to glare fiercely at Xiao Yan. However, as its gaze swept over the towering Xu Zhong Chi, a flicker of hesitation passed through its eyes. Under the intensity of Xiao Yan's furious expression, it once again dove back into the molten lake. "Damn it!" Seeing the Flame Spirit Snake once again choosing to retreat, Xiao Yan muttered under his breath, then spread his wings and swiftly appeared beside Qing Lin, lifting her gently and cradling her. With his fingers probing beneath her nose, he exhaled in relief only after confirming that she still breathed. From his vow of monastic discipline, Xiao Yan extracted a pill for healing wounds and pressed it into Qinglin's mouth. Then, he held her close and slowly walked toward the passage, gazing at the injured Xiao Ding with a wry smile, offering him a healing pill and asking, "How are you? Any serious issues?" "Phew, not too bad—just need to rest a while," Xiao Ding replied, taking the pill and swallowing it. He exhaled deeply and offered a weak smile. "However, this underground cavern is so vast, and filled with flames throughout, making it quite difficult to locate the unique flames." Xiao Ding sighed. "Indeed, we can't linger here too long—otherwise, once other powerful beings sense the disturbances, that will surely become a major issue..." Xiao Yan nodded, offering a wry smile. Hearing this, Xiao Ding also nodded with a similar expression of understanding, fully aware of how greatly the unique flames attracted the stronger beings. "Mmm..." As Xiao Yan grew somewhat exasperated, the green-scale dragon finally stirred gently within his arms, slowly shaking her drowsy head and lifting her gaze to look at Xiao Yan, her cheeks flushed. With delicate fingers gently massaging her temples, she softly said, "Master, perhaps I can tell you where the unique flames are." "Oh?" Both Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding were taken aback, staring at her in surprise, "How could you possibly know?" Smiling softly, Qinglin suddenly broke free from Xiao Yan's embrace and ran to the entrance of the corridor, holding her small hand to her lips and shouting, "Come out!" As soon as her voice fell, the calm lava lake surged, and a massive fire spirit serpent rose abruptly, then glided slowly toward the entrance. Seeing the fire spirit serpent reappear, Xiao Yan was startled and quickly stood up, grasping his heavy staff, his expression stern as he watched the serpent glide toward the entrance. "Master, don't attack it—it won't harm us anymore," Qinglin quickly caught Xiao Yan's arm and said. "What's going on?" Eyes fixed on the serpent, Xiao Yan noticed that it now seemed truly intent on no longer attacking. He was thus somewhat taken aback, asking in surprise. "I'm not entirely sure either..." Qinglin slightly shook her head, taking a few steps forward, her emerald eyes fixed on the massive creature before her, expressing her bewilderment. "I don't know why, but I feel like I've established some strange connection with it. I can sense its intentions..." "Huh?" Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, his gaze lingering warmly on the fire spirit snake now standing before him, finally settling on the green flower blooming on its forehead. He furrowed his brows—this flower had clearly not been there before. "Hmm, hmm... impressive, little one. I'm not sure whether you're just unlucky or blessed—why do you always end up meeting such unusual people? Last time, you encountered a rare poison body condition; this time, you're no less remarkable, having met a young girl with the 'Emerald Snake Triple-Flower Eyes'..." As Xiao Yan remained puzzled, the elder's astonished laughter suddenly echoed in his mind. "What exactly is the 'Emerald Snake Triple-Flower Eyes'?" "The unfamiliar term made Xiao Yan astonished, prompting him to ask, 'Um... how should I put it? This is a rather unusual innate pupil type, seemingly appearing only among the descendants of humans and serpent people. When mastered proficiently, it can induce hallucinations in others. Think about it—what would it feel like if, during a battle, you suddenly made your opponent mentally disoriented, or even worse, caused them to cut down one of their own allies?" Yao Lao chuckled with a mischievous smile. "Hmm... that would certainly be quite entertaining," Xiao Yan replied, cracking his fingers and wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with a dry smile. "Also, this kind of pupil is almost a match for every serpent-type beast, as it has a certain chance of establishing a one-sided, compulsory connection with them. Think of it as a rare, mystical pact—something that exists only infrequently in this world." "Master," the old doctor chuckled, "it's clear that this fire spirit snake here has been unfortunate enough to have its contract sealed by the girl's still very rudimentary 'Bian She San Hua Eye' technique..." "...Damn it," Xiao Yan muttered, opening and closing his mouth before lowering his gaze to the slightly timid young Qing Lin beside him. Now, this little girl had a truly remarkable guardian—a spirit beast of Douling rank. He'd never seen anyone with such a high-level combat companion before. "Master, it knows where the strange fire is," Qing Lin pointed at the fire spirit snake, beaming proudly at Xiao Yan. "Really?" Xiao Yan blinked, licking his lips. "Where?" "Hmm..." Qing Lin closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, then slowly opened them again, scanning the surroundings before shyly pointing down at the hot, molten lake beneath them. "It said... it's down there." "Ah…." Glancing along Qinglin's fingers toward the blazing red lava, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. Lava beneath? He hadn't expected the strange flame to be hidden beneath this lava. But here... Wasn't he going to have to jump down and find it himself? That wasn't just searching—he was heading straight for death. "Ah, now I understand," came the sudden clarity in the old doctor's voice, echoing vividly in Xiao Yan's mind. "That's why I've always failed to sense the strange flame—it's been masked by these underground molten streams." "Master... can we go down here?" Xiao Yan wiped his lips, pointing to the bubbling, scorching lava below, and offered a dry smile. "Heh. To obtain the strange flame won't be easy. How about it? Are you brave enough to jump?" The old doctor replied calmly. Swallowing hard, Xiao Yan glanced once more at the fiery lava below, his throat moving slightly, his face shifting between pale and flushed. Standing beside him, Qinglin watched Xiao Yan's face rapidly shifting in color, equally anxious. She couldn't be certain about the message conveyed by the Fire Spirit Snake—should Xiao Yan truly jump down and meet with an accident, then she might as well follow him and meet her end. "Hmm…" Staring at the fire spirit serpent leaping downward, Xiao Yan took several long breaths, his chest rising and falling. After a moment, he suddenly closed his eyes, facing the searing lava with a determined plunge, under the wide-eyed, breathless gazes of Qing Lin and Xiao Ding.