The Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s eyes widened in wickedness, its magenta forked tongue slithered in and out of its mouth in a blur. Judging from the loosening of its tail, there was no doubt that it was about to devour the still-unconscious Shi Mu whole!

　　The tail steadily unfurled from Shi Mu’s body as it dangled above the large serpent’s jaws. Just as was just about to fall down the snake’s throat, Shi Mu’s eyes shot open. In a flash, his right arm hooked itself around the snake’s protruding tongue. As the forked tongue retracted into its mouth, Shi Mu followed and landed inside.

　　The surroundings suddenly darkened as he entered. His nose was barraged by a putrid miasma as his body basked in the stuffy heat.

　　He scanned the surroundings with his ever-perceptive eyes until he could make out everything around him.

　　At the moment, Shi Mu was in the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s jaw; had he not grabbed onto the snake’s tongue so tightly, he would have gone straight into the snake’s stomach for digestion.

　　Shi Mu extended his left hand—charred black as coal—and closed his fingers together in a blade-like shape. With a downward chop, he cut off the snake’s tongue.

　　Splussh!

　　His left hand effortlessly sliced through the snake’s tongue as a gush of gamy hot blood sprayed out, drenching Shi Mu all over his face and head.

　　Suddenly, Shi Mu’s surroundings were once again bathed in bright, white light from outside. The Flaming Crown Demon Snake had opened its jaws in agony, its tongue thrashing around violently as it tried to shove Shi Mu out of its mouth.

　　This was Shi Mu’s best chance. There was no way he was going to throw it away!

　　He continued to slice through the snake’s tongue, one portion at a time, with his left hand. Within seconds, the tongue was a complete mess of blood and open flesh.

　　The Flaming Crown Demon Snake started to wiggle and contort itself wildly when a hint of madness crossed its eyes. The snake thrust its tongue up toward a row of venomous fangs—each of them a few feet wide—on its upper jaw. At the same time, the snake clamped its jaws together hard. It was trying to puncture Shi Mu’s body with its fangs!

　　Shi Mu’s left hand stopped and balled into a fist; With an uppercut, he swung his fist at the nearest fang.

　　Bamm!

　　Despite its size, the fang was smashed into smithereens by the uncontainable strength of Shi Mu’s left hand!

　　With that opening, Shi Mu snuck a quick glance upward before loosening his right grip. He mumbled a quick incantation under his breath and summoned a puff of white cloud under his feet which proceeded to raise him up toward the roof of the snake’s mouth.

　　Shi Mu had carried out every step of his plan without once stumbling, not even a single lapse in speed.

　　….

　　Down at the bottom of the valley, a serpentine body about a dozen yards long was undulating in convulsions. Its mammoth tail was flaying around wildly, colliding with the igneous rocks and magma in its way, sending boulders and rocky debris flying.

　　High above the valley was Cai circling frenetically in the air, its eyes shining rays of white light as it peered frantically at what transpired below.

　　Many times the parrot attempted to dive downward but stopped dead every time it got close to the fog as the searing infernal heat prevented it from entering.

　　Suddenly, a loud “splat!” echoed from where the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s head cracked open, a large cavity exposing the serpent’s internal flesh and blood. Within the gory mess, a figure drenched dripping with raw blood broke out of the cavity!

　　It was none other than Shi Mu!

　　He was still holding his left hand up in a tight fist.

　　Meanwhile, the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s body had ceased all movement before toppling to on side in a muffled racket. The body convulsed a bit more as the death rattle took over before the lights in the creature’s eyes faded.

　　Shi Mu somersaulted out and landed beside his kill, panting wildly.

　　The Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s scales had proven to be quite indestructible and should have held the advantage considering it was in its optimum environment. The leviathan had been a more dangerous adversary than the Red-winged Tiger Beast that Shi Mu encountered before. If not for his quick thinking and the power of his left hand, he would have met his end right there and then.

　　Shi Mu produced a Fire Attribute Spirit Stone in his hand and used it to rejuvenate himself as a stream of pure spiritual energy raced through his body.

　　He examined his tunic. Fetid snake blood had splattered all over it. The monster’s blood corroded holes in some parts of the garment.

　　Shi Mu ripped off his tattered shirt and threw it aside, then donned a new one.

　　“Shi Tou! You alright?” Cai’s voice suddenly rang next to his ear.

　　“I’m fine. I got the demon snake nailed too. Wait for me for a while,” he replied as he trudged toward the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s carcass. He summoned his Spirit Sense and extended it out of his body, blanketing the carcass.

　　After a while, Shi Mu’s raised his eyebrow before a glint of jubilance lit up in his eyes. He beckoned and a golden flash darted straight into his hand, revealing itself to be a feet-long golden shortsword. It was Shi Mu’s Golden Pound Blade which he then used to dig into the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s abdomen with a quick spurt!

　　Carefully making a long incision with the sword, he stuffed his hand into the gash, rummaging through the innards for a while before retracting his closed hand. In his grasp was a fist-sized red and white Demon Pill.

　　The surface of the Demon Pill looked incredibly smooth and fine as it radiated a soft glow and astounding waves of spiritual energy.

　　Shi Mu’s eyes flashed with happiness as they landed on the Demon Pill. He tucked it away for safekeeping, for he knew this little thing was the prerequisite for the license to the Lava Pool.

　　With the Demon Pill safely stored, Shi Mu once again turned his attention to the carcass. He took out his sword and started to carve some of the raw materials from the kill—its scaly skin and its tendons, for example—before keeping all of them in his Storage Ring.

　　His work now done, Shi Mu breathed a sigh of relief and scanned the surroundings. He was now smack-dab in the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s zone, where he was sure other treasures lay.

　　Now that the Demon Snake was dead, the source of the venomous miasma was gone, and so the smog had gradually cleared, making the size of the clearing observable.

　　Shi Mu took a stroll around the area but nothing of worth had turned up. He was just about to give up when his peripheral vision caught sight of a cave, barely taller than the height of an average man m. The cave had apparently been concealed by the fog.

　　He quickly turned and hurried to the cave, his eyes fixed on it.

　　He couldn’t see all the way to the other side of the cave, though the acrid smell emanating from its walls was enough to inform him that this was the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s den.

　　Shi Mu’s excitement was practically written all over his eyes as he quickly erected a protective shield around him before entering.

　　The cave was smaller than he had expected. As he advanced, he noticed that it seemed to be leading downward. Before long, he reached the end of the cave.

　　A clearing about a few yards high and a dozen yards wide awaited him by the end of the path, but it was completely empty save for a heap of black rocks the size of a human’s head in the middle.

　　Shi Mu walked around the clearing a few times and once again, found nothing; The disappointment was etched on his face.

　　First, he turned to the heap of black rocks in the center and walked toward it.

　　“These rocks…” His golden pupils lit up at the sight. He snapped his finger, and a golden sword swam through the air toward the heap and swung down.

　　Claaaannk!

　　That particular black rock tumbled from its spot, exposing a piece of its reddish content—a strange material radiating a faint red light.

　　“I knew it!” Shi Mu exclaimed, enraptured. Using his fingers, he directed the sword to cut through the black rocks with its energy beams again.

　　Slowly but surely, the black rocks were chipped away from the surface of a bright, red crystal, which rewarded him with a brilliant red radiance. On the surface of the crystal were lines and lines of mysterious patterns as red as an inferno.

　　Shi Mu reached out to the flaming red crystal and picked it up off the ground. His expression changed slightly.

　　The crystal was incredibly hot to the touch but more astounding was how heavy it was—it was only about the size of a bowl, yet it seemed to weigh a few hundred tons.

　　He examined the crystal as joy crept into his visage.

　　The crystal was emitting an amazing amount of spiritual energy—one that he had yet to recognize, yet nonetheless, he was sure that it would have to be quite significant for the Flaming Crown Demon Snake to hide it so meticulously.

　　Shi Mu tucked the crystal safely and proceeded to chip away every single black rock in the heap. He uncovered similar crystals kept them all in his Storage Ring.

　　Once that was done, he gave one last glance around the cave to make sure that it was truly devoid of any other treasures before he turned and walked out.

　　Fifteen minutes later, Shi Mu was flying out of the valley.

　　“Shi Tou, you had me so frightened. I thought you had become that demon snake’s lunch!” As soon as Shi Mu was out of the valley, Cai joined him in his flight.

　　“I’m fine. Faced a little complication though,” he replied.

　　“Finished your business?”

　　Shi Mu nodded.

　　“Terrific! …Now let’s get outta here!” Cai cried.

　　Shi Mu nodded in agreement, turning his head to give the valley one last look before summoning his Green-winged Flying Carriage. Their destination this time was Red Flame City.

　　It took about one full day and night to reach the city, where Shi Mu went straight back to the Celestial Fire Armory.

　　Shi Mu made himself comfortable as he sipped some tea at a corner of the armory, while Cai was perched on a table nearby nibbling on some confectionaries.

　　The door of the hall was pushed open as a flurry of frantic steps pounded the floor. It was Master Gong Xi, whose face was animated with pure excitement.

　　Behind him was the deacon dressed in red garb.

　　“I heard that you returned sooner than expected, my Sect Fellow Shi! How did it go?” The black-robed elderly man had his eyes fixed on Shi Mu, his voice cracking as he asked.

　　“Master Gong Xi, I’m afraid your intel needs some updating,” Shi Mu replied slowly, meeting the other party’s eyes with his own.

　　“What do you mean, Sect Fellow Shi?” the old asked, slightly stunned.

　　Before Shi Mu could say anything, Cai had already launched into a diatribe, “You people almost got Shi Tou killed, you know! You said it was going to be an Early Earth-rank Demon Snake, but you know what we found? A Mid Earth-rank!”

　　“I… I see. I must admit, this is quite possible. Now that I think of it, no wonder our men had not been reporting the whereabouts of this particular monster for a month—I suspect they all perished in their work.” The black-robed man could feel his heart throbbing in his chest at the news as he snuck a glance at the deacon in red. “Nonetheless, I wonder if Sect Fellow Shi managed to, you know…”

　　“Not the type to let you down,” Shi Mu replied quickly as he produced the Flaming Crown Demon Snake’s Demon Pill in his hand.

　　The fist-sized Demon Pill radiated two distinct lights of red and white in a faint shimmer; Had any veteran collector been around, they would instantly recognize this particular Demon Pill as something no Early Earth-ranked Demon Beast could have ever created.

　　And fortunately, this black-robed elder was one such veteran.

　　His eyes brightened the moment they had fallen on this exquisite treasure, stifling even his own breath as he subconsciously stepped forward to grab the Demon Pill.

　　Shi Mu raised his eyebrow knowingly and the Demon Pill disappeared into thin air.

　　“Master Gong Xi, I have proven that I indeed obtained the Demon Pill you have so requested. However, your intel contained errors that could have proved fatal for anyone undertaking the quest. I may have been fortunate enough to slay the monster in the end, but I can’t it came without a heavy toll,” Shi Mu said in a placid tone. “I would expect a wise man like yourself to agree that some kind of compensation is in order, yes?”

　　“I’m truly sorry that I landed you in hot water, Sect Fellow Shi. That fault was all my own as an intelligence provider. Fortunately, Sect Fellow Shi has shown himself to be a most competent maven who managed to secure this exquisite treasure despite the odds—for that, I am deeply grateful. To show my appreciation, I now lower the price of the Lava Pool rental from fifty-percent to twenty-percent for you, which means you need only pay ten million Spirit Stones,” the elderly man quickly offered as soon as he recovered from his shock.

　　“Hmm, from what this lowly one heard, the medicinal worth of a Mid Earth-rank Demon Pill far surpasses any kind of Early Earth-rank Demon Pill. Am I mistaken?” Shi Mu replied steadily while sipping his tea instead of handing the Demon Pill over.

　　The black-robed man’s face darkened after hearing Shi Mu, but eventually, he grit his teeth and relented, “F-fine, Sect Fellow Shi. I lend you my Lava Pool for free for over five years!”

　　He eyed the deacon in red standing beside him, and the man quickly took out a red token the size of an adult’s palm. On one side of the token were inscribed a few strange runes, while on the other were written the characters Nineteen.

　　“This is the pass to enter Lava Pool No. 19. Please keep it safely with you, Sect Fellow Shi,” the middle-aged man in red said as he handed the token to Shi Mu.