Four-Star Dou Master

As Dan Xuan's voice faded, a colossal creature dozens of meters tall burst out from the cave.

The beast was a muddy yellow all over, its back covered in a layer of hard, scale-like armor, making it look like a giant turtle.

Yet it had a head that resembled a dragon's.

"With strength like yours, you dare covet the treasure I guard?"

This Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle was a Seventh-tier Magical Beast. Though it hadn't yet taken human form, it had long awakened its intelligence and could naturally speak.

A crimson gleam flared in the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's eyes, a fierce, murderous glint flashing across its dragon-like head.

Its massive body was far from the sluggishness one might expect—it was surprisingly agile.

In just a few breaths, it had caught up to Dan Xuan, who was flying with Dou Qi-condensed wings.

Deep yellow energy gathered in its mouth, then blasted heavily toward Dan Xuan.

If that energy struck, with the power of a Seventh-tier Magical Beast, it would be enough to annihilate everything around.

Dan Xuan, Dan Chen, and Cao Ying knew the gravity of the situation. Without a word, they all unleashed their strongest Dou Techniques.

"Dan Fire Palm!"

"Dan Fire Palm!"

"Blood Flame Burning Heaven!"

Three Dou Techniques of no low rank slammed heavily into the energy ball spat by the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle.

Boom!

A terrifying shockwave of energy rippled outward, uprooting grass and trees within a hundred meters, kicking up a storm of sand and rubble.

But a Seventh-tier Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle was equivalent to a human Dou Zong.

Cao Ying and the others, who couldn't even muster three Dou Kings, only managed to delay the yellow energy ball for a brief moment, even with their trump cards.

Just as the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's attack was about to land on Dan Xuan, and he was ready to use the Teleportation Jade Talisman—

A massive finger, formed from Dou Qi and Soul Power, suddenly thrust out from the void.

"Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger!"

The already weakened energy ball collided head-on with that finger.

In that instant, the entire mountain seemed to tremble.

Boom!

An earth-shattering roar echoed across the peak, as a violent storm of energy, mixed with Soul Power, rampaged through the space.

A massive crack, over ten feet long, spread rapidly down the mountain, stretching beyond the trio's line of sight.

Dan Xuan was closest to the impact, and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

His Dou Qi-condensed wings vanished, and he plummeted straight down.

"Big brother!"

Dan Chen's face twisted with panic, but before she or Cao Ying could act, a dark figure had already caught Dan Xuan.

"You three, with strength like that, dare to pick a fight with a Seventh-tier Magical Beast?"

The figure moved like a streak of fire, flashing beside Dan Chen and Cao Ying in a few breaths.

"Big brother!"

Dan Chen immediately took Dan Xuan from Ling Xi's arms.

"Let's go—this Seventh-tier beast is beyond us."

Cao Ying's face was pale as snow. She had underestimated the power of this Seventh-tier Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle.

She had nearly gotten Dan Xuan killed.

"I have a way to deal with this big guy, but I'm missing some ingredients," Ling Xi said, glancing at the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle charging toward them, then smiling at Cao Ying.

"I want half of what's in this Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's cave."

Ling Xi wasn't stupid. Seeing the three provoke this Seventh-tier beast, he could easily guess why.

"Plus three ingredients: Blood Lotus Essence, Ice Spirit Flame Grass, and a Fourth-Order Ice Attribute Magic Core."

"You want to refine a Blood Lotus Pill? What kind of powerful flame did you find?"

Despite the urgency, Cao Ying deduced the pill Ling Xi intended to refine just from the ingredients.

"That's not something Miss Cao Ying needs to worry about."

Pausing, Ling Xi smiled.

"Oh, and I can't refine a fifth-grade pill on my own yet. I'll need Miss Cao's help."

Ling Xi had enough Soul Power, but his Dou Qi cultivation limited him from refining fifth-grade pills.

"I have the Blood Lotus Essence and the Fourth-Order Ice Attribute Magic Core."

Watching the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle draw closer, Cao Ying gritted her teeth and said, "But you can only take thirty percent of whatever's in the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's cave."

"Fine."

Though Ling Xi had no idea what lay inside the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's cave, nothing mattered more than the Exotic Flame right now.

"I have Ice Flame Grass on me."

Dan Xuan, bearing not-insignificant injuries, coughed harshly before finally speaking up.

The ingredients needed for a fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill weren't particularly rare, so none of them minded coughing them up. Compared to that, the Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk was far more precious.

"Alright, everything's together."

Ling Xi reached out and clapped his hands. A golden figure suddenly shot out from behind him.

"Boom!"

The next moment, that golden form slammed heavily into the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's head. Amid the deafening boom, the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle didn't even have time to react before it toppled straight over, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"See? Problem solved."

Ling Xi waved his hand, and the golden light flickered once before returning to his Nakai Ring.

"This..."

Cao Ying and the other two exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Is it... dead?"

Dan Chen was the first to ask, unable to hold back.

"We're taking something it's guarded for so long—taking its life too would be a bit much, don't you think?"

Ling Xi chuckled lightly, looking at the massive dragon head lying on the ground, its eyes still rolled back.

"But what exactly is in that cave that made you risk so much?"

"It's Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk."

Dan Xuan gave a bitter smile.

"Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk... that's definitely a good thing."

Ling Xi nodded slightly, his face showing little reaction.

The Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art he cultivated, along with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol within him, could both refine and devour the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth. That's why his Soul Power had grown so rapidly—he had no need for external aids to boost it. If his Soul Power hadn't surged so much, he wouldn't have been able to block the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's attack earlier with the Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger.

"That Dou Technique you used just now—it looked a bit like a soul technique, didn't it?"

Cao Ying asked curiously.

Normally, only ancient soul techniques passed down from antiquity could mobilize an Alchemist's soul power.

"No, it's just a family Dou Technique."

Ling Xi shook his head, not elaborating further.

The Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger was, after all, one of the Ling Clan's inherited Dou Techniques—better to keep some things low-key.

"Let's go. Let's check out this Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's cave first."

Ling Xi looked at the three of them, but his gaze quickly settled on Cao Ying.

"Miss Cao Ying, I'll need to trouble you to refine the Blood Lotus Pill for me."

"Refining a Blood Lotus Pill isn't hard for me."

Cao Ying's eyes shifted slightly, and the corner of her mouth curled up.

"But as compensation for helping you refine it, you'll have to tell me what flame you're refining the Blood Lotus Pill to tame."