Inferno Demon Lion

"Roar, roar..."

Deep within the dense forests of the Hot Springs Mountain Range, a chaotic battle erupted, drawing countless Soul Beasts into a brutal melee. The thick scent of blood finally attracted the overlord-level creatures of this region. Amid repeated lion roars, scarlet figures charged in from the distant grasslands.

"It's a lion pack—the Flame Lion Pack."

From the branch of an ancient tree, Feng Lin slowly descended after circling through the air once and landed beside Yan. Pointing toward the distant grasslands, he said, "The flat grasslands between these mountains have bred many Soul Beasts, and among them, lion-type Soul Beasts reign supreme.

"Though Flame Lions are not Top-Tier Soul Beasts, they can barely be counted among high-level Soul Beasts. The bloodline of their lion kings is far superior even to that of ordinary high-level Soul Beasts."

Yan did not answer immediately. He continued gazing into the distance as a series of lion roars rang out. A group of large cats wreathed in fiery red light appeared before him.

Feng Lin introduced some intelligence he had gathered from the side. "Young Master Yan, it is said that a Golden Lion King once appeared on this small plain. Because lion-type Soul Beasts are so numerous here, people call it the Golden Lion Plains."

"The Golden Lion Plains—it certainly lives up to its name. There are a lot of lion-type Soul Beasts."

Yan glanced around and nodded. By then, the charging Flame Lion Pack had already joined the battle. Among the many Soul Beasts, one fiery-red figure stood out in particular.

It was a Flame Lion King. As it ran at high speed, the mane unique to male lions spread and fluttered. Its fiery-red fur, illuminated by the flames surrounding its body, made it appear even more majestic and imposing.

It was over three meters long and stood nearly one and a half meters at the shoulder, its muscles sharply defined. Its crimson eyes radiated a cold, ruthless aura. After letting out a roar, it sprang forward on all fours and casually swatted a group of Soul Beasts to the ground with a few claws.

As the Flame Lion King ran, the flames burning across its body surged higher and higher. The blazing heat distorted the air around it.

"What a pity. Only a Flame Lion King that has undergone transformation can barely qualify as a Top-Tier Soul Beast. But for a Flame Lion to transform into a lion king even once, it needs at least a thousand years of cultivation."

Despite such powerful fire abilities, Yan could only reluctantly shift his gaze away and continue searching for another target.

A Flame Lion that could transform into a Flame Lion King and advance into the ranks of Top-Tier Soul Beasts would definitely have at least a thousand years of cultivation. Even if this lion king had only just crossed that threshold, it still possessed at most twelve hundred years of cultivation.

But for Yan, who was preparing to absorb his first soul ring, such cultivation was far too high. Forcing himself to absorb it would be no different from courting death.

He had given the matter considerable thought before coming to the Hot Springs Mountain Range to obtain a soul ring. According to Spirit Hall's records, a Soul Master's first soul ring was best taken from a Soul Beast slightly over four hundred years old, with around four hundred and twenty years being the average upper limit.

Of course, every Soul Master had a different physique and martial soul, so their limits varied somewhat. But generally, the difference was only a few decades.

Yan's martial soul was of decent quality, and he had focused on training during this time. With the soul and willpower of an adult, he could endure a little more. Even adding all those advantages together, his limit could only be raised by twenty or thirty years at most. He could consider Soul Beasts below roughly four hundred and fifty years old.

Yan had conducted research through the intelligent brain Dawn. To make proper use of every opportunity to absorb a soul ring and achieve the transformation and evolution of one's martial soul, being short by a few years was not the key. What mattered was the compatibility between the Soul Beast and martial soul, as well as the quality of the Soul Beast being absorbed.

Take an example: a hundred-year Titan Giant Ape and a four-hundred-year Wind Baboon—which was stronger? Without question, the former. If an ordinary Soul Master had to choose, they would most likely want the Titan Giant Ape's soul ring, because its quality was higher.

But there were exceptions. For example, someone whose martial soul was similar to a Wind Baboon would likely gain greater benefits by choosing a four-hundred-year Wind Baboon, because the two were highly compatible. Of course, in terms of value, the Titan Giant Ape was still worth more.

Therefore, when a Soul Master chose a soul ring, they first considered compatibility with their martial soul, then quality, and only lastly the number of years.

Naturally, that was under the condition that the three factors did not differ too greatly. If it were a ninety-thousand-year Soul Beast and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, then a Titled Douluo would most likely make a different choice.

No matter how compatible a ninety-thousand-year soul ring was, it might not grant a domain or a soul bone. But a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could very likely grant a domain skill, and it would certainly drop a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. There was simply too much to gain—it was impossible to resist.

But none of that had much to do with Yan right now. Ninety thousand years, a hundred thousand years—they were far too distant for him. What he needed now was a suitable first soul ring, preferably from a top-tier fire-attributed Soul Beast. If it had something like Ultimate Fire... then he would naturally turn around and run.

Fire-attributed Soul Beasts with Ultimate Fire were generally existences on the level of Titan Giant Apes and Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears. These supreme emperor-type Soul Beasts could rival ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts even at a hundred years old. The three of them would be seeking death if they tried to fight one head-on, so they would have to make long-term plans.

"Roar~~~"

Just as the Flame Lion Pack surged into the forest, a proud lion king's roar rose from the other side of the lion plains. Scarlet flames soared into the air, dyeing a vast stretch of sky red. Low, furious roars followed, and a scarlet blur flashed into view.

"That's a Top-Tier Soul Beast, a Crimson Flame Lion. It's over four hundred years old... probably already has five hundred years of cultivation. What a pity."

Feng Lin recognized the Soul Beast immediately. After observing it carefully, he could not help but sigh in regret. The Crimson Flame Lion was one of the strongest lion-type Soul Beasts.

Though a Crimson Flame Lion could not compare to a Golden Lion said to possess the Golden Bloodline, it was still an exceptionally powerful fire-attributed Soul Beast. Its control over fire, strength, innate talent, and bloodline were all formidable.

Unfortunately, the Crimson Flame Lion before them was already over two and a half meters long. It likely had more than five hundred years of cultivation. If Yan tried to absorb it recklessly, the chance of failure would still be very high.

"This is a battle for the lion king's throne. Let's wait a little longer and see whether something like a Golden Lion appears."

Yan was quite satisfied with the scene they had created. Earlier, when they climbed into the treetops, they had added fuel to the fire by scattering some prepared herbs. The herbs intensified the scent of blood and released a strange fragrance that attracted fire-attributed Soul Beasts. Judging by the results, it was working quite well.

"Roar~~~"

Just as the Flame Lion King and the Crimson Flame Lion roared one after another, another lion's roar sounded from a different direction on the Golden Lion Plains. Amid flames soaring into the sky, a gigantic lion covered entirely in fiery-red fur appeared.

It was a male lion roughly two meters long. Its fiery-red coat was exceptionally brilliant, and merely standing there made it seem as if flames were rising from its entire body.

The moment the male lion appeared, Yan's expression changed. After narrowing his eyes to observe it, he made his decision. "An Inferno Demon Lion. It looks to be just over four hundred years old at most. Uncle Lin, no more waiting. It's the one."

The Inferno Demon Lion was a fire-attributed Soul Beast and an incredibly powerful master of flames. It was one of the Soul Beasts that possessed a kingly bloodline.

If the Crimson Flame Lion was considered one of the foremost lion clans beneath the Golden Lion, then the Inferno Demon Lion was a challenger to the Golden Bloodline, with the potential to threaten a Golden Lion King.

Sorry, everyone. I got the timing wrong today, so this chapter was released a little late.