A Talent Worth Winning Over

A hazy streak of sword light fell from the sky, slashing straight across the Lion King's back. With a swish, a gash tore open, and violet blood flowed out.

"Roar!"

Pain made the Lion King raise its head and glare ferociously at Yun Yun. Yet instead of rising to attack her, it curled its body and pounced toward the Left Army!

I raised my brows in surprise. I hadn't expected the Lion King to be so intelligent, to think of a countermeasure so quickly. If it continued fighting Yun Yun head-on while allowing the allied army to attack freely, its Dou Qi would eventually be exhausted, and it would die here.

But if it attacked the allied army first...

Yun Yun also realized something was wrong. She dove toward the Lion King, intending to stop it. Yet the Lion King ignored her entirely, taking Yun Yun's sword strike head-on as it threw itself into the Left Army.

Violet flames filled the sky, and its four claws swept through the ranks. The might of a Rank 6 Magical Beast was overwhelming. In an instant, dozens among the six hundred soldiers of the Left Army were killed or wounded. One Da Dou Shi elder was even killed. The rest panicked, threw down their weapons, and scattered like birds and beasts!

Mo Wang's eyes widened until the corners split, blood trickling down. He kept shouting commands at the Left Army, but it was useless. The Left Army continued to collapse.

Mo Wang bit down hard on his lips, one hand gripping his sword hilt so tightly that veins bulged. Yet his breathing gradually became more measured. He abruptly drew his sword and swung it viciously at the Lion King, crying out hoarsely:

"Throw the javelins! Throw the javelins! Casualties be damned!"

The five hundred men of the Central Army were all soldiers from the City Lord's Mansion. Upon receiving the command, they threw their javelins without hesitation. The six hundred men of the Right Army hesitated briefly, then threw theirs as well.

Eleven hundred javelins descended like rain upon the Amethyst Winged Lion King, but some of them fell upon the Left Army as well.

For a moment, many Dou Zhe soldiers of the Left Army were pinned to the ground by javelins, dead or wounded. Their casualties actually exceeded those inflicted by the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Yet Mo Wang paid no heed, shouting madly and hysterically:

"Throw the javelins!"

"Throw the javelins!"

The javelins fell like rain, blotting out the sky. But after two volleys, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally noticed Mo Wang. It abandoned the Left Army and pounced toward him.

"Lion King, you deserve death!"

A hazy figure suddenly appeared before the Lion King. It was Yun Yun. Her beautiful eyes glared at the beast, and the sight of corpses strewn across the ground brought a trace of anger to her face.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King let out a roar, curled up, and lunged at her. It and Yun Yun immediately became locked in battle.

Because of the angle, Mo Wang hurriedly shouted several commands, directing the Central Army and Right Army to reposition themselves. After finding a better angle and avoiding Yun Yun, they once more attacked the Lion King.

Though some javelins still struck Yun Yun, such attacks had no lethality against a Dou Emperor. They were merely meant to drain Dou Qi.

Each rain of javelins greatly depleted the Lion King's Dou Qi, while creating openings for Yun Yun to attack.

Soon, several wounds appeared on the Lion King's body, all inflicted by Yun Yun. It roared repeatedly and bellowed furiously, "Humans, I will not spare you!"

With that, it beat its wings and soared into the sky, preparing to flee. But how could Yun Yun let it escape? With a soft cry, she shot into the air as well and caught up with the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

Yet who could have expected that the Lion King had no intention of tangling with Yun Yun at all? It circled in midair, then suddenly dived straight toward the Central Army!

A feigned retreat?!

I was stunned. I had never imagined the Amethyst Winged Lion King would actually use tactics—pretending to retreat, only to launch a sudden counterattack!

The Central Army descended into chaos and could not react in time. In the blink of an eye, the Lion King had pounced directly above Mo Wang's head!

Capture the ringleader first?

I was startled again and hurriedly cranked the Dragon Hunting Crossbow—I hadn't merely been watching all this time. I had taken out the Dragon Hunting Crossbow and loaded it!

The little hammer came crashing down, and the Dragon Hunting Crossbow bolt shot straight at the Lion King. With a clang, the Lion King's body abruptly halted.

Mo Wang roared and spun around, circulating his Dou Qi at full speed. He stomped violently upon the ground, sending mud flying as his body darted strangely to the side. He actually evaded the Lion King's certain killing blow!

"Kill!"

Seeing Mo Wang under attack, the Central Army soldiers cast aside all caution and charged in close with swords and spears.

Thus, the scene that had unfolded in the Left Army repeated itself. But the Central Army was unlike the Left Army—their will to fight was exceptionally resolute. Even after dozens were killed or wounded, they continued charging forward one after another. They bought enough time for Yun Yun to arrive.

Yet as I watched that fluttering figure, I shook my head, disappointment filling my heart.

When Yun Yun had been defeated twice by the Amethyst Winged Lion King in the Monster Mountain Range, it could still be blamed on her inferior cultivation. But now, with the aid of seventeen hundred allied soldiers, she had still been toyed with by the Amethyst Winged Lion King time and again—this was simply a problem with her brain!

Perhaps other than her high cultivation, Yun Yun really was nothing but a pretty vase—a large ornamental vase raised in the great greenhouse that was the Yun Lan Sect, never tested by hardship or turmoil.

No wonder. I shook my head again. No wonder Yun Yun, despite being a Dou Emperor, had let Xiao Yan, a mere little Dou Zhe, steal her heart and leave her miserable for the rest of her life. Who was there to blame? What could be done?

I stopped paying attention to Yun Yun, and my gaze gradually settled on Mo Wang. This brawny man in his thirties, the Da Dou Shi City Lord of some remote little city, was actually such a capable commander?!

Dressed in black armor, his face was filled with determination. Sword in hand, he issued command after command. The Central Army, which had suffered over a hundred casualties in the Lion King's attack, slowly regrouped under his orders and began attacking the Lion King with javelins once more!

I looked around. The Left Army, which had previously suffered the Lion King's attack, was nowhere to be seen. Who knew where they had scattered off to?

"Can even thorny brush contain fine timber?"

I murmured softly. Watching Mo Wang, who had nearly died under the attack of a Rank 6 Magical Beast yet still calmly directed the battle, I could not help clapping my hands and shouting, "What an excellent general!"

A brilliant smile appeared on my face, but my eyes were filled with coldness. Staring fixedly at Mo Wang's back, I slammed my fist against the weathered city wall and declared:

"If this general does not fall into my hands, then he must die!"

After a long and bitter battle, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally died. Yun Yun pierced its heart with a single strike—though Yun Yun might have had a problem with her brain, her cultivation as a three-star Dou Emperor was genuine.

When the battle ended, some of the survivors cheered together several times, while others clutched each other and wept. Then, exhausted beyond measure, they lay down on the ground to rest. Perhaps their bodies could still endure, but their minds could not.

I leaped down from the city wall, passed countless scorched corpses giving off a foul stench, and made my way to the center of the battlefield.

Yun Yun stood before the Amethyst Winged Lion King's corpse, her face somewhat pale. She had likely consumed too much Dou Qi.

I stepped forward and caught her by the arm, asking anxiously, "Senior, you're injured. Let me help you back to the City Lord's Mansion to rest."

Yun Yun shook her head. Her breathing was deep and steady, but her voice carried a trace of weakness. "I'm fine. I'm merely a little exhausted."

At this moment, Mo Wang and the head of the Rui Er Family—the largest family in Wu Si City—also walked over. As for the other three family heads? They had all been in the Left Army, and no one knew where they had fled to now...

Yun Yun did not like talking. After casually saying a few words, she shot straight into the sky and flew into the city, leaving Mo Wang, the Rui Er Family head, and me staring at one another.

After a moment of silence, Mo Wang looked at the Amethyst Winged Lion King's corpse and asked, "Young Master Nalan, how should we divide this corpse?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King's corpse was enormous and incomparably valuable. This was a Rank 6 Magical Beast! My eyes burned at the sight, and my breathing grew a little rapid as I said:

"First, see whether it has a Magical Core. If it does, present it to Sect Leader Yun... As for the rest of the corpse, it will be mine."

My words plunged the other two into silence. The Rui Er Family head gave an awkward laugh and said, "Young Master Nalan, earlier, two violet fireballs from the Amethyst Winged Lion King landed within my family's formation. Quite a few of my people died..."

I snorted coldly and glanced at him. After pondering briefly, I said, "I can have my family speak on your behalf and secure greater compensation from the royal family. Perhaps even... I can let you oversee Wu Si City's subsequent disaster relief efforts. What do you think?"

If these families had organized an allied army and gone to the Monster Mountain Range to hunt the Amethyst Winged Lion King, then even if their entire army had been wiped out, the royal family would not owe them any compensation.

But today, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had emerged from the Monster Mountain Range and attacked Wu Si City. This was like a natural disaster. Since Wu Si City had suffered the disaster, the Gama Royal Family naturally had to offer some compensation—otherwise, what was the point of having a royal family?

The only question was how much compensation would be given. If the Nalan Family spoke up, the compensation would naturally be at its highest.

There was also the authority over the following disaster relief efforts. Setting aside how much profit the Rui Er Family could make from it, the prestige alone would be enough to elevate them. Combined with the miserable performance of the other three families in battle, the Rui Er Family might well rise in one leap and dominate Wu Si City!

At the thought of such a wonderful future, the Rui Er Family head beamed. All displeasure vanished as he looked at me ingratiatingly, his face full of flattery.

I waved a hand, utterly unconcerned. Using the royal family's funds and grain to achieve one's own goals, being generous with someone else's resources—wasn't that exactly what the Nalan Family and the other Three Great Families loved doing most?

I turned to Mo Wang and said quietly, "City Lord Mo, your death is near. Do you know that?"

These city lords appointed by the royal family had never shown the Three Great Families any courtesy. Hearing my mysterious words, Mo Wang froze for a moment. Then his expression hardened. Fearless, he stepped forward, lowered his head, and stared straight into my eyes.

"Young Master Nalan... where exactly does Mo's impending death come from?"

"Mo Wang, do you think that just because you led troops to kill a Rank 6 Magical Beast, you will become famous throughout the land and be valued by the royal family, entrusted with important duties?"

Mo Wang's iron-blooded, icy gaze startled me, making my heart skip a beat. It took me a moment to recover. Some anger rose within me, and I gave a heavy cold snort as I pointed to the left.

That was the Left Army's position. Nearly two hundred corpses lay there, and more than half had javelins stuck in them! Some of those corpses had been struck by javelins after they died, while others had died because they were struck by javelins.

I looked at Mo Wang mockingly and said in a low voice, "City Lord Mo, heh, City Lord Mo, have you forgotten? Those people died because of your mistaken military order!"

"What do you think you are, some legendary general seen once in a century? Heh, you're an executioner, a butcher—a butcher who personally slaughtered the soldiers under his command! Heh, very soon, very soon, imperial officials will come investigate you. Very soon, you will be convicted and sent to the execution platform!"

Mo Wang stiffened. He looked at those corpses, his eyes somewhat dazed. But then his expression turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Those were necessary sacrifices. Otherwise, the Amethyst Winged Lion King could not have been restrained, and even more people would have died!"

I sneered and stepped forward, curling a finger to tap against Mo Wang's breastplate. It rang with a pleasant clink-clank.

"City Lord Mo, do you think the imperial officials would rather believe me, or listen to you?"

"You!"

Mo Wang suddenly took a step back, lowered his head, and glared at me with eyes wide like an enraged guardian deity. In a hoarse voice, he shouted, "You... brat, why are you doing this?"

"Because I cherish talent!"

I burst into laughter, completely unconcerned by Mo Wang's fury. I turned and left directly, my voice cold and ghostly as I said:

"Mo Wang, only one path to survival remains for you. Resign as City Lord and become my follower. Otherwise—I will personally send you to the execution platform!"