Yun Yun

"Let's get ready to fetch the Amethyst Flame." Xiao Yi Xian took a set of implements from her Storage Ring and arranged them at the cave entrance. Once everything was in place, she formed a hand seal. A strange fluctuation arose, and the entire cave vanished before their eyes.

Somewhat astonished, Xiao Yan stepped forward and felt around where the entrance had been. It was as though the cave had never existed.

"What's this?" Xiao Yan asked, pointing at the smooth mountainside.

"A formation. I made it myself. Now the magical beasts in the Magical Beast Forest won't be able to get inside and hurt Qing Lin. What do you think?" Xiao Yi Xian planted her hands on her hips, looking immensely pleased with herself.

"Impressive." Xiao Yan nodded. Although he had long known that formation masters existed, he had never met one.

On this continent, very few formation-master legacies remained, and inheriting them placed equally stringent demands on soul strength. Unless a major faction specifically trained them, formation masters were practically impossible to find elsewhere.

"The Hun Clan is an ancient clan exceptionally skilled in formations. Rumor has it that ten thousand years ago, they used a formation covering over half the continent to exterminate the Tunling Clan, which was ravaging the world at the time. Hun Tiandi, who was only a Four-Star Dou Sheng back then, also drew on the formation's power to slay the Tunling Clan's chief, an Eight-Star Dou Sheng, in a single stroke. He became a legend spanning ten thousand years of the Dou Qi Continent's history," Yao Lao suddenly interjected.

"No wonder senior sister can make formations too... Wait, Yao Lao. Did you just say that my master-by-chance, Hun Tiandi, was already a Four-Star Dou Sheng ten thousand years ago?" Xiao Yan keenly picked out a crucial detail from Yao Lao's words.

"It's just a secret tale that's been passed down for a very long time. Who knows whether it's true? According to legend, ten thousand years ago, the Dou Qi Continent was going through a terrifying Dharma-Ending Age. An ordinary empire could be called first-rate if it had a Dou Wang. Even in the Central Plains, a faction with a Dou Zong could be considered first-rate. Even the ancient clans had few Dou Sheng. Back then, the Hun Clan was only an ordinary clan without a Dou Di Bloodline, and Hun Tiandi rose to prominence as a prodigy of that era. After the Tunling Clan calamity, the Dharma-Ending Age suddenly ended. The amount of Dou Qi between heaven and earth surged, many Ancient Families were wiped out, and the Hun Clan somehow acquired a Dou Di Bloodline." Even Yao Lao himself did not know whether these ancient secrets were actually true.

After all, they sounded far too outrageous. An ordinary Dou Sheng might live for several thousand years, but the oldest one Yao Lao had ever met was only a little over four thousand-and that was an ancient recluse who had created a small world of their own and never so much as stepped outside the door.

Listening to Yao Lao's secret tales, Xiao Yan could make neither head nor tail of them. Such things were far too remote from him.

Ten thousand years-that was twice the length of Chinese history.

Xiao Yan shook his head. Just as he was about to divide their tasks with Xiao Yi Xian, a violent energy fluctuation and a savage lion's roar suddenly exploded across the sky like rumbling thunder.

Hearing that furious roar, Yao Lao's expression shifted slightly. His gaze fixed on the distant sky, where the violent energy had originated. With his keen eyesight, he could faintly make out the graceful, elegant figure of a woman...

"That's the roar of the sixth-rank magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King."

"The Amethyst Winged Lion King? Isn't that our target?"

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a glance, each seeing the worry in the other's eyes. Their original plan had been to sneak inside and take what they needed while the Amethyst Winged Lion King was out hunting.

But now...

"Let's go take a look." Yao Lao tipped his chin toward the battle in the distant sky and smiled.

At once, a bone-white energy enveloped Xiao Yan. The Purple Cloud Wings on his back automatically sprang out with a flutter, stretching a full three meters from tip to tip.

"Get ready, Little Yanzi. Your master will let you experience flying ahead of time!"

Controlling Xiao Yan's body, Yao Lao scooped Xiao Yi Xian into his arms and slowly rose into the air. The wings beat again, and he shot straight toward the battle.

"Xiao... Xiao Yan, what are you doing?!" A blush spread across Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks. Cradled in Xiao Yan's arms like a princess, she showed panic for the first time.

"Shh, don't talk. We'll be discovered." Yao Lao used Xiao Yan's body to make a shushing gesture. Only then did she settle down, though the blush on her cheeks did not fade in the slightest.

Watching the trees beneath him race backward in a blur, Xiao Yan felt such a thrill from their swift flight that he wanted to throw back his head and howl.

The sky and the sea-those were what every man most longed to conquer!

Skimming the canopy, Xiao Yan flew at tremendous speed with Xiao Yi Xian in his arms.

A little over ten minutes later, they finally approached the battle. The pressure descending from the violent energy fluctuations in the sky made Xiao Yan's heart tremble, even under Yao Lao's protection.

Several dozen meters outside the aerial battlefield, Xiao Yan stopped. After setting Xiao Yi Xian down on the ground, he actually flew brazenly up into the sky to watch the fight.

Once freed from Xiao Yan's hold, Xiao Yi Xian immediately straightened her wind-tousled clothes, glaring fiercely at him with a flushed face.

Xiao Yan could not help laughing. He turned back to continue watching the battle between Dou Emperors.

Across the azure sky, green and red filled fully half the heavens, creating a spectacular sight.

Purple crystal scales covered the Amethyst Winged Lion King from head to toe. His enormous body towered like a mountain range, and the pair of purple wings behind him blotted out the sky and sun. Each beat sent towering flames sweeping across the earth.

As he circled in midair, his invisible pressure alone was enough to leave people breathless. Looking up at him, Xiao Yan felt his very soul tremble.

The woman in the sky wore a plain dress that hugged her voluptuous figure. In her hand was a somewhat unusually shaped longsword that radiated green light. Her dark hair was swept up beneath an elegant Phoenix Hairpin, and her beautiful face remained serene, unchanged despite facing a magical beast renowned throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent.

This woman must be Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master Xiao Yi Xian mentioned, right?

Why had she come to provoke the Amethyst Winged Lion King? Could she be after the Amethyst Flame too? The possibility occurred to Xiao Yan.

After all, according to what they had learned at the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect had once purchased Amethyst Flame. The people of the Misty Cloud Sect were clearly familiar with the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"Are you truly unwilling to trade?" Yun Yun raised an eyebrow as she looked at the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"I've already told you. Unless you have a Transformation Pill, don't even think about trading for my purple spirit stone!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King's thunderous voice echoed between heaven and earth.

"You truly don't know what's good for you." Yun Yun sneered and slashed her sword. Green Dou Qi surged toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King like roaring mountains and raging seas.