Facing the Lion King

By the time I reached the entrance of the nest, I hid behind a bend in the tunnel and cautiously poked my head out to look. The battle in the sky was still raging, while the Magical Beasts on the ground continued to tremble.

I chuckled and quietly slipped out of the nest. With a flap of my Purple Cloud Wings, I flew above the entrance. Once I got there, I retracted the Purple Cloud Wings and was just about to head back the way I had come.

At that moment, the Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly let out a roar and bellowed furiously, "Another human! Kill him!"

My body stiffened as I looked up. The Amethyst Winged Lion King high in the sky was staring fixedly at me—it had discovered me!

Panic rose in my heart. Looking down, I saw that the Magical Beast guards below had been alerted by the Amethyst Winged Lion King. They all raised their heads, and soon pairs of savage eyes settled on me.

I could not help cursing as I turned and ran. I was only a One-Star Dou Shi. How could I possibly stand against these third-tier Magical Beasts?

As for the Dragon Hunting Crossbow? The situation was critical. Where would I find the time to cock it?

Even if I did cock it, this was not a narrow cave tunnel but an open Mountain Forest. I could not aim properly, and the Magical Beasts would easily evade the bolts.

I circulated my Dou Qi, weaving left and right through the dense forest as I sprinted for my life.

Behind me and in the sky, more than a dozen third-tier Magical Beasts were chasing me madly. Their roars rose one after another. This truly was a desperate situation with almost no chance of survival!

And my only slim hope lay in the sky.

As I ran without stopping, I took the chance to look up. Yun Yun had forced back the Amethyst Winged Lion King with a single move and was diving toward me.

Joy surged through me, and I laughed aloud. Waving at the sky, I shouted, "Senior, I've got the Amethyst Spirit Crystal! Hurry over here!"

Dressed in a moon-white gown, Yun Yun beat her Azure Wings fiercely behind her. Her figure dove down like a bolt of lightning. She called out softly, "Watch behind you!"

Behind...

My scalp suddenly tightened. A vicious gust struck from behind me. From the air?

The Dou Qi throughout my body surged violently. I stomped the ground, gouging a deep trench into it as I forcibly brought myself to a stop. Then I circulated my Qi again, kicked off the ground, and twisted my body as I threw myself to the side.

Then I saw a sharp claw graze past my shoulder. A huge figure followed, unable to stop after losing its balance from exerting too much force, and crashed straight into the ground.

Trees in the area were uprooted, branches and dust filled the air, and blood flowed from the Flying Magical Beast's body.

I was just about to burst out laughing when I fell to the ground myself. A sharp pain shot through my waist. Reaching down to support myself, I could not help howling in pain and cursing.

"Damn it, I threw out my back!"

I struggled to stand, but waves of pain from my waist made it impossible for me to get up.

The Flying Magical Beast beside me had thick hide and tough flesh. Though it had quite a few wounds, it forced itself to stand and stared at me with vicious eyes.

I showed no fear. As the direct Young Master of the Nalan Family, how could I submit to a mere Magical Beast? I raised my right hand, viciously gave it the finger, and shouted, "You insignificant Magical Beast, how dare you act so arrogantly?!"

The Flying Magical Beast flew into a rage. It roared and beat its wings, preparing to take flight. But suddenly, a streak of azure sword light plunged down from the sky and nailed it directly to the ground.

Yun Yun's robes fluttered as she floated lightly above the ground. With another flap of her Azure Wings, she circled behind me and was about to lift me up.

I jumped in fright and hurriedly wailed, "Senior, Senior! I threw out my back! You really can't lift me in this position, you really can't!"

Yun Yun paused with her left hand and gently released the back of my collar. Her delicate brows furrowed as she looked at me and asked, "Then what do you suggest?"

I gave a dry laugh. "Senior, how about you carry me, or I carry you? Either works."

Naturally, Yun Yun did not agree, and her brows remained furrowed. At that moment, the other Magical Beasts caught up one after another. With a flick of Yun Yun's right hand, several streaks of azure sword light flashed. A few third-tier Magical Beasts were separated from their heads and collapsed into pools of blood.

Seeing this, a thought struck me. Ignoring the pain in my waist, I slapped the ground, flipped to my feet, and immediately wrapped my arms around Yun Yun from behind, shouting hoarsely.

"Senior, the Amethyst Winged Lion King is about to arrive. We should hurry and run!"

Yun Yun's body stiffened, but she did not shake me off. Turning her head, she saw that the Amethyst Winged Lion King was not pursuing us. Instead, it was returning to its nest, and she could not help raising her brows.

I saw it as well, and my heart sank. Tilting my head toward Yun Yun's elegant face so close at hand, I said gravely, "Senior, there was also a Little Lion King in the nest—I killed it."

"We should get away quickly. Before long, the Amethyst Winged Lion King will come after us to fight us to the death!"

"Little Lion King?"

Yun Yun murmured the words, and a trace of shock appeared on her dignified, noble face. After giving me a deep look, her expression turned solemn. Her Azure Wings beat wildly behind her, stirring up howling winds as she carried me straight into the sky once more.

Perhaps because she was wary of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Yun Yun flew much faster this time. The howling wind nearly blew my eyes shut. My vision blurred, and fear rose in my heart without my noticing. And once I was afraid, I instinctively held Yun Yun tighter.

I held on tighter and tighter until Yun Yun began to feel uncomfortable. Without turning her head, she spoke softly, though her voice reached my ears clearly with the aid of Dou Qi.

"Little fellow, you... loosen your grip a little."

To avoid the wind, I had tucked my head behind Yun Yun's shoulder. Pressing my head tightly against the back of her shoulder, I breathed in her faint, elegant fragrance and shook my head as I shouted hoarsely.

"No! If I let go, I'll fall!"

Yun Yun's body stiffened. She was probably angry. Yet she said nothing more. Her body relaxed again, and she continued flying forward at top speed.

Then, a shrill roar suddenly came from behind us. That roar—it was the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

My heart jolted. I struggled to look back, but it was too far away for me to see clearly. All I could make out was a black dot in the air, energy surging violently around it and blasting an empty ring through the surrounding clouds.

A grief-stricken cry also drifted over from afar on the wind.

"Human, where is my child? Return my child to me!"

Hearing that heartbroken roar, unease began to grow in my heart. I opened my mouth, turned toward Yun Yun, and cautiously asked, "Senior, it... the Amethyst Winged Lion King, surely it won't chase us out of the Monster Mountain Range, right?"

Yun Yun's face was solemn as she stared into the distance. "Although Magical Beasts live in the Monster Mountain Range year-round, that does not mean they cannot leave it..."

My heart skipped a beat. Yun Yun's words clearly meant that the Amethyst Winged Lion King was very likely to pursue us out of the Monster Mountain Range!

After a moment of silence, I shouted, "Senior, let's go to Wu Si City! We'll gather the army. If the Amethyst Winged Lion King really dares to leave the Monster Mountain Range, we'll kill it!"

"Mm."

Yun Yun was silent for a moment before nodding gently and changing direction. After we left the Monster Mountain Range and flew for quite some time, she suddenly halted and sharply turned to look back.

My heart leaped, and I looked back too, but I could not see anything. I hurriedly asked, "Senior... what is it?"

"It followed us out."

Yun Yun spoke softly, then sped up once more. Shortly afterward, a city appeared before my eyes. Though the view was different, I could still tell that it was Wu Si City.

Yun Yun flew with me directly above the City Lord's Mansion of Wu Si City. A powerhouse at least at the level of a Dou Wang had arrived in the air, startling the entire city and leaving the City Lord's Mansion guards at a loss.

But Yun Yun paid it no mind, and neither did I. Looking down over Wu Si City, she filled her voice with Dou Qi and declared in a voice that spread across the entire city.

"City Lord of Wu Si City, I am Yun Yun. A sixth-tier Amethyst Winged Lion King is currently approaching Wu Si City. Immediately gather the full strength of the city and prepare to defend it against the Magical Beast's attack."

I froze, then hurriedly said, "Senior, Wu Si City is too vulnerable. The Amethyst Winged Lion King can burn the whole place down with a single blast of fire. We cannot defend inside the city. We have to fight in the open."

Yun Yun frowned. At that moment, a middle-aged man emerged from the City Lord's Mansion below. He wore casual clothing, but he was surrounded by attendants.

He bowed toward the sky and asked loudly, "I am Mo Wang, City Lord of Wu Si City. May I ask if Sect Leader Yun has arrived?"

Yun Yun lightly flapped her Azure Wings and descended to the ground. She shook her body, leaving me no choice but to let go and step back. On the way, I swallowed a medicinal pill. My waist felt somewhat better, and I could barely stand.

Yun Yun looked at Mo Wang, nodded gently, and said, "That is correct."

Mo Wang's expression changed. He hurriedly questioned us several times about the details surrounding the Magical Beast. Yun Yun did not like talking, so I answered for her.

After he finished asking, Mo Wang's face looked rather unpleasant, and he could barely speak as he looked at Yun Yun and me. Probably because the Amethyst Winged Lion King had been provoked by Yun Yun and me, yet now Wu Si City had to bear the consequences with us...

But so what?

Yun Yun was the Yun Lan Sect Master, and I was a core member of the Nalan Family. How could a mere city lord like him afford to offend us?

Mo Wang fell silent for a while, then turned and issued orders to his subordinates. Before long, the entire City Lord's Mansion sprang into action and became a flurry of activity.

Representatives from several Wu Si City families also came to the City Lord's Mansion, and once again, I received them on Yun Yun's behalf.

After I finished speaking, their expressions were equally unpleasant. They had suffered an undeserved disaster for no reason. No one would be in a good mood over that.

I could see their dissatisfaction, but I was in no mood to placate them. I merely snorted and said, "Everyone, Sect Leader Yun and I will be staying in Wu Si City. Why don't you go talk to that Amethyst Winged Lion King and ask it to attack only us, not you?"

After saying that, I looked at them with a mocking expression. Their faces varied—some were angry, while others appeared thoughtful.

But no one dared to openly refute me. I now represented not only the Nalan Family, but also the Yun Lan Sect and a Dou Emperor powerhouse.

In the end, they all agreed to send their family guards to resist the Amethyst Winged Lion King's attack—whether they wanted to or not.

Otherwise, would they really let the Amethyst Winged Lion King storm into Wu Si City and burn away all the wealth their families had accumulated over decades or even centuries?

Before long, the elites of the City Lord's Mansion and the various families gathered west of Wu Si City. Several mercenary groups were also conscripted. Altogether, they had assembled more than seventeen hundred people, and even the weakest among them were One-Star Dou Zhes!

Yet as I looked at this vast procession, I did not feel very confident. I had personally witnessed the terror of a Dou Emperor powerhouse. Could only another Dou Emperor truly stand against one?

I stared at Yun Yun's back as she stood at the very front and fell into deep thought.