Although Lin Ran's battle with the Amethyst Winged Lion King had ended quickly, it still startled the sleeping little Amethyst Winged Lion.
When it saw its parent facing off with Lin Ran, the cub bared its fangs and growled at him. But the moment Lin Ran smacked the Lion King to death with a single palm, the little beast froze like a glitching puppet.
Its fierce snarling turned into a trembling whimper. It curled up on the ground, not daring to look at Lin Ran, eyes full of terror.
Suddenly, the little cub felt the world darken. Instinctively, it looked up.
"R-Rawrr..."
That terrifying human was standing right in front of it. The little Amethyst Winged Lion shuddered violently and backed up several steps.
But after just a few, its vision dimmed—and it fell unconscious.
This cub was the young of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Once grown, it would directly reach the tier-6 level—a Magic Beast with solid potential.
Even if killing its parent had planted a seed of hatred in its heart, Lin Ran didn't care.
Master-servant contracts, branded restrictions, consciousness control…
He wasn't just some strong but clueless young master. As the young sect master of the Cloud Rain Sect, Lin Ran had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Controlling a mere tier-3 Magic Beast was no trouble at all.
"Hm? Hiding treasures, are we?"
Since spatial rings couldn't store living creatures, Lin Ran used spatial energy to levitate the cub behind him. But just as he was about to leave, he discovered something unexpected.
In the corner of the cave, beneath a large piece of violet crystal—
There were several Monster Cores from tier-4 and tier-5 beasts, along with a variety of rare medicinal herbs. They weren't extremely valuable, but since Lin Ran had run into them, of course he wasn't going to leave them.
With a wave of his hand, he swept all the Amethyst Winged Lion King's stashed treasure into his storage ring.
Once everything was handled, Lin Ran returned to the cave where Yun Yun was.
At this moment, the Sect Leader of Misty Cloud Sect was sitting absentmindedly by the entrance, lost in thought.
With her cultivation still sealed, she didn't even notice Lin Ran's return.
Lin Ran didn't disturb her either. He simply sat leisurely on a stone slab and admired this graceful beauty.
Truth be told, because of the backlash from his cultivation technique, he'd never really taken the time to appreciate her before—just went straight in. But now that he had a moment of peace, her beauty stood out even more.
Eyes like autumn water, brows like distant mountains.
Although the noble phoenix hairpin had long since been lost during their earlier encounter, her soft black hair still fell gently over her shoulders. Her stunning face looked serene and calm. Draped in Lin Ran's black robe, her fair and delicate figure had a tranquil allure of its own.
"That bastard… where the hell did he go…"
Yun Yun hugged herself tightly and murmured.
Then she gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"What does it matter where he went? Yun Yun, you've been cultivating alone all these years—how could you fall for some young brat?"
'Especially a brat who took advantage of you when you were down… It'd be better if he never came back!'
"I should just focus on cultivating and breaking the seal…"
Yun Yun muttered softly, her eyes filled with complex emotion—love and hate, worry and helplessness all tangled together.
The sight of her longing expression made Lin Ran's fingers itch.
"You've been talking to yourself about me this whole time, haven't you?"
Lin Ran wrapped his arms around Yun Yun from behind. Her slender body trembled, but when she heard that familiar voice and smelled his familiar scent, she gradually relaxed.
"You bastard… I wish you'd died out there."
Yun Yun grumbled under her breath.
"That so?"
Lin Ran smirked slightly and gently turned her around to face him.
"You're my captive now, you know. Aren't you afraid I'll punish you for talking back to your captor?"
"Pu… Punish? Ah!"
Yun Yun's expression changed, and she let out a startled cry.
...
Morning as drifting cloud, evening as falling rain.
Lin Ran gazed at Yun Yun, who was on the brink of collapse, and clicked his tongue.
'This won't do.'
After thinking for a moment, he reached forward again.
"N-No… no more…"
Yun Yun's voice was soft and weak, carrying a trace of pleading.
"No more? Of course you want more."
Thick Dou Qi surged from Lin Ran's palm, pouring into Yun Yun's body and coursing rapidly through her meridians.
The Amethyst Seal used by the lion king was a technique that sealed Dou Qi using violet flames. Yun Yun's three-star Dou Emperor strength had been forcibly suppressed, leaving her no different from a normal person.
The seal was incredibly powerful. If she had to break it herself, it would have taken a long time.
But for Lin Ran—it was nothing.
His fierce Dou Qi instantly flooded her body. Yun Yun let out a low gasp, but soon she noticed the Amethyst Seal within her dissolving rapidly—like snow melting under sunlight.
In just a few breaths, the seal was completely broken. The aura of a Dou Emperor erupted from within her, and her powerful Dou Qi instantly cleared away all soreness and fatigue.
The seal had been broken. Her Dou Emperor aura flowed freely once more!
"You… you did this…"
Feeling her strength return, Yun Yun's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Lin Ran.
She didn't understand—why would he help her break the seal?
But Lin Ran didn't explain.
He used his actions to answer.
...
About two hours later, the intense clash between two powerful beings finally came to a pause. Lin Ran stretched with satisfaction, feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Yun Yun, on the other hand… was in rough shape.
Even though her seal had been lifted and she'd regained her Dou Emperor power, the way Lin Ran had gone at her without restraint had almost broken her body.
'No wonder the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts took him as a disciple the moment they saw him…'
'That Pure Yang Body… is terrifying.'
"I remember you saying you came here for the Purple Spirit Crystal, right?" Lin Ran suddenly asked, as if remembering something.
"Mm."
Yun Yun's voice was faint. She had originally come to the Magic Beast Mountain Range seeking the crystal to help her disciple break through—but not only had she failed to get it, she'd nearly lost herself in the process.
What a disaster…
"Thud!"
A deep thud pulled Yun Yun from her thoughts. She looked up instinctively and saw a massive slab of violet crystal suddenly appear in front of her, glowing with soft light.
"This!"
Her eyes widened.
"This is… the Purple Spirit Crystal?! How can it be this big?!"
"It's okay. That little lion's stash had a whole pile of it. I figured I'd just bring it all back."
"This stuff's mostly only useful for training Dou Practitioners and Dou Masters. It's not much use to me—just takes up space. Since you need it, you can have it."
Lin Ran said casually as he lit the fire in front of them with a spark of Dou Qi. Then he took out a fine piece of monster meat from his storage ring and began roasting it.
"Little lion's stash?!"
Yun Yun was stunned.
If she wasn't mistaken, the "little lion" he mentioned… was likely the very one that had put her in this situation— the tier-6 Amethyst Winged Lion King.
'So the treasure hoard of the Amethyst Winged Lion King...'
"You… you killed the Amethyst Winged Lion King?!"
(End of Chapter)