Subduing

The Amethyst Winged Lion King, just attempting to scramble to its feet, suddenly found its body uncontrollably crashing back down.

With a heavy thud, it slammed into the ground once more.

"Damn it, what is happening?" the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared.

"Heh, what do you think, you stupid lion?"

A crisp male voice suddenly came from behind.

"So it was you."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King turned its head to find two figures sitting not far behind it: a handsome youth of eleven or twelve, and a white-haired old man whose figure appeared slightly translucent.

Yet, it was clear from the aura that this translucent, aged figure was the mysterious powerhouse who had battled it just moments ago.

"What are you doing? Let me go, damn you!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King looked down and suddenly realized it was trapped within a massive formation.

The youth and the old man were sitting at the edge of this vast Formation Diagram, and its own body was bound by dense, intricate chains of energy manifested from the formation; it was clearly these energy chains that had tripped it just now.

"Heh, let you go? Too late."

Yao Lao chuckled, then struck a corner of the formation sharply.

The energy chains wrapped around the Amethyst Winged Lion King seemed to suddenly come alive, beginning to surge frantically into the beast's body.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

"Argh, it hurts, it hurts!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King felt that as these strange energy chains entered its body, every corner of its frame was wracked with excruciating pain, especially its head, which felt as if it were about to shatter.

After roaring for a while, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally passed out.

As the energy chains fully integrated into the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body, they transformed into wisps of black light that completely enveloped it, eventually forming a small, flame-shaped mark on its forehead.

Then, the flame seemed to possess a spirit of its own; it leaped up and landed before Yao Lao.

Yao Lao smiled faintly and, rather than taking the flame, used his aura to guide the small fire toward Xiao Yan, flicking it with his finger. As soon as the small flame touched Xiao Yan's body, it melted like water and merged into him.

As the small flame fused with Xiao Yan, he instantly felt a mysterious and intimate connection established with the Amethyst Winged Lion King before him.

"Teacher, what is this?" Xiao Yan asked, looking at Yao Lao in confusion.

"This Formation Diagram is something I obtained from an ancient ruin; legend says it was the supreme method used by the ancient Beast Taming Sect to control beasts. I wasn't certain if a formation left over from such a long time ago would still work, but luckily, it succeeded today."

"However, since it worked, I shall leave this Amethyst Winged Lion King to you; my own strength has no need for it," Yao Lao said with a smile.

"Thank you, Teacher." Xiao Yan thanked Yao Lao solemnly upon hearing this.

"Hahaha, alright, alright, kid, don't give me that."

Yao Lao laughed heartily.

"Then, Teacher, what about this Amethyst Winged Lion King?" Xiao Yan looked toward Yao Lao.

"We shall see once it wakes up," Yao Lao mused.

"Ugh."

The groggy Amethyst Winged Lion King felt a wave of coolness wash over its body, followed by a surge of pure energy flowing in to mend its wounds.

"Alright, you stupid lion, stop pretending to be asleep. I know you're awake."

A crisp voice from the youth reached its ears. Knowing it had been discovered, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally decided to stand up.

"Roar!"

The moment it stood, the Amethyst Winged Lion King lunged toward Xiao Yan.

"Kneel!" Xiao Yan commanded.

With a bang, the Amethyst Winged Lion King tragically discovered its body uncontrollably forcing itself to its knees.

"Roar, you damned human, what have you done to me?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King roared in anger.

"Heh, nothing much, just that from now on, you will be under his control," Yao Lao said from the side with a smile.

... After struggling for a long time, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally accepted the reality with a sense of defeat.

"Heh, Amethyst Winged Lion King, I see your aura has reached that of a Tier 6 magical beast. Do you want to break through this barrier and become a Tier 7 magical beast?"

As Yao Lao spoke, he took a jade bottle from his Storage Ring, opened it, and placed it before the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"So what if you know? I have been at the Tier 6 magical beast stage for a long time, but what could you possibly help me with? Do you even know how many of my kin in our history have managed to break through this threshold?"

"I, uh..."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had turned back to sneer at Yao Lao, but suddenly, it felt as if its throat had been constricted, leaving it unable to speak.

"Ugh, this scent... this scent is the Human-Shaping Pill, it's the Human-Shaping Pill, isn't it?! Give it to me, give me the Human-Shaping Pill! As long as you give me the Human-Shaping Pill, I will do anything for you!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly lunged violently toward the jade bottle, but unfortunately, due to the restrictions of the soul contract, it could not move an inch and could only watch the Human-Shaping Pill inside the bottle with longing eyes.

"Hehe."

The master and disciple looked at each other and let out a cunning laugh in unison.

"Since that's the case, Amethyst Winged Lion King, as long as you agree to one condition, we will give you this Human-Shaping Pill," Yao Lao stroked his beard and said with a wicked grin.

"What condition?" The Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and retreated slightly.

"We want the Purple Flame inside your body."

Yao Lao glanced at it and promptly spat out the answer.

"Purple Flame? You two are insane! That Purple Flame is a companion flame produced by the Amethyst Source within my clan; if you extract it, I will die. Besides, what do you want with the Purple Flame? No, absolutely not."

Upon hearing that Yao Lao and his disciple wanted its companion Purple Flame, the Amethyst Winged Lion King began to shake its head frantically.

"We are alchemists; the Purple Flame is a type of beast fire we require for refining pills."

Yao Lao said with a beaming smile.

"Beast fire? I know that Dead Snake living to my north; he is also a Rank 6 Magical Beast and possesses beast fire within his body. His beast fire is even more powerful than mine. Come, I will take you there, and we can extract the beast fire from his body instead," the Amethyst Winged Lion King suggested craftily after hearing this.

"Very well, then this Human-Shaping Pill shall be given to that snake as well," Yao Lao replied with a laugh.

"Uh..." The Amethyst Winged Lion King's massive beast face displayed a colorful array of expressions.

"I can add an Imperial Extreme Pill. You had better think this through; this Human-Shaping Pill will allow you to completely shed your beast form, granting you the long lifespan of a Magical Beast combined with the cultivation talent of a human."

"And this Imperial Extreme Pill can allow a Dou Emperor level expert who consumes it to increase their strength by one to two stars. A Dou Emperor can only consume one Imperial Extreme Pill in their entire lifetime!"

Seeing this, Yao Lao smiled cunningly and upped the ante once more.

"As long as you consume this Human-Shaping Pill and the Imperial Extreme Pill, you might be able to break through your bottleneck immediately, drastically shortening the time it takes to become a Rank 7 Magical Beast—which is equivalent to the existence of a human Dou Zong expert," Yao Lao chuckled.

"I agree to your terms," the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally closed its eyes and said in agony.