Of course.
Besides looking for a mount, I also wanted to change Yun Yun's fate and get my hands on the Purple Spirit Crystal.
After all, Yun Yun was one of the top three most beloved characters in Battle Through the Heavens.
If Xiao Xun'er was the moonlight in one's heart and Xiao Yi Xian the cinnabar mole, then Yun Yun was the one who left you with a lifetime of regret.
Her sect and her teacher had both been destroyed by the man she loved, leaving the two of them, despite their mutual affection, unable to ever be together...
That was every bit as heartbreaking as losing the moonlight in your heart.
As for Medusa, she felt more like an accident.
The one who could poison the person in her bed wasn't Xiao Yi Xian, but Medusa, who also went by the name Cailin.
Even if I won her over, I'd have to spend a good long while taming her.
"Great Lion, get out here and take a beating!"
A roar like muffled thunder exploded in midair.
Xiao Yuan hefted the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd in one hand, spread his wings, and hovered in the sky. The might of a Dou Emperor and the soul power of the Spirit Realm poured forth without restraint.
His gaze swept over the foothills and forests below.
When nothing stirred, he spoke again:
"I've heard that the mighty Amethyst Winged Lion King rules the eastern Magical Beast Mountain Range. Now that someone's come knocking, you're too scared to show your face? Or have you lost your nerve?"
He had no choice but to provoke the beast with such a crude trick.
He'd found this place by deducing its location from the original story. As for exactly which mountain the Amethyst Winged Lion King called home, he really had no idea.
Fortunately, persistence paid off.
After only a couple of insults, something answered from below.
A furious lion's roar erupted from the earth, accompanied by a violent surge of energy that swept through the air.
"Who is it?! Which blind fool dares to challenge my authority!!!"
Its voice cracked through the sky like thunder.
A streak of purple shot across the horizon, then stopped steadily in midair, facing Xiao Yuan from afar.
Dense purplish-red Dou Qi stained nearly half the sky!
Its body stretched a full seven or eight meters, and its surface was covered in purple crystals that glittered painfully in the sunlight.
Its head was a fearsome lion's, with blood-red eyes flashing with strange purple light and a huge, fang-filled maw.
A fiery red, spiraling horn rose from its head, wreathed in clusters of purple flames.
As its purple wings beat, clusters of pale purple flame surged forth like fire from a flamethrower. Its four thick paws, wrapped in purple crystal, stepped slowly through the air, making the very void tremble!
[Just from its appearance, I can tell this is definitely the six-ranked magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King.]
[Come to think of it, this lion should be just a little weaker than Yun Yun. It only beat her by relying on a magical beast's naturally powerful body and ambushing her with its innate ability, the Amethyst Seal.]
[That means this Great Lion's cultivation is at most that of a Two-Star Dou Emperor.]
[It might even be a One-Star, like me.]
In the brief lull, Xiao Yuan assessed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
For some reason, his thoughts carried without restraint all the way to Xiao Yi Xian, who was watching from a safe distance.
Seeing the two figures in the sky—a man and a lion—Xiao Yi Xian was beside herself with worry.
If she'd known Xiao Yuan had come to pick a fight with the Amethyst Winged Lion King, she would never have let him come!
That was a genuine sixth-ranked magical beast!
She'd never seen one herself, but she'd heard plenty of stories. Many powerful fighters had tried to challenge and hunt it, only to be burned to ash by its purple flames.
Not one had survived!
And she couldn't understand why Xiao Yuan had come looking for trouble with this beast that ruled the region!
"Oh? Such a young human, yet you've reached this level of cultivation."
When the Amethyst Winged Lion King got a good look at Xiao Yuan, it couldn't help but feel surprised.
It had seen plenty of humans, but never one this young who was already a Dou Emperor—and who had come to provoke it of his own accord.
"Human whelp, in light of your courage in challenging my authority, I'll spare your life. Leave your Storage Ring and get lost!"
The routine was so familiar it was clear the beast had done this many times before.
Its reason for collecting these things was simple. Once it advanced to the seventh rank and took human form, it could use all those human resources to cultivate!
Too bad it had picked the wrong target to extort.
"Heh. Great Lion, you're ugly as sin, but you sure know how to have fun."
Xiao Yuan sneered.
"Since that's the case, I'll give you two choices too. First, I'll take pity on how hard you've worked to cultivate, and you can obediently become my mount. Second, I'll run you through with my halberd and roast you for meat! Amethyst Winged Lion King meat must be pretty chewy, huh?"
"Human brat, you're asking to die!"
"Heh. Great Lion, don't you know what's good for you!"
At that, the Lion King flew into a full-blown rage.
In all these years, no one had ever dared to provoke it like this.
Especially with those insults about its looks and its taste for fun.
It was the best-looking cub in the eastern Magical Beast Mountain Range!
Today, it would teach this human brat a lesson!
"Roar—!!"
With a furious bellow, the Lion King lunged at Xiao Yuan. Purple light blazed in its eyes as it raised a claw and slammed it down.
A brilliant purple gleam tore through the air.
The claw ripped through the air's resistance, and a shrill whine rang across the sky.
A blow like that, if it landed on an ordinary One-Star Dou Emperor, would likely cost him half his life on the spot.
Xiao Yuan, on the other hand, eagerly swung the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd to meet it.
"Six Sword Transformation Styles: Rain Swallow!"
Whoosh—
At that moment, wherever the halberd's edge passed, it seemed to raise a towering tide. The spreading water mist appeared to suppress the purple flames clinging to the Amethyst Winged Lion King!
This was one of the Six Sword Transformation Styles from the Form Essence among the five aspects of Taixu Sword Qi.
It was his first time using it, but he hadn't expected it to work so well!
Even Xiao Yuan couldn't help feeling delighted.
[As expected, everything the Dog System puts out is top quality!]
The halberd's edge clashed with the Lion King's claws, and the energy they unleashed exploded across the sky.
A violent hurricane swept across the land, nearly toppling every tree.
Even Xiao Yi Xian, watching from a safe distance, could feel just how savage that force was.
She couldn't help holding her breath for Xiao Yuan.
"Ha! Great Lion, come on, let's play some more! Don't tell me those are all the tricks you've got!"
Once the energy had settled, Xiao Yuan's mocking laughter rang out across the sky again.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King had no reason to hold back.
The man and beast began a pure contest of energy, occasionally trading a couple of physical blows as well.
As the battle grew fiercer, terrifying purple Beast Flame blazed from the Amethyst Winged Lion King, like a blazing sun. It had the power to burn mountains and boil seas.
Xiao Yuan refused to be outdone. He unleashed all of the Life Spirit Flame, overpowering his opponent.
The once-azure sky was completely stained with blue and purple!
"Human brat, you've worn down what little patience I had!"
"Ooh, someone's mad. I know you're in a hurry, but hold on a second. I've still got a killing move I haven't tried."
Xiao Yuan rested the Heaven-Slaughter Halberd on his shoulder, looking so relaxed that he was the Lion King's exact opposite.
"You refuse to see reason. Then don't blame me!"
The Lion King let out a growl laced with rage, and purple light blazed brighter and brighter across its body.
A moment later, its radiance nearly outshone the sun on the horizon.
[Oh, here it comes!]
Xiao Yuan's heart leaped with delight, and he hurriedly formed a hand seal.
"Taixu—"
Purple light flashed as the Amethyst Winged Lion King's low growl rang out.
"Amethyst Seal!"
"Sword God!!!"