Playing with Death, Bargaining with a Tiger

As the Amethyst Winged Lion King drew closer, Xiao Han felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

"Is this the boss of this region, the Amethyst Winged Lion King?"

Xiao Han clicked his tongue inwardly. Even with God's Perspective, seeing this overlord among Demon Beasts in person still filled him with an inexpressible sense of awe.

In the past, Xiao Han had only seen such strange beasts in television, movies, and games. Now that he was there in person, the feeling was beyond words.

"Hm? A Dou Zhe?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King saw through Xiao Han's cultivation at a glance. Its eyes were filled with disdain as it shouted, "Human, this is not a place you should be. Leave. I will not kill you either—human flesh from someone with only Dou Zhe-level cultivation is hardly appetizing."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King could actually speak human language?

Had it been anyone else, they would certainly have been greatly surprised.

But with God's Perspective, Xiao Han knew that once Demon Beasts reached the Amethyst Winged Lion King's level, they had long since developed intelligence. Some Demon Beasts were even no less intelligent than humans. Speaking human language was nothing unusual.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Amethyst Winged Lion King. To be frank, I came here to make a deal with you," Xiao Han replied calmly.

"A deal?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had already turned around and continued toward the cave. "Why would I, the mighty Amethyst Winged Lion King, make a deal with a mere Dou Zhe? Leave. Get out of this place before I change my mind!"

"Don't you want to take human form?" Xiao Han called out urgently.

Take human form?

The Amethyst Winged Lion King's entire body stiffened as though it had been petrified, standing motionless in place. Then it slowly turned around. Purple light flickered in its eyes, its gaze incomparably sharp, while a powerful aura pressed down upon Xiao Han. "Human, you have worn away this King's patience. From this point onward, if you say even one thing that displeases this King, then even if you are merely a Dou Zhe whose flesh is not tasty, this King will not mind killing you."

"Heh heh, don't worry. You can't kill me." Xiao Han circulated his Dou Qi to resist the pressure released by the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and only then did he feel somewhat better.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King said nothing. Its gaze remained fixed on Xiao Han, not missing even the slightest movement. "Human, tell this King—how can a mere Dou Zhe possess a Transformation Pill?"

"Enough nonsense, Amethyst Winged Lion King. You only need to know that I can let you take human form." Knowing that the fish had taken the bait, Xiao Han said happily, "Amethyst Winged Lion King, since this is a deal, let me state my terms. I can let you take human form, but you must also give me something."

"What do you want?" The Amethyst Winged Lion King asked warily. To its disappointment and delight, Xiao Han had shown no hesitation whatsoever when answering just now. That meant Xiao Han was telling the truth—the human before it truly could allow it to take human form.

"Amethyst Spirit Crystal," Xiao Han said flatly.

"Amethyst Spirit Crystal?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King furrowed its brow slightly, a sly glint flashing through its eyes. "What is that? Human, I truly do not have such a thing. How about I give you something else instead? For instance, Dou Techniques and cultivation methods used by you humans, or some decent weapons and armor."

As soon as the Amethyst Winged Lion King finished speaking, several scrolls appeared before it as if by magic, along with weapons and armor that gleamed with fluorescent light and looked quite impressive.

"Do I look that easy to fool?" Xiao Han glanced at those items and rolled his eyes at the Amethyst Winged Lion King irritably.

As for the scrolls, Xiao Han did not know what Dou Techniques or cultivation methods they contained. The weapons and armor, meanwhile, were merely third- and fourth-tier items. Though they would be quite useful to Dou Shi and Great Dou Shi, if another human had come here, they might very well have fallen for the Amethyst Winged Lion King's trick upon seeing these treasures.

But Xiao Han had no use for them at all.

Xiao Han waved his hand and sighed. "Sigh, if that is your attitude, then let us call this deal off."

Xiao Han slowly turned and began leaving. As he walked, he said, "As a Rank 6 Demon Beast, I assume you know that pills capable of allowing one to take human form are not something just any alchemist can refine."

Uh...

The Amethyst Winged Lion King's expression darkened. Xiao Han was indeed right. Among all the empires large and small around the Monster Beast Mountain Range, there were only a handful of alchemists capable of refining such pills.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King stared at Xiao Han's back, a vicious gleam appearing in its eyes.

"Oh, right. Since I dared come here, I naturally did not come alone. With my current abilities, I cannot refine that type of pill. So before you make a move, you should think this through carefully."

Just as the Amethyst Winged Lion King was about to strike, Xiao Han's voice drifted over once more.

And indeed, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had just entertained the thought of killing him and taking his treasure. But when it considered the terrifying influence of an alchemist, its raised claw slowly lowered again.

"Human, come back. You win."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King compromised. The temptation of taking human form was simply too great. "The person behind you has sharp eyes. They actually set their sights on the Amethyst Spirit Crystal that our Amethyst Winged Lion King clan sheds from our bodies only once every twenty years."

"Not so fast."

Xiao Han smiled slightly and added, "A pill capable of allowing one to take human form is exceedingly precious. A single piece of Amethyst Spirit Crystal is not enough."

"Human, what else do you want?" The Amethyst Winged Lion King's expression darkened.

"Amethyst Source!"

"What?"

Purple flames surged over the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body. It was clearly on the verge of going berserk. A torrential wave of energy rushed wildly toward Xiao Han, immediately turning his face pale.

"So this is a Rank 6 Demon Beast comparable to a Dou Emperor? If this aura grows any stronger, it will probably exceed the limits of what I can endure." The pressure around him crushed Xiao Han from all sides, forcing him toward his knees. Yet Xiao Han stubbornly remained standing.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King was an extraordinary beast blessed with exceptional talent. Whenever this type of Demon Beast gave birth, there was a tiny chance that an Amethyst Source would be produced alongside its cub. Because it was born alongside the cub, it was also called an Amethyst Source.

The Amethyst Source remained within the Lion King's body for an extremely long time and contained exceptionally pure energy. Back then, even Yao Lao had raided eight Amethyst Winged Lion King caves without finding such an Amethyst Source. That alone showed just how rare it was.

As long as Xiao Han had the formula, he could refine certain pills himself in the future. But an Amethyst Source was entirely different—it was something with a price but no market. Even if one wanted it, one could not buy it.

Trading an Eighth-Rank Pill that was useless to Xiao Han for Amethyst Spirit Crystal and an Amethyst Source as well—Xiao Han would not lose out in this deal.