The Nine-Headed Savage Lion

It wasn't that the grinding mill couldn't be stopped. Great Immortal Yang Mei simply refused to stop it. This was his only chance to destroy Pangu, and he didn't want to give it up. Besides, if he forcibly stopped it, forget the Grand Formation of the Myriad Stars—even his own world would be ruined. That world was fused with his primordial spirit, and what would become of his fate was anyone's guess.

There was another reason Great Immortal Yang Mei didn't know: the Chaos Green Lotus was a thing of creation. The evolution of worlds required its power, making it a tool of creation itself. The Myriad Stars Grinding Mill, on the other hand, was a thing of destruction. Neither was stronger than the other; it depended on the will of the Great Dao—whether it sought to destroy the world or create it.

But the Great Dao was unclear now, leaving the two forces evenly matched. Still, the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill hadn't come about through the evolution of heaven and earth. It was merely the result of gods and demons simulating that process with their overwhelming powers, so it surely couldn't last.

Golden Crow Daoist kept cursing, but all the while he calculated his chances of taking this world for himself. He realized that he really was incredibly lucky. He hadn't expected that the little Golden Crow would actually find the Formation Eye of this world—and discover how to control it.

"Haha, now I can finally put the clone I left behind to use."

Golden Crow Daoist didn't know that the information the little Golden Crow had revealed was true—but it was also a Killing Array, prepared especially for him.

Golden Crow Daoist was confident, and he had good reason to be. Among these gods and demons, several had kept their strength well hidden. They were his allies. Perhaps it was his innate Emperor's Aura, or perhaps his impressive cultivation, but several of them were utterly devoted to him.

Golden Crow Daoist's clone was huddled with more than a dozen others, discussing how to enter the gorge across from them. Mist shrouded the valley year-round, and deep within it stood an ancient hall. The hall was the Formation Eye, the nexus that controlled the entire space. Some among the dozen were simply fishing in troubled waters. They wanted to try their luck. Their own innate spiritual treasures had been destroyed—what chance did they have against Pangu? And even if Pangu were destroyed, what standing would they have to stand as equals with Great Immortal Yang Mei?

Following the secret passage the little Golden Crow had found, the group reached a huge boulder. It carried them slowly down toward the bottom of the gorge. Mist rushed at them, winding around them like ghosts. Everything before their eyes was chaos. Even when they probed with their Spiritual Sense, they found no trace of anything, and the range they could search was tiny.

The boulder stopped beside a stone platform. A staircase made of stone pillars wound down from it.

Suddenly, Golden Crow Daoist, who had been standing at the edge of the platform and looking down, cried out, "What's that?"

Two lamps suddenly appeared in the void below, each several zhang across. The moment the group swept them with their Spiritual Sense, their hearts jolted. They were a pair of eyes, radiating a ravenous, murderous gleam.

The god-demon revealed its true form: a gigantic, serpent-shaped creature covered in purplish-red scales that glimmered eerily in the dim light. Nine long horns sprouted from its head.

The head with its nine enormous horns lowered, its mouth stretching wide. Row upon row of razor-sharp teeth gleamed with a chilling light as its jaws opened and closed.

In the next instant, those eyes vanished. A roar shook the heavens, and the serpent coiled around the boulder plunged downward, disappearing from sight. The group was horrified. This was a Chaos God Demon, one famed for its mighty physical body—and it had just been eaten. Following the falling serpent corpse with his eyes, Golden Crow Daoist shot out a spark of flame. It was tiny, but enough to illuminate the space around the serpent.

In the faint light, they saw a beast shaped like a male lion devouring the serpent. Eight heads hung low around the central lion's head. Each time the lion opened and closed its jaws, great quantities of mist poured out.

Golden Crow Daoist's expression instantly turned grim. He drew back his right hand, and the faint light vanished in an instant. The void below was once again shrouded in mist.

They exchanged glances, then each used the formation techniques they were best at to set up wards around themselves. They moved slowly toward the stone steps, hoping not to disturb the beast while it was eating.

The roars from the mist below grew louder and louder. The stones around them seemed to tremble.

At that moment, a boulder not far behind them suddenly shattered. A massive head slammed into it. As the stone crumbled, the creature's eyes flashed with a cold light.

A foul wind blew from behind them. They knew they'd trespassed on someone else's territory. Their opponent was clearly a Chaos God Demon, but its mind seemed muddled. The way its other heads drooped made it clear that someone had sealed its Spiritual Sense, leaving it with only its instincts. Otherwise, it wouldn't have eaten the corpses of other gods and demons.

Perhaps it would give up once they left its territory, so avoiding it was the wisest choice. They could only hurry forward.

The lion tilted its head, coldly watching them rush ahead with its enormous eyes, and let out a series of low growls. Suddenly, it raised its body and pounced down!

Golden Crow Daoist was horrified. They were on the stone steps, and they had no idea what lay at the bottom of the gorge. If the savage lion knocked them down or smashed the pillars beneath their feet, who knew what would happen?

A stream of purple qi burst from Golden Crow Daoist's body: his King's Aura. It transformed into a purple Golden Crow, which let out a piercing cry and charged at the Nine-Headed Monster Lion. It opened its beak and spat out clumps of purple flame. The flames formed a Nine Palaces Array, trapping the savage lion. He had no time to waste. His true body couldn't wait; if this dragged on, the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill would drain it dry.

But what happened next left him dumbfounded. The savage lion sprang free with ease, as if it were an illusion. Yet it had smashed the boulder and devoured the nine-horned black serpent, so it had a physical body. How was this possible?

The Nine-Headed Savage Lion opened its gaping maw, bringing a gust of foul wind with it. The Chaos God Demon at the rear stood there as if stunned. The savage lion bit down on its head, and the sound of bones crunching echoed in everyone's ears.

The god-demon's mangled corpse fell into the thick mist below.

Golden Crow Daoist couldn't understand it. The creature had been a Chaos Living Being, yet it hadn't reacted at all to the savage lion's attack. His purple Golden Crow had pecked and clawed at the lion with everything it had, but each time it was as if it struck empty air. The lion's attacks, however, were always so powerful.

Could this savage lion shift between a physical and incorporeal form? How was that possible?

The other gods and demons didn't dare use any powerful attacks either. The stone pillars were their only support for now, and they didn't dare break them. The way ahead was unclear and full of unknown dangers, so they needed something to hold on to. Besides, it was obvious that the savage lion was invincible in the mist. It wasn't affected by it at all, and without the stone pillars, they would be in even greater danger.

After devouring two of them in succession, the savage lion threw back its heads and roared. One of its lowered heads began to rise slowly, its tightly shut eyes opening. Two beams of blade-sharp, freezing light pinned his soul in place.

Another pair of eyes opened, and the tremor in his soul grew even stronger. It was deep, instinctive fear, leaving him with no thought of resisting.

Golden Crow Daoist felt a sharp pain in his soul, as if something had seized it. He roared, "Wake up! This savage lion has an innate Soul Law!"

But the others still stood there, dazed. The savage lion had already opened its seventh pair of eyes. Golden Crow Daoist was terrified. Was this lion going to be invincible? At least his true body wasn't here. Otherwise, he'd have been completely at its mercy. How could such a terrifying monster exist? Could even the Great Dao fear a creature like this, denying it the ability to take human form?

Golden Crow Daoist charged upward at any cost. Once the savage lion opened all nine pairs of eyes, he wouldn't be able to escape, even with his true body elsewhere.

Golden Crow Daoist called out to the little Golden Crow clone, but there was no response, even though he could clearly sense its presence.

This was a complete failure. He hadn't expected to run into such a freak. How had the little Golden Crow failed to find it? No—could this be a trap?

Just then, a hearty laugh rang out from the thick mist. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, fellow Golden Crow?"

Golden Crow Daoist said bitterly, "Lu Ya."

Dao Lord Lu Ya said calmly, "What brings you to this remote place, fellow Daoist? I had quite a time finding you."

The Nine-Headed Savage Lion bared its teeth at Dao Lord Lu Ya, staring at him as low growls rumbled in its throat. It seemed the two weren't exactly on good terms.

Dao Lord Lu Ya pointed at it and said sternly, "Beast, retreat!" At the sight of the golden light, the savage lion tucked its tail between its legs and backed away, then plunged into the thick mist.

Golden Crow Daoist stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. May I ask if the others can still be saved?"

Dao Lord Lu Ya waved a hand and said regretfully, "There's no chance. Even if they could be saved, they'd be mindless. Their souls have already dissipated."

Golden Crow Daoist was stunned, and felt a little afraid. "What kind of god-demon is this Nine-Headed Lion?"

Dao Lord Lu Ya said, "It was born with innate soul abilities, but the Great Dao also feared it, so it was born unable to take human form. Seeing that it might cause great harm, my elder brother subdued it. He refined its body and placed it inside the Chaos Bead, transforming it into this world. But its soul couldn't be destroyed, so it took up residence here. It couldn't escape, either, or the consequences would have been disastrous."

Golden Crow Daoist asked, "How can it be so powerful when it's only a soul?"

Dao Lord Lu Ya replied, "To be precise, it's somewhere between a soul and a physical body. We call it a ghost."

Dao Lord Lu Ya said to Golden Crow Daoist, "Would you mind lending me something, fellow Daoist?"

Golden Crow Daoist frowned. "I have nothing of value left. What do you—"

Dao Lord Lu Ya beckoned, and a little Golden Crow came flapping over. "I'm completing my third corpse, but this little fellow still isn't enough to make me whole."

Golden Crow Daoist's true body, which was struggling to support the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill, suddenly felt the world spinning. Since the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill was closely connected to the Great Dao, Great Immortal Yang Mei hadn't been able to hide everything. His true body had sensed the Heavenly Secrets.

He roared, "How could you do this to me? I hate you! Great Dao, my heart is filled with resentment!"