94: Senior Sister Xiao invited

Lin Feng shook his head, "Among fellow Disciples, if a Senior is in urgent need, it is only right for this Disciple to yield."

Upon hearing this, the woman in white looked at him quietly for a moment, then suddenly said, "This place is not suitable for a long stay. Come with me."

After speaking, she gave a light wave of her sleeve, and a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped Lin Feng.

Lin Feng felt the scenery before his eyes rapidly receding; in just a moment, the pressure around him lightened, the canyon was left behind, and a clearer sky reappeared before him.

The woman brought him to the edge of a relatively safe valley and set him down.

Lin Feng stood in place, gazing in the direction where she had disappeared, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.

...

Half a month ago, Lin Feng had already returned to Baoyue Peak of the Tianxuan Sect.

The front-line stronghold remained on high alert, and the rumors regarding a mysterious Early Foundation Establishment Stage Disciple of the Tianxuan Sect—who had single-handedly slain dozens of demonic Cultivators of the same rank and possessed a strange, poisonous Spirit Beast—did not subside with his departure; instead, they grew more bizarre through word of mouth, becoming the talk of that bloody land.

Inside the Immortal Cave, that ice fire lotus had finally matured completely.

Lin Feng stood quietly before the lotus, his gaze calm.

This ice fire lotus was an indispensable main ingredient for refining the precious Medicinal Pill of the Foundation Establishment Stage, the "ice fire pill."

The effect of the ice fire pill was to harmonize the Yin and Yang within a Cultivator's body, greatly increasing the probability of a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator breaking through a small Bottleneck.

For the next few days, Lin Feng remained behind closed doors. With everything prepared, he channeled the earth fire and officially opened the Pill Furnace to begin Alchemy.

The process was far more difficult than he had anticipated.

The tyrannical nature of the clash between ice and fire far exceeded that of ordinary Spirit Medicine, and it nearly spiraled out of control several times.

Through such repeated tempering, Fusion, and pill condensation... he did not know how much time had passed, but the violent energy within the Pill Furnace finally began to subside, and a strange, peaceful medicinal fragrance that harmonized the power of ice and fire slowly permeated the air.

Lin Feng let out a long breath, his face looking slightly pale, but he could not hide the joy in his eyes.

He carefully placed the three ice fire pills into a specially made jade bottle, sealed it, and put it into his bracelet.

The medicinal power of the ice fire pill was extraordinary, aimed at harmonizing Yin and Yang and impacting a Bottleneck.

However, he was still some time away from the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage and needed accumulation and tempering.

Consuming it now would certainly improve his cultivation slightly, but it would inevitably waste its most precious miraculous effect for breaking through realms.

One day, while Lin Feng was meditating in his Immortal Cave, he recalled that during the previous border battle, the Shadow Scale Snake had displayed extraordinary strength and been a great help.

Remembering that Senior Sister Xiao Qinghan of the Beast Taming Peak was skilled in taming Spirit Beasts, he set off for the Beast Taming Peak to seek advice.

Xiao Qinghan was reading an ancient text. Upon hearing the light sound of the Immortal Cave's Restriction being touched, she looked up, and when she saw Lin Feng standing outside, her eyes brightened slightly.

The corners of her lips curved upward involuntarily, but she quickly suppressed it, restoring her usual indifferent appearance.

She put down the book and stood up to welcome him, her voice holding a hint of softness not present on other days, "Junior Brother Lin? How do you have the free time to come here today?"

Lin Feng cupped his hands slightly and got straight to the point, "Senior Sister Xiao, I have come today to ask for your advice regarding this creature."

As he spoke, his thoughts stirred, and the opening of a spirit beast pouch at his waist quietly opened.

A gray shadow shot out like lightning; it was the Shadow Scale Snake. It raised its head slightly, flicking its tongue.

Xiao Qinghan's gaze was immediately drawn to it. She leaned forward slightly, her slender fingers hovering over the Shadow Scale Snake, examining its dark scales and pale gold snake eyes with great care.

After a moment, she straightened up, nodded gently, and pondered, "Junior Brother Lin, your Spirit Beast... its morphological characteristics are truly quite unique."

She turned and took a glowing animal-skin ancient text from the jade shelf behind her, flipped through a few pages quickly, and compared it, "Looking at its appearance, it is seven or eight parts similar to the juvenile illustration of the 'Shadow Python Snake' ranked twenty-seventh on the 'Ten Thousand Spirit True Ranking'."

She raised her eyes to look at Lin Feng, "If it is truly this creature, its potential is extraordinary and cannot be compared to ordinary Yao Beast."

She paused, gently returned the ancient text to its place, and continued to explain, her voice softening a bit, "It is said that when the 'Shadow Profound Dragon' grows to a certain stage, it can undergo a special metamorphosis, but it must be supplemented with specific spirit plants to be triggered. For example..."

She thought for a moment, her fingertips gently tracing through the air, "...heart-bewitching grass and Ghost Mushroom. These two spirit plants may be able to effectively stimulate its Bloodline and help it awaken deeper innate abilities."

As she spoke, her gaze fell back onto Lin Feng's face, "If Junior Brother intends to cultivate it, you may want to pay more attention to news regarding these two spirit plants."

After speaking, she saw that Lin Feng was merely listening intently, his gaze fixed on the Shadow Scale Snake in thought, and he had no further response to her hints. She could not help but sigh softly, a trace of helplessness flashing in the depths of her eyes.

She did not know why Lin Feng was so dull regarding matters of emotion; she had hinted at her feelings many times, yet he seemed completely unaware.

Her fair, white fingers curled slightly, then relaxed again. Since that was the case... then she would have to be more proactive.

She took a small breath, twisted the edge of her sleeve with her fingertips to suppress a hint of shyness, and tried to keep her tone as natural and calm as possible:

"It is quite a coincidence; I recently accepted a Sect mission that requires me to go to a place with active earth fire, the 'Molten Fire Fissure,' deep in the Black Wind Mountain Range, to try and subdue a rather rare Third-Rank Demonic Beast, the 'Flame Scale Rhino'."

This rhino is not only thick-skinned and sturdy with infinite strength, but it can also breathe scorching molten fire, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

She paused for a moment and looked at Lin Feng, "Junior Brother's strength is powerful, and you have such a Spirit Beast... I wonder if you could lend me a hand?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment and felt that this matter was indeed beneficial. It would allow him to repay Senior Sister Xiao Qinghan for her guidance and also provide practical combat experience, so he nodded and agreed, "Since Senior Sister has invited me, how could I refuse?"

Just as Lin Feng was about to summon the wine immortal gourd, Xiao Qinghan was one step ahead. With a flick of her blue sleeve, the blue-green feather beneath her feet shimmered with flowing light and widened slightly.

She turned her head, the corners of her lips slightly raised, and reached out to Lin Feng, "The environment in the valley is complex, and hot toxic miasma runs rampant. My 'Green Feather' has the ability to avoid fire, so it is safer for us to descend together on it."

Several days later, the two arrived at the Molten Fire Fissure together. Inside the valley, heat waves rolled, the ground was cracked, and streams of magma flowed from time to time.

Soon, they found the Flame Scale Rhino. Its body was as sturdy as a small mountain, covered entirely in dark red scales, and its huge single horn flashed with scorching light. Wherever its four hooves trod, the rocks melted, leaving behind deep scorched marks.

Xiao Qinghan made the first move, casting a Beast Taming technique, and chains of spiritual light wrapped toward the rhino.

But the rhino reacted extremely quickly, raising its head to let out a roar as dull as thunder. Its single horn shone with great red light, and it spat out a column of molten fire.

Xiao Qinghan retreated rapidly, her sleeves dancing as she condensed a shimmering water shield. When the molten fire column struck it, it made a "hissing" sound, and water vapor steamed up.

Seeing this, Lin Feng guided his Spirit Sword, and a flash of Sword Qi broke through the air, piercing toward the rhino's eyes.

But the rhino drooped its eyelids, and its scales easily deflected the Sword Qi, leaving only a white mark.

The rhino felt pain and roared angrily. Its attention was drawn, and its huge head turned toward Lin Feng. It blew hot white smoke from its nostrils, pawed the ground, and prepared to charge.

Just at this moment, the Shadow Scale Snake flew out from Lin Feng's spirit beast pouch. It was not at all afraid of the terrifying high temperature surrounding it, rapidly slithering along the scorching ground, avoiding the rhino's violent stomping and tail sweeps, and nimbly climbed up its thick hind leg, its fangs biting into the seams of its scales.

The Flame Scale Rhino felt pain and let out a roar. Scorching streams of fire sprayed from the gaps in its scales, attempting to burn the Shadow Scale Snake off.

But the Shadow Scale Snake clung tightly, its fangs continuously injecting potent paralytic venom, while the dark scales on its body shimmered, actually isolating most of the scorching fire flow, leaving it only slightly hot, without suffering any burns.

The rhino's movements became visibly sluggish and stiff.