Transformation Pill (44k)

Soon, after an enormous number of red snakes had consumed it, the deep purple pillar of light was finally swallowed up. The remaining snakes, still astonishing in number, lunged at the Amethyst Winged Lion King and sank their fangs into him!

"Roar!"

Perhaps he had never expected his Amethyst Seal to be stopped so easily. Before he could react, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was engulfed by the red snakes. Their bites, coupled with their burning effect, left him in agony.

"I'm done fighting!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King's low roar echoed through the mountains.

"Haha, all right!" Liu Yu chuckled, and the red snakes covering the Amethyst Winged Lion King instantly dispersed.

Flying over to the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Liu Yu looked at the "battered and bruised" Great Flying Lion baring his teeth in pain and fought back a laugh. The sight was too comical!

Still, there was nothing to be done. The burning effect carried by his Dou Qi could not be dispelled so quickly.

He had intended to give the Great Flying Lion a Recovery Pill, a fifth-grade pill, but most of his injuries were superficial and not particularly serious. Liu Yu decided against it. That would be a bit wasteful...

"Lion King, have you thought over the proposal I gave you last time?" Liu Yu asked.

"Hmph!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King gave a muffled grunt, his enormous beastly eyes fixed on Liu Yu, as though saying, You hurt me this badly, and you're not even giving me a pill?

Unbelievable! Liu Yu was speechless. Since when had this Great Flying Lion been so shameless? A jade bottle appeared in his hand, and he tossed it to the Great Flying Lion. "This is a fifth-grade Recovery Pill, specifically used to treat serious injuries!"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King reached out with an enormous paw and caught the jade bottle. He had no intention of taking the pill; his injuries really were not that serious. Then he lowered his proud head and moved his great maw, saying with wholehearted submission, "Master!"

"Hahaha!" Liu Yu laughed heartily. Now he, too, was a man with a mount!

At that moment, Yun Yun flew over to Liu Yu. Looking at the striking Amethyst Winged Lion King before them, she was rather surprised.

Before they came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Liu Yu had told her that he intended to capture its Amethyst Winged Lion King as a mount. She had thought he was joking. Though Liu Yu possessed strength comparable to a Peak Dou Emperor, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was the proud overlord of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Ordinarily, he would never agree to become a human's mount, even if that human was somewhat stronger than him!

Yet Liu Yu had actually succeeded! And the Amethyst Winged Lion King seemed quite willing? Watching him lovingly toy with the jade bottle in his paws, Yun Yun fell silent. This was hardly how the king of the Magical Beast Mountain Range ought to behave!

"Do you have anything else to do next? Why not come back to the Misty Cloud Sect with me?" Seeing that Liu Yu had accomplished his purpose in coming to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Yun Yun could not help asking. The anticipation in her beautiful eyes was undisguised.

"Hmm... I still have some matters to handle in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and afterward, I need to go home..." Liu Yu said apologetically. He really did have things to do, and he really could not go to the Misty Cloud Sect...

"Remember to come find me once you're finished!" Yun Yun pursed her lips and gazed at Liu Yu wistfully. As the leader of a sect, she still had affairs to handle back home and could not stay away for too long. Nearly a month was already her limit!

"All right!" Liu Yu replied, though no one knew what he was actually thinking...

After giving Liu Yu one long look, Yun Yun turned into a streak of green light and left the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"The Hall of Souls..." Liu Yu murmured, looking in the direction Yun Yun had disappeared.

Putting those thoughts aside, Liu Yu turned to the Amethyst Winged Lion King and asked, "What other sixth-rank magical beasts are there in this mountain range besides you?"

Though the Amethyst Winged Lion King was called the overlord of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, strictly speaking, he only ruled its eastern region. As the largest mountain range within the Jia Ma Empire, it was enormously vast and even connected to the territories of several neighboring empires!

Liu Yu intended to occupy the portion of the Magical Beast Mountain Range within Jia Ma and make it a new home for the Snake-People Tribe! That meant he would inevitably have to deal with the other sixth-rank magical beasts in the mountains!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had known him for some time, and only submitted thanks to his pill "supply" and overwhelming strength. Liu Yu had no time to waste on the other sixth-rank magical beasts. If they refused to submit, they would die!

"There should be three that I know of!" the Amethyst Winged Lion King answered. The sixth-rank magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range generally had their own territories and did not encroach on one another.

"Take me to them!" As he spoke, Liu Yu stepped onto the Amethyst Winged Lion King's back.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King neither hesitated nor asked questions. Since he had already become Liu Yu's mount, he only needed to do his job. As for worrying? Those sixth-rank magical beasts were roughly on par with him. Even all three together probably could not defeat his master. That was his instinct as a magical beast! His purple wings beat, carrying them into the distance...

On the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"Hehe, once we finish this job today, we can go have some fun again!" a mercenary said to his companion with a grin.

"Yeah, that woman last time really was..." His companion wore an expression of bliss, as though savoring a memory.

"Roar!" "Roar!"...

Terrifying roars rang out continuously from deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range! Anyone listening closely could hear the fear and agony within them!

The mercenaries on the outskirts immediately abandoned their work in fright and fled outward in a swarm upon hearing the roars. A beast tide! Their lives mattered more than money!

Somewhere deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range, an enormous winged python roughly a hundred feet long lay curled on the ground, its aura feeble. Its body was ice blue and covered in crystalline scales. Though a python, it looked more like a flood dragon. Sharp claws had already grown from the front and rear of its body, and two small bumps protruded from its massive head. If it advanced to become a seventh-rank magical beast, it might well transform into a flood dragon.

"Ice Crystal Jade Python King, I'll give you one last chance! Submit or die!"

A terrifying aura raged in the sky, seemingly twisting even space itself.

Liu Yu stood coldly in midair, holding a blood-red longsword, with a ring of green-blue flames ten feet across floating behind him.

Under the Great Flying Lion's guidance, he had found those sixth-rank magical beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and immediately unleashed his full power! Any beast that refused to submit received a sword strike. If one strike did not kill it, he delivered another!

Neither of the previous two sixth-rank magical beasts had withstood three of his brutal sword strikes! The Ice Crystal Jade Python King before him was no different, but Liu Yu had developed an appreciation for its potential. It looked impressive, carried the bloodline of the Dragon Race, and had the potential to become a flood dragon. With some cultivation, taking it out would be quite a point of pride! That was why he had given it two chances!

"Roar!"

The Ice Crystal Jade Python King roared weakly, its enormous ice-blue eyes filled with defiance! Carrying the bloodline of the Dragon Race, it would never submit to a human. That was its pride as a sovereign! It also felt contempt for the Amethyst Winged Lion King behind Liu Yu. A sixth-rank magical beast, reduced to a human's mount!

Had the Amethyst Winged Lion King known its thoughts, he would certainly have scoffed. Could magical beasts not choose a worthy lord to serve?

"You've already paved your own road to death!" Liu Yu snorted coldly. Damn it, I offered you face, and you threw it away!

He viciously swung his blood-red sword three times, sending three sky-blotting arcs of Blood Sword Light crashing down onto the Ice Crystal Jade Python King.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The tremendous force shook the mountains, and the place where the Ice Crystal Jade Python King had lain became a gigantic crater! Within it lay mangled flesh, with blood flowing in streams!

"Little Purple, take care of the rest!" Liu Yu said lightly. Naturally, he had come up with the name Little Purple himself. Simple, clear, and perfectly suited to the Great Flying Lion's appearance. How nice!

Hearing his master's orders, the Amethyst Winged Lion King immediately went forward to gather the spoils, just as he had the previous two times. Though everything he collected had to be handed over to his master, feasting his eyes on it was still pleasant. Earlier, for example, he had found two stalks of transformation grass in the lairs of those two sixth-rank magical beasts!

Since his master was an alchemist, might he someday have a chance to receive a Transformation Pill? As for consuming the transformation grass directly, he had never considered it. That carried risks, and even if he succeeded, he would be unable to return to his original form until reaching the seventh rank! A magical beast's greatest asset was its original body!

Taking a Transformation Pill, however, would grant him the transformation ability of a seventh-rank magical beast, allowing him to freely switch between human and beast forms while possessing both a human's cultivation talent and a magical beast's long lifespan! It was truly ascending to heaven in a single step!

After putting away the Ice Crystal Jade Python King's magic core, the Amethyst Winged Lion King headed toward its lair full of anticipation.

In a clearing, Liu Yu had already started barbecuing. With sixth-rank magical beast meat available, how could he not give it a taste!

While grilling, Liu Yu also assessed his current strength. At full power, he should be comparable to a Dou Zong. Of course, that was with the support of the Twelve Divine Wheels and the Thousand-Mechanism Fan. Whether he could actually defeat a Dou Zong, however, he did not know. He should be able to take on a low-level Dou Zong...

Just as Liu Yu was thinking, the Amethyst Winged Lion King returned, set the things he had gathered in his arms beside Liu Yu, and settled down nearby.

Liu Yu took a quick look. There was one sixth-tier magic core, and the rest consisted mostly of medicinal ingredients and unusual gems. But he noticed something interesting: some of those ingredients were precisely what he needed to refine a Transformation Pill. Combined with the ingredients found in the lairs of the two sixth-tier magical beasts earlier, they made up exactly one complete set for refining a seventh-grade Transformation Pill!

Glancing at Little Purple, Liu Yu could not help marveling at his good luck!

He placed the meat he had specially grilled for Little Purple in front of him and began tasting his own portion. He had to admit that sixth-rank magical beast meat made for superb barbecue. With every bite, he could feel a warm current flowing through his body, nourishing it.

Beside him, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was also devouring the food with relish. He had never eaten sixth-rank magical beast meat before. It was delicious!

After enjoying the barbecue, Liu Yu turned his gaze toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King and asked, "Little Purple, do you want a Transformation Pill?"

The Amethyst Winged Lion King froze for a moment before a humanlike, ingratiating smile appeared on his beastly face. The "gentle" voice he produced was utterly at odds with his enormous body. "Master~ Yes!"

“Ahem!” Liu Yu nearly choked. After calming his unsettled thoughts, he said, “You should know that the Transformation Pill is a high-grade seventh-rank pill. With only one set of ingredients, I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed on the first attempt!”

The Amethyst Winged Lion King showed no disappointment at his master's words. His tone was confident. "Master, you are wise and mighty, with extraordinary talent. I believe you can definitely refine this Transformation Pill!"

Little Purple, watch yourself! Mind games with your master are a grave taboo! Liu Yu looked at Little Purple's "expression." Though the beast was praising him, why did he feel an urge to smack him?

Ignoring Little Purple, Liu Yu went to an open area and took the Purple Cauldron out of his Storage Ring, preparing to refine the pill!

Liu Yu had great confidence in himself, but having a high-grade Transformation Pill as his first attempt at a seventh-grade pill still put him under a "little pressure."

The main difficulty was that a bolt of pill lightning summoned by a high-grade seventh-rank pill was essentially equivalent to an ordinary seven-star Dou Zong's strike! He did not know whether he could protect the pill. If he could not, Little Purple would simply have to blame his insufficient luck!

The refining procedure was the same as always, but this time Liu Yu devoted himself to it completely. A seventh-grade pill required many medicinal ingredients, several times as many as a sixth-grade pill. The more ingredients required, the harder the extraction became, and toward the end, the difficulty multiplied further!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King nearby voluntarily took on the role of a guard, preventing any blind fool of a magical beast from disturbing his master's refining.

Time flew as Liu Yu refined the pill. In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed!

"Hum!" A clear sound rippled outward. The Purple Cauldron suddenly trembled, and pill energy gushed forth. Seeing this, Liu Yu opened his narrowed eyes, and his anxious heart relaxed. It was about to succeed!

This Transformation Pill was the hardest pill he had ever refined in his life. Not only had it taken an enormous amount of time, but the refining process had allowed not even the slightest distraction!

After the Purple Cauldron hummed, an exceptionally dense surge of pill energy erupted from within. Faintly, at the source of that energy, a perfectly round pill could be seen wrapped in green-blue flames.

The pill energy gushed forth ever more fiercely, rousing the Amethyst Winged Lion King in the distance. Then it surged straight into the sky. Drawn by that dense pill energy, dark clouds rapidly gathered overhead, and soon low rumbles of thunder abruptly sounded across the heavens.

Amid their rolling turmoil, the thunderclouds suddenly contracted. A bolt of lightning half a meter wide shot down from them like a lightning python descending into the world. Space itself seemed as fragile as thin paper before it, easily torn apart with a terrifying ripping sound as it hurtled toward the ground!

Liu Yu's gaze sharpened. A Divine Wheel instantly appeared behind him, and Dou Qi surged within his body. The surrounding fire energy gathered above him in an instant.

Within a few breaths, a blazing sun of interwoven green and blue appeared in the sky, radiating an aura of world-destroying might! Its searing heat instantly melted a vast expanse of forest below into nothingness!

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had already beaten his Purple Wings and fled far away. It was not that he feared death; the heat was simply too terrifying. Even as a fire-attribute magical beast, he could not endure it!

"Heaven-Burning Palm!"

In an instant, an enormous palm of green-blue flames, wreathed in a destructive aura and five to six hundred feet across, emerged from the blazing sun. It tore through space and appeared directly before the lightning.

"Boom!"

The enormous palm collided with the lightning. After a moment of stillness, an earth-shaking explosion erupted in the sky. Its dazzling radiance left heaven and earth a blinding expanse of white!

Liu Yu immediately closed his eyes. With a thought, the blood-red longsword appeared in his hand, and he instantly unleashed seven or eight arcs of Blood Sword Light. The speed of his hands was staggering!

Though the Heaven-Burning Palm infused with heavenly flames was spectacular and reasonably powerful, it probably could not stop that bolt of Pill Lightning!

Just as Liu Yu had expected, the Heaven-Burning Palm only consumed most of the Pill Lightning's energy. A sliver of lightning "escaped," but unfortunately for it, one arc of sword light after another awaited it!

As the final sliver of lightning vanished, a dazzling streak of light suddenly burst out of the Purple Cauldron, shot into the sky, and fled toward the distance.

Already prepared, Liu Yu would never let it escape. His immense Soul Power enveloped the Transformation Pill and pulled it back.

The next moment, the Transformation Pill floated "obediently" before Liu Yu.

Thanks to W Duyi and Xiaofeng · Canyue for the tips.

A quick explanation: due to my own mistake, I misremembered the Amethyst Winged Lion King's sex. After a reader kindly pointed it out, I changed him back to "male," as in the original work (since he is just a mount, I followed the original). Sorry for any inconvenience this caused while reading, and I hope you'll forgive me!