The lion king twisted its head aside at the last instant.
The spear slammed into the back of its neck, smashing its body out of midair and driving it into the ground.
Using the momentum, Lin Xuan stepped onto its skull and vaulted past.
"Rooarrr…"
The lion king roared again, staggering to its feet, though its voice lacked its earlier strength.
"As expected of a late-stage Sky Origin beast. Tough indeed," Lin Xuan muttered, attacking again, refusing to allow it time to recover.
This time, however, the lion king avoided a direct clash.
As the leader of the pride, it was an experienced hunter, circling to force Lin Xuan into a drawn-out fight.
Elsewhere, Leopard Qiang was already surrounded by several Green-Eyed Fire Lions.
Fortunately, its iron-like hide held firm, allowing it to endure.
Before long, Tiger Ying and Leopard Zhen finished off their opponent and rushed over, easing the pressure on Leopard Qiang.
Two leopards and a tiger unleashed a frenzied slaughter.
Against three Sky Origin Realm beasts working together, the fire lions had no chance.
They were quickly scattered and hunted down one by one.
Even in terms of speed, they couldn't escape the pursuit of the Black Iron Demon Leopards or the Fire Python Tiger. Soon, they were all dead.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan's duel with the lion king neared its end.
After taking Lin Xuan's first devastating strike, the lion king was already gravely wounded.
But as a monarch, it refused to show weakness, forcing itself to fight on.
Lin Xuan, however, carefully controlled his attacks, avoiding any reckless exchanges that might allow the beast to injure him fatally.
Finally, the lion king's strength collapsed. Its massive body fell, lifeless.
The Green-Eyed Fire Lion pride....exterminated!
"Rooaaar!"
Tiger Ying, its body soaked in blood, lifted its head proudly and let out a long, mournful cry to the heavens.
It was speaking to its father....telling him that vengeance had been fulfilled!
Lin Xuan swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill, then fed one each to Tiger Ying and the two leopards.
He sent them to guard the surroundings against any ambush, while releasing Qing Tan and the three tiger cubs to clean the battlefield and collect the lion corpses.
Qing Tan wrinkled her nose at the heavy stench of blood, her face paling slightly.
Such carnage was new to her.
"Don't be afraid," Lin Xuan reassured her gently, taking her hand.
These lions were the very ones that killed Tiger Ying's father and left him injured. We're helping him take revenge."
The little girl still had a tender heart.
Yet her adaptability was remarkable. In the original tale, she would one day become the Dark Hall's Mistress. A small body.....but a vast heart.
"So it was them who hurt Little Flame's family? Hmph, they deserved to die!" Qing Tan's eyes flashed with anger, her fear fading away.
"Master, I sense a strong energy fluctuation from the mountain above," Chi Ling transmitted excitedly. "There should be a rare treasure there."
It could sense herbs and treasures infused with energy—just like the Yangyuan Stones.
"Tiger Ying, take us up the mountain."
Lin Xuan mounted the beast with Qing Tan, riding toward the pride's den.
Inside the cave where the lions had lived...and where Tiger Ying had once dwelled.....Lin Xuan looked around.
The space was vast, surprisingly dry, though reeking faintly of beasts.
"Lin Xuan-ge, it's so much warmer in here than outside. So strange," Qing Tan remarked curiously.
Her body, long tormented by cold qi, was especially sensitive to temperature.
Most caves were damp and chilly. This one was dry, suffused with warmth, almost lulling her to sleep.
Chi Ling's sensing told him the treasure was here.
"Tiger Ying, when you lived here, did you notice anything unusual?" Lin Xuan asked.
The beast tilted its head in thought before replying.....well, lying against the stone wall to sleep had always felt comfortable. Did that count?
Lin Xuan frowned, examining the walls.
"These stones… they're all fused together?" he noticed.
"Could the treasure be within the rock?"
On a sudden thought, he drew his spear and prepared to strike.
"Wait—better establish a task first."
Whenever he had found a Yangyuan Stone vein before, the system allowed him to trigger tasks. Perhaps the same applied here.
[Task: Discover a rare treasure. Reward: A bottle of Variant Blood Pills.]
Lin Xuan blinked. Rewards often hinted at the nature of the find. Variant Blood Pills… that immediately made him think of Xiao Yan's mutated bloodline.
Could this treasure be the source of such power?
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Lin Xuan struck the stone wall. Sparks flew, the sound shrill.
"So hard!" he muttered.
If it could withstand his spear, it was no ordinary stone.
Exerting more force, he shattered layer after layer of the wall. Soon, rubble piled across the cave floor.
Finally.....the treasure revealed itself.
A blood-red stone gleamed within.
Crystalline and translucent, it seemed to hold liquid flowing inside, pulsing with a strange vitality.
Lin Xuan reached out, and warmth surged into his palm, making his blood boil.
"What an extraordinary energy wave…"
Chi Ling's voice trembled with excitement.
"Master.....it's the Goblin Blood Marrow Stone!"
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