Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King

"By now, I should be at the outskirts of the Seeking Demon Mountain Range. Thanks to that ape." Liuli looked at the simple map drawn from the Vajra Demonic Ape King's description and nodded in satisfaction.

She was currently inside a mountain cave, a natural cavern she had discovered. Of course, its interior had not originally been this spacious; it had only been a crack wide enough for two people. When she arrived, she had used her sword to shave away a layer of rock from every side, then used the removed stones to block the entrance.

Inside the cave sat a basin-sized stone that emitted a warm reddish glow. If an ordinary person were here, they would certainly cry out at the sight of such a massive Crimson Flame Iron Raw Stone. They would also ache at the thought of such excellent material for crafting a pill cauldron being used here for warmth.

"Once it's light out, I'll keep heading south for another thousand or so li. I should be able to get out then." The more Liuli thought about it, the happier she became.

The task Dad had given her was pretty easy! Over the past month, she had only slaughtered three Sixth-tier Magical Beasts, fifteen Fifth-tier Magical Beasts, and countless Fourth-tier and Third-tier ones. She had so many Magical Cores on hand that she could not even count them. She would not need to go looking for Magical Cores when refining pills in the future.

What she did not know was that Gongsun Lin had sent the old man in hemp clothes to warn those beasts. As a result, the Seventh-tier and Eighth Order Magical Beasts did not dare step forward to deal with this little girl, allowing her to run rampant through their territories.

"Sleep! Get some rest, then keep going!" Liuli spread a soft blanket over the polished stone floor, took out a thick quilt and covered herself with it, then closed her eyes and entered a resting state.

Having not slept for three days, she fell into dreams in less than a minute.

The next morning

"Time to go."

After storing the Crimson Flame Iron Raw Stone in her Storage Ring, Liuli clapped her hands and walked to the cave entrance blocked by rocks. She circulated her Dou Qi into her palm and gave it a light push.

"Rumble..." The rocks shattered at once, revealing an opening large enough for two people to pass through.

Yet the Young Girl had no intention of leaving. She merely stared blankly outside the entrance. A massive beast eye filled the entire opening, staring at her without blinking.

"Holy shit! What the hell is that?!" Liuli jumped in fright and hurried several steps back until her back hit the wall. In a panic, she pulled Heart Rain from her Storage Ring and raised it toward the outside.

"Human child, you trespassed into my territory and even spoke disrespectfully to me. What punishment do you deserve?" A voice full of pressure came from outside. A vast aura poured in through the entrance, clearly something only a Seventh-tier Magical Beast could possess.

"Can't you take human form? You're so huge—it's terrifying." Liuli spoke in alarm, truly caught between advancing and retreating.

If she were outside, she would have turned and run without a second word. At full speed, she was sixty percent confident she could escape pursuit. But in such a cramped space, how was she supposed to fight? Even using powerful Dou Skills could injure her in return.

"That makes three times you've offended me," the Magical Beast outside said.

"I-I'm sorry. Could you let me come out? We can talk outside." Liuli immediately lowered her stance and apologized.

Seventh-tier Magical Beasts possessed intelligence no less than that of humans, and many were even smarter than most people. Naturally, it could tell what the Young Girl was plotting.

"Since I'm in a good mood, and you have not committed any grave offense, I'll give you two choices. First, stay in the cave and let me swat you to death. Second, I'll let you come out, and you can use all your strength to escape. If you can leave my territory, I'll let you go. If I catch you, I'll still swat you to death. Which do you choose?"

"The second one, the second one!" Liuli chose without even thinking.

I'll get out first. At least that's better than sitting here and waiting to die.

"Very good. Come out," the Magical Beast said approvingly.

"Back up three hundred meters first. I won't feel safe with you right in my face," the Young Girl requested.

The Magical Beast said nothing. There was only a tremor outside, and when Liuli looked again, that terrifying giant eye was gone.

Liuli took three more longswords from her Storage Ring and softly recited their names, "Han Guang, Yue Yin, Fleeting Time."

As if they possessed spirits, the three longswords rose into the air and began circling the Young Girl in an orderly pattern, as though protecting her.

Liuli closed her eyes as silver Dou Qi wings unfurled behind her. Then, black and white flames emerged from the roots of the wings, spreading out to envelop both wings.

With everything prepared, the Young Girl took a deep breath and activated a Dou Skill.

Earth-tier Low Grade Dou Skill—Absolute Shadow Flash!

The Petite Figure vanished instantly.

In the next instant, Liuli appeared three li from the cave entrance.

"Huff, huff, huff..." Liuli panted heavily. Looking at the purple lion that was still visible from three li away, cold sweat formed on her forehead.

The Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King! What terrible luck.

Do not assume that the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King was slow just because of its enormous size. The truth was quite the opposite. Though it was not among the strongest Seventh-tier Magical Beasts, it was one of the fastest. It was even quicker than some avian Magical Beasts.

"I'll gamble on it!" The black-and-white flaming Dou Qi wings behind her gave a fierce flap, and the Young Girl shot forward like a cannonball.

The very next second, the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King arrived where the Young Girl had been standing.

"Heavenly Flames?" Sensing the lingering heat in the air, the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King was somewhat surprised. But it immediately turned serious, flapped the massive thunder wings on its back, and shot toward where Liuli had fled.

Thus, in the normally tranquil territory of the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King, a chase between one large and one small figure unfolded, shocking most of the Magical Beasts within. They all knew their king was usually extremely lazy and rarely left his lair. Yet this time, he was going to such lengths to capture what appeared to be a human girl? What grave offense had this human committed?

The weaker ones hid in caves or lay prone on the ground, trembling. The stronger ones were eager to help intercept her and earn great merit before their king.

"Let's see who dares move! Only I may capture her. Whoever interferes dies!" The Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King roared, its authoritative voice spreading for dozens of li.

"Damn it, he's looking down on me." Liuli glanced back at the figure closely following behind her, fury filling her heart.

As she swept over a mountain saddle, Liuli's thoughts stirred. Fleeting Time and Han Guang, which floated around her, shot out at once and slashed the peaks on either side more than ten times in succession before returning to the Young Girl's side.

Massive rocks collapsed onto the mountain saddle, piling into a five-zhang-high mound of stone.

Bang! The enormous purple lion smashed straight through the rock pile without slowing in the slightest.

"Hmph, do you think a little trick like that will work?" The Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King sneered, violently flapping its wings. Its speed surged once more, and it gradually began closing the distance with Liuli.

"Big Lion, don't push me! If I really go all out, you'll have a hard time!" Liuli shouted at the Lion King, which was only about one li behind her.

"If you have the ability, then use it! Do you think the gulf between a Dou Zong and a Dou Emperor is so easily bridged?" the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King said disdainfully. "Run! Run faster! Once I catch you, you'll be turned into meat paste."

Of course, it did not dare truly harm the Young Girl. A Dou Venerate was following behind her, after all. If it actually struck her, its head might be separated from its body in an instant.

Last night, it had been soaking in the Purple Thunder Spring inside its cave when the old man in hemp clothes suddenly appeared beside it. He instructed it to cause trouble for the little girl ahead today, though it could not get serious. It could do anything else it wished. Once the task was complete, he would reward it with a Seventh-grade Intermediate Beast Heart Pill.

A Beast Heart Pill! It was a spiritual pill capable of directly raising a Magical Beast's strength by a considerable margin. The Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King's strength was roughly equivalent to a human Three-star Dou Zong. If it consumed this Beast Heart Pill, its strength might reach a Five-star Dou Zong or even a Six-star Dou Zong!

At that thought, the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King nearly drooled. Its roars grew louder and louder. "Human brat, is that all you can do? And you dared come to the Seeking Demon Mountain Range to train? You're so young, so your meat must be quite tender, right? What a pity you're too small. I'll have to take human form before I can taste anything."

"I can't take this anymore! At worst, I'll change the plan and return to the clan!" Liuli's anger hit its limit. Why was this lion's mouth so foul?

A seven-colored Sword Mark appeared between her brows. In an instant, her strength surged several times before finally stopping at the Half-step Dou Zong level.

A mass of interwoven black-and-white flame appeared in her right hand. The Young Girl gently pressed it onto the Heart Rain Sword in her left hand, and the flames wrapped around the sword.

Liuli made a sharp turn in midair and came to a stop. Her gaze fixed directly on the Purple Cloud Thunder Lion King shooting toward her as she slowly raised her sword.

"Heart Rain, Fleeting Time, Han Guang, Yue Yin."

"Four Swords—Mirror Flower, Water Moon!"