Chapter 59: Encountering the Lion King and Obtaining the Fire Spirit Crystal

Chapter 59: Encountering the Lion King and Obtaining the Fire Spirit Crystal

My name is Xiao Chen. Right now, I'm being chased by hundreds of spirit beasts, but I'm not the least bit panicked—after all, their speed can't match my Escape Technique.

Deep within the Yan Chi Secret Realm, a golden streak of light sliced through the air, leaving a massive swarm of spirit beasts far behind.

After dashing dozens of miles in one breath, the pursuing beasts suddenly halted at a corner, roaring in frustration.

Xiao Chen, noticing this, slowed his pace and finally stopped altogether.

Behind him, at least two hundred beasts had gathered, snarling furiously—but none dared approach further.

An invisible pressure seemed to hold them back.

"Could this be the territory of an even stronger spirit beast?"

Xiao Chen heightened his vigilance and turned the corner. Before him stood a small mountain—or rather, a vast open-air Fire Crystal mine.

At the mountain's foot lay a cave-like tunnel. On the entrance's stone wall, a corner of a Fire Crystal jutted out, refracting dazzling light.

Xiao Chen gripped his Evergreen Sword and swiftly pried it loose. The moment he touched it, he felt its abundant fire spiritual energy—equivalent to two and a half spirit stones.

Looking deeper into the cave, Fire Crystals protruded every few paces. This was clearly a rich vein.

"If there are so many at the entrance, how many more lie inside?"

Eyes gleaming, Xiao Chen reinforced his Golden Light Technique and ventured inward.

As expected, the deeper he went, the more Fire Crystals he found.

After advancing three miles, he even spotted a Fire Crystal lying on the ground, as if discarded.

Nearby, a smooth, worn mark caught his eye—a lion's paw print.

"Could this be the Three-Headed Lion King's footprint?"

Since he'd found the print, the beast was likely nearby.

Xiao Chen immediately sat to meditate, restoring his depleted mana.

He reactivated his Golden Light Technique and summoned his Xuan Fire Raven.

With no witnesses, there was no need for secrecy.

Further ahead, the tunnel opened into a vast cavern.

At its center was a circular pit, and at the bottom sat an enormous Fire Spirit Crystal, radiating brilliant crimson light.

This was no ordinary Fire Crystal—it was a Fire Spirit Crystal! Though seeing one for the first time, Xiao Chen was certain of its power to elevate a cultivator by an entire cultivation stage.

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar exploded, followed by a sulfurous gust that struck like a hammer against his ears.

Xiao Chen felt as though someone had slammed a mallet against his eardrums while a storm raged around him.

From the cavern's far end emerged three massive lion heads. The central one, three feet wide, gaped open.

This wasn't wind—it was the lion's roar!

"Toxic Raven Black Flame!"

Xiao Chen commanded his Xuan Fire Raven to attack, surrounding the monstrous three-headed lion as he had done with Daoba.

But the flames barely stirred the beast's crimson fur, having no visible effect.

If anything, they billowed like a cape, making the lion appear even more fearsome.

"Fireball Technique!"

The lion swallowed the fireball whole.

Its left head inhaled, devouring three Xuan Fire Ravens, while the right spat out a colossal fire serpent.

"Damn it—Zongdi Jinguang, run!"

Xiao Chen fled, the three-headed lion in relentless pursuit.

As guardian of the Fire Spirit Crystal, this mutated Three-Headed Lion naturally wielded the Fire Technique. For now, they were evenly matched in speed.

Seeing Xiao Chen gain ground, the lion's side heads spat twin fireballs that merged ahead of him. With a powerful headbutt, the lion launched the ten-foot-wide inferno.

Xiao Chen's hair stood on end.

Spinning around, he deployed his Earth Shield Technique and activated his robe's protective golden light.

"Boom!"

The explosion roared, engulfing the entire mine in fire.

Unfazed, the lion charged through the flames—only to find Xiao Chen propelled backward by the blast, fleeing faster than before.

"Tch!"

The lion snorted, returning to its lair.

Confident in its attack's power, it dismissed the intruder. As a lion capable of devouring Fire Crystals, it would have already reached Foundation Building if not for the Forbidden Realm's suppression.

That strike had surpassed the Li Qi Stage, easily capable of killing a ninth-stage Li Qi Stage adult Two-Headed Lion.

The foolish intruder was surely dead.

"Thud!"

Xiao Chen landed on a rock outside the mine, groaning as he rubbed his sore rear.

"Thankfully, I had three layers of defense."

Thanks to his tenfold-enhanced Earth Shield and Golden Light Technique, he'd survived a Foundation Building-level strike, albeit with minor damage to his protective robe.

"No wonder the Two-Headed Lions avoid this place. How do I claim that Fire Spirit Crystal?"

Back at the entrance, he rummaged through his storage bag, contemplating.

Staring at the Fire Crystal he'd collected, inspiration struck: "Of course! It doesn't stay in the center constantly—it leaves periodically."

After meditating to restore his mana, he returned to where he'd found the Fire Crystal.

He'd wait for the lion to leave, then sneak in and steal the Fire Spirit Crystal.

To hide better, he carved a small niche in the wall, blocking the entrance with a stone slab, leaving only a narrow slit for observation.

Using Su Yuanpeng's Seal Acupoint and Conceal Breath Techniques, he masked his cultivation aura, appearing as an ordinary mortal.

He remained hidden for a full day and night before the lion finally sauntered past, heading to dig up Fire Crystals elsewhere.

The moment it vanished, Xiao Chen dropped his disguise, activated Zongdi Jinguang, and dashed to the cavern's center.

With swift sword strikes, he pried the Fire Spirit Crystal from the ground, along with a chunk of earth, and stuffed it into his storage bag.

Before the echoes of his footsteps faded, the lion returned, chewing Fire Crystals.

As it neared his hiding spot, it paused, sniffing suspiciously.

Its keen nose detected an intruder's scent—but after a closer whiff, it relaxed.

This was the same golden monkey's scent from yesterday. The monkey must have perished in the explosion.

Resuming its leisurely pace, the lion returned to the cavern.

Xiao Chen had held his breath the entire time.

Thankfully, the lion's low intelligence had been his salvation.

Once the lion was far enough away, Xiao Chen shoved aside the stone and sprinted outside, climbing the mine shaft to the summit.

Moments later, furious roars echoed from below as the lion raged, hurling fireballs that shattered the surrounding crystals.

While the beast vented its impotent fury, Xiao Chen sat atop the mountain, beginning to absorb the Fire Spirit Crystal's power.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end