"Excellent, this fire snake truly understands human speech. This means I have gained another helper."
Lin Xiaotian was overjoyed. Seeing it obediently lying nearby, its flames significantly subdued, he gradually approached it and used a Xuanmen secret technique to remove the talismans on its body.
Instantly, the fire snake unleashed its power again, coiling and leaping like a dragon, letting out a deafening hiss that threatened to collapse the entire cave.
Fierce flames reignited all around, illuminating the cave brightly.
Yet, Lin Xiaotian felt no trace of heat, and the fire snake showed no intention of harming him.
A few seconds later, the fire snake turned its head to look at Lin Xiaotian, communicating with him in its serpentine tongue. It invited him to ride on its body, offering to take him to find the intruder who had entered the cave.
Without hesitation, Lin Xiaotian immediately mounted its body and left the cave with it!
At this moment, Lin Xiaotian was protected by a layer of blue light waves, rendering the flames harmless to him. This light wave was also summoned by the fire snake, which now knew Lin Xiaotian was its friend.
"Haha, this is truly incredible. The power of this Fire Snake Sword, combined with the spiritual energy of this Dragon Pearl, can elevate me straight to the Flying Heaven realm. With just one more layer, I can cultivate to the Earthly Immortal realm."
The Void Master, after obtaining the Fire Snake Sword, hid in a secluded, uninhabited corner of the deep mountains. He covered his body with nearby weeds and enthusiastically practiced ancient martial arts.
Just as he was engrossed in his cultivation, a rustling sound suddenly reached his ears.
Instantly, he became vigilant, quickly opening his eyes and looking around. He found no one nearby, only the desolate sound of the wind.
"It seems I misheard. At this crucial moment, I must not be disturbed."
The Void Master finished speaking and closed his eyes to continue cultivating.
As soon as he closed his eyes, a burst of fire erupted around him. He felt an intense heat and opened his eyes again, only to see a colossal fire snake appearing before him.
The fire snake's eyes blazed with killing intent. Its body hovered in mid-air, flames erupting all around. Its gaping maw revealed sharp teeth, chilling the Void Master to the bone. He hastily stopped his cultivation, drew the Fire Snake Sword from the ground, and pointed it at the giant fire snake.
"You damned snake, you found me quite quickly. I am now only one step away from the Earthly Immortal realm. You want to kill me and reclaim the Fire Snake Sword? No way."
The Void Master was not afraid of the fire snake. He believed that with his current power, even if he couldn't defeat the fire snake, he could certainly escape from its grasp.
However, to his surprise, as soon as his words fell, Lin Xiaotian suddenly appeared from behind the fire snake. He whistled, and the fire snake obediently lowered itself to the ground. Lin Xiaotian jumped off its back and said, "What if you add me?"
"Lin... Lin Xiaotian?"
The Void Master nearly fell to the ground in shock. He stared at the scene before him with utter disbelief, exclaiming, "How are you with this snake? Why does it listen to you?"
"Do you think everyone is as foolish as you? This snake is a spiritual being. You trapped it with a Feng Shui talisman and stole the treasure it was guarding. It's no wonder it came looking for you."
Lin Xiaotian nonchalantly placed his hands on his hips, looking at the Fire Snake Sword in the other man's hand. He then smirked and added, "Now, if you honestly hand over the Fire Snake Sword, the fire snake might just let you off the hook."
"If you don't, you will surely die today."
"Enough nonsense. You want me to hand over the Fire Snake Sword? Only if you kill me first."
The Void Master was not stupid. He had gone to such great lengths to obtain this sword; how could he easily give it up?
Seeing his obstinate refusal, Lin Xiaotian shook his head. "It seems you've made your choice. Then there's no need for me to waste any more words with you."
"Fire Snake brother, you handle this yourself. I couldn't reason with him. Whether you kill him or eat him, it's up to you."
Roar!
The fire snake saw Lin Xiaotian's hand gestures and instantly understood his words. It suddenly opened its massive mouth and spewed a torrent of flames at the Void Master.
The Void Master's heart leaped in alarm, and he hastily dodged to the side with his sword.
When he regained his footing, the fire snake flew to his side and swiftly whipped its tail towards him. He frantically raised his sword to block, but in less than a single move, his body was sent flying by the fire snake's immense power.
Thump, thump, thump!
His body tumbled several times on the ground. When he looked up, the fire snake's gaping maw was already aimed at him.
"This... How is this possible? Why is the Fire Snake Sword powerless?"
The Void Master's face was filled with astonishment, and he was so terrified he almost wet himself, falling to the ground.
Lin Xiaotian smiled slightly. "You stole the treasure it was guarding, and you don't allow it to seal the treasure's energy?"
"What? The energy within has been sealed?"
The Void Master's joy instantly vanished. Seeing the fire snake about to swallow him whole, he quickly raised the sword with both hands and returned it to the fire snake, saying, "Brother Fire Snake, I was wrong. I shouldn't have stolen your belongings. I am returning the sword to you now, and I hope you will spare me."
Roar!
The fire snake was furious and didn't understand his words at all. Just as it was about to attack again, Lin Xiaotian stepped forward and gestured, "Fire Snake brother, there's no need to be agitated. He is willing to return the sword. As for this person, let me handle him."
The fire snake miraculously nodded at him, coiled the sword around its body, and retreated to the side.
Lin Xiaotian walked forward and looked at the Void Master on the ground, asking, "If you want to live, answer my questions honestly. What is your relationship with Thousand-Hand Zhang? And how did you know about the Fire Snake Sword in this cave?"
"Thousand-Hand Zhang is my disciple. I obtained the Fire Snake Sword to deal with you." The Void Master was extremely terrified. He never imagined that Lin Xiaotian could control the fire snake, and he had underestimated Lin Xiaotian's strength.
"To deal with me? Heh, that's an interesting reason."
Lin Xiaotian was deeply surprised. This was the first time he had met this old Daoist priest, and he was here to deal with him.
Furthermore, he was Thousand-Hand Zhang's master!
After a moment of thought, he inquired further, "Then what is your relationship with Zhao Feipeng? Did he perhaps send you to deal with me?"
"Zhao Feipeng? I don't know any Zhao Feipeng. I was paid by Miss Song to kill you on her orders. As for the location of the Fire Snake Sword, she also told me." The Void Master continued.
"What? You weren't sent by Zhao Feipeng?"
Lin Xiaotian was greatly surprised. He had thought this old Daoist priest was allied with Thousand-Hand Zhang, but it turned out he was sent by someone else.
But who was this Miss Song?
"The Miss Song you mentioned, what is her name?" Lin Xiaotian asked, regaining his composure.
"Her name is Song Yao," the Void Master replied truthfully.