"By the way, exactly how many stars are you as a Dou Emperor?" Xiao Yan asked casually.
"Three stars."
Xiao Yan frowned, "And what about the Amethyst Winged Lion King? How many stars would it be considered?"
"Magical beasts don't have a clear star classification as we humans do. If we compare it in terms of Dou Techniques and Dou Qi, it could at most compete with a 2-star Dou Emperor. However, magical beasts excel in close combat and rely on their physical strength. The close combat skills of the Amethyst Winged Lion King could rival a 4-star or even a 5-star Dou Emperor."
Yun Yun explained as she flew, her gaze fixed ahead, "All things considered, its overall strength might also be equivalent to a 3-star Dou Emperor, about the same as me."
"However, I will not lose this time."
Xiao Yan and Yun Yun had chosen to confront the Amethyst Winged Lion King at dusk. They knew that the amethyst crystals on the Lion King could absorb sunlight, so by choosing this time when it could not, the Lion King might not be able to match Yun Yun who had cultivated Di Class Dou Techniques.
Xiao Yan turned his head to Yun Yun and said with a grin, "Remember to sound a bit fiercer."
Yun Yun shot him an annoyed look. Are you the Dou Emperor, or am I? Why should I take orders from you?
"Just take care of yourself."
After dropping a faint sentence, Yun Yun channeled her Dou Qi and surged forward with a burst of speed toward the cave of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Her speed as a wind attribute Dou Emperor was terrifyingly unmatched.
Moments later, four hundred-meter-high green tornadoes appeared around the Amethyst Winged Lion King's lair. The terrifying tornadoes engulfed the cave from all sides, wreaking havoc and sweeping all nearby magical beasts into the sky.
A Dou Emperor's strike could be described as earth-shattering. Even a single High Xuan Class Dou Technique could rival the devastating power of nature.
"Amethyst Winged Lion King, come out now! This old lady is going to turn your territory upside down today!"
Xiao Yan nearly burst out laughing when he heard Yun Yun following his earlier suggestion. Clearly, this was their plan: she would infuriate the Amethyst Winged Lion King, while he would sneak into the cave to search for the Purple Spirit Crystal.
"Human woman, you are courting death! Today I will grind your bones to dust!" Yun Yun had launched a direct attack on the entire territory of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. How could it tolerate this as the ruler of this territory? Its furious roar suddenly thundered across the sky.
As the roar echoed, a purple figure shot out of the cave with lightning-like speed. Instantly, a burst of light turned the surrounding dense forest into a chaotic wreckage.
A blue and a purple light, one chasing the other, shot straight into the sky. Over a thousand meters in the air, they began to collide violently.
Xiao Yan immediately wiped the smile off his face when he saw that Yun Yun had successfully distracted the Amethyst Winged Lion King. He donned his black Soul Robe and pulled down the hood, his eyes turning cold and sharp.
The Soul Robe concealed both his aura and his soul.
Then, after retracting the Purple Cloud Wings, he dove into the dense forest.
He knew the Amethyst Winged Lion King would surely try to use its perception to search for him, but the Lion King could never have imagined he possessed an item like the Soul Robe.
The ground was strewn with the corpses of magical beasts that had been swept up into the sky by tornadoes and dropped to their deaths. He could even see the bodies of Rank 4 magical beasts among them. Regrettably, he did not have time to collect the monster cores; otherwise, it could have been a windfall.
His feet swiftly leaped over the bodies, and he soon arrived at the massive entrance to the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave. He slightly crouched his body, then suddenly dashed inside.
Xiao Yan did not use any lighting tools; occasionally, purple crystal chunks were embedded in the surrounding cave walls. These crystals were natural formations within the cave, highly prized as decorative items and of considerable value.
Having traversed the long passage, he soon came to a junction where two paths diverged.
Frowning at the two forks in the path, he paused for a moment as he looked down at the footprints on the ground. The right path had small, neat lion paw prints, and he knew that a young Amethyst Winged Lion King was still in the cave.
Without a doubt, the right path led to the young Amethyst Winged Lion King's chamber.
'Left!' Xiao Yan did not want to encounter the young Amethyst Winged Lion King. It was a peak Rank 3 magical beast. He wasn't sure he could defeat it.
It would be his bad luck if the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was really there.
The left passage was quite winding. Xiao Yan made several turns as he went deeper. Then, he suddenly noticed that the temperature around him was rising as he progressed.
This filled him with elation. It was a sign that he had not taken the wrong path!
After walking for a while, a sudden burst of light emanated from the tunnel. Xiao Yan's face lit up with joy as he quickened his pace and stepped out of the passage. A spacious stone room appeared in front of him.
The stone room was filled with various spiritual fruits and fire attribute medicinal herbs. Xiao Yan even spotted some cultivators' weapons scattered on the ground.
'This is the treasure vault of the Amethyst Winged Lion King!'
Meow! ψ(*｀ー′)ψ
Mao Wu suddenly emerged from the Acceptance Soul and in a flash, perched on a spherical object in the middle of the stone room. The intense heat radiating throughout the tunnel originated from this very ball.
In the center of the stone room, a pile of amethyst stones over a meter high formed a platform-like structure. Atop this amethyst platform was a purple-colored ball the size of Xiao Yan's head.
When Xiao Yan saw the purple glow swirling around the ball, he recalled a passage from a book on magical beasts regarding the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
It mentioned that during the birth of its cubs, there was a rare chance that something called the Amethyst Birth Essence could be produced.
It was a precious fire-attribute treasure, and its shell could only be cracked using a Purple Spirit Crystal.
Xiao Yan was speechless upon seeing the Amethyst Birth Essence and then urged, "You fancy something on the same level as the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain? Hurry up and check if the Ten Thousand Beast Flame is here!"
Since joining the Hall of Souls, Xiao Yan had also learned to put on airs.
There's a whole box of this level of stuff in this young master's storage ring!
Moreover, it was difficult to take this ball away. One would either have to dig up the ground and take it along with the Amethyst Stone Platform or use a Purple Spirit Crystal to crack its shell and extract the essence inside.
With neither the Ten Thousand Beast Flames nor the Purple Spirit Crystal found, how could he spare attention to this thing?
Meow!!! Mao Wu lunged forward and scratched Xiao Yan's cheek a few times with a look of disdain, hating the iron for not turning into steel. Then, much to Xiao Yan's amazement, its mouth suddenly opened and turned into a black hole.
It swallowed the entire ball whole!
"Holy crap! That's amazing!"
Truly worthy of being the Nihility Devouring Flame. It really could devour anything.
Just as Xiao Yan was marveling at Mao Wu's devouring ability, a wisp of blood-red flame suddenly emerged from a gap in the middle of the remaining Amethyst Stone Platform.
'Ten Thousand Beast Flame!'
Xiao Yan rushed toward the flame the moment he saw it. He had never expected the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to be sealed within the Amethyst Stone Platform and used to heat the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence.
'Huh? Something's not right. Why is this Ten Thousand Beast Flame so weak? And it doesn't even have an Essence Flame...'
'Is this really a Ten Thousand Beast Flame?!'
It wasn't until he got closer that he realized it was indeed the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. However, this was not the Essence Flame, but merely a wisp taken from the main Ten Thousand Beast Flame and sealed onto the Amethyst Stone Platform to heat the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence.
Therefore, when he initially entered the cave and swept the area with his Spiritual Strength, he did not detect the wisp of Ten Thousand Beast Flame within the Amethyst Stone Platform because it was too weak and had been sealed inside the stone.
Only Mao Wu, also a Heavenly Flame with a bit of spiritual intelligence, could detect it thanks to its nature as a Heavenly Flame.
Just as Xiao Yan was inwardly lamenting this, a shadow silently appeared behind him.