Purple Spirit Crystal!

He wondered whether, with his butterfly effect now in play, Yun Yun could still become the sect master of the Flower Sect.

If she did, she would gain many powerful allies in the future.

Of course, if Yun Yun did not travel to the Central Plains and become the Flower Sect's sect master as she had in the original work,

that was fine too. At the very least, he had gained a peerless beauty.

Having someone pleasant to look at every day was no bad thing.

As thoughts raced through Xuan Qing's mind, his gaze settled directly on Yun Yun's face and did not move for a long while.

Yun Yun grew somewhat uncomfortable under his stare. Her slender hand gently brushed aside a lock of black hair hanging by her ear, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks as she asked softly,

"What is it? You keep staring at me. Is there something on my face?"

Xuan Qing did not hide it and answered bluntly,

"You're beautiful."

That single sentence made Yun Yun's cheeks burn even hotter.

As the sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect, she was normally surrounded by people who treated her with reverence and awe. Never had anyone praised her appearance with such frank openness.

Her heart fluttered in confusion. She instinctively lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly as she did not dare meet his gaze.

The bonfire in the cave flickered, its warm glow falling upon her pure features. That trace of shyness only made her even more captivating.

"You..."

Yun Yun pursed her lips, at a loss for how to respond. She could only mutter reproachfully,

"You only know how to say sweet things."

Xuan Qing rose to his feet, no longer staring at Yun Yun, and said calmly,

"Stay here. Don't wander off. I'll be back shortly."

Yun Yun's heart tightened, and she hurriedly looked up at him.

"Where are you going?"

"Uh, just taking a look around."

With that,

he walked to the cave entrance. Dou Qi flowed around his fingertips as he raised a hand and set several breath-concealing spirit formations around the entrance.

The formation patterns flashed faintly before fading away, their dim radiance sinking into the rocks and vegetation, completely concealing the aura within the cave.

Even if magical beasts passed by, they would find it difficult to notice anyone hiding inside.

After finishing everything,

Xuan Qing did not waste another moment. His figure became a streak of light as he sped toward the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.

Before the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's enormous cave abode.

A massive Purple Crystal Winged Lion King lay sprawled atop a boulder, its eyes closed as it slept lazily, its beastly might permeating the surroundings.

Xuan Qing made no effort to conceal his aura on this trip. The pressure of a one-star Dou Emperor spread outward without restraint.

As that powerful aura suddenly intruded upon its territory, the sleeping Purple Crystal Winged Lion King abruptly opened its eyes.

Icy purple light burst from its beastly pupils as its enormous body suddenly rose.

A low roar rolled from its throat, shaking dust loose from the surrounding rocks.

"Roar!"

As a high-tier magical beast with the cultivation of a Dou Emperor, it had dominated these mountains for years. When had a human ever dared offend it like this?

Yet today, people had come knocking at its door again and again!

It raised its head toward the approaching figure of the young man, its huge lion eyes filled with fury.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King opened its mouth and let out an earth-shaking roar, circulating its Dou Qi as it prepared to tear this rash intruder apart.

But Xuan Qing did not pause in the slightest. Like a bolt of lightning, he dove straight down from the sky.

The vast and overwhelming aura of a Dou Emperor crashed down like mountains and seas.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's body, which had just erupted with all its strength, abruptly stiffened. Its surging Dou Qi suddenly became sluggish and chaotic.

The aura it had been so proud of

was instantly and completely suppressed beneath Xuan Qing's pressure, like a firefly before the bright moon!

Before it could react,

Xuan Qing had already closed in. Dense Dou Qi gathered in his palm as he casually struck out!

Boom!

A deafening blast shook the mountain forest!

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's protective Dou Qi shattered inch by inch. Its hard beastly body had no power to resist as the blow pierced through it, gravely wounding it.

Its enormous body trembled violently, and the rage and ferocity in its eyes instantly turned into utter terror.

In that fleeting moment between life and death, the bone-deep sense of danger crushed all its pride.

There was no trace left of the savage majesty of a mountain overlord. Its huge head dropped heavily, and its tense limbs went limp at once.

Even its courage to struggle vanished completely as it let out panicked, whimpering pleas for mercy.

"Big brother! Big brother, stop hitting me! I was wrong! Spare me!"

The mighty sixth-tier magical beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, was trembling like a leaf.

Xuan Qing withdrew his hand and stood where he was, watching its cowardly change in attitude.

A sixth-tier magical beast was this cowardly?

Shouldn't it be fighting me to the death?

Seeing the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King like this, Xuan Qing almost felt bad striking him.

He swept his gaze over the trembling giant beast and said coldly,

"Hand over the Purple Spirit Crystal!"

At those words, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's huge body suddenly stiffened, and a trace of hesitation and pain flashed through his eyes.

The Purple Spirit Crystal was an extremely precious treasure he had prepared for his daughter.

He instinctively wanted to make excuses.

But when he secretly raised his eyes to peek at Xuan Qing, he met the young man's utterly cold gaze.

That look was sharp as a blade and carried absolute pressure.

It seemed that if he dared utter even half a word of refusal, he would die the very next second.

In an instant, all reluctance vanished into thin air.

Staying alive was more important!

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King immediately gave in completely. He hurriedly lowered his head in the utmost respect and let out ingratiating whimpers.

"My lord! My lord! This way, please! This way, please! I'll fetch it for you right away!"

Having said that,

his huge body hurriedly moved aside. He respectfully lowered his head toward the cave abode, leading the way.

After traveling all the way to the depths of the dark cave, Xuan Qing spotted a small, exquisite purple figure in the dim light.

It was a young Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. Its purple fur was fluffy, its tiny wings had yet to fully spread, and its round beastly eyes looked curiously at the arriving Xuan Qing.

The little fellow did not sense the tense atmosphere in the air at all and ran closer on its short limbs.

It lifted its head.

It gave soft little howls at Xuan Qing, its clear cries echoing through the empty cave abode.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's expression abruptly changed as he hurried forward.

His broad, thick lion paw clamped over the young lion's mouth, forcibly choking off the remaining cries in its throat.

He turned toward Xuan Qing and squeezed out an extremely strained smile. His thick body hunched slightly as he repeatedly forced a laugh.

"Hahaha! My lord, my daughter is ignorant, she is ignorant. Please do not take offense."

With its mouth and nose covered, the little lion anxiously kicked its limbs and made muffled whimpering noises.

Xuan Qing looked with interest at the little fellow constantly wriggling about.

Then his gaze returned to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King as he slowly said,

"Bring out the Purple Spirit Crystal."

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's body trembled slightly. Deep reluctance churned in his eyes, as though his heart had been ruthlessly clenched.

This Purple Spirit Crystal had originally been a precious treasure reserved for his daughter to use in breaking through her realm.

But he did not dare disobey in the slightest. With a long sigh, he lowered his huge head, turned around, and slowly walked toward the depths of the cave.

A moment later, he emerged slowly with a translucent crystal stone in his mouth, suffused with rich purple light.

A faint aura of magical beast origin lingered around the crystal. It was the Purple Spirit Crystal.

He gently placed the Purple Spirit Crystal on the ground before Xuan Qing, his lion eyes filled with undisguised heartache.