Early morning sunlight poured down, illuminating the entire mountain peak. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and lush green grass covered the ground.
Xiao Tian was preparing to set off, planning to cross the eastern part of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, when an elegant figure suddenly appeared before him.
Xiao Yi Xian wore a green dress, her jet-black hair flowing like a waterfall down to her waist. It lent her an air of pure, otherworldly beauty. Her fair, smooth skin was as delicate as porcelain, and her bright eyes shimmered with innocent liveliness, as refreshing as a clear spring.
Beside her was Lifie, a young woman from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion.
"Hadn't you gone back?"
Seeing Xiao Yi Xian appear again, Xiao Tian asked in surprise.
"I... I wanted to ask you when we might see each other again." Xiao Yi Xian stumbled over her words. Her heart was already pounding, and a rosy blush spread across her fair cheeks.
"When spring returns next year and the flowers bloom, that's when we'll meet again!" Xiao Tian said with a cheerful smile.
"Then you have to remember to come back and find me!"
Shyly nodding, Xiao Yi Xian finished speaking, then took Lifie's hand and hurried away.
Watching the two of them leave, Xiao Tian rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled.
"Looks like my charm is everywhere!"
High in the azure sky, the blazing sun hung overhead, pouring down its endless heat.
In the northeastern part of the mountain range, Xiao Tian sped toward a distant destination.
But just as he used his Purple Cloud Wings to cross the eastern part of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, a mighty lion's roar suddenly rang out like a thunderclap.
"Hm?!" Xiao Tian frowned at the sudden roar, paused, and looked toward its source.
Then he flashed forward, racing toward it.
"A sixth-rank magical beast—the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?"
As Xiao Tian drew near, his expression darkened. In the sky ahead loomed an enormous figure, its body covered in purple scales and formed of purple crystal. A fierce, murderous aura radiated from it.
Besides the sixth-rank magical beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, Xiao Tian also spotted a graceful, curvaceous woman.
A plain skirt embraced her shapely figure. Her full chest rose proudly, and a taut sash cinched her slender waist, accentuating its graceful curve. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant phoenix bun, with a jade-green hairpin tucked into it. She looked exceptionally beautiful and dignified.
The woman held a cyan longsword, and a pair of faint, cyan wings appeared behind her as she faced off against the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"Woman, I'm not giving you the Purple Spirit Crystal. Get lost!" The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King spoke, its low, hoarse voice hard and domineering.
The woman's brows rose. "In that case, I'll just have to take it by force!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she gripped her cyan longsword and shot toward the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King like a streak of light, whipping up fierce winds around her.
"Hmph!"
The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King snorted. A mass of purple flame burst from its mouth, and the searing heat warped the air around it.
"Shhk!"
The woman leaped aside to dodge, then swung her sword down in one fluid motion. But the blade only scraped against the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's body with a grating sound, causing no real damage.
Seeing this, the woman furrowed her brows and swiftly formed a hand seal before her chest.
"Wind Push Stance!"
In an instant, a visible cyan gale sprang up and swept toward the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
A trace of scorn flashed through its eyes. It raised a claw and slammed it down.
The gale scattered at once.
The Woman in Plain Skirt lifted her brows, retreated again, and waited for an opening before swinging her sword once more.
But the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was incredibly powerful. No matter how swift and fierce her attacks were, she couldn't hurt it in the slightest. Instead, she grew exhausted, panting again and again.
The battle continued for several hours.
"Woman, you've certainly got my attention. From here on, I won't hold back!" At last, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's patience ran out, and it let out an enraged roar.
Then, something strange happened. Its body began to glow with a brilliant purple light that surged into the sky. In the blink of an eye, the light compressed into a deep purple beam.
The deep purple beam seemed powerful enough to pierce through anything. Carrying an aura of destruction, it slammed toward the woman.
The sight of the heart-stopping beam made the woman's beautiful face turn grave. She slowly raised her hand, her slender fingers moving as quickly as lightning while she traced one complicated seal after another into her sword.
"Wind's Ultimate Art: Meteor Kill!"
With a sharp cry, the Woman in Plain Skirt swept her cyan longsword in an arc, then slashed it forward with all her strength.
In an instant, a cyan blade of energy surged forth like a landslide, crashing into the deep purple beam.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion erupted as the cyan sword energy collided with the purple beam, unleashing wave after wave of violent energy.
But only moments later, the deep purple beam tore through the cyan sword energy as easily as a dead branch. Its shock wave hurled the woman in the green skirt hundreds of meters away!
"Pfft..."
Blood spilled from the Woman in Plain Skirt's mouth as she flew backward. Her face was as pale as paper, her aura instantly weakened. She had been gravely wounded.
"No way!"
Xiao Tian, who had been lounging on a tree and watching, froze. The wounded woman was flying straight toward him.
"Well, lucky you!"
He yawned lazily, leaped into the air, and lightly beat his Purple Cloud Wings. His figure vanished from where he stood and reappeared beside the woman.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and continued flying at speed, finally disappearing from sight.
"Damn it! Where'd that little brat come from?!"
Seeing someone suddenly swoop in and rescue the Woman in Plain Skirt, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King erupted with fury and roared at the sky.
Its furious roar rang out, and the magical beasts throughout the surrounding mountain range rushed into action.
"Search, all of you! Find that woman and the little brat for me!" the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King bellowed, sending its orders to the magical beasts within dozens of kilometers.
At once, countless magical beasts began searching in every direction.
By then, Xiao Tian had carried the Woman in Plain Skirt into a secluded cave.
The beauty in his arms had hair falling over her shoulders, skin as white as snow, and a flawless, exquisitely beautiful face. Her eyes were closed, her nose delicately arched, and her lips gently pressed together. She seemed to have fallen unconscious.
Yet even unconscious, she gave off an air of noble elegance.
"The fortune-teller said I'd have great luck with women. Looks like he wasn't wrong."
"You're lucky you ran into me!"
After gently setting the woman down, Xiao Tian smiled and muttered to himself.
But the next moment, when he saw her injuries, he couldn't help frowning, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"I didn't expect the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to hit so hard. It really did a number on her!"
Looking at the wounds on her body, Xiao Tian couldn't help shaking his head.
Then he took some medicine from his Storage Ring and fed it to the Woman in Plain Skirt. Afterward, he reached out to loosen her clothes and tend to her wounds.
"Mm..."
The moment Xiao Tian had just removed the Woman in Plain Skirt's clothes, she stirred awake and opened her eyes.
Seeing Xiao Tian taking off her clothes, the Woman in Plain Skirt flushed with embarrassment and annoyance, quickly pressing her hand against her collar.
"You're badly hurt. If you don't want to die, stay still and let me apply the medicine!" Xiao Tian looked at the Woman in Plain Skirt and spoke in a cool, detached voice.
The woman studied Xiao Tian. His clothes were simple, but he was strikingly handsome and didn't look like a lecher. Besides, he seemed to be only a Dou Qi cultivator and posed no threat to her. She pressed her red lips together, then nodded gently.
When the Woman in Plain Skirt agreed, Xiao Tian said no more and slowly reached out to undo her clothes.
Once her clothes were removed, a perfectly proportioned, flawless figure came into view.
Her skin was as fair and soft as white jade, her figure curvaceous, and her lines graceful.
"Mm..." Seeing Xiao Tian frozen in place, the Woman in Plain Skirt's cheeks turned faintly red. She bit her lower lip and glared at him.
"Ahem, well... I'd better treat your wounds first."
Coughing awkwardly, Xiao Tian held out his hand. He tended to her wounds, sprinkled medicine over them, and then bandaged them.
"Mm..."
The cool sensation made the Woman in Plain Skirt let out a soft groan. Her face grew even redder, and when Xiao Tian accidentally brushed against her soft skin, her whole body trembled as a tingling sensation spread through her.
"Bear with it!" Xiao Tian smiled faintly. As he gently touched her fair skin to apply the medicine, he asked, "What's your name? Why were you fighting the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?"
"Yun Zhi." The Woman in Plain Skirt's face was crimson. She clenched her teeth over her red lips and answered softly.
Before you continue