"Roar!"
A low, guttural roar echoed from the Lightning Hippophant as it spiraled into a berserk frenzy. Red lightning crackled violently around its massive form, lashing out in every direction as it charged aimlessly, wreaking havoc on the ground beneath its thundering steps.
Yet, amid its chaos, there was something off—if one looked closely, they'd notice a faint purple hue creeping across the beast's thick skin.
Its wild roars grew more desperate, and as the lightning arced and danced, its once unstoppable speed gradually began to wane. The frenzy that had once gripped it seemed to ebb, and its movements became sluggish, almost pained.
Moments later, the great beast halted entirely, swaying unsteadily before collapsing with a final, thunderous crash. As it hit the ground, its massive frame seemed to fall endlessly into the stillness of death. The light in its once-vibrant eyes dimmed and faded, leaving behind nothing but silence.
Seeing this, Li Yun immediately jumped down, landing where the beast had fallen. He drew his sword, cut open the beast's belly, and retrieved its core, storing it in his storage ring.
"Hand over the core."
At that moment, he heard a voice he didn't want to hear.
Li Yun looked up and saw Lie Hua standing in front of him. He gave her a warm smile. "Hello, Fairy Lie. I'm Li Yun. Nice to meet you again."
Lie Hua's expression remained unchanged, cold as ever. "Hand over the core."
"Are you under some kind of misunderstanding, Fairy Lie?" Li Yun smiled, wearing a troubled expression. "I was the one who painstakingly killed the beast, and I was the one who retrieved the core. Therefore, the core is mine, and since it's mine, I can't give it to you, right?"
No sooner had he finished speaking, a sword struck the ground beside him.
"Hey, hey, no violence! Let's take it easy." Li Yun fell to the ground, startled by her unexpected attack.
"Do you want to give it to me or not?" Lie Hua asked, narrowing her eyes with a smile. "I can also eliminate you if you'd prefer. That way, I might earn more points than I would from the core of a 5th-level Qi Training Realm beast." Her eyes gleamed as she entertained the idea. "Hey, it's not a bad idea after all."
Li Yun scrambled back as he heard her, his face filled with anxiety. "As I said earlier, violence isn't the answer. Let's talk this through, alright?" His voice trembled.
"Oh? What do you want to talk about?" Lie Hua asked, her interest piqued. "If it's not related to the core or the points, I might just eliminate you, so choose your words wisely." She threatened him.
"Uh, like I said before," Li Yun gulped nervously as he kept retreating, his eyes locked on Lie Hua.
His heartbeat quickened as he crawled back, but his hands remained steady as they discreetly reached for a jade bottle from his storage ring. With a quick, subtle motion, he tipped the bottle, letting the pill inside drop silently onto the ground.
The empty bottle disappeared back into the ring as quickly as it had come, all while he continued to edge backward, careful not to make any sudden moves that might draw Lie Hua's attention to what he was doing.
"Like what?" Lie Hua asked, annoyed. "I don't have much time, so hurry up."
"Since the core is mine now, I'll only give it to you under one condition," Li Yun said with a solemn expression.
"Oh? And what condition is that?" Lie Hua asked, her tone laced with curiosity.
Li Yun stopped crawling and looked her in the eye, taking a deep breath as he chose his words carefully.
"Can you hurry it up? I don't have much time," Lie Hua said, swinging her sword. The ground beside him cracked under her strike.
"I actually messed up real bad," Li Yun sighed, looking depressed.
"What do you mean?" Lie Hua frowned.
Li Yun pointed at her. "If I give you the core, what's stopping you from eliminating me? You could take both my points and the core. So, I'm hesitating whether I should hand it over."
Lie Hua trembled at his words. "Are you wasting my time? You said you'd give me the core under one condition, and now you're talking about this?"
"Fairy Lie, please calm down," Li Yun raised his hands defensively. "It's just that I've always been... what can I say... terrible at staying on topic. Sometimes I start talking about one thing and then switch to something completely different, forgetting the original point. It's been a lifelong problem."
Lie Hua clenched her fist so tightly that her knuckles cracked, and her hand trembled around her sword. She had never felt this angry before in her life. It was as if every word he said ignited a new level of frustration.
"Shut up!"
She yelled.
"I'll ask one last time. Will you give me the core or not?" Lie Hua pointed her sword directly at him.
"Alright," Li Yun took a deep breath and looked at her. "You want the core? Sure, I'll give it to you, but—"
"Again?!" She slashed her sword forward, sending a gust of wind that nearly knocked him over.
"Alright, listen, Fairy Lie. These are my final words." Li Yun swallowed hard, raising his hands toward her in an attempt to explain.
"It's something my father once told me," Li Yun said cautiously, fearing another attack.
Lie Hua's face twitched in confusion. "How is your father related to this?" she asked, bewildered by the sudden shift.
"It's a long story, but I'll sum it up in one sentence." Li Yun sighed. "A long time ago, my father told me that anything that belongs to me is mine, and I shouldn't give it to anyone." Lie Hua's grip tightened on her sword at this.
Seeing that, Li Yun quickly added, "Unless... the person I'm giving it to is also mine. So, Fairy Lie—or should I say, Lie Hua—are you ready to become mine since you want what belongs to me?"
Lie Hua was left speechless, staring at him blankly as Li Yun gazed at her with a loveing expression.