Above the crimson sky.
Two surging waves of energy kept rumbling like muffled thunder.
The once-blue sky had become a scene of doomsday. Two streaks of crimson fire illuminated the entire horizon, and red clouds blanketed the heavens.
Even the lazy white clouds were swallowed by the flames.
"Damn human, take this!"
Watching the enormous palm of fire descend from the sky, the Amethyst Winged Lion King gave a cold snort. Its wings beat once, sending a ball of purple flame bursting away from its body and hurtling into the Heaven-Burning Giant Palm above.
Boom!
A clap of thunder exploded out of nowhere.
The purple fireball collided with the Heaven-Burning Giant Palm, unleashing terrifying energy and scorching heat. Even space rippled and warped slightly.
Bang! A massive cloud of dust surged into the sky.
Countless balls of fire rained down from the heavens, scattering across thousands of meters in every direction. The purple and crimson flames merged, erupting with astonishing energy.
In an instant, the mountains within thousands of meters became a sea of fire. Towering ancient trees burned, and the flames blazed so fiercely that they seemed to dye half the sky red.
This shocking sight...
Was clearly visible even from Green Mountain Town, hundreds of miles away.
Countless townspeople poured out of their homes, staring at the flames blanketing the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, their faces filled with shock and fear.
This bizarre celestial phenomenon could only mean that something unknown had happened deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
And for people like them, who depended on the range to make a living, such changes were undoubtedly fraught with death and danger.
Green Mountain Town.
Myriad Medicine Pavilion.
Xiao Yi Xian, busy inside the medicine pavilion, had also noticed the terrifying spectacle.
She stopped what she was doing and slowly walked outside. As she gazed at the red clouds spread across the sky, worry welled up in her eyes.
She had lived with Xiao Ze for about a month.
She had never asked him who he was, what he had come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to do, or even what his name was.
But after spending so much time together, she had pieced a few things together.
For example, Xiao Ze would disappear every so often, and when he returned, the aura of the Magical Beast Mountain Range's beasts still clung to him.
This terrifying phenomenon in the range was most likely connected to Senior.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yi Xian clasped her hands before her chest and murmured, "Senior, you have to come back safely!"
Deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
On the battlefield.
After several minutes of clashing, the purple fireball and the Heaven-Burning Giant Palm finally dissipated completely as their energy ran out.
"Take another sword strike!" The instant the Heaven-Burning Giant Palm vanished, Xiao Ze, who had been standing still in the sky, finally moved. His Five-Colored Dou Wings beat once, and his figure transformed into a streak of lightning, appearing in front of the Amethyst Winged Lion King in an instant.
"Holy Spirit Sword Technique, First Form: Sword One!"
The Taixiao Sword flashed from its sheath, and a fierce sword intent surged out.
Xiao Ze gripped the longsword and slashed down hard at the Amethyst Winged Lion King. A sharp gust of wind howled from the blade, then transformed into a sky full of sword energy that engulfed the beast's massive body.
Clang, clang, clang—The sword energy struck the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body, ringing like metal against metal.
The terrifying sword energy could only leave streaks of white on the purple crystals covering its body; it couldn't inflict any real damage.
"Human, are you trying to tickle me?" The Amethyst Winged Lion King sneered. It swung its lion head, and the spiral horn atop its head shot out a purple flame several meters thick.
"Sword Two!" Xiao Ze's gaze remained calm.
He flipped his wrist, and a terrifying sword aura dozens of yards long burst from the Taixiao Sword. Its razor-sharp edge scraped against the air, producing an earsplitting thunderclap.
This strike blazed with swordlight, its rain of swords pouring down like a waterfall.
It seemed that nothing in the world could withstand its cut.
Whoosh—The sword aura swept past, cleaving the purple flame in two.
But that wasn't all. After using the Holy Spirit Sword Technique's Second Form, Xiao Ze moved like a ghost. He stepped into the air and instantly split into more than a hundred phantoms. They appeared all around the Amethyst Winged Lion King, surrounding it from every side.
Low Earth Tier Dou Technique: Myriad Transformation Phantom!
As an Earth Tier movement Dou Technique, Myriad Transformation Phantom was exceptionally powerful. It not only increased speed but could also be used in battle. If cultivated to mastery, it could even create tens of thousands of phantoms.
These phantoms were indistinguishable from the real person. As they darted about, they could conceal the real one and confuse the enemy.
Unfortunately...
Xiao Ze couldn't yet bring out such a powerful effect. For now, he could create at most a hundred or so phantoms.
It wasn't much, but it was just enough to deal with the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
"Sword Three!"
"Sword Four!"
"Sword Five!"
"..."
With the Amethyst Winged Lion King as a worthy punching bag, Xiao Ze freely unleashed everything he had learned.
The three Earth Tier Dou Techniques shifted and changed in his hands as he constantly searched for the best approach.
His combat experience steadily improved as he fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
At the start, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had still managed to put up a feeble defense against Xiao Ze. But as the fight dragged on, it began to struggle.
Xiao Ze's cultivation was already higher than its own, and he also had three Earth Tier Dou Techniques.
If he hadn't been deliberately honing his combat experience, the Amethyst Winged Lion King would already have been on its last breath.
"Damn it, how is this human so strong?"
"We've been fighting for a whole hour. How does he still have so much energy left?"
"Doesn't he ever get tired?"
In the sky, the Amethyst Winged Lion King panted as it dodged the attacks.
The battle had now lasted an entire hour.
It was beginning to run out of strength. The purple crystals that had once covered its body were now pitted and scarred under the other party's attacks, and purple blood even seeped from some of the wounds.
"No, I'll die if this keeps up!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King cast a miserable glance at Xiao Ze. He still looked as composed as ever, without a trace of dishevelment or even a bead of sweat on his forehead.
Every one of his attacks brought the same overwhelming pressure as before.
"Sword Nineteen!" Xiao Ze's expression was calm as he swung his sword lightly.
A massive sword aura roared out once more. Its enormous blade of light seemed capable of splitting the heavens, growing rapidly in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's purple eyes.
"I can't take that head-on. I'll die!"
At this critical moment, the Amethyst Winged Lion King hurriedly unleashed the last of its energy. Surging purple flames burst from its body like steam.
The terrifying sword aura grazed its body and crashed into the thousand-zhang peak behind it.
Rumble! Just as the Amethyst Winged Lion King was congratulating itself on escaping disaster, it suddenly felt the ground beneath its feet begin to tremble. Countless clouds of dust rose from the earth.
It stiffly turned its head.
It saw that the peak, which had once towered a thousand zhang high, had been ruthlessly shorn of one side, leaving behind a perfectly smooth cross-section.
It also saw a sword scar more than a thousand meters long carved into the earth, its jagged fissure stretching all the way to the other side of the mountains.
Countless rocks and ancient trees had been destroyed by that sword aura.
"Is he even human?" The Amethyst Winged Lion King swallowed hard, its purple eyes filled with shock.
Seeing Xiao Ze lift his sword again...
It didn't hesitate for even a moment. It dropped to its knees with a thud, raised both forelegs high, and begged for mercy. "Spare me, human! I surrender, I surrender!"
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