'Advanced Dou Emperor!!'
Xiao Yan frowned. This elderly man was actually an Advanced Dou Emperor!
Although Xiao Yan had never encountered an Advanced Dou Emperor before, he knew about Yun Yun. Yun Yun's strength was around the 3-star stage, almost reaching the 4-star Dou Emperor stage. The strength of this elderly man surpassed her by a considerable margin.
'At the very least, he's a 6-star or above Dou Emperor!'
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was a Rank 6 magical beast, its close combat capabilities even comparable to a 5-star Dou Emperor. However, regardless of the circumstances, it stood no chance of defeating an elite Dou Emperor expert of six stars or above.
Moreover, when the Amethyst Winged Lion King sensed the terrifying pressure emanating from the old man, it realized that this old man's true strength was that of a 7-star Dou Emperor. Even if it teamed up with Yun Yun, they would likely be no match for him.
Wisps of purple-colored Amethyst Beast Flame emanated from its body. As the Beast Emperor of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, its dignity would not permit it to retreat.
"Humans! This is the Magic Beast Mountain Range! It's no place for you to run wild!" the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared. This was, after all, the depths of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and it was not the strongest magical beast in the vicinity.
There was still a Rank 7 magical beast within the Magic Beast Mountain Range. However, unless absolutely necessary, it had no desire to involve that Rank 7 magical beast.
The elderly man addressed as Mu Lao slightly knitted his brows and turned his head to glance at the young man behind him. It was evident that the 5th-tier alchemist behind him held a higher status and position than himself.
Yao Li also furrowed his brows. His objective in venturing out from the clan this time was solely for the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. Moreover, he was well aware of the events that transpired three hundred years prior. Even with the combined might of three Dou Ancestor sects and a 7th-tier alchemist, they ultimately failed to seize the Ten Thousand Beast Flame from the countless magical beasts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Thus, he had chosen to bring along a 7-star Dou Emperor and stealthily infiltrate to steal the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. If, by chance, a battle with the Amethyst Winged Lion King were to attract a beast tide, it would not align with his intentions.
Yao Li, however, did not immediately depart. He incessantly employed his spiritual perception to scan and sense the surroundings, even going so far as to consume a 4th-tier pill to temporarily enhance his Spiritual Strength. However, the outcome remained fruitless.
"How can this be? Could it have fled? Impossible. Mu Lao is a 7-star Dou Emperor. For someone to be swifter than him, wouldn't they need to be a peak Dou Emperor or even a Dou Ancestor?" Yao Li began to question his own judgment.
"Perhaps the Amethyst Winged Lion King once borrowed the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to temper its body, causing its Amethyst Beast Flame to contain a hint of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame? That might be why you sensed the fluctuations of a Heavenly Flame," Elder Mu said calmly.
After a moment of silence, Yao Li retracted his spiritual perception and said, "Mu Lao, let us depart."
Only after the two figures vanished from sight did Xiao Yan finally heave a sigh of relief.
'This Soul Robe truly can shield against spiritual perception below the Soul State!' Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had previously relied on his Spiritual Strength to reach the Di Class evaluation in the Soul Path, earning him the title of Di Class Soul Envoy and this Di Class Soul Robe.
If he had been discovered, he wouldn't have even known how to escape from an Advanced Dou Emperor.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King naturally knew Xiao Yan's precise location. In fact, Xiao Yan's position was conveniently obscured by its body. Yao Li placed too much trust in his own spiritual perception; had he circled around the Amethyst Winged Lion King, he would have undoubtedly discovered Xiao Yan.
"That robe of yours is no simple thing." The Amethyst Winged Lion King guessed why those people couldn't detect Xiao Yan's presence. His robe could shield against spiritual perception.
"Venturing out without some means of self-defense is a surefire way to meet an early death." Xiao Yan gradually emerged from the shadows.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King chuckled coldly, "However, it looks like you'll have to give up this time. That elderly man is a 7-star Dou Emperor. There's no way you can compete with them. Besides, you won't be able to reach the location of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame with your strength anyway."
The Amethyst Winged Lion King had naturally ventured to the center of the cave and had even acquired a wisp of the pure Ten Thousand Beast Flame. The cave contained many Rank 4 and even Rank 5 beast slaves.
While Xiao Yan might be unrivaled among peers and capable of battling across realms, overcoming a disparity of two or three major realms was an impossibility.
Although encountering formidable beast slaves wasn't a certainty, it would require an extraordinary stroke of fortune to evade them entirely.
"Lion King, our agreement was for you to guide me to the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. Are you going back on your word?"
"Hmph, I can take you there right now, but your inability to reach it is due to your lack of strength," the Amethyst Winged Lion King remained unmoved by his words.
Xiao Yan ruefully rubbed his cheek, a wry smile on his face. "Lion King, we've grown quite familiar with each other. Let's be frank, shall we? There's no deal in this world that can't be made, only a question of whether the stakes are high enough. Surely you don't wish to see the Ten Thousand Beast Flame fall into the hands of those two rude fellows, do you?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King felt the urge to retort: You two were even ruder than them at the beginning!
"A 7th-tier pill. In addition to the Body Transformation Pill, you will owe me another 7th-tier pill in three years. We'll decide what kind it will be when the time comes."
Enlisting the aid of a Dou Emperor typically warranted a 6th-tier pill, rendering a 7th-tier one a clear loss. However, Xiao Yan currently lacked alternatives, and he himself was incapable of refining a 7th-tier pill at present.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King had clearly grasped the art of speculative investment. For a Rank 6 magical beast to acquire a 7th-tier pill, a measure of luck and means were indeed necessary.
"Deal. Now take me to the location of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame as fast as you can!" Xiao Yan agreed without hesitation. As the saying goes, when you're in deep debt, what's one more? He already owed one Body Transformation Pill, so he didn't mind owing another.
"Rest assured, they won't be faster than us because the Ten Thousand Beast Flame moves through the tunnels." The Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes gleamed with a hint of cunning.
'No wonder the tunnels here are so complex and intertwined; it's because of this reason!' Xiao Yan finally understood why the magical beasts that came here had to dig tunnels everywhere. It turned out the Ten Thousand Beast Flame could move!
Seated on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's back, Xiao Yan saw the beast slaves they encountered along the way being dispatched as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. Whether they were Rank 3, Rank 4, or even Rank 5, none were a match for the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
Xiao Yan made sure not to let the beast slaves killed by the Amethyst Winged Lion King go to waste. He allowed the Nihility Devouring Flame to devour them all. No matter what chaotic remnants they were, before the flame that could devour anything in the world, they were all like baby formula.
As long as the Nihility Devouring Flame could be strengthened, his chances of refining the Ten Thousand Beast Flame would increase even more.
"Lion King, wait!" Xiao Yan suddenly called out in a deep voice.
"Hmm? We still have quite a way to go. If we're slower than them, you won't have a chance to refine the Ten Thousand Beast Flame," the Amethyst Winged Lion King said, puzzled.
Xiao Yan's expression was grave as he looked around the clean tunnels. "We haven't encountered a single beast slave for a while now."
Only then did the Amethyst Winged Lion King realize with a jolt that not a single beast slave had appeared for quite some time.
"A coincidence?"
"No, that's not right. There are many fresh traces of magical beasts here, which proves that there should have been quite a number of beast slaves here not long ago."
An ominous premonition suddenly gripped Xiao Yan.
"Could it be... but that doesn't make sense either. There are no signs of battle here. Even if that old man had taken action, there should have been traces left behind."
At this point, things felt increasingly off as the Amethyst Winged Lion King continued to carry Xiao Yan deeper inside. No matter how far they flew, they didn't find a single beast slave, as if all the beast slaves in the entire cave had suddenly vanished.
"We're almost there."
Xiao Yan covered himself with the Soul Robe and hid on the back of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, letting its fur conceal him.
When the Amethyst Winged Lion King flew out of the tunnel emitting a red glow, the scene before them left both Xiao Yan and the Amethyst Winged Lion King dumbfounded.
A massive magical beast with red flames radiating all over its body was sleeping peacefully. Xiao Yan could clearly sense that this fire beast was the true form of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
However, what shocked him was not the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, but the sight of countless beast slaves standing densely packed in the spacious underground hall.
All the beast slaves stood like soldiers, obediently following the commands of a single man.
Yao Li stood facing the fire beast with his back to the Amethyst Winged Lion King in the air. He said indifferently, "Sigh, you've done something incredibly foolish. You didn't really think I wouldn't dare to kill you, did you, Amethyst Winged Lion King?"