Chapter 17: Preparing for Battle!

With Little Fairy Doctor's current strength, it is very difficult to threaten a Tier 4 Magical Beast. Although Xiao Yan can barely put up a fight, there is nowhere to leverage force within the magma, and it is very easy for him to fall into a disadvantageous position.

"How about luring it here?" Little Fairy Doctor suddenly said.

"Lure it here?"

"Yes!" Little Fairy Doctor raised her head to look at the surroundings and said, "Although this place is still relatively spacious, it is, after all, inside a lava cave, and the space is limited. If we can lure it here, firstly, we can strip away its home-field advantage; secondly, we can restrict its movements; and thirdly, we can set traps in advance! In this way, the probability of success will be much higher."

"But how do we lure it over?"

"Burning Blood!"

"Burning Blood?"

"Yes, your Burning Blood contains the essence blood of a Tier 3 fire-attribute Magical Beast, which should have a certain attraction for the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake," Little Fairy Doctor said, a confident light flickering in her eyes. Although she had always been following behind Xiao Yan, it was easy to forget that she was also a girl who had lived in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for two years.

Especially when it came to setting traps to deal with Magical Beasts stronger than herself, Little Fairy Doctor was even more skilled than Xiao Yan!

"Good! But just in case, I will refine a few more Monster Cores into the Burning Blood!" Xiao Yan added.

"Mm, and I will take the opportunity to prepare some medicinal packets to stimulate its appetite."

At this moment, the two of them seemed to have returned to the scenes in the Magical Beast Mountain Range when they hunted powerful Magical Beasts together.

In the lava cave illuminated by only a single torch, a black medicine cauldron nearly two meters high appeared out of thin air.

The medicine cauldron was pure black throughout, its massive body suppressing the surrounding void with an inexplicable power; it was huge and heavy. As Xiao Yan struck a strand of Dou Qi into the cauldron, the flame totem on the Black Demon Cauldron seemed to come alive at this moment, rapidly condensing the rich fire-attribute Heaven and Earth energy in the underground lava cave, forming a layer of fire shell emitting a faint red light outside the cauldron, while simultaneously forming a pale red flame within the cauldron.

This flame was not Volcanic Stone Flame, but one condensed by the Black Demon Cauldron itself under the stimulation of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi; Xiao Yan generally used it to preheat the cauldron and confirm the state of the Black Demon Cauldron.

As the temperature inside the Black Demon Cauldron gradually rose, the surrounding air also became hot and dry.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his hands dancing rapidly as he performed hand seals, and a crimson flame enveloped the already prepared Burning Blood and Monster Cores, surging into the cauldron through its mouth.

After the Burning Blood and Monster Cores entered the cauldron, they quickly separated into two parts.

The part where the Monster Cores were located saw the fire intensity expand rapidly, and the rapidly climbing high temperature soon melted the Monster Cores into a liquid state; it looked as if the great task would be completed once the two were fused.

But even simple medicinal liquid fusion could not be achieved just by stirring them together, so Xiao Yan successively added seven or eight types of medicinal herbs with harmonizing properties, such as White Orchid Ganoderma and Profound Jade Ginseng.

Before long, these medicinal herbs turned into either medicinal liquid or medicinal powder.

All of a sudden, it was as if several stars had appeared in the medicine cauldron, rolling and shining, incomparably brilliant.

The Volcanic Stone Flame within the Black Demon Cauldron became increasingly scorching, causing even the Green Lotus Core Flame, ten miles away, to tremble slightly.

The medicinal liquid in the cauldron boiled, emitting crackling sounds. Xiao Yan's expression became increasingly focused, the hand seals in his hands changed continuously, and all the Dou Qi in his body, as if it were free, transformed into Volcanic Stone Flame and surged into the Black Demon Cauldron; the various medicinal liquids and powders in the cauldron were rapidly fused together by Xiao Yan with extremely precise timing and proportions.

Boom!!

Suddenly, the firelight flared brilliantly. The distant Green Lotus Core Flame seemed to sense a threat and trembled even more, and even the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake swimming nearby became somewhat uneasy.

The medicine cauldron lid lifted, and a blood-red medicinal pill carrying a rich, bloody scent flew out from the cauldron, tracing a graceful arc in the air and emitting a scent capable of driving all Magical Beasts mad.

Xiao Yan made a grabbing motion in the void with his palm, and the blood-red medicinal pill obediently fell into his hand.

Quickly putting the blood-red medicinal pill into a medicine bottle and sealing the opening tightly, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. It was not only because the pill refining was a success, but also because although the blood-red medicinal pill had an unimaginable attraction to Magical Beasts, it was extremely nauseating to humans.

"Is the medicinal pill refined?" Little Fairy Doctor at the side parted her thin lips slightly and gently wiped the beads of sweat from Xiao Yan's forehead with a handkerchief: "You've worked hard. Get some good rest; we still have to battle the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake later."

"Mm, this is nothing for me, after all, I am searching for the Heavenly Flame for myself," Xiao Yan looked at Little Fairy Doctor with some pity: "It is you who will have to suffer."

Little Fairy Doctor smiled slightly, not minding what Xiao Yan had said. In her view, the two of them were meant to support each other, and there was no such thing as suffering or not suffering.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake is a Tier 4 Magical Beast, two major realms higher than Little Fairy Doctor; even with the help of the Woeful Poison Body, it is difficult to pose a major threat. Moreover, Little Fairy Doctor's weak body is very easily targeted by the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, and once Xiao Yan fails to intercept in time, there is a possibility of her meeting an untimely end.

Therefore, Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor agreed that Little Fairy Doctor would exert her full power to lace the medicinal pill, which served as bait, with potent poison.

As long as the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake could be made to eat it, even a Tier 4 Magical Beast would be severely injured when facing a full-force strike from Little Fairy Doctor's Woeful Poison Body from within its body, creating a window of opportunity for Xiao Yan.

After Xiao Yan retreated to the side, dark green poison gas suddenly surged over Little Fairy Doctor's entire body.

Little Fairy Doctor pressed her right hand against her left wrist and slashed hard.

Pfft! A seven-colored blood, carrying a strange, sweet scent, sprayed out from the wound.

"Little Fairy Doctor, you!" Xiao Yan exclaimed. He certainly knew what Little Fairy Doctor was doing, but they hadn't agreed to do this just now!

Seeing this, it felt as if Xiao Yan's heart had been stabbed by a knife, a piercing pain.

This seven-colored blood is Little Fairy Doctor's essence blood! Not only does it possess extremely strong toxicity, but it can also serve as a carrier for all the poison gas in Little Fairy Doctor's body, possessing extremely powerful strength.

But the price is also huge.

The loss of essence blood will not only cause Little Fairy Doctor to fall into a weakened state, requiring months or even years to recover. More importantly, the loss of essence blood will accelerate the loss of control of the Woeful Poison Body!

Although Xiao Yan was confident that he could complete the Poison Pill Method before Little Fairy Doctor's Woeful Poison Body lost control, if the time of loss of control were to be advanced, it would be hard to say.

But it was obviously too late to stop her now; Little Fairy Doctor had clearly grasped this timing.

When all the poison gas surged into that drop of seven-colored blood, the original seven colors had already faded, and the strange, sweet scent had also completely disappeared, leaving only a colorless and odorless liquid in the void, like clear water.

The loss of essence blood and Dou Qi had clearly exhausted too much of Little Fairy Doctor's strength; her slender, delicate body was already swaying, and Xiao Yan quickly ran over to catch her, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"You girl, why do you have to be so desperate when refining a poison," Xiao Yan chided somewhat: "If you do this, you know it makes my heart ache?"

Little Fairy Doctor leaned into Xiao Yan's embrace; the loss of essence blood made her feel somewhat cold.

"Alright, aren't I fine? I've had more dangerous experiences in the Magical Beast Mountain Range before, what is there to worry about? Besides, I've already thought of a way to recover," Little Fairy Doctor blinked her playful eyes at Xiao Yan and said with a smile.

"A way?"

"Mm, I heard that the Fire Lotus Seeds of the Green Lotus Core Flame contain a certain amount of Heavenly Flame power as well as powerful life force. With the miraculous nature of the Fire Lotus Seeds, they can completely replenish my deficit and also suppress the accumulation of toxins from the Woeful Poison Body. If you really calculate it, I've actually profited!"

Indeed, just as Little Fairy Doctor said, the Fire Lotus Seeds of the Green Lotus Core Flame likely really had this effect, and Xiao Yan also breathed a slight sigh of relief: "No matter what, you are not allowed to do this again next time."

"Alright, I know."

She took a deep breath; what needed to be prepared had been prepared, and the next step was the time to face the enemy head-on.

Retiring slightly along the path they came, Xiao Yan found a suitable recessed spot and set Little Fairy Doctor down: "Stay here properly, I'll be back soon."

Knowing that Little Fairy Doctor was somewhat cold and weak at this moment, Xiao Yan took off his own clothes and covered her with them; although both Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor had spare clothes in their Storage Rings, they certainly weren't as warm as the ones just taken off.

"Mm, be careful, I'll wait for you to come back." Taking the initiative to kiss Xiao Yan on the cheek, Little Fairy Doctor sent him her blessing.

With the conclusion of Xiao Yan's pill refining, the Green Lotus Core Flame no longer trembled, and the fire-red magma sea also returned to calm.

But the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake swimming around the Green Lotus Core Flame was still somewhat restless, its two heads constantly looking around, hissing as it flicked its tongue.

He had lived around the Green Lotus Core Flame for over several hundred years and had never encountered such a situation.

The limited intelligence within the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's brain told it that something absolutely unusual had occurred.

Suddenly, a strange and alluring fragrance drifted over from somewhere unknown, smoothing out the restlessness in its heart and leaving behind only a strong sense of craving and hunger.

Could it be that a rare treasure had appeared in the world?

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake suddenly recalled the scene from several hundred years ago when he first sensed the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Naturally, there would be no thoughts of "Could I be the Child of Destiny?" in a small snake brain, but the most basic path dependency was still there, even stronger than in humans!

At the mere thought of this possibility, both snake heads became excited; after sniffing twice with its four nostrils, it was to the southwest!

The massive snake body stirred up the waves of the magma sea, swimming rapidly toward the southwest.

After only a few miles, the magma gradually became shallower, and rocky land began to appear.

Without hesitation, it crawled onto the land, left the magma sea it had relied on for survival for hundreds of years, and dove headfirst into a cave leading to where Xiao Yan was.

Perhaps this was the Little Fairy Doctor's purpose in using her essence blood to refine poison—to ensure she could lure the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake out!

Crawling forward along the deep, secluded passage, its hard scales constantly rubbed against the cave walls, emitting a hissing sound and grinding stone after stone into debris.

After traveling another four or five miles, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake arrived in a relatively spacious lava cave.

In the center of the lava cave, a blood-red medicinal pill lay on the ground, emitting an alluring fragrance.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's eyes lit up, and it hissed excitedly, swallowing the pill along with the soil beneath it into its belly.

Although it was a pity there was only such a tiny one, the massive energy contained within still left the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake very satisfied.

But just as the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake prepared to return to the side of the Green Lotus Core Flame and both heads had just poked into the passage, a thin, small figure rushed out from a corner.

"Flame Emperor Armor!"

Crimson flames carrying high temperatures surged rapidly from Xiao Yan's body, forming an armor flowing with magma-like flames around Xiao Yan.

Under the enhancement of the Flame Emperor Armor, the fire energy within a radius of several hundred meters gathered toward Xiao Yan like a gale, forming streaks of fire snakes in the air that illuminated the entire lava cave!

The massive power quickly reached Xiao Yan's limit; with a loud shout, Xiao Yan gathered all the energy and injected it into a wide, heavy black ruler, forming a huge and brilliant fire ruler, the extreme high temperature causing the surrounding rock walls to show signs of melting once again.

"Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler!"

The huge and brilliant fire ruler, carrying the unique high temperature of the Volcano Stone Flame, struck heavily upon the body of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. Even the hard scales, which were extremely heat-resistant from being soaked in magma year-round, could not withstand the combined might of the Heavenly Flame and the Earth-tier Dou Technique.

The huge fire ruler directly broke through the fire-red scales, tore through the flesh beneath the scales, and hacked heavily into the snake bone. The entire snake body was nearly split in two by this strike!

Roar!!

Massive pain assaulted the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's consciousness; the snake body, which had not yet entered the passage, struggled and thrashed violently, and pillars of fire shot up from the ground, sweeping wildly as if to collapse the entire lava cave, forcing Xiao Yan to pull back and dodge, bringing out quite a few stark white snake bone fragments as he withdrew the ruler.

Flying rubble accompanied by a huge sound echoed through the lava cave; one of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's heads forcibly broke through the constraints of the passage and pulled back, followed immediately by the other—the fragile stone walls simply could not trap such an existence for long.

One snake head looked at the deep, bone-exposed wound on its body, while the other head stared fixedly at this human who had suddenly appeared.

Damn it, where did this thin little monkey come from? Let me look closely, hmm, not strong, much weaker than me. Then how dare he attack me! Eat him!

Confusion, vigilance, anger! Various emotions flashed rapidly through the already quite developed consciousness of the Rank 4 Magical Beast, finally condensing into a furious pillar of fire that erupted from both snake heads, attacking toward Xiao Yan.

The crimson Flame Emperor Armor could not only enhance the power of Dou Techniques but also strengthen Xiao Yan's physical abilities.

Xiao Yan stomped his foot violently, and violent fire energy surged beneath his soles, forming a small explosion that achieved an effect similar to the Explosion Step, allowing Xiao Yan to dodge the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's attack with lightning speed and extreme narrowness, appearing on the ceiling of the lava cave.

Stomping his feet once more, he dove down rapidly, the Volcano Stone Flame gathering on the Heavy Xuan Ruler again, and struck fiercely at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's head.

The huge impact and high temperature tore open the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's scales once again, leaving deep cracks on its skull!

Roar!!

A painful hiss sounded; a flash of joy appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes, and just as he prepared to press his advantage and directly blast the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's head to pieces, the other head sprayed a pillar of fire directly, engulfing both Xiao Yan and the head beneath his feet.