Subduing

?Subduing

The Evil Fire Snake Lion wrapped its tail around the last man and squeezed hard. There was a sharp crack from the man's neck, and he died, his eyes still open and filled with hatred.

The remaining five darted into the forest and fled as fast as they could.

"Roar!" The Evil Fire Snake Lion let out a thunderous roar, even more powerful than a lion's.

The five remaining men were struck as if by lightning, their bodies faltering for a moment. Bi Fan knew how powerful the Evil Fire Snake Lion's roar was and had been prepared for it every time, so he had never been affected.

In that brief moment, the Evil Fire Snake Lion had already caught up and launched an attack.

The five men had no choice but to fight back. Trying to run now would be suicide.

Bi Fan quickly circled around behind them, ready to intercept at any moment.

After observing them for a while, Bi Fan realized they were all disciples of North Xu Palace. The strongest among them was the youth in purple, who was actually a beginner-level expert of the Spiritual Wisdom Realm.

Those of the Spiritual Wisdom Realm who came to the Demon Domain for training usually chose to enter its second layer. Yet this youth had come to the outskirts of the Demon Domain, and his target was clearly still Bi Fan.

Bi Fan's eyes narrowed, killing intent filling them.

Back when Bi Fan fought Jiang Sheng, he had only been at the Viscera Realm. Yet North Xu Palace had sent a disciple of the Spiritual Wisdom Realm to intervene. They really weren't satisfied until Bi Fan was dead.

Bi Fan etched Jiang Sheng, Jiang Wen, and himself into his memory. If he got the chance, he would make them taste what it was like to be dogs driven from their homes.

The youth in purple led the other four, advancing and retreating in good order as they held off the Evil Fire Snake Lion's attacks.

In the woods, the Evil Fire Snake Lion couldn't move freely. On top of that, it was already injured, and its fight with Bi Fan had just cost it a great deal of energy. Now it was actually at a disadvantage.

The youth in purple looked delighted. "The Evil Fire Snake Lion seems to be running out of steam. Put your backs into it! Once we kill it, we'll be rich."

The Evil Fire Snake Lion's hide and flesh were extremely valuable, especially its snake tail.

At the youth's words, the others' spirits soared, and they gave the fight everything they had.

After a long struggle, the Evil Fire Snake Lion grew weaker and weaker. Its hatred for Bi Fan only deepened. If Bi Fan hadn't drained its inner energy, it wouldn't have feared the humans before it at all.

"Keep it up! The Evil Fire Snake Lion is almost finished!" The youth in purple was overjoyed.

"Evil Fire Snake Lion, looks like I'll have to help you after all," Bi Fan thought.

He flicked out stones with the force of Carefree Immortal Finger, sending them at all five men. Bi Fan had even given the technique a fitting name: Finger Flicking Divine Power.

Hearing the stones whistle through the air, the Evil Fire Snake Lion seemed to recognize Bi Fan's attack. Thinking Bi Fan was coming for it, it looked terrified.

It was just about to flee when it realized the stones weren't aimed at it at all. They were flying toward its opponents.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion was baffled. It couldn't figure out why Bi Fan would do such a thing.

Bi Fan's Finger Flicking Divine Power packed tremendous force, and the stones flew so fast they were difficult to dodge or block.

The youth in purple easily shattered the stones, but the other four weren't strong enough. They took the hits squarely.

"Ah! Ah!"

The men screamed in pain. All four were injured, and two of them could barely hold on to their Magic Tools, let alone join the fight.

The youth in purple flew into a rage. "You despicable wretch! How dare you ambush your own kind?"

"Pfft, pfft..." The only answer was the whistle of stones through the air.

Bi Fan launched several more attacks, once again unleashing his Finger Flicking Divine Power.

The youth in purple had no time to keep cursing. He hurriedly dodged.

The other four were already injured, making it even harder for them to evade. Since the youth in purple needed their combined strength to fight the Evil Fire Snake Lion, he had no choice but to help knock the stones away from them.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion finally understood what was happening. Seeing its chance, it launched a fierce attack, unleashing the savage nature of a Magic Beast.

"Ah!" A wounded man screamed as the Evil Fire Snake Lion slapped him to death.

The remaining four men's faces changed dramatically. Each of them wanted to run for his life.

The youth in purple ignored the stones flying toward him and abandoned his companions, trying to escape.

They were fellow disciples, but clearly they had no deep bonds. The moment they were outmatched, they each thought only of saving themselves.

Bi Fan had long since seen through the fickleness of human nature, but he still couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart.

His hands never slowed. He flicked stones out with both hands, one after another.

Ever since he'd successfully ambushed someone with stones by the river, Bi Fan had made a point of finding plenty of stones of the right size and keeping them in his Cosmic Bag, where they were easy to reach.

Bi Fan flicked both hands in rapid succession, sending stones flying like bullets from a machine gun.

He took special care to target the youth in purple, who was forced to stop and deal with his attacks. His escape was thwarted.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion went on a rampage, killing three men in succession. Only the youth in purple remained.

"Human brother, don't make a mistake and side with a Magic Beast!" the youth in purple shouted.

He looked righteous, but his tone was remarkably calm.

Bi Fan replied coldly, "Don't call me brother. If you want to live, beg the Evil Fire Snake Lion—or maybe call it brother instead."

"You despicable brat! Come out and fight me if you have the guts!" The youth in purple was furious.

Bi Fan chuckled. "You think I'm going to help you hold off the Evil Fire Snake Lion? Don't even dream of it. Take your time enjoying yourself."

The Evil Fire Snake Lion had killed four men, but its fury hadn't abated. It only burned hotter.

"Roar!" The Evil Fire Snake Lion pounced at the youth in purple, its bloody maw snapping toward his head.

The youth in purple was horrified. He had no time to waste arguing with Bi Fan, and hurriedly dodged before counterattacking.

Now that he was alone, and constantly had to watch out for Bi Fan's ambushes, he couldn't bring his full strength to bear.

After killing one enemy after another, the Evil Fire Snake Lion was in high spirits. The more it fought, the fiercer it became.

Bi Fan didn't hurry to attack. Instead, he focused on the youth's martial arts.

The youth in purple was using Xuri Rising Sun, and its power was impressive.

Bi Fan had studied the secrets of Xuri Rising Sun many times, but had never grasped its essence. Now that he saw the youth in purple perform it, many things suddenly became clear.

Bi Fan had learned Xuri Rising Sun entirely to strengthen the Qingyang Gentle Wind Sword Art and apply it to Carefree Immortal Finger.

The youth in purple used Xuri Rising Sun again and again, but still couldn't do anything to the Evil Fire Snake Lion.

Bi Fan had learned enough by watching. He decided to help the Evil Fire Snake Lion and take out the North Xu Palace disciple.

Finger Flicking Divine Power—Twin Dragons Seize the Pearl!

Two stones shot out, straight for the youth in purple's eyes.

The youth was locked in a fierce battle with the Evil Fire Snake Lion. When he suddenly heard the stones whistle through the air, he had no time to react. He could only do his best to protect his vital points.

"Ah!" The youth in purple managed to protect his eyes, but the stones struck his face, punching two bloody holes in it. They were still embedded in his handsome face.

The youth in purple cried out in pain and covered his face with his hand. He forgot about the Evil Fire Snake Lion.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion seized the chance and swiped, smashing the youth's head to pieces. Red and white matter spilled across the ground in a horrifying sight.

After doing all this, the Evil Fire Snake Lion roared to vent its fury. Then it glanced toward the direction the stones had come from, fear in its eyes, and quickly fled—leaving even the human corpses behind.

"Big guy, I'll come find you again. Heh." Bi Fan smiled as he stepped out and collected the belongings of the North Xu Palace disciples.

Each man had a Magic Tool and a small amount of crystal stones. None of it impressed Bi Fan.

The youth in purple must have been a key member of North Xu Palace, since he actually owned a Cosmic Bag. Bi Fan accepted it without hesitation.

Bi Fan hurried toward the valley. The Evil Fire Snake Lion had nearly exhausted itself; now was the best time to kill it.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion was remarkably clever. It had the corpse of the man farthest inside its mouth and was quickly making off with it.

If Bi Fan had been any slower, he probably wouldn't have seen it again.

"Big guy, don't run!" Bi Fan shouted, rushing after it.

When the Evil Fire Snake Lion saw Bi Fan coming, it dropped the human corpse and bolted.

Bi Fan unleashed his movement technique to its full extent and began a long chase.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion was enormous, and it smashed through many trees as it ran, losing some time in the process.

Bi Fan was agile and always chose the best route to pursue it. He drew closer and closer.

Suddenly, the Evil Fire Snake Lion stopped and turned to face Bi Fan. It wasn't running anymore.

Bi Fan thought it was going to fight to the death. He stayed on guard, ready to attack at any moment.

Suddenly, the Evil Fire Snake Lion wore an impossibly ugly grin. It gazed at Bi Fan with pleading eyes, then pressed its front paws together as if begging.

Bi Fan was stunned, not knowing what the Evil Fire Snake Lion was up to.

"Rumble..." The Evil Fire Snake Lion let out a low growl, then slowly crouched down on the ground.

Bi Fan was even more confused, but remained on guard.

Dragon Sable suddenly popped out and began squeaking and gesturing.

After spending so much time with Dragon Sable, Bi Fan could understand most of its gestures.

It turned out the Evil Fire Snake Lion was frightened and begging Bi Fan for mercy. No wonder it was acting so docile.

"Big guy, you want to live? It's not impossible..." Bi Fan smiled broadly.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion's eyes brimmed with hope. It wished Bi Fan would spare it.

"Big guy, you have to follow me. Otherwise... heh!" Bi Fan's smile was full of menace.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion hesitated. No Magic Beast, especially one as powerful as it was, would submit easily.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion was proud and hated Bi Fan even more, so naturally it didn't want to submit.

But it knew better than anyone that if it refused, Bi Fan would kill it without hesitation.

"Big guy, think it over. Following me wouldn't be so bad. I can even provide crystal stones and Crystal Cores for your cultivation," Bi Fan said with a smile.

"Squeak, squeak..." Dragon Sable bounced around, seemingly trying to persuade the Evil Fire Snake Lion too.

The Evil Fire Snake Lion looked at Bi Fan, then at Dragon Sable, and hesitated for a long time.

Bi Fan was patient, watching the Evil Fire Snake Lion with ill intent.

"Whimper..." At last, the Evil Fire Snake Lion lowered its head in submission, its eyes utterly obedient.

Bi Fan was overjoyed. "Good. From now on, I'll call you Fire Lion. Offer up a strand of your soul!"

The Evil Fire Snake Lion obediently manifested a strand of its soul, which Bi Fan took. If it ever harbored treacherous intentions, he only had to crush that strand to deal its soul a devastating blow.