Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

"It won't escape!" Xiao Bai replied casually to Hai Bodong's shout.

Gazing at the magma, he saw the Twin-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's heads vanish, only half its tail still visible, rapidly sinking. With a flap of his wings, Xiao Bai landed on the magma's surface, his body cloaked in yellow-gray lightning from the Wu Earth Nether Thunder. His hands plunged forward, gripping the snake's tail like a tug-of-war rope.

"Up!"

With a mighty heave, he yanked the four-to-five-zhang-long beast from the magma, as if pulling a radish from the earth. To Hai Bodong, Xiao Ding, and Qing Lin, Xiao Bai seemed more monstrous than the snake—savagely so.

The snake, hoisted free, stared in bewilderment, its diamond-shaped pupils dumbfounded. This two-legged creature just dragged me out? Fury surged. A snake can be killed, not humiliated! As the magma world's overlord, a future sixth-tier beast, being hauled like this was a disgrace.

"Hiss!" It thrashed, magma splattering onto Xiao Bai's lightning shield, sparking with sizzling thunder-fire clashes.

Unable to break free, the snake twisted, its massive heads lunging with gaping jaws. Xiao Bai sneered, releasing the tail. His palms flared with crimson lightning, striking both heads. Arcs surged across the ruby-like body, leaping wildly.

"Hiss!" A pained wail echoed as the upright heads slumped, the lightning-wreathed body convulsing on the magma. Its already weakened aura faded to a flicker, the savage bloodlust in its eyes replaced by a look of utter resignation. Tired. Let it end.

Sensing its surrender, Xiao Bai hoisted the massive body over his shoulder. His purple-red wings beat hard, and he shakily flew up. After the Da Dou Shi breakthrough, he could carry others, though it drained him heavily.

Landing on the platform, he dropped the snake, its bulk nearly covering the space. Xiao Ding, at the entrance, swallowed hard, staring at the fourth-tier beast. He carried it like a log? This is the refined Xiao Bai? Too wild!

"Qing Lin, come here!" Xiao Bai beckoned the girl, who peeked nervously from behind Hai Bodong.

"Young Master!" Qing Lin tiptoed to his side, eyeing the snake's ferocious heads with fear but feeling an odd kinship and yearning. Confused, she clung tightly to Xiao Bai's robe.

"Don't be scared. Look into its eyes," Xiao Bai said, crouching with her before the snake's heads, his voice gentle.

Noticing the snake's four eyes shut tight, he slapped one head, barking, "Open your eyes!" He knew the beast was sentient. In the Dou Qi Continent, beast bloodlines dictated potential—lowly ones rarely transcended without immense fortune. The Twin-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, thriving in extreme heat and feeding on magma, had sixth-tier potential, rivaling Dou Huangs when mature.

Grudgingly, fearfully, the snake opened its eyes, unsure what this two-legged creature wanted. I'm just a fourth-tier juvenile. Doesn't bullying me hurt your conscience?

Qing Lin obeyed, staring into the snake's eyes despite her fear, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils unblinking, though her eyes stung. After a minute of no reaction, Xiao Bai frowned. What's wrong?

"Kid, trying to get her to tame it with her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?" Yao Lao's voice echoed in his mind.

"Exactly. Any idea what's happening, Senior?" Xiao Bai asked, puzzled. Do we need to follow the novel's script—let the snake attack her first? Or is it too early, her pupils not yet active?

"I'm not sure how to activate the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils," Yao Lao mused. "But she's only eleven, barely past childhood. Her body's not fully developed—likely the same for her pupils."

"Not developed?" Xiao Bai glanced at Qing Lin's slight frame, rubbing his chin. The novel suggested another trigger: stimulation. A scare might awaken her pupils, but Qing Lin already lived cautiously. Frightening her could scar her for life. Drag her up and beat her? he thought mischievously, then winced. How could I?

"Young Master!" Qing Lin's watery eyes flicked to him, awaiting his command. She'd stared unblinkingly, her eyes aching, but obeyed until told to stop.

Seeing her pitiful look, Xiao Bai abandoned his rogue idea, sighing. He ruffled her hair, saying softly, "That's enough for now." Qing Lin perked up, blinking rapidly to relieve her eyes, flashing a goofy, endearing smile.

Xiao Bai shook his head, amused. She's the opposite of Jia Nan Academy's dragon girl—one painfully shy, the other brimming with confidence. Noticing her jade-green eyes, akin to Little Yi's misty form, an idea sparked. Could Little Yi stimulate her pupils? But with her first-stage Dou Zhi Qi, could she withstand it? Her pupils might have unique resilience.

He extended a finger, cyan mist swirling at the tip, laced with faint lightning—Little Yi's misty form, ideal for its gentle, healing wood essence, possibly spurring her pupils' growth. As the cyan glow appeared, Qing Lin trembled, her eyes locking onto the mist, a mix of longing and fear stirring within. Her pupils flickered, three faint dots emerging like budding flowers.

It's working? Xiao Bai thought, surprised.