In Hand

On the purple circular platform at the center sat a purple orb the size of a human head. It lay there quietly, yet all the heat in the cave was emanating from it.

Lin Feng's eyes lit up as he looked at it. He knew this was the Purple Spirit Crystal Yun Yun had been searching for.

Having cultivated deep within the Monster Mountain Range these past days, he naturally knew of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and he had entertained thoughts of this treasure as well. But with his current strength, he would never dare provoke a sixth-tier magical beast with the strength of a Dou Emperor.

Yet Yun Yun's arrival today had lured the Amethyst Winged Lion King away, leaving this place poorly guarded for the time being. It gave him the perfect opportunity.

Lin Feng crouched down and examined it carefully. He could see purple liquid flowing within the orb. With his powerful soul force, Lin Feng could sense the immense energy contained in that liquid.

"This is the Coexisting Amethyst Source."

Lin Feng knew about this item. In the original story, Xiao Yan had obtained it, then devoured the Purple Flame, allowing the Flame Mantra to begin evolving.

"Though it seems taking it out will be a bit troublesome."

Lin Feng stood and looked around. Then he spotted another passageway and carefully entered it.

After leaving the passage, Lin Feng did not rush out. Instead, he cautiously looked toward the center and discovered a smaller Amethyst Winged Lion King sleeping peacefully there.

"So it really is here."

After a quick look, Lin Feng determined that the little fellow was only third-tier and should be manageable for him. But if they fought, that terrifying creature outside would sense it, and he would be in trouble.

Lin Feng took out a jade bottle from his Naring. A dense fiery aura wafted from it, carrying a rich fragrance that was immensely tempting to a fire-attributed magical beast like the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

Lin Feng placed the medicine bottle at the cave entrance, then hid himself in the shadows and watched the little creature's movements.

The sleeping young Amethyst Winged Lion King's nose twitched slightly. Then a muffled rumble sounded from its stomach. It slowly opened its beastly eyes, sniffed again, hesitated for a moment, then began swaying its huge head as it searched the cave for the source of the fragrance.

After searching for a while, excitement flashed in its eyes. It let out a joyful roar and ran toward the cave entrance.

Seeing that the creature had consumed his medicinal liquid, Lin Feng was delighted. Now then, little fellow, sleep well.

Sure enough, before long, the young Amethyst Winged Lion King staggered a few steps, yawned, then obediently sprawled on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

"Done."

Lin Feng emerged from the shadows and entered the cave filled with amethyst crystals. Looking at those beautiful crystals, golden light spread across his arm as he smashed the stone slab apart with a punch.

Purple light immediately burst forth. Lin Feng hurriedly closed his eyes and only slowly opened them again after a moment.

There, a sharp purple spirit crystal the size of a fist lay quietly within. Purple radiance flowed across its surface, making it exceptionally beautiful.

Lin Feng carefully took it out and stored it in his Naring before running back through the passage to the amethyst crystal platform.

Lin Feng did not dare linger. He immediately struck the orb with the amethyst crystal. After a brief silence, a crack appeared on its surface. The next instant, the crack spread like a spiderweb before the orb shattered with a bang.

Purple liquid flowed out. Lin Feng immediately collected it in jade bottles, unwilling to waste even a drop.

This was a treasure capable of evolving the Flame Mantra and raising the young Amethyst Winged Lion King's strength by one tier.

Lin Feng filled ten jade bottles before finally emptying it completely.

At that moment, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

Ding! Congratulations, check-in successful. Reward obtained: Chaos Flame. Next check-in location: Snake-People Tribe. Reward: Heavenly Rank Dou Technique, Great Desolate Imprisoning Sky Finger.

Damn, the check-in finally succeeded. If it had taken any longer, I would have started wondering whether the system had abandoned me.

But this confirmed his suspicion: he needed to complete certain hidden objectives for the check-in to succeed.

However, the next check-in location gave him a headache. The Snake-People Tribe—Medusa Queen, whose fierce reputation had spread far and wide, was there. He had no idea what objective he would need to complete to succeed.

Yet at that moment, the Amethyst Winged Lion King fighting outside suddenly sensed something and roared in fury, "Despicable human! You dared trespass into my cave! Die!"

Amethyst Seal!

Extreme Wind, Fallen Kill!

Lin Feng's expression changed when he sensed the disturbance. He knew the Amethyst Winged Lion King had detected what was happening here, so he had to leave quickly.

Looking at the young Amethyst Winged Lion King sleeping soundly, Lin Feng could only say, "Sorry, little fellow. I need to grow stronger too. You have a Dou Emperor mother, and you can already swagger around this place as you please, so your big brother will be taking it."

He immediately ran toward the cave entrance. The moment he emerged, he encountered several guarding magical beasts. Lin Feng did not dare delay and killed them with all his strength.

For the stronger ones, Lin Feng simply drove them back before using Phantom Tracing to vanish into the forest.

He scattered medicinal powder over himself along the way to keep the Lion King from sensing his aura.

Not long after Lin Feng left, the Lion King flew into a rage outside the cave. Its repeated roars were so deafening that they felt capable of rupturing one's eardrums.

"Search! Find him for me, dead or alive!"

Feeling that fury and violent energy, Lin Feng still felt lingering fear. Had he been even a little slower, the Lion King would likely have caught and torn him apart on the spot.

Soon, magical beasts across the mountain began moving, searching everywhere for Lin Feng's whereabouts.

But by then, Lin Feng was already humming a tune as he leisurely returned to his dwelling beneath the waterfall.

However, the moment he returned, his expression changed. I'm not the protagonist. Why am I still running into this kind of situation?

On the riverbank beneath the waterfall lay a beautiful woman dressed in plain clothes. Her tightly shut eyes, pale face, and weak breathing made it obvious that she was seriously injured.

Lin Feng had not expected something like this to happen to him too. He knew Yun Yun was no match for the Amethyst Winged Lion King and would be injured, but he had thought she would not happen to fall right where he would find her. Yet that was exactly what had happened.

Should I save her or not?

This woman was the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. Sooner or later, he would go to the Misty Cloud Sect to settle scores with Ge Ye and the others. Moreover, Ge Ye and his group had left such a terrible impression on him that he now felt deeply resistant toward the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

"Forget it. She's nothing but trouble. I'll let her fend for herself."

Lin Feng turned and walked toward the cave.

But after a moment, Lin Feng turned back. He crouched beside the barely breathing Yun Yun, sighed, and said, "You're lucky. I'm softhearted—I can't just stand by and watch someone die."