The little lion's charge came to an abrupt halt. Its body froze in midair for a moment, then it hit the ground with a smack. It twitched twice and went still.
Ye Xiu didn't even spare it a glance. He kept collecting the Purple Amethyst Source.
Another half-incense stick's worth of time passed before the liquid in the crystal finally ran dry. Ye Xiu shook it, poured the last few drops into the jade bottle, stoppered it, and put it in his Storage Ring.
A big bottle—at least two pounds' worth.
That would do.
He stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at the little lion's corpse on the ground.
"Don't blame me. You attacked first."
With that, he turned and left.
Meanwhile, outside the mountain cliff.
Yun Yun and the Amethyst Winged Lion King were locked in a furious battle.
Blue and purple light intertwined across the sky. Explosions rumbled so loudly that the entire mountain range trembled. Every swing of the blue sword in Yun Yun's hand sent a sword beam more than a dozen yards long slicing through the air. The Amethyst Winged Lion King was no less formidable: each time it opened its enormous jaws, it spat out a ball of Purple Flame that turned half the sky a different color.
"Human woman, are you determined to get yourself killed?!" the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared, its voice scattering the clouds around them.
Yun Yun ignored it. The blue light on her sword only grew brighter.
She had come for the Purple Spirit Crystal, and whether the lion handed it over or not, she was going to get it. Nalan Yanran's Three-Year Agreement was drawing near. The girl had good talent, but now that Xiao Yan had apparently recovered his abilities, she might not be sure to win against him. As her master, Yun Yun had to prepare something to help her disciple.
The Purple Spirit Crystal could calm the mind and aid cultivation. It was just what she needed.
"Roar—"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King spat another mouthful of Purple Flame. Yun Yun flashed aside, then countered with a slash across the lion's back. Her sword beam struck its Amethyst Armor, sending up a string of sparks and leaving a faint white mark.
"That all you've got?" the lion scoffed. "Is that supposed to tickle?"
Yun Yun's expression didn't change, but her heart sank.
It had been so long. Why hadn't Ye Xiu come out yet? Could he be planning to make off with the Purple Spirit Crystal all for himself?
Just then, the Amethyst Winged Lion King abruptly stopped attacking.
It turned toward the mountain cliff, a flicker of astonishment in its enormous eyes.
"You have a helper?!" The lion turned back to glare at Yun Yun, its voice rising sharply. "You sent someone into my cave?!"
Yun Yun naturally refused to admit it. "What helper? I don't know what you're talking about. Could someone else be taking advantage of the situation?"
"Bullshit!" The lion exploded with rage. "The aura of my cub is gone! Gone!! Who the hell did you send in there?!"
Yun Yun froze.
Hadn't that boy said he was only taking the Purple Spirit Crystal? Why had he killed the cub, too?
"I don't know what you're talking about." Yun Yun frowned. "I came for the Purple Spirit Crystal. The rest has nothing to do with me."
"Nothing to do with you?!" The lion's eyes turned bloodshot. "Then why has my cub's aura disappeared?!"
The amethyst crystals covering its body began to glow. A terrifying aura erupted from it, more than twice as powerful as before.
"Neither of you is leaving here alive today!"
Yun Yun's expression changed.
The beast was going all out.
Sure enough, the Amethyst Winged Lion King opened its massive jaws. This time, it didn't spit ordinary Purple Flame, but a beam of purple light.
The air warped wherever the beam passed.
Yun Yun didn't dare meet it head-on. She dodged, but the beam was too fast and still grazed her shoulder. She grunted as the fabric there instantly burned to ash, exposing skin charred black.
Before she could catch her breath, the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared again.
This time, countless purple rays burst from its body, weaving together in the air. In the blink of an eye, they formed a huge net of light that descended over Yun Yun.
She tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
"Amethyst Seal!"
The lion roared, and the net of light snapped tight around Yun Yun.
Her expression changed drastically as she struggled desperately, but the net drew tighter and tighter, even hampering the flow of Dou Qi in her body.
"I told you not to go looking for death." The lion flew toward her with a cold laugh, reaching out with its enormous claws. "Since you came to me, you can die alongside my cub!"
Yun Yun gritted her teeth and thrust her sword forward.
She put all her strength into the strike. The blue light on the blade shone blindingly bright as it shot toward the lion's head.
The lion hadn't expected her to attack even while sealed. It couldn't dodge in time, and the sword struck its head.
"Roar—"
A howl of agony rang out.
The sword pierced straight through its horn, the tip emerging on the other side.
The lion trembled in pain, but it also went completely berserk. It struck Yun Yun with one paw, sending her flying like a broken kite. She slammed into the cliff, leaving a deep crater.
"I'll kill you!"
The lion roared and charged at her again.
Just then!
A streak of crimson-gold flame shot skyward from below the cliff.
It moved at incredible speed, reaching the crater where Yun Yun had landed in the blink of an eye. The flames receded, revealing a young man in black robes.
Yun Yun lay in the crater, covered in blood. When she saw Ye Xiu appear, her eyes widened.
"You... how did you...?"
Ye Xiu ignored her and glanced down at her injuries.
They were serious, but she wasn't dead yet.
He pulled a jade bottle from his Storage Ring, unscrewed the lid, tilted his head back, and downed everything inside.
It was the Fire-Element Pills he had concocted in Wutan City. There had been six in the bottle, and he swallowed them all.
The moment the pills entered his stomach, a surge of violent fire-element energy exploded inside him.
For a Three-Star Dou Wang, pills like these were about as effective as drinking water. He only wanted the burst of power.
He scooped Yun Yun up from the crater, spread his flaming wings, and shot into the sky.
When the Amethyst Winged Lion King saw him, it flew into a rage.
"You think you can run?! Stay right there!"
It opened its mouth and spat out another beam of purple light, but Ye Xiu had been ready for it. He tilted his wings and narrowly dodged.
"Just you wait!" the lion's voice thundered behind them. "I won't forget you! I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and tear you both to pieces!"
Ye Xiu didn't even look back. He held Yun Yun tight and sped away.
His flaming wings beat so fast they seemed ready to smoke. He streaked across the sky like a meteor and vanished behind the distant mountains in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, in the woods not far away.
Xiao Yan was lying belly-down in the canopy of a large tree, not daring to breathe.
He had been crouched there for nearly half an hour.
Then a streak of crimson-gold flame shot skyward from below the cliff! In the blink of an eye, it reached the crater where Yun Yun had landed, scooped her up, and fled.
Xiao Yan's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
"Teacher! Teacher!" Xiao Yan shouted frantically in his mind. "That's Senior Ye, right?!"
Yao Lao fell silent for a moment. "Yes."
"Dou Qi Wing Transformation?! Isn't that something only a Dou Wang can use? How did Senior Ye suddenly become a Dou Wang?!"
Yao Lao said nothing.
Xiao Yan stared at the crimson-gold streak of light receding into the distance, completely dumbfounded.
A fifteen-year-old Dou Wang?
He remembered seeing Ye Xiu on the back hills of Wutan City. Back then, Ye Xiu had been a Nine-Star Great Dou Master, and Xiao Yan had already thought that was outrageous.
How long had it been?
A little over a month?
From Nine-Star Great Dou Master to Three-Star Dou Wang?
Was he leveling up on a rocket?
"Teacher..." Xiao Yan said with difficulty. "Pinch me. I must be dreaming."
"You're not dreaming," Yao Lao said. "He really is a Three-Star Dou Wang."
Xiao Yan: "..."
He stood in the tree, staring at the light that had completely vanished from the horizon, and didn't speak for a long time.
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