Subduing the Amethyst Winged Lion King

"I'm not stupid. Three Dou Emperors, and two of them are at the Dou Emperor Peak. What am I supposed to fight them with?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King muttered to itself, but still replied, "You jest, young friend! Just tell me what you need. I still have some influence in this area."

Seeing how agreeable the Lion King was, Lin Qing found it hard to attack outright. He had originally planned to beat it into submission, but now he had no choice but to pay a price.

He got straight to the point.

"I am a Sixth-Grade Alchemist, and my teacher is an Eighth-Rank Alchemist. I came here because I want the Lion King to serve me for five years. In exchange, I am willing to offer one Transformation Pill, one Imperial Extreme Pill, and one Meridian-Washing Marrow-Tempering Pill. To show my sincerity, I can give you the pills now. Of course, if you satisfy me, then after five years, as long as the Lion King gathers the materials, I can also refine another Transformation Pill for you."

One Seventh-Grade Pill, two Sixth-Grade Pills, and one chance at alchemy in exchange for a Dou Emperor serving him for five years was not too much of a loss.

Lin Qing was confident that five years would be enough to make the Amethyst Winged Lion King one of his own. Although the Eighth-Rank Alchemist was fake, his Perfected Mortal Realm soul was real. Once his cultivation reached the Dou Emperor realm, refining Seventh-Grade Pills would be easy. When traveling outside, one's identity was whatever one claimed it to be.

As for the possibility that his cultivation might surpass the Lion King's in five years, making the Lion King less useful to him, it could still run errands for him!

Hearing Lin Qing's words, the Amethyst Winged Lion King fell silent for a moment, then glanced at the three people in the sky who had formed a triangular encirclement around it.

If I resist, I'll die! Besides, serving such a young Sixth-Grade Alchemist isn't unacceptable! And according to him, his master is an Eighth-Rank Alchemist! Only a disciple of someone like that could become a Sixth-Grade Alchemist at such a young age. More importantly, he's offering far too much!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King's mind raced. Faced with both carrot and stick, it realized that nodding in agreement seemed to be its only option. In the end, the Amethyst Winged Lion King lowered its proud head.

"I agree, but I hope you will not harm my child! If you are willing, Little Lion shall serve you as my master for the rest of my life!"

"Then call me Young Master from now on."

"Young Master!"

Lin Qing nodded in satisfaction. Seeing how sensible the other party was, he took out three jade bottles from his Storage Ring and tossed them to the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"These are the pills. A token of my sincerity."

"Thank you, Young Master!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King caught the jade bottles, overjoyed. Its resentment toward Lin Qing instantly vanished, leaving behind only loyalty.

On the Dou Qi Continent, once ordinary Magical Beasts submitted, their loyalty was generally guaranteed.

After obtaining the pills, the Amethyst Winged Lion King led the group into its Cave Dwelling.

"Wuwu!"

Upon seeing the Amethyst Winged Lion King, a Little Amethyst Winged Lion King happily ran over. But when it saw Lin Qing and the others, it bared its fangs and stopped where it was.

"What are you growling for? Get over here!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King walked over and slapped the Little Lion on the head.

It carried the Little Lion to stand before Lin Qing and the other three, then said ingratiatingly, "Young Master, this is my daughter. I hope you will look after her in the future."

However, its fawning tone paired with its fierce face looked slightly comical.

"Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll refine a Transformation Pill for her."

Lin Qing nodded and replied calmly.

"Young Master, I have some modest possessions. Take whatever catches your eye!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King spoke fawningly. Alchemists were the masters, so naturally it had to serve him well and strive to earn his favor. This was its only remaining chance to secure a good future for its daughter.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Since the Lion King was being so cooperative, Lin Qing did not hold back. He immediately began selecting from its collection inside the Cave Dwelling.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King did not have many stored medicinal herbs. Most had been eaten by it. After all, Magical Beasts were not professionals and did not know how to preserve medicinal herbs, so they could only consume them. Some of what remained had also been improperly stored, causing their medicinal properties to dissipate.

What surprised Lin Qing most was that the Lion King had more than a hundred Storage Rings. They were all low- to mid-grade Storage Rings. Most had been presented by its subordinates, while a small portion had been seized by force.

So you're the true Ring King!

Lin Qing had thought he already owned plenty of Storage Rings, but the Lion King had even more than he did.

Lin Qing did not take all of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's collection from the Cave Dwelling. He only chose some Monster Cores, the Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques left behind in the Storage Rings, several medicinal herbs for refining Soul-Nourishing Saliva, and finally asked the Lion King for a piece of Purple Spirit Crystal. He did not take the other medicinal herbs or the Companion Purple Crystal Origin. He already had Purple Crystal Origin, and he felt too embarrassed to take the surplus medicinal herbs. The Lion King was simply too cooperative for him to act against his conscience.

"Pack up, bring your child, and come with me."

After making his choices, Lin Qing spoke to the two Magical Beasts.

"Young Master! Can I transform first before we leave?"

"As you wish. I'm not in a particular hurry right now."

"Young Master!"

Having successfully transformed, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had become a burly man built like an iron tower. However, his head of purple hair was exceptionally garish.

"Have you given yourself a name?" Lin Qing asked curiously.

The man scratched his purple hair, looking somewhat embarrassed. "This subordinate has a name. It's Lion."

Lin Qing's expression froze, then he found it somewhat amusing. "A good name! Tell me about the Magic Beast Mountains."

"Yes! Blah blah..."

Perhaps no one had listened to it speak in a long time, or perhaps it wanted to demonstrate its loyalty, but it told Lin Qing all the secrets it knew about the Magic Beast Mountains.

Lin Qing had actually been quite curious about the Magic Beast Mountains, such as whether there were truly Tier 7 Magical Beasts in its depths, and about Xiao Qi's origins.

Now, every mystery had been revealed.

He simply had not expected that there had once been two Tier 8 Magical Beasts deep within the Magic Beast Mountains a hundred years ago. Fortunately, Yun Potian had perished together with them, while the remaining Tier 7 Magical Beasts had been slaughtered by the experts of the surrounding Empires.

With no powerful ruler in its depths, the Magic Beast Mountains quickly descended into chaos. Each ruled its own territory, until a few years ago, when two Magical Beasts survived their Lightning Tribulations and successfully advanced to Tier 7. One of them should have been Xiao Qi's father, because he and his wife were the only two Rainbow Cranes in the mountain range to reach Tier 6. Lin Qing used this to confirm their identities.

The other was an Ice Python. Both sides wished to unite the Magic Beast Mountains, so they led their subordinate Magical Beasts into war against each other. The Amethyst Winged Lion King's wife had died in that battle. Having just given birth, she had been in a weakened state when the enemy struck her down in a single blow.

As the Lion King spoke of this, a trace of indelible grief and fury flashed through its eyes.

In the end, the battle concluded with the deaths of two Tier 7 Magical Beasts and five Tier 6 Magical Beasts.

The human race had been the same. Over the past century, without the threat of Magical Beasts, the Multi-Nation Alliance had ceased to exist, and the Jia Ma Empire had become what it was today.

"No wonder there hasn't been a beast tide in over a hundred years! Their backbone was ripped out!"

Lin Qing knew that any mountain range or forest inhabited by Magical Beasts would experience a beast tide every few to ten years. Yet the Magic Beast Mountains had not seen one in over a century. Human Mercenary Corps continued to venture deep into the Magic Beast Mountains to explore, gather medicinal herbs, seek treasure, and hunt Magical Beasts. They had even continuously established strongholds near the mountain range.

The Jia Ma Empire had never guarded against the Magic Beast Mountains, instead focusing on forces such as the Snake-People Tribe and the Chu Yun Empire.

It turned out they had not been careless. The threat was simply gone. In the Magic Beast Mountains, which no longer posed any danger, the lords of the surrounding cities were mostly Dou Spirits, and some were even Grand Dou Masters.

Meanwhile, Dou Kings and Dou Emperors were stationed along the desert's edge, at the border passes, and in the Holy City.