Faced with the Amethyst Winged Lion King's overwhelming pressure, Xiao Yan immediately raised the little lion in his hand.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King could only halt warily, staring at Xiao Yan and raging helplessly.
At that moment, Yun Yun arrived beside him.
She glanced in astonishment at the little lion in Xiao Yan's hand.
I sent you to steal a Purple Spirit Crystal. How did you end up stealing his child too?
But this was no time to ask questions. They had to stand together against their opponent.
Yun Yun stepped forward, shielding Xiao Yan behind her.
"Lion King, you were so eager to break away and return that you took a serious wound from my sword. In your current state, you stand no chance against me."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes, as large as bronze bells, glared viciously at them.
"Release my child! Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will fight you to the death!"
With Yun Yun beside him, Xiao Yan felt considerably more secure.
Faced with the Amethyst Winged Lion King's threat, he merely sneered, raised his other hand, and lightly traced a seemingly casual gesture across the little lion's neck.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's roar stopped abruptly. His enormous body trembled slightly, and for the first time, a hint of pleading entered his eyes.
He had poured a century of painstaking effort into this child. He could not allow anything to happen to him!
"Don't hurt my child. You... you can have whatever you want!"
As a woman, Yun Yun felt her heart soften at the sight of the Lion King's deep parental love.
She quietly tugged Xiao Yan's sleeve and transmitted her voice to him. "Mister Li, although the Lion King is a magical beast, he still loves his family. I think we should refrain from hurting the Little Lion King."
Xiao Yan glanced back at Yun Yun, signaling that she could relax and that he knew where to draw the line.
Only then did he turn back to the Amethyst Winged Lion King and smile. "Lion King, I am deeply moved by your devotion to your child.
"As long as you show some sincerity, I will naturally release the Little Lion King."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King had already sensed that the auras of the Purple Spirit Crystals in his cave, including the companion amethyst source, had vanished.
Presumably, this masked man had taken them all.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King could not help snapping, "You've already stripped my cave bare, yet you still have the nerve to demand something from me?
"I'm penniless now! What else could I possibly give you?"
Beside them, Yun Yun stood dumbstruck.
Stripped his cave bare?
What did that mean?
Xiao Yan, however, chuckled. "Lion King, I stole the treasures in your cave through my own ability. Naturally, they don't count toward our current deal.
"If you want your child back, please offer a new bargaining chip."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King nearly went mad with rage!
This human was the most despicable, shameless human he had ever encountered!
Other than his life, what bargaining chip did he have left?
If there was no other choice, he would have to fight to the death!
Seeing the savage light growing in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes, Xiao Yan quickly reminded him:
"Don't get worked up, Lion King. Who says you have no bargaining chips left? Take a look at your body."
Suppressing his fury, the Amethyst Winged Lion King lowered his head to look at himself.
What was there?
Seeing that the Amethyst Winged Lion King still had not caught on, Xiao Yan offered another reminder. "Lion King, those Purple Spirit Crystals protecting your body are worth quite a bit too!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King froze at those words, then erupted in fury!
The Purple Spirit Crystals covering his body were the equivalent of a human's clothing!
This despicable human wanted to strip him naked!
How despicable!
How shameless!
How could such a despicable, shameless, insatiably greedy human exist?!
"You... you've gone too far in bullying me!" the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared.
Xiao Yan corrected him with a grin. "Lion King, I'm bullying a lion, not a man."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King felt as though he was going insane!
He truly wanted to throw all caution to the wind and incinerate this utterly detestable human with a blast of purple fire!
But looking at the child in the man's hand, the Amethyst Winged Lion King had no choice but to keep suppressing his rage!
"Fine! I'll give them... I'll give them to you..."
He forced those words out with difficulty, then began humiliatingly prying the Purple Spirit Crystals off his own body.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces...
A short while later, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, now completely bare and devoid of a lion king's majesty, numbly pushed the pile of Purple Spirit Crystals on the ground toward Xiao Yan.
Then he said woodenly, "Now I truly have nothing left! Is that enough?!"
Watching this, Yun Yun could not help feeling some pity, yet the scene was so absurd that it also made her want to laugh.
As a result, her expression was very strange: a look of compassion for all living things mixed with a struggle to suppress her laughter.
Xiao Yan finally nodded in satisfaction. After putting the Purple Spirit Crystals on the ground into his ring, he tossed the little lion in his hand toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
He was not worried about the Amethyst Winged Lion King flying into a rage.
Aside from the risk of accidentally injuring the Little Lion King, the crucial point was that, wounded as he was, he could no longer defeat Yun Yun.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King hastily caught the Little Lion King and carefully checked his breathing. Only after confirming that the child was merely unconscious did he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he gathered his child into his arms, soared into the sky without looking back, and swiftly departed.
Yun Yun was still puzzled. "His cave is here. Why is he flying away instead of returning to it?"
Xiao Yan gestured toward the dozen or so fourth-order magical beasts surrounding them and smiled. "If someone came to your doorstep at the Misty Cloud Sect, robbed you of everything you owned, and then forced you to strip naked in public, would you still have the face to stay in the Misty Cloud Sect?
"He must feel too ashamed to show his face around here anymore, so he decided to fly far away and start over somewhere no one knows him."
Understanding dawned on Yun Yun, and she looked at Xiao Yan, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
She wanted to tell him that he had gone too far and might have offended the harmony of heaven.
But her gentle nature and cultivated restraint ultimately kept her from saying it.
Patting his backside, Xiao Yan prepared to leave.
He beckoned to Yun Yun.
"Let's go home and divide the spoils."
Yun Yun came back to her senses. At the words "go home," her face reddened, but she said nothing and simply followed Xiao Yan docilely as they flew toward the cave they shared.
Back in the cave, Xiao Yan swept his hand.
Clatter-
In an instant, brilliant purple light illuminated the entire cave!
The scattered Purple Spirit Crystals formed a small mountain.
Most eye-catching of all was the crystalline pool formed from countless Purple Spirit Crystals, and the purple crystal sphere at its center, radiating a dreamlike halo!
"This... this is... companion amethyst source?!"
Yun Yun finally lost her composure, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief!
As the Misty Cloud Sect Master, she had seen countless rare and wondrous treasures, but even she had never seen such an enormous, intact sphere of companion amethyst source!
After a long while, Yun Yun murmured, "Now I finally understand what it means to strip a place bare. I also finally understand why the Amethyst Winged Lion King was so angry.
"You took all the best things in his home, then insisted on stripping off his clothes before leaving. That really was a little excessive."
Xiao Yan paid no mind to her remarks. Clearing his throat, he said:
"Miss Yun Yun, here are the spoils. How do you think we should divide them?"
In truth, he could have secretly kept some for himself before bringing out the remainder to divide.
But as Venerable Han, he had principles too.
When dealing with enemies, he naturally had to be as merciless as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
But when dealing with his own people, he had never been stingy.
Yun Yun now counted as halfway to being one of his own, so he naturally would not play such scheming games with her.
At his words, Yun Yun first paused, then a smile bloomed on her face.
Although he had been cautious and cunning when they first met, after spending some time with him, she could see that his nature was not actually bad.
With a gentle smile, Yun Yun shook her head, her voice soft but firm.
"Mister Li, I appreciate your kindness, but I already promised that I would only take one piece of Purple Spirit Crystal."
As she spoke, she really did bend down and pick out one of the smallest Purple Spirit Crystals from the mountain of treasures, roughly the size of a palm.
"This piece is enough. Everything else belongs to you, Mister Li."
Xiao Yan looked at the Purple Spirit Crystal in her hand, then at her clear, candid eyes, and fell silent.
Having stolen her ring before, he naturally knew that even as the Misty Cloud Sect Master, she possessed no treasure of this caliber.
This companion amethyst source was unquestionably a treasure enough to tempt her!
Yet she could refrain from fighting or grasping for it-and do so from the bottom of her heart!
Something unexpectedly stirred in Xiao Yan's heart.
This woman... her character was decent enough.
He sighed, took five jade bottles from his Storage Ring, and walked over to the companion amethyst source.
After opening it, he carefully drew out five bottles of companion amethyst source.
He also grabbed a dozen or so Purple Spirit Crystals, then walked up to Yun Yun and, without allowing any argument, pressed the jade bottles and crystals into her hands.
"You're a person of noble character, while I'm a petty man.
"I'm definitely taking the lion's share of these spoils.
"I have far too many Purple Spirit Crystals, so I'll just give you a dozen or so as a token.
"As for the companion amethyst source, there's about twenty bottles in total. I'll give you five, so consider it me getting the better end of the deal."
Yun Yun instinctively tried to decline. "Mister Li, there's really no need to be so generous..."
Xiao Yan raised his head and looked at Yun Yun, a faint smile on his face.
"Miss Yun Yun, don't make me a truly petty man."
With the mask between them, Yun Yun could not actually see Xiao Yan's expression.
Yet at that moment, she was utterly certain that he wore a gentle smile beneath it.
Thinking of their relationship as cultivation partners, Yun Yun's heart trembled.
Between us, there really was no need to distinguish what was yours and what was mine.
Once she thought it through, Yun Yun finally looked up and smiled brightly.
"All right. Then I'll accept them."
Before you continue