A Dou Emperor-Level Clash

The next day, while Xiao Fan was still cultivating, a tremendous boom suddenly jolted him awake.

Xiao Fan snapped his eyes open. Over the past two days, he had made thorough preparations in case Yun Zhi suddenly fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

The moment he heard the boom, Xiao Fan knew that Yun Zhi and the Amethyst Winged Lion King must have failed to agree on terms and come to blows.

He took the Shadowless Mask from his system space, slipped it onto his face with practiced ease, and immediately hurried toward the battle.

His path was unobstructed, which was only natural. Ordinary magical beasts would never dare show themselves during a Dou Emperor-level clash, especially within the Lion King's territory. Few magical beasts dared intrude here even on an ordinary day. After all, magical beasts were fiercely territorial, and entering a high-ranked beast's domain without permission would be taken as a provocation.

Although there were few magical beasts in the Lion King's territory, Xiao Fan still encountered many fleeing in all directions. Some were the Lion King's usual underlings, while others had been caught in the battle's aftershocks and fled blindly in panic.

But not a single magical beast capable of surviving here was one Xiao Fan could defeat.

Fortunately, the Shadowless Mask concealed his aura. Otherwise, he would never have made it past these magical beasts, let alone approached the heart of the battle.

After advancing a certain distance, Xiao Fan could go no farther.

The terrifying power of a Dou Huang expert was no idle boast. Without the powerful physique granted by the system and the mask's concealment, Xiao Fan could only have run as far as possible from a battle like this.

Xiao Fan climbed to the top of a towering tree and hid among its lush branches, watching the clash between the two Dou Emperor-level combatants through the gaps.

Yun Zhi's exquisite face was now exposed beneath her black robe, and glimpses of her graceful figure appeared as she fought.

Unfortunately, Xiao Fan's eyes could not keep up with either combatant's movements. He could only catch the instants when they clashed, leaving him unable to admire her in detail.

Just as Xiao Fan considered moving closer, he suddenly realized that the commotion from their battle had already driven all the low-ranked magical beasts out of the area. Only three fifth-rank magical beasts remained on guard nearby, a force equivalent to three human Dou Wangs.

Xiao Fan broke into a cold sweat. He had been so absorbed in watching the powerful combatants that he had nearly forgotten the Lion King's followers could not all be low-ranked magical beasts. These three fifth-rank beasts appeared to be the strongest under its command.

With three fifth-rank magical beasts present, Xiao Fan abandoned any thought of stirring up trouble himself. Without Yun Zhi holding them off, even one would be more than he could handle.

Xiao Fan could only remain hidden in the tree and see whether a miracle would happen.

As he waited, the two fought from noon until sunset. Xiao Fan noticed that the flames covering the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body were no longer as fierce as before. It seemed the claim that the Lion King absorbed the sun's fiery power through the amethyst on its body to strengthen itself in battle was true.

Just then, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's furious roar rang out across the sky.

"Human woman, you have worn away what little patience I had!"

Looking at the Amethyst Winged Lion King before her, Yun Zhi said softly, "Lion King, as long as you are willing to trade the purple spirit crystal to me, I will never disturb you again."

Unlike the cool voice Xiao Fan had heard before, her voice now carried a trace of regal elegance. Beneath her calm tone, he could even sense a hint of urgency.

"You refuse to appreciate a kindness! Then don't blame me!" An enraged roar burst from the Lion King's enormous maw, sending ripples through the air. The purple radiance behind the Amethyst Winged Lion King grew brighter and brighter, until its dazzling light eclipsed even the setting sun.

It's unleashing its ultimate move... Seeing the Lion King's state, Xiao Fan guessed that the battle was about to reach its conclusion.

At the sight of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's stance in the sky, the magical beasts watching nearby immediately scattered. They seemed to know how terrifying this move was and feared that, if they fled too slowly, they would become the battle's unlucky casualties.

Yun Zhi also sensed the sudden sharpness in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's aura. The fire-element energy between heaven and earth surged rapidly, and her gaze gradually grew solemn. She raised her hands slightly, and the fierce winds swirling around her howled all the harder.

Before long, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finished preparing its attack. In the blink of an eye, the purple radiance surrounding its body compressed into a beam of light barely half a foot wide.

"Amethyst Seal!"

The purple beam flashed violently and appeared a short distance from Yun Zhi in an instant, just as the Amethyst Winged Lion King's roar rang out.

Sensing the beam's sudden appearance, Yun Zhi's expression changed, and she swiftly unleashed the powerful Dou Technique she had been preparing.

"Rift Whirlwind Dance!"

As Yun Zhi's sharp cry rang out, the space before her rippled slightly. Countless dark cyan wind blades appeared out of thin air, then intertwined to form an enormous sphere of cutting light that shot forward in a rapidly spinning spiral.

Boom!

As the purple beam collided with the dark cyan wind blades, a tremendous boom resounded across the sky.

Barely a moment after contact, the dark cyan wind blades began to crumble beneath the purple beam's ravaging force. It then tore through the dozens of wind shields Yun Zhi hastily raised before her like rotten wood and withered stalks, finally shooting into her body.

The instant the purple beam touched Yun Zhi's body, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's enormous form flashed before her. Its massive claw swept toward her, its five sharp talons seeming almost capable of slicing through space itself.

"Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill!"

At that critical moment, the longsword in Yun Zhi's hand shuddered violently. A thin ray of profound light shot out in an instant, slashing toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King's head.

Sensing the terrifying power of this strike, the Amethyst Winged Lion King realized that the woman before it had deliberately left an opening. With an angry roar, it narrowly moved its head out of the fatal strike's path, but the attack still struck its hard red horn.

Crack!

The hardest part of its entire body was actually cleaved off by Yun Zhi's Dou Technique.

Agonizing pain flooded the Amethyst Winged Lion King's mind. It let out a savage roar, and its foreclaw struck Yun Zhi's chest with incomparably vicious force.

A piercing screech of metal scraping rang out. Yun Zhi spat out a mouthful of blood, and her face visibly paled. She abruptly turned, beat the Dou Qi wings on her back, and vanished from the spot in a few flickers.

Watching Yun Zhi flicker away at tremendous speed, the Amethyst Winged Lion King unleashed a savage, murderous roar that echoed through the mountain forest.

"Search for her! That woman is badly injured. You must find her!"

Its enormous head turned toward its territory as the Amethyst Winged Lion King glared with huge, blood-red eyes and issued orders to the magical beasts.

The vicious roar, laden with killing intent, made every magical beast on the mountain freeze. Then they began darting wildly through the forest.