A Wise Lion Knows When to Yield

The Amethyst Winged Lion King panted heavily, glancing toward the black-robed figure out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes were full of resentment and wariness, but she could do nothing.

At last, she set aside her noble pride, lowered her head, and pleaded with him:

"Senior, if you must kill me, so be it. But I beg you, please spare the child behind me. She's innocent."

Xiao Yan said nothing. He simply stood there quietly, communicating with Yao Lao in his mind.

"Xiao Yan, what do you think?"

Yao Lao asked, wanting to hear Xiao Yan's opinion.

Xiao Yan did not disappoint him. Without hesitation, he declared:

"Teacher, didn't I already say so? I want to subdue her and make her and her forces serve me."

With that, Xiao Yan began to weigh the pros and cons.

"First, no matter how weak this Amethyst Winged Lion King is, she's still a sixth-tier magical beast, on par with a Dou Huang expert."

"Second, magical beasts instinctively claim territory, so the Amethyst Winged Lion King must have many magical beast subordinates."

"Third, and most importantly, the Magical Beast Mountain Range is rich in resources. If we subdue the Amethyst Winged Lion King, we can have her supply us with resources!"

Listening to Xiao Yan list the three reasons in an orderly fashion, Yao Lao nodded slightly. A hint of appreciation flashed through his eyes, and he smiled.

"Good. It's always better to have another friend than another enemy, especially when that friend is the powerful Amethyst Winged Lion King!"

Xiao Yan picked up the thread and seized the chance to flatter him. "Your disciple isn't all that clever. It's just that those who stay near vermilion turn red. Under your tutelage, Teacher, with your example before my eyes and your words in my ears, I naturally picked it up!"

Yao Lao burst out laughing. His illusory spirit patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder as he praised him.

"Hahaha, Xiao Yan, I was right about you after all. We'll do as you say!"

"As you command!"

Xiao Yan answered respectfully, then closed his eyes and sank into his mind once more. After that, his consciousness returned to the real world.

Because their thoughts moved so quickly, the entire conversation between Xiao Yan and Yao Lao had taken only a few short seconds.

Now, Xiao Yan looked ahead, sizing up the Lion King as she lay at death's door. He replied coldly:

"Very well. I never intended to kill you, though. I only wanted to take you under my command. But since you wish to die, I'll grant your wish!"

With that, Xiao Yan, clad in his black robe, hesitated no longer. He waved his right hand, pretending to gather soul power, and prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Hearing the black-robed figure's words, the Amethyst Winged Lion King quickly reacted and roared anxiously:

"Wait, Senior! I am willing to surrender. Please show mercy!!"

Magical beasts that reached the sixth tier already possessed intelligence no less than that of humans. They could speak human language and even think logically.

As one of the overlords of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Amethyst Winged Lion King naturally understood the art of command. She knew when to lower her head and when to resist.

Clearly, he was prepared to spare her life, so why should she stubbornly cling to her pride?

She had no masochistic tendencies.

With that, the Amethyst Winged Lion King put on a humanlike smile and narrowed her eyes. Forcing her battered body clumsily upright, she walked over to Xiao Yan and fawned:

"Hehe, Senior, I... ahem, this humble one is willing to submit and offer this cave dwelling and the treasures inside as a token of my sincerity. Please accept them!"

At the sight of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's behavior, Xiao Yan could not help laughing. He shook his head and said:

"No need. I'm not interested in your cave dwelling, but... I am quite interested in the resources your clan produces and the supplies in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the Amethyst Winged Lion King finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully... he hadn't come straight here to kill a lion and seize her treasures. Otherwise, she had no idea how she would have escaped this calamity.

Compared with those so-called resources, her life was more important.

After all, it was a sixth-tier magical beast. As long as it was alive, what resources couldn't it seize back?

Having thought it through, the Amethyst Winged Lion King quickly nodded and lowered her body, gesturing to the black-robed figure.

"My lord, please take your seat!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yan suddenly realized that the Lion King was quite good at knowing when to yield. He pushed off the ground, floated up, and settled on her back, saying smugly:

"You have a very good attitude. I'm very satisfied."

"To tell you the truth, I'm also a highly skilled alchemist. If what you arrange next satisfies me even more, I wouldn't mind helping you refine some Emperor's Extreme Pills, or even Sect Breaking Pills!"

Xiao Yan wasn't lying. After all, he had been the Flame Emperor in his previous life and could even refine Emperor Grade Pills. Once his strength rose high enough, what were mere Emperor's Extreme Pills to him?

"Emperor's Extreme Pills and Sect Breaking Pills!!! Really! Those are pills that only a sixth-tier, or even a seventh-tier alchemist can refine..."

The Amethyst Winged Lion King had only just caught those two names when she drew a sharp breath. She turned to stare at the black-robed figure, her eyes shining, and spoke excitedly.

Just then, she remembered how he had sent her flying with a single slap.

From the force of that slap, the Amethyst Winged Lion King could tell that the black-robed figure's combat strength had reached at least the Dou Zong level.

Someone like that naturally had no need to deceive her.

"Really!"

Xiao Yan nodded emphatically in confirmation. Then he told the Lion King to lead the way and added:

"But that depends on your performance, and on what benefits you can offer me. Otherwise, why should I help you refine pills?"

At that, the Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly raced deeper into the cave entrance and said with complete confidence:

"Please rest assured, Senior. Our Amethyst Winged Lion King clan has plenty of treasures. For example, every thirty years, we shed a piece of Purple Spirit Crystal, which can help someone at Peak Dou Master break through their bottleneck and become a Da Dou Shi."

"And in recent years, I gave birth to a daughter with exceptional talent. At the same time, a piece of companion amethyst source was also produced. It's scarcely inferior to an Emperor's Extreme Pill!"

The surrounding scenery flashed past on either side. Xiao Yan felt the Amethyst Winged Lion King beneath him shaking violently as she ran at an astonishing speed.

When Yao Lao heard the words "companion amethyst source," he was briefly taken aback. Then he smiled.

"Companion amethyst source... so it's that thing. Xiao Yan, it seems fortune has smiled on you."

Sensing Yao Lao's reaction, Xiao Yan understood that he was about to start telling another story, so he obediently asked:

"What fortune? And what's companion amethyst source? Can you eat it?"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Strictly speaking, it can indeed be eaten, but I don't recommend that you do so. The energy it contains is far too immense for a human."

Yao Lao then began to explain. "Companion amethyst source is an extremely famous fire-attribute rare treasure. It's said that if a young Amethyst Winged Lion King that has just reached the fourth tier devours it with all its might, it can refine it within a few days and directly break through to the realm of a fifth-tier magical beast!"

"Back then, I broke into the cave dwellings of eight Amethyst Winged Lion Kings without finding it. After that, I stopped entertaining any hopes of obtaining such things."

"I never expected that, as soon as I came out on this adventure with you, I would stumble across this world-famous creation of a magical beast..."