First Cooperation with Yao Lao

"The Amethyst Winged Lion King is extraordinarily powerful. Your teacher has only just broken through, so he may not be its match. That is why I need to give him a little help," Yao Lao said gravely.

"So you need someone to sneak into the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave and steal the treasures inside."

Xiao Yan listened carefully, then a doubt surfaced.

"Aren't we supposed to take the Amethyst Winged Lion King's Beast Flame? Why do we need to enter its cave?"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes and said irritably.

"Take the Amethyst Winged Lion King's Beast Flame? This old man needs to stay by your teacher's side in case the Amethyst Winged Lion King beats him to death. The Beast Flame I mean is a kind of natural spiritual flame hidden in its cave. It can also be considered the Amethyst Winged Lion King's accompanying Beast Flame."

Even Yao Lao was rather speechless at Xiao Yan's audacity. A mere Dou Shi was already preparing to skin a Dou Emperor alive. Truly... every generation produced its own talents.

"Hehe." Xiao Yan also knew he had been too presumptuous. He had not taken the terror of a Sixth Order Magic Beast seriously enough.

"Then let's return to the Xiao Family first. If I calculate the time, Teacher should be back soon this month." Xiao Yan and Yao Lao left the Monster Mountain Range. Along the way, they saw a woman in white robes following a group of burly mercenaries. Though Xiao Yan found it strange, he did not give it much thought.

"Little Yan, hurry up. That woman is a Great Dou Shi. Don't provoke her." Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Yan's mind. Xiao Yan slightly turned his head as if by chance and glanced at the woman, only for her to reveal an innocent, pitiful look pleading for help.

At a time like this, walking off with his head lowered without even looking would only arouse suspicion. Xiao Yan pretended to look warily at the burly mercenaries around her, allowing just the right trace of regret to show in his eyes.

Then he hurried down the Monster Mountain Range, looking as though he did not want to invite trouble.

"Wow, Little Yan, your acting is pretty good." Yao Lao's voice sounded beside Xiao Yan's ear. Xiao Yan replied with absolute calm.

"A Great Dou Shi pretending to be captured by a group of Dou Zhes and Dou Shis clearly has no good intentions. I don't want to get dragged into it."

"Mm, not bad. I sensed that the Dou Qi inside that woman carries a cold, desolate feeling. She probably isn't a good person either." Yao Lao agreed, but then began egging him on again.

"Don't you want to know what that woman is trying to do?"

"No." Xiao Yan answered without hesitation. These past few days, Yao Lao had tricked him more than once or twice. He had no interest in doing anything that brought him no benefit.

Every month, Zhang Tian returned to check on Xiao Yan's cultivation progress and bring Yao Lao materials for refining medicinal pills. Four or five dazzling Fifth Order Magic Cores, still bearing faint traces of blood, lay untouched within Xiao Yan's storage ring.

"Oh, right. I just remembered a Rank 7 Magic Beast called the Fire Eyed Jade Hoof Beast. It ran like the wind, and its hooves were wreathed in flames all year round. They were jade-green and hard as glass, while thin lines of fire stretched from the corners of its eyes. Its Beast Flame would definitely be of great help to you." Yao Lao seemed to recall something. After mentioning it to Xiao Yan, he noted it down in his little notebook as a future hunting target.

Xiao Yan stumbled. There was not even a single Dou Zong in the entire Gama Empire, yet Yao Lao actually dared to set his sights on a Rank 7 Magic Beast.

What Xiao Yan did not know was that Yao Lao held a sliver of hope for Zhang Tian. If he could break through to Dou Zong within three years, then it would not be impossible to trouble the Fire Eyed Jade Hoof Beast. Besides, Yao Lao needed two Rank 7 Magic Cores for his resurrection anyway, so he might as well prepare them together.

"Teacher." The moment he returned to the courtyard where Zhang Tian cultivated, the little house's door opened directly. Zhang Tian was inside reading a book, continuously making gestures with his hand.

"Xiao Yan, you're back. This is a Mysterious Rank Low Level Dou Skill I brought from the Yun Lan Sect, Triple Overlapping Waves. Once a punch is thrown, its force continues without end and can stack three times." Seeing Xiao Yan, Zhang Tian's face brightened. He patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, clearly very satisfied with his cultivation progress, before handing him the ancient book in his hand.

"Let me see." With no one else around, Yao Lao did not bother hiding himself. He transformed into a soul form and floated over to Zhang Tian's side to inspect it closely.

"What kind of garbage is this? It's written even worse than Blow Fire Palm." After reading it, Yao Lao shoved the book away and spoke with a face full of disdain.

Zhang Tian was taken aback. He recalled that Blow Fire Palm seemed to be a Dou Skill comprehended by a blacksmith while forging iron back in the day, which Yao Lao had later obtained.

"Are the Yun Lan Sect's Dou Skills really that bad?"

"Bad? They're utterly terrible, hopelessly terrible. This old man also has a similar Dou Skill, and it's far more powerful than this." Yao Lao spoke disdainfully as a blue-green book appeared in his hand. Xiao Yan hurriedly took it the moment he saw it.

"Eight Extremes Collapse..." As Xiao Yan muttered the name, interest also appeared in Zhang Tian's eyes. Once Xiao Yan learned Eight Extremes Collapse, what inheritance would he receive from the Dou Di Space?

"This is the Mystic Rank High Level Dou Skill, Eight Extremes Collapse. Ordinary people shouldn't even think of learning it in less than a year or so. But you're lucky—I'm here to teach you the techniques for exerting force, so the time needed will be greatly reduced." Yao Lao looked immensely pleased with himself.

Watching Yao Lao act like an old child, Zhang Tian could only shake his head helplessly. How could a third-rate sect on the continent like the Yun Lan Sect compare to Yao Lao? Countless people would trade even an Earth Rank Dou Skill to Yao Lao in exchange for an eighth-grade treasure pill.

Over the following days, Zhang Tian did not deliberately keep an eye on Xiao Yan. Instead, Xiao Yan said he had something to ask of him and requested that he remain in the Xiao Family for a few more days rather than returning to the Yun Lan Sect.

"What? You're going to kill the Amethyst Winged Lion King?" Zhang Tian was startled as well. What gave Yao Lao the right to cause trouble for the Amethyst Winged Lion King?

"Not kill it, not kill it. Why would we kill the Lion King? We're just going to take something. Don't be nervous. Aren't you here? Hehe." Yao Lao chuckled twice. The wrinkles all over his face bunched up like a chrysanthemum, brimming with shameless mischief.

"The Flame Mantra needs to devour all kinds of flames. You're after the Lion King's Symbiotic Amethyst Source and Accompanying Purple Fire?" Zhang Tian had been present when Yao Lao taught the Flame Mantra, so he did not think much of it.

"Smart. Once we get the Purple Fire, your disciple's cultivation will rise by at least five stars. I guarantee he'll reach Seven-Star Dou Shi. That's the power of the Flame Mantra. So, are you in on this?"

To hell with that, Zhang Tian cursed inwardly, though he still hesitated somewhat. However, Xiao Yan breaking through to Seven-Star Dou Shi would indeed bring him substantial benefits.

"Fine. But Xiao Yan, you need to master Eight Extremes Collapse first. Only once you have the ability to protect yourself can you infiltrate the Lion King Cave." Zhang Tian glared at the fawning Xiao Yan before finally making up his mind.

"Alright, alright. I should be able to learn Eight Extremes Collapse in about three more days." Xiao Yan was full of enthusiasm. Under Yao Lao's guidance, his progress in cultivating Eight Extremes Collapse was incredibly fast, improving every single day.

Zhang Tian also sat cross-legged and adjusted his condition, preparing for the upcoming battle.

In the Original Work, Yun Yun fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King for an entire afternoon, only to get thoroughly beaten up by it. Yun Yun even used a powerful move and merely damaged one of its horns.

Yet the Lion King casually used Amethyst Seal, directly breaking through Yun Yun's Dou Skill and instantly defeating her. It was clear that the gap in strength between the human and beast was quite large.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The Dou Di Space shook with increasing intensity. Strands of Dao and reason continuously intertwined before vanishing once more.

Only because this inheritance lay deep within his soul could he sense traces of its laws. Otherwise, if it were in the outside world, he would not be able to detect anything at all, as though facing the vastness of heaven and earth.

Though the mortal world was far-reaching, you and I were both within it. But who could perceive the essence of heaven and earth? Who could see mountains simply as mountains, and water simply as water?

"It's actually this!" Zhang Tian let out a soft cry, surprise appearing on his face. This could not even be called a Dou Skill, but rather...