Chapter 66: Zi Yan's Strength!
From deep within the distant dense forest, a furious lion's roar echoed, suddenly erupting like muffled thunder in the sky.
It lacked the brutality of the Vermilion King Bear, but possessed an indescribable majesty, its beastly roar spreading far and wide throughout the nearby forest.
"Hmm?"
The sudden roar did not surprise Jiang Yun and Zi Yan; it was as if they had long anticipated it. Both turned their heads simultaneously to look at the distant sky, where a purplish-red hue almost covered half the sky, even the lazy white clouds were tinged with a purple glow.
With their excellent eyesight, both easily saw the newcomer.
"Amethyst Winged Lion King!"
"Lion dog?"
Two voices rang out simultaneously, also highlighting the difference between a top student and a struggling one. They exchanged glances, Jiang Yun's eyes full of playful amusement as he smiled and ruffled Zi Yan's head.
"Hmph—, in my inherited memory, this is just a gatekeeper!" Being looked at by Jiang Yun like that, even Zi Yan's face felt a bit warm. She snorted coldly, crossed her arms over her chest, and said as a matter of course.
Indeed, given the status of the Ancient Void Dragon in the Beast World, the Amethyst Winged Lion King probably wouldn't even qualify to guard its gates.
"Roar—"
Another beastly roar came, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King arrived before them with gusts of wind pressure.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King resembled a lion, with a fiery red spiral horn on its head, and clusters of Purple Crystal flames swirling around the tip of the horn. On its back were a pair of purple wings, which, when flapped, sent out wisps of pale purple flames.
It was seven or eight meters long, its body covered in a layer of Purple Crystal-like substance, radiating dazzling light, quite blinding, appearing both magnificent and ferocious.
Just looking at its appearance, this Amethyst Winged Lion King was indeed impressive, suitable for pulling a carriage!
A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind, and Jiang Yun's gaze towards the Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly became somewhat peculiar.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King flew into the air, scanned its surroundings, and upon seeing the fallen Vermilion King Bear, a flicker of anger flashed in its eyes. This area was its territory, and all the magical beasts here were its subjects. Now, someone had severely injured its subordinate. If word got out, who would follow it?
Sizing up the 'little one' Zi Yan and Jiang Yun, the Amethyst Winged Lion King couldn't discern their strength, which slightly startled it. However, looking at the young duo, how strong could they be, no matter how powerful?
Defeating a fifth-tier Vermilion King Bear doesn't necessarily mean they can defeat me!
Although its heart inexplicably pounded when it looked at Zi Yan, it had no time to delve into it at this moment.
"Humans, trespassing into my territory and slaughtering my subjects, how do you wish to die?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's chilling gaze swept over the two, as it roared in human speech.
"Courting death!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's words instantly enraged Zi Yan. How dare he curse little Yun to die? Then you go die!
"Boom—"
As her voice fell, Zi Yan's slender leg stomped down violently, and the terrifying force caused the ground within a hundred-meter radius to collapse. She shot towards the Amethyst Winged Lion King like a cannonball.
"Sixth-tier shapeshifting magical beast!"
After Zi Yan's aura erupted, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's pupils constricted. It had already recognized the opponent's identity; it was a shapeshifting magical beast, and its bloodline level was far above its own.
"Wait—"
"Wait for what? Let this grandma see if your skin is thick enough!"
Zi Yan let out a delicate shout, her figure transforming into an afterimage as she swept before the Amethyst Winged Lion King. A purple stream of light condensed on her fair fist, eventually forming a ferocious dragon head, which she slammed out fiercely.
Facing Zi Yan's attack, the Amethyst Winged Lion King dared not be negligent. Its Dou Qi circulated at full speed, and it furiously extended its claws to strike at Zi Yan. With the augmentation of Dou Qi, the Purple Crystal on the surface of its claws emitted a brilliant light, increasing its defense by more than just one level.
Fists and claws clashed, and a fierce gust of wind immediately spread from the point of contact, creating ripples in the air. The ripples spread in all directions, easily shattering the rocks below.
The commotion of the battle in the sky startled many magical beasts. Various strange beast roars immediately echoed from the mountains, and one after another, rare magical beasts that were seldom seen in the outside world began to appear, observing the battle from afar.
However, although many magical beasts appeared, not a single one stepped forward to help the Amethyst Winged Lion King. The waves of pressure emanating from there filled them with immense fear.
"Ugh—"
A painful groan sounded. The Purple Crystal on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's claw was completely shattered, bleeding profusely. In a physical contest, it was ultimately no match for the Ancient Void Dragon.
"It seems your strength isn't as great as your mouth!" Looking at the Amethyst Winged Lion King flying backward, Zi Yan rubbed her uninjured palm, scoffed, and with a shake of the purple Dou Qi wings on her back, she rapidly approached her opponent.
Seeing Zi Yan attacking again, the Amethyst Winged Lion King roared. A booming snort came from its huge mouth, and with a flap of its wings, it easily glided a hundred meters, creating distance. Simultaneously, a towering purple pillar of flame, two to three zhang tall, also shot out from its body, sweeping towards Zi Yan.
Facing the incoming purple pillar of flame, Zi Yan did not dodge or evade, charging directly towards her opponent.
"Courting death!"
Seeing Zi Yan's overconfidence, the Amethyst Winged Lion King sneered. The purple flames around its body surged, and its massive claw, imbued with a dazzling purple glow, slammed forward. A faint black crack appeared beneath its claw, flickering in and out of view.
It wanted to seize this opportunity to take down the opponent in one fell swoop!
"Purple Crystal Seal!"
At the same moment, the purple light on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body grew increasingly intense. Suddenly, the light sharply contracted, and in the blink of an eye, the pervasive purple brilliance compressed into a deep purple light pillar only about half a foot long.
"Is this the Amethyst Winged Lion King's unique sealing technique?"
In the distance, Jiang Yun, who was merely observing and cheering, put away the Vermilion King Bear's magic core and quietly began to watch from the sidelines. He had no worries about Zi Yan's safety.
In terms of cultivation, strength, and bloodline, Zi Yan was far ahead. How could she lose?
Indeed, at this moment, Zi Yan, looking at the pillar of fire in front of her and the purple light pillar that followed closely behind, saw a faint glow flicker around her. In the Amethyst Winged Lion King's bewildered gaze, Zi Yan's figure abruptly vanished.
"I'm here!"
A crisp voice came from behind. This voice was extremely pleasant, but at this moment, the Amethyst Winged Lion King felt a chill run down its spine.
"Boom—"
The next second, a terrifying attack landed on the Amethyst Winged Lion King's back. The Purple Crystals on its body shattered layer by layer at this moment. Its usually solid defense was completely useless.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King, which had crashed into the ground, lay there panting heavily like an ox. The escaping purple flames caused the forest below to burn fiercely. If it weren't for a water-attribute magical beast in the distance preventing the fire from spreading, no one would know how far it would have gone.
However, at the center of the battle, a small lava lake formed, all life nearby extinguished, silently narrating the terror of a Dou Huang's battle.
"Seriously, it's too weak. I should have gone easier on it." Looking at the Amethyst Winged Lion King, who was unable to fight anymore, Zi Yan mumbled with some dissatisfaction. She had just warmed up, and her newly learned Dou Technique hadn't even been fully unleashed before the battle ended. How annoying!
"Its strength is inherently inferior to yours, and with the bloodline suppression, it can only exert seventy percent of its power. How could it withstand your torment!"
At this moment, Jiang Yun, who had been observing the entire time, walked forward and gently comforted the dissatisfied Zi Yan, saying, "If you're still not satisfied, find an open space, and I'll spar with you!"
Hearing Jiang Yun's words, Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up. Then, as if remembering something, she cautiously said, "Then you're not allowed to use formations, and you're not allowed to use flames."
Every time she sparred with Jiang Yun, she was constantly annoyed by his endless formations and alchemical flame techniques. She felt like she had nowhere to exert her strength, and powerful Dou techniques couldn't be truly used, which always left her feeling frustrated.
Hearing Zi Yan's words, Jiang Yun chuckled and said, "Okay, I promise you, no formations or alchemical flame techniques!"
To be honest, against an opponent like Zi Yan, who relies on brute physical strength, formations are the most effective tool. Trapping an opponent inside makes them feel like they have nowhere to exert their power.
The reason he frequently used formations and alchemical flame techniques was to hone these two Techniques. There was no other way; his spiritual formation inheritance only went up to five-tier spiritual formations. Beyond that, there were only fragments of information, not a single formation diagram.
Having recently obtained Venerable Tian Huo's Five-Wheel Blazing Fire Array, he had been studying the formations of the Dou Qi Continent to further advance his path of formations. Currently, his formations were sufficient to deal with Dou Zongs, but they would be insufficient against Dou Zuns.
In fact, what he was most interested in were the protective arrays of the various imperial clans, and Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint's Ancient Sky Refining Formation.
As for alchemical flame techniques, they were preparations for alchemy and also a means to have more options against enemies in the future.
"This time, I will definitely defeat you!" Hearing Jiang Yun agreed to her conditions, Zi Yan's face immediately lit up with excitement, her eyes filled with the flames of fighting spirit.
Glancing sideways at Zi Yan, Jiang Yun secretly mused to himself, besides formations and the Undying Holy Flame, he also had soul power, which was the ultimate weapon against magical beasts.
Looking at the excited Zi Yan, Jiang Yun couldn't bear to tell her the truth. Although she had the Bodhi pendant he made, Zi Yan's soul power was constantly being nourished, but there was still a huge gap compared to Jiang Yun's.
Hmm, should I teach Zi Yan the method of soul cultivation?
"Let's go, let's see what good things the Amethyst Winged Lion King has!" After a strange thought just arose, Jiang Yun glanced at the fallen Amethyst Winged Lion King. In the end, he didn't finish it off, but instead took Zi Yan and followed the scent towards its lair.
And after the two left, the magical beasts observing from a distance also slowly approached.
Two streaks of light flickered across the sky, silently landing on a messy pile of rocks.
Not far away was a huge mountain, and at its peak, a massive cave entrance was faintly visible, concealed by tree branches.
"This is it, I smell something good!" Zi Yan's eyes shone as she looked at the distant cave, somewhat eager to try, not expecting such an unexpected gain.
"Let's go!"
The path was unobstructed; the few third-tier guardian magical beasts present could not stop the combination of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan.
Inside the cave, Purple Crystal blocks were embedded in the surrounding walls. The deep and spacious interior of the cave was adorned with these Purple Crystal blocks, making it extremely beautiful.
The dazzling brilliance, a scene that would make any girl's heart flutter, held no attraction for Zi Yan.
As soon as she entered, her eyes darted around, not missing a single corner.
"Found it!"
After a while, Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she pulled Jiang Yun towards a deep cave entrance.
As they walked further in, the surrounding temperature grew hotter and hotter. Arriving at the central part of the cave, what greeted their eyes was a square platform made of stacked Purple Crystal stones, over a meter high, with a purple spherical object, as large as a human head, resting quietly within it.
"Good stuff!" Seeing the target, Zi Yan's eyes gleamed as she circled the accompanying Purple Crystal source.
"This is a Co-existing Purple Crystal Source, a top-grade fire-attribute heavenly treasure!"
"Little Yun!" Zi Yan's bright eyes turned to Jiang Yun after hearing this. She didn't say a word, but Jiang Yun read two words in her eyes.
"Want!"
With a light chuckle, Jiang Yun took a piece of Purple Spirit Crystal and, following the method, extracted most of the Co-existing Purple Crystal Source.
"Roar—"
Just as Jiang Yun and Zi Yan were about to leave, an angry lion's roar came. This sound was very similar to that of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, but with a hint of immaturity.
Following the sound, they saw a smaller Amethyst Winged Lion King crouching on the ground at the cave entrance behind them, baring its teeth and glaring furiously at the two.
"This should be the Amethyst Winged Lion King's child, just reached third-tier!"
Seeing the small Amethyst Winged Lion King, Jiang Yun said calmly. A mere third-tier magical beast couldn't stop the two of them.
Zi Yan now looked at the small Amethyst Winged Lion King roaring at the two, a trace of reminiscence in her eyes. Finally, she said with some loss, "Little Yun, don't hurt it, let's go!"
How familiar Jiang Yun and Zi Yan were! Moreover, this girl couldn't hide her thoughts at all. Knowing that seeing the other party might have reminded her of her own childhood, Jiang Yun waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind shot out.
With a "bang—," the small Amethyst Winged Lion King was knocked unconscious before it could even react.
Reaching out and taking Zi Yan's hand, Jiang Yun said softly, "Let's go. No matter what happened before, I'll be with you from now on!"
Allowing Jiang Yun to hold her hand and lead her out, Zi Yan felt her mood lighten considerably as she looked at the figure in front of her. She didn't even notice the charming curve that had appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Hmph—, who wants you to accompany me? I'm just afraid that if I'm not around, you might get beaten to death, and then my painstakingly cultivated Alchemist would be gone. Wouldn't that be a huge loss for me!"
Zi Yan's tone was still Tsundere (arrogant yet cute), but her body honestly moved closer to Jiang Yun. In the end, she directly hooked her arm through Jiang Yun's, walking side by side with him.
Feeling the movement beside him, a smile flashed in Jiang Yun's eyes.
I hope you stay happy forever. Whatever difficulties you face, I'll be here to support you!
At the same time.
On the other side, Yun Yi followed Old Mu Gu to a mountain peak that soared into the clouds.
The mountaintop was enveloped in a thick white mist, within which a vast ancient hall was faintly visible.