Chapter 78: Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake

On the platform at the end of the tunnel, Xiao Bai's expression shifted slightly as his eyes narrowed. He sensed something watching them.

"Young Master, Qing Lin feels like there's something hiding down there!" Qing Lin clutched Xiao Bai's sleeve tightly, her emerald-green eyes scanning the endless sea of magma as she spoke urgently.

"There is something observing us from below," Hai Bo Dong confirmed.

Xiao Ding froze, his gaze darting across the molten expanse, but he saw nothing.

Yet, the serious expressions on the other three faces told him this was no joke. A pang of frustration hit him—he felt utterly out of place among them.

Xiao Bai knew exactly what it was—the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake, another "veteran actor" like the lion from the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Qing Lin, how about Young Master finds you a little pet?" Xiao Bai looked down at the girl and said softly.

"Okay!" Qing Lin replied brightly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Just then, Xiao Bai sensed a presence rapidly approaching. Suddenly, a massive bulge swelled in the magma.

With a deafening boom, scalding lava erupted in all directions as an enormous figure emerged before them.

"Look out! Profound Ice Mirror!" Hai Bo Dong shouted. A two-meter-square ice barrier materialized in front of the group, blocking the incoming magma.

"Young... Young Master... isn't this... a little too big?!" Qing Lin stammered, her small mouth hanging open in shock.

A small pet?! This thing was fifteen meters long!

Xiao Ding, drenched in cold sweat, stumbled back several steps, inwardly cursing. A small pet?! Do you even know the meaning of the word?!

Wait—this aura... Oh no, a Fourth-Rank magical beast!

"Xiao Bai, that's a Fourth-Rank magical beast!" Xiao Ding yelled.

"Relax. It's just a wild animal," Xiao Bai said calmly, his gaze fixed on the creature.

The beast's entire body was fiery red, resembling a polished ruby. Its surface was covered in palm-sized crimson scales, and its long neck split into two, each bearing a ferocious head.

Four enormous diamond-shaped eyes, filled with bloodlust, glared at Xiao Bai and the others.

"Elder Hai, can you handle it?" Xiao Bai asked quietly.

"At my current strength, defeating it isn't hard, but killing it..." Hai Bo Dong glanced around at the environment and shook his head.

He and the beast were both at the Dou Ling realm, but as an ice-attribute cultivator, he was at a disadvantage here. Meanwhile, the snake thrived in this fiery realm.

Even a average Dou Wang struggle to kill it in this environment.

"Then stay here and protect them. I'll deal with it," Xiao Bai said firmly.

"Good. Be careful." Hai Bo Dong had full confidence in Xiao Bai and immediately retreated with Qing Lin.

Xiao Bai watched his swift retreat and sighed inwardly. Was our deal too hastily made?

Shaking off the thought, he flexed slightly, and Purple Cloud Wings burst from his back. He shot straight toward the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake.

"Th-that's... Dou Qi materialization into wings? A Dou Wang?!" Xiao Ding's pupils shrank as he stared at the wings behind Xiao Bai, his voice trembling with shock.

He knew Xiao Bai was strong, but he never imagined the guy was a Dou Wang! Three years ago, when we left, he was still at the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi!

Back then, the clan elders had said Xiao Bai had the potential to reach Dou Wang. Potential?! This isn't potential—this is a seventeen-year-old Dou Wang standing right here!

"Second brother... from now on, maybe be a little more polite to him. Stop provoking him. Big brother genuinely fears you might get yourself killed one day."

Though Xiao Ding was thrilled their clan had such a powerhouse, a wave of defeat washed over him. His words, seemingly directed at Xiao Li, were also a reminder to himself.

We left home and built this mercenary corps from scratch, thinking we'd achieved something great. But compared to him? It's nothing.

Hai Bo Dong glanced at the stunned Xiao Ding and shook his head slightly. Over the past few days, he had learned about Xiao Bai's background—the Xiao Family of Wutan City, once a prominent clan in the imperial capital.

After Xiao Lin's death, the family had declined. But now, they had the incredible fortune of producing someone like Xiao Bai. Though, it seemed even his own family was unaware of his true strength.

At that moment, the Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake glared at the figure charging toward it, its eyes flashing with brutality. Its massive maws suddenly gaped open, and two pillars of molten lava and fire erupted like volcanic blasts, shooting straight at Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai flapped his Purple Cloud Wings, dodging one of the magma jets. But the other traced a fiery arc through the air, carrying devastating force as it hurtled toward him.

From the tunnel entrance, Qing Lin and Xiao Ding watched in horror as the flaming pillar threatened to engulf Xiao Bai.

"Thunderclap Palm!"

Clad in armor formed from the Dark Thunder of Wu Earth, Xiao Bai's palm blazed with crimson lightning as he struck the magma pillar head-on.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the cavern, sending arcs of lightning and tongues of fire scattering in all directions.

When the chaos settled, Xiao Bai emerged unscathed, and the two spectators exhaled in relief.

"Beast, take this!" Seeing the snake's heads swelling again as it prepared another attack, Xiao Bai blinked directly beside one of its gaping jaws, his fist crackling with red lightning.

BANG!

A brutal uppercut smashed into the snake's lower jaw, sending that head rocketing upward—and yanking the other head along with it. The second head, interrupted mid-attack, let out a piercing, agonized shriek.

Xiao Bai didn't let up. As the snake flailed helplessly midair, its vulnerable underbelly exposed, he drove another lightning-wreathed fist into its abdomen, bending its body into a grotesque "C" shape.

A few days ago, his punches might not have carried such force—he might've needed soul power to finish the fight. But after refining the Dark Thunder of Wu Earth, his physique had undergone another transformation.

Earth attributes were renowned for defense, and Xiao Bai's thunder-infused variant was even more suited for tempering the body. Now, even he wasn't sure of his physical limits.

But those two punches had proven one thing—this snake's body couldn't match his.

As the serpent continued its uncontrolled flight, Xiao Bai teleported to the fork of its two necks. Lightning flashed under his feet.

"Get down!"

CRASH!

The Twin-Headed Flame Spirit Snake slammed into the magma. One of its jaws hung crooked, the scales on its belly and neck shattered, blood oozing from the wounds and instantly vaporizing in the molten heat.

A mournful whimper escaped its twin mouths. The bloodthirsty savagery in its eyes had vanished, replaced by primal fear.

Without hesitation, both heads plunged into the magma, its battered body attempting to flee into the depths.

"Not good—it's trying to escape!"