Aiden was all alone, and he didn't have much to worry about.
Now there was the Hundred Lives Book, and he had gotten the Ghost Spear. He needed to find a way to get stronger.
Real strong people could fight against a kingdom, or even an empire, head to head.
If Aiden had that kind of power, he wouldn't have to worry about the Oracle Kingdom's revenge.
But Aiden was still far away from that. He wasn't even a real cultivator yet. His only help was the Ghost Spear.
But even so, he still had no idea how to deal with the soldiers attacking him.
The forest was deep and dark. Sometimes, you could hear a beast roaring and bugs chirping.
Aiden had been wandering around here for two days. His clothes were torn, and he looked pretty rough.
He was carrying a long spear, and the tip was hanging with a gray-brown wild boar skin.
That was a monster wild boar he killed yesterday. It was a 1 stage monster. This skin could sell for a good price.
But right now, Aiden's face wasn't looking good.
He looked at the thorny bushes in front of him and had to face a fact—he was lost.
"Maybe I'm already in the Shrouded Range? I need to get out of here." he said to himself quietly, then turned around and went back the way he came.
The Shrouded Range was a dangerous place. Monsters were everywhere. It was definitely not a place he could explore.
Among the messy bushes, you could see a faint footprint.
But soon, those footprints disappeared and couldn't be seen anymore.
"Was that my imagination? Why does it feel warmer around here?" Aiden stopped and felt the heat. It was a little uncomfortable, and he could also smell a faint sweet smell.
It seemed to come from the trees in front of him.
He hesitated for a moment and took a step forward.
The temperature kept getting higher, and the smell became stronger.
Aiden crouched in the bushes and saw everything in front of him.
On a big open flat area, there was a huge monster lying down. It was about four or five meters long. It looked like a lion, but there was fire all around its body.
It was a 3 stage monster, Flame Lion!
Aiden recognized the monster and held his breath. He tried his best to hide.
He wasn't even strong enough to fight a 1 stage monster. If he met a 3 stage one, he would be dead for sure.
Next to the Flame Lion, a small plant with bright red leaves caught his eye. There was also a red, shiny, and clear fruit on it.
What was this?
Aiden was confused. The sweet smell probably came from that red fruit.
The Flame Lion was probably protecting that fruit.
Suddenly, Aiden felt a strong killing intent coming from his side. He turned around with confusion and was shocked.
A few meters away in the bushes, there was a beautiful girl with white teeth clenched. She was looking at him with anger and shame. Her eyes were full of hatred, like she wanted to rip him apart.
It was Daisy the princess!
"Am I that unlucky?" Aiden swallowed nervously. He didn't even notice that Daisy and the soldiers were hiding nearby.
He thought about what happened in the cave that night. If he got caught by this woman, he would have a really bad time.
Luckily, the others were also afraid of the Flame Lion's power, so they didn't act quickly.
But Aiden didn't want to stay here either. He moved his body quietly and tried to get away from them.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out as a dry branch under his feet snapped.
Roar!
A loud roar echoed, and Aiden felt his eardrums vibrate. Then, a big ball of fire came down from above.
It was the Flame Lion!
He didn't have time to hide, so he quickly got up and ran.
Whoosh!
Right after that, he felt a burning pain in his back. His clothes caught fire instantly, and the smell of burning filled the air.
That was scary.
Aiden had no time to run. His body was quickly covered in flames, and he felt a lot of pain. His mind started to get fuzzy.
[BIP, Third life ended, died by Flame Lion]
[Can materialize reward: None]
[Extra reward: 1 Constitution]
[Do you want to choose the revival point?]
The voice in his ears came, and Aiden couldn't help but think about Daisy's angry eyes just now.
It was because of this little girl that he died.
He remembered what happened in the cave that night. His heart was all over the place, and he wanted to beat her up again.
But he gave up quickly. That red fruit was definitely not normal. Otherwise, Daisy wouldn't have come here.
If he revived in the cave, he might not find this place again.
He decided to revive here, but a little earlier.
Aiden made his decision and chose the revival point.
The scene around him changed quickly, like time was being reset.
The next second, he was back in the thick forest.
A hot feeling came over him, and the air smelled faintly sweet.
Aiden checked the direction and slowed his steps. He moved quietly toward where the scent was coming from.
Soon, he saw the Flame Lion and the small red fruit again on the open ground.
This time, he didn't get too close. He stayed hidden in the distance and carefully watched the bushes in front.
Sure enough, he found Daisy the princess and a group of Silver Dragon Guards hiding there.
These guys were experienced. They were hidden way better than him.
If Aiden hadn't known they were there before, he would've never noticed.
Daisy's goal was clearly to take that red fruit.
Aiden didn't know what the fruit was, but if a princess wanted it, it had to be special.
He decided to wait for the Silver Dragon Guards to attack first, then grab it in the chaos.
"Roar!"
At that moment, more low roars came. The Flame Lion got nervous and stood up, guarding the red fruit. Its big eyes coldly scanned the surroundings.
This fruit must be about to ripen.
Aiden noticed that the soldiers in front had already taken out their bows and crossbows, aiming the cold arrows at the Flame Lion.
Four soldiers hid in the bushes and quietly moved to the sides. They stopped at the edge of the bushes and made a hand signal to the soldiers hiding nearby.
The soldiers understood.
A soft whooshing sound came, and several arrows shot out from the bushes, aiming for the Flame Lion's weak points.
"Roar!"
A loud roar echoed, and the Flame Lion sensed danger right away. It raised its big claws and knocked down several arrows, but two of them still pierced its shoulder, nearly hitting the heart.
"Go!" Daisy saw the first attack work, and gave a cold order.
The guards hiding in the bushes suddenly rushed out. Four more of them ran toward the red fruit.
"Roar!" The Flame Lion was furious. It opened its mouth and spat out a wave of fire, rushing toward the dozen soldiers.
Low bushes caught fire. Flames rose up. Several soldiers couldn't dodge in time and were covered in flames, rolling on the ground in pain.
The fire seemed to stick to their bodies. For a moment, they couldn't put it out.
That was scary!
Aiden was shocked. He still stayed hidden in the bushes, crawling forward quietly.
The sound of screams echoed in his ears. He saw a soldier run forward to grab the red fruit, only to be torn apart by the Flame Lion's thick claws.
Blood splattered. He felt a chill down his spine. He held his breath and moved slowly through the bushes.
Soon, the bushes disappeared, and in front of him was an open space. He couldn't hide anymore.
"Let's take the risk!"
Aiden bit his lip. He noticed the Flame Lion was busy with the soldiers. He stood up and ran forward without thinking.
If he could get that fruit, even dying once was worth it.
"Hey, you pervert! It's you!" Daisy, hiding in the bushes, saw Aiden suddenly jump out. Her eyes turned red, her face full of cold fury. "Forget about the Flame Lion! First, kill this human!"
The soldiers were shocked. Then they noticed Aiden, but they were already tangled with the Flame Lion and couldn't move.
"Roar!"
The Flame Lion roared angrily. It saw Aiden and immediately left the soldiers behind. Its huge body jumped up and rushed toward him.
But it was too late.
Aiden ran forward, grabbed the red plant by the roots, pulled it out, then took the red fruit and threw the plant away. At the same time, he shouted, "Princess, catch!"
Then a black shadow covered him. The Flame Lion was already on him.
In a rush, he summoned the Ghost Spear and held it in front of him.
Bang!
The Flame Lion raised its claw and slammed down with great force.
Aiden felt a sharp pain in his palms, his arms went numb, and the Ghost Spear almost flew out of his hands.
He was also thrown backward and rolled down the hill.
"Roar!"
The Flame Lion kept roaring. Seeing Daisy catch the red plant, it thought the red fruit was still on it. It left Aiden and rushed toward Daisy instead.
"Princess, watch out!" The soldiers were scared. A few maids immediately stepped in front of Daisy.
Blood sprayed. One maid coughed up blood and flew backward.
"Jerk!" Daisy looked at the bare plant and realized she was tricked. The angry Flame Lion rushed toward her. She trembled and quickly said, "Retreat!"
The soldiers ran forward, held off the furious Flame Lion, and escorted Daisy as they fled into the deep forest.
At that moment, Aiden rolled down the hill. His whole body ached as if his organs were shattered.
But he was lucky enough to survive. He looked at the red fruit in his hands, curious.