As the sun set, the constant moon rose as promised, spilling its faint radiance and melting away the lingering heat of the earth, bringing a touch of pleasantly cool relief.
Under the moonlit night, inside a natural cave.
Dry firewood crackled as it burned, orange flames slowly rising. On the simple grill, the tender monster meat had been roasted until it was golden and glistening. Fat like liquid gold dripped into the fire with sizzling sounds, making the flames burn even fiercer.
This natural cave was the place Mu Chen had chosen to spend the night. Within the vast mountains, such caves were often also monster dens. And sure enough, the "former owner" was currently being turned over on the grill, displaying its enticing form...
The tempting aroma of meat drifted through the shallow cave. Mu Chen swallowed hard as he looked at his handiwork. It seemed pretty good.
Mu Chen was bare-chested on one side, and the bandages around his left shoulder were heavy with the smell of medicine. After five hours of recuperation, his left hand had mostly recovered.
"I only caught a glimpse of the Beast Tide. I wonder whether Qing Mountain Town was affected. Probably not. The Beast Tide has no particular direction; it just charges around blindly.
Still, I hope the Jia Ma Imperial Family takes it seriously and sends some troops here to defend the area."
Mu Chen's eyes were filled with deep concern as he worried about Xiao Yi Xian's safety.
"That silly girl isn't even a Dou Zhe. It's really worrying.
I just hope that old bastard Mu She hasn't lost his mind and taken his anger out on Xiao Yi Xian. Otherwise, I'll make him beg for death."
Mu Chen made up his mind to return to Qing Mountain Town first thing tomorrow morning and settle matters there as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a strange smell entered his nostrils.
"Damn! It's burnt..."
The next day, just after dawn, warm sunlight blanketed the land. Walking out of the cave, Mu Chen gazed at the gray mountain ranges in the distance. Qing Mountain Town lay to the east, making the direction easy to identify.
But just as Mu Chen was about to set off, the system's voice rang out in his mind.
"Mission triggered: Assist Yun Yun in defeating the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
Mission reward: Unknown!"
"A mission? An unknown reward?"
Mu Chen frowned. This mission differed from the one involving Xiao Yi Xian's rescue. It did not specify a clear reward, making it feel like a blind box waiting to be opened.
At this point in time, Yun Yun had come to the Magic Beast Mountains to find the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King for the Purple Spirit Crystal.
According to how things were supposed to unfold, Yun Yun would lose to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King and be caught off guard by the Purple Crystal Seal, leaving her strength sealed away for several days.
Defeat the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King!
Mu Chen's teeth ached. As the overlord of the Magic Beast Mountains' Eastern Region, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was at least a five-star Dou Emperor. To defeat it, he would have to use one Battle Emperor Power Card.
"This is ridiculous. Why isn't the mission to steal the Purple Spirit Crystal? I only just got this Battle Emperor Power Card!"
With three uses, Mu Chen had originally planned to save it as his ultimate life-preserving trump card and avoid using it whenever possible.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to use it this time. Otherwise, Mu Chen could not imagine what other help he could rely on to defeat the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"This is a bit of a scam. Where am I supposed to find Yun Yun or the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?"
Mu Chen could only stare blankly as he looked around. Fine, the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. It would already be impressive if he did not get himself lost after entering them.
The Magic Beast Mountains were so vast. Leaving aside whether he could find the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's lair in a short time, Mu Chen was only a one-star Dou Master. Deep within these mountains, he was at the very bottom. If he encountered any third-tier monster, he would have to run. He could not afford to wander around recklessly.
As if responding to Mu Chen's thoughts, a violent energy fluctuation erupted like thunder. A vast aura surged into the clouds and scattered them apart. Mu Chen looked toward the distant sky, where waves of air rolled like a raging sea.
A wild lion's roar rang out, and the distant sky abruptly transformed into a dazzling sea of purple fire, like a heavenly curtain blocking out the blazing sun.
Soon afterward, a layer of cyan light appeared as well. Within it, countless tiny gusts of wind formed ravaging tornadoes that stood in opposition to the Purple Flame curtain.
Mu Chen curled his lips helplessly. Purple flames, cyan gales, and that mighty lion's roar—clearly, Yun Yun had already begun fighting the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"The battlefield is at least forty or fifty li away from here, yet the commotion is this immense. A Dou Emperor truly is the top combat power of this early-stage map."
Mu Chen sighed inwardly, his eyes also filled with longing. With a movement of his feet, he followed the direction of the rolling airwaves and vanished into the forest.
High in the sky, a massive and ferocious creature covered in a layer of purple crystals roared madly. It resembled a lion, with a wide maw full of fangs, a red spiral horn atop its head, and a pair of enormous purple wings on its back. With every flap of its wings, pale purple flames carrying scorching heat swept outward, raising the temperature of the air considerably.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dense pillars of purple fire shot toward a graceful figure as agile as Qing Feng. The powerful energy contained in each fire pillar was enough to easily kill a Dou Ling expert, yet they could only pierce through the afterimages left behind by the rapidly moving figure and could not harm her in the slightest.
After dodging all the purple fire pillars, the figure finally revealed her true appearance. She was a beautiful woman with a cold temperament and a graceful figure. She wore plain, elegant robes, and her stunning face was noble and dignified, yet carried an icy aloofness that kept others at a distance.
Yun Yun held an unusual longsword radiating a cyan glow behind her back. Her slender jade-like hands formed a sword seal wreathed in flowing green wind, while a pair of magnificent cyan wings gently fluttered behind her.
Her delicate brows were furrowed, and Yun Yun's lovely face was filled with solemnity.
Before coming to the Magic Beast Mountains, she had expected the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, renowned throughout the Jia Ma Empire, to be quite strong. Yet she had believed her methods would be enough to handle it. After fighting for a while, however, she had not expected the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to be so troublesome. Its strength was actually faintly superior to hers.
After battling for more than ten minutes, woman and beast hovered in the sky. The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King finally stopped attacking, and a trace of respect appeared in its beastly eyes with almost human-like intelligence.
"Human Dou Emperor, why have you come to disturb my rest?" the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King shouted in human speech. Its voice boomed like thunder, making the air hum.
"I have come only to borrow the Lion King's Purple Spirit Crystal!"
Her autumn-water eyes fixed on the fierce Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. Yun Yun's red lips parted, and though her voice was cold, it was as crisp and pleasant as jade beads.
"Hehe, human Dou Emperor, do you know how precious the Purple Spirit Crystal is? My Amethyst Winged Lion Clan must nurture one for decades before a piece can fall from our bodies. Do you think you can simply borrow it because you say so?
Since your strength is not bad, I do not wish to argue with you further. Leave the Magic Beast Mountains at once."
The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King roared. Unless necessary, it did not want to fight an opponent of the same level to the death.
It was indeed the overlord of the Eastern Region, but that did not mean the entire Magic Beast Mountains belonged to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
The rise of monsters was always far crueler than that of humans. To reach Tier 6, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King had climbed to the throne of a king atop the corpses of countless monsters. After fighting for centuries, it naturally had many enemies as well.
Like the two Tier 6 Monsters yesterday that had fought over territory and triggered the Beast Tide, their relationship with the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was equally hostile.
Before you continue