The Amethyst Winged Lion King

The next morning.

The master and disciple arrived near the cave entrance of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, only to find a massive magical beast lying on the open ground, lazily basking in the sun.

The beast was enormous, its seven or eight-meter-long body covered in a layer of purple crystals. Under the sunlight, the creature radiated a dazzling, piercing brilliance.

"Teacher, shall we just use brute force to beat him into submission?" Xiao Yan asked, looking at the Amethyst Winged Lion King not far away with an eager expression.

"I never realized you were such a violent little brat."

Yao Lao wore an expression of helpless amusement.

"Beat him into submission? Judging by its aura, this Amethyst Winged Lion King is a Rank 6 magical beast, with cultivation roughly equivalent to a two-star Dou Emperor. With its terrifyingly robust physique and the mysterious sealing arts inherited through its bloodline, even a high-level Dou Emperor would have to expend considerable effort to deal with it."

"Although my cultivation has recovered slightly, are you trying to work these old bones of mine to death? Besides, if I were to just beat it into submission, why would I go through the trouble of refining a Human-Shaping Pill?"

"Alright, let's go over. Clear your mind and relinquish control of your body; it's time for me to take the stage. You are merely a tiny Dou Practitioner right now—if you were to step forward, you'd be swallowed by that mangy lion in a single bite."

As Yao Lao spoke, his soul power surged outward, pouring into Xiao Yan's body like a rushing river.

Then, "Xiao Yan"—or rather, "Yao Lao"—walked out.

"Amethyst Winged Lion King," Yao Lao called out.

"Roar!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King, which had been lazily sunning itself just moments ago, suddenly jumped up in fright.

With its fur standing on end, the Amethyst Winged Lion King bared its massive, blood-red maw and growled, "Who... who are you? You scared the life out of this King!"

Judging by its slightly flustered tone, it was clearly shaken by Xiao Yan's sudden appearance. It was no wonder; as the overlord of the Rank 6 magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, possessing strength equivalent to a peak two-star Dou Emperor, this was the first time it had been approached within ten paces by an unknown human without sensing them beforehand.

"Amethyst Winged Lion King," a hoarse, aged voice emanated from Xiao Yan's body.

"I have come today to discuss a matter with you. I—"

"An interesting little bug. I'll eat you first, then we can talk."

Regaining its composure, the Amethyst Winged Lion King rolled its massive eyes and cut Yao Lao off.

With a roar, the beast displayed agility that belied its massive size, lunging at Yao Lao with its gaping maw wide open.

"Amethyst Winged Lion King, I have no intention of picking a fight today."

Yao Lao soared into the air, hovering at eye level with the beast, and stared into its massive head.

"Heh, an interesting human."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King shook its head, eyeing the floating Yao Lao, before spreading the two massive wings on its flanks to take flight and confront him.

"Although I don't know how you appeared beside me without a sound, my intuition tells me you are a dangerous human. So, please, just go die."

As it spoke, the Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly spat a massive ball of purple flame at Yao Lao.

"Hmph, Amethyst Winged Lion King, you are courting death."

Yao Lao swiped his palm, shattering the purple flames, and glared angrily at the beast in the sky. He hadn't earned the prestigious title of "Venerable Yao" in the power-hungry Central Plains by being a pushover.

"You have exhausted the little patience I had left."

Without another word, Yao Lao drew the Black Iron Heavy Ruler from his Storage Ring.

"Earth-tier Dou Technique: Flame Splitting Wave-Severing Ruler!" A thunderous shout echoed through the sky.

A massive curtain of scorching fire waves surged forward, pressing down upon the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"Roar!"

A charred, bald lion scrambled out from the firestorm; the once majestic, purple-glowing Amethyst Winged Lion King had been reduced to a mangy, hairless beast.

"Damn you, human! Roar!"

Driven into a rage, the Amethyst Winged Lion King swiped its massive claws at Yao Lao. Seeing this, Yao Lao's expression turned cold, and he met the attack head-on with the Black Iron Heavy Ruler, showing no signs of weakness.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Wherever the man and beast clashed, the surroundings were swept away as if by a gale, everything pulverized into dust.

"Huff, huff... human, let's stop, let's stop! Just leave!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly flew to the side and shouted at Yao Lao.

"Hmph, stop? It's too late. Whether we stop or not is no longer up to you."

"Flame Splitting Wave-Severing Ruler!"

Yao Lao had no intention of calling a truce.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Seeing that a truce was impossible, the Amethyst Winged Lion King responded defiantly. The purple light on its body began to glow brighter and brighter, and the energy in the surrounding air began to gather in a frantic, unnatural manner.

"Amethyst Seal!"

As the purple light flickered, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's low roar echoed throughout the mountain range.

"Hmph, I knew you beast would resort to this move."

Yao Lao looked at the Amethyst Winged Lion King, which was frantically absorbing energy before his eyes, and sneered.

"Space Lockdown!"

Yao Lao's expression suddenly turned stern. He clenched both hands toward the direction of the Amethyst Winged Lion King and spat out those four words with cold, chilling intensity.

"What is that?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King's pupils constricted as it watched Yao Lao's movements from afar. The knowledge inherited within its bloodline warned it that if it ever encountered a human performing this action, it should not fight but flee immediately; unfortunately, it was already too late.

A massive, transparent cage suddenly manifested in the space surrounding the Amethyst Winged Lion King, locking it within. The space it occupied now felt vaguely severed from the outside world.

Most importantly, just as its sealing technique was about to take form, its connection to the external energy was forcibly severed. Consequently, the "Amethyst Seal" exploded with a "boom" inside the space cage, leaving the Amethyst Winged Lion King, caught at the center of the blast, speechless and choked with resentment.

"Haa."

Having unleashed this move, Yao Lao slowly descended to the ground; it was clear that using this technique placed too great a burden on him at present.

"Teacher, are you alright?"

Xiao Yan, who had been observing from within the body, spoke up.

"Haa, utilizing spatial energy is still too taxing for me right now. But I can hold on, and that dead lion has already been dealt with by your teacher. I need to recover; you must stand guard for me, kid."

Yao Lao slowly flew out from Xiao Yan's body.

"Understood, Teacher." Xiao Yan hurriedly followed.

"However, Teacher?" Xiao Yan suddenly called out to Yao Lao.

"Hm? What is it, kid?" Yao Lao turned back, puzzled.

"In the end, didn't we just use brute force to beat this stupid lion into submission?"

Xiao Yan looked at Yao Lao and said softly.

"Cough, cough!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Lao stumbled, then accelerated forward without looking back.

"Ugh, where is this King?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King, having been unconscious for a long time, finally woke up slowly.

"Right, where is that damned human?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly remembered something. Ignoring the pain throughout its body, it tried to flip over to search for the mysterious human powerhouse who had fought it.