Lan Kai: Didn't you choose this, Gu Yue?

"How can you call this betrayal?"

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

"I still remember you confidently wanting to farm more century-level soul beasts, so I specifically found this rather large pride of Flame Lion in the primary Spirit Ascension Platform to help you fulfill your wish."

"How are you repaying kindness with ingratitude, turning around to complain about me instead?"

Lan Kai was more than ten meters ahead of Gu Yue, nimbly leaping between trees as he moved forward. He even had the leisure to look back at Gu Yue—she was using wind elements to make herself light and agile, yet she could never shake off the pursuit of the Flame Lion pride, and she was glaring at him in exasperation.

When he used Ultra X-Ray Vision to see that pride of Flame Lion, certain unpleasant memories from a game began to assault his brain. Fortunately, these Flame Lion did not possess earth-shattering powers and couldn't launch lock-on attacks against airborne targets from a distance.

However, a thought struck Lan Kai; this seemed perfect for dealing with the current Gu Yue.

Since she was inexplicably in high spirits and wanted to prove her strength by slaughtering a large number of century-level soul beasts, he would let her deal with this pride of Flame Lion.

Thus, Lan Kai decisively led Gu Yue straight into the Flame Lion pride, then immediately put distance between himself and her, silently watching Gu Yue's performance from behind a tree.

At first, Gu Yue did indeed perform heroically, holding her own against four or five female Flame Lion and even managing to seize an opening to kill one of them.

But when the leader of the pride, a male lion whose cultivation was already very close to a millennium, appeared, and the entire pride was mobilized following its roar, Gu Yue turned and ran immediately, far more decisively than the Qiao Family.

Just kidding—although the leading lion king hadn't broken through to the millennium level yet, it was close, and the total number of Flame Lion in this pride exceeded fifty. Without using more of the Silver Dragon King's power, Gu Yue could only turn and run.

The problem was that Gu Yue only had one ring right now. Even if she could use the power of wind elements to increase her speed, the boost was very limited.

Moreover, her initial distance from the Flame Lion pride was too close; it was difficult to put enough space between them.

And so, that famous painting of the Master of Soul Beasts being chased by a pride of Flame Lion came to be.

As for Lan Kai, he could certainly have run away easily or fought the pride, but since this battle was prepared for Gu Yue, he wouldn't intervene until she asked.

Outside the screen, Leng Yaozhu saw this scene. Although she found it hard to keep a straight face, she couldn't help but laugh out loud at Juggler's boisterous guffaws.

Although Gu Yue looked disheveled, with her abilities, if she really wanted to run away with all her might, she could completely shake off this pride of Flame Lion in just five minutes, rather than running in such a sorry state while questioning Lan Kai.

Lan Kai was clearly at ease as well. Given the physical strength he had displayed previously, and the description of him taking a fireball to the face during the Class Promotion Tournament as told by Gu Yue, cleaning up this pride of Flame Lion was clearly no difficult task.

Thus, this seemingly tense scene turned into nothing more than a playful scuffle between two children; it was no big deal.

"The disciple of Spirit Envoy Juggler really is a person of temperament, much like you." After laughing, Leng Yaozhu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Recalling the experience of meeting Juggler back then, Leng Yaozhu felt a thousand emotions.

"Much like me? Like me? That... would truly be interesting."

Juggler's smile stalled for a moment, then took on a playful edge.

If Lan Kai really became somewhat similar to Juggler, he wondered what kind of expressions Kurenai Gai and that guy would make when they saw him.

Inside the screen, Gu Yue seemed to be getting desperate, glaring in exasperation at Lan Kai, who was maintaining a constant distance ahead of her, but she couldn't find the words to say.

After using earth elements to create a few pit traps where she had just passed, causing several Flame Lion to fall in, a look of struggle appeared on Gu Yue's face again, as if she were agonizing over something.

Subsequently, she made up her mind. While increasing the acceleration effect of the wind elements on herself, she shouted to Lan Kai in front:

"I was wrong, please, help me!"

Lan Kai was stunned for a moment. Gu Yue was actually taking the initiative to ask him for help?

However, since Gu Yue had spoken, it wouldn't be appropriate for Lan Kai to continue playing the role of Senior Tachibana.

He immediately stepped onto the trunk of a large tree, his legs suddenly exerting force as he charged back in the direction they had come from. At the same time, he crossed his hands in front of him and fired the Specium Ray, clearing the map in one go, blasting fifteen or sixteen Flame Lion to pieces, with the trees between them not spared either.

"Alright, it's a tag-out."

The Flame Lion pride stopped immediately, even colliding with one another.

The human before them made them feel a crisis—a crisis that threatened to destroy the entire tribe.

In memories that shouldn't have existed in their minds, even humans with three purple soul rings had never brought them such a sense of oppression.

Why could this human, who clearly only had two purple soul rings, easily kill fifteen or sixteen Flame Lion, and look as if he hadn't expended much energy?

Gu Yue leaned against a tree, gasping for air. The look she gave Lan Kai was filled with a bit more shock and vigilance.

Lan Kai had clearly held back a lot in previous battles; he hadn't displayed the strength to blow up an entire pride of Flame Lion in one go at all. Moreover, that beam didn't seem to cost him much; he probably wouldn't look any more exhausted even if he used it multiple times in a row.

But before Gu Yue could continue thinking, she saw the purple soul rings appear around Lan Kai again. He casually took one in his hand, and then that soul ring turned into...

...a purple Ultra Slash?

"Sperion Ring!"

Lan Kai threw the Sperion Ring, which had been transformed from the soul ring, at the Flame Lion pride with force. The Flame Lion at the front tried to use their flames to resist, but they and their flames didn't even count as a speed bump; they were directly sliced into uneven halves by the Sperion Ring.

Seeing this, some Flame Lion didn't run away but instead charged forward, only to experience being cut in half, though not quite equally.

A few Flame Lion, even with their leader behind them, found their fear of death overriding everything else, making them turn and run, wishing only that they had mutated to grow a pair of wings.

However, like the other Flame Lion, they hadn't escaped very far before being sliced in two.

The leader of the Flame Lion saw this and was just about to use a roar to steady the others when a beam of light shot precisely into its mouth, instantly causing its body to explode on the spot.

"Phew, beams really are best suited for finishing things off."

Lan Kai wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, a smile appearing on his face.