As Dan Xuan's voice fell, a gigantic creature, dozens of meters tall, burst out of the cave.
Its entire body was earth-yellow, and a layer of hard scales covered its back. It looked just like an enormous 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. Although it had yet to take human form, it had long since gained intelligence and could naturally speak.
A red gleam flared in the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's eyes, and a vicious look flashed across its dragon head.
Despite its enormous size, it wasn't as slow as one might expect. In fact, it was remarkably nimble.
In just a few breaths, it had caught up with Dan Xuan, who was flying on wings of Dou Qi.
Deep yellow energy gathered in its mouth, then it spat it forcefully toward Dan Xuan.
If the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle unleashed that mass of energy, its Seventh-tier Magical Beast strength would be enough to destroy everything in the vicinity.
Dan Xuan, Dan Chen, and Cao Ying all knew how dire the situation was. Without hesitation, they each unleashed their strongest Dou Technique.
"Dan Fire Palm!"
"Dan Fire Palm!"
"Blood Flame Burning Heaven!"
The three powerful Dou Techniques slammed into the energy mass spat out by the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle.
"Boom!"
A terrifying shockwave rapidly spread in every direction. The grass and trees within a hundred meters were ripped out by their roots, sending sand and stones flying.
But the Seventh-tier Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle was, after all, equivalent to a human Dou Zong powerhouse.
Cao Ying and the others couldn't even muster the strength of three Dou Wangs. Even with their strongest Dou Techniques, they only managed to hold back the yellow energy mass for a moment.
Just as the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's attack was about to hit Dan Xuan, and Dan Xuan was preparing to use his Teleportation Jade Talisman,
an incredibly thick finger, formed from Dou Qi and soul power, suddenly thrust out of the void.
"Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger!"
The already weakened energy mass collided with the finger.
In that instant, the entire mountain seemed to tremble.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed across the mountain. A terrifying storm of energy, accompanied by soul power, raged through the area.
A massive fissure, several feet long, rapidly spread across the mountain, reaching the limit of their vision.
Dan Xuan was closest to the impact. He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
The wings formed from Dou Qi vanished, and he plummeted straight down from the sky.
"Brother!"
Dan Chen's face filled with alarm. But before she or Cao Ying could react, a dark figure had already caught Dan Xuan.
"With strength like yours, the three of you really dared to pick a fight with a Seventh-tier Magical Beast?"
The dark figure moved like a streak of fire, reaching Dan Chen and Cao Ying in just a few breaths.
"Brother!"
Dan Chen immediately took Dan Xuan from Ling Xi's arms.
"Quick, let's go. We can't stand against this Seventh-tier Magical Beast."
Cao Ying's face had gone deathly pale. She had underestimated how powerful this Seventh-tier Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle was.
She had nearly gotten Dan Xuan killed just now.
"I have a way to deal with this big guy, but I'm missing a few medicinal ingredients."
Ling Xi glanced at the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle charging toward them and smiled at Cao Ying.
"I want half the contents of the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's lair."
Ling Xi wasn't a fool. After seeing the three of them provoke a Seventh-tier Magical Beast, how could he not guess why?
"I also need these 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? Have you found some powerful flame?"
Although the situation was urgent, Cao Ying had identified the pill Ling Xi wanted to refine from the ingredients alone.
"That's not something Miss Cao Ying needs to worry about."
After a pause, Ling Xi smiled.
"By the way, I still can't refine a fifth-grade pill. Miss Cao, I'll need your help."
Ling Xi's soul power was sufficient, but his Dou Qi cultivation limited his ability to refine fifth-grade pills.
"I have the Blood Lotus Essence and the Fourth-Order Ice Attribute Magic Core."
Seeing the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle drawing closer, Cao Ying gritted her teeth.
"But you can only take thirty percent of what's in its lair."
"Deal."
Ling Xi had no idea what was in the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's lair, but nothing mattered more than the Heavenly Flames.
"I have Ice Flame Grass on me."
Dan Xuan, who had been seriously injured, suddenly coughed before speaking.
The ingredients needed for a fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill weren't especially rare, so the group didn't mind handing them over.
By comparison, the Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk was far more precious.
"Great, we've got everything."
Ling Xi clapped his hand, and a golden figure suddenly shot out from behind him.
"Boom!"
The next moment, the golden figure slammed into the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's head.
Amid a thunderous sonic boom, the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle toppled straight over before it could even react, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"See? That took care of it."
Ling Xi beckoned, and the golden light flashed back into his Nakai Ring.
"This..."
Cao Ying and the others exchanged glances, at a loss for words.
"Is it... dead?"
Dan Chen was the first to ask.
"We're taking the thing it's guarded for so long. Killing it too would be going a bit far, wouldn't it?"
Ling Xi gave a soft laugh as he looked at the enormous dragon head lying on the ground, its eyes rolled back.
"But what's in the cave that made you risk so much?"
"Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk," Dan Xuan said with a bitter smile.
"Mysterious Yellow Quenching Spirit Milk... That really is a good thing."
Ling Xi nodded slightly, but showed little reaction.
The Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art he cultivated and the Devouring Ancestral Symbol in his body could both refine and devour the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.
That was why his soul power had grown so quickly; he didn't need any external aid to improve it.
If his soul power hadn't surged, he couldn't have used the Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger to block the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's attack.
"The Dou Technique you used just now seemed a bit like a Soul Technique, didn't it?" Cao Ying asked curiously.
Normally, only Soul Techniques passed down from ancient times could let an Alchemist wield her soul power.
"No. It's just a family Dou Technique."
Ling Xi shook his head and said no more.
The Myriad Spirits Annihilation Finger was one of the Ling Clan's inherited Dou Techniques. It was better to keep certain things quiet.
"Let's go. We'll take a look inside the Mysterious Armored Dragon Turtle's cave first."
Ling Xi looked at the three of them, but his gaze soon settled on Cao Ying.
"Miss Cao Ying, I'll have to trouble you to help me refine the Blood Lotus Pill."
"Refining a Blood Lotus Pill isn't difficult for me."
Cao Ying's gaze shifted slightly, and the corners of her lips 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 absorb, won't you?"
Before you continue