Five internal cores surged at once.
Four of them poured their strength into the fifth, and the strain was immediate. Blood spilled from the corner of Xiao Jian's mouth as his body groaned under the pressure.
His growing power had begun to outpace the durability of his flesh.
Even so, his aura surged violently upward, crossing into a higher tier of might.
Before him loomed the beast in full.
A Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent.
Such creatures were born in lands of unbearable heat, feeding on molten stone itself.
Their kind possessed vast evolutionary potential.....starting as minor threats, yet capable, under rare circumstances, of growing into monsters rivaling kings.
This serpent was enormous, its length spanning dozens of feet.
Crimson scales the size of shields armored its body, while its long neck split into two snarling heads. Diamond-shaped eyes burned with madness, each gaze soaked in bloodlust.
As expected, its power stood at a level equal to a fourth-tier warbeast.
But there was weakness.
Along its underside gaped a massive wound, long and jagged, still raw and unhealed.
Xiao Jian recognized it instantly.
That injury bore the unmistakable mark of the Serpent Queen.
A thought struck him sharply..without this creature's presence, would Xiao Yan even be able to locate the core flame hidden within the depths?
The serpent answered his thoughts with violence.
Both heads swelled at the throat.
Then its jaws opened wide.
Twin columns of molten fire erupted forth like volcanic lances, screaming through the air toward Xiao Jian.
Heat crashed over him as he twisted aside, wings flaring as he narrowly escaped the converging blasts.
For all its power, the serpent was bound to the ground. Against a foe who could fly, its attacks lacked the finishing edge.
Yet when the molten pillars plunged back into the lake, the cavern itself trembled.
A deafening explosion followed.
As though awakened by the impact, the magma lake erupted in fury. Countless lava pillars blasted upward in rapid succession, turning the battlefield into a storm of fire.
Xiao Jian's expression tightened as he weaved through the chaos.
His movement art was designed for speed, but more importantly, for control. At full velocity, his body slipped through the inferno with uncanny grace, threading gaps no wider than a heartbeat.
From the distant tunnel, Qing Lian watched in stunned silence. Xiao Jian's presence felt no stronger than other warriors she had known, yet he battled the monstrous serpent with shocking ease.
Within her jade-green eyes, three faint points of light flickered into being.
The serpent knew better than to rely on spectacle alone.
Using the chaos as cover, it slammed its massive tail into the magma, launching itself forward in a brutal charge that shattered molten stone in its wake.
Xiao Jian's form blurred again and again, shifting positions almost instantaneously. In moments, he had widened the gap, leaving the airborne serpent without footing.
But then—
The tail came again.
It ripped through the air, pulverizing magma as it whipped straight toward his face.
Xiao Jian snapped his wings closed and dropped like a stone.
The tail passed so close he felt the heat graze his scalp before smashing into the cavern wall.
The impact sent cracks racing outward like lightning, tearing through the stone for dozens of feet.
A cold shiver ran through him.
One direct hit would have meant serious injury.
Steadying himself, Xiao Jian raised two fingers. Wind energy condensed sharply at the tips, cutting the air itself.
His wings spread wide once more.
Using the recoil from its strike, the serpent twisted its body and surged forward again.
This time, Xiao Jian didn't retreat.
As one head reared back to strike, he smiled faintly and drove his fingers toward the exposed wound.
Wind's Absolute Edge — Falling Star Execution.
A razor-thin line of emerald light shot forth, piercing deep into the wound before the serpent could react.
Scales exploded outward.
Blood streamed freely, dripping into the magma below and vanishing in an instant.
Xiao Jian beat his wings and ascended sharply as the serpent plunged back into the molten lake.
Its scream was shrill and filled with agony.
The wounded beast writhed madly, its tail thrashing as magma sprayed in all directions.
But Xiao Jian remained untouched, floating calmly above the chaos.
Still, the cost was heavy.
That single strike had drained nearly all his remaining strength. Though the pressure within his body eased, his reserves were dangerously low.
Moments later, the serpent rose again.
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