"Sword, come!"
With Chen Mo's command, fragments of black demonic inscriptions burst out from within his body, converging in his right hand to form a black longsword about three feet in length.
The sword was shrouded in a dark, sinister aura, swirling with black demonic energy that exuded an overwhelming and destructive presence.
"Chen Mo, you—"
Yun Yun stared blankly at him, stunned. "Do you even know what you're saying? Step aside, quickly!"
As she spoke, a strange green longsword appeared in her hand. With a flap of the wings behind her, she flew forward and landed in front of Chen Mo.
"You even brought backup?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's beastly pupils swept over Chen Mo, letting out a deep roar. It couldn't see through Chen Mo's cultivation level, which immediately made it more vigilant.
Chen Mo reached out, grabbed Yun Yun's hand, and gently pulled her behind him. "Just watch, Sister Yun Yun."
Her jade-like hand in his grasp caused a faint blush to creep up Yun Yun's delicate face. She pulled her hand back, still concerned. "Don't try to act tough."
"Don't worry."
With the demonic sword Nightmare in hand, Chen Mo gazed at the mighty and majestic magical beast before him. A sudden idea stirred within him—what if he made this beast his mount?
He already had Nightmare and the Wings of the Kunpeng, so a mount wasn't necessary. But then again… did it matter? Being cool was a lifelong pursuit.
The Golden Body could wait a little.
Chen Mo pointed his sword at the lion king and declared, "You have two choices—submit, or die."
As his words fell, Chen Mo slashed his sword, and a massive sword light descended from the skies, streaking past the Amethyst Winged Lion King and slamming into the dense forest below.
BOOM!
The energy exploded, leveling the forest into a wasteland of broken trees and shattered earth.
"Hiss—"
Behind him, Yun Yun gasped in shock, her body trembling slightly as she instinctively drew in a breath of cold air.
That slash… its power was on par with that of a Dou Huang.
She stared at Chen Mo's back in disbelief. Was he really just a Dou Ling?
This was no ordinary man. This was a monster.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's pupils shrank as well. Yet, as a dominant ruler of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, how could it be intimidated so easily? It let out a cold snort.
"Hmph. Human, your skills aren't that great, but your arrogance sure is."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Chen Mo smiled lightly. The next moment, he raised Nightmare and brought the blade close to his face. A flash of ghostly light glinted along the blade.
The sword suddenly trembled, and with a sharp whistle, Chen Mo unleashed another strike.
This time, both Yun Yun and the lion king clearly saw a magnificent lotus-shaped sword energy blossom from the black blade, shooting toward the mountain below like a bolt of lightning.
BOOM!
With an ear-splitting explosion, a visible shockwave burst forth, flattening the terrain. Trees were shredded into splinters, and beasts caught in the blast were instantly reduced to corpses.
As the energy storm raged, the Amethyst Winged Lion King hastily shielded itself with its massive wings.
Yun Yun did the same.
When the tempest subsided, both of them stared at the ravaged land below, involuntarily swallowing hard.
"Gulp..."
This power far exceeded their strongest attacks.
In other words, whether it was Yun Yun or the lion king—had they taken that hit directly, the only outcome would have been annihilation.
Yun Yun turned to look at Chen Mo, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Then she remembered how she once considered making him her disciple. Her face flushed crimson from embarrassment.
With this kind of power… who should be taking in whom?
The lion king's expression shifted dramatically, and even its thunderous growl had lost much of its strength.
"So, Lion King… what now?" Chen Mo twirled his sword leisurely, his tone relaxed.
This time, the lion king didn't dare belittle him. Instead, it said,
"I am the sovereign of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Countless magical beasts kneel at my feet and hail me as their supreme ruler. I will never submit to a human. Never!"
"One Transformation Pill." Chen Mo said calmly.
"What?" x2
Both the Amethyst Winged Lion King and Yun Yun were shocked.
Transformation Pill?
A seventh-tier medicinal pill capable of allowing a magical beast to take human form. With such a pill, a beast could truly transform into a human, and once they did, their cultivation speed would rival that of humans.
Not only that, magical beasts naturally had longer lifespans than humans. For a high-ranked beast, a few years—or even a decade—was but a fleeting moment.
Imagine the potential of a high-tier beast that transformed and then cultivated in safety for a hundred years. Its strength would be unfathomable.
Needless to say, the Transformation Pill was a treasure among magical beasts.
But even within the entire Jia Ma Empire, not even Pill King Gu He could refine one.
Where did he get the confidence to claim he could produce a Transformation Pill?
Yun Yun stared hard at Chen Mo.
The lion king was clearly tempted. "Prove to me you have one."
Chen Mo shook his head. "I don't have one now."
The lion king sneered coldly.
"But that doesn't mean I won't in the future. I'll be honest with you—I'm a third-tier alchemist at nineteen years old. And more than that…"
He raised his palm. A green flame ignited from his hand.
"You recognize this, don't you?"
The moment the green flame flared up, scorching heat rippled outward.
The lion king's pupils shrank. "Heavenly Flame?"
Chen Mo nodded. "That's right. A Heavenly Flame. You should know what that means for an alchemist."
A nineteen-year-old Tier 3 alchemist with a Heavenly Flame—this talent meant he had the potential to become a true alchemy master.
"Lion King, I swear on my honor—as long as you follow me, within three years, I will give you a Transformation Pill. If I fail, I'll release you. To you, three years is nothing. But if you still refuse…"
Chen Mo's eyes turned cold, killing intent flashing within.
Hearing this, Yun Yun was stunned.
Three years?
What kind of nonsense is that?
To go from a Tier 3 to a Tier 7 alchemist in three years? That was impossible!
Yun Yun was certain Chen Mo was bluffing.
But the Amethyst Winged Lion King, while lacking a human's intellect, wasn't stupid.
It didn't believe him either.
Forget the three-year promise—just the claim of being a nineteen-year-old Tier 3 alchemist was hard to swallow.
Yet so what if it didn't believe him? The threat in Chen Mo's words was obvious.
The sword was already at its neck.
Believe it or not—what choice did it have?
The Amethyst Winged Lion King yielded. But to maintain its dignity as a king, it growled:
"If you fail to give me the Transformation Pill in three years, I will self-destruct rather than serve you again."
"Agreed." Chen Mo nodded.
"Master!"
****
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