"Damn it! A Blazing Lion!"
My body was already running even before I was consciously aware of it. My legs burned and my arms pumped as I tried to get out of the sight of the ferocious spirit beast, but already the Blazing Lion was pouncing on me. An inferno exploded under its paws and the immense creature launched itself from the mountain slope to descend on my position.
With a roar, it swiped at me, but I managed to skid to a stop and hurl myself in a different direction at the last moment, making use of my momentum to carry me past its bulk. Almost crashing into a rock wall, I then leaped back to my feet and stumbled round another outcrop.
The Blazing Lion growled and spun around to look for me. Fumes were expelled from its nostrils and sparks ignited around its mouth. The damned thing was literally breathing fire. I wouldn't be surprised if it sprouted wings of fire like a Blazing Gryphon, but thankfully the spirit beast hadn't evolved to that level yet.
What should I do?
Making use of the terrain, I weaved through the outcrops and natural rock roofs to keep myself ahead of the Blazing Lion. Its keen sense of smell allowed it to pursue me, but its much larger bulk – about five meters in height and about four times as long – meant that it couldn't nimbly maneuver through the narrow confines of the valley.
Good thing I did some research before I got here. Even if I had lost my cultivation and couldn't fight, as long as I made good use of the environment, I didn't need to actually defeat my opponent. I just needed to shake the damned Blazing Lion off my trail and I should be fine after that.
My objective wasn't to defeat as many spirit beasts as possible in order to gain experience points or whatever game-like quests most fictional systems would assign the protagonists. Instead, my only goal was to reach the hot springs here and take a bath in the hopes that they were potent enough to cure my injuries.
I had heard that the hot springs of Di Yu Mountain range were filled with pure qi. Immersing myself in such a natural environment might just have the possibility of healing my ruptured meridians and restoring my cultivation. Even if I wasn't able to return to my previous cultivation base, at the very least, having my meridians and dantian repaired would be a great start. I didn't mind beginning from scratch all over again, not when the alternative was to live as a cripple for the rest of my life.
But first, I had to escape the persistent Blazing Lion. From its growls and the constant thunderous crashes as it collided against mountain walls and overhanging rock, I could tell that it was still hot my heels despite my best efforts.
Why won't the damned thing just give up? There were plenty of other more delicious prey for it to feed on, weren't there?
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I realized how sadly mistaken I was. Even though I had been sprinting for the last five minutes or so, and furthermore, I had ventured into the valley for almost an hour prior to this chase, I hadn't actually seen any other spirit beasts so far.
That made sense. The Blazing Lion was an apex predator. None of the other spirits beasts would be reckless enough to intrude into its territory. I wouldn't have either if I had known there was one parading about in the vicinity.
"Ugh…"
I looked around desperately, but all I saw was rock, rock and more rock. Nothing but stuffy mountains, with the air shimmering from the raised temperatures within. The heat had been trapped by the naturally raised structures, making it even hotter than usual. Not that it affected the Blazing Lion, which actually basked in the excessive warmth as it pursued me.
If anything, I was at a disadvantage. I didn't have the stamina to keep running forever. Moreover, I was perspiring profusely from both the physical exertion and the heat. At this rate, I was in very real danger of collapsing from dehydration or heat exhaustion.
What should I do?
Narrowing my eyes, I decided to gamble on an obscure piece of knowledge I had read up somewhere before. The turn ahead seemed familiar, and I could feel a more intense heat emanating from there, along with a sensation that set my skin crawling.
Glancing over my shoulder, I checked to see if the Blazing Lion was still following me. Good, it was right on my trail, swooping to avoid colliding against a rock arch. Slapping at a wall with its claws, it sprang to the side and steadied itself against a groove before launching itself forward. However, it was forced to slow down in order to squeeze through a narrow corridor, its burning snout distorted in an annoyed snarl.
"Over here, you bastard!" I taunted and waved, further enraging it. The Blazing Lion burst through the corridor in a shower of dust and sand, swiping at me.
I made one final turn and dove round the corner. Hitting the ground, I rolled toward a crevice and pressed myself against a gap in the wall while kicking a plume of dirt toward the air. The vibrations weren't huge, but they were significant enough to draw the attention of something else present in the canyon.
Completely unaware of what awaited it, the Blazing Lion pounced through and burst into the space, clawing at thin air in an attempt to catch me. Its claws grinding to a stop, it roared a challenge.
A lethal hiss replied to its majestic bellow.
Stretching over twenty meters, a gigantic serpent with flaming ruby scales slithered out, rearing up to bare its fangs at the trespasser. The Volcanic Viper's fangs burst into fire, embers raining over its forked tongue. Molten lava took the place of venom, dripping from its glands to set the rock ablaze.
That was right. I had lured the Blazing Lion into the nest of a Volcanic Viper. While the two spirit beasts faced off, I straightened up and did my best Ken Watanabe impression.
"Let them fight."
While the two majestic spirit beasts dueled, I slipped away in the shadows. Shaking my head, I sighed wearily.
"And here I was hoping that an ultimate species girl would appear right in front of me and ask me to make a contract with her. That would mark the beginning of my ultimate species harem as well as my path to becoming the strongest summoner in the world."
Obviously, such things wouldn't conveniently happen in reality. In the end, I had to rely on myself to improve. The heavens weren't generous enough to drop such miraculous gifts into my lap because, quite frankly, the world didn't revolve around me. Reality wasn't going to bend over backward to accommodate my needs or desires.
Well, except for the hot springs, but it looked like I had my work cut out for me. I had managed to trick the Blazing Lion into fighting the Volcanic Viper, but I wasn't sure I could use the same trick again for the next spirit beast I encountered.
Actually, why couldn't I make a contract and capture either beast? I waved my hands in the air, hoping to summon the so-called super summoning system, but the holographic window stubbornly refused to appear. Not that I expected it to, but I was still a little annoyed. What was the use of having a system when it didn't work half the time? It felt like a McGuffin, honestly. The damned old reverend could just tell me to look for the hot springs and I would have done the same thing.
There was no need for the system. Just what was the reverend thinking, shoving this nonsense to me?
My thoughts faded away when I caught the foul stench of sulfur. Trying not to gag, I continued to keep to the warm walls, making full use of the shadows to conceal myself from the sight of whatever spirit beasts lurked here. The smell must mean that I was close to my destination.
Before I could go any further, though, I froze when I felt a sudden chill despite the high temperatures. The hair on my neck stood, a prickling sensation that ran all over my body. Taking a deep breath, I leaned close to a rock and looked from around the corner. Even though the steam was fogging the lenses of my glasses, I could make out familiar silhouettes in the distance.
A pack of Ember Wolves. Ordinary spirit beasts that resembled wolves, with orange and red streaks prominent throughout their dark brown fur, they were capable of breathing fire and other basic fire techniques. Other than the coloration and elemental abilities, they were almost identical to wolves, though a lot more aggressive and deadlier.
I didn't want to draw their attention if I could help it. Stiffening when I caught sight of a couple of them sniffing the air, I prayed that they didn't catch my scent. Fortunately, the stench of sulfur in the surroundings was so thick that it should conceal my presence.
Or so I hoped.
As they prowled the area, I made good use of the surroundings to hide, squeezing into crevices to stay out of their sight or wandering into the sulfurous fumes to mask my scent. The Ember Wolves continued to lurk at the edge of my vision, sometimes snapping and snarling at each other, but they didn't seem to have detected me. For now.
I gritted my teeth and waited impatiently. How long were they going to roam around the area? If I wasn't crippled, I would have fought them. Back when I was still a cultivator, I should technically be able to handle them. I could picture myself raining down arrows on them from a safe distance, wiping out the entire pack before they could get close.
Right now, I had no way of conjuring qi arrows. It was a little infuriating, but there was little I could do except comfort myself that it wouldn't be long until I heal these ruptured meridians.
The Ember Wolves didn't care about my frustration, but whatever I felt was replaced by a new sensation – fear – when a large shadow glided over them. The Ember Wolves looked up, growling, but they shrank back when the newcomer swooped upon them. The whole pack jumped back, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the new threat.
A chill gripped my spine tightly when I recognized the intruder's distinct shape and serpentine neck, as well as the massive wings that spread alongside it. It was of the same species as the one who had mortally injured me and crippled my cultivation.
A Lava Drake.
Shrieking thunderously, the Mystic ranked spirit beast darted toward the ordinary ranked Ember Wolves, flames igniting in its jaws.