Under siege, a third-tier Beast Spirit

Xiao Yuan shuddered from head to toe. Within his dantian, a winding python pattern had appeared alongside the tiger markings on his Thunderfire Dou Qi. His cultivation surged, reaching the threshold of a two-star Dou Shi.

He let out a long breath of scorching, stale air, cold sweat covering his temples. Within the violet-crimson flames churning in his palm, a tiger's roar and a python's hiss faintly intertwined.

"The second Child Flame is mine."

The moment the words left his mouth, Xiao Yuan's expression changed drastically.

Several savage Beast Spirit auras were rapidly approaching from the direction of the cavern! The commotion from his earlier battle had ultimately alerted the other patrolling Beast Spirits.

Three Second Tier Beast Spirits were already close. Farther away, a Third Tier Beast Spirit was also closing in at tremendous speed.

"I can't stay here!"

Xiao Yuan dared not hesitate for even a moment. He had just fought bitter battles against the Crimson Flame Tiger and the Rockscale Giant Python in succession.

Now, the Dou Qi in his body was nearly exhausted, leaving him unable to sustain another intense battle. He urgently needed somewhere to rest and recover.

Not only were three Second Tier Beast Spirits approaching, but a Third Tier Beast Spirit was also rushing over. If they surrounded him, he would have no strength to resist in his current state.

Xiao Yuan swiftly scanned his surroundings. Waves of heat rolled through the Valley, and scattered rocks covered the ground. There was nowhere to hide. His only option was to retreat into the mountain forest outside the Valley.

The ground trembled slightly, and faint Beast Spirit roars reached his ears. The Ironspine Boar, Redclaw Wolf, and Flamefeather Eagle appeared among the scattered rocks.

They pressed in from three sides, while the oppressive aura of the Third Tier Beast Spirit grew heavier as it rapidly closed the distance.

The Flamefeather Eagle circled high above. With a shake of its wings, it sent several crimson fireballs hurtling down.

The Ironspine Boar lowered its head, its hard horn wrapped in beast flame, and charged straight at him. The Redclaw Wolf crouched low and circled toward his flank, waiting for an opening to strike.

Xiao Yuan clenched his teeth and summoned every last scrap of his Dou Qi.

"Mad Lion's Roar!"

He cupped his hands around his mouth, and a thunder-laced sound wave erupted.

Roar—

A violent soul-shaking shock wave swept outward.

The charging Ironspine Boar abruptly stiffened, its crimson eyes losing focus. The Redclaw Wolf's pounce ground to a halt. In the air, the Flamefeather Eagle's wings shook violently, and its fireballs nearly tumbled out of control.

This was his only means of holding them back. He had to seize this fleeting opportunity.

"Thunderflash!"

Violet-crimson lightning burst beneath his feet. Xiao Yuan became a streak of lightning, darting sideways in an instant to evade the falling fireballs before charging straight toward the Valley's exit.

Behind him, the three Second Tier Beast Spirits quickly shook off the soul shock and pursued him with furious roars.

The Third Tier Beast Spirit's aura drew ever closer. An even heavier pressure enveloped him, making Xiao Yuan's heart sink.

"Thunderclap Finger!"

Without looking back, Xiao Yuan sent a flash of lightning through his fingertip. A bolt of violet lightning shot out, striking the Ironspine Boar at the head of the pursuit with pinpoint accuracy.

Struck by the lightning, the Ironspine Boar squealed in pain, its pursuit briefly checked.

Xiao Yuan dared not linger to fight. He repeatedly activated Thunderflash, lightning flickering as he darted between the scattered rocks, fleeing toward the valley's edge with all his strength.

Fireballs exploded behind him without cease, searing waves of air brushing his back again and again.

His Dou Qi drained rapidly. Every use of Thunderflash consumed more of his already meager reserves. In his dantian, the tiger- and python-patterned flames quivered, and the Child Flame Origins he had yet to fully assimilate grew restless as well.

Fortunately, the Valley's exit was already close.

Taking advantage of another brief reprieve granted by Mad Lion's Roar, Xiao Yuan poured all his remaining Dou Qi into Thunderflash and burst out of the heat-shrouded valley.

The moment he entered the dense forest outside, the trees obscured him from view and blocked some of the Beast Spirit's perception.

Xiao Yuan dared not stop. He continued using Thunderflash, racing through the dense forest and steadily widening the distance. Behind him, the Beast Spirit's roars were gradually muffled by the trees, and the pressure of the Third Tier Beast Spirit slowly receded.

Only when he could no longer sense those savage auras did Xiao Yuan stagger to a stop. Bracing himself against a thick tree, he gasped for breath.

Every muscle in his body ached, his Dou Qi was almost exhausted, and the cold sweat on his forehead had soaked his collar.

He lowered his gaze to his palm. Violet-crimson Thunderfire flickered weakly, and the tiger's roar and python's hiss had grown subdued. The two Child Flame Origins still lingered in his dantian, not yet fully refined, and now stirred restlessly.

"That was close. I was one step away from being surrounded and killed."

Still shaken, Xiao Yuan looked toward the valley.

"A Third Tier Beast Spirit is beyond what I can face right now. My Dou Qi is exhausted. I need to find a hidden cave immediately, enter seclusion to recover, stabilize these two Child Flames, and truly consolidate my cultivation."

He surveyed the surrounding forest, got his bearings, and found a secluded cave in a cliff face. He slipped inside and moved some rocks over to block the entrance.

With the disturbances outside shut out, he sat cross-legged and began circulating the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art, devoting himself to restoring his Dou Qi and refining the beast flame Origin within him.

The cave was dim, with only a little weak daylight filtering through the cracks.

Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, his eyes closed as the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art slowly began circulating through his body.

Within his dantian, the two beast flame Origins stirred ceaselessly. Tiger and python markings intertwined, mingling with his own Thunderfire Dou Qi and sending bursts of searing pain through him from time to time.

The Child Flames he had just forcibly absorbed had not yet fully submitted. If he failed to refine them properly, the Beast Spirit's will could easily turn against him during future battles.

He calmed his mind and gradually gathered his faint remnants of Dou Qi, guiding them through his meridians to wash through his dantian again and again.

As the cultivation art circulated, vast amounts of ambient Dou Qi poured endlessly into his body, slowly replenishing his depleted dantian. Under the devouring and refining power of the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art, the ferocity of the two Child Flames from the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame was steadily worn away.

The resounding tiger roars and python hisses gradually softened. The restless crimson flames slowly settled, merging completely into his violet-crimson Thunderfire Dou Qi.

Time slowly passed.

After an unknown length of time, a faint violet-crimson halo began to shimmer around Xiao Yuan.

Within his dantian, the tiger and python markings no longer stirred restlessly. They were firmly imprinted in his Dou Qi.

Before, he had merely reached the threshold of a two-star Dou Shi. Now, his Dou Qi foundation was thoroughly consolidated, and his cultivation settled firmly at the early stage of a two-star Dou Shi.

A powerful sensation surged from his limbs and bones, flooding his entire body.

Xiao Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of lightning flashing through them.

He raised his hand. Violet-crimson Thunderfire rose and danced in his palm, the tiger and python markings flowing clearly across its surface as faint beast roars echoed softly.

"At last, I've broken through to a two-star Dou Shi."

Xiao Yuan murmured to himself, his heart brimming with joy.

After devouring two Child Flames from the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame in succession and tempering himself through the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art, his strength had risen considerably compared to when he had been a one-star Dou Shi.