Amid the crowd, Xiao Yi Xian, surrounded by mercenaries, suddenly sensed something and glanced ahead.
Not far from the group, a black-clad youth carrying a strange, enormous sword on his back was looking in her direction.
In an instant, their eyes met!
Xiao Yi Xian took in the youth's appearance. His face looked young, but he was by no means short, and a valiant air radiated from him.
Unlike the mercenaries she had met before, whose bearing simply looked fierce, he brimmed with youthful vigor, like a keen sword with its edge fully bared.
He was different!
Xiao Yi Xian gave Xiao Yan a gentle, courteous smile, offering warmth like sunshine on a winter day.
Even Xiao Yan was struck by that smile.
She really did live up to her name as Xiao Yi Xian!
The goddess of Qingshan Town-she deserved that title!
Xiao Yan returned her smile. However, this was only their first meeting, so he quickly withdrew his gaze and passed the mercenary group accompanying her.
To Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan was merely a passerby who looked somewhat unusual.
"Little Yanzi, are you really not tempted?"
Once he had walked some distance away, Yao Lao's teasing voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind again.
The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched, and he simply ignored the gossipy old man.
The next day, Xiao Yan bought a regional map of the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range from a map shop and entered the mountains alone.
His goal was clear: his first task was to find the expert's cave abode that had appeared in the original story.
After all, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map was inside that cave abode, and he was determined to obtain it.
Of course, the fragment map itself was not important. The emergence of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would cause such an enormous stir that it could not possibly be hidden.
What mattered was the remnant image of the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint within the Ancient Map, which would appear after all four pieces of the Demonic Flame Remnant Map were assembled.
That was the trump card for dealing with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
Yet Xiao Yan wandered the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range for several days, enduring dozens of magical beast attacks and even gathering quite a few medicinal herbs, without finding so much as a trace of the cave abode.
Even Yao Lao was puzzled and could not help asking, "Little Yanzi, what exactly are you looking for?"
Xiao Yan coughed lightly and scratched his head.
"Everyone says the Dou Qi Continent is full of opportunities. Who knows? There might be a predecessor's cave abode beneath some cliff. I'm just trying my luck to see whether those rumors are true."
Yao Lao was speechless. "Do you think you can find those opportunities on the continent just because you want to?" he said irritably.
Xiao Yan shrugged.
"Might as well try. It won't take up much time anyway."
"Suit yourself!"
Roar!
Just then, a beast's roar suddenly rang out from the distant woods, and an enormous, fiery-red magical beast hurtled toward him on a scorching gust.
It moved so fast that even Xiao Yan could see only a fiery-red afterimage.
"Little Yanzi, watch out. That's a mature Tier 2 Scarlet Flame Leopard. Its speed can even rival a nine-star Dou Shi's."
At Yao Lao's warning, Xiao Yan's expression grew slightly more serious, and he fixed his gaze on the Scarlet Flame Leopard charging toward him.
Although a mature Tier 2 Scarlet Flame Leopard's attack power was only above average among Tier 2 magical beasts, its terrifying speed meant that even a nine-star Dou Shi could do little against it.
Yet Xiao Yan remained utterly calm.
Since entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had already encountered other Tier 2 magical beasts before this Scarlet Flame Leopard.
Bang!
In the flash of a spark, Xiao Yan drove through his calves and stepped forward, sending loose stones flying beneath his feet.
A pale golden glow suddenly radiated from his body, making him resemble a brilliant golden sun. His muscles swelled, their contours as sharp as if carved by blade and axe, like a perfect sculpture.
Then surging Dou Qi poured from within him, enveloping his sculpted body.
"Just what I wanted!"
Two sharp gleams flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He grabbed the Heavy Xuan Ruler's handle, veins bulging along his arm, and swung it fiercely forward.
In an instant, a bright yellow crescent swept through the air, cleaving savagely toward the charging Scarlet Flame Leopard.
Boom-
A muffled collision thundered out, and two surging waves of air spread between Xiao Yan and the Scarlet Flame Leopard.
At such close range, Xiao Yan could clearly see the ferocious eyes set in the Scarlet Flame Leopard's enormous body and smell the foul stench wafting from its bloody maw.
"Damn, this beast has some strength!"
Xiao Yan cursed under his breath and exerted a sudden burst of force through both arms, driving the Scarlet Flame Leopard back. He, too, retreated several steps, his blood churning within him.
The Scarlet Flame Leopard likewise let out an enraged roar of pain. At that moment, Xiao Yan had fully roused its savage nature.
With a roar, fiery-red Dou Qi gathered around the Scarlet Flame Leopard's forepaw, and it swiped straight down at Xiao Yan.
Combined with its terrifying speed, that strike could catch even a nine-star Dou Shi off guard and leave them nursing a painful loss.
Even Xiao Yan could not fully track the Scarlet Flame Leopard's movements with his eyes alone.
However, beyond his own combat strength, he was also a fourth-rank alchemist.
With his powerful soul perception, the Scarlet Flame Leopard seemed to suddenly slow before Xiao Yan's eyes, its movements completely laid bare.
"Again!"
Battle lust blazed like fire in Xiao Yan's eyes. Astonishing strength erupted from his arms as he slashed toward the Scarlet Flame Leopard once more.
A heavy sword needed no keen edge; supreme mastery needed no elaborate craft!
There was no technique whatsoever in this strike!
Boom!
Fierce winds battered Xiao Yan's face. Billowing waves of air instantly engulfed him and the Scarlet Flame Leopard, while shattered stones and dust scattered in all directions.
Xiao Yan did not know how the Scarlet Flame Leopard had fared, but the recoil traveled through his body, making all his internal organs seem to tremble slightly.
Had an ordinary Dou Shi clashed head-on with a magical beast of the same tier like this, the shock would likely have already injured their internal organs.
Yet Xiao Yan's body was far too strong-even more formidable than a Da Dou Shi's.
To Xiao Yan, that recoil did not hurt or even itch!
Light and shadows flickered amid the dust.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler repeatedly struck the Scarlet Flame Leopard's iron-hard body, scraping off dazzling showers of sparks.
The sharp claws on the Scarlet Flame Leopard's paws had torn the clothing on his upper body into strips, leaving bloody marks across his skin. Clearly, however, these minor wounds had not damaged his muscles or bones.
The Scarlet Flame Leopard was suffering as well. Its body could not shrug off the damage inflicted by the Heavy Xuan Ruler. Its enormous frame was dented in far too many places, leaving it grotesquely battered and drenched in blood.
After a prolonged, grueling battle, a trace of fear had entered its gaze as it looked at Xiao Yan.
This human was too terrifying!
His attack power clearly fell short of its own, yet his body was far tougher.
Which of them was actually the magical beast?!
To hell with this!
The Scarlet Flame Leopard glared viciously at Xiao Yan and roared, then turned and fled!
It was confident that Xiao Yan could never match its speed.
"Trying to run?"
Xiao Yan chuckled. With a turn of his palm, he put the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his Storage Ring.
The instant the Heavy Xuan Ruler vanished, the suppressed Dou Qi within Xiao Yan burst forth like a breached dam and a raging mountain torrent. His body felt as though its shackles had been removed, becoming light all over.
Bang!
The next moment, an explosive crack rang out beneath his feet. His body shot forward like a cannonball, streaking after the Scarlet Flame Leopard.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Before you continue