The Return Journey, Jia Ma Empire, Yun Yun

Above the border of the Jia Ma Empire.

The Wind Riding Boat wove through the familiar landscape, its speed having already slowed.

The terrain below gradually shifted from the gloomy and treacherous atmosphere of the Chu Yun Empire to the relatively bright and clear scenery of the Jia Ma Empire.

Little Fairy Doctor leaned against the side of the boat, gazing at the vaguely familiar mountain silhouettes passing beneath her. She remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking in a soft voice, "Ning Chen, are we... heading straight to where you need to go next?"

She paused, hesitated for a moment, and continued, "If it isn't too urgent, could we... go back to the Magic Beast Mountain Range first? To that little lakeside courtyard where we started? I... I want to see it one more time."

She had a premonition that once she left with Ning Chen to head toward the vast, wider world, she might never have the chance to return to that forest lakeside that held the memories of her initial transformation and peace.

Hearing this, Ning Chen turned his head to look at her.

The young girl's profile appeared calm and gentle in the breeze stirred up by their flight.

His heart stirred slightly. After calculating the time and their itinerary, he nodded, "Alright, there is no rush. We shall do as you wish and go back to take a look."

A bright, joyful light immediately lit up in Little Fairy Doctor's eyes.

The Wind Riding Boat changed direction, speeding toward the depths of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, where that tranquil lake was located.

However, just as they approached the sky above that familiar area, a rather violent surge of energy, mixed with the angry roar of a beast and the clear, sharp ringing of a sword, erupted from somewhere in the mountains below, shattering the silence of the forest.

Ning Chen raised an eyebrow. He maneuvered the Wind Riding Boat to climb slightly higher and looked in the direction of the sound.

He saw a fierce battle raging above a relatively open valley below.

One side was a majestic Tier 6 Magic Beast with wings on its back, its entire body burning with purple flames.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King!

It was roaring furiously, constantly bombarding its opponent with pillars of purple fire and sharp crystal spikes.

Its opponent was a stunningly beautiful woman with a graceful figure, dressed in a simple yet elegant moon-white robe.

The woman had delicate, picturesque features and an air of noble elegance mixed with a hint of coldness. She held a long sword with a primitive design.

As the sword light flowed, cyan wind blades whistled and crisscrossed, blocking all of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's attacks. Her movement technique was elegant and agile; she was clearly a Dou Huang powerhouse!

"Yun Yun?"

Ning Chen recognized the woman's identity at a glance; she was none other than the Sect Leader of the Yunlan Sect, Yun Yun.

He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. It was quite a coincidence to run into this scene just as he returned. If that was the case, was that brat Xiao Yan likely hiding in some corner nearby, secretly watching the battle?

Looking at the situation, the two sides seemed to have been entangled for a while. Yun Yun's aura was slightly fluctuating, and there were a few extra sword marks on the Amethyst Winged Lion King, though none were life-threatening.

Clearly, Yun Yun had come for the Amethyst Crystal, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King refused to hand it over easily, demanding a Human Transformation Pill in exchange.

Ning Chen pondered for a moment and made a decision.

He turned to Little Fairy Doctor and said, "Xian'er, there is a small problem down there. I will go down to take a look. You take the Wind Riding Boat back to the lakeside courtyard and wait for me. I will be back shortly."

Little Fairy Doctor also saw the two parties fighting below.

Especially when her gaze swept over the woman in the moon-white robe, whose face was beautiful and whose figure was so curvaceous it was breathtaking.

She subconsciously lowered her head and took a quick glance at the still-budding curves on her own chest.

An inexplicable emotion, which she herself couldn't define as either envy or annoyance, quietly rose up.

She bit her lower lip, let out a soft huff, and turned her head away, her tone somewhat stiff, "Understood. You... you better hurry back!"

After saying this, without waiting for Ning Chen's response, she steered the Wind Riding Boat, turning it into a streak of cyan light, and accelerated directly toward the lakeside in her memory, as if she didn't want to stay for even a second longer.

Ning Chen was slightly stunned by her sudden display of temper, then shook his head with a laugh, not thinking much of it.

His figure flickered, and he drifted silently from the high-speed Wind Riding Boat like a feather, leisurely descending toward the fiercely contested valley below.

At the same time, in a hidden spot in the forest below.

Xiao Yan held his breath, using the cover of dense branches and leaves to stare unblinkingly at the earth-shattering battle between Dou Huangs in the high sky, his heart filled with shock and longing.

Beside him, the soul projection of Yao Lao floated, also focused on the battle.

"Teacher, this woman is actually so powerful, able to fight a Tier 6 Magic Beast to a standstill..."

Xiao Yan whispered in amazement.

Yao Lao nodded slightly, just about to offer a comment, when he suddenly sensed something. His keen soul perception caught a glimpse of a cyan streak of light passing at an extremely high altitude with incredible speed.

"Eh? That flying boat..."

Yao Lao narrowed his eyes. With his experience, he immediately saw that the Wind Riding Boat was no ordinary means of transport; its grade and speed were extremely rare in this Northwest Continent.

"The Magic Beast Mountain Range is quite lively today. First a female Dou Huang, and now someone arriving in such a flying boat..."

He muttered to himself, even considering whether he should warn Xiao Yan to retreat to the cave for the time being to avoid potential trouble.

"Teacher, look!" Xiao Yan's exclamation interrupted Yao Lao's train of thought.

In the distance, the situation on the battlefield shifted abruptly!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King seemed to have been thoroughly enraged, letting out a deafening roar toward the sky as the crystalline horn atop its head suddenly erupted with a blinding purple light!

A purple beam of light, condensed to the extreme and containing terrifying power, shot toward Yun Yun as if it had traversed space itself!

Yun Yun also seemed to have made up her mind, her long sword letting out a clear ring as she poured her vast cyan Dou Qi into it.

"Extreme Wind! Falling Kill!"

The sword glowed brilliantly, and a massive, dazzling cyan sword aura that seemed capable of slicing through space condensed and slashed fiercely toward the injured neck of the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

"Boom!"

Two thunderous explosions erupted almost simultaneously!

The purple beam and the cyan sword aura crossed paths!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King let out a miserable howl of pain; the scales on its neck shattered, a deep wound was carved out, blood sprayed wildly, and its massive body staggered backward.

Although Yun Yun had dodged to the side in time, attempting to avoid the core of the purple beam, she was still struck.

On the left shoulder of her moon-white dress, a purple light flickered eerily, quickly condensing into a complex purple rune before vanishing into her body.

She let out a muffled groan, her pretty face instantly turning pale, and her aura plummeted sharply!

"This is bad!"

Knowing the situation was dire, Yun Yun forced herself to gather her remaining Dou Qi, intending to flee into the distance.

"You want to leave? Human woman, stay here for this King!"

Though heavily wounded, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's ferocity remained undiminished, and it roared as it prepared to give chase.

At this critical juncture, an indifferent voice descended as if from the nine heavens, instantly enveloping the entire clamorous valley.

"Amethyst Winged Lion King..."

The voice was not loud, yet it strangely drowned out the beast roars and the sound of the wind, causing both sides in the heat of battle to freeze in place.

"I have only been away for a year, yet you act as if this Magic Beast Mountain Range... has become a land without an owner?"